CHAPTER XX
THE RESCUE
When Mrs. Elliott called to her husband and son, they could not hear her,but her cries were heard by a small group of half-a-dozen boys and girls,who were walking along the shore of the lake at some distance ahead of her.
Patty and Marian were in this group, and at the sound of her mother'sfrightened cry, Marian turned pale, and said, "Oh, Patty, somethingdreadful has happened; let us run to mother."
But one of the boys said, "Look out on the lake! There's your littlebrother in a boat, all alone."
"Oh," cried Marian, "he'll be upset! Where's papa? Can any of you boysswim?"
"No," said two of the boys, and another said, "I can't either, but I'mgoing to try."
"Don't do it," said Patty, who was already flinging off her shoes. "I canswim, and I'll save the baby."
She remembered how Nan jumped into the water with her ordinary clothes onthat day at the Hurly-Burly, and so she ran into the lake, all dressed asshe was, for there was no time to lose, and struck out for the boat.
She had taken but a few strokes, when she saw the child fall into thewater, and heard Mrs. Elliott give a despairing shriek.
Patty gave one shout of "All right, Aunt Alice, I'll get him!" and thenswam for dear life. This was literally true, for she was determined to savethe dear life of little Gilbert if she possibly could.
And she did, for as the baby rose to the surface, Patty was near enough tograsp him, and then managed to reach the overturned boat and by its supportshe easily kept herself and the child afloat.
"He's all right," she called to the crowd now gathering on the bank. "I canhold him up; somebody come out after us in a boat." But two boats hadalready started, and in a few minutes Gilbert was lifted into one and Pattyscrambled into the other, and they were quickly rowed ashore, and when theylanded on the beach, Uncle Charlie, with the tears rolling down his cheeks,tried to embrace both Patty and Gilbert at once.
Aunt Alice couldn't speak, but the looks of love and gratitude she gavePatty said more than words could, and Patty felt that this was the happiestmoment of her life. And what a fuss the young people made over her! Theboys praised her pluck, and the girls marveled at her skill.
But as Patty and Gilbert were both dripping wet, and it was alreadynightfall, the question was, what to do to keep them from taking cold.
"Build up the fire again," said grandma, "and we'll undress the baby, andwrap him all up in one of the carriage robes."
"And there's another carriage robe for Patty," said Marian.
"I'll fix Patty," said Uncle Charlie, "haven't some of you girls a bigblanket-shawl that won't be spoiled if it gets wet?"
Several shawls were eagerly offered, and Uncle Charlie selected two bigwarm ones and wrapped Patty, wet clothes and all, tightly in them, leavingonly her face exposed, until she looked like a mummy, and was wound sotight she couldn't stand up without assistance. But Uncle Charlie took thelaughing mummy in his arms and lifted her right into his carriage and thengot in and sat beside her.
"Now give me the baby," he said, and Gilbert, equally wrapped up, was putinto his arms.
"Help your mother and grandma in, Frank," he said, "and then, my son, youmust look after your guests, and see that the stages are filled and startedoff. We will drive home quickly and I think our Patty and Gilbert willsuffer no harm from their bath. You and Marian must explain all this, andsay good-bye to our guests. It has been a terrible experience, but we areall safe now, and I don't want the young people to feel saddened."
"Yes, father," said Frank, "I'll take charge here, and look after Marianand Edith, and attend to getting everything and everybody home safely."
Then the driver took up his whip, and Mr. Elliott's horses flew over theground at a mad pace.
Although the sudden fright had shocked Mrs. Elliott terribly, she wasbeginning to recover herself, and by the time the carriage reached home,she was all ready to take charge of affairs in her usual capable way. UncleCharlie deposited the bundle of baby on the sofa, and then went back andcarried in what he called his "mummy niece."
"Grandma," said Mrs. Elliott, "I'll give our darling Patty into yourcharge, for the present. Will you see that she has a hot bath, and asteaming hot drink made after one of your good old recipes? And then tuckher into her bed in double-quick time. After I treat baby in a similarfashion, and get him to sleep, I will interview my niece myself."
And when that interview took place, Patty was made to know how deep amother's gratitude can be, and the bond sealed that night between AuntAlice and her niece was one of lifelong endurance and deep, true love.
Next day, the Water Babies, as Uncle Charlie called Patty and Gilbert, wereas well as ever, and suffered no ill effects from their dip in the lake.
Many of the Vernondale boys and girls came to see Patty, and Frank andMarian exhibited her with pride, as if she were an Imperial treasure.
Patty bore her honors modestly, for it didn't seem to her that she had doneanything specially meritorious. She was glad Bob and Uncle Ted had taughther to swim so well, and even greater than her joy at saving Gilbert's lifewas the thought that she had saved the boy for her dear Aunt Alice whom sheloved so much.
When Uncle Charlie came home from New York that night, he brought Patty abeautiful gold brooch set with pearls and with a sparkling diamond in thecentre.
"This isn't a reward, Patty dear," he said, "for no amount of jewels couldrepresent the value of our baby's life. But I want you to wear it sometimesas heroes wear the Victoria Cross, or as men at the life-saving stationswear their medals."
Patty's heart was touched at this expression of Uncle Charlie's gratitude,and she was delighted, too, with the beautiful gift.
"I don't want any reward, uncle," she said, "but I shall keep this lovelybrooch all my life as one of my choicest treasures."