The club boat and the boat club, as means of instruction and discipline, as well as of amusement, were suggested by an accidental occurrence.  The “Bunkers of Rippleton,” a set of idle and dissolute boys, had constructed a rude raft, upon which they paddled about on the lake, and appeared to enjoy themselves very much.  Captain Sedley, who had forbidden his son to venture upon the lake on the raft, or even in a boat, without permission, overheard Charles Hardy, the intimate friend of Frank, remark that the “Bunkers” had a much better time than they had, and that boys who did not obey their parents often enjoyed themselves more than those who did.

A few days after, the boys discovered the club boat, the light and graceful Zephyr, resting like a fairy shell upon the lake, and in its use the argument of Charles was effectually refuted.  A club was formed of the boys in the neighborhood, and under the instruction of Uncle Ben, an old sailor who lived with Captain Sedley, soon became very expert in the management of the boat.  A building was erected for the use of the association, in which, besides the boat-house, was a club room containing a library, and furnished with conveniences for holding meetings for mutual instruction and recreation.  A constitution for the government of the club was adopted, in which the object of the association was declared to be “the instruction and amusement of the members, and the acquiring of good morals, good manners, and good habits in general.”  It defined and prohibited a great many vices and bad habits common among boys, so that the tendency of the organization was to make them better, wiser, and happier.

Their experience upon the lake, while the influence of the association stimulated them to the strict performance of their ordinary duties, was both varied and useful.  Inasmuch as it reduced their recreation to a system, the laws of the club acting as a salutary check upon the waywardness of youth, it afforded an excellent discipline for the mind and heart, as well as for the muscles.

Among the members of the club was an honest, noble-hearted youth, the son of a poor widow, by the name of Tony Weston.  In an affray upon Center Island, Tony had taken the part of Frank Sedley against Tim Bunker, and had thus obtained the ill will of the leader of the “Bunkers,” and is accused of stealing a wallet, which is afterwards proved to have been taken by the “Bunker” himself.  The theft is proved upon the graceless scamp, and he is sent to the house of correction, while Tony is borne in triumph by the club to his home.

Near the close of the story, Tony’s brother, who has long been mourned as dead, returns home from California, with a large fortune in his possession.  The brother, George Weston, builds a fine house for his mother, and, impelled by a warm admiration for Tony’s noble character, purchases a splendid club boat for him, of the size and model of the Zephyr, which is named the Butterfly.