p and down, must
be awfully jolly. And besides, it is so stupid that I have never been
seasick, and don't know what it's like.

"What kind of weather do you think we'll have, Ola Bugta?" I asked him,
up on Little Beacon.

Ola Bugta took the quid out of his mouth. "Oh, it is fine weather
outside there." O dear, then we should have good weather to-day, too!

Well, at last we saw a faint streak of smoke far off in the mist.
Karsten and I almost tumbled head over heels down the hill to tell
Mother that now we saw the smoke. Karsten had a new light spring coat
for the journey. He looked queer in it, for it was altogether too long
for him. I took the liberty of saying that he looked like a lay preacher
in it; not that I ever saw a lay preacher in a light spring coat; but
Karsten looked so tall and proper all at once.

Hurrah! now the steamer was in Quit-island Gap. How much more
interesting a steamer looks when you are going to travel on it yourself!
It made a wide sweep when it came from behind the island, and glided in
a big graceful curve up to the wharf. There were a great many passengers
on the boat. As soon as the gangway touched the wharf, I wanted to go on
board, but the mail-agent pushed me aside. "The mail first," said he.
But I ran on right after the mail.

Oh, how awfully jolly it was! The deck crowded with passengers, and
trunks, and _tines_, and traveling-bags; the delightful steamboat smell;
all my friends standing on the wharf; and I tremendously busy carrying
Mother's portmanteau and hold-all on board. I certainly went six times
back and forth across the gangway. O dear! so many boxes had to be put
on board, I thought we should never get off. I nodded and nodded to
every one on the wharf. At last I nodded to Ola Bugta; but he didn't nod
back; he just turned his quid in his mouth.

Finally we started.

Whenever I go down on the wharf to watch the steamboat, it seems to me
almost as if it were always the same people traveling. But to-day there
were a whole lot of different kinds of people.

The first person I noticed was a tall old lady who had a footstool with
her. Think of traveling with a yellow wooden footstool! If she had only
sat still,--but she and the footstool were constantly on the go. At last
she must have thought that I looked exactly cut out to carry the stool
for her.

"Little girl," she said, "you're a good girl, aren't you, and will help
me a little?" After that I couldn't go anywhere