16-HELENA RUSSELL

Sunday afternoon, the kids were playing in their room. A strange feeling crept over Jonathan that Captain Gregg had gotten wind somehow that the whole family was preparing for still another birthday party on April eighth. Candy noticed that her brother was lost in his own thoughts.

"What's the matter, Jonathan? Tell me, what's bothering you so? You haven't said a word in a half hour."

Jonathan jumped. "Oh Candy, there really is something that is bothering me."

"What is it?" Candy wanted to know.

"I'll tell you. This morning I talked with the Captain. He mentioned something of a surprise. I had the strange feeling he was talking about his birthday."

"Jonathan! Oh no, that can't be. Please, no!" Candy was close to tears.

"Please, Candy! Lower your voice!" He tried to calm his sister down. "Maybe I have misunderstood him. Come on, we should find out if Captain Gregg really suspects what we have planned."

"All right Jonathan, let's find out. I believe the Captain is in the attic. I think I heard him there earlier." Candy said.

Both made their way upstairs to the attic. Candy was right . . . Daniel was there.

"What brings you up to my attic, kids?" He had the feeling that something was bothering them both.

"I wonder, Captain, what did you mean when you said to me that you had a surprise for us?" asked Jonathan.

Oh, that is what is bothering him! the Captain thought. Why would Jonathan want to know what kind of surprise I have talked about? Something is going on here. I must find out.

"Oh that, lad . . ." he said, trying not to sound curious. "Come in. Make yourselves comfortable, and I will tell you." The Captain began: "I was a young lad when I went to sea. My first day on board ship, the jokes began. We were four newcomers, and the Captain of the ship asked us if we could swim. We four wanted to know exactly why he wanted to know that. I told him that I couldn't swim, which of course was a lie."

Candy interrupted. "Captain, that's terrible! Why did you do that? Mom always tells us we shouldn't lie and we're punished for it when we do."

Daniel grinned. "Of course, you're right Candy, but this lie was necessary. You see, this Captain was a know-it-all. May I continue now?"

"Of course, Captain." Jonathan nodded. "What happened next?"

"The Captain asked me to jump overboard, he wanted to check my details. I noticed his determined expression and knew that he would personally, if necessary, throw me overboard. So I jumped and landed in the water. I pretended that I drowned and the sea had become my grave. But that wasn't the case. I dived. I swam under the keel of the ship and appeared on the other side again at the water's surface. At first, my Captain was terribly frightened that I perhaps had lost my life and it was his fault. But then he heard the laughter of his crew and he suddenly knew that I was surfacing on the other side of the ship."

"What happened then, Captain?" Candy wanted again to know. "Was your Captain very angry about your joke? Did he have you punished?"

"When I was back on deck, he made a face, but then he began to laugh also. He was pleased with my joke; nobody had ever played such a trick on him. And since that time, I never again was asked whether or not I could swim."

To make it easier that the Captain suspected nothing of the upcoming birthday celebration planned for him, Candy and Jonathan started laughing with Captain Gregg.