a great day fer ye, Cap'n, an' I'm glad,
I declare I am."

Captain Seaford again started for the wharf, this time to see not only
the new fishing smack, but the vessel that had brought such great
cheer to the little home, and with his arm locked in Jack Windom's he
hurried down the beach.

Mrs. Seaford and Sprite sat down to talk of their good fortune, and
after a time little Sprite said:

"I know I'm not to believe in signs or dreams, but truly I _did_ see
the new moon over my right shoulder, and I _did_ dream of a golden
ship."

"So you did, dear," Mrs. Seaford said, "and you cheered me wonderfully
last evening just by your telling of your lovely dream."

"That's why I told it," Sprite said.

"I thought while I was telling that, you'd not hear the gale, and by
to-day the storm would have cleared away, and maybe the ship would
come in, and it did."

For a few moments the two sat thinking, then Sprite spoke again of the
thoughts that filled her mind.

"Yesterday I tried to read a story in my fairy book, called 'The Gift
Ship,' but the ship's masts were studded with jewels, and its
figurehead was of pure gold, and some way it seemed too grand, too
fine, while Pa was longing for just a plain ship like the other ships
that we see every day. I knew it was its cargo that he was anxious
about, but the story seemed too good to be true, and I didn't care to
read it.

"Now, oh, now I can read it, and enjoy it, too, for no matter how
grand the story ship is, Pa has seen the one that he has been looking
for, and now we are happy."

"Indeed we are," Mrs. Seaford said; "we are thankful, too, Sprite.
Think how different would be our thoughts to-night if Jack Windom's
news had been that the vessel that your father had been looking for
had foundered!

"We are thankful indeed, we are grateful, Sprite. Oh, we are blessed
with the best news that could have been brought to us," said Mrs.
Seaford.

"I wish we could celebrate in some way when Pa comes back," Sprite
said.

"We shall have to be thinking of supper now. Suppose we go out
together to set the table, and you shall help me to make it
attractive.

"Come! We'll use our prettiest dishes, and we'll set the rose-pink
geranium in the center, and then we'll see what we can do toward
providing a treat."

CHAPTER XI

LITTLE PITCHERS

The day spent at Aunt Judith's cottage had been delightful, and Harry
and Leslie had been such fine playmates that Rose and