The children all looked at him for an opinion, and he continued:
“I think that Crummie would have gone for that boat and found his own way to drag it back to land, whether any of you boys had interfered with him or not. Now, seeing that our hero dog lost his neck-band in his effort to save a life, I shall award him the medal for bravery this month. Anyone opposing this motion say ‘No!’; if there is no opposition and everyone agrees with me that Crummie shall have the prize let us all say ‘Aye!’”
Such a tremendous shout of “Ayes” went out instantly, that Crummie was unanimously voted the hero for the month, and Bill was the proudest boy in camp.
“What’s the prize going to be, Uncle Ben?” asked Don.
“Oh something that Crummie will appreciate and everyone will stop to admire and read. I’m thinking a wonderful studded collar with his name and the story of the rescue engraved on a silver plate might be suitable.”
“Oh yes—yes, indeed!” chorused most of the Blue Birds and Bobolinks.
“And, Uncle Ben, spend a lot of money on it to make it as big and shiny as you can,” advised Dot Starr.
“How much money do you think will do?” asked Uncle Ben, teasingly.
“Well, you know how much a funeral for Prunel would have cost if Crummie hadn’t saved her life, so you might as well spend that much anyway,” replied Dot in all seriousness.
“Oh, I’ve got an idea!” cried Don, inspired by his twin’s words. “Have it tell on the collar that the prize is a souvenir of a watery grave that was never filled by the saved child ’cause Crummie was here to fly to the rescue—you might say ‘swim’ to the rescue, only it doesn’t sound as grand as ‘fly.’”