board. At the edge of the boat he had suddenly relaxed his hold,
and Tom, faint from the pain of his injured shoulder had toppled
backward. The shock of striking the water revived him somewhat, and as
he felt himself slipping down he made a brave effort to swim, then,
finding it useless, managed to turn on his back and float.

Still keeping her hand on the tiller, Madge strained her eyes to watch
his every movement. "Try to make it, Tom," she shouted encouragingly.
"You've only a little farther to swim. Come on; I'll help you into the
boat."

"I'm afraid I can't, Madge," he called faintly. "I've hurt my
shoulder. I can't swim."

The girl at the tiller bent forward to catch the sound of her friend's
voice. Then she answered with the bravery of despair: "You must keep
on floating. You are not going to drown. I am coming after you."

At the same instant Madge divested herself of her coat, shoes and the
skirt of her suit and poised herself for a dive into the angry water.
"Keep the head of the boat to the wind," was her curt command to the
stranger, "I am going after Mr. Curtis."

"You're crazy!" shouted the stranger, leaping to his feet. "You can
never save the man in such a sea as this. You'll both be drowned!"

His tardy expostulation fell upon unheeding ears. Madge was in the
water and swimming toward Tom. Expert swimmer that she was, she knew
that she was risking her own life. The tide was against her, and even
though she did reach Tom before he sank again, it would be hard work to
support him and swim back to the boat in such a heavy sea.

The sky was now dark, the waves had grown larger, and a pelting rain
had begun to beat down in Madge's face. Tom had risen to the surface
of the water again, and was feebly trying to swim toward her. He had
shuddered with despair when he first caught sight of her in the water.
But his faint, "Go back! Go back!" had not reached her ears. Nor
would she have heeded him had she heard.

His intrepid little rescuer was swimming easily along, with firm, even
strokes. Little water-sprite that she was, she would have enjoyed the
breakers dashing over her head and the tingle of the fine salt spray in
her face if she had not realized the danger that lay ahead.

"Keep floating until I can get to you!" she called out to Tom. She did
not speak again, for she did not mean to waste her breath.

Tom was making an heroic effort to keep himself afloat. But he was
growin