Oh, dear! Oh dear me! What shall I do? What shall I do?" and the unfortunate girl burst into hysterical weeping--
"I"ll run and get a wagon--or a carriage--or something," Tavia said nervously, for she was very much frightened at Sarah"s condition.
"They never could drive in this rough place," Dorothy sighed. "Listen!
There is Joe. Call him. He will help us."
In a moment Joe Dale was beside his sister.
"Why, a man must carry her, of course," he declared promptly, "I just met Ralph Willoby--"
A shrill whistle from Joe, followed by his calling loudly the young man"s name, soon brought Ralph to the scene.
"Oh, I am so glad it is you!" said Dorothy. "You will know just what to do, and we--don"t want--a crowd."
By this time Sarah showed signs of fainting; her breath came in gasps and her face was very white.
"Run over to the spring Joe, and fetch a cup of water," Ralph commanded. "Now, Miss Ford, you must put your head down flat on the gra.s.s--this way. There, that"s it. Now try to straighten out so that you can breathe better."
But every move that the suffering girl tried to make caused her such pain that Dorothy fell upon her knees and tried to fan a breath into her white face, to prevent her, if possible, from becoming unconscious.
"Here"s Joe, with the water," exclaimed Tavia, running to meet the boy, and hurrying back with the cool liquid.
Ralph pressed the drink to Sarah"s lips, while Dorothy waited to bathe the pale face with what water might remain in the cup.
"Oh!" sighed Sarah. "I feel--better. I thought I was going to die."
"You were faint," Ralph exclaimed. "Do you think you can sit up now?"
Not waiting for a reply, the young man slipped his hand under the girl"s shoulders, and the next minute he had her in his arms.
It was a sad little procession that followed him. Dorothy almost in tears; Tavia with eyes already overflowing, while Joe kept very close to Ralph, ready to offer any a.s.sistance in carrying Sarah to her home.
But Ralph was well able to manage his burden, for the girl was not heavy, and she helped herself some by keeping her arms clasped about his neck. Fortunately the Ford home was not far away.
"There"s Mr. Ford," whispered Joe to Tavia, as they reached the gate, and at that moment the man on the porch raised his head from his paper, and saw them coming.
Mr. Ford seemed dazed--he did not stir for a moment but sat there staring wildly at the group now coming up the path.
"Sarah has hurt her ankle," Joe hurried to say, and as his voice roused the man from his frightened att.i.tude, he sprang up and reached to take his daughter from the young man"s arms.
"I had better put her on a couch," objected Ralph, "Her ankle seems quite painful."
"What has happened?" asked the father opening the door of the sitting room and making ready the couch under the window.
"The girls did it," gasped Sarah, "that girl there, Tavia Travers!"
"You!" exclaimed the man, making a threatening move towards the accused girl.
"It was an accident," interposed Dorothy, "we do not know how it happened; we found her under a tree in the orchard."
"They do know," persisted the injured girl "They sent me up so high!--oh, get a doctor, quick!"
Ralph had now placed Sarah on the couch, and "while Mr. Ford hurried to call his wife, Ralph and Joe hastened off for Dr. Gray, leaving the three girls together.
"Tell us about it," Dorothy pleaded, not wanting to leave Sarah until she had obtained some idea of how the accident had occurred.
"I"ll tell Squire Sanders," answered the girl on the couch, "and then you will be arrested, every one of you who--who tried to kill me!"
"Come!" whispered Tavia to Dorothy as Mrs. Ford appeared. "It only makes matters worse for us to be here."
Then as the mother fell weeping by the couch Tavia and Dorothy left the room.
CHAPTER VIII
SQUIRE SANDERS AT SCHOOL
Dorothy had always been able to influence Tavia, and to show her that to do right would be best in the end, although the doing of it might, at the time, seem very hard, and very unreasonable; but all her efforts now to induce her friend to go with her to school that afternoon and make the necessary explanation to Miss Ellis, were without avail--Tavia absolutely refused to go.
"No matter what comes of it," Dorothy told herself, as she walked sadly along the path, through the lane back to the schoolyard alone, "I"ll stand by Tavia. She meant no harm, and was no more to blame than any one else. But I do wish, she had come this afternoon. It looks as if she were afraid or guilty, to run away from it all."
[Ill.u.s.tration: "WELL, THIS MATTER MUST BE FULLY INVESTIGATED," DECLARED THE SQUIRE]
The fact that Miles Burlock had not appeared at the Dale home that morning, according to promise was of little interest to Dorothy now.
Something might have happened to him. Of course, he certainly seemed determined to settle the business at once, but Dorothy"s head and heart were too full of her school friends" troubles to give much thought to the Burlock matter. Major Dale had appeared concerned about it however, and had questioned Dorothy as to whether any one had mentioned to her, at school or on her way there, the fact that the strange man, likely Andrew Anderson, had been seen again in Dalton.
"Be very careful to go around by the road," her father had cautioned her on leaving, "and come directly home from school as I will be anxious," he said, when he kissed her good-bye.
But Dorothy reached school safely, and was soon surrounded by a crowd of curious, and not too thoughtful girls, whose incessant questions added much to her nervous condition. Sharp pains shot through her head, for the excitement of the day had caused the ache of early morning to become a bad attack of neuralgia.
"Please do not bother me so," she pleaded, as the girls plied question after question.
They had heard, of course, of the accident, but how it had happened, and what had become of Tavia, whether she run away or been arrested--these and many similar queries kept the excited scholars buzzing about Dorothy like bees about a hive.
"I do not know how it happened," she insisted, "I wish I did. We found her under the tree, and helped her home. That is all I know about it."
The cla.s.s took its place. Miss Ellis began to speak but was surprised at that moment to see old Squire Sanders enter the room.
"Oh, oh, he"s after Tavia!" whispered May Egner to Dorothy. "I"m glad she is not here."
"Take your seats, young ladies," Miss Ellis directed the cla.s.s, and then the squire a.s.suming his business att.i.tude, that of holding his black-thorn cane well out in front of his left foot, which member in turn was in advance of its mate, and planting the cane down firmly twice, he began:
"I"ve come here to investigate a complaint" and he rapped his stick noisily on the floor. "Where"s the girl who threw Sarah Ford from the swing, and broke her ankle?"
"Why," stammered Miss Ellis, "I have not heard of any such occurrence.
Does any young lady here know anything of it?"