"Oh," exclaimed Marjorie, "isn't this just too lovely for anything! Please, Carter, mayn't we just put our hands in the water if we keep our feet in the boat?"
"No," growled Carter; "you'll be wantin' to put your heads in next. Now do set still, like the nice young lady behind me."
Anxious to be good, Marjorie gave a little sigh and folded her hands in her lap, while Molly did likewise.
Carter's eyes twinkled as he looked at the two little martyrs, and his heart relented.
"Ye may just dangle your fingers in the water, if ye want to," he said, "but ye must be careful not to wobble the boat."
The children promised, and then gave themselves up to the delight of holding their hands in the water and feeling the soft ripples run through their fingers.
The row down the river was perfect. The balmy June day, with its clear air and blue sky, the swift, steady motion of the boat impelled by Carter's long, strong strokes, and the soothing sensation of the rushing water subdued even the high spirits of Midge and Molly into a sort of gentle, tranquil happiness.
CHAPTER VIII
A MEMORY BOOK
With a few deft strokes Carter brought the boat to land on a long, smooth, shelving beach. A crunch of the keel on the pebbles, and then the boat was half its length on shore. Stella, in the bow, grasped the sides of the boat tightly with both hands, as if the shore were more dangerous than the water. Carter stepped out, and drew the boat well up on land, and assisted the girls out.