ould have no idea how near he was
hewing to the truth. That walk was fated to have a very considerable
influence on the course of events, and also upon the solving of the
riddle; but we must not anticipate.

The two lads continued to saunter along. They chatted on other
subjects besides the mystery of the old lady's lost souvenir spoons.
The matter of outdoor sports was much in their minds those days, when
sleepy old Scranton was waking from her Rip Van Winkle nap of twenty
years, and girding herself to accomplish a few things on the diamond
and the gridiron.

So they drew gradually nearer to the famous Hobson mill-pond, where for
generations the boys of Scranton had been accustomed to swim and fish
in the good old summer time, and skate in the winter, the canal leading
close to its location.

The old mill was no longer in use, but with its moss-covered wheel made
a very picturesque sight that artists often painted with delight. The
pond itself was of fair size, and surrounded with trees and bushes. In
fact, it was quite a lake. On one side there stood a large ice-house,
and when the surface of the pond was covered with a foot of clear firm
ice, many of the residents of the town had their supply cut and stored
in places built partly underground, in order that they might have all
the ice they wanted through the dog days.

Hugh and Thad had almost arrived at the mill-pond when they suddenly
heard loud voices. There was screaming in shrill tones that would
indicate the presence of children near by.

"What does all that row mean, Hugh?" snapped Thad, looking suddenly
interested.

"They're playing around the pond, those kids, and like as not one of
them may have fallen in! Let's get a move on us and see!"

Hugh seemed to be of the same opinion, for he started on a rapid
gallop. Louder rang out the shrill cries. There could be no doubt now
as to some one being frightened; and considering the loneliness of the
mill-pond region, it was easy to guess Thad had hit the truth when he
surmised that a child must be in danger of drowning.

CHAPTER XVI

THE RESCUE AT HOBSON'S MILL-POND

The two boys covered the short distance in an incredibly brief space of
time. As they rounded the bend just beside the mill-pond and saw the
whole scene spread out before them, their eyes were immediately
fastened on a stirring picture close by.

Two little colored girls were running up and down the shore doing most
of the