ere in the boat.'

"'All right,' he said, as he gaily jumped ashore and tied the painter
rope.

"Robert hurried in the direction of the little house, and had covered
half the distance, when a bulldog came sneaking toward him. Robert saw
the dog, and ran for a tree. He was making handsome progress up the
trunk of the tree when the dog reached him, and, seizing a leg of his
trousers, began to surge backward. The cloth parted at the knee, and
between the pulling of man and dog, Robert lost about all the lower
end of one trousers-leg. The hired man came running out with some more
dogs, and said:

"'It's all right, Mr. Knowles, you can come down. I hope he didn't
hurt you.'

"'Excuse me,' said the young man, 'but I think I'll stay here a
while.'

"Three dogs stood at the foot of the tree looking anxiously upward.

"'They won't hurt you while I'm here,' said the hired man.

"'I won't take any chances,' said Robert. 'Go shut up your lions, and
I'll come down.'

"'Who's that in the boat?' the hired man asked.

"'Mr. Potter,' said Robert.

"'Well, he mustn't land 'less the old man says so--I don't care who he
is.'

"Just then the hired man changed his position suddenly, and stood
looking into the sky. I turned and saw an aeroplane coming down like
some great bird from the hills, behind the village. It sailed high
above the spires, and coasted down to a level some fifty feet above
the water-plane between shore and island. In a minute or so it roared
over me, circled the point, and came down in the open field that
faced the Deacon's cottage. Dogs and chickens flew and ran in great
confusion as it swooped to earth. I knew that Harry and his new flier
had reached the island of Deacon Joe, and I hurried ashore to
see--well, 'to see what I could see,' as the old song has it. Harry
jumped from his seat. The hired man ran toward him. Deacon Joe and
Marie and a woman-servant hurried out-of-doors.

"In less time than it takes to tell it, Harry had licked the hired
man, and kicked two dogs in the belly till they ran for life, and shot
another one, and was chasing a second hired man around the wood-shed.
Not being able to run fast enough to do further damage, Harry came to
the astonished group in front of the house and caught Marie in his
arms and kissed her.

"Then he turned to the Deacon, and said: 'Sir, I will keep off your
island if you wish, but I do not propose to be bluffed when I come to
pay my compliments to you