Her shoes and stockings were splashed with wet sand.
"Is dinner ready, Uncle Jed ?" she asked, eagerly.

Then becoming aware that the two strange gentlemen standing by the fire were really and truly "officer ones," she looked wide-eyed up at them and uttered an involuntary "Oh!" "Babbie," said Jed, "let me see that boat of yours a minute, will you ?" Babbie obediently handed it over.

Jed inspected it through his spectacles.

Then he pulled the paper sail from the sharpened stick--the mast--unfolded it, looked at it, and then extended it at arm's length toward Major Grover.
"That's your plan thing, ain't it ?" he asked, calmly.
Both officers reached for the paper, but the younger, remembering in time, drew back.

The other took it, gave it a quick glance, and then turned again to Mr.Winslow.
"Where did you get this ?" he asked, crisply.
Jed shook his head.
"She gave it to me, this little girl here," he explained.