om for two," and she patted the rock beside her.

Allen obediently stretched his long length on the turf at her side,
letting his legs hang over.

"You see I'm not afraid to risk a dip in the aqua pura," he said. "It
wouldn't ruin my dainty little gunboats."

"It looks as if nothing would hurt them but an axe," Frank remarked. He
had seated himself next to Allen and Betty, after having made Grace
comfortable, and was busily engaged in baiting his hook. "You'd better
hurry up, Allen--we'll have all the fish in the place hooked before you
get started."

"Oh, no you won't," said Allen. "Hand us some of those worms, Will, will
you?"

"Don't let them come too near me, will you, Allen?" begged Betty. "I
don't like them much more than Grace does."

"Anybody would think you were talking about some lion or tiger from the
jungle," laughed Allen, as Will handed him the bait, "instead of three
little, harmless, unoffending worms----"

"Who seem to be running in a streak of hard luck," Frank finished, as he
cast his line into the water.

"It does seem foolish," Betty admitted, taking her rod from Allen's
hand, "but I can't help it. Come, little fishes," she called, casting
her line far out into the pool. "Right this way! You have got to live up
to the reputation Mollie has given you."

Allen had just succeeded in landing a magnificent, big fish, and was
holding it down to keep it from sliding into the water, when a terrified
cry broke the stillness.

"Help! help! I am drowning."

For one stupefied instant, the fishers gazed dumbly at one another. Then
Allen released his hold on the big fish, letting it slide unheeded into
the water, and led the dash through the woods.

"Help! help!" called the voice again, fainter this time.

"Keep up your courage!" Allen shouted. "We are coming!"

CHAPTER XVI

NOT A MOMENT TOO SOON

"Oh, oh!" Betty almost sobbed, as they stumbled on over stumps and
fallen logs. "If the boys can only get there in time--if they only can!"

As Allen was the first to start, so he was also the first to reach the
water's edge. He was just in time to see two hands above the surface of
the water--two hands clutching in anguish.

As he rid himself of his shoes in frantic haste, there was one thought
and one only in his mind--to reach the helpless owner of those hands and
bring her back to life and hope. He was sure it was a girl--those little
appealing hands could belong to no other.

The ne