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[Illustration: "CRICKET WENT TO THE WINDOW AND PEEPED OUT"]




CRICKET AT THE SEASHORE


BY
ELIZABETH WESTYN TIMLOW

AUTHOR OF "CRICKET: A STORY FOR LITTLE GIRLS"


ILLUSTRATED BY
HARRIET ROOSEVELT RICHARDS


BOSTON

ESTES AND LAURIAT

PUBLISHERS


_Copyright, 1896_

BY ESTES & LAURIAT


Colonial Press:

C. H. Simonds & Co., Boston, Mass., U. S. A.




TO

My Mother




  CONTENTS.


  CHAPTER                             PAGE

      I. OLD BILLY                      11

     II. A BROKEN WHEEL                 21

    III. CRICKET'S DISCOVERY            33

     IV. KEEPING STORE                  45

      V. A BATH IN CURDS AND WHEY       61

     VI. BEAR ISLAND                    79

    VII. THE EXILES                    101

   VIII. A NEW PLASTER                 117

     IX. GEORGE W. AND MARTHA          132

      X. THE ECHO CLUB                 147

     XI. THE "ECHO"                    165

    XII. THE HAIRS OF HIS HEAD         180

   XIII. A WRESTLING MATCH             192

    XIV. PLAYING NURSE                 204

     XV. A KNITTING-BEE                213

    XVI. TWO LITTLE RUNAWAYS           223

   XVII. HILDA ARRIVES                 237

  XVIII. A SAILING PARTY               251

    XIX. BECALMED                      267

     XX. A NEW HIDING-PLACE            287

    XXI. BILLY'S PRAYER                306

   XXII. HELEN'S TEXT                  323

  XXIII. THE JABBERWOCK                333

   XXIV. AFTER THE SACRIFICE           344

    XXV. THE END OF THE SUMMER         359




  LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.


                                               PAGE

  "CRICKET WENT TO THE WINDOW AND PEEPED
  OUT"                               _Frontispiece_

  "OLD BILLY TELLS HIS STORY TO THE TWINS"       31

  LANDING ON BEAR ISLAND                         87

  "THE EXILES"                                   99

  FEEDING GEORGE WASHINGTON--"CRICKET
  BORE OFF HER CHARGE TO THE KITCHEN"           137

  "SHE BURIED HERSELF IN HER NEXT STORY
  FOR 'THE ECHO'"                               205

  HILDA'S ARRIVAL                               235

  "CRICKET SAT DOWN ON THE BEACH WITH
  THE CHILDREN"                                 293





CRICKET AT THE SEASHORE




CHAPTER I.

OLD BILLY.


The summer at Marbury had begun. On the 20th of June, after seeing the
Europe-bound party off for New York, the Ward children had arrived, bag
and baggage, under Auntie Jean's escort.

Early the first morning after their arrival, Cricket awoke Eunice with a
punch.

"Eunice, what do you think I am going to do to-day? and I'm going to do
it every day till I succeed."

"Don't know, I'm sure," said Eunice, sleepily. "Don't tumble round so.
It isn't time to get up."

"Oh, you're such a lazybones," sighed Cricket, whose light, active frame
required less sleep than Eunice's heavier build. "It's six o'clock, for
the clock just struck. Now I'll tell you what I want to do. Let's dig
in the sand-banks every day, and see if we can't find mamma's money-bag,
that she and auntie buried there so long ago."

"All right, and let's search in the cove for the little turquoise ring
you lost two years ago, in bathing," answered Eunice, still sleepily,
but with much sarcasm.

"Now, Eunice, you needn't come out with any of your sarcastic sinuates,"
said Cricket, tossing her curly head. "_I'm_ going to do it anyway, and
I'm going to find it. I feel it in my bones, as 'Liza says, and I'm
going to begin straight after breakfast, if we don't do anything else.
Don't tell any one, for I want to surprise everybody."

"I think you're safe to do it, if you want to. I won't tell. Wonder if
they've sailed yet," with a thought of the travellers.

