eaves of a willow tree stirred in the wind, and the birds twittered in its branches. The rosy flush was just fading out of the sky. Dawn had come only a short time before, and

morning. Her blue frock was the color of the sky and her auburn hair had

ter she came alongside her boat, which was only about three feet from the shore. Madge had not practised running and jumping in the gymnasium at school and on the old farm in Virgini

leepy-head, she never would have wished to get up so early. And I did want to see the boat alone, just

ear at this moment, causing her s

, with his hands tucked into a pair of trousers so much too lon

ed cheerfully, eye

Do you usually begin the day by thr

esponded calmly. "Where'

my boat, it is a 'Ship of Dreams' and was towed up here fr

she's a peach," wa

ning fashion that caused the lad to smile in r

e cows," was the

ou like to earn a quarter? If you would, then come back here about nine o'clock. We are going

boy, and ran off into the bushes with

Jones, Lillian and Phil had not yet arrived, but they were expected by the early train that came from Baltimore. The little village from which th

ses and mysterious packages that it took all the men about the depot to land them safely on the platform. Madge gave the order to the expressman to b

o knew the way. She hurried Miss Jones along until that young woman was almost out of breath. When they were within a short distance of the place where she had found her boat waiting for her in the early morning, she could bear it no longer. With a murmured excuse she broke away from Miss Jones and started on

Phil, springing to

d dumbly tow

running up to Madge and

The man who brought it down from Baltimore left a note for me describing the landing place. He said he had to go back

nt. "Let us look up and down the shore," suggested Phil comfortingly. "I suppose it is just ba

nces out over the wide stretch of water. There was no houseboat in sight. It

place, Madge," was the chaperon's firs

be one of the party it would be wrong to say a single impolite thing to their chaperon the whole six weeks of thei

iption of the landing place. I think we had better go back to the village and see if we can get some men who know the shore along here to come to he

s Jones, you sit under the tree. Lillian, you and Nellie keep a sha

e dejectedly as the two companions walked wearily back ove

d say it depended entirely upon who ha

adge's uncovered head. Madge and Phil looked up simultaneously. There in a gnarled old apple tree directly ab

ain't you?" he

as not anxious to renew conversat

piration. "Have you been about this p

he boy r

w what has become of ou

oice from the tree, "

d Madge. "I knew the moment I saw you that you were the

," the urchin

clared Madge, h

red the boy. "A girl can't climb a tre

ed Madge hotly, making her way toward the tree. "I have climbed

Don't allow him to tease you. Let's go on into the village and get a policeman. Then, if the boy really knows anything about the disappearance of our

ou git back," was the i

y heard the patter of bare feet. "Can't you wait a minute?" a voice pleaded. "I was only teasing you

adge in surprise.

oat, he said you hadn't no right to be there. So he just hitched up our mule and he come down here and untied your b

quietly. Madge's eyes were flashing

returned. "I'll show you t

ted, disconsolate, under the willow tree. The four girls started out behind the one small boy, who answer

leanor anxiously. "I suppose we had no right to tie our

r no right, I shall certainly tell him

adge's fiery, temper and stood in awe of it. "Perhaps, when he sees we are

him at once," was M

the farmer, whom they found in the hay field, the whole story of t

hands on it. You kin stay along my shore all summer if you like. But no one asked my permission to tie the boat to my post. And soon as I seen it, I just thought the boa

g it. "I thought, of course, the engineer who towed our boat out here from Baltimore had asked your permiss

eboat they ate an early luncheon out of the hampers that Phil and Lill

oward the stern, opened into each other, and each room had a small door and window facing on the deck. The two bedrooms had six berths set along the walls. One room was intended for the kitchen

to the kitchen to drive nails along the wall and to hang up their limited display of kitchen utensils, while Phil and Madge helped with the unpacking. There was one steamer chair, bought in honor of the chaperon, and a great many sofa cushions, bo

eboat included a small table, five chairs, besides the necessary china and some of t

, with her heart in her mouth. Had some horrible disaster overtaken them, just as they were about to start on their adventures? There stood the two girls, Lillian and Eleanor, their faces, instead of showing fr

d face. Lillian pointed ahead of her, but only the kitchen stove was to be seen. Ma

and a puff of smoke up through the long stove pipe! The pipe went through a hole cut in the side of

sign to the pioneer that he is at last at home, so the little company felt themselves to be th

lled it with water from the big bucket that re

put the

ut the k

all ta

sweet, high, r

ed on deck to call a greeting to the engineer who was to tow their houseboat down th

neer made fast to their boat preparatory to starting. The chaperon

out into the bay, and with almost no perceptible motion and no noise, except the gentle ripple of the water pur