Harvey started to drop the crab.  Again Beth ceased her yelling.

“Harvey, don’t you dare let my crab go.  Put it in the basket and then come and get this awful claw off my finger.”

He did as he was bid, secretly admiring his little friend’s pluck.  They had a great time getting off the dismembered claw, but, finally, they succeeded.  Poor Beth’s finger was bitten to the bone.  Harvey really felt very sympathetic, but, boy-like, was somewhat bashful about expressing it.

“Beth, does it hurt much?” was all he said.

“Pretty bad,” she admitted, forcing back the tears.  “Say, Harvey, were there any other crabs?”

“I had time to look at only two of the lines, I got three crabs from the two.  There were two on one line, so with yours we have four.  But never mind the crabs; we must go up to the house and have your finger dressed.”

“No, we must first see if there are any other crabs.  Here, tie my handkerchief around my finger.  I guess I can stand it awhile.”

The handkerchief was tied about the sore finger, and then Beth watched Harvey while he pulled up the lines.  There were crabs on every one, and on some of them there were two.  Harvey would pull the crabs to the surface of the water and then scoop the net under them.  In moving the crabs from the net to the basket, he held them by the hind legs, because, in this position, a crab cannot reach around with its claws to bite.

Altogether, the children caught about fifteen crabs, and they took them up to the house with them.  Arriving there, they found that Mrs. Davenport had driven to town to bring home Mr. Davenport and Marian.

Beth therefore went to Maggie about the finger, and Harvey accompanied her.  Maggie proved very sympathetic.

“Yo’ precious little honey, yo’.  Dat finger jes’ am awful, but I knows what’ll cure it in no time.  Here, yo’, Gustus, yo’ run and fetch me some tar.  Hurry, yo’ lazy niggah yo’.  Dar, dar, honey chile, it’ll be all right in no time.  Tar am jes’ fine for a sore.”

For a wonder, Gustus did hurry and was back in no time with the tar.  Maggie dressed the wound with it very gently and Beth began to feel easier immediately.

“Now, honey, it’ll be all right.  If yo’d only known, and jes’ held yo’r finger with dat crab out over the watah, it ’d have seen its shadah and gone aftah it.”

“Here, Beth,” Harvey now said, “you can have all of the crabs; I guess I’d better go.”

“Please don’t go, Harvey; I want you to stay.  Say, Harvey, are crabs good to eat?”

“Of course, they are.  You just put them in water and boil them and they are dandy.”

“Oh, how I wish we could boil them.  Wouldn’t papa be surprised?  Maggie, can’t we boil them?” and Beth seized the cook’s hand and held it, pressing it coaxingly.

“Law, honey, dar ain’t no room on de stove.  I’s gettin’ de dinnah.”