"That's one thing Agamemnon can't stand. He don't like water," said Mrs. Bobster. "But if I let him out at low tide he'll beau a flock of hens right down to the clamflats. But now, poor thing! they won't go with him."
"Who--the hens!" asked Ruth, wonderingly.
"Yes. They don't think he looks jest right, I s'pose. If he chassés up to one of my old biddies, she tries to tear that flannel suit right off'n him. It's hard on poor Agamemnon; but until his feathers start to grow good again, I don't dare have him go without it. He'd git sunburned like a brick, in the fust place."
This tickled Agnes so that she almost fell off the bench.
"But I should think the red flannel would tickle him awfully," murmured Tess, quite seriously disturbed over the plight of the rooster.
"Sho! keeps away rheumatics. So poor Eddie allus said," declared the widow. "That's why he wore red flannel for forty year--and he never had a mite of rheumatism. Agamemnon ought to be satisfied he's alive, after all he's been through."
It was really very funny to see the rooster strutting about the yard in what Agnes called his red bathing suit.
The Corner House girls remained for some time with Mrs. Bobster. When they went back to the camp at the bend they carried their first supply of bread and cookies.
They arrived at their tent to find a wagonette Pearl had hired in the port, and all the other girls who had been at the Spoondrift bungalow had come visiting.
The crowd was delighted with the way Ruth and her sisters were situated. It looked as though to live under canvas would be great fun indeed.
"Wish I'd spoken to Uncle Phil about it, and gotten him to hire tents instead of putting us up at that old hotel," declared Pearl. "And do you know, girls, that Trix Severn told a story?"
"I didn't suppose she'd be above being untruthful," Ruth said, rather indignantly.
"And you're quite right. We found out that her father set aside a big, double-bedded room for you four girls. Trix says she did not know anything about it. But of course Uncle Phil would not have forgotten you."
"Never mind," said Agnes. "I'm glad she acted so. We're a whole lot better off here."
"You going to have Rosa Wildwood here in the tent with you when she comes?" asked Ann Presby.