The Meadow-Brook Girls Afloat Part 4

"What a beauty!"

Harriet came up, shaking her head to free it from water, then struck out for the houseboat. Getting aboard, weighted down by her clothes as she was, was not an easy task. Finally, however, the girl managed to get one foot over the edge. She clung there for a moment breathing heavily, then slowly climbed aboard.

"Hur-r-r-ro-o-o-o!" wailed Jane. "They can't stop a Meadow-Brook Girl with fire or water."

"Now pull," shouted Harriet, "I'll change places with you when you get tired."

"I'll rest when I get tired," was the very practical reply of Crazy Jane McCarthy.

Harriet took the tiller and straightened out the scow's course, though she discovered that the old boat was a most unmanageable craft. It simply would not keep on any one course for more than thirty seconds at a time. Jane was shouting her directions, making sarcastic remarks about Harriet's steering, but the latter merely smiled. She knew she was doing the best she could, and that was all any one could do. Jane was making but slow headway. They had not yet rounded the point that hid the Johnson dock from view. Her strokes became uneven, and jerky. All at once the rope broke. Crazy Jane McCarthy landed in the bottom of the rowboat.

"Save me," she screamed.

Harriet, who could not see the small boat, the deck house being in the way, continued on her course, smiling good-naturedly at Jane's noisy objections. But all at once a crash and a yell startled Harriet. She threw the tiller over and leaned far out. The rowboat was bottom-side-up, with Crazy Jane McCarthy struggling in the water. Her mouth was too full of water, just at that moment, to allow her to raise an outcry. The momentum of the houseboat carried it alongside the overturned rowboat, Harriet leaned over and grasped one of her companion's arms.

"Why, Jane! You shouldn't have stopped rowing to go in for a swim."

"Go in for a swim!" exploded Jane. "And didn't you run me down. Look at the boat, will you! Now, what are we going to do, will you tell me?"

"The first thing is to get you on board. After that I don't know."

Crazy Jane was dragged aboard the "Red Rover." She lay clinging to the gunwale, laughing immoderately.

"It's a fine start we are having, darling isn't it, now!"

"A wet one," amended Harriet. "See! The rowboat is drifting ash.o.r.e. You stay on board. I'm going after it. I'm not tired. Keep the houseboat away from the sh.o.r.e, if you can."

Harriet sprang into the water, swimming leisurely sh.o.r.eward. Reaching the rowboat, she took hold of and clung to it, drifting ash.o.r.e with it.

The houseboat also was coming in. Jane was shouting to her companion to hurry. Harriet was doing the best she could under the circ.u.mstances, struggling with all her strength to right the rowboat. By the time she had succeeded in doing so, the "Red Rover" was fairly on top of her.

"Steer out!" cried Harriet warningly.

"I can't steer in or out," flung back Jane.

Harriet began tugging at the rowboat to get it out of the way of the oncoming houseboat. The former had grounded in the shallow water. The houseboat caught the stranded rowboat, turned it over and slowly ground it under its prow, accompanied by the sound of crushing planks. Harriet was caught and thrown down, disappearing under the bow of the "Red Rover."

CHAPTER III

SETTING UP HOUSEKEEPING

Jane, receiving no answer to her calls, ran up on top of the house. A quick glance about showed her that Harriet was nowhere in sight. Jane did not dare to dive, knowing that the water was shallow. She jumped, feet first, instead, landing in the shallow water with great force.

"She's under there!" cried the girl, staggering toward the bow of the houseboat. Putting her shoulders against it she shoved the heavy boat back a little. Harriet Burrell came to the surface, then made a feeble attempt to swim. Jane picked her up and carried her ash.o.r.e; or, rather, dragged her there, for, impeded by the water, Jane found Harriet too heavy a burden.

Harriet was gasping. She had held her breath until she could hold it no longer. The result was that she had swallowed considerable water. Crazy Jane was working over her. It was but a few minutes before Harriet Burrell had wholly recovered from the effects of the recent catastrophe.

She was considerably bruised and was rendered nervous by her trying experience.

"Is--is the small boat damaged?" she gasped.

