The Corner House Girls on a Houseboat

by Grace Brooks Hill

  CHAPTER XI

  OVERBOARD

  "There! What did I tell you!" cried Dot, pointing a finger at thestrange sight. "I heard a noise, and then it was a sneeze and then itwas a bleat and then I _smelled_ a goat. I knew it was a goat, and itis, and it's Sammy Pinkney, too!"

  And, surely enough, it was. Tousled and disheveled, dirty and with hisclothes awry, there stood the urchin who was, it seemed, continuallygetting into mischief at or around the Corner House.

  But if Sammy was mussed up because of having been hidden in a smallcloset, the goat did not appear to be any the worse for hismisadventure. Billy Bumps was as fresh as a daisy, and suddenly helowered his head and made a dive for Mr. Howbridge.

  "Oh!" cried Ruth. "Look out!"

  "Hold him!" yelled Agnes.

  Neale, who had joined the wondering throng now gazing at the stowaway,caught the goat by the animal's collar just in time, and held him backfrom butting the lawyer.

  "He--he's just a little excited like," Sammy explained.

  "Well, I should think he would be!" declared Ruth, taking command of thesituation, as she often had to do where Sammy was concerned. "And nowwhat do you mean, hiding yourself and Billy Bumps on the boat?" shedemanded. "Why did you do it? And why, above all things, bring thegoat?"

  "'Cause I knew you wouldn't let me come any other way," Sammy answered."I wanted to go houseboating awful bad, but I didn't think you'd take meand Billy. So this morning, when you was packing up, me and him camedown here and we got on board. I hid us in a closet, and we was going tostay there until night and then maybe you'd be so far away you couldn'tsend us back. But something tickled my nose and I sneezed, and I guessBilly thought I was sneezing at him, for he bleated and then he buttedhis head against the door and it came open and--and--"

  But Sammy really had to stop--he was out of breath.

  "Well, of all things!" cried Agnes.

  "It is rather remarkable," agreed Mr. Howbridge. "I don't know that Iever before had to deal with a stowaway. The question that's puzzling meis, what shall we do with him?"

  "Can't me and Billy stay?" asked Sammy, catching drift of an objectionto his presence on board.

  "Of course not!" voiced Ruth. "What would your mother and father say?"

  "Oh, they wouldn't care," Sammy said, easily enough and brighteningvisibly at the question. "They let me stay when I went with you on ourauto tour."

  "They surely did," remarked Agnes dryly.

  "And Billy's strong, too!" went on Sammy eagerly. "If one of the mulesgot sick he could help pull the boat."

  "The idea!" exclaimed Agnes.

  "Oh, hello, Sammy!" called Tess, who had just heard of the discovery ofthe stowaway.

  "Hello," Sammy returned. "I'm here!"

  They all laughed.

  "Well," said Mr. Howbridge at length, as the houseboat was slowly pulledalong the canal by the mules driven by Hank, "we must get Sammy homesomehow, though how is puzzling me."

  "Oh, please can't I stay?" begged the boy. "You can send Billy home, ofcourse. I don't know why I brought him. But let me stay. I'm going to bea canal mule driver when I grow up, and I could begin now if you wantedme to."

  "Aren't you going to be a pirate?" asked Agnes, for such had beenSammy's desire for years.

  "Yes, of course. But I'm going to be a canal mule driver first."

  "It's out of the question," said Ruth firmly. "It was very wrong of youto hide away on board, Sammy. Very wrong indeed! And it is going to be agreat bother for us to send you and Billy Bumps back home, as we mustdo. Twice for the same trick is too often."

  "Aw, say, Ruthie, you might turn Billy Bumps loose here on the bank andlet me stay," pleaded Sammy. "Billy can take care of himself wellenough."

  "Sammy Pinkney!" exclaimed Tess, her eyes blazing. "Turn our goat loosejust because you brought him along when you know you had no business todo that! Sammy Pinkney, you are the very worst boy I ever heard of!"

  Sammy looked rather frightened for the first time since being found onthe boat, for, after all, he had an immense respect for the usuallygentle Tess, and cared more for her good opinion than he did for that ofher elders.

  "I didn't mean to be bad," he whined. "I wanted to go along, that'sall."

  "But you wasn't asked," Tess insisted, pouting.

  "But I wasn't asked on that auto tour," went on Sammy hopefully.

  "Well, that was--was different," stammered Tess. "Anyway, you had noright to talk about turning our goat loose. Why, somebody might stealhim!"

  "What shall we do?" Ruth appealed to Mr. Howbridge. "Can a boat turnaround in the canal?"

  "Not wide enough here," volunteered Neale, looking from a window. "Butwe can when we get to the big waters, about five miles farther along."

  "It will not be necessary to turn about and go back," said the lawyer."I'll have to make arrangements for some one either to take charge ofour stowaway at the next large town, and keep him there until his fathercan come for him, or else I may see some one going back to Milton bywhom we can return our interesting specimens," and he included boy andgoat in his glances.

  "Well, I was afraid you'd send us back," said Sammy with a sigh. "Butcould I stay to supper?" he asked, as he sniffed the appetizing odorsthat now seemed more completely to fill the interior of the _Bluebird_.

  "Of course you may stay to supper, Sammy," conceded Ruth. "And thenwe'll see what's to be done. Oh, what a boy you are!" and she had tolaugh, though she did not want to.

