y was "The Gift Ship," and Sprite began to read. Riches formed its
cargo, jewels studded its masts, and its figure head, representing a
mermaid, was of solid gold.

"Oh, that is grander than our ship was to be," thought Sprite, and she
allowed the book to lie idly in her lap, while she looked out at the
floating clouds, and wondered where the white-sailed ship had gone
that, at early morning, had floated along that distant point where sky
and water met.

The captain looked in at the open door, and for a moment seemed to be
studying the two who sat near the window. Then he spoke.

"I'm going down to the wharf to see Jack Windom. He wants my opinion
of a fishing smack he's thinking of buying. I'll not be gone long."

He started off at a quick pace, but a few minutes later, Sprite saw,
from her window, that the captain had met his friend when but halfway
to the wharf.

"Oh, Ma, Jack has come up halfway to meet Pa. I guess he was coming up
to see if Pa had forgotten about going down to look at the new fishing
smack.

"Why, Ma, they're shaking hands. They never do that. Why, they are
both coming back!"

Mrs. Seaford knew that something more than usual had happened. She
hurried to the door, just as the two men reached it, and then, the
captain grasped both her hands, crying out in his excitement:

"It has come in, dear! It has come in! The vessel that I've been
looking for, longing for, worrying for is in safe and sound, and the
cargo, if my friend Jack isn't wild, is even more valuable than I had
dreamed!

"Sprite! Sprite! Little girl, your dream has come true!"

What a day of rejoicing it was!

"The dream came true! The dream came true! The golden ship has come
in!" cried Sprite, dancing about like a little wild thing, while Mrs.
Seaford laid her slender hands on the captain's shoulders, her eyes
filled with happy tears as she quietly said:

"For your sake, dear, I am so glad."

Jack Windom, hardy sailor, and bluff, kindly friend, was more moved
than he cared to admit. He drew the back of his hand across his eyes,
remarking that the sun was "tur'ble glarin'," but his friends knew
that he was fully in sympathy with them, and that his honest eyes had
filled with tears, as happy as their own, because of the good luck
that had come to them.

"I'm glad for ye, all three of ye, and I wish I could hev lent a hand
ter hurried her in, but she's here now, and I'm as glad as you be that
she's in safe an' sound. It's