wooded spot around which
the Wintinooski--split in two streams--flowed very quietly. The country
on both sides was cut up into farms, with intervening patches of woods,
dotted with ferns, and was very beautiful.

There was a little beach on one side of the island, with a green, shaded
bank above. This was a favorite picnicking spot for parties from Denton;
but our friends had the island all to themselves this day.

The girls had been as far as this island before in their canoes; but
never beyond. From this spot on the journey up the Wintinooski would be
all new to Wyn Mallory and her chums.

The canoes were hauled up out of the water and the boys skirmished for
fuel while the girls got out the luncheon. Ferd Roberts was
fire-builder, and Grace, who hated that work, watched him closely,
marveling how quickly and well he constructed the pyre and had a blaze
merrily dancing among the sticks.

"Doesn't that beat all!" cried Grace. "You must love fires as much as
Nero did."

"Nero? Let's see--he was the chap that always was cold; wasn't he?"
queried Ferd, grinning.

"Nope!" broke in Frank. "That was Zero. You _will_ get your ancient
history mixed, Ferd!"

The luncheon was quickly laid, and Tubby was not the only one who did it
justice. But Bessie Lavine continued to act disagreeably toward the
boys. She was "forever nagging," as Dave said; and sometimes there was a
spark of fire when she managed to get one or another of the boys "mad."

Professor Skillings wandered off with his bag and little geological
hammer and Tubby rolled over on his back under a shady bush and went to
sleep.

"Pig!" ejaculated Bess, in disgust. "That's all boys think of--their
stomachs."

"Oh, don't be so hateful, Bess," advised Frank. "Come on; the rest of us
are going to walk around a little to settle our luncheon, before
tackling the paddles again."

"Humph! with the boys?" snapped Bess, seeing Wyn start off with Dave by
her side. "Not me, thank you!"

"All right," chuckled Frank Cameron. "You can keep Tubby company."

But that suggestion made Bess even more angry, and she went off with her
nose in the air, and all alone. But as the crowd of young folk came
around the east end of Ware Island, they, saw Bess standing upon the
brink of a steep bank, under a small tree, where the water had washed
out a good deal of the earth in a sort of cave beneath where she stood.

"Hi, Bessie! get back from there!" shouted Dave, warningly. "That p