“Yes, I was glad to hear that, for I don’t believe he was such a bad fellow at heart.  He was under Dan Baxter’s influence, just as - as —­”

“As Josiah Crabtree tried to influence your mother,” whispered Dick, and Dora nodded slowly.  “Well, let us forget it, and —­ My gracious!”

Dick stopped short, to stare in open-mouthed wonder at a small boat shooting down the lake at a distance of several hundred yards from the shore.

“What’s up?” came simultaneously from Tom and Sam.

“Don’t you see that fellow in the boat?” demanded Dick, in increased wonder.

“Of course we see him,” answered Tom.

“Don’t you recognize him?”

“No; he’s too far off,” came from Sam..

“It’s Dan Baxter!”

“Baxter!” cried Dora.  “Oh, Dick!”

“Nonsense!” said Tom.  “How could he be am here?”

“It does look a little like Baxter,” was Sam’s slow comment.  “Yet it seems impossible that he could be here, as Tom says.”

“I say it’s Baxter,” affirmed Dick stoutly, “I’ll hail him and make sure.”

“Oh, don’t bring him over here!” interposed Dora, becoming alarmed.

“Don’t be alarmed —­ he shan’t hurt anybody, Dora.”  Dick raised his voice.  “Hi there, Baxter!  What are you doing here?”

At first there was no reply, and the boy in the rowboat kept on pulling.  But as Dick repeated his call, the rower threw up his oars.

“You mind your own business,” he growled.  “Guess I can row on the lake if I want to.”

“It is Baxter, sure enough!” ejaculated Tom.

“The rascal!  We ought to recapture him.”

“That’s the talk,” added Sam.  “I wish my wrist wasn’t so sore —­ I’d go after him.”

“There’s a boat below here,” said Dick.

“Let’s put out in that.”

“He may —­ may shoot at you,” faltered Dora.  “You know how wicked he can be at times.”

“Indeed I do know,” answered Dick.  “But he ought to be handed over to the authorities.  It is a crime to let him go free.”

“Hi, Baxter.  Come over here; we want to talk to you!” yelled Tom.

“Not much!” growled the former bully of Putnam Hall.

“You had better come,” said Sam.  “If you don’t come we’ll bring you.”

“Hush, Sam, or you’ll make a mess of things!” cried Dick softly, but the warning came too late.

“Will you bring me back?” roared the bully.  “Just try it on and see how I’ll fix you.”

“Come on for the boat,” said Tom.  “We’ll show him he can’t scare us.”

He started off and Dick came after him.  Sam was also about to follow, when his elder brother stopped him.

“You can’t do much with that sore wrist, Sam,” he said.  “Better stay with the girls until we come back.  You can watch events from the shore, and run for assistance, if it’s necessary.”

Sam demurred at first, but soon saw the wisdom of Dick’s reasoning and consented to remain behind.