They were about to take hold of Baby William once more, but he screamed so loudly that they held back.
“You hurted me!” he wailed. “You hurted me! Don’t push me an’ pull me any more!”
“But we’ve got to get you out, Trouble!” said Teddy. “We have to push you or pull you!”
“Which hurts the most, Trouble?” asked Jan kindly. “Does it hurt most to pull you or to push you?”
“Dey boff hurts!” sobbed the little boy. “You go and tell my mommer I wants her to get me out! I wants my mommer!”
“I guess we’d better do that!” decided Teddy. “You go for mother, Jan. I’ll stay with Trouble.”
Off toward the house hurried the little girl. She burst into the kitchen, where Mrs. Martin was making some broth for the sick man who had fallen down through weakness and hunger on the Martin lawn that morning.
“Oh, Mother, he’s stuck fast!” cried Janet.
“Who, Skyrocket? Did you find him?” asked Mrs. Martin, thinking of course it was the dog about which her little daughter was talking.
“No, Skyrocket isn’t stuck fast. We didn’t find him,” replied Janet. “It’s Trouble! He’s stuck fast! And Teddy pulled and I pulled, and then we both pushed, but we can’t get him loose. He’s stuck!”