Chapter I: Front Matter

THE CASTAWAYS OF PETE'S PATCH

_by_

Carroll Watson Rankin

_Illustrated by_

ADA C. WILLIAMSON

_Frontispiece and jacket illustrations
by_ MIRIAM SELSS

How many girls have wished to spend a summer in a real camp on the shores of a lake, with soft grass, kind to bare feet, comfortable camp beds of fragrant balsam tips and plenty of real adventure.

Here are our friends of the Dandelion Cottage marooned on a point of land. Indian boys, a castaway sailor lad, and many other happenings fill this book full of delight for the girls, who, having read the earlier volumes of the series, will be glad to meet again these cheery little lassies of the justly famous Dandelion Cottage Series.

Dandelion Series

THE CASTAWAYS OF PETE'S PATCH

(_A Sequel to The Adopting of Rosa Marie_)

BY

CARROLL WATSON RANKIN

Author of "Dandelion Cottage," "The Girls of
Gardenville," etc.

_With Illustrations by_
ADA C. WILLIAMSON

NEW YORK
HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY

COPYRIGHT, 1911,

BY

HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY

August, 1937

PRINTED IN THE U. S. A. BY
THE QUINN & BODEN COMPANY
RAHWAY, N. J.

TO

ERNEST AND BERWICK

AND ALL OTHER GOOD CAMPERS

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
INTRODUCTION xi
I. AN INNOCENT PLAN 1
II. THE TROUBLED WHALE 12
III. A PREDICAMENT 24
IV. A NIGHT OUT 36
V. THE MISSING WHALE 49
VI. THE COMING OF DAVE 59
VII. DELIVERED BY DAVE 68
VIII. THE PANGS OF HUNGER 78
IX. AN EXCITING AFTERNOON 87
X. A STORMY NIGHT 100
XI. DRY CLOTHES FOR FIVE 110
XII. MABEL'S ASTONISHING DISCOVERY 118
XIII. BREAKING THE NEWS 127
XIV. A MISSING MESSENGER 136
XV. DOCTOR DAVE 147
XVI. A VALUABLE INSECT 158
XVII. THE GAME WARDEN'S VISIT 168
XVIII. THE BOY'S NAME 179
XIX. A BELATED TRAVELER 188
XX. A SURPRISE PARTY 199
XXI. DAVE MAKES HIMSELF USEFUL 213
XXII. A TWISTED CONSCIENCE 225
XXIII. BILLY'S MEMORY 234
XXIV. A MUTUAL FRIEND 241
XXV. A CAPTURED FISHERMAN 252
XXVI. IN FAIRYLAND 264
XXVII. A VISITOR FOR LADDIE 274
XXVIII. BREAKING CAMP 285

THE PERSONS OF THE STORY

BETTIE TUCKER}
JEANIE MAPES } Once of Dandelion Cottage, now
MARJORY VALE } of Pete's Patch.
MABEL BENNETT}

HENRIETTA BEDFORD: Their Chum.

MR. BLACK: A Childless but Fatherly Man.

MRS. CRANE: His Warm-hearted Sister.

DAVE GURNEAU: A Good and Bad Half-breed.

MAHJIGEEZIGOQUA: An Old Acquaintance.

MR. WILLIAM SAUNDERS: Mr. Black's Right-hand.

MISS BLOSSOM: A Timely Visitor.

ROSA MARIE: A Very Young Old Friend.

TERRIBLE TIM: Always to the Point.

BILLY BLUE-EYES: The Most Cast-away of all the Cast-aways.

A Number of Parents and Other Necessary Grown-ups.

ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING
PAGE
IT SEEMED TO MABEL THAT SHE COULD DETECT A
SOUND OF BREATHING _Frontispiece_
THE SPACE BEHIND THE LOG WAS ALREADY OCCUPIED 124
SEATED ON THE DRY END WAS A STOUT, PLACID MAN 256
"MOTHER!" HE CRIED. "MOTHER! IT'S MY MOTHER!" 276