Part 3 (1/2)
”He's way down there in front of us, right down by the water near that group of trees. Hurry, Hans. Let's see why he is barking.”
Hans pushed the boat forward with strong, swift strokes. He knew exactly how to handle his boat, and in no time at all they had reached the group of trees that was growing by the edge of the water.
”Oh, Hans, the kittens! There are the kittens!” Greta stood right up in the boat. ”Hurry, Hans. One of the kittens is in the river.”
”You'd better sit down, Greta, or you'll be in the river yourself.”
With one strong stroke of his paddle, Hans drove the boat against the gra.s.sy bank. Both children jumped out and ran over to Chouse and the kittens. One kitten was lying on the gra.s.s, but it looked more like a rat than a kitten. Its soft fur was soaking wet. Chouse was working hard to pull the other kitten out of the river. Finally he got it up on the bank just as Hans rushed up to help with the rescue.
”Oh, Hans, the poor little things are almost drowned.” Greta picked up the two mewing kittens and held them close to her, trying to make them dry and warm and comfortable.
”It certainly is lucky that we came along when we did,” said Hans. ”Or rather, it's lucky that Chouse was hunting rabbits along here.”
[Ill.u.s.tration: SAFE AGAIN]
”But where are the other two kittens, Hans?”
Hans didn't answer right away. He walked along the sh.o.r.e for a little distance, stopping now and then to look carefully in the water. At one place he got down on his knees and looked. Then he walked back quickly to Greta.
”I'm afraid we shall never find them, Greta. Come on. Let's go home so that we can get these kittens really dry and warm. We must give them some warm milk, for I know they are hungry.”
All the way home Greta was very quiet. She took off her sweater and wrapped it around the kittens, holding them in her lap. Suddenly she looked up at Hans with a smile.
”Hans, this certainly proves that Chouse didn't try to do away with the kittens, for he was the one who _rescued_ them. Surely Father won't send him away now.”
”I don't know, Greta. I saw Chouse chasing the chickens again yesterday.”
”Did Father see him?” asked Greta with a worried look.
Hans was in a teasing mood and he didn't answer Greta right away.
Finally he said, with an annoying smile on his face, ”I think I'd better not tell you, Greta.”
CHAPTER IV
EXCITEMENT IN THE FOREST
”Oh, Father, I'm afraid to go any higher.” Greta clung to her father's arm in terror. This was the first time she had climbed up the lookout tower in the forest, and even now she was only halfway up. It seemed such a fearfully long way to the top.
”I just can't go on,” the little girl pleaded.
”Why, Greta, for months you've begged to climb up here.”
”But I didn't know it was so high.”
”You won't be scared if you don't look down at the ground. Just hold tightly to my hand and you will be all right. Remember, Greta, a girl who is named after a queen must not be afraid of anything.”
”All right, Father, I'll go on.”
[Ill.u.s.tration: AT THE TOP OF THE TOWER]