"I'm afraid she ought to have a better place," said Ruth. "And I believe I know just where she would get the attention--and food--that she needs," and the oldest Corner House girl told the crowd about Mrs. Bobster--the little old lady who lived in a shoe.
"If I can get the dear old thing to take Rosa to board, I know she'll give her just what she needs--good food, plenty of it, well cooked, and Rosa will be in a quiet place where she can rest all she wants to," said Ruth.
She had no idea at the time of the strange adventure that would arise out of this plan of hers to bring Rosa Wildwood to stay for a part of the summer with the little old woman who lived in a shoe.
"Ruthie! there's another man wants to sell you a boat."
"Ruthie! there's another man wants to sell an elephant--and it's _so_ cute!"
"For the land's sake!" gasped Ruth, throwing down a sputtering pen, where she was writing on the chest of drawers in the tent. "_How_ can a body write? And an elephant, no less!"
She rushed out to see Dot's elephant, as that seemed more important than Tess' announcement that a man had merely a boat for sale. Dot's man was a gangling young fellow with a covered basket from which he was selling sugar cakes made into fancy shapes. So Dot had her elephant for the Alice-doll (almost everything that appealed to Dot was bought for that pampered child of hers!) and was appeased.
But the man with the boat was a different matter. He proved to be a boat owner and he wanted to hire one of his craft to the Corner House girls by the week. Agnes was just crazy (so she said) to add rowing to her accomplishments, and Ruth thought it would be a good thing herself.
The boat was a safe, cedar craft, with two pairs of light oars and a portable kerosene engine and propeller to use if the girls got tired of rowing. Ruth made the bargain after thoroughly looking over the boat, which had had only one season's use.
There was a chain and padlock for mooring it to a post at the edge of the water just below the tent.
The older girls had already learned to swim in the school gymnasium at Milton. Milton was pretty well up to date in its school arrangements.
Tess had been taught to "strike out" and could be left safely to paddle by herself in shallow water while Ruth and Agnes taught little Dot.