I saw a snake a minute ago."

"Let's go canoeing," proposed Muriel Harding, as they came in sight of
the boathouse.

"The very thing," exulted Mignon. "Let me see; there are nine of us.
That will be three in a canoe. I'll hire the canoes and tell the man to
send the bill to my father."

With quick, catlike springs, she ran lightly down the bank, across the
road and disappeared into the boathouse. Ten minutes later three canoes
floated on the surface of the river, swollen almost to the banks by
April's frequent tearful outbursts. Mignon stood on the shore and gave
voluble orders as the girls cautiously took seats in the bobbing craft.

"Get in, Marcia," she commanded, pointing to the third canoe.

Marcia obeyed with nervous expressions of fear.

An hour later, from a little slope just inside the woods, Marjorie and
her friends, who had reluctantly directed their steps toward the
boathouse, glimpsed the returning canoeing party through the trees. The
canoers had lifted their voices in song, and Marcia Arnold, forgetful of
her fears, was singing as gaily as the rest.

"It's dangerous to go canoeing now," commented Jerry, judicially. "The
river's too high."

"Can you swim?" asked Irma, irrelevantly of Marjorie.

"Yes," nodded Marjorie. "I won a prize at the seashore last year
for----"

A sharp, terror-freighted scream rang out. The eyes of the trio were
instantly fastened upon the river, where floated an overturned canoe
with two girls struggling near it in the water. They saw the one girl
strike out for shore, and, unheeding her companions' wild cries, swim
steadily toward the river bank.

"Oh!" gasped Marjorie. Then she darted down the slope, scattering the
flowers from her basket as she ran. At the river's edge she threw aside
her sweater and, sitting down on the ground, tore off her shoes. Poising
herself on the bank, she cut the water in a clean, sharp dive and, an
instant later, came up not far from Marcia Arnold, who was making
desperate efforts to keep afloat.

A few skilful strokes and she had reached the now sinking secretary's
side. Slipping her left hand under Marcia's chin, she managed to keep
her head above water and support her with her left arm while she struck
out strongly for shore with her right. The water was very cold, but the
distance was short, and Marjorie felt herself equal to her task.

To the panic-stricken girls on shore it seemed hours, instead of not
more than ten minutes, befo