“It was very nice,” answered Mary, “but, if you please, sir, we don’t want to sail a million-billion miles.”
“Why not?” asked the sailor. “I see you have your ship already with you. Nothing is easier than to sail. There is plenty of water here. Come, we’ll all get aboard,” and he took Tommy’s ship in his big hands, very carefully.
“No, if you please,” spoke Tommy, “we can’t sail away, because mamma doesn’t know we ran out.” And he told the sailorman how the ship had come to be blown off the porch roof.
“And we got lost chasing after it,” explained Johnny.
“Oh, my! Oh, dear! Oh, me!” laughed the jolly sailorman. “That is just fine! It’s too jolly for anything!”
“I don’t think it is—to be lost,” spoke Mary.
“Why, I’ll take you home,” said the sailorman. “That’s what I’m for—to take the lost Trippertrots home. Come with me,” and he stumped off in front of them, banging his wooden leg down on the sidewalk, and the Trippertrots laughed because they were happy again.
Now to see what happens next.
ADVENTURE NUMBER SIXTEEN
THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE MUSIC-BOX
As he walked along with the Trippertrots the nice sailorman became more and more jolly every step he took, with his one wooden leg, and his one regular kind of leg.