The boys went back to the house and got the new sailboat Russ had made.  Going down to the sandy shore of the lake with it, they found Rose and Violet sitting in the shade, playing with their dolls.

“Oh, I know what we can do!” exclaimed Russ, who was carrying the boat.

“What?” asked his brother.

“We can take the dolls—­those Rose and Vi have—­and give ’em a ride on the boat.”

“Give Rose and Vi a ride on the boat?” asked Laddie, who had not been listening very closely.  “It isn’t big enough.”

“’Course ’tisn’t!” agreed Russ.  “I don’t mean that.  I mean give the dolls a ride.”

“Oh, yes, we can do that!” cried Laddie.  “It’ll be fun!  Will you let us?” he called to the two little girls.

“Let you what?” asked Rose.

“Let us give your dolls a ride on the boat?”

Russ had taken a board, whittled one end sharp, like the prow, or bow, of a boat, and had rounded the other end for the stern.  In the middle he had bored a hole and stuck in this a stick for a mast.  On the mast he had tied a bit of cloth for a sail.  And when the boat was put in the shallow water of the lake, near shore, the wind blew it along nicely.

“Oh, yes!  Let’s give our dolls a ride!” cried Vi.

“You can give yours a ride, but I’m not,” declared Rose.

“Why?” Russ wanted to know.

“’Cause she might fall off into the water.”

“I can put a stone on her so she won’t fall off the boat,” said Russ.

“Huh!  Think I’m going to let you put a stone on my doll?  I will not!” Rose exclaimed.

“I could tie her on,” suggested Laddie.  “I’ve a piece of string.”

“Well, maybe that’s all right,” Rose agreed, and then she and Violet let Russ and Laddie take the dolls, which they tied on the sailboat.  Then along in the little sheltered cove of the lake the boat sailed, giving the dolls a ride.

But, suddenly, there came a strong puff of wind, and the boat tipped to one side.  Laddie could not have tied the string on Vi’s doll very strong, for she slipped off into the water.

“Oh, your doll will be drowned!” cried Rose.

“No, she can’t drown!  She’s rubber,” answered Vi.  “I’ll just play she had a bath in the lake.”

“Well, it’s a good thing it was your doll and not mine, that fell in,” went on Rose, “’cause my doll’s a sawdust one—­this one is.  But I have a rubber doll up at the house, a nice one.

“Go and get her!” suggested Russ.  “Then I can sail the boat in deeper water and it won’t hurt if it tips over with two rubber dolls on.”

So Rose got her other doll, and then the children had fun sailing the boat with two make-believe passengers, who did not mind how wet they got.  If the boat didn’t tip over of itself, Russ or Laddie made it, just to see the dolls go splashing into the water.

The children played at this game for some time, and then Jane called them to come to lunch.  At the table Laddie and Russ told about taking sugar to the sheep, and how the ram chased them.