in a storm."

"No," said Connie gravely. "No, that isn't it. You see," she lowered her
voice a little and spoke slowly, "Uncle Tom lost somebody in a wreck
once. She was a very lovely girl, it is said, and Uncle Tom was engaged
to marry her."

The girls' young faces were very sober as they gazed at Connie.

"Oh," said Billie softly. "Now I see. Poor, poor Uncle Tom!"

CHAPTER XIX

PAUL'S MOTOR BOAT

The days flew by on wings and the girls were surprised to wake one
morning to find that they had been at Lighthouse Island over a week.

They had been bathing and boating and swimming till they were tanned a
beautiful brown, the color not being confined to their faces, but
covering their arms and hands as well.

What with the exercise and Mrs. Danvers' wonderful cooking, they had
gained flesh so fast that they had begun to wonder a little anxiously if
they were "bound for the freak show."

"Why, it's positively dreadful!" Laura declared one morning, feeling
ruefully of her waistline which she was quite certain had expanded at
least two inches. "I've simply got to stop eating, or something."

"Stop eating!" echoed Billie, taking up a handful of sand and letting it
sift slowly through her fingers. "Well, maybe you can do it, Laura dear,
but I certainly can't--not with Connie's mother doing the cooking."

"I don't intend to try, no matter how fat I get," declared Vi.

It was right after breakfast, and the girls had jumped into their bathing
suits, as they did at almost the same time every morning, and were
waiting impatiently for the hour to pass that Mrs. Danvers had insisted
must pass before they went in swimming after breakfast.

"Mother said she might come down this morning and go in with us," said
Connie, her eyes fixed dreamily on the horizon. Then suddenly she sat up
straight and stared.

"What's the matter?" asked Billie. "Seeing ghosts or something?"

"No. But look!" Connie clutched at her arm. "Isn't that a motor boat?"

"That" was a tiny spot that grew bigger as they looked and seemed to be
headed in their direction.

"It's a boat of some sort, I think," said Vi. "But you can't tell whether
it's a motor boat or some other kind of a craft."

"Of course you can," Laura broke in excitedly. "It's got to be a motor
boat because there aren't any sails or anything. It is! It is! Oh, girls!
could it be----"

"The boys?" finished Billie,