Then Uncle Carl died. He was skating with some people, and a
friend of his went where the ice wouldn't hold, and broke through.
Nobody knew just what to do, it was so hard to get to him on the
broken ice, and the man couldn't swim. Uncle Carl saw that he would
drown before help came, so he went right into the freezing water and
held up his head till they brought ropes."
"He wasn't drowned, was he?" Dora asked in an awestruck voice.
"No, but he was in the water so long that it made him ill. The other
man got well. It happened not long before Mamma died. Then, you know,
Aunt Zelie came back to us."
"You must be glad you are named for him."
"Yes, I am, only I am not good enough. I am afraid I shall never do
anything brave like that."
"I think, perhaps, little things have to come first," said Dora
wisely, adding, "He was helping, wasn't he?"
"I had not thought of that," said Carl.
As she walked home an idea came into Dora's head, which interested her
so much that "Water Babies" lay unopened on her lap for half an hour
that night. Next day she confided it to Bess and Louise, who highly
approved.
"Why, Dora, you are very clever. When you are grown up you will be as
good at thinking of things as Aunt Zelie," said Bess.
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