was born to live on a houseboat, I feel so perfectly at home. Do y

e chaperon, who sat listening to Madge's

ing home. Madge, who was looking particularly pretty in her sailor suit of blue serge, had been energetically

ch, so Mrs. Curtis had transformed the houseboat into a charming Japanese pagoda. Mammoth Japanese umbrellas were swung above the decks. The latter were covered with pretty straw mats. There was a dainty green tea table securely fastened near the stern, with half a dozen green chairs near it. The window boxes around the upper deck of the boat had been refilled with bright scarlet geraniums and nastu

-decorating the little boat, she did not wish her guests to feel under any obligation to her, but she had made their ho

r the second time in five minutes, "do you think

ntirely changed. She was frowning as

were not unimportant-they were so intense that they were likely to change not only the co

we met at the ball the other night. I wish that Tom had not asked us to invite her to the house

or. She acted as though she were trying to sweep

s Jenny Ann. "Really, Miss Harris isn't worth it. It's dreadful t

ar convinced by their chaperon's remarks. Wilfu

s hateful! She was impolite to us, and a sneak not to tell Tom Curtis what she had said about us. Then she is very haughty an

knife-she had been making sandwiches for their party-"them's my sentiments t

ream to her because her friends are our Mrs. Curtis's friends. Miss Harri

tenant Lawton was working on a wonderful invention. I think it is something about a torpedo-boat destroyer that will go twice as fast as any other torpedo boat," Phil went on vaguely. "Li

lieutenant, Phil," teased Madge. "I suppose he

higher rank in the Navy. Tom says that several foreign countries have offered Lieutenant Lawton thousands of dollars for his invention. There are American ship-building companies, too, that

ess for your tea-party,"

that she could transplant them to the free outdoor life that had characterized their first houseboat holiday. Here was sensible Phil,

But she was proud and a trifle vain. She hated to be snubbed and treated as though she were absolutely of no importance. So she had quite made up her mind to be revenged on Flora Harris. Just at the time she could think of no better way than to make friends with Flora's particular admirer, Alfred Thornton. He was an extremely wealthy young man in prospect, his father being a P

d introduced him as his friend. This merely confirmed her bad opinion of him. But she realized that young Thornton had been attracted by her, and she naughtily resolved to turn his attentions from the elegant Miss Harris

e later tea was served on the deck at the dainty tea table under the big Japanese umbrellas. Madge

nical amusement on her face, accompanied by her cousin, Alice Paine, had crossed the bay in a steam launch with Jimmie Lawton.

ter, the two young women declared that they must go back to Old

of malice she added, "You told me you made your hous

ous of any malice aforethought on the part of the other girl, she co

red Thornton appeared to be enjoying himself immensely. Furthermore, no one had paid the slightest attention t

olence of Flora Harris's reply, but she would hav

young man. "I don't see anything very daring about your proposal. O Phil!" she turned to Phyllis

t to propose. "We are likely to come in last, but never mind a little thing like that. We are out

taught to row by experts. It was too absurd to think of these two country girls rowing against them! As for entering a racin

as well as your other friends. But we really must be getting back to the Point. Lieutenant Jimmy, we are sorry to i

naval life which he had been relating to her. Still, Flora Harris need not have directed the attention of the others to their absorption in each other. The

ch steamed away, and when the five young women were alone they looked at one another in

. "I think that Miss Harris is detestable. One thing is certain, we mus

n that race just to spite that hateful M

irit in which to enter it,

ce with a very ignoble