The Children Go to the Lake

One day Jim says to Mr. Christine, Lily's father: "Mr. Christine, we want to go to the lake." The lake is full of fish. We shall catch some fish and then we shall swim a little. May we take Lily with us? The water is warm now."

"And who will go with you?" Mr. Christine asks.

"Sam will go and Hugh will go too," Jim says.

"Who is Hugh? I don't know him," Mr. Christine says.

"Hugh is my new friend. He lives not far from you. He is a good boy, and he can swim very well," Jim answers.

"Can you swim too?" Mr. Christine asks.

"Of course, I can. I swim well," Jim says.

"If you and Hugh can swim, you may take Lily with you. My Sam has very long legs and the lake is not deep," Mr. Christine says. He looks at Jim and smiles.

Then Jim goes to Lily. She is in her room. She hears Jim's voice, but she cannot leave her little kitten. The kitten is ill and it is in bed.

"May I come in, Lily?" Jim asks.

"Yes, yes, come in!" Lily answers in a weak voice.

"Oh, Jimmy, look, my kitten is ill!"

"Do you want to go to the lake with us, Lily?" Jim asks. He does not look at Lily's kitten.

"I don't know, I can't leave my poor kitten. I shall go and ask Father," Lily says.

"Your father says that you may go," Jim answers.

"Oh, but I can't leave my kitten!" the girl says again.

"Then we shall take it too. We shall wash it in the lake. It will be very good for the kitten," Jimmy says and smiles.

"No, I shall leave my poor kitten at home," Lily says. "You don't know how to wash kittens."

"Of course, I do. I even know how to wash horses," the boy says. "I often wash them."

"Oh, Jimmy, you know a lot!" the little girl says. "And can you catch fish?"

"Of course, I can," Jim says.

"Will you catch a butterfly for me? And a ladybird! And a little green lizard?" Lily asks.

"I will, of course," Jim says again.

And so the children go to the lake.

The day is very hot and Lily is thirsty.

"Sam, is the lake far from here?" Lily asks.

"No, it is not far now. What do you want?" Sam asks.

"I am hot. I want some water," his little sister says in a weak voice.

"We have no water. You'll drink at the lake. It is not far now," her brother says.

"I don't want to drink the water in the lake. That water is raw. Father says raw water is not good. I don't want to go to the lake! I'm hot. I don't like lakes. There are frogs and snakes in the lake. I want to go home. Take me home! I'm hungry. I am thirsty. Give me some water!" the little girl says and begins to cry.

"Don't cry! There is a good girl," Jim says.

"I don't like little girls. They are all cry-babies," Hugh says.

Hugh is very angry.

"Please, Lily, don't cry! The lake is not far," Jim says.

But Lily does not want to go to the lake.

"Oh, you don't want to go with us! Then go home alone, you silly girl!" Hugh says.

"I won't go home! Go home yourself! I'll go to the woods. There are lots of wolves there. They will eat me up. Then my father will cry," and Lily begins to cry herself.

The boys do not know what to do. They are very angry, but they cannot leave Lily alone.

"What shall we do?" Hugh asks.

"We must take her home," Jim says.

"Come along!" Sam is angry, too.

And so the children go back home.

When they come to their house, they see a little dog at the door.

"Whose dog is it?" Hugh asks.

"I don't know. It is not our dog," Sam says.

"Does this dog bite?" Lily asks.

"Yes, it does. Dogs do not like cry-babies. They always bite them," Sam says.

"It will not bite me," Lily says. "I'm not a crybaby. Little dog, don't bite me. I'm a good girl. Bite these bad boys!"

"Do you think the dog understands you?" Hugh asks.

"Of course, it does. You will see yourself," Lily says, and tries to open the door.

At that minute, the dog jumps up and tries to bite Lily's leg.

"Help, help!" Lily cries.

"Oh, Sam, this dog is very silly. It doesn't understand me. Help me!"

But her big brother Sam, and her little friend Jim, and Jim's new friend Hugh do not hear her. They try to run away from the dog.

In a minute, the boys are high up in a tree.

Now Lily is very angry.

"You bad boys," she cries in an angry voice. "For shame! You leave me, a little girl, alone with that angry dog. For shame!"

The dog looks at the girl. Now, it does not try to bite her. It understands her.