already
mentioned, had no fear of a second attack that night, nor had the
youthful pirates the slightest intention of repeating the experiment
that had turned out so badly for them and so triumphantly for the
Meadow-Brook Girls. It was quite evident that the newcomer did not
belong to the Tramp Club. His face looked dark and swarthy in the
moonlight. He had straight black hair and high cheek bones and there was
a revengeful light in his sharp black eyes as he scanned the silent
houseboat.

Once more the canoe shifted its position and slid to a point directly
under one of the little windows. The window was open, the curtains were
streaming out through the opening. The intruder stood up in his canoe
without disturbing its balance in the least.

Just about this time Tommy Thompson awoke with a little gasp. She had
been dreaming that Buster, in the guise of a pirate, was trying to
smother her with a sofa pillow. Tommy had been skirting the edge of one
of the "pleathant nightmareth" she had prophesied for the girls on
retiring. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. Suddenly she uttered a
terrified scream.

For the second time that night the Meadow-Brook Girls scrambled from
their beds in alarm.

"Tommy, Tommy, what is the matter?" cried Harriet, springing to the
little girl's side.

"I thaw the motht terrible fathe," moaned Tommy. "Oh, thave me."

"Nonsense, Tommy," laughed Harriet.

"You've just had one of those nightmares you were talking about when you
bade us good night."

"No, thir," reiterated Tommy. "I thaw thomething. It wath a man and he
thtood right in front of the window. You thee I wath dreaming that
Buthter wath a pirate, and wath trying to thmother me with a thofa
pillow and all of a thudden I that up in bed and thaw thith fathe
looking in the window at me. That ith why I thcreamed," concluded Tommy,
with dignity. "I didn't have the nightmare. I tell you I thaw a fathe."

"How ridiculous," sniffed Buster. "How could she see a face when we are
away out here on the lake. Why look!" she continued, stepping to the
window. "It's bright moonlight, and there isn't a boat to be seen on the
water."

"Buthter doethn't know what I thaw," retorted Tommy angrily. "Thhe
hathn't my eyeth hath thhe? Buthter maketh me tired."

"There, there, girls," reproved Miss Elting. "That will do. Harriet, I
think you and I had better dress, then get into the rowboat and do a
little investigating. Perhaps some prowler has