“Well,” sighed Tess, caressing the dog’s head. “I’m glad we have him with us.”
[CHAPTER XVIII—THE SEARCH]
Ruth and Agnes went around the wooded point, called “Willowbend,” and looked up the river. As we already know, the drifting boat, with Tess and Dot and Tom Jonah in it, had gone out of sight on the other side of Wild Goose Island.
“It never came this way, Ruth!” groaned the frightened Agnes. “They’ve drifted out to sea, just as I said.”
“Nothing of the kind,” Ruth declared, bound to keep up her sister’s courage, and knowing well that her conscience was punishing her cruelly. “The tide is coming in. They were bound to float up the river. But maybe the boat’s gone ashore somewhere.”
“Or it’s sunk,” said the lugubrious Agnes.
“Now you stop that, Aggie Kenway!” cried Ruth, stamping her foot. “I won’t have it. With Tom Jonah those children would not easily get into trouble.”
“They could fall out of the boat,” urged Agnes, wiping her eyes.
“They’d not be foolish enough to rock the boat. It’s all right, I tell you. I did expect to see the boat from this spot; but it’s floated into some cove somewhere. The children are safe enough——”
“You don’t know!” blubbered Agnes.