"You certainly made a good job of it," said Bert, looking critically
over the boathouse.

"It's all in the design, of course; the nailing together is the
easiest part."

"You might think so," said Hal, "but it's hard to drive a nail in
round cedar. But we thought it so interesting, we didn't mind the
trouble," finished Hal, as he prepared to untie his canoe.

"What a pretty boat!" exclaimed Bert, in real admiration.

The canoe was green and brown, the body being colored like bark, while
inside, the lining was of pale green. The name, _Dorothy_, shone in
rustic letters just above the water edge.

"And you called it _Dorothy_," Bert remarked.

"Yes, she's the liveliest girl I know, and a good friend of mine all
summer," said Hal. "There are some boys down the avenue, but they
don't know as much about good times as Dorothy does. Why, she can
swim, row, paddle, climb trees, and goes in for almost any sport
that's on. Last week she swam so far in the sun she couldn't touch an
oar or paddle for days, her arms were so blistered. But she didn't go
around with her hands in a muff at that. Dorothy's all right,"
finished Hal.

Bert liked to hear his cousin complimented, especially when he had
such admiration himself for the girl who never pouted, and he knew