With powerful strokes he swept nearer and nearer. The somewhat thin ice bent and cracked beneath his weight, but to this he paid scant heed. In his pocket, Harry had a couple of skate-straps he had brought along in case anything should happen to his clamp skates. These straps he now buckled together, and wound one end around his hand. Getting as close to the hole as he dared, he threw out the end of the straps. “Catch the buckle, Minnie!” he cried. “Can you reach it, or shall I come closer?” The poor girl in the water tried to speak, but the words would not come, so benumbed and cold was she. But she put out one hand convulsively, and caught the strap just above the buckle. “Now put the other hand on the ice, and I’ll pull you up,” went on Harry. “Steady, now, or the ice will----” Crack! crack! crash! The ice around the brave boy had suddenly given way, and on the instant he found himself plunged into the chilling water head first. He went down several feet, and then turned and came up. The shock to his system, all overheated from racing, was terrible, and for a few seconds he seemed fairly paralyzed. But he retained his hold on the straps, and by their aid was quickly at Minnie Woodruff’s side. “Oh, Harry!” the girl burst out. She could not say more, but those two words just then meant a good deal. “I’ll save you yet, Minnie,” he returned, as he caught her around the waist. “Hold fast to me.” “I--I can’t! I’m so co--cold!” “I’ll hold you, then,” he went on. “Help! help! help!” His cry rang out loud and clear across the frozen river. Fortunately, several had seen him turn from the race course, and watched where he had gone. These persons were now hurrying to the scene of the accident as fast as possible. “It’s Harry Webb!” “He’s trying to save Minnie Woodruff from drowning!” “What a plucky boy to leave the race and go in after her!” These and numerous other shouts went up. Then, as the little crowd drew closer, they speculated upon how they should aid the struggling pair. “Somebody get a rope!” “We want a board worse than anything! You can’t pull them out with a rope.” In the meantime one boy threw out the end of his long tippet to Harry, who caught one end of it and tied it about Minnie’s wrist. Then, suddenly, a boy came skating toward the crowd, carrying a long board. It was Boxy Woodruff! “Here’s a board to get ’em out with!” he cried. “Now if--Minnie!” He had not previously recognized his sister, and now at the discovery he almost fainted. “Minnie! and Harry has gone in after her!” he murmured. “Oh, I hope they both get out safe!” Willing hands had taken the board and shoved out one end toward the big hole in the ice. “Get back!” shouted a cool-headed man. “Get back, every one, or there’ll be a dozen more in together!”