IX. THE STOLEN WALLET 138 X. TONY'S CASE 152 XI. THE BOAT-HOUSE 166 XII. THE FIRST MEETING IN ZEPHYR HALL 180 XIII. THE THUNDERBOLT 194 XIV. THE COLLISION 207 XV. CENTRE ISLAND 221 XVI. THE GEOGRAPHY OF WOOD LAKE 236 XVII. OVERBOARD 251 XVIII. TIM BUNKER 268 XIX. THE TRIAL OF TONY 280 XX. THE STRANGER 294 XXI. THE CONCLUSION 308 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT 71 I DID NOT KNOW IT WAS THERE 150 TIM SEIZED AN OAR 217 YOU MUST COME WITH ME 279 THE BOAT CLUB OR THE BUNKERS OF RIPPLETON CHAPTER I THE FOURTH OF JULY COMING "How much money have you got, Frank?" asked Charles Hardy of his friend Frank Sedley. "Four dollars and seventy-five cents." "That is more than twice as much as I have. Won't you have a glorious time?" It was the evening of the third of July, and the two boys were counting the money they had saved for Independence. Captain Sedley, the father of Frank, had promised to take him and his friend to Boston to attend the celebration; and they had long looked forward to the event with the liveliest anticipations of pleasure. "I don't know, Charley," replied Frank Sedley, as he slid the money into his purse; "I was thinking of something else." "What, Frank?" "I was thinking how poor the widow Weston is, and how much good this money I am going to throw away on fire-crackers and gingerbread would do her." "Perhaps it would." "I know it would." "But you are not going to spoil our fun by giving it to her, are you?" "There are a great many boys who will have no money to spend to-morrow--Tony Weston, for instance," continued Frank. "Tony is a good fellow." "That he is; and his mother has a terrible hard time of it to support herself and her son and daughter." "I suppose she has. Why don't you ask your father to help her?" "He does help her. He gives her wood and flour, and a great many other things; and my mother employs her to do sewing. She is willing to work." "And Tony works too." "He is too young to do much; but he loves his mother, and tries to do all he can to lighten her burden." "He makes a dollar a week sometimes." "I was thinking just now that I would give Mrs. Weston the money I had saved for Independence." "Pooh! Frank." "It would do her a great deal of good."