“Oh!” gasped Nellie. “Found! Then we—won’t have to hide any more. Where did you find them?”
The whistle of the excursion boat checked the boy’s eager talk.
“Come on!” shouted the other lads to Andy. “If you don’t hustle, you’ll get left!”
“Well, then I will get left,” declared Andy. “I’m going to stay right here with these girls—they’re friends of mine.”
“Oh, no, Andy, don’t,” begged Rose. “Run along and catch the boat. We wouldn’t know what to do with you, if you got left. Besides your mother would be scared to death. She would think you were drowned.”
Andy hesitated.
“Do go,” put in Nellie, jumping up and throwing her arms about the boy. “I could just hug you to death, you have made us so happy. And you—look—just fine!”
“Run!” shouted the boys, as the whistle blew. “That’s the last call!”
“Run!” called Rose.
“Yes, do run!” pleaded Nellie.