Chapter I: The Truant Boys

"YOU'LL catch it now!" shouted Ralph Lane, as he saw his schoolmate stealing through the garden to the back door of his father's barn.

"You'll catch it when your father finds you out! I wouldn't be you, Jimmy Dodge, for the best kite I ever saw."

Poor Jimmy looked very much as though he would like not to be himself, just at that moment. He had been doing wrong, and he knew it.

He had started for school, and had gone more than half way when he met Daniel Crawson, a merry boy, who invited, him to take a sail on the pond.

Daniel's father was a fisherman, and owned a small dory. Occasionally he gave his son liberty to go out in the boat when it was not in use; but this afternoon he had not done so, and supposed that Dan, as he called him, was safe in school.

Little Jimmy thought there was no fun quite equal to sailing on the water, to be sure he did not know much about it never having been in a boat but once, and that was in company with the Sabbath school children, when they went on a picnic to Deer Island. When Daniel in glowing terms described the pleasure they would have, he said in a hesitating tone.

"I'm afraid father wouldn't like it; and mother thinks it's awful dangerous."

"There isn't a bit of danger," urged Daniel. "Father goes out almost every day in the year, and comes home all safe. We will be back before school is done; and they needn't know anything about it."

Jimmy knew he ought not to go. His conscience told him that he ought at that very moment to be walking into the school yard; but he had listened to the voice of the tempter, and now he could not resist.

It was a lovely day in June. The water had never looked more calm and peaceful. On the banks of the pond grew large willow trees, throwing their reflection far over the water.

"We shall have a splendid time," said Daniel, untying the rope which secured the boat to a post driven firmly into the ground near the shore.

Jimmy stood watching Daniel's skilful movements, for the boy had often accompanied his father, and knew well how to manage an oar.

"Yes," he repeated, "we shall have a splendid time;" but there was another voice inside his breast which whispered, "You are a truant boy, and you know your parents will be displeased."

There was not a breath of wind; and they rowed round and round the pond sometimes close to the banks, and then steering out into the middle of the pond. Jimmy grew so excited when Daniel allowed him for a few minutes to handle the oars that he forgot all about home, and mother, and school. He stood up, and waved his straw hat to another company of boaters off at a distance. He sang and shouted with delight.

At last the distant whistle of a steam engine reminded Daniel that it was time for them to draw up to the shore, fasten the boat, and return home.

"Haven't we had a good time, though?" questioned the boy, carefully securing the knot exactly as he found it. "You see there's not a bit of danger; and you'll get home just in time, nobody will know but what you have been at school. If father isn't using the boat we'll go again to-morrow. You'll soon be able to manage an oar as well as I do."

"I like it first rate," answered Jimmy; but his voice did not sound hearty as it did when he was in the middle of the pond. He did not think he would like to go quite so soon as to-morrow; but he kept this thought to himself. Dan was marching up from the pond to the main road with his hand in his pocket whistling Shoo fly. He wished he felt like whistling; but he didn't.

"Now," said Dan in a gay tone, "I'll go across lots. We'd better not be seen together, somebody might guess where we'd been," and off he ran, springing over a stone wall at one bound, and was soon out of sight.

Jimmy did not feel like running. There was a heavy load at his heart which grew heavier every minute. Nothing could be lovelier than the scene around him. The trees were laden with blossoms which filled the air with their fragrance; the birds were twittering in the branches, the long shadows fell, over the smooth green grass, the little ants by the wayside were hurrying with another load to their houses of sand; but Jimmy noticed nothing of all these beauties. Indeed he could not see very well, for his eyes had tears in them, which he tried to wipe away.

A little dog ran out from a house and barked joyfully when he saw who it was; but though Jimmy often had a game with him, now he only said:

"Go away, Gip," and Gip, gazing wonderingly in his face, saw that something was the matter and followed him meekly, with his tail between his legs.

"I wish I dared tell mother," Jimmy said softly.

At this, Gip gave a joyful bark, "Bow-wow-bow!"

Jimmy though he felt so sorrowful, could not help smiling. It sounded so much like saying, "I would, I would."

"No, old fellow, it wouldn't do. I must manage somehow without telling her."

At this Gip did not answer at all; but when the boy, after a timid glance around, crept carefully over the wall at the bottom of the garden, he flew after him, and seizing his coat tried to make him go back, barking as loud as he could.

"Go home!" said Jimmy, in a subdued tone which he tried to make stern. "Go home, sir," pointing over the wall.

Poor Gip obeyed after one reproachful glance in the boy's face. Was there to be no frolic after all?

Then the boy, keeping close to the wall, made his way quickly toward the barn, intending to pass through it on his way, to the house. He was glad that no one was in sight, and was just darting into the door when Ralph saw him.