" "What could that man have intended doing? Did
he want to sink the boat?" she was wondering.
"Well, if we haven't had a pretty time of it," said Ed. "First, we
had to go up trees to get out of the way of something--we are not
yet sure whether it was man or beast. Then when we crawled down,
and made for the shore the canoe was gone clear out of sight."
"Haven't you any idea who took it?" Cora asked.
"Wish we had--I'll wager he would have to sleep out of doors
to-night," threatened Jack. "It was the meanest trick."
Cora gave Bess the signal to keep still about having seen a canoe at
the back of Jim Peter's rowboat that afternoon. Cora was convinced
that Ben knew what he was talking about when he warned her to be
careful of Jim Peters.
"But why did you go back to the island?" asked Cora. "I thought you
were going to spend the afternoon with us girls?"
"We were, then again we couldn't," answered her brother. "We had a
very important appointment at Far Island."
"Ben, don't you want one of us to run her?" asked Ed. "We were to
have had a try--"
"Nope. This here is the best fun I can have, and this boat is a
beauty," replied the old man. "If I had one that could go like this
and carry so many passengers I'd give up the dock."
"Yes, a boat like this would earn its own living," agreed Jack.
"Run her as long as you like to, Ben. It gives us a chance--ahem--"
"To sit nearer your sisters," finished Ben, with a sly laugh.
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