A few minutes after reaching the steamboat dock at the village, which, as my old readers know, was located on the shore of Cayuga Lake, the Golden Star came along and made her usual landing.  The boat looked familiar to them and they gave the captain a rousing greeting.

Over a dozen pupils were to make the trip to Ithaca at the foot of the lake.  There the Rovers would get aboard a train which would take them to Oak Run, the nearest railroad station to their home.

“The Golden Star looks like an old friend,” remarked Dick, when they were seated on the front, upper deck, enjoying the refreshing breeze that was blowing.’

“I am never on this boat but what I think of our first meeting with Dan Baxter and with Dora Stanhope and Nellie and Grace Laning,” came from Tom.  “What an enemy Dan Baxter has been from that time on!”

“And what a pile of things have happened since that time!” was Sam’s comment.  “By the way, it is strange that none of us have heard from any of those girls lately.  They ought to be coming east from California by this time.”

“I wish they were home,” went on Tom.  “I’d like to propose something.”

“Maybe you’d like to propose to Nellie,” put in his younger brother, slyly.

“No sooner than you’d propose to Grace,” was Tom’s prompt answer, which made Sam blush.  “Dick,” he went on, “wouldn’t it be great if we could get the girls and Mrs. Stanhope to take that trip with us on the houseboat?”

“That would certainly be immense,” cried the eldest Rover, enthusiastically.  “Why didn’t we think of it before?  We might have written to them about it.”

“Is it too late to write now?” asked Sam.  “Or, maybe we can telegraph.”

“Perhaps Mrs. Laning wants her girls at home now,” said Dick, slowly.  “They have been away a long time, remember.”

“Perhaps Mrs. Laning might go along.  We could have a jolly time of it with six or seven boys and perhaps the same number of girls and ladies.”

The idea of having the girls along interested the three Rovers greatly and they talked of practically nothing else during the trip on Cayuga Lake.

Ithaca reached, they bid farewell to the last of their school chums, who were to depart in various directions, and then made their way to one of the hotels for dinner.

“There they are, mamma!” they heard a well-known voice exclaim.  “Oh, how glad I am that we didn’t miss them!” And the next moment Dora Stanhope rushed up, followed by Nellie and Grace Laning and Mrs. Stanhope.

“Well, of all things!” ejaculated Dick, as he shook hands warmly.  “Where did you drop from?”

“We were talking about you during the trip from Cedarville,” said Tom, as he too shook hands all around, followed by Sam.

“We were wondering why you hadn’t written,” added Sam.

“We were going to surprise you,” answered Grace.  “We expected to get home yesterday and visit the academy.  But there was a breakdown on the line and our train was delayed and that made us miss a connection.”