e the boys became hungrier.

"Aren't the girls ever coming?" sighed Tubby. "They _couldn't_ be
so heartless."

"They haven't gone far; have they?" queried Dave Shepard. "We saw their
canoes on the beach."

Just then the laughter of the girls in the distance broke upon the ears
of those on the hillock. They were approaching along the
shore--apparently from the direction of Jarley's landing.

"They don't seem to have been much scared, after all," grumbled Tubby to
Ferd.

"It was a silly thing to do, anyway," returned young Roberts. "Suppose
we don't get any breakfast?"

At this horrid thought the fat youth almost fainted. The girls came in
sight, and at once hailed the boys gaily:

"Oh! see who's here!" cried Frank. "What a lovely surprise!"

"Isn't it?" said Bess, but with rather a vicious snap. "We couldn't get
along, of course, without having a parcel of boys around. 'Morning, Mr.
Shepard."

Bess made a difference between Dave and the rest of the Busters, for
Dave had helped her in a serious difficulty.

"Where's the professor?" demanded Grace. "Isn't he here, too?"

"He's having breakfast all by his lonesome over on the island," said
Ferd, and Tubby groaned at the word "breakfast," while Dave added:

"We--we got a dreadfully early start this morning."

"Quite a start--I should say," returned Wyn, smiling broadly. "And now
you're hungry, I suppose?"

"Oh, aren't we, just?" cried one of the crowd, hollowly.

"How about it, Bess? Is there enough for so many more?"

Bess was already sifting flour for more biscuit. She said: "I'll have
another panful in a jiffy. Put in the eggs, Mina. We can make a
beginning."

"There's plenty of mush," said Mina. "That's one sure thing."

"But we can't all sit down," cried Grace.

"You know, there are but six of these folding seats, and Wyn's been
sitting on a cracker box ever since we set up the tents."

"Feed 'em where they're sitting," said Wyn, quickly. "Beggars mustn't be
choosers."

"Jinks! we didn't treat you like this when you came over to our camp,"
cried Ferd.

"And we didn't come over almost before you were up in the morning,"
responded Frank, quickly. "How did you know we had made our 'twilights'
at such an unconscionable hour?"

The girls were all laughing a good deal. Nobody said a word about the
"bear" fright, and the boys felt a little diffidence about broaching the
subject. Evidently their joke had fallen flat.

But the girls really had no