ok both
her hands and held them gravely. "Madge, dear, remember I have always
told you that wherever you were exciting things were sure to happen. You
have convinced me of it again to-day. Now, you are going around the world
and I hope you will see and know only the best there is in it. Good-bye."
Miss Betsey leaned on her distinguished old husband's arm for support and
surreptitiously wiped her eyes.

"Jenny Ann Jones, you promised I wouldn't have to say good-bye to you,"
protested Madge chokingly. Miss Jenny Ann nodded, while Mr. Theodore
Brown gazed at her comfortingly. Madge rallied her courage and smiled at
both of them. "Do you remember, Jenny Ann," she questioned, "how on the
very first of our houseboat trips you said that you would marry some day,
just to be able to get rid of the name of 'Jones'? I am sure you will
like 'Brown' a whole lot better." Madge turned saucily away to hide the
trembling of her lips.

Mrs. Curtis said nothing. She just kissed Madge's forehead, both rosy
cheeks and once on her red lips. But when the little captain left her,
and Mrs. Curtis turned to find her son standing near her, his face white
and his lips set, his mother faltered brokenly: "I am trying hard not to
be selfish, Tom, and I am glad, with all my heart, that Madge found her
father, but no one will ever know how sorry I am not to have her for my
daughter."

"Maybe you will some day, after all, Mother," returned Tom steadily. "We
are young, I know, and neither of us has seen much of the world. Still, I
am fairly sure I know my own mind. Perhaps Madge will care as much as I
do now when the right time comes."

At the last, Madge could not say farewell to her three chums. Her eyes
were so full of tears that Captain Jules had to lead her aboard the
yacht. She stood on the deck, kissing both hands to them as long as she
could see them, until their little boat had been towed far out into the
great New York harbor.

Madge's father stood by her, watching the sunlight dance upon the water.

"My little girl," Captain Morton began, with a view of distracting her
attention from the sorrow of parting, "I have always forgotten to tell
you that I saw you graduate at Miss Tolliver's. Jules was not with me
that day. He knew of you but never saw you until you went to Cape May. I
wonder I didn't betray myself to you then, dear. It was I who first
called out to you when I saw that arch tottering over your head."

Madge nodded. "I know it