The river bed near the shore is of hard sand, but a little way out it becomes marshy.

Suddenly Julia’s stilts stuck.  She tried to raise them, but they would not budge.  Now, as every stilt walker knows, it is impossible to stay motionless on stilts.  Over Julia went into the water, headforemost.

Beth was so startled that she herself almost lost her balance, but, fortunately, she grabbed the wharf, and scrambled up on that.  Away floated her stilts.

“Hello, what have we here?” and Harvey’s boat darted towards them from under the bridge.

“Oh, Harvey, save her,” cried poor Beth, almost in tears but somewhat reassured now that her boy friend was near.

“The water is hardly deep enough to drown a flea,” he answered.

However, he rowed up to Julia, and held out his hand.

“You had better step into my boat; you might be a worse stick in the mud than ever if you waded ashore.”

“I prefer to walk.”

Julia tried to look dignified, but the attempt was an utter failure.  Dirty water dripped from her matted hair, while her face and clothes were streaked with mud.

Harvey could not keep back his laughter at the odd sight, and it made Julia very indignant.  She said nothing to him, however, but instead seemed to be angry with her innocent little girl friend.

Beth ran to meet her and Julia gave vent to her feelings by crying: 

“Beth Davenport, are you laughing at me too?  Well, I’d rather be laughed at than be a ’fraid cat like you.”

Now Beth thought this was very mean, especially when she had considered herself so brave.  She therefore could not resist the temptation of saying: 

“Well, anyway, I told you that stilts weren’t boats.”

“I’m going home, Beth Davenport.”

Poor Julia looked so forlorn that Beth relented.

“Julia, really I didn’t laugh.  Please come home with me.”

“Beth,” called Harvey from the river, “I wish you’d get Miss Stick-in-the-Mud’s picture for me.  It would be the funniest thing I ever saw.”

“What a horrid boy,” exclaimed Julia.

By the time the children reached the house, Julia had been persuaded to remain.

Mrs. Davenport refrained from giving them much of a scolding, as she thought Julia really needed coddling a little.  She was soon arrayed in some of Beth’s clothes.

Shortly after, Mrs. Gordon came in to make a call on Mrs. Davenport.  She proved a very lovable woman, and won the hearts of both Beth and her mother immediately.

The accident was related to her.  She drew Julia to her side and said: 

“Daughter, you really must be more careful.  What would mamma do if anything happened to her little girl?  Never again try walking in the river on stilts.”

Both Julia and Beth immediately experienced a sinking of the heart.  Her words reminded them that their beloved stilts had not been rescued from the river.  Julia ran towards the door.