The moment he saw her sinking, he gave a low bark and swam after her.
Before he could reach the unfortunate child the water was up to her waist, and she was wringing her little helpless hands, and saying, "Now I lay me down to sleep!" Faithful old Zip lost not a moment, but seized her skirts and dragged her to the bank, laying her on the ground as tenderly as her own mother could have done.
Now you see why it is that God had put it into Zip's loving heart to "want to come with his little sister." Abner, who arrived a few minutes later, in order to cut some young birches for his fence, said,-- "Wasn't it lucky, that that dog _happened_ to be right on the spot?
And lucky, too, that I _happened_ along in the nick of time, to carry the poor little girl home in my arms ?" But the truth is, in this world which our Heavenly Father watches over, nothing ever comes by chance, and events do not _happen_.
Abby shed many bitter tears, but they were not so much tears of sorrow for her sin, as of shame for being found out.

Such weeping does no good.
Indeed I am afraid it only hardened Abby's heart.
But the day ended gloriously for Dotty.

She was handed about to be kissed by everybody, and was, after all, allowed to sit up till nine o'clock, and actually ate a "bubbled cream," sitting as close as she could beside Colonel Allen's elbow..