" She seemed a little doubtful. "Only,"
she added, "fifty cents is lots more than fourteen, isn't it?"
Mr. Winslow admitted that it was. "But I tell you," he said, after
another period of reflection, "seein' as it's you I'll make a
proposal to you. Cap'n Eri Hedge is a pretty good friend of mine,
same as he is of yours. Suppose you and I go in partners. You put
in your fourteen cents and I'll put in the rest of the swordfish.
Then you can take it to Cap'n Eri and tell him that we're givin' it
to him together. You just consider that plan for a minute now,
will you?"
Miss Armstrong looked doubtful.
"I--I don't know as I know what you mean," she said. "What did you
want me to do?"
"Why, consider the plan. You know what 'consider' means, don't
you?"
"I know a Mother Goose with it in. That one about the piper and
the cow:
'He took up his pipes and he played her a tune,
Consider, old cow, consider.'
But I don't know as I SURELY know what he wanted the cow to do?
Does 'consider' mean see if you like it?"
"That's the idea. Think it over and see if you'd like to go halves
with me givin' the fish to Cap'n Hedge."
The curls moved vigorously up and down.
"I think I should," she decided.
"Good! Now you wait and I'll do it up."
He wrapped the toy vane in a piece of paper and handed it to his
small patron.
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