In this case Dave Shepard prepared to literally spear him in the water. Dave--who was a tall, athletic boy, with a frank, pleasant face, if freckled, and close-cut brown curls in profusion--had driven the flat-bottomed skiff he had obtained from a neighboring landing, across the pool, and now, standing erect in the boat, with a single lunge impaled upon the boathook the tail of Tubby's coat. His chum was going down, as Dave thrust the boathook; for the unfortunate victim of the accident had swallowed a quantity of water when he dived with the plank from the eaves of the roof of Canoe Lodge. There was no time to lose if Dave wished to rescue Tubby before serious injury resulted to the unfortunate fat youth. It was something of a feat to bring Tubby Blaisdell alongside the skiff and haul him inboard without overturning the boat. But Dave accomplished it to the admiration of the girls--even to Bessie's satisfaction. "Well, I'm glad he got Tubby out," said that damsel, nodding her head. "Glad to know that you are so humane, Bess," laughed Frank. The girls trooped out to learn at closer range if the Blaisdell youth was really injured or only exhausted. He lay panting like a big fish in the bottom of the skiff. It was altogether too cold an evening for him to be exposed in his wet clothing. When the skiff's nose bumped into the shore, Dave Shepard leaped out with alacrity and secured the painter to a post. "Get up out of there, Tubby!" he commanded. "You'll get your death of dampness. Come on!" "Oh--oh--oh! I can't," chattered the fat youth. "I--I'm fr-roze to the ve-ry mar-row of m-m-my bones!" "The chill has struck in awful deep, then, Tubby," cried Frank Cameron, from the river bank. "Come on out of that!" commanded Dave. "I'm going to run you home so that you will not get cold." "Me?" chattered Blaisdell, rising like a turtle out of its shell. "Run me home? Wh-wh-why, I c-c-couldn't do it. You know I couldn't r-r-run that far, Dave." "He must go right in by our fire and get warm," declared Wyn, quickly. "Get your things, girls, and we'll all go home and leave Dave and Tubby to enjoy that nice fire Grace built." "That wet boy all over our nice rug!" exclaimed Bessie. "I object." "Don't be hateful, Bess," admonished Grace. "But what was he doing on our roof?" demanded the girl who claimed that she did not like boys. At this Dave burst into a great laugh and was scarcely able to drag Tubby ashore. "It's a wonder he didn't come right through on our heads," complained Frank. "He's so heavy." "But he _would_ do it," declared Dave, still laughing as he helped his fat friend up the bank to the door of Canoe Lodge. "It would have been a real good trick, too, if Tubby hadn't slipped." "Always up to mischief!" sniffed Bessie Lavine. "That's why I dislike boys so." "I don't see what he could do on our roof," said Wyn, wonderingly. "And he had no business there!" cried Grace.