The Outdoor Girls at Rainbow Lake eBook

Laura Lee Hope
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 165 pages of information about The Outdoor Girls at Rainbow Lake.

The Outdoor Girls at Rainbow Lake eBook

Laura Lee Hope
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 165 pages of information about The Outdoor Girls at Rainbow Lake.

That night there was another informal dance at the Yacht Club, and the girls had a splendid time.  Mr. Stone and Mr. Kennedy exerted themselves to see that our friends did not lack for partners, and Grace was rather ashamed of the suspicions she had entertained concerning the twain.

The carnival came to an end with a series of water sports.  There were swimming races for ladies, and Mollie won one of these, but her chums were less fortunate.  The carnival had been a great success and many congratulations were showered on Messrs. Stone and Kennedy for their part in it.

“We are glad it is over,” said Mr. Stone, as he and his chums sat on the deck of the Gem one evening, having called to ask the girls to go to another dance.  But Betty and her chums voted for staying aboard, and proposed a little trip about the lake by moonlight.  Soon they were under way.

It was a perfect night, and the mystic gleam of the moon moved them to song as they swept slowly along under the influence of the throttled-down engine.

Suddenly Mr. Kennedy, who was sitting well forward on the trunk cabin with Grace, sprang to his feet, exclaiming: 

“What’s that?”

“It looks like a fire,” said Grace.

“It is a fire!” cried Mr. Stone.  “Say, it’s that hay barge we noticed coming over this evening, tied up at Black’s dock.  It’s got adrift and caught fire!”

“Look where it’s drifting!” exclaimed Betty.

“Right for the Yacht Club boathouse!” added Mollie.  “The wind is taking it there.  Look, the fire is increasing!”

“And if it runs against the boat house there’ll be no saving it!” said Mr. Kennedy.  “There’s no fire-boat up here—­ there ought to be!”

“Girls!” cried Betty, “there’s just a chance to save the boat house!”

“How?” demanded Amy.

“If we could get on the windward side of that burning barge, throw a line aboard and tow it out into the middle of the lake, it could burn there without doing any damage!”

“By Jove!  She’s hit the nail on the head!” declared Mr. Stone, with emphasis.  “But dare you do it, Miss Nelson?”

“I certainly will dare—­ if you’ll help!”

“Of course we’ll help!  Steer over there!”

The burning hay, fanned by a brisk wind, was now sending up a pillar of fire and a cloud of smoke.  And the barge was drifting perilously near the boathouse.  Many whistles of alarm smote the air, but no boat was as near as the Gem.

CHAPTER XVII

 On elm island

“Have you a long rope aboard, Miss Nelson?” asked Mr. Stone, when they had drawn near to the burning load of hay.

“Yes, you will find it in one of the after lockers,” answered Betty, as she skillfully directed the course of her boat so as to get on the windward side of the barge.

“And have you a boathook?  I want to fasten it to the rope, and see if I can cast it aboard the barge.”

Copyrights
Project Gutenberg
The Outdoor Girls at Rainbow Lake from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.