speak to Ham Morris and mother about it," said Dab. "All I
wanted was to fix it about the twenty dollars to start on."

"Frank," shouted Ford, "let's go right in, and see our crowd!"

Ford was evidently getting a little excited; and it was hardly five
minutes later that he wound up his story, in the house, with,--

"Father, may I contribute my ten dollars to the Richard Lee Education
Fund?"

"Of course; but he will need a good deal more money than you boys can
raise."

"Why, father, the advertisement says half a year for a hundred and
fifty. He can board for less than we can. Perhaps Mrs. Myers would let
him work out a part of it."

"I can spare as much as Ford can," here put in Annie.

"Do you leave me out entirely?" said her mother, with a smile that was
even sweeter than usual.

As for sharp-eyed lawyer Foster himself, 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 that there won't be any difficulty."

"You, father?"

"Why not, Annie? Do you s'pose I'm going to let myself be beaten in such
a matter by a mere country-boy like Dabney 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 tiptop, and he's
splendid for crabs and bluefish; 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,--clothing, and almost every thing. I must see
Mrs. Kinzer about it."

Meantime Dick Lee's part in the matter, and that of his family, had been
taken for granted, all around. An hour later, however, Mrs. Kinzer's
first reply to her son, after listening to a calculation of his, which
almost made it seem as if Dick would make money by going to Grantley,
was,--