Ned, the son of Webb

the library that hot June afternoon. "Grandmother and the rest of them have gone ou

oks, and at first he did nothing but lie i

in such a sweltering day as this is. I can get out

strong impression upon his mind that it was a book

book for boys," he remarked

e began to feel a growing interest in the reading matter scattered along among them. It was all in large type, so that the pages mi

ou what, though, if I'd been wearing one o' their coats of mail when Nanny pitched me into the lake, I'd ha' gone to the bottom like a stone. I wonder if any of 'em could swim in t

nterest as he went on, and at abou

et you do too much of it. You must spend all the time you can in the open air. You may re

ne, then," said Ned. "I

"I think it averages about two books to each fish, b

dictionary?" asked Ne

man, "but the book went out of sight. It's

ed. "I'm going to fi

the wide, wide world. I've been out there, just now, talking to one of 'em. He's an Englishman. He's been

onquer England. Uncle Jack says that if I d

y that invaded England would be arrested at once. They

ry in the world. I'm going to see London, and the forts, and the ships. The English

book. I'm afraid, though, that if you were in command of the Kentucky you'd

lled to hear quite a number of re

n a buggy, next time," said

o drive her a mile or so for exercise. She didn't stop short of Centreville Four Corners. The bu

he other horses," said his grandmo

was to take that big book of grandfather's with me

father. "When you get through with

d to find out how the story fitted the pictures. No one happened to go into the library until about eleven o'clock, and he was there alone. Then old Mrs. Emmons herself was hunting everywhere for a ball of yar

ed afterward, "and the cat followed hi

a bait hunt. Before breakfast he had done well as to angleworms, but not so well as to g

e together, after breakfast, "here's your rod. Three good lines.

aid Ned. "It's a scow-punt and i

eman. "I saw four men in it once, and they went ha

em get drowne

Carty, trolling, and we fished in all four of 'em. You needn't get upset unless you

rather be alone. Then I can read while I'm waiti

father. "Put it into your bait-box.

randfather turned back i

ore he lugs that folio to Green La

had already thought twice, at le

ge was in the cart, including the book, the angleworms, and the grasshoppers. He succeeded in getting away quietly

ile from the house, for June days always grow w

he book in," thought Ned. "I

he landing-place. A pair of oars lay in it, but

houted. "Who'd ha' th

ly, and a mere rag of sail, with

and hoist the sail, myself. Then I can tack al

ffort. Then he stepped his bit of a mainmast, as he called it, through the hole bored for it in the forward seat of the punt. It was plain

ARMER, RAPIDLY, IF YOU A

bulwarks, starboard and port. She's higher at the stern than she is at the prow, and I'm afraid she'd be a little cranky in a ten-kn

m the shore, sitting in the stern, and shoving the land a

ming or where it was going. To any ordinary observer, not an old salt nor the commander of a line-of-battle ironclad, it look

der. Where there's a ripple, there's wind, or it may have been made by that p

n his oars, and the boom and sail swung to and fro as she slipped along. Pretty soon she reached and went throu

nsail. She can drift to looard, if she wants to, while I try for some fish. If it's true that this lake

s reel, ready for sport. The bait question was decided against wo

much care whether it's to

r so more a handsome yellow perch came over the

more or less," he said. "I don'

santness belonging to the unhooking of a large, fat, slippery-skinned bullhead. He was really ma

self. "I guess there are more shiners and pumpkinse

d on vigorously as he hauled in his line. The exci

ss, or maybe it's a pike or a lake t

y replying, on behalf of his uncl

they are good for nothing in a frying-pan. A fisherman's g

ntedly on the bottom of the boat. So did the perch, now and then, but there were no othe

ne, with a worm. Then I'll read till I get a bite. I think

ally term a zephyr came gently breathing along the placid lake. It soon grew even strong enough to mak

edn't take in any reef just now. Let her spi

and fishing, while he turned page after page of that book, and took in more and more of the meaning of the pictures. The sail was now filled well. There were larger and larger wavelets on the lake, but there came no fish-bites to interrupt

the main sheet, and bring her head to the wind. She's leaning over a litt

uttered with even stronger emphasis. He was, of course, doing something in the steering line w

e. There isn't another boat in sight, either. If I expect to get home to-night, it's about time I wen

n of a line-of-battle-ship might wear upon finding his huge fighting machine in unknown or difficult navigation. Any experienced nautical man would have bee

a second discovery, almost as perplexing as the first. Behind him was a wide waste of water without a visible shore, but he was by no

in cup out of his tackle-box, expressing a hope th

gazing shoreward, scooped the cup full, and

rous, choking, coughing spell followed. "What's

bewildered. The shore was all the while drawing nearer, and the water in

told of anything like this. Right along shore, too. Why, that cliff there's as high a

if the lake had joined the ocean in such a way that ships, the Kentucky, for instance, could ever come steaming in, firing salutes and astonishing all the country people. His head was

ost perpendicular. It makes a fellow think of some of those pictures of Norway fiords, in the book. The best thing I

he opening between the tall cliffs, and his eyes w

id. Hullo! Those are porpoises, tumbling around out yonder. I've seen porpoises before, off Long Island, when

hey must have been several hundreds of feet in height. Here and there, in the clefts and

ashore. I want to find somebody that can tell me what this means. I won't go home

adowy, and Ned felt a kind of shudder going over him. He was not exactly afraid, but his heart was beating more quickly than usual. He had put away the folio with great

an see boats and men and women. Away off yonder, up the slope

but right here before him the fiord widened so as to make a small cliff-guarded harbour of the safest kind

"that a fellow could get to such a thing