A boat rowed to the wharf, bringing Uncle Robert. He was master of the ship, and a nice man he was. All the boys liked Uncle Robert. He always brought them queer things from China and Japan.

One day Freddie climbed up on his uncle's knee and asked if he would not take him to sea. Uncle Robert stroked the little boy's curly head and said, "Yes, Freddie boy, you shall go some time." Every night Freddie dreamed he was sailing on the water. Every morning he would look to see that the "Ocean Queen" had not gone and left him.

One day Freddie thought he must get his baggage ready. So he took his mamma's rag-bag and emptied all the rags under the sewing-machine. He took his little nightdress from under his pillow and put it into the bag. Then he put in a ball of knitting-cotton. That was for fishing-lines. He took some pins and bent them into hooks. Lastly he put in his little Testament.

Then he started for the wharf. He called at several stores on the way, and said lie was going to "ship to sea." The men laughed, but Freddie went along all the same.

On the way he met his uncle, to whom he said, "I'm all ready; here is my baggage, nighty and Testament, and a whole lot of string and pin-hooks to catch fish."

Uncle Robert looked into the bag, and sure enough Freddie was "all packed."

"Well, Freddie," said his uncle, "I am not going now. When you are older you shall go."

Freddie did not at first want to give up the idea. Uncle Robert talked kindly, and gave him a gold dollar. So Freddie behaved like a good little boy, and waited until he was older.

—ELIZABETH ORR WILLIAMS.