CHAPTER XXIV
ROSE FINDS HER DOLL
"Take her out in the air," said one of the men in charge of themerry-go-round, as he saw Mr. Bunker carrying Margy across the floor."They often feel a bit faint from riding too much, or from the motion.The air makes 'em all right. Take her right down to the beach. Thatwould be best, I think."
"I will," said Mr. Bunker.
Tenderly he looked down at the little white face on his arm. Mrs. Bunkerand Aunt Jo looked worried, as they hurried after Mr. Bunker, and Roseand Russ, who, with Violet, Mun Bun and Laddie had gotten off themerry-go-round, followed through the crowd.
"What's the matter? What is it? Was any one hurt?" asked severalpersons.
"No, it's only a little girl sort of fainted," a policeman said, andthat was really what had happened to Margy.
"The fresh air down by the beach will bring her around all right," saidthe man who had first spoken to Mr. Bunker. "I'll look around for adoctor, if you like."
"Oh, I don't think she is as badly off as that," replied Margy's father."As you say, the fresh air will bring her around."
So the six little Bunkers, with Margy being carried by her daddy, wentdown near the water. The merry-go-round was not far from the bathingpavilion where they had left their clothes when they went in swimmingduring the morning.
At the cashier's desk was a young lady, who gave out the tickets andtook charge of watches, jewelry, money and other things that thebathing-folk left with her for safe-keeping. This young lady cashier sawMargy being carried by Mr. Bunker, and called to him:
"Bring the little girl up here. She can lie down on a bench in theshade, and feel the fresh ocean air. That will be better than having herout in the sun."
"Indeed it will," said Mrs. Bunker. "Thank you very much."
With some dry bathing-suits and towels, the girl kindly made a sort ofbed on a bench for Margy, and there the little girl was tenderly put torest by her father. Then he looked carefully at her, and listened to thebeating of her heart.
"She'll be all right in a little while," he said. "If I could get her aglass of cold water----"
"I'll get you one," offered the bathing cashier. "We have some ice waterinside."
"You are very kind," said Mrs. Bunker. "We went in bathing from thisplace not very long ago, but I did not see you here then."
"No, I come only in the afternoons," said the girl. "Another girl and Itake turns, as the work is pretty hard on a hot day when lots of folksgo in swimming."
She brought the water for Margy, and then the little girl opened hereyes and looked about her.
"Take a drink," said her mother. "Do you feel better now?"
"Yes," said Margy. "I'm all right. I felt awful funny," she said, andshe smiled a little. Her cheeks were not so pale now, and she tried tosit up.
"Better lie down a bit yet," said Daddy Bunker. "Then you'll feel a lotbetter. Next time you mustn't ride so much on the merry-go-round. Toomany trips are not good for any one."
In a short time Margy felt so much better that she could sit up. Thecashier came back from her place at the window to ask how the littlegirl was feeling, and she seemed glad when told that Margy was better.
Russ, Rose and the other children had been asked to stay outside andplay in the sand, but now, having been told by Aunt Jo that Margy wasnearly recovered, they came in the bathing pavilion office to look attheir little sister. Just at this time there were not many peoplewanting bathing-suits, so the cashier who had been so kind was not verybusy.
As Rose and the others stood looking at Margy, and also at the cashier,Vi suddenly exclaimed:
"Why, I know her!"
"Who?" asked Mrs. Bunker.
"Her," went on Vi. She pointed to the cashier. "She found me the day Iwas lost, when I went after the loaf of bread and I went down the wrongstreet and I couldn't find Aunt Jo's house. She found the right streetfor me. I know her--her name's Mary!"
The cashier turned to look at Violet.
"Oh, now I remember you!" she exclaimed. "Yes, I did see you crying onthe street in the Back Bay section of Boston one day. I remember now. Icould tell where you lived because my mother used to sew in thatneighborhood, and I had seen the big dog at your aunt's house. So yougot home all right, did you?"
"Yes, she came just as I was starting out to look for her," said DaddyBunker. "We often wondered who had been so kind as to show Violet theright way, but all she could tell was that it was a girl named 'Mary'. Ioften thought I'd like to see her, and thank her for being so kind toour little girl, but, only knowing your first name----"
"My name is Mary Turner," said the girl. "I live in Boston, though notat Back Bay, but I come over here every day on the boat to work."
"Do you like it?" asked Aunt Jo.
