PILOT WINS A HOME
"What a horrid day!" with a wide yawn Peggy threw the stocking she was
darning into the basket. "I wish mother wouldn't make me wear
stockings--then I wouldn't have any holes!"
"I wish the sun would shine," Alice chimed, disconsolately.
"If mother were here, she would say that we must make our own
sunshine," Barbara laughed. She was folding carefully the white
undergarment she had finished making for her college "trousseau"--as
her father called it.
"Well, it seems as if everything goes wrong all at once," Peggy refused
to be cheered. The children knew she was thinking of Pilot. Pilot's
disgrace and sentence hung like a gloomy cloud over their hearts.
"Who'd believe you could think so much of a dog?" Keineth frowned as
she pondered the thought. "I used to think Aunt Josephine was so silly
over Fido. I am sure Fido was never as nice as our Pilot, but I suppose
Aunt Josephine thinks he's much nicer. Once he swallowed a paper of
needles from Aunt Josephine's work basket and she almost fainted, and
Celeste had to call a doctor for her and another for the dog and they
sent the dog to a hospital. Then Aunt Josephine blamed Celeste and told
her she must leave at once and Celeste had hysterics, for you see she'd
been with my aunt since she was very young and they had to send for the
doctor again for Celeste."
"Oh, how funny!" laughed Peggy, though Keineth's face was very serious.
"Then Aunt Josephine felt sorry and forgave Celeste and they called up
the next day from the hospital to say that Fido was very well and that
needles seemed to agree with him. But Aunt Josephine worried for weeks
and weeks over him."
"Pilot would know better than to eat needles," Alice broke in
scornfully.
"Yes--he likes shoes and goldfish," Barbara finished. "Where's Billy?"
From the mother to the smallest of them they felt sorry for Billy. For,
though Billy had said not a word concerning the fate of his pet, the
hurt look in his eyes betrayed the sorrow he felt. No one knew where he
was--he had disappeared quietly after breakfast. And Pilot was with
him.
"No tennis or golf to-day," grieved Barbara, going to the window.
"Anyway we can swim," cried Peggy.
"In the rain?" asked Keineth, astonished.
"Why, of course, silly! Wouldn't we get wet, anyway?"
Keineth's face colored. Peggy went on with a toss of her head: "And I
simply must practice swimming under water to-day--the contest isn't
very far off. You can't expect me to help you out to the rock, Ken,
you'll have to play in shallow water!"
Keineth's soul smarted under this humiliation. The rock was the goal
around which their fun centred. It was twenty yards out from shore and
its broad, flat surface gave room for six of them to stand upon it at
one time. As around it the water was five feet deep, it was necessary
for one of the children to help Keineth reach it. Then, while the
others practiced all the feats known to the fish world, Keineth always
stood carefully in its centre, head and shoulders above the water's
surface and watched them with interest and admiration, tinged with
envy.
To conceal the tremble in her voice Keineth had now to swallow very
quickly. "All right, Peggy," was all she answered and Peggy never knew
how deeply her careless words had hurt her.
Keineth _had_ grown discouraged with her swimming. Somehow it was so
easy when some one was with her, but she could never seem to muster the
courage to dive off into the water the way the others did. And Daddy
would be so disappointed!
Mrs. Lee had given her careful instruction in the stroke--perhaps if
she was alone, away from Billy's roguish glance and the terror of his
catching her ankle under water, she might feel more confidence.
This thought still lingered in her mind when, in the afternoon, they
went to the beach. Billy was already in the water; the faithful Pilot
was digging on the beach for dog treasures. Because of the drizzling
rain Mrs. Lee had not come down.
While Barbara and Peggy were racing under water Keineth found it very
easy to slip away. She chose a spot where a bend of the shore concealed
her. She stood knee-deep in the water, going through the movements of
the arm stroke, with a careful one, two, three. She put her small teeth
tightly together--she _would_ have confidence, she _would_ go out
deeper, throw herself calmly into the water in Peggy-fashion and swim
off, one, two, three! She _would_ remember to breathe easily and keep
her arms under the surface of the water!
