Page:Leah Reed--Brenda's summer at Rockley.djvu/243

Rh they had all they could do to get the boat to the water’s edge.

“If you could ride my wheel,” said Fritz, “I’d row home; but of course you could n’t do that.”

“Oh, I won’t have any trouble getting home, when once I’m out in deep water,” said Amy.

“Well, if you are in one of those absent-minded fits, you might row in exactly the opposite direction from the  one you ought to go in, and that would be decidedly  awkward for you to find yourself bound for Nahant or  some other place in the direction of the city.”

“Oh, no,” rejoined Amy, without losing her temper, “I’m not so foolish as that, I can assure you. I ’ve come to my senses, and if you can only push me off, I ’ll get  safely into port.”

“Well then, take your place,” said Fritz, “and we ’ll do the best we can.” But the weight of Amy, added to that of the boat, made the task very difficult.

Amy leaned from the stern, and, using her oar as a lever, tried to push off. But it was of no use. Although there were a few inches of water at the bow, there seemed to be  no way of getting the boat into water that would float her.

Turning to the other boy, Fritz said a word or two that Amy did not hear. But the result of what he said she saw very soon.

“Oh, you must n’t—you really must n’t!” she cried. But the boys paid no heed to her.

“There she’s moving,” said Fritz; “sit down, Amy, you can’t stand up in a moving boat.”