“THERE YOU ARE!” TEDDY CRIED, AS HE SAFELY GOT THE DOLL OUT.
“There’s a little door in the top of the lobster pot,” explained Teddy. “Captain Oleson showed me about it. The fishermen open this door to lift out the lobsters, ’cause they can’t pull ’em through the hole in the fish net. Here, I’ll show you!”
He pointed to the top of the pot. Some of the laths were made into the shape of a little trap door, on hinges, with a wooden button to hold it shut. Ted turned this button, and then he and his sister and brother could look down into the pot at the lobster’s back.
There was the big creature, with its big claws—a sort of dark greenish creature in color, though it would turn a bright red when boiled. And in its claws, or, at least, near them, was Janet’s rag doll.
“Oh! Oh! Look at him!” murmured Trouble, bending close to the pot.
“Look out he doesn’t pinch your nose!” warned Ted.
“How you going to get my doll out so he doesn’t pinch you?” Janet wanted to know. For she saw that one could easily reach a hand into the lobster pot through the trap door in the top.
“I’ll do it!” declared Teddy. “Here, Jan, you take this stick and poke him. He’ll reach out his claws to grab the stick and he won’t see me when I grab for the doll. You tease him with the stick.”
“All right, but you be careful!” said Janet. “I like my rag doll, but I don’t want you to get pinched, Teddy.”