The Girl From Seaforth Sands by Katie Flynn Read Free Book Online Page A

kecks an’ soaked right through to her miserable speckled skin,’ he shouted. ‘And she’s been a-swimmin’ in her bare skin just like us fellers does, only she can’t swim for toffee-nuts, bein’ a stupid, brainless girl , acourse.’
    The three boys were grinning but the eldest of them, who must be Philip Grimshaw, Amy supposed, suddenly stopped simling and said, ‘Oh, come on, Paddy, there’s no need to be rude, is there?’
    ‘I’s always rude to her,’ Paddy said airily. ‘She’s a tale-clat an’ a nuisance; she thinks she’s someone special. She’s rude to me so I’s rude to her.’
    ‘Fellers shouldn’t be rude to girls,’ the boy, Philip, pointed out. Not self-righteously, Amy thought, but rather as a matter of course. ‘And you can’t blame her for taking a swim on such a grand day. I wouldn’t mind a swim myself.’
    Amy, having struggled at last into her clothing, turned to face the boys. She glanced rather shyly up at Philip, thinking him handsome and much older than he looked, for she knew from Albert that he could not be more than fourteen or fifteen. He was a good deal taller than either of his companions, however, with crisp, taffy-brown hair and matching eyes, a firm chin and a mouth with a good deal of humour in its swift, curling smile. Accordingly, she gave him a quick grin, to show she appreciated his championship, then faced up to her old enemy. ‘I can swim then, Paddy Keagan, I taught myself just this minute, so I did! And I may be freckled, but I’m not clarted up with dirt like you are.’
    ‘Swim! All you did was flap like a stranded plaice an’ come in on a wave – I saw you wi’ me own eyes. Aw, you’re a great ole fool, Amy Logan, to think you can swim the first time you try.’
    If it had not been for Mary’s restraining hand, Amy would have hurled herself back in the water, clothes and all, just to prove to Paddy Keagan that she could indeed swim, but Mary hung grimly on to her and Amy realised that this was a good thing, since she knew, in her heart, that Paddy was right. She could not really swim at all; it was the sea which had been kind and lifted her up just for a moment. Had she been out of her depth, however, she suspected that she would have gone straight down into Davy Jones’s locker no matter how she might flail around.
    ‘Paddy, do leave off,’ Mary said, as she clung to Amy’s arm. ‘As for you, our Amy, just you ignore him. He’s out to annoy you, that’s all, and don’t yourise like a fish to a fly? I told you it was very wrong to go right into the water and now you know for why. Oh, and look up the beach, girl! There’s a heap of folk walking along the sand, so maybe our Albert and Paddy and their pal just about saved you from making a real cake of yourself.’ She turned to the boys. ‘Do you have a carry-out?’ she enquired. ‘If so, why don’t we all sit down and have it right now, and forget our differences? It’s a special holiday, after all, our mam won’t expect us back until this evening.’
    ‘I’ve gorra bit of food,’ Paddy said gruffly. He could never argue with Mary, Amy knew that very well. ‘And some water in a bottle. You’ve gorra stack of stuff, though, haven’t you, Albert?’
    ‘Same’s the girls, I guess,’ Albert said. ‘Phil?’
    ‘In the basket,’ Philip told him. ‘The housekeeper packed it so I don’t know what it is, but she said it’d stop me from starving until dinner time. Oh, and there’s a bottle of raspberry syrup. We can all share.’
    ‘Right,’ Albert said. ‘And no more snipin’ at the girls, Paddy, ’cos it makes for awkwardness. I’m goin’ to set up me fishin’ line first, though. We can watch it as we eat, the girls too. Good thing we came right up this end o’ the beach, the other end’s thick wi’ folk already.’
    It was true. Amy, glancing along the way they had come, could see family parties, groups of young people and children already industriously digging in