SCOOTER SAILING.

But to return to our sail home to Lamington, we were not out on the open
water long before the current carried us back to the ice ledge. Reddy
jumped off and soon returned with the steering oar; then we proceeded on
our way homeward, now in the water and now on ice. Once or twice the
scow was unable to climb out of the water, because she had not
sufficient headway, and was clumsy and heavy with four boys aboard. Then
we had to push off until we could get a sufficient start. It struck me
that while Dutchy was quite clever to think of such a rig, yet it was
very clumsy and capable of much improvement. Bill wasn't saying very
much all this time, and I could see he was doing a lot of thinking.
Evidently he was planning some improvement, but Bill was a very
considerate fellow, and did not want to spoil Dutchy's pleasure just
then by telling him how much better a scooter he might have built. It
wasn't until after supper, when a meeting of the S. S. I. E. E. of W. C.
I. was called, that Bill came out with his scheme.

A MEETING OF THE SOCIETY.

"Why not mount the sailing canoe on runners, instead of the scow? You
would have a very light rig then, and it would sail like a streak."

"Mr. President," said Reddy, "your plan sounds first-rate, but how are
you going to fasten runners onto the canoe?"

"I've thought all that out," replied Bill. "If we can only get hold of a
pair of sleigh runners it won't take long to rig up the sled boat."

Dutchy, who had looked rather crestfallen at a suggestion of an
improvement on his pet invention, now suddenly brightened up.

"I know where we can get the sleigh runners!" he exclaimed. "Dad has an
old ramshackle sleigh in the barn that is just falling to pieces with
dry rot. I'll ask him for it to-night."

"Do you think you can get it?" inquired Bill.

"I guess so," Dutchy answered, rather doubtfully. "But say, suppose we
send a delegation to see him about it?"

AN INTERVIEW WITH MR. VAN SYCKEL.

This was agreed upon, and in the morning, as soon as breakfast had been
downed, the entire society marched in a body into Mr. Van Syckel's
library. I was appointed spokesman, with Bill to back me, while the rest
of the party were strung out behind, with Dutchy bringing up the rear.
Mr. Van Syckel was not the man to take much interest in boys' work, but
we happened to strike him at the right moment, and before our interview
was over we had told him all our experie