teacher. Professor Skillings chuckled at his own troubles.
Although he was well past the meridian of life, he had neither lost his
sense of the ridiculous nor his ability to laugh at a joke when it was
on himself.

While the boys were rescuing their friend and mentor, the Go-Ahead Club
proceeded to get out their own canoes and load them. The weight had to
be distributed in bow and stern of the light, cedar craft; but Wyn and
her mates had practised loading and launching their boats so frequently
that there was little danger of an overset now.

Grace was still growling about the food and cooking apparatus
distributed among the canoeists. Wyn said, laughing:

"That is still the bone of contention; is it, Gracie?"

"What _is_ a 'bone of contention'?" demanded Mina, innocently.

"Why, the jawbone, of course, silly!" cried Frank.

"Don't you mind about my jawbone, miss!" snapped Grace.

"Oh, don't let's fight, girls," Mina said, soothingly.

"Better a dinner of herbs with contentment than a stalled ox and trouble
on the side," misquoted Frank.

The six girls quickly shot their canoes out into the stream. At this
point the current was swift; but above Denton the river broadened into
wide pools through which the current flowed sluggishly and it would be
easier paddling.

The girls set into a steady stroke, led by their captain, and passed the
pretty town in a few minutes. Wyn could see the upper windows of her
home and noted a white cloth fluttering from one. She knew that her
mother was standing there with the field-glasses and Baby May. Perhaps
the little one was trying to see "sister" through the strong glasses.

So Wyn pulled off her cap and swung it over her head and the six canoes
immediately fell out of alignment.

"Don't do that, Wyn!" shouted Bess. "Those boys will catch up with us."

"Well, we want them to; don't we?" asked the captain of the Go-Aheads,
good-naturedly. "We're going to lunch together, and if we make the poor
boys work too hard they'll eat every crumb we've got and leave nothing
for poor little we-uns."

"So _that's_ why you made us bring all this food?" demanded Bess,
in disgust. "Can't those boys feed themselves?"

"Oh, they'll do their share," Wyn replied, laughing. "You'll see. Don't
you see how heavily laden Tubby's canoe is? I warrant he has enough
luncheon aboard for a small army."

"I can't look over my shoulder--I never can," quoth Bessie. "Paddling a
canoe takes more of my