er cap. There was kind of a wild
streak in her anyway and she was always taking chances.

One evening round four or five o'clock, after a warm day in the summer
time, she was out there about a quarter of a mile from the shore and all
by herself. There was quite a wind up, and the waves was rolling pretty
high, breaking white on top, too, and making such a noise I was plumb
uneasy. Her pa was away from home; so I went down on the dock and stood
out there trying to holler at her so she would hear me, but I couldn't
make her hear. I waved things, too, but she didn't seem to see them.

She was a sort of dare-devil at riding or driving anything, and I reckon
maybe she was enjoying that sloshing through the water, though I
expected every minute to see the boat go upside down. I could hear the
engine of the boat going fast--sput-sput-sput-t-t! I could only hope it
would keep all right. All gas engines is sinful.

She had been the only one out on the lake right then, it being so rough;
but along about now, down toward town, a half mile or so off, I seen
another boat coming, lifting up high on top of the waves, then going out
of sight in the hollow for quite a while. It was heading straight in
for our place. The fellow in it was running kind of sideways to the
waves and I would a heap rather it would of been him in the boat than
me.

Bonnie Bell was a little farther out, heading into the waves and
enjoying the rocking, it seemed like. By and by I seen her looking off
to the south; and then her engine begin to sput-sput a heap faster, and
I seen her boat swing out and head that way.

I looked out at the other boat then. I didn't see it for a while, but at
last it swung up on top of a big wave. It wasn't the way it had been,
but blacker. I seen the water shine on the boards. Then I knowed what
had happened--the boat had turned over.

It was just like Bonnie Bell to head in to see if she could help. I
hollered at her, but she couldn't hear and I don't reckon she'd of
stopped anyways.

Them little boats goes awful fast and it seemed like _Bonnie Bell_--for
that was the name of her boat, her pa had gave it that name--didn't seem
to hit the waves none, only in the high places. In just a little while
she was where the upset had done happened. I seen her slow down and
swing in, and then stand up and whirl a rope. Then she reached over and
then hauled back.

"Well, anyhow," says I to myself, "she's saved a corpse," says I.

I