"Yes, it is very pleasant, and not too hard. I like the smell of thesalt water. I'd be near the ocean all the while if I could. But we can'thave all we want," and she smiled. "Shall I get you some more coldwater?" she asked Margy.
"Yes, please," answered the little girl. "I feel a lot better now."
"That's good," said Mary Turner, as she went to the water-cooler.
"Wasn't it funny I should see her again?" said Violet. "She was awfulnice to me when I was lost."
"She seems like a very nice girl," said Mrs. Bunker, "and she iscertainly very kind to us. I'm glad we met her."
Mary came back with more water for Margy, who was now able to walkaround, the feeling of illness having passed.
"I want to go down and play in the sand," she said.
"Better not go out in the hot sun right away," advised Aunt Jo. "Stayin the shade a bit, Margy."
"Yes," urged Mary Turner. "Come and see my queer little office, where Isit all day and hand out tickets and take in gold watches and diamondrings and things like that."
"Do you keep 'em?" asked Russ.
"Oh, no! The people who go in bathing leave them with me for safety. Ihave to give them back when they hand me the check I give them. I keepeach person's things separately in little pigeonholes, and there is aman on guard there, too,--a sort of policeman."
"Are there any pigeons in the pigeonholes?" asked Vi.
"Oh, no!" laughed Mary. "They just call them pigeonholes because theyare like the openings that pigeons go in and out of at barns, and suchplaces, I suppose. They are like the boxes in a post office, onlylarger. Come, I'll show them to you."
As this would keep Margy in the shade a while longer, Mrs. Bunker saidthe children could go with Mary and look at her "office."
"My daddy's got an office," said Rose. "It's a real estate office."
"Well, mine is different from that," Mary said.
They went with her to look. As it was rather soon after the dinner hour,not many persons were in bathing, and the compartments or "pigeonholes"were not all filled. In some, however, were the envelopes in whichpeople sealed their watches, rings and other valuables.
The six little Bunkers were quite pleased at seeing Mary Turner'soffice, and the "policeman" who was on guard so no one would come in andtake the envelopes.
"Did some one leave that when they went in bathing?" asked Mr. Bunkerwith a smile, as he pointed to something in one of the pigeonholes.
"Oh, no," answered Mary with a smile. "That's mine. It's a doll, and Ibrought it with me to-day, thinking I would have time to make a newdress for it, and give it to a little girl I know. I don't play withdolls any more, though I used to like them very much, and I still liketo make dresses for them. But I've been rather busy this morning,helping Mr. Barton, who owns the bathing pavilion, so I didn't get timeto do any sewing."
As she spoke she took down the doll, and held it out for Margy and theothers to see. And, as Rose looked at it, she exclaimed:
"Oh, look! Why--why, that's Lily! That's my doll that went up in theairship! That's Lily!"
"It can't be, Rose!" said her mother.
"Yes, it is!" insisted the little girl, as she took the doll from hersister's hand. "Look! Don't yo
u 'member where there was a cut in her andher sawdust insides ran out and Aunt Jo sewed up the place with redthread?" and Rose turned the doll over and showed where, surely enough,the doll was sewed with red thread.
"Is that really your doll?" asked Mary, and there was a queer look onher face.
"It really is," said Rose Bunker. "I sent her up in a basket and therewas a lot of balloons tied to it. I called it an airship and it gotloose and Lily went away up in the sky, and I couldn't get her down."
"I said she'd come down," cried Russ, "'cause I knew the balloonscouldn't stay up forever. But we looked for the doll and couldn't findher."
"Did she drop out of the airship?" asked Rose eagerly.
"No, she came down with the 'airship,' as you call it," went on thebathing-pavilion cashier. "She was in a basket when I found her. Andtied to the basket were some toy balloons. A few of them had burst, andthe gas had come out of the others, so that they were all flabby andwouldn't keep the airship up any more. Then it came down, and ithappened to land right in the back yard of the place where I board, inBoston.
"I saw it in the morning, when I went out to feed the pet cat, and Ibrought the doll in. She was all wet, and her dress had come off. But Icarried her into the house and I've kept her ever since. I've beenintending to dress her and give her to a little girl, but I'm glad youhave her back," and she smiled at Rose.
"Oh, isn't it just wonderful!" cried the little girl. "To think I havemy own darling Lily back after her going up in the airship!"