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"Boat ahoy, skipper!" he sang out in a joyous hail. Coke stood up. He glared hard at the reef. "Did ye 'ear it?" he cried to De Sylva, who was steering. "Sink me, I 'ope I ain't a copyin' pore ole Watts, but if that wasn't Hozier's voice I'm goin' dotty." "It's all right, skipper," said Philip, sending the catamaran ahead with a mighty sweep. "Miss Yorke is here Captain San Benavides, too.
She never means any harm." "O, but, mamma," replied Susy, "she keeps me being patient all the whole time, and it's hard work." So Susy, in her vexation, said to Prudy, rather sternly, "You little naughty thing, to go and tell when you promised not to! You're almost as bad as Dotty. What makes you act so?" "Why, Susy," said the child, looking up through her tears, "have I acted?
"How shall I address him?" she asked, but more of herself than the others. "Not at all!" said Dolly, and she took the pen from Alicia's fingers. "You must be crazy to think of such a thing!" "Don't do it, Alicia," begged Dotty; "tell her not to, Bernice." "I don't care what she does," and Bernice laughed. "It's none of my affair. I think it would be rather good fun, only I know he wouldn't come."
Meantime the group had come to a standstill and were selecting a nice place on the beach to spend the morning hours. Dotty was enchanted with her first real experience of the seashore. She sat down in the sand with the rest, but quickly made her way to the front of the group and as near as possible to the edge of the waves in her effort to get an unobstructed view of the ocean.
"I shan't have but two boys, and I shall name the other one for his father," replied Dotty, thoughtfully; "I shall have eight girls, for I like girls very much; and I shall dress them in silk and velvet, with gold rings on their fingers, a great deal handsomer than Jennie Vance's; but they won't be proud a bit.
"Dotty," said Prudy, with a meaning in her tone, "what do you suppose made mamma tell you that story?" "I don't know." Dotty looked deeply dejected. "Little sister," continued Prudy, taking advantage of the child's softened mood, "don't you wish you didn't let yourself be so angry?" "Yes, I do, so there!" was the quick and earnest reply. Prudy was astonished.
Dotty did not wish to think; so she made the best of the little ones, and played "keep school." Black Dinah was the finest-looking pupil, but there were several others made of old shawls and table-covers, who sat bolt upright, and bore their frequent whippings very meekly. Katie and Charlie each held a birch switch, and took the government of the school, while Dotty did the teaching.
"She knew she was real bad, and people didn't like to have her play with their little girls, and Dotty Dimple thought she was awful; but was she the wickedest girl in this town?" "No; O, no!" "Wasn't Dotty some bad, too?" "Yes, Dotty often did wrong." Then Jenny wept afresh. "She knew she was worse than Dotty, though.
"Well, it's all right now," said Dolly, "and I was glad enough to give up my ten to ransom you two captives. Of course you won't pay it back to me, Tod, but you can each pay me a third of it and that'll square us all up." "We'll each pay half," said Dotty, "there's no reason you should pay anything, Doll. You weren't in on this game.
"O, yes, if they'll let me drink choclid out o' that silver mug." "But who'll go with you?" said Prudy. "There, I know Abby Grant! I'll go ask mother." Prudy thought that she herself could not possibly be spared just now to walk as far as aunt Martha's. Abby Grant, who was supposed to be a good child, was very glad to take charge of Dotty, and called for her at two o'clock.
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