day. Annie knows something."

"She can help me, then. Those Hart boys'll die if they're not fed pretty
soon. Look at Fuz. Why, he can't keep his mouth shut."

Joe and his brother seemed to know as if by instinct that the dinner
question was under discussion, and they were soon taking at least their
share of the talk. Oh, how they did wish it had been a share of
something to eat, instead!

"The Swallow" was carefully moored, after discharging her passengers;
but Dab did not start for the house with his mother and the rest. He
even managed to detain some of the empty lunch-baskets, large ones too.

"Come on, Mr. Kinzer," shouted Joe Hart. "Let's put for the village.
We'll starve here."

"A fellow that'll starve here, just deserves to, that's all," said
Dabney. "Ford, there's Bill Lee's boat and three others coming in. We're
all right. One of 'em's a dredger."

Ford and Frank could only guess what their friend was up to, but Dab was
not doing any sort of guessing.

"Bill," he shouted, as Dick Lee's father came within hearing,--"Bill!
put a lot of your best panfish in this basket, and then go and fetch us
some lobsters. There's half a dozen in your pot. Did those others have
any luck?"

"More clams'n 'ysters," responded Bill.