"I can spare as much as Ford can," said Annie.
"Do you leave me out entirely?" asked her mother, with a smile that was even sweeter than usual. As for sharp-eyed lawyer Foster, he had been hemming and coughing in an odd sort of way for a moment, and he had said, "I declare," several times, but he now remarked, somewhat more to the purpose: "I don't believe in giving any man a better education than he will ever know what to do with, but then, this Dick Lee, and you boys,—well, see what you can do, but no one must be allowed to contribute outside of the Foster and Kinzer families and Frank. As for the rest, hem,—ah, I think I'll say there wont be any difficulty."
"You, father?"
"Why not, Annie? Do you s'pose I'm going to be beaten by a mere country boy like Dab Kinzer?"
"Father," said Ford, "if you'd seen how Dick behaved, that night, out there on the ocean, in the 'Swallow!'"
"Just as well, just as well, my son!"
"Hurrah!" shouted Ford, "then it's all right, and Dick Lee'll have a fair shake in the world."
"A what, my son?" exclaimed his mother.
"I didn't mean to talk slang, mother, I only meant,—well, you know how dreadfully black he is, but then he can steer a boat tip-top, and he's splendid for crabs and blue-fish, and Dab says he's a good scholar, too."
"Dab's a very good boy," said Mrs. Foster, "but your friend Dick will need an outfit, I imagine. Clothes and almost everything. I must see Mrs. Kinzer about it."