It was really one of those puzzling cases, where
even the most neighborly can do no better than "wait a while."
Still, there were more than a dozen people, of all sorts, including Bill
Lee, lingering around the "landing" as late as eight o'clock that
evening.
Suddenly one of them exclaimed,--
"There's a light coming in!"
Others followed with,--
"There's a boat under it!"
"Ham's boat carried a light."
"I'll bet it's her!"
"No, it isn't"--
"Hold on and see."
There was not long to "hold on;" for in three minutes more "The Swallow"
swept gracefully in with the tide, and the voice of Dab Kinzer shouted
merrily,--
"Home again! Here we are!"
Such a ringing volley of cheers answered him!
It was heard and understood away there in the parlor of the Morris
house, and brought every soul of that anxious circle right up standing.
"Must be it's Dab!" exclaimed Mrs. Kinzer.
"O mother!" said Annie, "is Ford safe?"
"They wouldn't cheer like that, my dear, if any thing had happened,"
remarked Mr. Foster; but, in spite of his coolness, the city lawyer
forgot to put his hat on, as he dashed out of the front gate and down
the road towards the landing.
Then came one of those times that it takes a whole orchestra and a
gallery of paintings to tell any thing about: for Mrs. Lee as well as
her husband was on the beach; and within a minute after "Captain Kinzer"
and his crew had landed, poor Dick was being hugged and scolded within
an inch of his life, and the two other boys found themselves in the
midst of a perfect tumult of embraces and cheers.
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