“Isn’t she a beauty!” exclaimed Bert, delightedly. “They wont be gone long, will they?” he added, turning to Tom.
“No,” replied Tom. “You’ll get all the sailing you want, to-day.”
The boys watched the canoe as it sped on before the wind. They could see Jock, who was seated on the edge of the canoe in the bow, while Ethan was in the stern and was managing the sail. At times the canoe dipped until it seemed to the watching boys that it must be swamped, but it always righted itself and then leaped forward with ever increasing speed. At last it disappeared from sight behind one of the neighboring islands, and then the boys turned with a sigh to the camp, all of them eager now for the return of their companions, and for the opportunity to try the merits of a canoe fitted out with a bat-wing sail.
“What’ll we do to pass the time, fellows?” said Ben.
“I think it would be a capital idea for Tom here to speak his piece before us,” drawled Bob. “He wants to practise, and perhaps we can be of some help to him. Ben here is a prize speaker, you know.”
Tom’s face flushed, and for a moment he evidently thought Bob was poking fun at him. “It isn’t much of a piece,” he said in confusion. “The young folks are going to have a dialogue and try to raise some money to fix up the walks over at the Corners.”
“So your father told us,” said Bob. “I’m in dead earnest, though, Tom. It’s more than likely that Ben can give you points. He took the school prize in speaking this summer. Go ahead, anyway.”
“And you boys won’t make fun of me?” inquired Tom.
“Not a bit of it,” said Bob, cordially. “We’re coming over to see the show when it comes off, anyway, so you might as well give it to us now, or, at least, your part. You had pretty good courage to tackle one of Shakespeare’s plays, though. How did you happen to do it?”
“Oh, that was Mr. Wilkinson’s idea; he’s the teacher at the Corners, you know. He said we might as well learn something worth hearing while we were about it, so we finally chose ‘Hamlet.’”