on his desk,
and restoring the five hundred dollar bill to his pocket-book.

Mr. Brooks and Bobtail left the office, followed by Mrs. Taylor and her
husband.

"I am responsible for you, Bobtail," said the officer.

"I won't run away, sir. You have been very kind to me, Mr. Brooks, and I
won't go back on you," replied Bobtail.

"But I must not lose sight of you; and I don't want to send you to jail.
I'll take you to my house."

"Just as you say, sir; but I should like to go home and have a talk with
mother. I want to see Squire Simonton, too."

"Very well; I will go home with you. I saw Squire Simonton walking
towards his house just now. There he is, in front of the hotel, talking
with Mr. Hines."

They walked towards the Bay View House. It was nearly tea time, and the
guests of the house were seated on the platform, under the shade of the
trees which surround the hotel. There was an excited group there, for
the particulars of the cruise of the Penobscot that day had just been
related by the Walkers and others.

"I want to see you, Squire Simonton," said Bobtail.

"There he is. Three cheers for Little Bobtail!" shouted Mr. Walker, as
he pointed to the hero of the day.

There were gentlemen enough who had heard the story to give the cheers,
and the ladies clapped their hands.

"That's for you, Bobtail," said Mr. Hines. "We have heard of your brave
deeds, and all the people in the hotel are talking about you."

Little Bobtail blushed like a beet, and while Mr. Hines was telling the
deputy sheriff how the boy had saved Grace Montague from the waves and
the rocks, the hero related his own troubles to Mr. Simonton. Mr. Walker
and Emily came out, and insisted that Bobtail should go into the hotel,
and see the ladies. Ever so many of them shook his brown hand, and he
blushed and stammered, and thought the scene was ten times as trying as
that off Blank Island. Then he must take tea with the Walkers. He could
not be excused.

"I can't, sir," protested Bobtail. "I have been taken up for stealing
since I came a shore. But I didn't do it."

"For stealing!" exclaimed Emily Walker, with horror.

"I didn't do it."

"I know you didn't, Captain Bobtail," replied Emily.

"This is Mr. Brooks, the deputy sheriff, and he is responsible for me,"
added Bobtail. "So you see I can't leave him."

"Then Mr. Brooks must come too," said Mr. Walker.

The officer was very obliging, and went too. Bobtail was a first-class
lion