way across the deep water now."

"A horse's shoes aren't like ours 'cause a horse doesn't wear
stockings--that's the answer," went on Laddie.

"All aboard!" cried Russ again.

"All aboard!" repeated Laddie.

"Oh, let's sing!" suddenly said Rose. She was a jolly little girl and had
learned many simple songs at school.

"Let's sing about sailing o'er the dark blue sea," went on Rose. "It's an
awful nice song, and I know five verses."

"We'll sing it after a while," returned Russ. "We got to get started now.
All ready, fireman!" he called to Laddie, who was inside the barrel.
"Start the steam going. I'm going to steer the boat," and Russ took his
place astride the front end of the barrel, and began twisting on a stick
he had stuck down in one of the cracks. The stick, you understand, was the
steering-wheel, even if it didn't look like one.

"All aboard! Here we go!" cried Laddie from down inside the barrel, and he
began to hiss like steam coming from a pipe. Then he began to rock to and
fro, so that the barrel rolled from side to side.

"Here! What're you doing that for?" demanded Russ from up on top. "'You're
jiggling me off! Stop it! What're you doing, Laddie?"

"I'm making the steamboat go!" was the answer. "We're out on the rough