were particularly disagreeable to Frank. "It was just a cinch to me, you
know. I'm half a water spaniel, anyway. Besides, if it hadn't been for
the way I riled him, Puss wouldn't have fallen overboard. Drop it,
please."

By the time the boat reached the landing near the dock where the lake
steamer touched, Puss seemed to have discharged his cargo of water,
swallowed unintentionally.

He made his appearance, with several cronies clustered about him. Frank
was not the one to hold a grudge. Besides, he had come out of the affair
with flying colors and had nothing to regret. So he strode up to Puss at
once, holding out his hand.

Every boy on board crowded around, eager to see how the bully would
behave, for they knew his natural disposition and wondered whether any
sort of miracle had been wrought in his disposition because of his
recent submersion.

"I hope you're feeling all right now, Puss," Frank said, pleasantly. "I
wanted to ask your pardon for treating you so roughly; but knowing you
couldn't swim, I was afraid that if you closed with me we'd both go
down."

"But you struck me once right in the face, you coward!" exclaimed the
other, as he put his still trembling hand up to where a bruise of some
sort could be seen.

"Yes, I admit it," returned Frank, quickly; "and that was what I wanted
to apologize for. You grabbed me and it was the only way I could break