ver to Looney Land. The reason I liked you was on account of you
fetching Uncle Pete up from the pier. He told me, and I was--thankful."

She hung her head and her cropped hair stood out like a brush around her
face. Kitty was a pathetic sight, even when excited.

"Was he your uncle? Is he all right?" asked Louise.

"Nope. He isn't all right. Can't hardly stir ever since. He said he
would have died if you girls hadn't helped him, and I want to thank you
for that. I'd just die without Uncle Pete."

"Well, good-by," said Julia, as they started off this time positively.
"Tell Uncle Pete we will come over to see him soon."

At this the child ran over to Louise and literally grabbed her, seizing
her two hands, and holding them as tightly as her own could grasp them.

"Oh, please, please don't come!" she begged, and her eyes had the look
of a frightened animal. "You don't know what it would mean to me. And I
ask you not to. Won't you promise?"

The girls looked at the changed creature in undisguised astonishment.

"We don't want to bring trouble on you, Kitty, if that is what you
mean," said Julia. "But we have promised ourselves a trip to that queer
island. Of course, if it would hurt you for us to go----"

"Oh, it would, that's it. It would hurt me more than you could guess.
So tell me you won't come over!"

"All right, we'll see," said Cleo, and they hurried off to the bathing
house to dress, as the time for visiting Captain Dave had been consumed
in talking to Kitty.

"Well, what do you think of that?" almost gasped Cleo when they joined
the other girls who had been impatiently waiting for the report from the
life saving station.

"Whatever is wrong about Luna Land?" added Louise. "Now see where we are
at."

"Can't we go?" pouted Grace.

"I don't see why not," put in Julia. "Surely, we couldn't make any
trouble, just by going over there. I think that girl is--woozy."

"Well, I think she's pretty sharp," said Cleo, "and until we can find
out from some one what is wrong over there, I'll vote to defer the trip.
Suppose we really should bring trouble on that poor cropped head!"

"That's so," agreed Grace, though it was plain the change in plans
brought disappointment to the entire group. "Let's hurry. We must have
talked half an hour. And I promised not to be one minute late for
lunch."

"We have such a time with meals--never can get folks together," said
Cleo, hastily jumping in to her blouse and skirt.