l, now!" "I
swan,--if that ar ain't too bad."

"That ar's rediculous conduct in Atkinson. He ought to be talked to,"
said the Captain, when she had finished, and then he whistled and put a
shaving in his mouth, which he chewed reflectively.

"Don't you be a mite worried, Mara," he said. "You did a great deal
better to come to me than to go to Mr. Sewell or your grand'ther either;
'cause you see these 'ere wild chaps they'll take things from me they
wouldn't from a church-member or a minister. Folks mustn't pull 'em up
with _too_ short a rein,--they must kind o' flatter 'em off. But that ar
Atkinson's too rediculous for anything; and if he don't mind, I'll serve
him out. I know a thing or two about him that I shall shake over his
head if he don't behave. Now I don't think so much of smugglin' as some
folks," said the Captain, lowering his voice to a confidential tone. "I
reely don't, now; but come to goin' off piratin',--and tryin' to put a
young boy up to robbin' his best friends,--why, there ain't no kind o'
sense in that. It's p'ison mean of Atkinson. I shall tell him so, and I
shall talk to Moses."

"Oh! I'm afraid to have you," said Mara, apprehensively.

"Why, chickabiddy," said the old Captain, "you don't understand me. I
ain't goin' at him with no sermons,--I shall jest talk to him this way:
Look here now, Moses, I shall say, there's Badger's ship goin' to sail
in a fortnight for China, and they want likely fellers aboard, and I've
got a hundred dollars that I'd like to send on a venture; if you'll take
it and go, why, we'll share the profits. I shall talk like that, you
know. Mebbe I sha'n't let him know what I know, and mebbe I shall; jest
tip him a wink, you know; it depends on circumstances. But bless you,
child, these 'ere fellers ain't none of 'em 'fraid o' me, you see,
'cause they know I know the ropes."

"And can you make that horrid man let him alone?" said Mara, fearfully.

"Calculate I can. 'Spect if I's to tell Atkinson a few things I know,
he'd be for bein' scase in our parts. Now, you see, I hain't minded
doin' a small bit o' trade now and then with them ar fellers myself; but
this 'ere," said the Captain, stopping and looking extremely disgusted,
"why, it's contemptible, it's rediculous!"

"Do you think I'd better tell grandpapa?" said Mara.

"Don't worry your little head. I'll step up and have a talk with Pennel,
this evening. He knows as well as I that there is times when chaps must
be s