“I’ll be glad of that, thank you,” remarked Ted, “’cause we’ve got to put that boat back where we got it or Jimmie’ll be mad at us. We lost his oars, though,” and Teddy sighed with regret.
“Don’t let that worry you,” advised Mr. Narr. “There are a lot of odd and extra oars in my boathouse. I’ll have Peter pick you out a pair and you can give them to Jimmie—whoever he is.”
“Jimmie’s a boy I play with,” Teddy informed the rich man.
“Oh, I see. Well, you can give him back his oars as well as the boat. Come now, Peter, have the Spray brought around to the dock to take these shipwrecked ones home.”
“Yes, sah!” answered the colored man, with a kind smile at the Curlytops.
“Don’t you want the crabs we caught?” asked Janet. “We’d be glad to have you take them.”
“Yes!” exclaimed her brother. “We can catch more for my father.”
“Thank you, no, I don’t want the crabs,” answered the rich man. “Look out for the basket of crabs, Peter,” he added. “Don’t let any of them get away.”
“Oh, no, sah; I’ll be mighty keerful ob dem!” declared the colored man. “I was bit by a crab wunst, an’ I don’t wants to be bit agin! I’ll see to dem crabs all right.”
“I guess they’re asleep now,” said Janet. “So they won’t bother you very much.”