ANOTHER SURPRISE
“Help! help!”
“What’s all the row about?”
“Buster’s fallen in again! Somebody get a rope, and lasso him!”
“There he comes up! My! what a floundering time! He may be drowned, Jack!”
But Jack knew better, and only laughed as he replied to Herb:
“You forget that he’s still wearing that lovely cork life preserver. It gives him such a manly look; and Buster thinks it adds to the admiration of a certain young lady.”
Meantime there was a tremendous lot of splashing going on in that little basin just under the big tree, where Nick had been perched at the time of his tumble.
Both arms were working overtime, like a couple of flails in a thrashing bee; while his chubby legs shot back and forth after the manner of an energetic frog. All the while Buster was spouting water like a miniature geyser; for his mouth had happened to be wide open at the time of his unexpected submersion.
“Throw me a rope, somebody!” he spluttered, as he continued to make manful efforts to keep from sinking. “What d’ye stand there gaping for? Can’t you see I’m in danger of drowning? Hurry up your cakes, you sillies!”