their way to the present
anchorage. The day passed all too quickly. Twilight was upon them almost
before they realized it. Supper was late that night, and ere they had
finished the dishes the motor boat drew up to them and the Tramp Club
swarmed over the side of the houseboat with merry greetings.

"It is almost like being boarded by pirates," laughed Harriet. "In this
case the pirates are welcome."

The boys had brought with them a bag of early apples, which Captain
Baker gravely assured them had been duly bought and paid for. The boys
also had brought their harmonicas, and later in the evening there was a
harmonica concert on the upper deck of the "Red Rover." Later on the
girls served their guests with cake and coffee. Larry Goheen, who, like
Jane McCarthy, was gifted with true Irish wit, was the life of the
party. He and Crazy Jane bandied words and said witty things to each
other to the delight of the rest of the company.

The boys took their leave at ten o'clock. First, they left a lantern for
the houseboat, which George Baker lighted and set in place at the stern.
The anchor light of the houseboat had been lost in the storm of the
previous night, or else it had been stolen, which latter they doubted.
The girls were quite ready to retire, and lost no time in turning in
after the departure of their guests. Then quiet settled down upon the
"Red Rover." A gentle swell on the water lulled the girls into deep,
peaceful slumber, until after sunrise next morning.

Tommy, for a wonder, was the first to get out of bed in the morning.
Half-asleep she staggered, blinking, to the after deck, and then leaned
over to wash the last of the sleep out of her eyes. There followed a
sudden, sharp splash, and a moment later the blonde head of Tommy
Thompson appeared from out of the lake. Tommy had fallen in again. This
time she did not scream. She climbed aboard the boat, grumbling to
herself, and proceeded to dress without further delay.

"For goodness' sake, Tommy, what is the matter?" demanded Harriet,
sitting up in bed, rubbing her blinking eyes. "Did you fall into the
lake again?"

"I gueth I had a bath thith morning," answered Tommy.

"An impromptu plunge, I should call it," answered Harriet smiling. Then
she glanced sharply out through the rear door of the cabin. Her eyes
narrowed as she gazed. She rose from her cot and walked to the door,
looking over the water towards the opposite shore, her forehead
wrinkling into a