"Two hundred Peterboro Tool Company sheers, wuth on the face of 'em one thousand; but that was a long time ago," murmured Cap'n Jonah unctuously and pursing his lips. "Date of issue, 1882. Fifty year bonds. But we'll jest set down the face value of all these securities. Mebbe some of 'em's deteriorated, I dunno; but the bank folks tell me sech another lot of investments they never did see. One thousand, Tom." "Yes, sir," responded the scribe. One after the other Cap'n Jonah called off the amounts printed on the certificates. As the sum grew Tom Petty came close to apoplexy. His mind had never functioned before, beyond the few thousand dollars his parents, or some of the neighbors, possessed. [Illustration: One after another Cap'n Jonah called off the amount on the certificates.] When a man was known to possess a sum exceeding the value of his house and lot--like Cap'n Abe, the storekeeper, for instance--it was said he had "a plenty money." Miss Sue's reported fortune of forty thousand dollars was more than Tom Petty could visualize. He had always taken that story with a grain of salt. The fortunes of the "summer folks" along The Beaches were beyond computation. It was said that I. Tapp, the Salt Water Taffy King, was so rich that he could not really tell what his income was, and he never kicked a mite when the assessors raised his taxes! But here, before him, squinting near-sightedly at the gaudily printed certificates, was Uncle Jonah, rolling the numbers off his tongue in a way to astonish his young relative. Tom thrilled to the very marrow of his bones as the amount on the paper grew. Cap'n Jonah did not lay down the last certificate until the grand total was more than a hundred thousand dollars! "There, Tommy boy," said the old man in high good humor. "There, Tommy boy, that'll be 'bout all," taking the paper from Tom's shaking fingers. "You're a good mathematician I don't dispute. I wanted to be sure I had the sum right. I calc'late on makin' my will some day purty soon now. "And that's another thing," said the captain reflectively. "Course, Tommy, a man's own flesh and blood comes first. And I ain't one to divide up a small prop'ty among a shoal of folks. No sir! But what I said t'other night to your father and mother I meant--ev'ry word. Pearly's a good gal and she desarves good treatment. I ain't goin' to stand by an' see her used mean no more. Remember that now! "But," concluded the captain firmly, "as long as she has a square deal here, I'm only inclined to make her what the lawyers call a 'small _be_-quest.' Something substantial; but nothin' at all like what would fall to you, Tommy, providin' I died an' left sech a sum as this," and he tapped the paper on which Tom had added up the figures.