“All right,” agreed Ralph. “I’ll hold the boats till you come back. Hi, Ellen!” he called to his little sister. “Want to give your paper dolls a sail?”
Ellen was willing, when she understood what the boys wanted, and she trotted up the beach with Sunny Boy to fetch the paper doll family. At the corner they parted, Sunny Boy to ask Harriet for a “piece of picnic,” as he said.
“Something to eat?” repeated Harriet in pretended surprise. “Why, Sunny Boy! Weren’t you here for breakfast? Well, I suppose if you are going to take a sailing party out, you’ll have to see that they are fed. How will three of these sandwiches I’m making for supper to-night do? And three chocolate cup cakes? All right, here you are—and mind you bring home a fish.”
Ellen came flying down the street with her paper dolls as Sunny Boy started with his food, and though she eyed the delicious little cakes hungrily, she waited politely till they had joined Ralph on the beach.
“Oh, my!” said Ellen’s brother, when he saw what Sunny Boy had brought. “Gee, I’m hungry! Let’s eat before we take our sailing parties out, Sunny.”
This suited Sunny Boy, and as Ellen made no objection, the three children sat down comfortably in the sand and ate every crumb of Harriet’s goodies.
“And now,” announced Ellen, rising and shaking the short skirt of her bathing suit free of sand, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith and the seven Smith children want to go fishing for whitebait.”
This large Smith family were Ellen’s best paper dolls, cut from the colored fashion plates, and though, as Sunny Boy sensibly said, they were not exactly dressed for a fishing trip, still they did look as though they were pleased at such a prospect. Mrs. Smith wore a red velvet suit and a feathered hat, and her husband was in full evening dress; three of the girls had silver and gold dresses, two of them wore skating costumes, and the one boy was wearing his bathrobe. Ralph said he probably had his bathing suit on underneath, and we’ll hope he had.
“Let the younger children go on Ralph’s boat,” suggested Ellen, “and Mr. and Mrs. Smith and their son can go with Sunny Boy.”
She arranged them all neatly, weighted them down with shells so they would not blow away, and the two boys set off, towing the boats.