when the spring comes, and the question will be as to who can claim
the boats, though some of them ain't much good."

"I suppose that you'll stick to your'n, seeing that it is by far
the best in the fleet," said another man, who had a deep, rumbling
laugh.

Katherine looked at her father in dumb surprise. She had been
expecting him to announce the news of the fishing boats having been
bought by the Englishman with the remarkable name, instead of which
he was just going on with his work, and looking as if he had no
more information than the others.

Lifting his head at that moment he caught his daughter's perplexed
glance, and, after a moment, said hastily: "I wouldn't be in too
much hurry about appropriating the boats if I were you."

"Why not?" chorused the listeners.

"Barton & Skinner have been bought out, and the new owner might not
approve of his property being made off with in that fashion," 'Duke
Radford replied.

"Who's bought it? Who told you? Look here, we want to know," one
man burst out impatiently.

"Then you had better go up to the second portage and ask Astor
M'Kree," rejoined 'Duke Radford slowly. "It was he who told me
about it, and he has got the order to build four more boats."