"You blessed little scamp! Come here to me
this minute. Well, well, well!"
Georgie came and was received with a bear hug and a shower of kisses.
"Well, well!" repeated Thankful. "And to think I didn't know you! I'm
ashamed of myself. And you're the surprise, I suppose. You ARE one, sure
and sartin. How did you get here?"
"I came on the cars," declared Georgie, proudly. "Ma and Emmie put me on
'em and told me to sit right still until I got to Wellmouth Centre and
then get off. And I did, too; didn't I, Mr.--I mean Captain Bangs."
"You bet you did!" agreed the delighted captain. "That's some relation
you've got there, Mrs. Barnes. He's little but Oh my! He and I have had
a good talk on the way down. We got along fust-rate; hey, commodore? The
commodore's agreed to ship second-mate along with me next v'yage I make,
if I ever make one."
Thankful held her "relation"--he was Emily's half-brother and her own
favorite next to Emily herself in that family--at arm's length. "You
blessed little--little mite!" she exclaimed. "So you come 'way down here
all alone just to see your old auntie. Did you ever in your life! And I
suppose you're the 'secret' Emily said she had, the one that was to keep
me from bein' lonesome."
Georgie nodded. "Yes," he said. "Emmie, she's wrote you all about me.
I've got the letter pinned inside of me here," patting his small chest.
"And I'm goin' to stay ever so long, I am. I want to see the pig and the
hens and the--and the orphan, and everything.
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