Part 21 (1/2)

”Providing the water isn't too cold,” said Phil ”In soets pretty cold, don't you know, especially if the lake happens to be fed by springs”

”Oh, pshaho's afraid of a little cold water?” cried his chu to eat us up?” queried Luke

”Oh, don't say bears again!” cried Jessie ”I don't want to hear of them, much less see them”

”Say, that puts ot away froe until he caers were scared to death, and souns and rifles hich to kill Mr Bruin But the old lady had her own idea of what to do She grabbed up a brooht on his nose, and would you believe ot so scared that he ran away and then went straight back to his keeper and allowed hiain!”

”Shadow, is that a true story or a made-up yarn?” asked Laura

”It was told to me down East, and they said it was absolutely true,” was the answer ”They even gave me the name of the old lady”

”Say, Shadow, it was a wonder they didn't give you the name of the brooh

Dave, Roger, and Phil had been given two rooms between them One was considerably smaller than the other, and this Dave occupied On the other side of a little hallere the girls, while Mr and Mrs

Wadsworth and Dunston Porter occupied large cha-room In the rear were two tiny rooalow Ben and his friends occupied three little rooe aparte living-rooht piano, somewhat out of tune but still usable

”Now don't you boys dare to play any tricks to-night!” said Laura, when she and her girl friends were about to retire ”You just keep your tricks for soer and Phil be good,” answered her brother ”I guess we are all tired enough to sleep soundly” And he certainly spoke the truth as far as he personally was concerned, for hardly had his head touched the pillow than he was off to the land of drea htly and a gentle breeze blowing froaloas still wet, but it had dried off down at the shore of the lake, and at the dock where were located tboats and several canoes

”Let us all go out for a row after breakfast,” suggested Dave ”It will limber us up”

The aro bacon filled the air between the bungalows, and soon the young folks who had gone down to the dock to look at the lake and the craft on it, ca back for their breakfast

”Don't you think it would be ether, Mrs Wadsworth?” said Laura, while they were partaking of the repast

”Perhaps so, Laura, and e it,” answered the lady ”Mrs Basswood spoke about it They have a large living-roo-rooht all eat out on our wide porch”

”That's the talk!” cried Dave ”I'd rather eat outdoors any time, if the weather would permit”

”Oh, yes, let us eat on the porch!” cried Jessie And so, later on, it was arranged, the entire party eating indoors only when it et

The canoes had been turned over and were perfectly dry, but the tboats had to be bailed out Various parties were o out, and presently Dave found himself in one of the canoes with Jessie as his sole coo?” questioned our hero, as he dipped his paddle into the lake, and with a fir away fro the shore, Dave?” answered the girl ”I would like to see how it looks beyond this cove”

”All right, I'll keep as close to shore as possible,” he replied And then they set off, leaving the others to go where they pleased

”You don't suppose there's any danger of our upsetting?” queried Jessie

”We won't upset if you keep perfectly still,” answered Dave ”I think I can ht”

On and on they went over the s at ti branches of trees, which at some points were very thick In spots the water was shallow, and so clear that they could see the botto in one direction or another

”I think we're going to have so up here,” declared the youth, as a beautiful trout flashed by only a few feet away

They were coh point of rocks, on which somebody had erected a rude summer-house of untrimmed tree-branches