Chapter IX: The "water Sprite"

The next morning dawned clear and beautiful. The storm of the day before had washed the dust from plants and trees, and seemed to have washed the very air itself, for it was as clear as crystal and had a tonic quality that set the blood to dancing.

Cora had awakened early and stolen to her window, where she sat entranced by the beauty of the view. But she was not allowed to enjoy it long, for there came a thundering knock on the door that made her jump.

"Come along, you sleepyheads!" sounded Jack's voice from outside. "It's too fine a morning to waste it in sleep."

"Let us now be up and doing!" chanted Walter.

"The day is one to stir the sluggard blood!" added Paul.

"You boys just trot along," sang out Cora defiantly. "We're going to take our time."

"You always do," retorted Jack. "If time were money you girls would be millionaires."

"Let them rave," remarked Belle, as she opened her sleepy eyes.

"I'm going to have another forty winks," said Bess, as she turned over on her pillow.

"No, you're not!" declared Cora, as the boys went clattering down the stairs. "It's a perfectly gorgeous day, girls, and it's simply a crime to waste it in bed. The view from these windows is enough to make you gasp. Besides, we don't want to keep breakfast waiting."

Bess still protested, but yielded to the laughing threat of being dragged from bed if she did not get up of her own accord, and the girls hurried with their dressing.

They found the boys already at the table, making huge inroads on the food.

"You see we're waiting for you," remarked Jack, as he passed his plate for another helping of bacon and eggs.

"Yes," replied Cora, "I see you are."

"You're a gallant lot!" reproached Belle.

"We didn't think you'd get up till noon," defended Walter.

"Besides," added Paul, "we've heard of something that makes us want to hustle."

"What is that?" asked Bess with lively interest, as the girls took their seats.

"Aunt Betty tells us that there is an old motor boat down on the lake," replied Jack. "It hasn't been used much for the last two or three years, and it's probably a good deal out of repair. We thought we might be able to tinker it up and take you girls out for a sail on the lake."

"You see, we're always thinking of how we can give you girls a good time," observed Paul.

"Of course you weren't expecting to have a good time yourselves," mocked Cora.

"I didn't know that there was a lake so close at hand," said Belle delightedly.

"Hadn't I told you about it?" said Cora. "We've had so much to talk about that I must have omitted that from my description. But there is a beautiful mountain lake not more than five minutes' walk from here. I didn't know that there was a motor boat anywhere round, though. I'm wild to have a look at it."

"Don't spend too long a time at the table then," admonished Jack.

"That's pretty good, coming from you," countered Belle. "But don't worry. You boys live to eat, while we eat to live."

"None of you seems to be wasting away," retorted Jack. "But hurry along now and all will be forgiven. We fellows have got to go out and see if Joel has the tools we'll need for tinkering up the boat."

They excused themselves and went out, while the girls, who were all agog with the new pleasure promised them, hurried through their meal and were ready for the trip when the boys returned.

A few minutes of brisk walking brought them to the borders of a lake whose blue waters shimmered in the morning sun. An exclamation of delight broke from them as they gazed upon its beauty.

The lake stretched for about four miles in one direction and was perhaps a mile and a half in width. Near the center of it they could see a small island that appeared to be heavily wooded.

Not far from where they were standing was a small boathouse with a pier projecting into the lake. Near the end of the little dock a motor boat was moored.

"There's the boat!" cried Jack, and they all made a rush for it.

"The _Water Sprite_," read Cora from the partly effaced letters on the stern.

"It has good enough lines," said Walter, as he ran his eyes over the boat, "but it seems as though it had been pretty well neglected."

"The owner never used it much," explained Jack. "He didn't care much for the water, and when he was here spent most of his time in hunting on land."

"Looks pretty much like junk to me," admitted Paul, as he took in the dilapidated appearance of the boat.

The others could not help agreeing that Paul's criticism seemed justified.

"Doesn't look as though she'd be worth taking much trouble for, does she?" remarked Jack doubtfully.

"Well, you wouldn't say that she'd just come from a motor-boat show," observed Paul; "but just the same she may be a well made boat and capable of speed too if she's put in decent condition. Of course she looks like a total loss now, but it's wonderful what a little work will do. Let's take a look at the engine anyway."

