Twill keep 'em tight."

Oh, one learned to curb his temper and bend to the higher criticism if
he carried his work down to the beach. He got an abundance of advice
whether he asked for it or not and for the most part the counsel was
sound and helpful. There you heard also tales of tempests, wrecks,
strange ports, and sea serpents,--weird tales that chilled your blood;
and sometimes the piping note of an old chanty was raised by one whose
sailing days were now only a memory.

What marvel that to be a boy at Lovell's Harbor was a boon to be
coveted even if along with the distinction went a throng of homely
tasks such as shucking clams, cleaning cod, baiting lobster pots, and
running errands? No cake is all frosting and no chowder all broth. You
had to take the bad along with the good if you lived at Lovell's
Harbor. And while you were sandwiching in work and fun what an
education you got! Why, it was better than a dozen schools. Not only
did you learn to swim like a spaniel, pull a strong oar, hoist a sail,
and gain an understanding of winds and tides, but also you came to
handle tools with an ease no manual training school could teach you.
You made a wooden pin do if you had no nail; and a bit of rope serve
if the whittled pin were lacking. Instead of hurrying to a shop to
purchase new you patched up the old, and the triumph of doing it
afforded a satisfaction very pleasant to experience.

Moreover, as a result, you had more pennies in your pocket and more
brains in your head. Both Bob and Walter King, as well as most of the
other village lads, outranked the town-bred boy in all-round practical
skill. They may not have cut such a fine figure at golf or dancing;
perhaps they did not excel at Latin or French; but they had at the
tips of their tongues numberless useful facts which they had tried out
and proven workable and which no city dweller could possibly have
gleaned.

His Highness might be freckled and towsled and, as his mother
affirmed, forgetful and careless, but like a sponge his active young
mind had soaked up a deal no books could have given him. You would
best beware how you jollied Walter King or put him down for a "Rube."
More than likely you would later regret your snap judgment.

No doubt it was this realization that had stimulated Jerry Thomas to
ask him to come to Surfside, the Crowninshields' big summer estate,
and look after the dogs. Jerry was an old resident of Lovell's Harbor,
and having watche