“This is no time for light talk,” declared Jess Morse. “Purt isn’t a very good swimmer.” 76
“Well!” exclaimed Nellie, rather tartly for her, “how did he know whether that poor dog could swim, or not?”
“Looks as though he had finally gotten rid of the Barnacle, just the same,” laughed Laura.
“We’ll see about that,” responded her brother, darkly. “That dog has the stick-to-it-iveness of fish-glue. Wait and see.”
Meanwhile Arthur Hobbs drew in the canoe Purt was clinging to, and soon helped the gasping dude into the large boat.
“Oh! oh!” cried Purt. “I might have known that horrid dog was bad luck.”
Having seen the exquisite dragged aboard the Duchess, most of the girls on the other powerboat gave their attention to the dog. Indeed, his fate all the time had attracted more attention from Lizzie Bean, than had the trouble Purt Sweet was in.
“Why! he might have been drowned!” Lily exclaimed in answer to something Bobby said.
“That’s right. And it would be too mean,” spoke up Lonesome Liz, as Billy Long secretly called the sad-faced girl. “He’s a smart dog.”
“Mercy! who cares about that horrid dog?” snapped Lily.