There was an indomitable will in the child. She _did_ throw herself in,
and, counting one, two, three, forgot her usual gasp of fright;
suddenly it seemed natural and as if she had always done it! She felt a
delicious joy in the ease with which her stroke carried her ahead
through the water. She wished Billy might see her now! Then, exhausted
by her effort, triumphant and happy, she reached for a footing on the
bottom. Her toe could not find it! With a cry of terror she threw her
arms wildly upward, involuntarily seeking for some hold! Then she
slipped, slipped down, fathoms and fathoms it seemed--a dreadful
choking gripped her, like tight arms upon her chest! She tried to call,
but the water only made a fearful gurgle in her throat! She wanted her
father--_he'd_ stop that terrible pain in her chest and take that grip
from her throat!
Suddenly she felt very, very tired and as if she would sleep when the
pain was gone. Her body lifted slowly; her hand, flung upward, gripped
something soft but firm in her clutch--the water splashed about her!
She thought it was her father! He was pulling her away, then she seemed
to go to sleep.
When consciousness returned, Keineth found herself lying upon the beach
wrapped in Barbara's raincoat. Peggy was crying and Barbara, her face
very white, was rubbing her hand. On her other side knelt Billy, the
rain dripping from his bare arms, his face flushed as though from
violent exercise. Behind him stood Pete, the man of all work in the
community, who had been drawing gravel from the beach.
"Darling!" cried Barbara. "Oh, are you all right?"
Keineth slowly looked all around. _Had_ it been some dream,
then--wasn't her Daddy there at all? Barbara had slipped an arm under
her head and was folding it higher. It helped her breathe.
"What was it?" Keineth managed to whisper. "I'd never, never, never
have forgiven myself," Barbara was crying now.
"You almost drowned," Peggy explained. Now that the danger was over she
began to enjoy the excitement.
"And Pilot saved you!" Billy cried.
"We had just missed you and Billy had started up the shore when we
heard your cry!"
"And it didn't take that dog two seconds to get out to you! Just say he
isn't human!"
"I thought it was Daddy," Keineth whispered.
"What, dear?" Barbara had not caught the words. "You must keep very
quiet, Ken. And Billy's had his first aid case!"
Pete clapped Billy on the shoulder. "Wal, I jes' calculate now that it
was them gim-cracks Billy here put you through, missy, that brung you
to!"
"I always wondered if I could do it," Billy said with pardonable pride,
"and, say, that'll mean a medal from the troop!"
Alice had run home to tell Mrs. Lee of the accident. Together they had
hurried down to the beach. With Pete's help they lifted Keineth to the
gravel wagon and, like a triumphal procession, moved slowly homeward.
Mrs. Lee immediately tucked Keineth into bed with hot water bottles and
blankets to check the chill that was creeping over her.
"She'll be all right, I am sure," Mrs. Lee whispered to the anxious
children. Later the doctor came, left some powders and patted Keineth
on the head. "A good sleep and quiet will fix up those nerves O. K.
Then forget all about it."
He was quite right; the next morning Keineth, quite as well as ever,
joined the family at breakfast. Though Mrs. Lee had warned them not to
mention the accident to Keineth unnecessarily, Mr. Lee did pinch her
cheek and say: "You lost your head, didn't you, little sport? If you'd
just kept your arms down, now--but, if you go exploring strange beaches
again you'll remember, won't you?"
Peggy and Keineth, moved by a feeling of intense relief, suddenly
caught hands under the table. For into both hearts had come the fear
that Keineth's mishap might end the swimming for the summer! And
Keineth had not forgotten that, though it had ended sadly, for a very
brief time she _had_ mastered the stroke. Mrs. Lee smiled down the
table. "And I think Pilot has won a home! Except for him--" she stopped
suddenly, her eyes bright with tears. "William, bring home the finest
collar you can find and to-night we will decorate our dog with all due
honor!"