y left to cook for, 'cept Mabel, and she'll
forget to cry when she has to get a dinner for lots of hungry
sailors."

The first sight of Mrs. Bruce's sad face, that morning, had been most
depressing; and she was relieved to find a change in its aspect as the
woman roused to action. There hadn't been much breakfast eaten by
anybody and Dorothy had begged her old friend to:

"Just give us lots of goodies, this first meal, Mrs. Bruce, no matter
if we have to do with less afterwards. You see--three hundred dollars
isn't so very much----"

"It seems a lot to me, now," sighed the widow.

But Dorothy went on quickly:

"And it's every bit there is. When the last penny goes we'll have to
stop, even if the Lily is right out in the middle of the ocean."

"Pshaw, Dolly! I thought you weren't going out of sight of land!"

"Course, we're not. That is--we shall never go anywhere if my skipper
doesn't start. I'll run up to his bridge and see what's the matter.
You see I don't like to offend him at the beginning of things and
though Jim Barlow is really to manage the boat, I thought it would
please the old gentleman to be put in charge, too."

"Foolish girl, don't you know that there can't be two heads to any
management?" returned the matron, now really smiling. "It's an odd
lot, a job lot, seems to me, of widows and orphans and cripples and
rich folks all jumbled together in one little house-boat. More 'n
likely you'll find yourself in trouble real often amongst us all. That
old chap above is mighty pleasant to look at now, but he's got too
square a jaw to be very biddable, especially by a little girl like
you."

"But, Mrs. Bruce, he's so poor. Why, just for a smell of salt
water--or fresh either--he's willing to sail this Lily; just for the
sake of being afloat and--his board, course. He'll have to eat, but he
told me that a piece of sailor's biscuit and a cup of warmed over tea
would be all he'd ever 'ax' me. I told him right off then I couldn't
pay him wages and he said he wouldn't touch them if I could. Think of
that for generosity!"

"Yes, I'm thinking of it. Your plans are all right--I hope they'll
turn out well. A captain for nothing, an engineer the same, a
housekeeper who's glad to cook for the sake of her daughter's
pleasure, and the rest of the crew belonging--so no more wages to earn
than always. Sounds--fine. By the way, Dorothy, who deals out the
provisions on this trip?"

"Why, you do, of course, Mrs. Bruce