'Well, suppose it does win,' replied Joe Morris, 'I shall not grudge it
to him, for Fred is no sneak; he is out-and-out the jolliest fellow in
Wedderburn School.'

'So he is,' said Bill Cowan, 'and no mistake about it. Well, here we are
at the lake, and now for some fun.'

On this particular Saturday, however, Fred was destined to distinguish
himself in quite another way, and to win the applause not only of his
companions, but of the people who were walking up and down the border of
the lake, enjoying the sunshine and the refreshing breeze. The little
boats were all in full sail, and the schoolboys were shouting with glee
at the fun, when quite suddenly a fine fox-terrier took it into his head
to pursue the boats and show that he could swim as well as they could.
Poor dog! It was quite true that he could swim; but unfortunately he got
entangled among weeds, and after floundering about for a little and
barking piteously for help, he gradually sank till his body was quite
out of sight, only his head and neck being visible to the schoolboys,
who looked on in horror, not knowing how they could save the poor
animal.

'Oh, I say, I can't stand this!' cried Fred Langton; 'he will be
drowned. I must go in and fetch him out!'

'No, no!' cried Bill Cowan; 'the lake is quite deep just at that place.'

'Yes, I know it's deep,' added Joe Morris, 'and, besides, you can't
swim, Fred; don't be silly. Who cares for a dog being drowned?'

'I do, for one,' cried Fred, and dashing into the water he waded out to
where the poor dog was half-standing, half-lying, among the choking
weeds. Yes, the water was deep; but stretching out his arms he contrived
to catch hold of the poor animal, and he quickly waded back to shore
amid ringing cheers from all the people who had now gathered on the bank
to watch the plucky lad. And whose was the dog? Nobody knew; it seemed,
indeed, to have no owner and no home. But Fred and his companions
carried it back with them to the school, and, after having told their
tale, they begged the head master to keep it for himself; and as Dr.
Williams could not discover anything about the dog's ownership, he _did_
keep it. So Fred's brave deed not only saved the animal's life, but
procured a good home for it as well.

TRUE HAPPINESS.

How small, of all that human hearts endure,
That part which lords or kings can cause or cure;
Still to ourselves, in every place consigned,
Our own felicity we