A few days longer our friends lingered in their pleasant cottages on
the beautiful island, loath to leave it, with any one of its many
interesting localities unexplored. They walked, rode, drove, and sailed
about the bay, visiting now one island, and now another. Captain
Raymond's acquaintance with naval and military officers, and his
high reputation among them making it easy for them to gain access to
vessels, forts, and fortifications.
Goat Island interested them as the place where the English ship
_Liberty_ was destroyed before the Revolution. They saw the noble stone
pier, hundreds of feet long, visited the torpedo station, and the
captain pointed out to the others the curving point on which, more than
a century ago, very many pirates had been hanged.
They visited the city too, and looked with interest upon the old houses
that had stood here in and before Revolutionary times; among them
Redwood Library, and old Trinity Church, in which Bishop Berkeley had
often preached.
The young people were much interested too, in the old stone mill--that
singular relic of the past about which there has been so much
speculation--and, when visiting the island cemetery, in the plain
obelisk marking the last resting place of Commodore Perry, the hero of
the battle of Lake Erie.
Many of these things the captain and his family had seen on former
visits to Newport, yet they enjoyed seeing them again in company with
those of the party to whom they were entirely new.
But holidays must come to an end, and at length all felt so great a
drawing toward their distant homes that a proposal to return to them
was made by Mrs. Dinsmore, and hailed with delight by all the others.
The needed preparations were speedily made, and early one morning
they set sail in the yacht, which before night had landed all but the
captain's immediate family and Evelyn Leland in New York, where they
took a train for Philadelphia.
Mr. Cyril Keith was to meet his wife and family there, and they, with
the Emburys, were to hasten on to their homes in Louisiana, pausing on
the route for only a short visit to the neighborhood of the old home of
Isadore and Molly, and the relatives there.
Mr. and Mrs. Dinsmore had planned a short visit to their relatives in
and near Philadelphia; and his daughter Elsie, with her daughter Rosie,
one to her son Walter at Princeton; while Mr. and Mrs. Lilburn were to
do likewise by her brother, Donald Keith and his family, Annis feeling
very happy in the thought of seeing them all, and showing them the
dear, kindly old gentleman to whom she had given her heart and hand.
Having landed these passengers, the yacht changed her course, and
sailed on down the Atlantic coast. The little ones were in their
berths, the others all on deck.
"Now, if I were not here, you would be just a family party," remarked
Evelyn, breaking a momentary silence.
"I think we are as it is," said the captain. "As you are a pupil of
mine, will you not let me count you as one of my family?"
"Indeed, sir; I should be only too glad to have you do so," she
answered, in a sprightly tone; "but I doubt if Lu would be willing to
share her choicest treasure--her father's love--with me."
"Why, yes, I should, Eva! because he wouldn't love me any the less for
loving you also," said Lulu.
"Oh, then you may adopt me just as soon as you like, captain," laughed
Evelyn.
"Now, I think I have a right to some say in this matter," said Violet,
in a light, jesting tone. "I object to becoming mother to a girl of
your age and attainments, but am perfectly willing to have you for a
sister."
"Very well, my dear, that settles it," said the captain. "You and I,
Eva, will consider ourselves brother and sister."
"Ah, I like that," said Grace; "though I am not sure that I shall
consider Eva my aunt. Papa, are we going directly home now?"
"Do you not see that we are hurrying onward in that direction?" he
asked in reply.
A sudden thought seemed to strike Grace. "Oh, is Max in Annapolis now?"
she asked.
"Yes," her father answered, with a joyous smile, "and I want to see my
boy so badly that I have decided to call there for a few hours before
going home; unless some of you strongly object," he added, in a jesting
tone.
"Of course we do, papa," laughed Lucilla. "How can you suppose that any
of us would be willing to see Max?"
"Very well, anyone who is averse to seeing him will have the privilege
of shutting herself into her stateroom while he is on board, and
indeed, during the whole visit to Annapolis," replied the captain.
