THE NEW BOY
Uncle Tad, who was mending a broken fishing rod just outside the
bungalow, heard Mrs. Brown's cry and saw her running down to the dock.
He also looked across the cove and saw the sailboat in which he knew
Bunny and Sue had gone for a ride with Bunker Blue. And then Uncle Tad
guessed what had happened.
"Man overboard!" he cried, though of course Bunny was only a little boy.
But that is what is always said when anybody--man, woman, or
child--falls into the water.
"Man overboard!"
Uncle Tad raced down to the dock and saw Mrs. Brown trying to loosen the
rope that held to the pier the boat Mr. Brown had hired for the summer.
"Let me do it," said Uncle Tad, who knew considerable about boats from
having lived so long with the Browns.
Just then a voice behind Mrs. Brown cried:
"He's got him out! Bunker Blue has got him out!" And there, on the pier,
stood Jimmie Madden with his sister Rose. He pointed across to the now
motionless sailboat.
Uncle Tad and Mrs. Brown had not looked at it for the last few seconds,
as they were busy trying to get ready the other boat to go to the
rescue. But, looking now, they saw Bunker Blue lift Bunny Brown from the
water. And a moment later Bunker's voice rang out as he called:
"You don't need to come! Bunny is all right! I'll soon bring him to
shore!"
"Oh, I'm so glad!" exclaimed Mrs. Brown, and she dropped the rope she
had been trying to loosen, while Uncle Tad, who had knelt down on the
pier to do the same thing, stood up.
As Jimmie had said and Uncle Tad and Mother Brown had seen, Bunker had
pulled Bunny from the water, and a little later the sail was filled with
wind and was bringing the boat to the dock. Bunny and Sue could be seen
sitting safely in it, and Bunny did not appear much the worse from
having fallen overboard, though, of course, he was soaking wet.
"I saw him fall in," explained Jimmie Madden. "Then I ran over here."
"And I ran over, too," said his sister Rose.
"I could 'a' jumped in and got him out if he'd been near shore. I can
swim," went on Jimmie, who was a regular seashore boy and quite at home
in the water.
"I can swim, too," went on Rose.
"I'm glad neither of you had to jump in after Bunny," said Mrs. Brown,
as the boat neared the dock. "I wonder how Bunny happened to fall
overboard."
This was explained when the wet, dripping little chap was helped out of
the boat to which Bunker had fitted a sail.
"He saw something floating in the water," said Bunker, "and he reached
for it, though I told him not to, as I was going about. But he did, and
he lost his balance, and in he went."
"But Bunker got him right out again!" Sue made haste to say.
"It wasn't Bunker's fault," added Bunny. "He told me not to lean over."
"Then you should have minded," said his mother. "It was very wrong of
you, Bunny, to do that. I told you to mind Bunker when you went out with
him. Now, as a punishment, you may not go sailing again this week."
And though Bunny cried and said he would never disobey again, he was
punished just as his mother said he must be. Sue was allowed to go for a
sail, while Bunny had to stay on shore.
"You must be made to understand that you have done wrong," his mother
said.
There was really very little danger, for the water in the cove was not
deep, and Bunker was such a good swimmer that he, very likely, could
have managed to get out both Bunny Brown and his sister Sue if they had
fallen in together.
After his days of punishment, however, Bunny was allowed to go sailing
again, and Bunker even let him steer a little, which made Bunny very
happy.
"Some day I am going to learn all about steering," declared Bunny to
Sue, "and then I'll be able to take out a boat all alone."
"You be careful, Bunny Brown, or maybe the boat will sail off with you,"
warned Sue, earnestly. "And it might sail 'way off to--to Boston, or--or
China--or--or Mexico."
"It couldn't sail that far. I wouldn't let it."
"It might run away with you."
"Boats can't run--they sail. You ought to know that."
"It could sail away ever so far, if it wanted to, Bunny Brown. An' if it
sailed 'way off to--to China, how ever would you get back?"
"I'd sail back."
"How could you if you didn't know the way?"
"I'd ask some--some Chinaman. I know how to talk to 'em. I can talk to
that Chinaman who has the laundry near the school."
"Huh! He ain't a real Chinaman--he's an American Chinaman. I mean a real
Chinaman Chinaman--that can't talk like we do."
"I'd find a way--just you wait and see," said Bunny confidently.
The summer days passed pleasantly at Christmas Tree Cove. Mr. Brown
found it possible to come up more often than he had expected, and he and
his wife, with the children, Uncle Tad and Bunker Blue, went on
excursions on land and water.
Often when her husband would arrive at the bungalow, coming up from his
dock office at Bellemere, Mrs. Brown would ask:
"Did you hear anything about the strange dog or my lost pocketbook and
ring?"
And her husband would shake his head and answer:
"There is no news. I saw Mr. Foswick, the carpenter. He said he keeps
looking around his shop, thinking he may find the things the dog
dropped, but they have not been discovered yet."
Then Mrs. Brown would be sad for a little while as she thought of her
lovely diamond engagement ring, but she did not let Bunny or Sue see
that she was unhappy.
One afternoon it was very hot at Christmas Tree Cove. The sun's rays
beat down and there was scarcely any breeze.
"Come on, kiddies!" called Mother Brown to Bunny and Sue. "We will put
on our bathing suits and go down to the water. If there is any cool
place this hot day it is there."
Of course Bunny and Sue were delighted with this. They never tired of
bathing, and soon they were splashing about in the cove. They were not
the only ones, for many of the neighboring cottagers and bungalow
residents took advantage of the water to cool off.
"Be careful and don't go out too far!" called Mrs. Brown to Bunny and
Sue, as she went up on the beach to talk to some friends, leaving the
children in the water. "The tide is coming in."
"We'll be careful!" promised Bunny. "Here, Sue, give me your hand and
we'll wade out to the float."
The float was made of some planks fastened to empty barrels, and it was
a fine place to play. As Sue and Bunny were wading out they noticed a
boy whom they had not seen before wading beside them.
"Hello!" said Bunny, in friendly spirit. "Did you just come?"
"Yes. We came to the hotel last night," was the answer. "I never was at
the ocean before. We're going to stay all through August."
"This isn't the ocean," said Bunny. "It's just Christmas Tree Cove. The
ocean is lots bigger."
"I'd like to see it," said the new boy.
"Look out!" suddenly called Sue. "Here comes a big wave!"
She had just time to take a tighter hold of Bunny and turn, but the new
boy did not seem to know much about bathing or waves. He stood waiting,
and, an instant later he was knocked down and his head went under
water.