r side to eat their lunch.

"What do you say to a swim?" remarked Jack, after the meal was over.

"Just the thing!" cried our hero. "But we mustn't remain in longer than
half an hour. I want to pick more berries."

They were soon in the water, which was deliciously cool and refreshing.
They dove and splashed around to their hearts' content and raced from
one bank to the other and back. Randy won the race by several seconds.

"I declare, Randy, you are a regular water rat!" declared Jack. "I
never saw a better swimmer."

"Well, I do love the water, that is certain," answered Randy.

"And you row such a good stroke, too."

"That's because I love boats."

The half-hour at an end, our hero leaped ashore and began to don his
garments, and Jack did the same. They were just finishing their toilet
when a rowboat came into view, containing Bob Bangs and several other
of the loud boys of Riverport.

"There is Bob Bangs again," whispered Randy.

"We'll have to watch out that he doesn't try to rob us of our berries,"
whispered Jack, significantly.

"Humph! Up here again, eh?" remarked the big youth, resting on his
oars.

"We are," answered Randy. "I think we can come, if we please."

"Certainly--for all I care," growled Bob.

"We are picking berries, and we intend to watch them, too," put in
Randy, loudly.

At this pointed remark Bob Bangs colored slightly.

"I should think you'd pick your company, Jack Bartlett," he said,
coarsely.

"I do. That is why I am not with you."

"Humph!"

"I consider myself just as good as you, Bob Bangs," said Randy, warmly.
"I may not be as rich, but I never tried to steal a mess of fish from
anybody."

"You shut up!" roared the big boy. And then he started to row away.

"You'll not get a chance to rob us of these berries," called out Jack
after him.

"What do they mean about robbing somebody of fish?" asked one of Bob's
companions.

"Oh, that was only a joke," answered the rich youth. "Just wait--I'll
fix them for it!"

As soon as Bangs and his cronies had disappeared Randy and Jack went
back to their berry picking. They worked steadily until five o'clock in
the afternoon, and by that time had a great number of quarts to their
credit.

"The folks at home will be pleased," said Jack. "My mother loves fresh
berries. She says they are much better than those which are several
days in the market."

"And she is right."

The boys had brought along several large and small