The Meadow-Brook Girls Afloat Part 14

"You sure are a wonderful girl. My daddy says he'd give a million if you were his daughter."

"I'm worth much less than that," smiled Harriet. "Now let's go back. We haven't any time to spare. When we get out into the lake both of us will row, but let's be certain that there is no one in sight. We don't want to be seen coming from this place or our plans will be spoiled before we have had a chance to carry them out."

They shoved the rowboat back through the foliage by placing the oars on the bottom and pus.h.i.+ng. They made better progress this way than they could have made by rowing, for the low hanging branches of the trees fouled the oars, making rowing a difficult method of travel, as they had learned when they entered the narrow little waterway.

No person was in sight when they emerged. The two girls bent to their oars with a will and made rapid progress on their way back toward the "Red Rover."

Those on the houseboat saw the girls coming.

"Harriet ith in a hurry about thomething," observed Tommy, wrinkling her forehead into sharp little ridges of perplexity. She did not understand how any one could be in a hurry on such a hot day as this.

The rowers reached the "Red Rover," and jumping aboard, their faces flushed and eyes sparkling, proceeded to tell their companions of their great find.

"And what is your plan?" asked the guardian, smiling good-naturedly.

Harriet told her, whispering part of what she had to say, in the ear of Miss Elting.

"That will be fine," glowed the guardian, instantly entering into the spirit of the plan. "We shall at least have a good time there."

"And we'll be hidden from the world so no one will know we are on this island at all," interjected Jane.

"I am with you, girls. But we must not let people get the idea that anything has happened to us. That would not be right, you know."

"No one about here knows, or at least cares, what happens to us, unless it is the Tramp Club," replied Harriet, "Besides, I shall find a way to let them know we are above water, rather than underneath it."

"All right. I suppose you wish to move into this retreat to-day, Captain Harriet?"

"Yes. At once."

"Then get under way, Captain, as soon as you wish. Able seaman Tommy Thompson will heave the anchor for you," averred the guardian merrily.

"Able theaman Tommy will do nothing of the thort," retorted Tommy. "Able theaman Tommy will heave herthelf overboard if thhe trieth to do any heaving at all."

"Miss Elting, I think you can steer the boat. I am needed in the rowboat with Jane," interrupted Harriet.

"Girls, I am afraid it is going to be a pretty hard pull in this heat.

Hadn't we better wait until the evening?" suggested the guardian.

Harriet and Jane protested that they didn't mind the heat at all, and that they could pull the big boat over to the island without the least difficulty. Miss Elting offered no further objections. The "Red Rover"

was a scene of activity from that moment on. All hands except Tommy a.s.sisted in getting the anchor aboard. Harriet and Jane, without loss of time, jumped into the rowboat and began pulling away. It was hard work to get the houseboat started, but once under way it followed along fairly well.

Miss Elting handled the tiller, while Hazel, Margery and Tommy acted as lookouts to inform the rowers if any motor boats were sighted. The lookouts watched the lake through their gla.s.ses. The sun glaring down on the red sides of the "Red Rover" made the boat visible as far as eyes could reach. It was even discovered by one of the Tramp Club boys, but so slowly did it move that he was not aware that it was moving at all.

From the other side of the lake the houseboat appeared to be standing still, until finally it disappeared altogether. He wondered a little over this at the time, then forgot all about the circ.u.mstance until later.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Miss Elting Handled the Tiller.]

In the meantime Harriet and Crazy Jane were heading toward the Island of Delight, pulling at the oars with backs bent to their task. They were destined to have a most delightful time on this their Island of Delight and to experience some thrills as well, and Harriet's plans were to work out better than she knew.

CHAPTER IX

THE TRAMP CLUB IS ALARMED

Now that they were masked by the island, the girls also were shut off from a view of the lake, save for the narrow ribbon of water that lay between them and the nearby sh.o.r.e, so they rowed faster than before.

"Can you steer into this opening?" called Harriet.

"I am afraid I can't," answered Miss Elting. "You will have to put me aboard, Jane, I'll have Hazel help you pull in; then we shall have to push the rest of the way."

Harriet Burrell sprang on board a few minutes later. She set Miss Elting and Margery at work with poles at the stern of the boat pus.h.i.+ng, as soon as they entered the shallow water. Tommy had been posted on the upper deck, from which the awning posts had been removed. Tommy's business was to hold her arms out at right angles to her body and by moving them as directed indicate to Harriet which way to steer. It will be remembered that Harriet was unable to see over the deckhouse from where she stood when guiding the craft. She could see only by leaning out on either side.

They entered the narrow channel very slowly. But no sooner had they gotten well in than a cry from Tommy Thompson told them that the little lisping girl was in trouble.

Tommy had been swept from her feet by the foliage. Not only that, but in floundering about she had rolled over the side of the boat. A mighty splash and a second cry gave additional evidence that Tommy was in further difficulties.

"Help me! I'm in the water!" she screamed, coming up sputtering and coughing.

"Stay there and push," answered Harriet, laughing so that she b.u.mped the nose of the houseboat into the bank on the right side of the creek. "You can't get any wetter. The water is shallow. Come. Don't hold up the s.h.i.+p."

Tommy had no intention of pus.h.i.+ng. Her sole ambition at this moment was to get aboard.

"You may do your own piloting after thith," she declared, sitting down on the stern of the boat with a suggestion of a sob in her voice.

"There, there, Tommy. You must learn to take the bitter with the sweet.

We must do that all through life," comforted Harriet wisely. "You aren't hurt."

"No, but I'm wet. My feelingth are hurt, too."

"Don't think about it any more," advised Harriet. "Go into the cabin and change your wet clothes. Then you'll feel better."

"Will you steer, Miss Elting?" Harriet asked the guardian. "We are slowing down too much. If we stop it will be difficult to get another start."

The boat moved faster when Harriet took hold of the pus.h.i.+ng pole. Jane had ceased rowing because she was at the end of her tow line and had proceeded as far into the cave-like opening in the rocks as she could go. She pulled the rowboat to one side and called to the helmswoman of the "Red Rover" not to run her down.

"Snub her nose against the side. We don't want to b.u.mp into the rocks,"

ordered Captain Harriet.

"Thnub whothe nothe?" questioned Tommy apprehensively.

"The boat's, of course, you goose," answered Harriet laughingly. "That's it. Will it go in clear, Jane?"

"Yes, all right."

"Good. I was certain it would."