ever hear of a girl on a white horse being seriously hurt?"

Grace made a motion to her chums to keep silent about the whole
affair, and let her answer. She had her reasons.

"There was no report of any girl being seriously hurt at the time you
mention," she said, a trifle coolly, "but a little child was knocked
down by a horse-- a white horse. It may have been the one you scared."

"But unintentionally-- unintentionally! I hope you believe that!" said
Mr. Stone earnestly.

"Oh-- yes-- of course," and Grace's voice was not quite so cold now.
She could readily understand that the accident could have happened in
just that way, and it was beginning to look so. Certainly, not knowing
the girls, the young man could have no object in deceiving them,

"A little child knocked down, you say!" exclaimed Mr. Kennedy. "I hope
it was not badly hurt. Who was it?"

"My----" began Mollie, and she was on the point of saying it was her
sister Dodo, when from the lake there sounded the cry of:

"Fire! Fire! Fire!"

Then came a sharp explosion. Everyone arose, and Mr. Kennedy exclaimed
excitedly:

"That must be an explosion on a motor boat. Come on, Harry. We may he
needed!"