The Corner House Girls on a Houseboat

by Grace Brooks Hill

  CHAPTER XX

  DRIFTING

  Dot burst into tears, and Tess, startled by the sudden tragic outcome ofher prank, leaned so far over the edge of the boat to see what happenedto the doll that Ruth cried:

  "Be careful! You'll fall! Don't you go into the lake, as well as thedoll!"

  Tess bounced back on deck. She looked ashamed when she saw Dot crying.

  "You can have one of my dolls when we get back home," Tess offered. "Oryou can have my half of Almira the cat, and all her kittens. I'll giveyou my share."

  "I don't want 'em! I want my Alice-doll!" wailed Dot.

  "I'll have Hank get her for you!" called Neale, as he swung the boataround. "The string will float, even if your doll won't, and Hank canfish it back aboard."

  Neale signaled to Hank by means of a bell running from the upper decknear the steering wheel to the motor room below, where the former muledriver looked after the gasoline engine. It was arranged with a clutch,so it could be thrown out of gear, thus stopping or reversing the power,if need be.

  "What's the matter?" called Hank, coming out on the lower deck andlooking up at Neale. "Going to make a landing?"

  "No. But Dot lost her Alice-doll overboard," Neale explained. "Tess hada string to it and--"

  "Oh, is that what the string was?" exclaimed Hank. "I saw a cord dropdown at the stern past the motor-room window and I made a grab for it. Ithought it was somebody's fish line. Wait, I'll give it a haul and seewhat I can get on deck."

  Leaving the wheel, which needed no attention since power was not nowpropelling the craft, Neale hastened to the lower deck, followed byRuth, Tess and Agnes. They saw Hank pulling in, hand over hand, thelong, white cord. Presently there came something slapping its way up theside of the _Bluebird_, and a moment later there slumped down on thedeck a very wet, and much bedraggled doll.

  "Oh, it's my Alice! It's Alice!" cried Dot. "I've got her back oncemore."

  "There won't be much left of her if she gets in the water again,"prophesied Neale. "This is the second time this trip."

  "She _is_ rather forlorn looking," agreed Ruth, trying not to smile andhurt her little sister's feelings, for Dot was very sensitive about herdolls, especially her "Alice" one. "I shall have to get you a new one,Dot."

  "I don't want anybody but my Alice-doll! Will you hang her up in the sunfor me so she'll dry?" begged Dot of Neale, holding out to him thereally wretched doll.

  "Of course, Dottie. And when we get back to Milton we can take her tothe hospital again and have her done over as we did after she was buriedwith the dried apples. Poor Alice-doll! She has had a hard life."

  Tess had gone off by herself, thoroughly ashamed of her behavior. Dotnow went to her own little room, to grieve over the fate of theAlice-doll.

  "Aggie," said Neale, "I think our Tess must have surely gone insane. Inever knew her to do a deliberately unkind thing before."

  "It certainly is curious. There, Neale, Mr. Howbridge is beckoning toyou."

  "Yes," Neale replied. "He wants us to start, and he's right. Start herup again, Hank," he added. "We're on Lake Macopic now, and we'll have towatch our step. There's more navigation here than there was on theriver."

  "Is this really the lake?" asked Ruth, "Are we really on Macopic atlast?"

  "This is where the river broadens out into the lake," said Neale,indicating the sweep of waters about them. "It is really a part of thelake, though the larger and main part lies around that point," and heindicated the point of land he meant.

  Lake Macopic was a large body of water, and on its shores were manytowns, villages and one or two places large enough to be dignified bythe appellation "cities." Quite a trade was done between some of theplaces, for the presence of so much water gave opportunity for power tobe obtained from it, and around the lake were many mills and factories.There were a number of islands in the lake, some of them large enoughfor summer hotels, while others were merely clumps of trees. On some,campers spent their vacations, and on one or two, owned by fishermen,cabins were built.

  "Yes, we are really here at last," said Neale. "I must find out where weare to head for. Where do you have to deliver this boat, Mr. Howbridge?"he asked the lawyer.

  "At the upper end of the lake," was the answer. "But there is no hurryabout it. I intend that we shall all have a nice cruise on Lake Macopicbefore I let my client have possession of this boat. He is in no specialneed, and the summer is not nearly enough over to make me want to endour vacation yet. That is, unless you feel you must get back to theCorner House, Martha?" and he smiled at his oldest ward.

