ed the conductor
"skipper," and hailed each other in familiar idioms.

The women were not uncomely, nor did they dress in outlandish manner.
Great is the sway of the modern Catalogue House! But their speech was
blunt and the three topics of conversation most popular were the fish
harvest, clamming, and summer boarders.

"Land sakes! is that you, Em'line Scudder? What sent you cruisin' in
these waters? I thought you never got away from the Haven."

"Good-day, Mrs. Eldredge. You're fairin' well? I just _had_ to come
over to Littlebridge for some fixin's. My boarders will be 'long and I
got to freshen the house up a little."

"You goin' to have the same folks you had last year, Em'line?"

"Oh, yes. They're real nice---for city people. I tell Barzillai----"

"How is Barzillai?"

"Middlin'. His leg ain't never been just right since he was helpin' ice
the _Tryout_, come two summers ago. You know, one o' them big cakes from
the ice fact'ry fell on him. . . . I tell Barzillai the city folks are a
godsend to us Cape Codders in summer time, now that sea-goin' don't seem
so pop'lar with the men as it useter be."

"I dunno. Some of these city folks don't seem to be sent by the Lord,
but by the other feller!" was the grim rejoinder. "I had tryin' times
with my crowd last summer; and the children with 'em was a
visitation--like the plagues of Egypt!"

Louise was an amused yet observant listener. She began thus early to
gain what these good people themselves would call a "slant" upon their
characters and their outlook on life.

Aside from her interest in her fellow-travelers, there were other things
to engage the girl's attention. New places always appealed to her more
than unfamiliar human beings; perhaps because she had seen so many of the
latter in all quarters of the globe and found so little variety in their
characters. There were good people and bad people everywhere, Louise had
found. Greedy, generous, morose, and laughing; faithful and treacherous,
the quick and the stupid; those likable at first meeting as well as those
utterly impossible. Of whatever nation and color they might be, she had
learned that under their skins they were all just human beings.

But Nature--ah! she was ever changing. This girl who had seen so much of
the world had never seen anything quite like the bits of scene she
observed from the narrow window of the car. Not beautiful, perhaps, but
suggestive and provocative of ge