Part 25 (1/2)
”Oh!” screamed Dorothy, ”Hal's uncle is saved too. I guess our prayers were heard last night.”
”Here comes another man!” exclaimed the people, as this time a big man dashed on the sands.
”All right!” exclaimed the man, as he landed, for he had had a good safe swing in, and was in no way exhausted.
”h.e.l.lo there!” called Mr. Bingham: ”Well, if this isn't luck. George Bingham!”
Sure enough it was Hal's Uncle George, and Hal was hugging the big wet man, while the man was jolly, and laughing as if the whole thing were a good joke instead of the life-and-death matter it had been.
”I only came in to tell you,” began George Bingham, ”that we are all right, and the boat is lifting off the sand bar we stuck on. But I'm glad I came in to--the reception,” he said, laughing. ”So you've found friends, McLaughlin,” he added, seeing the little family united.
”Why, how do you do, Mrs. McLaughlin?” he went on, offering her his hand. ”And little Nellie! Well, I declare, we did land on a friendly sh.o.r.e.”
Just as Mr. Bingham said, the life-saving work turned out to be a social affair, for there was a great time greeting Nellie's father and Hal's uncle.
”Wasn't it perfectly splendid that Nellie and her mother were here!”
declared Dorothy.
”And Hal and his father, too,” put in Nan. ”It is just like a story in a book.”
”But we don't have to look for the pictures,” chimed in Bert, who was greatly interested in the sailors, as well as in the work of the life-saving corps.
As Mr. Bingham told the guards it would not be necessary to haul any more men in, and as the sea was calm enough now to launch a life-boat, both Nellie's father and Hal's uncle insisted on going back to the vessel to the other men.
Nellie was dreadfully afraid to have her father go out on the ocean again, but he only laughed at her fears, and said he would soon be in to port, to go home with her, and never go on the big, wild ocean again.
Two boats were launched, a strong guard going in each, with Mr. McLaughlin in one and Mr. Bingham in the other, and now they pulled out steadily over the waves, back to the vessel that was freeing itself from the sand bar.
What a morning that was at Sunset Beach!
The happiness of two families seemed to spread all through the little colony, and while the men were thinking of the more serious work of helping the sailors with their vessel, the girls and women were planning a great welcome for the men who had been saved from the waves.
”I'm so glad we prayed,” said little Flossie to Freddie, when she heard the good news.
”It was Uncle William prayed the loudest,” insisted Freddie, believing, firmly, that to reach heaven a long and loud prayer is always best.
”But we all helped,” declared his twin sister, while surely the angels had listened to even the sleepy whisper of the little ones, who had asked help for the poor sailors in their night of peril.
CHAPTER XX
THE HAPPY REUNION
A beautiful day had grown out of the dreadful storm.
The sun seemed stronger each time it made its way out from behind a cloud, just as little girls and boys grow strong in body by exercise, and strong in character by efforts to do right.
And everybody was so happy.
The _Neptune_--the vessel that had struck on the sand bar--was now safely anch.o.r.ed near sh.o.r.e, and the sailors came in and out in row-boats, back and forth to land, just as they wished.