Sam came to my terms, an' I made thirty cents on the bag of nuts, an'
the freight throwed in for ye, Jim; an' me an' Taylor an' Shepherd
picked up all the nuts, an' I brought 'em along in a basket Taylor lent
me."

Jim turned expectant eyes towards the donkey-cart.

"No," said Captain Yorke, seeing the direction of his glance, "they
bean't here in the cart, nor nowheres here; they're down into the
lighthouse. Perry was comin' over in his boat 'thout no load; an', as I
was pretty well filled up, he brought 'em over, an' he's took 'em to
his own landin'. Soon's I'm rid of my load I'll go after 'em. Hello!"
as a blue-coated, brass-buttoned boy from the chief hotel of the place
came running into our grounds, and up to the house. "Hello, here's a
telegraph for some on ye! Hope 'tain't no bad news. I don't like them
telegraphs; ill news comes fast enough of its own accord, an' good news
is jes' as good for a little keepin', an' ain't goin' to spile. Mis'
Yorke she says----"

But Mrs. Yorke's sayings, valuable though they might be, were lost upon
me as I took the yellow-covered message from the hand of the messenger.
Telegrams were matters of such almost daily occurrence in our family
that the sight of one rarely excited any apprehension; and, as all of
our immediate household were at present here at our seaside home, I
knew that the message could bring no ill news of any one of them. But
my heart sank as I saw that this was a cablegram, for a dearly loved
uncle and aunt were over the sea, and my fears were at once excited for
them.

But fear was quickly changed to joy when, opening the cablegram in the
absence of my parents, to whom it was addressed, I read these words,--

"We take 'Scythia' to-morrow for home, direct to you at the Point. All
well."

As we had not expected the dear absentees for at least six weeks or
perhaps two months, this news was not only a relief, but a joyful
surprise, and I gave a little shriek of delight, which called forth
eager inquiries from the children, while Captain Yorke and Bill and Jim
were alert to catch my answer.

"Uncle Rutherford and aunt Emily are coming home, now, right away; they
will be here in a week or so, and they are coming to us, here to this
house!" I exclaimed, waving aloft the paper, in the exuberance of my
joy.

Daisy forgot her downfall, and her bandaged head, as she and Allie
seized one another by the hands, and went capering up and down the
piazza in an improv