Part 7 (1/2)
”Look out there, Trouble!”
”Oh, what's the matter?” asked Mother Martin, looking around quickly.
”Trouble nearly jumped out of the boat,” explained Grandpa Martin. ”I just grabbed him in time.”
And so he had, catching Baby William by the seat of his rompers and pulling him back on the seat from which he had quickly sprung up.
”What were you trying to do?” asked Mrs. Martin.
”Trouble want to catch fish,” was the little fellow's answer.
”Yes! I guess a fish would catch _you_ first!” laughed Ted.
”I'll sit by him and hold him in,” offered Janet, and she remained close to her small brother during the remainder of the trip across the lake.
He did not again try to lean far over as he had done when his grandfather saw him and grabbed him.
”Hurray!” cried Teddy, as he sprang ash.o.r.e. ”Now for the camp! Can I help put up the tents, Grandpa?”
”Yes, when it's time. But first we must bring the rest of the things over. We'll finish that first and put up the tents afterward. We have two more boatloads to bring.”
”Then can't I help do that?”
”Yes, you may do that,” said Grandpa Martin with a smile.
”Can't I come, too?” asked Janet. ”I'm almost as strong as Teddy.”
”I think you'd better stay and help me look after Trouble,” said Mrs.
Martin. ”Nora will be busy getting lunch ready for us, which we will eat before the tents are up.”
”Oh, then I can help at that!” cried Janet, who was eager to be busy.
”Come on, Nora! Where are the things to eat, Mother? I'm hungry already!”
”So'm I!” cried Ted. ”Can't we eat before we go back for the other boatload, Grandpa?”
”Yes, I guess so. You Curlytops can eat while Sam and I unload the boat.
I'll call you Teddy, when I'm ready to go back.”
”All right, Grandpa.”
The tents were to be put up and camp made a little way up from the sh.o.r.e near the spot at which they had landed. Grandpa Martin took out of the boat the different things he had brought over, and stacked them up on sh.o.r.e. Parts of the tents were there, and things to cook with as well as food to eat. More things would be brought on the next two trips, when another of the hired men was to come over to help put up the tents and make camp.
”Oh, I just know we'll have fun here, camping with grandpa!” laughed Jan, as she picked up her small brother who had slipped and fallen down a little hill, covered with brown pine needles.
”Let's go and look for something,” proposed Ted, when he had run about a bit and thrown stones in the lake, watching the water splash up and hundreds of rings chase each other toward sh.o.r.e.
”What'll we look for?” asked Janet, as she took hold of Trouble's hand, so he would not slip down again.
”Oh, anything we can find,” went on Ted. ”We'll have some fun while we're waiting for grandpa to get out the things to eat.”
”I want something to eat!” cried Trouble. ”I's hungry!”