ame another long wait.

About four he concluded to try another minnow, hoping that the bass were
arousing from their mid-day nap and would feel like partaking of a bite.

The river was very pretty just here, and the current rather slow, for
the banks had widened; only for this deep hole the stream was shallow,
and since the rains had been few and far between of late Dick fancied he
could almost wade across to the opposite shore should the occasion
arise.

Strange to say the idea of taking a swim had not occurred to him, as it
certainly must have done had there been another boy along; he was too
much engrossed in his fishing, and the laying out of plans for the
future to think of these material joys so dear to the heart of the
ordinary boy.

Just as he had fastened the minnow to his hook, and gently floated this
out to the most promising place in the pool he thought he heard voices
somewhere close by.

When he listened again he learned that it was a girl's voice he heard.

And strange to say it seemed to come from up the river a little, just
around the bend; indeed, as he listened he certainly heard the sound of
oars working in the rowlocks, and again a merry voice called out.

Then Dick nodded his head and smiled.

"I know now. It's Bessie Gibbs in her boat. I remember that last year I
saw her out rowing once when I was going home. She may come down this
way. I wonder who is with her. Seems as if I can't catch any other
voice, and yet she is laughing and talking as if somebody was along.
I'll soon know, for she seems to be just around the bend, and coming
down-stream."

It was curious to see the boy look down at his rather patched garments
just then when there was a possibility of a girl coming on the scene.

"Wonder if Bessie would know me with my old regimentals on? I'm rigged
out for fishing, and I can't afford to wear the only decent suit I own
for this sort of thing. Perhaps she won't want to know me. All right,
who cares? But she never seemed that sort of girl at school. I always
thought Bessie the prettiest one in the whole bunch. Great Caesar!
what's that mean?" he cried, for a shrill scream suddenly smote his
ears.

He sprang to his feet and immediately started to run along the bank,
heading up the stream, for the point of land with its clump of trees cut
off his view.

The screams still continued, accompanied by a splashing of water that
alarmed Dick more than ever, for he was now sure that Bess