"Play as much as you like," said Captain Ben. "It can't rain forever and we'll have our island picnic as soon as the weather clears."
But it seemed to be going to rain all day. Inch by inch the water in the back yard crept nearer the back steps.
"I guess I'd better bring up one of my rowboats from the dock," said Captain Ben, with a laugh, as, after dinner, he looked out and saw the flood coming still higher. "Mr. Wendell will have to row around in a boat to feed his chickens, I believe."
"Oh, could I come?" begged Russ. "It'll be lots of fun to feed chickens from a rowboat."
"We don't know for sure that that is what Mr. Wendell will do," said the marine.
The children played about the bungalow as best they could until nearly supper time, when it was still raining. While Mrs. Bunker was busy with the meal, Rose and Russ went out on the back porch. The weather was not cold, and when the children saw how near the large puddle of water was in the yard, and noticed that it was not raining quite so hard now, they each thought of something at the same time.
"Let's go in wading!" exclaimed Russ and Rose together.
"We can put on our raincoats," added Russ.
"And take umbrellas," went on Rose.
Not stopping to ask their mother if they might, and seeing that Vi and Laddie, Mun Bun and Margy were playing together in a distant part of the house, Rose and her brother got on their storm clothes, took off their shoes and stockings and soon were wading about in the shallow part of the flood-pond.