the sun any longer. I'm just
drizzling away. Come back to the rocks and eat our luncheon. There's
evidently no use waiting any longer for Cricket," she added, with a
laugh. "We'll have a lovely afternoon, and we'll pretend we meant to
stay all the time."

"Oh, pretend! I believe you girls would _pretend_ if you were going to
be hung. You'd play you liked it," said Edna, laughing, herself.

"Why not?" answered Eunice, sturdily. "It makes things lots easier.
Besides, it's more fun. Do you suppose auntie and grandma will worry
when we're not back to dinner?"

"No, because I told mamma where we were going, and Cricket will have to
tell them we're safe, and that she's forgotten us. We can't be run away
with very well, and nothing can happen to us here. And, why, Eunice!
look! isn't that Cricket, now, rowing towards us? No, this way. Not far
from shore."

"It is! it is! Wah-whoo-wah! wah-whoo-wah! Naughty, naughty Cricket!
wah-whoo-wah!" shrieked Eunice, clapping her hands.

But Edna instantly put her hands to her mouth to form a trumpet, and
called with all her might:

"Go back, Cricket! go back! You'll get aground."

"Wah-whoo-wah!" came back faintly over the water, and they could see the
little figure bend to the oar.

"Go _back_!" screamed Edna, fairly dancing up and down in her
excitement, for she knew what would happen better than Eunice did. But
Cricket evidently did not understand. She looked over her shoulder,
waved her oar, and pulled on.

"Oh, _dear_," cried Edna, "see, that mud-flat back of her will be all
bare in two minutes, and she doesn't know it, and she's pulling right
across it. Oh, oh, she's aground!"

And, indeed, the last stroke of the oars had landed the boat on the
treacherous bank, where it stuck fast. The girls watched her, eagerly,
as the oars came up, dripping with mud, in her frantic efforts to push
over it.

"Why doesn't she sit still?" exclaimed Edna, anxiously. "She'll get the
boat wedged fast!"

But, by some good luck, one final shove of the oars sent the light boat
through the yielding mud, and into a little depression beyond, where the
water still flowed. Cricket pulled with all her strength, realizing now
the inconvenience of being stuck fast. There was still another flat,
which was fast uncovering itself, between her and the island, but if she
could only get through that, there was water enough beyond to float her
to the island. That had a rock foundation, and the water wa