with your wife and half a dozen children about you. Ain't
married yet, Governor, be you?"

"No sir."

"Goin' to be?"

"I don't know what I am going to be, sir."

"Ah! --" said the old miller with a sly smile. "Is that what
you've got here in the sloop with you now? I guessed it, and
Hild' said it wa'n't -- not as he knowed on -- but I told him he
didn't know everything."

"Hild' is quite right. But there are two ladies here who are
going up to Shahweetah. Can you give us a boat, Mr. Cowslip?"

"A boat? -- How many of you?"

"Four -- and baggage. Your boat is large enough -- used to be
when I went in her."

"Used to be when I went in her," said the old skipper; "but
there it is! She won't hold nobody now."

"What's the matter?"

"She took too many passengers the other day, -- that is, she
took one too many. Shipped a cargo of fresh meat, sir, and it
wa'n't stowed in right, and the 'Bessie Bell' broke her heart
about it. Like to ha' gone to the bottom."

"What do you mean?"

"Why, I was comin' home from Diver's Rock the other day -- just
a week ago last Saturday -- I had been round there up the shore
after fish; -- you know the rock where the horse mackerel
comes? -- me and little Archie; lucky enough we had no more
along. By the by, I hope you'll go fishing, Winthrop -- the
mackerel's fine this year. How long you're goin' to stay?"

"Only a day or two, sir."

"Ah! -- Well -- we were comin' home with a good mess o' fine
fish, and when we were just about in the middle of the river,
comin' over, -- the fish had been jumping all along the
afternoon, shewing their heads and tails more than common; and
I'd been sayin' to Archie it was a sign o' rain -- 'tis, you
know, -- and just as we were in the deepest of the river, about
half way over, one of 'em came up and put himself aboard of
us."

"A sturgeon?"

"Just that, sir; as sound a fellow as ever you saw in your
life -- just the length of one of my little oars -- longer than
I be -- eight feet wanting one inch, he measured, for the blade
of that oar has been broken off a bit -- several inches, -- and
what do you think he weighed? -- Two hundred and forty pound."

"So it seems you got him safe to land, where you could weigh
him."

"And measure him. I forgot I was talkin' to a lawyer," said
the old man laughing. "Yes, I didn't think much how long he
was at the time, I guess! He came in as handsome as ever you
saw anything done -- just slipped himsel