Part 21 (1/2)

”Oh, it's something like a boat, but it hasn't got any sides to it--only a bottom,” answered her brother. ”You make it out of flat boards and you have to push it along with a pole. We can make a raft out of all the boards and pieces of wood grandpa took the things out of. It'll be a lot of fun!”

”Will mother let us?” asked Jan.

”Oh, I guess so,” answered Teddy.

But he did not go to ask to find out. He found a hammer where grandpa had been using it to knock apart the crates and boxes, and, with the help of Jan, Teddy was soon making his raft. There were plenty of nails which had come out of the boxes and crates. Some of them were rather crooked, but when Ted tried to hammer them straight he pounded his fingers.

”That hurts,” he said. ”I guess crooked nails are as good as straight ones. Anyhow this raft is going to be crooked.”

And it was very crooked and ”wobboly,” as Janet called it, when Teddy had shoved it into the water and, taking off his shoes and stockings, got on it.

”Come on, Jan!” he cried, ”I'm going to have a ride.”

”No, it's too tippy,” Janet answered.

”Oh, it can't tip over,” said Teddy. ”That's what a raft is for--not to tip over. Maybe you can slide off, but it can't tip over. Come on!”

So Janet took off her shoes and stockings.

Now of course she ought not to have done that, nor ought Teddy to have got on the raft without asking his mother or his grandfather. But then the Curlytops were no different from other children.

So on the raft got Teddy and Janet, and for a time they had lots of fun pus.h.i.+ng it around a shallow little cove, not far from the sh.o.r.e of Star Island. A clump of trees hid them from the sight of Mother Martin and grandpa at camp.

”Let's go farther out,” suggested Teddy, after a bit.

”I'm afraid,” replied Janet.

”Aw, it'll be all right!” cried Ted. ”I won't let it tip over!”

So Janet let him pole out a little farther, until she saw that the sh.o.r.e was far away, and then she cried:

”I want to go back!”

”All right,” answered Ted. ”I don't want anybody on my raft who's a skeered. I'll go alone!”

He poled back to sh.o.r.e and Janet got off the raft. Then Teddy shoved the wabbly ma.s.s of boards and sticks, fastened together with crooked nails, out into the lake again. He had not gone very far before something happened. One end of the raft tipped up and the other end dipped down, and--off slid Teddy into the water.

”Oh! Oh!” screamed Janet. ”You'll be drowned! I'm going to tell grandpa.”

She ran to the camp with the news, and Mr. and Mrs. Martin came hurrying back. By this time Teddy had managed to get up and was standing in the water, which was not deep.

”I--I'm all right,” he stammered. ”Only I--I'm--wet!”

”I should say you _were_!” exclaimed his mother. ”You mustn't go on any more rafts.”

Teddy promised that he would not, and then, when he had put on dry clothes, he and Janet played other games that were not so dangerous.

They had lots of fun in the camp on Star Island.

”Come on, Jan!” called her brother one morning after breakfast. ”Come on down to the lake.”

”What're you goin' to do?” she asked.