g got well in the way of the breeze
which was carrying his vessel steadily before it, began to regain his
good-humor. Sitting on the top of a cask, he puffed away at his pipe
and soliloquized to himself about his passenger, who sat regarding
Jack Snape's movements at the helm with much interest. The skipper
had three or four boys at home,--great sturdy, brown-faced,
stout-armed fellows,--between whom and this fair-faced, curly-headed
boy there was little resemblance, he felt. "Town breedin', town
breedin'," muttered he; "it's curi's what it'll make of a lad. This
chap'll grow up with his head full o' le'rnin' into a lawyer or parson
or somethin' like, and my lads'll be skippers like their dad, with no
le'rnin' to speak on. I'll warrant this lad could get off more
book-stuff in five minutes 'an mine ever heerd on." His eyes followed
the boy as he went out to stand by Jack's elbow and ply this
slow-witted gentleman with quick, eager questions. He was slender and
rather tall for one of his age, but lithe and agile, as the skipper
noted. "One o' mine could jes' trip him with a turn o' his hand,"
thought he; yet he regarded the lad with a mixture of kindness and
respect, after all. There were other things in the world beside bone
and muscle, he remembered, and when the boy came slowly along the
deck, after a fruitless attempt to coax the mate into conversation, he
put out one of his big red hands and stopped him. Noll looked up,
inquiringly.

"Goin' down to Culm for a bit o' vacation?--to git scarce o' the
books, eh?" queried the skipper.

"Vacation? Oh, no," said the boy, quickly; "I'm going there to
live,--to have a home."

The master of the "Gull" came near dropping his pipe with amazement.
"_You_ live at Culm!" said he, incredulous; "what ye goin' to live
in?"

It was Noll's turn to look amazed. He suddenly faced the skipper,
saying, very earnestly, "What kind of a place is Culm Rock, anyhow?
Isn't it a town?"

A broad grin stretched across the old sailor's face, then he laughed
aloud. "Did ye hear that, Jack?" he cried; "here's a lad what's goin'
to Culm to live, an' he wants to know ef it's a town!"

"'Twon't take him long to find out arter he gets there," drawled Mr.
Snape.

Noll turned away and walked to the stern, thinking the skipper was a
very uncivil fellow to laugh at his ignorance, and sat down again on
the bale, secretly ill at ease on account of these sailors' words.
What kind of a pl