of the rope and souse him in the
stream," suggested Crazy Jane.

"No, no, no!" protested the guardian. She took Janus firmly by the
arm. "Where do you feel bad?"

"I swum! I swum!" mumbled the guide. "I swum!"

"You'd have had to swim if you had gone through the hole in the floor,"
retorted Crazy Jane. "Harriet went down there, and----"

"Eh? What--wha--at?" gasped the guide, blinking rapidly.

"Sit down a moment," urged Miss Elting. "None of us is seriously hurt.
How about you?" gazing at the driver. "No bones broken, I trust?"

The driver shook his head. Janus was gazing at the opening in the
floor with a puzzled expression on his face. He stared at the planks
banked on each side, nodding understandingly.

"Been fixing the bridge. Forgot to put the planks back in place," he
muttered.

"Isn't it rather strange that so important a thing should have been
forgotten, Mr. Grubb?" questioned the guardian significantly.

"I swum! I swum!" repeated Janus, running reflective fingers through
his beard.

"You haven't thwum yet, but if you thtep into that hole you will have
the pleathure of thwimming," warned Tommy, for the guide had been
edging closer and closer to the opening in the bridge floor. He drew
back a step.

The driver had recovered sufficiently to note the distressing condition
of his horses. Now he limped toward them. "They're goners!" he
groaned.

"I don't believe it," answered Jane shortly. "They will be, if you
don't do something. Why don't you get them out?"

"How can I?" moaned the poor fellow.

Jane started to speak, but a loud "Hoo-e-e-e" from the far end of the
bridge caused her to pause. The call was repeated. Then they heard
Harriet running toward them.

"Look out for holes in the floor!" yelled Crazy Jane. "You can't tell
anything about this perforated old bridge. Come back here, Tommy
Thompson!" Tommy had started to run to meet Harriet. Margery grabbed
and pulled her back. Tommy jerked away angrily, but this time it was
Jane McCarthy who laid a firm grip on the little girl's arm. "You stay
right here." Jane lifted her voice in a prolonged call.

Harriet Burrell answered in kind. A moment later Harriet came running
up to them, dripping from her unexpected plunge into the river.

"Was any one hurt? Oh, I'm so glad!" as a quick glance told her that
all of her companions were there. "Oh, those poor horses!"

"Buthter thought thhe wath killed, but after I tol