Part 41 (1/1)

”Skipper of the _Spot Cash_ to see you, sir”

”WHAT!” shouted Archie

Judd had fled

”Skipper--of--the--_Spot--Cash_!” Archie , triu sheepishly in his wake: no less than the full co fir, Gri with surprise, and Bagg, the cook, ex-gutter-snipe from London, who could not wink at all fro of all--Archie Ar and his father shook hands in quite another way

Whereupon this sa (while Sir Archibald fairly belloith delighted laughter) fell upon Bill o' Burnt Bay, and upon the crew of the _Spot Cash_, right down to Bagg (who had least to lose), and beat the very breath out of their bodies in an hilarious expression of joy

”dickerin',” Bill o' Burnt Bay explained, by and by

”dickering?” ejaculated Archie

”Jus' simon-pure dickerin',” Bill o' Burnt Bay insisted, a bit indignantly

And then it all came out--how that the Jolly Harbour wreckers had coun in one hand, was disposed to reason, and _did_ reason, and continued to reason, until the Jolly Harbour folk began to laugh, and were in the end persuaded to take a reasonable amount of merchandise from the depleted shelves (the whole of it) in return for their help in floating the schooner It came out, too, how Billy Topsail had held the candle over the powder-keg It came out, moreover, how the crew of the _Spot Cash_ had set sail from Jolly Harbour with a fair wind, how the wind had providentially continued to blow fair and strong, how the _Spot Cash_ had ht of the day before, and how the crew had with their own aro moored her at Sir Archibald's wharf And loaded, sir--loaded, sir, with as fine a lot o' salt-cod as ever came out o' White Bay an' off the French Shore! To all of which both Sir Archibald and Archie listened ide open eyes--the eyes of the boy (itwith tears of proud delight in his friends

There was a celebration Of _course_, there was a celebration! To be sure! This occurred when the load of the _Spot Cash_ had been weighed out, and a discharge of obligation duly handed to the fir, Grimm & Company, and the balance paid over in hard cash Skipper Bill was proreat profit; and he was aasp--and so was Billy Topsail--and so was Ji--so were they all aone to three-eighty, and each found hiht, free of all incumbrance, of one hundred and thirty-seven dollars and sixty-three cents But this amazement was hardly equal to that which overcame them when they sat down to dinner with Archie and Sir Archibald and Lady Ar plate--perhaps it was Lady Ar's sweet beauty--perhaps it was Sir Archibald's jokes--perhaps it was Archie Ar's Eton jacket and perfectly immaculate appearance--perhaps it was the presence of his jolly tutor--perhaps it was the glitter and snohiteness and glorious bounty of the table spread before the in the whole orld to equal the astonish to approach it, indeed--except their fine delight

THE END