She said, “Good afternoon, Postman, have you a letter for me?” And Charlie said, “Yes, ma’am,” just like the postman. Then he couldn’t help laughing, and he forgot that he was the postman, and he hugged his Mother and said, “Is it a letter from Daddy?”
And it _was_. Yes, it was a letter from Daddy, and what do you think? The letter said that Daddy found that after all he would be able to get away from the city--and that he would arrive on Friday afternoon, and Charlie was to be sure to come and meet him.
Then Charlie’s Mother hugged him again for bringing her such a nice letter and his Auntie came downstairs, Topsy and Bingo prancing after her. Bingo jumped up and down and Topsy climbed on to Charlie’s shoulder, and they all listened to the adventures he had had that afternoon when he was a postman.
All the time that Charlie and his Mother and his Auntie were living in the country Charlie’s Daddy came down every single Saturday to visit them, and he stayed in the country with them until Sunday night, when he had to go back to the city. And every Saturday, when Charlie’s Daddy came to visit them in the country, he _always_ brought a present for everybody!
One Saturday Charlie’s Daddy came and he brought Charlie’s Mother a basket of peaches, and he brought his Auntie a box of candy, and he brought Bingo a ball, and he brought Jane and Topsy a catnip mouse--and what do you think he brought for Charlie? I will tell you. Charlie’s Daddy brought Charlie a sailboat! It was a beautiful boat, painted white with a green water line. It had a mast and two sails. His Daddy told Charlie that the big sail at the back is called the _mainsail_ and that the stick that holds it out at the bottom is called the _boom_; and that the little three-cornered sail in front is called the _jib_ and the stick to which it is fastened is called the _bowsprit_.
Of course Charlie’s Daddy did not say “the front and back” of the ship either. Oh, dear, no! Charlie’s Daddy called the front part of the ship the _bow_, and he called the back part the _stern_, and the bottom of the ship he called the _keel_--and, I can tell you, _nobody ought to own a ship who does not know these things_.
Well, of course, the very first thing that Charlie wanted to do was to go and sail his boat--but what do you think? The brook was so shallow and full of stones that there was no place deep enough to sail the boat at all! That was very sad.