ing her head in the cabin door. "I would have awakened you before now, only Miss Jones would not let me. Lillian and Elea

e a dash for her bathing suit, whic

odor of frying bacon, which was presently wafted to their nostrils from the door of the houseboat kitche

and Eleanor the luncheon, and Phil and Madge, who were the most ambitio

e other girls saw no difference in their chaperon as they clam

re her hungry charges, "Phil accused me once of being mysterious and never tal

oing to tell of last night's adventure? But the chaperon was n

Jones," laughed Phil. "

re, that is my confession. Won't you girls please call me something else while we are having o

e of your books, 'J. A. Jones,' so we might call you Jenny Ann Jones, because, when Nellie and I were children, we used to play an old nur

name is worse than Jenny

shall we call our chaperon? And we have never named our houseboat, either.

ss Ann' do?"

is such a p

re individual name for me. I

en of our Ship of Drea

mighty," objected Phyllis. "We ough

orld," added Phil. "We'll think of a name yet. Come on, girls, we must get to work; there is so much to be done. Lillian, you and I mus

houseboat," declared Lillian as the four girls rose from the table to

started on their walk. Miss Jones did not go with them. She was t

he little embankment. "Remember, you don't know your way in this country, as yo

n to the cove of the bay, but back of the farmlands lay a long stretch of fore

ed to have the forest to themselves. They had no thought of danger in the quiet woods, and Madge a

ple violets, thought she heard a peculiar sound resembling light footsteps, Whether there was a human

I heard something. Did you? Listen

d, Airy Fairy Lillian. It

times she believed she heard the noise

was in the lead, ran forward. "Madge, Eleanor," she called, "come

built of logs, and the chinks between the logs were filled with mud that had hardened like plaster. There were no windows

ked Eleanor. "It is built more securely than our cabins fa

g. Let's go in to se

m of clear water. Close around it g

he one large room looked gray and dark, as the only

Eleanor, hesitating on the threshold after Li

r," scolded Madge. "Ther

as no furniture in the place, but a few faded pictures were tacked up on the wa

a darkey with a fiddle in his hand there was an unexpected sou

ls turned si

as the only entrance, had been shut fast. At the same instant there

e girls realized the seriou

cked us in for a joke,

lt of heavy logs, and, though the girls could see the daylight throu

ed Phil. "Whoever shut us in will come

d a long time.

or did not know there was any one in

o one but a deaf person could have

zed the truth

s all push against the door at the same time. I am sure we shal

heir faces perspired from the exertion. Still the old door resisted them

f we all scream together, we ought to make considerable noise. I am afraid

, but no one answered them. Each girl remembered that she h

g room, poking and peering about to see if t

the bars and try to jump out of it," speculated Madge aloud. "But, a

"You would break your neck if you tried to jump from one of t

sten to you." Madge eyed Eleanor mournfully. She

ed her cousin. "Some one is sure to come th

risoners huddled together with white and weary faces. They thought of their cosy houseboat with the little lamps lit in the dining room,

lthough to the girls it seemed

was right; it was a joke, after all. Whoever

xperience did not amount to anything. They wou

unded plainly just o

r us?" called Phil and Madge in cho

rd no one after all. They strained their ears but heard no further soun