rk, and there was a
chorus of screams.

"Lottie's overboard!" cried the girls.

"Overboard!" repeated the boys.

"Quick!" begged Cora. "She may sink!"

To bring the boat to a sudden stop was not an easy matter, and there
were some moments of suspense before the _Chelton_ passed safely to
the other side of the spot where Lottie was struggling.

The water was not so deep but that she was able to scramble to her
feet, but the wash of the boat forced her to work violently to keep
her head above water.

"The rope!" called Cora, who had dashed from her position at the
steering wheel to the side of the boat where the mooring rope had been
dropped. In the excitement, of course, all crowded to one side of the
small craft, which caused it to careen alarmingly.

"There! There!" shouted Ed. "Lottie, grab the rope!"

"Oh, I can't," came the rather weak and shaky reply. "I can't reach
it."

By this time the _Dixie_, the innocent cause of the accident, was
alongside. Drayton Ward, the wealthy young fellow who could boast of a
motor boat that would have aroused comment even at Newport, leaned
over the side and grasped the arm of the girl in the water. The rest
was a simple matter, for soon Lottie was assisted over the rail of the
_Dixie_, and was in the finest boat on Crystal Bay.

"What do you think of that?" gasped Bess into Cora's ear.

"Clever!" replied Cora, simply.

"But the togs?" queried Jack, to whom the accident had seemed
something of a joke.

"What a pity," returned Belle, "and she did look so sweet!"

All this time the drenched girl was being most carefully looked after
by the gallant captain of the _Dixie_. He was seeing to it that she
did not suffer from a chill, for a big coat had been wrapped around
her and her pretty white cap that had merrily floated off was now
replaced by one marked "Dixie." Altogether, for a mere Summer dip,
Lottie was having a magnificent time, as Ed took pains to observe.

"Oh, I can't go with you now!" called Lottie. "Mr. Ward has kindly
offered to take me home."

There was a pause after that remark. If Lottie went back to the
bungalow it seemed only reasonable that someone should go with her.
But who? Everyone wanted to take the trip on the _Chelton_.

"Let us take you up to the point," called Cora, "and we can wait for
you to change and come back. Our trip would be spoiled with one of the
party missing."

"Let's shift," suggested Drayton, with a gracious smile at Cora.