out of school at noon. "Maybe it will be a little soft, but
it will bear all right. Who's going out?"

There were a number of affirmative replies, though the general opinion
seemed to be that the ice would be too sloppy to have much fun.

"I'm going to try it, anyhow," Frank declared, as he got on his wheel.
"See you fellows out there."

"Don't take any chances before we come," Sherman Ward called after him.
"Remember you can't swim."

Sanson sniffed and shouted back a hasty denial of the charge.
Nevertheless, as he rode home for dinner he was glad the time was coming
when no one would be able even to hint at his deficiencies in that line.
When it came to taking care of themselves in the water the boys of
Hillsgrove had been more or less handicapped in the past, and like a
number of others, Frank could swim only a few strokes. This spring,
however, with the lake at his disposal, he meant to devote every spare
minute to gaining proficiency in the art, so that when the time came
for their summer camp he need ask no odds from anybody.

He finished dinner early and, with skates and hockey-stick, rode briskly
out to the lake. He expected to be the first one there, but on the
wood-road he noticed the fresh tracks of another bicycle, and, reaching
the cabin, he found Paul Trexler standing before the fireplace, in
which a lively blaze was going.

"Gee! You couldn't have had much dinner," he remarked.

"I brought it with me," exclaimed the boy, who was a rather silent lad
with an unusual capacity for enjoying his own company. "Anybody else
coming out?"

"Sure; quite a bunch. Tried the ice yet?"

"No; I was just going to."

"Come ahead, then," urged Sanson, briskly. "It'll be about our last
chance, and I don't want to lose any time."

They put on their skates at the edge of the lake and then tested the
ice. It was noticeably soft, especially near the shore, but seemed
firm enough. Farther out it was better, and as they skated up and down
together Frank decided that they would have their game even if they did
get pretty wet before it was over.

"Guess I'll go up a ways and sort of explore a little," said Trexler,
presently. It was almost his first remark since leaving the cabin, and
his tone did not indicate any special desire for company.

"All right," nodded Sanson. "Go ahead, only be careful about the ice.
Mr. Grimstone says there are springs up there, and you know this is
just the weather to make them dangerou