THE DRIFTING BOAT
"There's gratitude for you," observed Jack. "We've given that bear a
perfectly good dinner--even cooked it for him--and the only thanks we get
is an attempt to kill us."
"Oh, well," said Paul, "we must forgive the old fellow. Bear and forbear,
you know."
"You wouldn't think it was so funny," remarked Cora, "if he'd gotten away
with the rest of the lunch, as well as the fish."
"Even then we needn't have gone hungry," returned Paul soberly. "The
forest preserves are all around us."
"Even in the cities, one needn't starve if he has a sweet tooth," added
Walter. "He always has the subway jams."
"I declare," said Cora, "it's a pity the bear didn't get you boys after
all."
"_We_ may get _him_ yet," said Walter. "I'm not willing to let those fish
of mine go unavenged. Perhaps we can get some guns from Joel and round
this old fellow up. It certainly would do me a lot of good to have his
skin for a rug."
"He may have his own ideas about that," replied Bess. "You'd better let
well enough alone."
"I see we're not the only ones on the lake," remarked Cora, pointing to a
small boat about a mile away.
"Some fellow out fishing in a rowboat," pronounced Jack, after a moment's
examination. "Let's go down that way and see what luck he's having."
"He doesn't seem to be fishing," observed Belle, as the _Water Sprite_
turned in the direction of the rowboat. "In fact, he seems trying to
attract our attention. There, he's waving at us. Let's hurry. Perhaps
he's in trouble."
Jack sent the _Water Sprite_ flying at full speed, and the distance
between the boats rapidly narrowed.
"Upon my word!" cried Belle, "I believe it's Mr. Morley."
"So it is," acquiesced Cora.
"I don't see any oars in his boat," said Paul.
"Looks as though he were adrift," remarked Walter.
When he was within a few yards, Jack shut off the engine, and the _Water
Sprite_ drifted lazily down alongside the rowboat.
It was indeed the botanist, and he smiled cordially, if a little
sheepishly, as they shouted greetings to him.
"I'm mighty glad to see you young people," he returned. "I rather thought
it was your boat, but she looks so gay in her new coat that I wasn't sure
of it."
"Where are your oars?" asked Jack.
"Thereby hangs a tale," smiled Mr. Morley.
"Come aboard and tell us all about it," replied Cora. "We'll fasten your
boat to the stern and pull it along."
Mr. Morley climbed on board, helped by willing hands, and Walter secured
the rowboat by a rope round a cleat in the stern.
"It's a simple story," laughed Mr. Morley. "Indeed, simple is the only
word that properly expresses it. The fact is that I rowed over to the
other side of the lake to find some specimens that I had reason to think
were growing there. I got them all right and rowed back to the island. I
put the oars out of the boat on the dock, and was going to get out
myself, when something peculiar about one of the specimens attracted my
attention, and I sat down in the boat to examine it more closely. I got
so engrossed in it that I forgot everything else. Then suddenly I woke up
to the fact that the boat had drifted away from the dock, and I was in
the middle of the lake without oars. I was trying to paddle with my
hands, but wasn't accomplishing much, when your boat came in sight. I'm
always glad to see you young folks, but I don't mind admitting that I'm
especially glad to see you to-day."
"And we are to see you," returned Cora warmly. "How lucky it was that we
made up our mind to spend to-day on the lake."
"We'll take you right over to your island," said Jack.
"It's awfully good of you," returned Mr. Morley. "I hope it won't
interfere with any other plans you may have made."
"Not a bit," answered Cora. "As a matter of fact, I was going to ask Jack
to stop at the island before we went home to-night. I wanted to scold you
for not having come over to see us at Kill Kare, as you promised."
"I ought to be scolded," admitted Mr. Morley. "It hasn't been, however,
because I didn't want to come. But I've had a very painful and difficult
problem that I've felt I must solve and that has taken up all my time.
But I shall certainly give myself the pleasure of calling before long.
"But you have had some very stirring adventures of your own since I saw
you last, I understand," he continued. "What's this I hear about your
being lost in the woods and rescued by an aeroplane, Miss Kimball?"
"It's true enough," smiled Cora, and she gave him some of the details.
"But how did you come to hear anything about it?" she asked curiously.
"I was talking with Mr. Baxter recently and he told me about it," replied
Mr. Morley.
"Mr. Baxter!" exclaimed Cora in surprise. "We know him very well and he
was very kind and helpful while the search was going on. But I didn't
know that you were acquainted with him."
"He's doing some special work for me," Mr. Morley explained, "and we
often have occasion to consult together. He's a very clever man in his
particular line."
Cora would have given the world to ask just then what Mr. Baxter's line
of work was, but she felt that she might be prying. She waited
expectantly, hoping that the botanist would mention it of his own accord,
but he did not, and they were soon talking of other things.
Of course they told him of their adventure with the bear, and he laughed
heartily at the way the brute had made away with their fish dinner.
"If he didn't leave you enough," he said heartily, "I'd be very glad to
have you come up to the cabin with me and let me knock you up a meal."
"Oh, we had plenty without the fish," laughed Cora. "But thank you just
the same. And by the way, we're going to have an outdoor spread on the
lawn at Kill Kare before long, in recognition of the kindness of those
who tried to bring the prodigal daughter out of the wilderness. I expect
that your friend Mr. Baxter will be there, and I'd dearly love to have
you come, too."
"When you've fixed on the exact date, let me know, and I certainly will,"
replied Mr. Morley. "But here we are now, and there are the oars lying on
the dock as a proof of my foolishness," he added with a laugh.
"You've put me under a great obligation," he said in parting. "I might
have drifted along the greater part of the day, and perhaps the night,
before I touched shore somewhere."
"One good turn deserves another," returned Jack, "and we haven't
forgotten how royally you helped us on the day the _Water Sprite_ got
into trouble."
They waved to him as the boat drew away and shaped its course for Kill
Kare.
"It's mighty lucky we came along, just the same," observed Belle.
"Suppose, by any chance, he had drifted ashore and found our friend the
bear waiting for him."
"And he without any oars in his boat," added Bess, with a little shudder.