"Never mind the small boat. There are more boats where that came from,"

answered Jane. "You lie down here while I go for another boat. Shall I get some one to help us?"

Harriet shook her head.

"If we are going to be fresh water sailors we must learn to do things for ourselves."

"That's what I say," agreed Jane, nodding with great emphasis. "But are you sure you are all right?"

"I'm awfully wet, Jane."

"That's nothing. We'll be wet many a time before we get through with this cruise."

"We shall have to get started first," answered Harriet, chuckling. "Run along for another boat. I'll try to keep the 'Red Rover' off the sh.o.r.e while you are gone. Hurry!"

Jane ran toward the landing, still some distance away. There were several boats tied up there. She helped herself to one and rowed back with all speed. She espied Harriet out in the lake with the houseboat, where the latter had succeeded in pushing it and was doing her best to keep the craft from drifting back to the sh.o.r.e. Jane brought a rope with her that she had taken from a third boat. This she quickly made fast to the scow, then began pulling it out into the lake. The wind had died out and the rowing was found to be much easier, though of course, the "Red Rover" was as heavy and c.u.mbersome as before.

"We'll make it," cried Jane encouragingly.

It was a full half hour later when Harriet steered the houseboat alongside the pier. The girls made fast, then threw themselves down on the dock, utterly exhausted from their efforts.

In the meantime, Miss Elting and the other girls, becoming worried over the long absence of Crazy Jane and Harriet, had left the hotel, starting out for Johnson's dock on foot. They found Harriet and Jane making the boat more secure, preparatory to leaving for the hotel.

"Why, girls, whatever is the matter? You are wet through! Go up to the hotel and get into dry clothes at once. You will both catch cold. You are too late for breakfast, too. What happened to you?" exclaimed Miss Elting. "You are certainly bedraggled looking specimens."

Harriet told the guardian of their search for the "Red Rover." Miss Elting frowned. The message from her brother was still in her pocket.

She recalled the peculiar actions of Dee d.i.c.kinson, wondering if perchance he had anything to do with the casting adrift of their houseboat, Harriet had not told the guardian of having found a hot stove on the occasion of their first visit to their summer home. That, perhaps, might have enlightened the guardian.

Now that Miss Elting and the other girls were there to unload the automobile, Jane and Harriet turned to go.

"We will begin to settle while you girls go to town for breakfast,"

called the guardian after them.

"You will have to wait a while until the rear end of the boat dries out," returned Harriet. "I don't think it will take long. But, in the meantime, there are the windows and the walls that need fixing."

The other girls and the guardian fell to work while Jane and Harriet were at breakfast, and dainty chintz curtains were draped over each window. There were green shades hung over the windows also, but these, during the day, were to be rolled up out of sight.

Jane and Harriet changed their wet clothing, ate breakfast and returned early in the forenoon. With them they brought a chart of the big lake that they had bought of a boat owner. While in the village Jane also had paid for the damaged rowboat and arranged for another, as it would be necessary to have a rowboat with them at all times. A new anchor, this time a real one, was purchased and piled into the automobile.

The girls worked all that day setting their cabin to rights. It was to them a delightful task, and late in the afternoon the cabin of the "Red Rover" was as homelike a place as one could wish. Covers had been made for the folding cots, so that by day they offered attractive lounging places. The upper deck had some rough seats, made by the carpenter who had put up the awning. Then there were boxes for plants, in case the girls should wish to have flowers. But it was the interior of the cabin that was the real delight. The white walls and green tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs gave it a fresh, cool appearance. One could scarcely have believed this to be the lumbering, dirty, old fishing scow of a few days since. Bert Elting never would have recognized the craft in its new dress.

That night the Meadow-Brook Girls decided to have their first meal on board. They also decided to clear away and set sail before sitting down to the meal. Jane drove her car to town, leaving it at a garage, after which she walked back to the dock. She found the "Red Rover" ready to sail. The girls were discussing the question of where to go for an anchorage for the night.

"Is that all?" called Jane. "Leave it to the boat. She'll find a place for herself. Say, I'm not going to try to tow that house out of here with all these boats about."