Tom Jonah became restless and wanted to wander about; but the big girl was very sharp with him. “If he were my dog I’d make him mind better!” she threatened. “If anything gives us away, it will be that dog.”
Tess did not understand this; and like Dot she felt hurt when anybody criticised Tom Jonah. “Love me, love my dog” was the motto of the younger Kenway sisters.
Finally the big girl pronounced the raft strong enough, and she waded out of the water and put on her skirts again. “Now, get aboard there,” she commanded. “If we’ve got to go, we might as well start. The tide will be less strong now.”
Dot skipped aboard the raft with her Alice-doll, in great glee; Tess followed more slowly. But when Tom Jonah tried to come, too, the big girl, with the broken oar she used for a paddle, drove him back.
“It won’t hold him up, too!” she cried. “Get out!”
“Oh! don’t hurt Tom Jonah!” wailed Dot, shrilly. “Don’t!”
“You look out!” warned Tess. “He’ll grab you!”
Tom Jonah certainly did grab the paddle. And he nearly wrenched it from the hands of the big girl, strong as she was.
“He’ll tip us all over!” declared the girl, angrily, flushed and breathing heavily. “Don’t you see how deep in the water we are? Any little wave will come right over the logs and wet us.”
“Well!” cried Tess. “We’re barefooted. And we can’t leave Tom Jonah behind.”