Part 18 (2/2)

”You'll save us if you possibly can, won't you?” said Winifred, who was playing so hard that she was almost frightened.

”Will if I can,” returned Betty in the deepest growl she could a.s.sume.

”Oh, Lulu, please let us see a sail pretty soon,” urged Jack. ”I'm getting so tired of keeping my eyes shut, and it seems so dreadfully real.”

[Ill.u.s.tration: ”There aren't any oars, and we're drifting.”--_Page 159_.]

”Oh, yes, we shall see one before long,” said Lulu rea.s.suringly. ”It'll come just at the last awful moment; it always does in books.”

At that moment a sudden burst of suns.h.i.+ne dazzled all their eyes.

”Why, how funny,” exclaimed Betty, forgetting her nautical manner, and speaking in her natural voice; ”I wonder what makes it sunny all at once. It was nice and shady a minute ago.”

A shrill scream from Winifred brought Betty's wonder to an abrupt end.

”Look, oh look!” shrieked the little girl, pointing with a shaking finger towards the sh.o.r.e; ”the boat's moving, it's moving all by itself.”

Every one followed the direction of Winifred's terrified gaze. Sure enough; several feet of water already separated the boat from the sh.o.r.e.

”The chain's broken,” gasped Betty, growing very white. ”It must have broken when we made the boat rock so hard. There aren't any oars, and we're drifting. Oh, what shall we do?”

Winifred began to cry.

”It's all your fault, Lulu,” she wailed; ”you said it was safe, and now we shall be drowned, and what will mother do. Oh, oh, oh!”

Lulu was shaking from head to foot, but realizing the truth of her friend's accusation, she made an effort to think of some way of escape.

”Couldn't we jump out and wade ash.o.r.e?” she suggested desperately.

”Of course not,” said Betty, with prompt decision; ”we don't know how deep the water is, and besides we couldn't leave Jack.”

Poor little Jack lifted his white face from his sister's shoulder, where he had hidden it in the first moment of terror. His eyes were big with fright, and his lips trembled pitifully.

”Never mind about me,” he faltered. ”Maybe if you get ash.o.r.e you can send some one after me. I'm a boy, you know; I ought to be able to take care of myself.”

”You're the bravest boy I ever knew,” sobbed impulsive Lulu, throwing her arms around Jack's neck, ”and we wouldn't leave you for the whole world, would we, girls?”

”Of course we wouldn't,” said Winifred emphatically. Betty said nothing, but hugged her brother tight in wordless love and admiration.

”We sha'n't be drowned, any way, I know we sha'n't,” said Lulu, her courage beginning to rise. ”There are so many boats on the river that some one will be sure to see us pretty soon.”

”There's a man over there fis.h.i.+ng on that dock,” cried Winifred hopefully. ”He isn't looking this way, but maybe if we shout very loud he'll hear us.”

The four little voices were accordingly raised, and shout succeeded shout till the opposite bank sent back the echoes, but the fisherman never turned his head. Perhaps he was deaf, or possibly he was accustomed to hear children shouting in that way, merely for the sake of amus.e.m.e.nt. Not another human being was in sight.

”He won't see us, oh, he won't look,” moaned Winifred, once more beginning to cry. ”See how far away from the sh.o.r.e we are getting. Oh, we shall be drowned, I know we shall.”

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