The Little Skipper | Page 3

his eyes fixed upon his sailing-boat. "Oh! Bob, Bob, mind, or you'll tumble in."
"Hoo! hoo! hoo!" he cried, and began to stamp about, and pretended to stagger as if on the point of falling, while Dot screamed aloud in agony and turned white.
This was too much for the boy. He turned and ran back to her side, to catch her in his arms and kiss her.
"Oh, don't! don't cry, poor little old girl," he cried, kissing her wet face again, while she clung to him.
"You--you shouldn't, Bob," she sobbed. "You did frighten me so."
"And I was only pretending," he said soothingly, as he hugged her, and led her along the sand, with his arm about her little waist.
"It--it did hurt, Bob," she sighed, with a smile beginning to struggle through the clouded face.
"There, I won't do so any more," he whispered lovingly, "and----"
"Ship ahoy!" came in a hearty shout, and with the steam just beginning to appear fairly from out of the funnel, the trouble was forgotten.
"Here's Pa come!" cried the boy, and he set off to run.
"Oh, Bob! please," came after him plaintively, and the Skipper turned and hurried back, to catch his sister's hand.
"Now then, fast as you can!" he panted. "I'll help you. Run!"
CHAPTER II.
Before the two children had run far along the side of the lake, two figures appeared, coming along a path. The first, that of a handsome-looking officer in undress uniform; the other, that of a grim-looking sailor, carrying a basket in one hand and a couple of large brown-paper packages, tied together, in the other. But, he did not look quite grim, for somewhere about the middle of a great cocoanut-coloured beard his big white teeth could be seen, showing that he was smiling: and higher up still, just above the top of the beard, which was divided by a brown nose, two squeezed-up eyes were twinkling in the sunshine.
"Skipper, ahoy!" cried the officer, as the boy loosed his hold of his sister's hand, made a running jump, and was caught, hugged, and set down again. "Ah! my precious little woman," came next, and Dot was lifted from the ground, and her arms went round the Captain's neck, as she nestled to him and kissed him again and again.
"Why, hullo! little woman," he cried. "Wet face--tears--crying--had a tumble?"
"Oh, no, Papa dear; it was--it was only--"
She stopped short, and coloured.
"Only what, my darling?"
"It was I," said the Skipper, flushing, but speaking out very bravely. "I frightened her--pretended I was going to tumble into the water."
"But he didn't think it would frighten me, Pa dear," cried Dot earnestly, "or he wouldn't have done it. Would you, Bob?"
"Yes," said the boy stolidly. "Did it on purpose to frighten you."
"How dare you!" cried Captain Trevor sternly. "This is pretty discipline. Have I not always told you that a big boy ought to be kind to his sister?"
"Yes, Pa."
"And because he's strong and ugly, because he's going some day to be a man, he ought to watch over and protect her."
"Yes, Pa," said the boy, his lip quivering, as he stared past his father at the big sailor, who was scowling and shaking his head at him fiercely.
"And now I come home for a few hours, expecting to see you all as happy as can be, I find my boy--no, I can't say my boy if you behave like this--has been as naughty as ever he could be."
"Oh, no, Pa," cried the Skipper, that is to say, nearly cried the Skipper, for his voice sounded a little shaky; "that's not half so naughty as I could be if I tried."
The Skipper stared in wonder, for as he said this, the big sailor suddenly uttered a peculiar sound, swung himself round with the bag and parcels flying out, and stood with his back to him, upon one leg, lifting the other up and down, with the toe just touching the ground from time to time.
As for Captain Trevor, the Skipper saw that he had squeezed his lips together, wrinkled up his face, and frowned heavily.
"Oh! please, Pa dear," whispered Dot, tightening her arms round his neck, "don't be cross with poor Bob. He was very sorry. Weren't you, Bob?"
"Yes, I was sorry," said the boy repentantly, but without taking his eyes off the big sailor, whose leg was still going up and down like one of the engines on board his father's ship.
"But I must be angry with him, my darling," said the Captain gravely. "Bob knows better; if he does such things now and does not check them, he will grow into a bully, and disgrace himself."
This was said at the Skipper, whose face was very red, from his efforts to keep back his tears.
"Oh! Pa dear!" cried Dot.
"Hush! my darling," said the Captain. "Here, Jeffs!"
"Ay, ay, sir!"