mality of asking
to be excused, pushed back her chair and dashed out. Mrs. Livingston
so far overlooked their breach of etiquette as to rush out with the
rest of them.

"Come on, darlin's. They've come ashore for us at last. First there,
first to go out. Go!"

It was a race for the landing place, with Harriet and Jane running
side by side, Tommy Thompson following and gradually lessening the
distance between them in a series of flying leaps. Tommy could run
like a frightened fawn. Harriet heard her coming and increased her
speed. Tommy gained no more on Harriet, though she arrived at their
objective point by the side of Crazy Jane McCarthy.

"Ready to go out," announced the man. "But I can't take more than five
at a time. Who goes first?"

Harriet halted sharply at sound of his voice, and gazed at the man
perplexedly. His voice was strangely familiar, but, try as she would,
she could not think where she had seen him.

CHAPTER XVIII

FIREWORKS FROM THE MASTHEAD

"Wait for Mrs. Livingston," replied Harriet in answer to the man's
question. "You are not the captain, are you?"

He shook his head. Mrs. Livingston came upon the scene. Harriet
assisted her into the rowboat. The Chief Guardian directed the other
Meadow-Brook girls to get in, telling the girls who were left on shore
that they would be taken out to the "Sister Sue" as fast as possible,
until there was no more room. The others would have their turn soon
afterward.

If the girls had been pleased with the "Sister Sue" from a shore view,
they were enthusiastic at what they saw when they got on board. The
decks were white from scouring, the binnacle that held the compass
shone with mirror-like brightness, ropes were neatly coiled and
everywhere was the smell of fresh paint and the faint, salty odor of
the deep sea.

The "Sue" was some forty feet in length over all, broad of beam,
covered over about half her length amidships by a raised deck cabin, a
cabin that rises above the deck a few inches with narrow windows on
the two sides. Two doors from the cockpit led into the cabin. Into
this the Meadow-Brook Girls hurried, after one quick look over the
trim craft. They cried out for Mrs. Livingston to join them. The
interior of the cabin was in white with plush seats on each side, the
seats being broad and comfortable, affording lounging space for
several persons at one time. A tank holding drinking water, at the
forward end of the cabin, was the only