If we miss the train, I feel I shall never forgive you."

the last half hour that I haven't known what I was doing and I don't know now. You had better make another call upon Miss Jones. She is even

clared Madge in her impulsive fashion. "You see, everything depends on our not having to wa

l aware of how much it had cost her pupil to ask her. "Yes, I shall be thinking of you girls every minute," she declared. "Let me see. This is the twenty-fifth of May. School will close in an

and Lillian calling her, she waved a h

e there was just a bare chance that she might find a ready-to-use houseboat. He assured her, however, that houseboats were usually m

eanor demanded their luncheon at once, but Phil and Madge protested against eating luncheon so early. "You

nd kind, and models of private yachts, but not a trace of a houseboat could they find. The representatives of the various boat co

sually the sweetest-tempered of the four girls, began to show signs of irritability

d have our luncheon somewhere. This is a very large ship-build

part of Baltimore which none of them had ever seen before. A few blocks farther down the street they

eboat, there is one thing certain: I positively must have something to eat. I am half starved.

l as hungry as you are. I am awfully sorry. We ought to have eaten

came by the corner," broke in Lillian. "It did look queer,

does look queer," dec

retraced their st

esitated. "I don't think we ought to go in there," argue

nd sailors, were in the habit of getting their meals. The one dirty window showed half a dozen liv

red as they crossed the threshold, and even Phil and Madge hesitated as a man

going into this restaurant to get something to eat. Don't look as if you thought you were go

rough, hard faces. They were evidently sailors from the nearby boats. The girls kept their eyes on the table, an

In each girl's mind was the thought that it had been unwise to enter the restaurant. By thi

ome here," whispered Lill

ravely, "we have as much rig

not stay," per

u were hungry?" as

Lillian, "but I jus

chimed in

shook her brown head deprecatingly. "I do

ently. "All right, Misses 'Fraid Cats,'

osy-faced lad who came up at that

sighed Phil. "Per

mmented Madge rather satirically. "But

t time we'll be more careful w

on and leave here the moment we finish. After all, as long as we are to become seasoned mar

ind our houseboat," reminded Lillian. "It doesn

our luncheon, while the really important question of where we are to find our boat hasn't troubled us. We must go out of here saying, 'We sh

hil. "Come on, girls. Let us fin

a friend of Miss Tolliver's, who kept a boarding-place. As they were in the habit of staying with Miss Rice when they came into Balti

her house until half-past five o'clock,

Lillian pointed ahead. "Suppose we sit down there

hips sailing up the bay and also the larger freight steamers. They were near one of the quiet canals that formed

clothes in her arms. She was singing in a high, sweet voice a

nt as they row home at the close of day. The pathos in the woman's voice was so exquisite, its notes so true, that Madge's blue eyes filled with tears. N

Eleanor said; "I suppose because the little cabin o

hose shanty boats

Phil responded dryly. But there was a que

xactly like house-boats," w

urned Phil. "There is c

to look more like them

nod

rty," was dainty Lil

y. Then she sprang to tier feet and almost ran out of the little park, nearly to the e

ats, "first look there; then shut your eyes. With your eyes open you see

replied Lillian w

asserted Madg

oward a man who was coming slo

n front of him, "do you know whether any of the peopl

one," he answered, "but I kin find out fer ye. It may be some of the water folks

at nine o'clock to find out," arrang

am going to draw a plan to-night to show how easy it will be to turn one of these old canal boats into our beautiful 'Ship of D