ended!" remarked Jessie, as she sank into a
rustic rocking-chair. "My! but it was quite an adventure; now wasn't
it?"

"It certainly was, Jessie," answered Dave. "I don't suppose you'll want
to go back by automobile?"

"Not unless you guarantee the weather, Dave," she answered, with a
smile.

The Basswood family, along with Shadow and Luke, had gone off to the
second bungalow, leaving the others at the one over which Mrs. Wadsworth
was to preside. The lady of the bungalow showed the girls and the boys
the various rooms which they were to occupy. As all of the other baggage
had arrived from the railroad station two days before, the tourists lost
no time in getting rid of their damp garments and donning others more
comfortable. After that all made an inspection of the bungalow, and then
trooped over to the other building.

"Say, this suits me down to the ground!" said Luke. "It couldn't be
better."

"I noticed a number of canoes and rowboats at the dock," said Shadow.
"We are bound to have some fine times out on that lake."

"And did you notice the bath-houses?" added Ben. "That means good times
swimming."

"Providing the water isn't too cold," said Phil. "In some of these lakes
among the mountains it gets pretty cold, don't you know, especially if
the lake happens to be fed by springs."

"Oh, pshaw! who's afraid of a little cold water?" cried his chum,
disdainfully.

"Any danger of a bear coming to eat us up?" queried Luke.

"Oh, don't say bears again!" cried Jessie. "I don't want to hear of
them, much less see them."

"Say, that puts me in mind of a story!" cried Shadow, eagerly. "Once a
bear got away from his keeper and wandered around a little New England
village until he came to a cottage where an old lady lived. All of the
villagers were scared to death, and some of them started to get their
shotguns and rifles with which to kill Mr. Bruin. But the old lady had
her own idea of what to do. She grabbed up a broomstick and began to
hammer that bear right on his nose, and would you believe me? Mr. Bruin
got so scared that he ran away and then went straight back to his keeper
and allowed himself to be chained up again!"

"Shadow, is that a true story or a made-up yarn?" asked Laura.

"It was told to me down East, and they said it was absolutely true," was
the answer. "They even gave me the name of the old lady."

"Say, Shadow, it was a wonder they didn't give you the name of the
broomstick," said Dave,