“Don’t cry!” begged Bunny.  “Let’s pretend you’re a swimmer on the beach and went out too far.”

“Wha-what good would that do, me pre-pre-tendin’ that?” half-sobbed Sue.

“Well, then I’ll pretend I’m a life-guard, and I’ll swim out and pull you to shore,” said Bunny.

By this time Sue had managed to stand up firmly on her feet, though she was very wet.

“There’s no use in you’re pretending you’re a life-guard and getting all wet like me, when I can just as well get on the raft myself,” said Sue practically.

“Oh, I want to be a life-guard,” said Bunny.  “Here I come!” and with that he jumped off the raft feet first, landing near Sue with a splash.

“Oh, now you’ve got yourself all wet, for it went over your boots,” said the little girl.  “Mother will scold.”

“Well, now I can take half the scolding, for I’m half as wet as you,” said Bunny.  “Anyhow she won’t scold much.  For you couldn’t help falling in, Sue, and she’ll be glad I pretended to be a life-guard to help you out.”  With that he put Sue on the raft again.

By this time the raft had floated free of the little hill of mud in the meadow lake where it had gone aground, and Bunny and Sue poled it toward the road.  When their mother saw how wet they were she did not scold them.  That is, not much.  For, after all, part of it could not be helped.

Dix and Splash enjoyed the flood, for they both liked to be in the water.  They swam about, playing their sort of “tag” and racing after sticks which Bunny and Sue threw for them.

A few days after this, when the flood had all gone down, and having waited for the roads to dry, Mr. Brown once more set off with his family in the big machine.  For two or three days they traveled along.  Once, when they stopped for their noon-day lunch under a big oak tree, Uncle Tad built a small fire of twigs and Bunny and his sister roasted marshmallows at the blaze.

At a number of places Mr. Brown asked about Fred Ward, the missing boy, but no trace of him could be found, nor was anything more heard of the traveling medicine show with the colored banjo player.

It was one evening at dusk, when the automobile had come to a stop for the night, and the family were all sitting out under the tree near the road, that Uncle Tad, looking down the highway, said: 

“Isn’t that a fire over there?” He pointed toward a neighboring farmhouse.

“Do you mean a campfire or a bonfire?” asked Bunny.

“Neither one.  I mean a real fire,” said Uncle Tad.

“It is a fire!” suddenly cried Mr. Brown.  “A shed near that barn is blazing.  See the men running to put it out!”

“We’d better go to help,” said Uncle Tad.

“Let us come, too!” begged Bunny and Sue.

CHAPTER XIII

DIX AND THE CAT

Uncle Tad and Mr. Brown did not stop to answer the children’s plea to be allowed to go to the fire.  On the men rushed, and Bunny and Sue turned to their mother.