“Well, you and Beth must be careful not to get into mischief.  She may play by the water this morning, but I don’t care to have her go rowing.  The river is too rough to-day.”

“We won’t go rowing, mamma.”

Thereupon they hurried with Don down to the river.

The wind was quite high, which made the water choppy.  The waves were white-capped in many places.

“Now, Beth, you just watch and see Don perform.”

Harvey held in his hand a good-sized stick, which he threw as far as possible out into the water.

[Illustration:  Harvey. (Illustration missing from book)]

Away bounded Don after it.  He easily breasted the waves, and returned in triumph with the stick.

He did this time and again, much to Beth’s delight.

“Say, Beth, let’s try him from the end of the wharf.  I wonder if he would dare jump in from there.”

“I don’t like to try.  He might drown.”

Harvey laughed the idea to scorn, and took a stick out to the end of the wharf.  Beth and Don accompanied him.  Don seemed anxious to have the stick thrown, for he watched it with glistening eyes.  Harvey threw it.  Don immediately jumped after it, and succeeded in swimming to shore with it.  By this time, he was probably tired, for he did not return to the children, but lay down on the bank for a rest.

The boat had been left outside the boat house, tied to a stake of the wharf.  Harvey eyed it longingly.

“I wish we could go rowing, Beth.”

“So do I, but mamma said I couldn’t.  You wouldn’t have me disobey her, would you?”

“Nobody has asked you to, has there?  Say, Beth, she never said for you not to sit in the boat, did she?”

“No, but——­”

“She said you couldn’t row.  Now, sitting in a boat that’s tied isn’t rowing, is it?”

“No, but——­”

“Oh, come on, Beth.  It’s perfectly safe when it’s tied.”

She hesitated.  Harvey was too much of a diplomat not to press his advantage.

“Now, Beth, I think you might.  I wouldn’t ask you to do anything your mamma didn’t like.  She won’t mind, I know.”

Still Beth was undecided.

“And, Beth, you ought to want to please me after I gave you Don.”

This argument appealed to her.  She wished to show her appreciation.

“All right, if you really think mamma wouldn’t mind.”

Harvey did not answer.  He jumped down into the boat, and then helped Beth.

“Say, Beth, we’ll play we’re pirates.  We’re out in a storm, but we are pursuing that boat there.”

“What boat?”

“Why, that one there.  Don’t you see that stick of wood?  It carries chests of gold which we are after.  Now sit down and we’ll start the chase.”

The younger pirate thereupon seated herself in the stern of the craft while its gallant commander took charge on the middle deck.  He swayed from side to side.  The boat rocked in a perilous manner.  Sometimes the water even dashed over the pirates.