“B-b-better put your sweater on again,” he chattered.
“Not me,” said Bert. “You put it on, and hurry up with it. If you don’t you’ll have a chill.”
“I g-g-guess I’ve got one now,” answered Ben. “That w-w-wat-er was f-f-fierce!”
“Can’t you stand up?” asked Bert.
“Yes.” But it wasn’t easy and Ben had to cling to Bert in doing so. Then Bert got his sweater over Ben’s, which was wringing wet, Ben protesting all the while and weakly striving to resist.
“I d-d-don’t need it,” he chattered. “You’ll c-c-catch cold, Bryant.”
“I won’t, but you will,” replied Bert, rescuing his belt and putting it on again. “Now come on. Can you skate?”
“No, I—I’d rather sit down a minute, I g-g-guess.”
“You can’t! You mustn’t! Come on, Ben, and get warm. Skate as hard as you can. We’ll race back.”