"And I well know Lu will not be one of them," laughed Violet.
They had a speedy and pleasant voyage, a delightful little visit with
Max, after that a joyful return home, followed a few weeks later by
the coming of the Dinsmores, Travillas, and Lilburns, for whom some
pleasant family parties were held, after which all settled down for the
winter's duties and pleasures.
The captain continued to act as tutor to Evelyn and his daughters,
but Rosie had forsaken the schoolroom, Walter was no longer there,
and for a time it seemed a trifle lonely to the remaining ones. They
soon, however, became accustomed to the state of affairs, and so deeply
interested in their studies that the hours devoted to them passed very
swiftly and pleasantly.
They also resumed their labors for the poor and ignorant of the
neighborhood, making clothing for them, and teaching the women and
girls to sew for themselves and their families, at the same time
cultivating their minds and hearts to some extent, by taking turns in
reading aloud to them simple and instructive tales of value for this
life and the next.
It was Grandma Elsie who selected the reading matter and took
the care and oversight of all the charitable work of her young
friends--directing, encouraging, and urging them on, by both precept
and example.
How dearly they loved her! It might be truly said of her, as of the
virtuous woman described in the last chapter of Proverbs: "She openeth
her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness."
THE END
A LIST OF THE ELSIE BOOKS
AND OTHER POPULAR BOOKS
BY
MARTHA FINLEY
ELSIE DINSMORE.
ELSIE'S HOLIDAYS AT ROSELANDS.
ELSIE'S GIRLHOOD.
ELSIE'S WOMANHOOD.
ELSIE'S MOTHERHOOD.
ELSIE'S CHILDREN.
ELSIE'S WIDOWHOOD.
GRANDMOTHER ELSIE.
ELSIE'S NEW RELATIONS.
ELSIE AT NANTUCKET.
THE TWO ELSIES.
ELSIE'S KITH AND KIN.
ELSIE'S FRIENDS AT WOODBURN.
CHRISTMAS WITH GRANDMA ELSIE.
ELSIE AND THE RAYMONDS.
ELSIE YACHTING WITH THE RAYMONDS.
ELSIE'S VACATION.
ELSIE AT VIAMEDE.
ELSIE AT ION.
ELSIE AT THE WORLD'S FAIR.
ELSIE'S JOURNEY ON INLAND WATERS.
ELSIE AT HOME.
ELSIE ON THE HUDSON.
ELSIE IN THE SOUTH.
ELSIE'S YOUNG FOLKS.
ELSIE'S WINTER TRIP.
ELSIE AND HER LOVED ONES.
MILDRED KEITH.
MILDRED AT ROSELANDS.
MILDRED'S MARRIED LIFE.
MILDRED AND ELSIE.
MILDRED AT HOME.
MILDRED'S BOYS AND GIRLS.
MILDRED'S NEW DAUGHTER.
CASELLA.
SIGNING THE CONTRACT AND WHAT IT COST.
THE TRAGEDY OF WILD RIVER VALLEY.
OUR FRED.
AN OLD-FASHIONED BOY.
WANTED, A PEDIGREE.
THE THORN IN THE NEST.
* * * * *
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES
Minor punctuation errors repaired.
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_
The list of Martha Finley's books has been moved from the front of the
book to the end.
p82 Cass added a postcript. replaced with
Cass added a postscript.
p105 "All that sounds quite appetizing," said Voilet. replaced with
"All that sounds quite appetizing," said Violet.
p117 the provisions, baggage, and amumnition wagons replaced with
the provisions, baggage, and ammunition wagons
p119 Perry landed and offered his serivces to Harrison replaced with
Perry landed and offered his services to Harrison
p120 from Dolson's to Chatham replaced with
from Dolsen's to Chatham
p163 replacing the sight frown replaced with
replacing the slight frown
p265 I shall be glad to heard it, Molly. replaced with
I shall be glad to hear it, Molly.
End of Project Gutenberg's Elsie's Journey on Inland Waters, by Martha Finley