Preston boys have a cedar and canvas
canoe," Laura replied.

"That's a birch-bark canoe over yonder," declared the girl who
was studying the distant craft so intently. "I can tell by the
way the sun shines on the wet places along the sides of the canoe."

The other girls were now looking eagerly. "Wait a moment," begged
Clara, and, turning, sped lightly to the boathouse near by. She
returned with a telescope.

"Hurry!" begged Laura Bentley as Clara started to focus the telescope.

"You take it," proposed Clara generously, passing the glass to
Laura.

Laura soon had the telescope focused.

"Hurrah, girls!" she cried. "That's the war canoe from Gridley,
and Dick & Co. are in it."

She passed the glass to Belle Meade, who took an eager peep through
it.

"Hurrah! Gridley High School! Hurrah!" chorused the other girls.

Their voices must have traveled across the water, for Prescott,
at the stern of the war canoe, suddenly gave a couple of strokes
with his wet, flashing paddle, that swung the prow around, driving
the canoe straight in the direction of the landing float.

"Hurrah! Gridley High School! Hurrah!" called the girls again,
giving the high school yell of the girls of that institution of
learning.

In answer a series of whoops came over the water.

"They're coming at racing speed!" cried Laura.

"Which shows how devoted the boys of our high school are to the
young ladies," laughed Belle.

Within a few minutes the canoe was quite close, and coming on
swiftly. From the young paddlers went up the vocal volley:

"T-E-R-R-O-R-S-! Wa-ar! Fam-ine! Pesti-i-lence! That's us!
That's us! G-R-I-D-L-E-Y-----H.S.! Rah! rah! rah! Gri-dley!"

"Hurrah! Gridley! Hurrah!" answered the girls.

"Whoop! Wow! wow! _Whoo-oo-oo-oop_! Indians! Cut-throats!
Lunch-robbers! Bad, bad, bad! Speed Club! Glee Club! Canoe
Club---Gridley H.S.!" volleyed back Dick & Co.

It was the first time that they had let out their canoe yell in
public. They performed it lustily, with zest and pride.

"Splendid!" cried some of the girls, clapping their hands. Though
it was not quite plain whether they referred to the new yell,
or to the skilful manner in which the boys now brought their craft
in. At a single "Ugh!" from Prescott they ceased paddling. Dick,
with two or three turns of his own paddle, brought the canoe in
gently against the float. Now Dave and Dick held the canoe to
the float with their paddl