don’t want to be no Robinson Crusoe!” pouted his sister. “I just want to get back home,” and she began to cry.
“We’re going to bunk,” announced Freddie, as at that minute the boat did really bump into the little island. “Come, Flossie, let us get ashore,” said the brother, in that superior way that had come to him in their distress.
Flossie willingly obeyed.
“Be careful!” she cautioned. “Don’t step out till I get hold of your hand. It is awfully easy to slip getting out of a boat.”
Fortunately for the little ones they had been taught to be careful when around boats, so that they were able to take care of themselves pretty well, even in their present danger.
Once on land, Flossie’s fears left her, and she immediately set about picking the pretty little water flowers, that grew plentifully among the ferns and flag lilies.
“I’m going to build a hut,” said Freddie, putting pieces of dry sticks up against a willow tree. Soon the children became so interested they did not notice their boat drift away, and really leave them all alone on the island!
In the meantime everybody at the house was looking for the twins. Their first fear, of course, was the ocean, and down to the beach Mrs. Bobbsey, Aunt Sarah, and the boys hurried, while Aunt Emily and the girls made their way to the Gypsy Camp, fearing the fortune tellers might have stolen the children in order to get money for bringing them back again.
Dorothy walked boldly up to the tent. An old woman sat outside and looked very wicked, her face was so dark and her hair so black and tangled.
“Have you seen a little boy and girl around here?” asked Dorothy, looking straight into the tent.
“No, nobody round here. Tell your fortune, lady?” This to Aunt Emily, who waited for Dorothy.
“Not today,” answered Aunt Emily. “We are looking for two children. Are you sure you have not seen them?”
“No, lady. Gypsy tell lady’s fortune, then lady find them,” she suggested, with that trick her class always uses, trying to impose on persons in trouble with the suggestion of helping them out of it.
“No, we have not time,” insisted Aunt Emily; really quite alarmed now that there was no trace of the little twins.
“Let me look through your tent?” asked Dorothy, bravely.
“What for?” demanded the old woman.
“To make sure the children are not hiding,” and without waiting for a word from the old woman, Dorothy walked straight into that gypsy tent!
Even Aunt Emily was frightened.
Suppose somebody inside should keep Dorothy?
“Come out of my house!” muttered the woman, starting after Dorothy.
“Come out, Dorothy,” called her mother, but the girl was making her way through the old beds and things inside, to make sure there was no Freddie or Flossie to be found in the tent.
It was a small place, of course, and it did not take Dorothy very long to search it.
Presently she appeared again, much to the relief of her mother, Nan, and Nellie, who waited breathlessly outside.
“They are not around here,” said Dorothy. “Now, mother, give the old woman some change to make up for my trespassing.”
Aunt Emily took a coin from her chatelaine.
“Thank the lady! Good lady,” exclaimed the old gypsy. “Lady find her babies; babies play—see!” (And she pretended to look into the future with some dirty cards.) “Babies play in woods. Natalie sees babies picking flowers.”
Now, how could anybody ever guess that the old gypsy had just come down from picking dandelions by the lake, where she really had seen Freddie and Flossie on the island?
And how could anybody know that she was too wicked to tell Aunt Emily this, but was waiting until night, to bring the children back home herself, and get a reward for doing so?
She had seen the boat drift away and she knew the little ones were helpless to return home unless someone found them.
Mrs. Bobbsey and the boys were now coming up from the beach.
What, at first, seemed only a mishap, now looked like a very serious matter.
“We must go to the woods,” insisted Dorothy. “Maybe that old woman knew they were in the woods.”
But as such things always happen, the searchers went to the end of the woods, far away from the island. Of course they all called loudly, and the boys gave the familiar yodel, but the noise of the ocean made it impossible for the call to reach Freddie and Flossie.
“Oh, I’m so afraid they are drowned!” exclaimed Mrs. Bobbsey, breaking down and crying.
“No, mamma,” insisted Nan, “I am sure they are not. Flossie is so afraid of the water, and Freddie always minds Flossie. They must be playing somewhere. Maybe they are home by this time,” and so it was agreed to go back to the house and if the little ones were not there—then—
“But they must be there,” insisted Nellie, starting on a run over the swampy grounds toward the Cliffs.
And all this time Freddie and Flossie were quite unconcerned playing on the island.
“Oh, there’s a man!” shouted Freddie, seeing someone in the woods. “Maybe it’s Friday. Say there, Mister!” he shouted. “Say, will you help us get to land?”
The man heard the child’s voice and hurried to the edge of the lake.
“Wall, I declare!” he exclaimed, “if them babies ain’t lost out there. And here comes their boat. Well, I’ll just fetch them in before they try to swim out,” he told himself, swinging into the drifting boat, and with the stout stick he had in his hand, pushing off for the little island.
The island was quite near to shore on that side, and it was only a few minutes’ work for the man to reach the children.
“What’s your name?” he demanded, as soon as he touched land.
“Freddie Bobbsey,” spoke up the little fellow, bravely, “and we live at the Cliffs.”
“You do, eh? Then it was your brothers who brought my cow home, so I can pay them back by taking you home now. I can’t row to the far shore with this stick, so we’ll have to tramp it through the woods. Come along.” and carefully he lifted the little ones into the boat, pushing to the woods, and started off to walk the round-about way, through the woods, to the bridge, then along the road back to the Cliffs, where a whole household was in great distress because of the twins’ absence.
CHAPTER XVI
Dorothy’s Doings
“Here they come!” called Nellie, who was searching around the barn, and saw the farmer with the two children crossing the hill.
“I’m
