nduce an artificial respiration. At the same time, Toby and one of the
other fellows worked the unconscious boy's arms back and forth like a
pair of pistons; while the third fellow started to rub his cold lower
extremities.

At first Joel seemed pretty far gone, and his appearance sent a chill
through the sympathetic heart of Toby Hopkins. But after they had kept
up this vigorous treatment for a little while, there were signs of
returning animation. Joel belched out a gallon of water, Toby always
insisted, and inside of ten minutes was able to talk, though Jack
insisted on keeping up the rubbing until the boy's body was a rosy hue
from the irritation.

"Now get some clothes on, Joel, and you'll soon be feeling prime," he
told the other, whose lips were still blue and quivering.

Joel had had quite enough of swimming for one day. Indeed, he would be
pretty cautious about getting any distance away from the shore after
that, having received a most fearful shock. Still, boys recover from
such things, given a little time, and Joel had always been reckoned a
fellow who did not know the meaning of the word "fear."

The other boys had apparently lost the joy of bathing for that day.
They, too, started to don their clothes, and begged Toby to "hold up,"
so that they might get a lift to town in the flivver; which, being a
whole-souled fellow, of course, "Hop" was only too glad to do.

Later on, after arriving home, Jack and Toby talked matters over between
themselves. This new and entirely unexpected happening had been only
another link in the growing chain of troubles hanging over the head of
the captain of the Chester baseball team.

"What if we hadn't chanced to be on the road just at that very minute,
Jack?" ventured Toby, with a shiver; "poor old Joel would certainly have
been drowned, because neither Frank nor Rufus had the slightest idea
what to do so as to save him. And that would have broken up our
combination in the nine, all right, because we'd find it hard to replace
such a runner and fielder and batter as Joel."

"Of course," said Jack, "the worst thing of all would be losing a
friend. Joel is a mighty fine all-around fellow, and most of us are fond
of him. And just as you say, the game would like as not have to be
postponed, because how could we play as we would want to with a chum
lying dead at home? So I'm grateful because we did chance to be
Johnny-on-the-spot."

"That was sure a great job you did, Jack,