"The steamer doesn't sail till eleven; don't you remember? Prob'ly
they're just getting up. Come, Eunice, get up. I hear the boys, now."

Cricket scrambled out of bed and ran to the window to peep out.

"There they go now for their swim. Boys! Boys! wait for me!" and Cricket
dropped into her bathing-suit, which had been put out all ready the
night before, and flew down-stairs to join the boys in their morning
plunge in the sea, her bare arms gleaming from the dark-blue of her
suit, and bathing-shoes protecting her feet from the sharp stones in the
rough lane that led to the cove.

They had a glorious swim. At least, Will and Archie swam, and Cricket
splashed under their directions. She had almost learned to swim the last
time that she had been at Marbury in the summer-time, two years before,
and she could already float nicely and go "dog-paddle," but she had
great difficulty in making any headway in swimming.

"There!" she sputtered, in triumph, at last, clinging hold of the
swimming-raft; "I almost got away from the place where I was, then." She
turned over on her back to rest herself, and float for a moment, then
prepared for another start.

"I don't seem to wiggle my feet right. I get so destracted thinking of
my hands, that I always forget to kick. I can't keep my mind in two
places at once."

"Now try again," said Will, good-naturedly. "See here. Draw up your
feet as you bring your hands together and kick _hard_, when you throw
them out. Go just like a frog. That's fine. Now again. Draw up, kick
out, draw up, kick out--fine!" and Cricket, sputtering and laughing,
drew herself up on the swimming-raft, having really swum two feet. And
then it was time to go out.

The cove was some little distance from the house, so, after scampering
up the lane, their bathing-suits were almost dry. There were
bathing-houses down there, but for this early morning dip they liked
better to get into their bathing-suits at the house, and dress there.

When Cricket flew up-stairs into her room, glowing and rosy, she found
Eunice only partly dressed, with the sleep not half out of her drowsy
eyes.

"Oh, you lazy thing!" cried Cricket, retiring behind the screen. "You
don't know how fine I feel. My skin is all little prickles."

"I shouldn't think that would be very comfortable," said Eunice,
brushing out her long, dark hair, and braiding it. "I like to sleep in
the morning better than you do, anyway. Did you dive for mamma's
money-bag?"

"You needn't laugh at me," said Cricket, emerging, half-dressed
already. "I mean to find it. You'll see." But she inwardly registered a
vow that she would pursue her search alone.

The Ward children had never spent much time at Marbury, with grandma,
since they had their own summer home at Kayuna, in East Wellsboro. They
had often been there for short visits, however, as mamma generally took
one or another of her little flock with her, in her frequent trips to
see grandma.

Marbury lies in Marbury Bay, which is very large, but so shallow that at
low tide the mud-flats are all exposed for a long distance out. A long
tongue of land, principally sand-banks, stretches half around the bay,
making a break-water from the ocean, and rendering the harbour a very
safe one for sailing. Will and Archie Somers were capital sailors,
inheriting their grandfather's love of the sea. Back of the house, over
a short, steep hill, lay the beginning of the sand-banks, where mamma
and auntie had buried their money-bags long ago. Then beyond these
sand-banks, on the ocean-side, was another deep small curve, called the
cove, where the children bathed. It was a safe, sheltered spot, with a
good bit of beach. Altogether, Marbury had many attractions.

What chattering and gabbling there was that first morning at breakfast,
when all sorts of plans were projected for the summer's amusement! Mrs.
Somers and her children had spent most of the warm weather at Marbury,
for years, so that Will, and Archie, and Edna knew every inch of the
country for miles around, and were eager to do the honours.

"'Wot larks' we're going to have," cried Archie, as they all got up from
the table. "Think of it, grandma! all summer! whoop!" with a shout, as
he vanished, that made grandma cover her deafened ears in dismay, as the
whole flock trooped after.

"Dear me! mother," said Mrs. Somers, privately, as they stood together
on the piazza, "I begin to think that we've undertaken a great deal, to
keep this horde in order for a whole season. Can you ever stand it in
the world? I scarcely realized that there would be eight of them