“You girls certainly know how to do things,” said Mr. Stone, admiringly.
Cheers from those in surrounding boats seemed to emphasize this sentiment. There was now no danger to the Yacht Club boathouse.
A little later, when the flames in the hay were at their height, the piece of iron was dropped overboard from the Gem. This, with the rope and the kedge anchor, served to hold the barge in place. There it could burn without doing any harm.
Soon the fire began to die down, and a little later it was but a smouldering mass, not even interesting as a spectacle. Betty Nelson’s plan had worked well, and later she received the thanks of the Yacht Club, she and her chums being elected honorary life members in recognition of the service they had rendered.
Summer days passed—delicious, lazy summer days—during which the girls motored, canoed or rowed as they fancied, went on picnics in the woods, or on some of the islands of Rainbow Lake, or took long walks. Mr. Stone and Mr. Kennedy, sometimes one, often both, went with the girls. Occasionally Will and his friends ran out for a day or two, taking cruises with Betty, and her chums.
Aunt Kate remained as chaperone, others who had been invited finding it impossible to come. The girls’ mothers made up a party and paid them a visit one day, being royally entertained at the time.
“Yes, you girls certainly know how to do things,” said Mr. Stone one day; after Betty had skillfully avoided a collision, due to the carelessness of another skipper.
“I wish we could do something to get those papers for father,” thought Grace. Not a trace had been found of Prince or the missing documents. It was very strange. Mr. Ford and his lawyer friends could not understand it. The interests opposed to him were preparing to take action, it was rumored, and if the papers were found this would be stopped. Even a detective agency that made a specialty of tracing lost articles had no success. Prince and the papers seemed to have vanished into thin air.
One day as Betty and her chums were motoring about the lake, having gone to the store for some supplies, they saw the two boys who had been searching for their canoe.
“Did you find it?” asked Grace.