`` It 's going to be a great evening for fish . '' When the boats reached the fishing grounds , they came to and anchored , their masts coming out in slender silhouette against the sky . A row of dark figures was standing up in every boat ; the gulfs shining expanse was darkened by odd black streaks -- the mackerel had begun to school . Frank Braithwaite went out fishing the next day and caught 30 mackerel . He was boyishly proud of it . He visited the shore daily after that and soon became very popular . He developed into quite an expert fisherman ; nor , when the boats came in , did he shirk work , but manfully rolled up his trousers and helped carry water and `` gib '' mackerel as if he enjoyed it . He never put on any `` airs , '' and he stoutly took Leon 's part against the aggressive Mosey Louis . Even the French Canadians , those merciless critics , admitted that the `` Yankee '' was a good fellow . Benjamin Selby alone held stubbornly aloof . One evening the loaded boats came in at sunset . Benjamin sprang from his as it bumped against the skids , and ran up the path . At the corner of his fish-house he stopped and stood quite still , looking at Braithwaite and Mary Stella , who were standing by the rough picket fence of the pasture land . Braithwaite 's back was to Benjamin ; he held the girl 's hand in his and was talking earnestly . Mary Stella was looking up at him , her delicate face thrown back a little . There was a look in her eyes that Benjamin had never seen there before -- but he knew what it meant . His face grew pale and rigid ; he clenched his hands and a whirlpool of agony and bitterness surged up in his heart . All the great blossoms of the hope that had shed beauty and fragrance over his rough life seemed suddenly to shrivel up into black unsightliness . He turned and went swiftly and noiselessly down the road to his boat . The murmur of the sea sounded very far off .
Mosey Louis was busy counting out the mackerel , Xavier was dipping up buckets of water and pouring it XXXXX the silvery fish .
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