Rover nor
anybody else ever done a better piece of steerin' than that, nuther."

He clambered over the stringpiece, right at the heels of his impatient
but grateful passenger. Sam's thanks were profuse and sincere.

"I'll never forget it, Is," he declared. "I'll never forget it. And
you'll have to let me pay you the--What makes you shake so?"

Issy pulled his arm away and stepped back.

"I'll never forget it, Is," continued Sam. "I--Why! What--?"

He was standing at the shore end of the wharf, gazing up at the lighted
windows. They were those of a dwelling house--an old-fashioned house
with a back yard sloping down to the landing.

And then Issy McKay leaned forward and spoke in his ear.

"You bet you won't forgit it, Sam Bartlett!" he crowed, in trembling but
delicious triumph. "You bet you won't! I've fixed you just the same as
the Black Rover fixed the mutineers. Run off with my girl, will ye? And
marry her, will ye? I--"

Sam interrupted him. "Why! WHY!" he cried. "That's--that's Gertie's
house! This isn't Trumet! IT'S EAST HARNISS!"

The next moment he was seized from behind. The skipper's arms were
around his waist and the skipper's thin legs twisted about his own. They
fell together upon the sand and, as they rolled and struggled, Issy's
yells rose loud and high.

"Mr. Higgins!" he shrieked. "Mr. Higgins! Come on! I've got him! I've
got the feller that's tryin' to steal your daughter! Come on! I've got
him! I'm hangin' to him!"

A door banged open. Some one rushed down the walk. And then a girl's
voice cried in alarm:

"What is it? Who is it? What IS the matter?"

And from the bundle of legs and arms on the ground two voices exclaimed:
"GERTIE!"

"But where IS your father?" asked Sam. Issy asked nothing. He merely sat
still and listened.

"Why, he's at Trumet. At least I suppose he is. Mrs. Jones--she's gone
to telephone to him now--says that he came home this morning with one
of those dreadful 'attacks' of his. And after dinner he seemed so sick
that, when she went for the doctor, she wired me at Auntie's to come
home. I didn't want to come--you know why--but I COULDN'T let him die
alone. And so I caught the three o'clock train and came. I knew you'd
forgive me. But it seems that when Mrs. Jones came back with the doctor
they found father up and dressed and storming like a crazy man. He had
received some sort of a letter; he wouldn't say what. And, in spite of
all they could do, he insisted o