A SUMMER BOATING TRIP 15 



They proved to be Johnny and Denny Dwire, aged 

 ten and twelve. They were friendly boys, and though 

 not a bit bashful were not a bit impertinent. And 

 Johnny, who did the most of the talking, had such a 

 sweet musical voice; it was like a bird's. It seems 

 Denny had run away, a day or two before, to his uncle's 

 five miles above, and Johnny had been after him, and 

 was bringing his prisoner home on a float; and it was 

 hard to tell which was enjoying the fun most, the cap- 

 tor or the captured. 



" Why did you run away ? " said I to Denny. 



"Oh, 'cause," replied he, with an air which said 

 plainly, "The reasons are too numerous to mention." 



"Boys, you know, will do so, sometimes," said 

 Johnny, and he smiled upon his brother in a way that 

 made me think they had a very good understanding 

 upon the subject. 



They could both swim, yet their floats looked very 

 perilous, three pieces of old plank or slabs, with 

 two cross-pieces and a fragment of a board for a rider, 

 and made without nails or withes. 



"In some places," said Johnny, "one plank was 

 here and another off there, but we managed, some- 

 how, to keep atop of them." 



" Let 's leave our floats here, and ride with him the 

 rest of the way," said one to the other. 



"All right; may we, mister?" 



I assented, and we were soon afloat again. How 

 they enjoyed the passage; how smooth it was; how 

 the boat glided along ; how quickly she felt the paddle ! 

 They admired her much; they praised my steersman- 

 ship ; they praised my fish-pole and all my fixings down 

 to my hateful rubber boots. When we stuck on the 



