Russ at first thought his smaller brother was playing a joke.
"You can't fool me," cried Russ. "I don't want to guess any of your riddles!"
"This isn't a riddle!" declared Laddie. "It's a real fish, and it's got real legs. Come and look at it!"
He was pointing to something on the beach, which seemed to have been washed in by the tide.
"Come on!" cried Laddie again. "It isn't a riddle—honest! It's a fish with legs. I didn't see him walk, but it sort of—sort of stands up!"
Still Russ was afraid of being fooled. So he called over to his father and Cousin Tom, who were fishing in the surf not far away.
"Daddy, is there a fish with legs? Laddie says he's found one on the beach."
"Well, you might call 'em legs," answered Cousin Tom, as he flung his hook and sinker as far as he could out into the ocean. "I guess what Laddie has found is a skate."
"But he says it's a fish!" exclaimed Russ. "Now you call it a skate! I guess you're both trying to make up riddles."
"No, Russ," said his father, as he reeled in his line. "The fish Laddie sees, and I can see it from where I stand, really has some long, thin fins, which are like legs. And the name of the fish is 'skate,' so you see they are both right. Come, we'll go and look at it."