Frank and Andy Afloat | Page 5

are, my hearty. Shiver my timbers! But it's some excitement
we've been having!" and Andy laughed.
"Say, I believe you'd joke if your boat was all smashed to pieces, and
you were floating around on the back of the whale," observed Frank
gravely.
"Of course I would. A miss is as good as a mile and a half. But if I can
find my other oar I'll help you row in your boat. It ought to be
somewhere around here," and Andy ceased his bailing operations to
cast anxious looks over the rolling waves.
"Yes, we'll look for it after we get some of the water out of your craft. I
can't get over what a close call you had," and, in spite of the fact that he
had been in many dangerous places in his life, Frank could not repress
a shudder.

"Oh, forget it!" good-naturedly advised Andy, vigorously tossing water
out of his boat with a tin can. "Hello! There's my lost oar out there. Put
me over."
"All right," agreed Frank. "I think we've got enough water out so she'll
ride high. Now for the dock."
"I guess you'll win the race," observed the younger lad, half regretfully,
as he recovered his ashen blade.
"Oh, we'll call it off," said Frank good-naturedly. "We'll have
something to tell the folks when we get back to the cottage; eh?"
"I guess. But are you going right home?"
"Why not?"
"Oh, I thought we might row in, and take out our sail boat. I'd like to
have another try for that whale. We might get him, and there's money
to be made."
"Say, do you mean to tell me you'd take another chance with that
whale?" demanded Frank, as he prepared to row.
"Of course I would! It would be safe enough in our catboat. He'd never
attack that. We could take our rifles along and maybe plug him. Think
of hunting for whales! Cricky! That would be sport!" and Andy sighed
regretfully, He seemed to have forgotten the narrow escape he had just
experienced. "Come on, let's do it, Frank," he urged. "Don't go up to
our cottage at all. If you do mother will be sure to see me all wet. Then
she'll want to know how it happened, and the whale will be out of the
bag, and we can't go. Let's start right out in the Gull as soon as we hit
the pier. There won't be any danger, and we might sight the whale. He
must be nearly dead by this time."
"I wonder if we could find him," mused Frank.
"Sure!" exclaimed his impulsive brother. "It will be great. There's some

grub aboard the Gull and we can stay out until nearly dark. Mother
doesn't expect us home to dinner, as we said we might go to Seabright.
Come on!"
"Well, if you feel able, after--"
"Pshaw! I'm as fit as a fiddle. Let's hit it up, and get to the dock as soon
as we can. Think of landing a whale!"
"Or of being lambasted by one," added Frank grimly. Nevertheless, he
fell in with his brother's plan, as he usually did. The two boys rowed
steadily toward the pier, towing the damaged boat. They were very
much in earnest.
In fact, though of different characters, the brothers were very much
alike in one trait--they always liked to be doing things. Their name
fitted them to perfection; they were "Racers" by title and nature, though
Andy was the quicker and more impulsive.
They were the sons of Mr. Richard Racer, a wealthy wholesale silk
merchant of New York City. Mr. Racer owned a neat cottage at Harbor
View, and his summers were spent there. His wife, Olivia, was a lady
fond of society, and when she closed her handsome house in New York,
to go to the coast resort for the summer, she transferred her activities
there.
While in the metropolis Mrs. Racer spent much time at charitable
organizations, and at Harbor View she was a moving spirit in the ladies'
tennis and golf clubs.
Mr. Racer traveled back and forth from New York to Harbor View each
day during the summer, for his business needed much of his attention.
His vacation, however, was an unbroken series of days of pleasure at
the coast resort where he and his wife and sons enjoyed life to the
utmost.
The two boys had spent so many summers at Harbor View that they
were almost as well known there as some of the permanent residents,

and they had many friends among the seafaring folk, especially in the
lads. They had one or two enemies, as will develop presently, not
through any fault of their own, but because certain lads were jealous of
our heroes.
"Well, we're here," announced Frank