“Hey, come back here, shoe!” she cried.
The “boat” drifted lazily along until finally it lodged against a footbridge.
“Now we can get it,” declared Vevi.
“And Mrs. Mattox will get us,” added Hanny nervously. “She is walking straight to our boat.”
The children walked quickly out on the footbridge. The narrow planking bent under their weight and dipped low into the water.
“It’s going to break!” Vevi exclaimed fearfully.
“Oh, a footbridge always wobbles,” Connie reassured her. “Here, hold my hand while I grab the old shoe.”
Vevi steadied her so she could bend down and rescue the shoe.
“Now back to the boat!” Hanny urged. “We are going to get a scolding, I can tell you.”
Mrs. Mattox did not pay very much attention to the three girls as they hurried up the canal. In fact, she seemed deeply engrossed examining something in the bottom of the boat.