"And here's another sign," called Helen. "On yellow paper, too."
This brought the scouts to close attention. The sign was evidently an attempt at a message, and carried the same words "Peter Pan" and "Bring me to Mamma," but with it was a pathetically written word "Please," through the letters of which were crudely drawn, by surely a childish hand, the quaintest little flowers.
"Just see!" said Cleo. "No child on a picnic would take time to draw flowers in a sign." She turned over the card and found on the reverse side the words that might mean "I--dig--out----"
Eugenia who was familiar with kindergarten work, readily recognized this as an attempt made by some child who had been taught to make floral words to indicate loving messages. She was turning the paper over carefully when the signal for "Hurry Back" was sounded shrilly on the police whistle.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" called Eugenia, and scampering through the woods, they jumped into their little boat and started off, Cleo still carrying the two Peter Pan messages.
Reaching the clearance they could see a launch pulled up beside the Blowell.
"Oh, joy!" fairly screamed Helen. "A launch!"
It did not take long to row back to the sand bar, where Mae had already been towed off, out into the welcome deep water.
"Oh, how splendid! Just in time!" they shouted, and Eugenia had difficulty in requiring that they sit still and not spill overboard.
Reaching the sailboat, never was found a happier face than Mae's.
"Oh, girls, I told you not to give up," she greeted them. "Just see our rescuer, Mr. Neal Nelson from the Colonade."
"Oh, my little choker's brother!" exclaimed Julia, too delighted to think of the usual formalities.
"And as I live, if it isn't--Bobby's life saver!" declared the young man. "Well, turn about is surely fair play, and I'm glad I got my innings in."
"However did you find us?" asked Julia when they were making sure the Blowell could "sail under her own steam" as Neal put it.
"I didn't--I just happened by. Out trying my new motor boat----"
"She's a beauty," commented Mae, feeling foolish as she uttered the words, for any old tug boat would have been a beauty under the circumstances.
How differently everything looked now! It was almost worth while being in peril to experience the joy of rescue.