They boarded the little craft and removed a tarpaulin that had been spread over the engine. The boys then proceeded to give the latter a thorough inspection, first, however, bailing out the water that had collected in the bottom of the boat.

"Say, fellows!" exclaimed Jack, as his eyes lit on the manufacturer's name plate, "this is a good little motor, no doubt of that. You know that any engine these people put out is bound to be first class, don't you?"

"That's true enough," agreed Paul, "but the best engine ever built can be ruined by carelessness and neglect."

"Yes," assented Walter, "but there may not be so much the matter with this chugger after all. First thing to do is to turn the old engine over and see how it sounds." He had already put in some oil and gasoline.

"A fine idea," panted Jack after applying all his strength to the flywheel without result. "The trouble is that it won't turn at all."

"Here," said Walter, taking it from his hand, "let me try. Only you mustn't mind if I pull the whole engine out of the boat. I'm mighty apt to if I really let myself go, you know."

"Listen to Samson talking!" gibed Cora.

"Go ahead," said Jack. "Look out for flying splinters, Paul. Sampson is going to tear things wide open."

"He's mighty strong," mocked Paul. "He doesn't ask you to prove it. He admits it."

There were no flying splinters, however, for in spite of all Walter's exertions, the engine remained immovable.

"Well, that proves that she's a good solid boat to stand the strain," grinned Walter, at last giving over the attempt.

"The muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands,"

jeered Cora.

"Guess there's nothing to do," continued Walter, "but take the engine down and see what's wrong. It feels as though the parts had grown together."

"Must be if you couldn't move it," said Jack scathingly. "But let's get busy, fellows. I suppose the first thing to do is to get the cylinders off."

They fell to with a will, and soon had the smaller fittings dismounted. The motor was of the two-cylinder, two-cycle type, and according to the makers' plate was rated at six horse power. The exterior was in fairly good condition, only a few patches of rust showing here and there where the paint had been chipped off, leaving the metal exposed.

With some difficulty, the boys got the cylinders off. As they removed the front one, Jack gave a long whistle.

"I'll bet there's the cause of the trouble," he said, pointing to the front cylinder.

The others examined it and Paul remarked:

"Guess it's a case of broken piston ring, eh, Jack?"

"No doubt of it," was the response.

And indeed this would have been plain even to the most inexperienced eye. One of the grooves cut in the piston to receive a compression ring was packed with broken bits of metal and metallic dust, many of the fragments having actually been reduced to powder.

"That's a bad job," remarked Walter, shaking his head. "I wonder if the cylinder itself is damaged much."

"Easy to find out," said Jack. "Let's have a look."

They were relieved to find that the cylinder was very little scored, considering the condition of the piston.

"Looks to me as if a new set of piston rings would be necessary," judged Paul.

"That's what," replied Jack. "But it would probably take a week to get them from the manufacturers."

Cora gave a little exclamation of dismay.

"And wait all that time before we can have a ride in the _Water Sprite_?" she asked.

"Unless you can wave a magic wand and make the pistons come running," said Jack.

"I'm going to rummage through these lockers," declared Cora, jumping up and going into the little cabin. "Perhaps there are some spare parts on hand."

A moment later she gave an exclamation of triumph.

"Here they are!" she cried, holding up a pair of the much desired rings.

"Oh, I'm so glad!" exclaimed Bess.

"Takes a woman to do things," said Belle in a superior way.

The boys looked a little sheepish, but at the same time delighted.

"She's a fairy all right," conceded Walter.

"You're the real thing, sis," beamed Jack, as he held out his hand for the rings. "And now for the dirty work."

They adjusted the rings and overhauled the rest of the engine, which proved to be in fairly good condition. There were no radical defects, and by dint of hard work they soon had the entire machinery in what seemed to be good working order.

"There," panted Jack, as he straightened up, "I guess we're some little machinists, all right."

"We ought to be able to get a union card," said Walter.

"Toil has no terror for us!" declared Paul, striking an attitude.

"Those boys just hate themselves, don't they?" laughed Bess.

"They've worked pretty hard--for them," admitted Cora. "And as a special reward, boys," she added generously, "we'll let you take us for our first ride in the _Water Sprite_ this afternoon."