They found a stick which they thrust through the slits in the peach basket and thus carried the crabs up to their cottage.
“Why, Curlytops! where have you been?” exclaimed their mother, when she saw the two rather forlorn and bedraggled youngsters coming up the path.
“We been crabbing,” answered Teddy.
“And we got a lot of ’em—big ones, with blue claws, and they’re asleep now, for they’re real quiet,” added Janet.
“Yes, I know you’ve been crabbing,” went on their mother. “But what kept you so long? I was getting worried about you.”
“We were—now—sorter shipwrecked,” explained Ted.
“And we landed on Mr. Narr’s island and he’s coming to get Mr. Keller’s keys and he hasn’t got them and what’s he going to do?” gasped Janet, almost in one breath.
“My goodness! what’s all this about?” cried Mrs. Martin, with a laugh. “Not quite so fast, if you please, Janet.”
Thereupon, taking turns, the Curlytops explained all that had happened from the time they started after crabs until they reached home. Mrs. Martin listened, and at the end of the little story she exclaimed:
“Dear me! This is too bad!”