just going to stay in camp and make a pie.
Tom said he hadn't had one for a good while. I'm going to make him one."

"All right. Make me one too, please," said Bunny. "We're going after
some fish," and with his pole and line he started down toward the lake
with his father and Tom.

CHAPTER XVIII

ROASTING CORN

"Now, Bunny, be careful when getting into the boat," said his father.

Bunny turned and looked at his father. What Bunny thought, but did not
say, was:

"Why, Daddy! I've gotten into boats lots of times before, I guess I can
get in now." That is what Bunny Brown did not say.

But, in a way, Bunny's father was talking to the ragged boy, Tom, and
not to Bunny. For Mr. Brown did not yet know how much Tom might know
about boats, and as the boy was a big lad, almost as tall as Uncle Tad
himself, Mr. Brown did not want to seem rude and give a lesson to a boy
who might not need it. So though he pretended it was Bunny about whom he
was anxious, all the while it was about Tom.

"Oh, I'll be careful, Daddy," said Bunny. "And you be careful too, Tom.
You don't want to fall in and get drowned, do you?"

"No indeed I don't, Bunny. Though it would be pretty hard to drown me. I
can swim like a muskrat. And I can row a boat, too, Mr. Brown," he went
on. "I've worked for Mr. Wilson, the man who owns the pavilion at the
other end of the lake. I used to row excursion parties about the lake,
and there isn't a cove or a bay I don't know, as well as where the good
fishing places are."

"I found one of those myself this morning," said Mr. Brown, with a
smile.

"Well, I wish you'd let me row you to some others that hardly any one
but myself knows about."

"I shall be glad to have you," said Bunny's father. "And I'm glad you
understand a boat. I shan't be worried when Bunny and his sister Sue are
out with you."

"I can row myself a little, when you are with me, Daddy," said Bunny.

"Yes, but you'll have a chance to learn more with Tom, as I haven't time
to teach you. So I'm going to depend on you, Tom."

"Yes, sir, and I'll take good care of 'em. I've lived near this lake all
my life, and when my folks died and I went to the poorhouse in the
Winter, and worked out in the Summer, I managed to get to the lake part
of the time. I'll look after the children all right."

Mr. Brown did not need to ask anything further what Tom knew of a boat,
once the ragged boy took his seat and picked up the oars. He handled
the