"Oh, Father! How good of you to do so much, not only for me but for Nat
and his mother!"

Mr. Coddington did not reply at once. After a pause he said gently:

"Peter, anything I can do for the Jackson family is but a small part of
what I owe them. All my life I have tried to trace them. I have searched
from Tennessee to Cape Cod. And now, here in my own tannery, I find the
clue for which I have been hunting. Your friend Nat and his mother are
proud people, and would never accept all that I wish I might offer them;
but at least I have this opportunity to furnish help in a purely
business way. To provide this trip is a great pleasure to me. Some time
you shall know the whole story and then you will understand. I want you
to know, for the obligation is one that will go down from father to son
so long as a Coddington lives to bear the name. Good-night, my boy."

[Illustration]

CHAPTER VII

THE CLIMB UP THE LADDER

If Peter expected to hear more of the mysterious tie that linked his
family with that of the Jacksons he was disappointed; for his father did
not refer to the story again, and although the boy burned with curiosity
to know more he had not the courage to ask. Had not Mr. Coddington gone
steadily forward perfecting plans for the seashore outing it would have
seemed as if the incident had entirely slipped from his mind. But the
personal interest he displayed in arranging every detail of the trip
proved beyond question that the memory of the obligation at which he had
hinted was still vividly before him. The vacation was arranged without
trouble. Mrs. Jackson's first objections to accepting this favor at the
hands of the Coddington Company were quieted when told by the doctors
that the plan would be highly beneficial to the health of her boy. Both
Peter and Nat were in high spirits. To lads who had been confined within
doors all summer the prospect of bathing, sailing, and a month in the
open was like water to the thirsty.

Fortunately Dame Nature herself smiled graciously upon the project, for
during the next four weeks she coaxed back to earth warm, golden days
from the fast fleeing Indian summer. The magic touch of sunshine and
fresh air flooded Nat's cheek with healthy color and as if by miracle,
strength returned to the delicate ankle; as for Peter he became swarthy
as a young Arab. So delighted was Mrs. Jackson in watching the
transformation in her two boys that she was quite unaware that a soft