The scramble that followed proved just the thing to distract their thoughts from their appearances, and by the time all reached the tree, they were laughing, and gasping for breath.
The pool, in summer-time, was nowhere more than four to five feet in depth. Possibly, just under the Falls the water might measure six feet, but no one ever went there. From the Falls the water spread out in a circle-like basin until its centre measured about thirty feet across. It gradually narrowed again toward the willow where the stream formed the outlet of the pool. The entire floor of the pool was of rock, worn smooth by the water. This smooth surface and the Falls creating an ever-flowing current, kept the pool clean and the water as clear as glass. It was partly due to the bed-rock that made the water so transparent, that the Indian name for Crystal Waters was given the place.
Miss Miller urged the girls to jump in but Nita dipped her toe in at the edge and screamed, "Boo! but it's cold!"
"That's not the way—do this!" laughed Zan, plunging in and immediately submerging her whole body.
"My, what a wet mess your hair will be!" called Hilda.
"The sun'll soon dry it again. Don't bother about your hair! Half the fun in swimming is ducking your head!" sputtered Zan.
Miss Miller plunged in next and took a few strong strokes that carried her halfway across the pool.
The girls on the bank watched her admiringly.
"My! Miss Miller, you sure can go it!" cried Elena.