  "I was hoping Sammy could come," murmured Dot, as she hugged her"Alice-doll."

  "And Billy Bumps is fun," added Tess.

  "We have no room here for goats, whether they are funny or not,"declared Agnes. "Take him out in front, on the lower deck, Sammy. Tiehim there, and then wash yourself for supper. I should think you wouldhave smothered in that closet."

  "I did, almost," confessed the boy. "And Billy didn't like it, either.But we wanted to come."

  "Too bad--young ambition nipped in the bud," murmured Mr. Howbridge."Take Billy outside, Sammy."

  The goat was rather frisky, and it required Neale and Sammy to tie himto the forward rail on the lower deck. Then Mrs. MacCall, in thekindness of her Scotch heart, sent the "beastie," as she called him,some odds and ends of food, including beet tops from the kitchen, andBilly, at least, was happy.

  "Low bridge!" suddenly came the call from Hank, up ahead with the twomules.

  "What's he saying?" asked Ruth to Mr. Howbridge.

  "He's giving warning that we are approaching a low bridge, and that ifwe stay on deck and hold our heads too high we may get bumped. Yes,there's the bridge just ahead. I wonder if we can pass beneath it. Ourhouseboat is higher than a canal boat."

  The stream curved then, and gave a view of a white bridge spanning it.Hank had had the first glimpse of it. It was necessary for the occupantsof the upper deck either to desert it, or to crouch down below therailing, and they did the former.

  There was just room for the _Bluebird_ to squeeze through under thebridge, and beyond it lay a good-sized town.

  "I think I can get some one there to take Sammy home, together withBilly Bumps," said Mr. Howbridge. "We'll try after supper, and then wemust see about tying up for the night."

  The houseboat attracted considerable attention as it was slowly drawnalong the canal, which passed through the middle of the town. A stop wasmade while Mr. Howbridge instituted inquiries as to the possibility ofsending Sammy back to Milton, and arrangements were made with a farmerwho agreed to hitch up after supper and deliver the goat and the boywhere they belonged.

  "Well, anyhow, I'm glad I'm going to stay to supper," said Sammy,extracting what joy he could from the situation that had turned againsthim.

  The _Bluebird_ came to rest at a pleasant place in the canal justoutside the town, and there supper was served by Mrs. MacCall. Abountiful one it was, too, and after Hank had had his, apart from theothers, he confided to Neale, as he went back to the mules:

  "She's the beatenist cook I
ever see!"

  "Good, you mean?" asked Neale, smiling.

  "The best ever! I haven't eaten victuals like 'em since I had a home anda mother, and that's years and years back. I'm glad I struck this job."

  In the early evening the farmer came for Sammy and the goat, a smallcrate, that once had held a sheep, being put in the back of the wagonfor Billy's accommodation.

  "Well, maybe you'll take me next time, when I've growed bigger,"suggested the boy, as he waved rather a sad farewell to his friends.

  "Maybe," said Ruth, but under her breath she added: "Not if I know it."

  "Good-by, Sammy!" called Dot.

  But Tess, still indignant over Sammy's suggestion to turn the goat--hergoat--loose to shift for himself, called merely:

  "Good-by, Billy Bumps!"

  Mr. Howbridge went into the town and telephoned to Milton to let Sammy'sfather know the boy was safe and on his way back, and then mattersbecame rather more quiet aboard the _Bluebird_.

  The houseboat was towed to a good place in which to spend the night.Lines were carried ashore and the craft moored to trees along thetowpath.

  The mules were given their suppers and tethered, and Hank announced thathe was going to do some fishing before he "turned in."

  "Oh, could I fish, too?" cried Dot.

  "And me! I want to!" added Tess.

  "I think they might be allowed to," said Mr. Howbridge. "There arereally good fish in the canal, coming from Lake Macopic, and we couldcook them for breakfast. They'd keep all right in the ice box--if anyare caught."

  "Oh, I'll catch some!" declared Hank. "I've fished in the canal before."

  "Oh, please let us!" begged the small girls.

  "But you have no poles, lines or anything," objected Ruth.

  "I've got lines and hooks, and I can easy cut some poles," offered Hank,and so it was arranged.

  A little later, while Ruth, Agnes and Mrs. MacCall were busy with suchhousework as was necessary aboard the _Bluebird_, and while Neale andMr. Howbridge were getting Hank's cot in readiness on the deck, the muledriver and Dot and Tess sat on the stern of the craft with their linesin the water.

  It was a still, quiet evening, restful and peaceful, and as Hank hadtold the girls that fish liked quietness, no one of the trio wasspeaking above a whisper.

  "Have you got a bite?" suddenly asked Tess in a low voice of her sister.

  "No, not yet. I'm going to set my Alice-doll up where she can watch me.She never saw anybody catch a fish--my Alice-doll didn't." And Dotpropped her "child" up near her, on the deck of the craft.

  Suddenly Hank pulled his pole up sharply.

  "I got one!" he exclaimed.

  "Oh, I wish I'd get one!" echoed Tess.

  "Let me see!" fairly shouted Dot. "Let me see the fish, Hank!" Shestruggled to her feet, and the next moment a wild cry rang out.

  "She's fallen in! Oh, she's fallen in! Oh, get her out!"