  "Oh, no," Ruth made haste to reply. "It is too lovely here to wish toleave. I'm sure we shall find it most delightful."

  "Can we go in swimming?" asked Tess, who liked the water.

  "Yes, there are bathing beaches--several of them in fact," answered thelawyer. "We will stop at one and let you children paddle around."

  "I can swim!" boasted Tess.

  "I can too," added Dot, not to be outdone by her sister.

  Lake Macopic was beautiful, reflecting the sunlight, the blue sky, andthe white, fleecy clouds. The houseboat once more began slowlynavigating it as Hank threw the clutch in and Neale kept the wheelsteady. They passed several other boats, and then, as their supplieswere running low, it was decided to put in at the nearest town.

  "We'll get some cake and maybe a pie or two," said Ruth, afterconsulting Mrs. MacCall. "And of course, some fresh vegetables."

  "Can't we get some strawberries?" questioned Dot.

  "Too late I'm afraid, Dot. But maybe we can get huckleberries."

  "Oh, I know what I would like," cried Tess.

  "I know too," declared Agnes. "An ice-cream cone."

  "Yep. Strawberry."

  "I want chocolate," came promptly from Dot.

  "And oh, can't we have some lollypops too?" went on Tess.

  "Sure--if the stores keep them," answered Mr. Howbridge promptly. "Yes,I see a sign, 'Ice Cream and Confectionery.' I guess we can get what wewant over there--when we reach the place."

  "Oh, goody," cried Dot; and Tess patted her stomach in satisfaction.

  It was early evening when they tied up at a wharf, which was operated inconjunction with a store, and while Mrs. MacCall and the girls werebuying such things as were needed, Neale and Mr. Howbridge made someinquiries regarding the rules for navigating the lake. They found therewould be no trouble in getting the _Bluebird_ from place to place.

  "Have you seen a small motor boat run by two men around here lately?"asked the lawyer of the dock keeper, after some unimportant talk.

  "What sort of men?"

  "Roughly dressed."

  "That isn't much of a description," was the retort. "A lot of thefishermen dress roughly, but they're all right. But we do have somefellows up here who aren't what I'd call first-class."

  "What do you mean?" asked Mr. Howbridge.

  "Well, I mean there's a bunch camping on one of the islands here.Somebody said they were returned miners from the Klondike, but I don'tknow that I believe that."

  "Why, those may be the very men we mean!" cried the lawyer. "One of themclaims, or is said to have been, in the Alaskan gold regions. In factthis young man's father is, or was, a Klondike miner," went on Mr.Howbridge, indicating Neale. "Maybe these men could tell us somethingabout him. Did you ever hear any of them mention a Mr. O'Neil?" heasked.

  The dock tender shook his head.

  "Can't say I did," he answered. "I don't have much to do with those men.They're too rough for me. They may be the ones you mean, and they maynot."

  Further questioning elicited no more information, and Neale and Mr.Howbridge had to be content with this.

  "But we'll pay a visit to that island," decided the lawyer, when itslocation had been established. "We may get some news of your father inthat way."

  "I hope so," sighed Neale.

  Rather than tie up at the dock that night, which would bring them toonear the not very pleasant sights and sounds of a waterfr
ontneighborhood, it was decided to anchor the _Bluebird_ out some distancein the lake.

  Accordingly, at dusk, when supper was over and a little stroll on shorehad gotten the "kinks" out of their "sea legs," the _Bluebird_ washeaded into the lake again and moored, with riding lights to warn othercraft away.

  In the middle of the night Neale felt the need of a drink, as he hadeaten some buttered popcorn the evening before and he was now thirsty.As he arose to get a glass of water from a shelf in his apartment hebecame aware of a strange movement. At the same time he could hear thesighing of the wind.

  "Sounds as if a storm were coming up," mused the boy. And then, as hereached out his hand for the glass, he felt the _Bluebird_ rise, falland sway beneath him.

  "Why, we're moving! We're drifting!" exclaimed Neale. "The anchor mustbe dragging or the cables have been cut. We're drifting fast, and may bein danger!"