Part 15 (1/2)

”I have found a clew!” she cried triumphantly a moment later, as she returned and held up her hand. Between her thumb and forefinger was a bit of red, which she was waving gleefully as she came towards them. As the Sport and Mrs. Morrow hurried to her side they saw a loop of red ribbon still with the knot in it by which it had evidently been recently tied to some object.

”It is Rosy's hair-ribbon!” cried Nathalie. ”I found it clinging to one of the ferns.”

”Oh, are you sure?” burst from Mrs. Morrow, her eyes eager with hope as she bent over the little scarlet knot.

”Indeed I am sure,” answered the delighted girl, ”for it is the very ribbon I found in my work basket and tied on Rosy's funny little topknot the day she was at our house. See, here is the very cut in the edge-that is the reason it was of no use to me-but Rosy was as happy as a lark over it. Oh, isn't this too lovely, for now I know the child is somewhere near!”

With renewed hope they set forth again on the hunt, Nathalie running ahead and calling ”Tru-al-lee!” as loud as she could-it was the only bird call she knew-to get in touch with the advance guard and tell them the good news.

In answer to her Blue Robin call, in a few moments a Bob White whistle was heard, rather faint, but there was no mistake as to that quick, clear note. The Sport, a few yards behind, immediately responded by giving a similar call, and then as they stood waiting to ascertain from what direction the whistle had come, there sounded a sudden, sharp snap of the underbrush near, and Kitty Corwin's face emerged into view.

”Hurrah, girls!” she shouted jubilantly, ”we have found her!”

”Oh, where? Where?” came in an instant from three throats as Kitty leaned against a tree and panted.

”Down in a ravine, huddled close against a rock, asleep. Helen did not want to waken her until Nathalie came, for fear she would be frightened at the strange faces. Come on, quick!” she exclaimed excitedly, turning and darting back the way she had come with light, fleet steps.

But the belated ones needed no urging, especially Nathalie, who dashed ahead without regard to time or place, with a haste that left no doubt as to her joy that her searching party had been a success. Overhanging branches and dried twigs that blocked her way were ruthlessly brushed aside, or run against, scratching and bruising her unmercifully as she discovered later, but it made no difference to the happy girl.

It seemed but a moment when she emerged into a clearing, and close at the heels of Kitty climbed down into a small ravine. It had evidently been at one time the road-bed of a brook, but was now filled with scraggy stones, dried underbrush, and fallen logs.

As Nathalie saw the little motionless figure cuddled in a heap against the rock, her heart leaped with misgiving. ”Oh, is she dead?” she asked Helen, who stood guard by the side of the rock, every now and then brus.h.i.+ng away a gnat or a fly that descended with a loud buzz on the smeared black face, which lay partly exposed to view as it rested on a mite of an arm.

”Oh, no,” a.s.sured Helen, ”she is all right, only asleep. I suppose she wandered about for some time in the darkness and was tired out, poor little tot!”

The little one looked so pathetically small as she lay there, just a heap of bones, black skin, and woolly hair, with the tears still glistening on the black lashes, that Nathalie's heart was stirred with pity.

Mrs. Morrow now came forward and quickly felt her pulse, crying as she did so, ”Oh, you poor little black baby! Yes, she is all right!” she nodded a.s.suringly, ”but Helen, what is the matter with her leg?” Her sharp glance noted that it lay rather limply on the ground.

”I am not sure,” said Helen with bent brows as she touched it softly, ”but I am afraid it is broken. That is why I waited for you and Nathalie, I did not like to move her for fear of hurting her.”

”But we shall have to,” returned Mrs. Morrow as she finished examining the injured limb, ”for it is broken, and we must get her home as soon as possible, for it will have to be set.”

As Helen and Mrs. Morrow attempted to take hold of the child to lift her on the stretcher the girls had made, she opened her eyes wide into the strange faces bending over her. Then she closed them quickly, and as the little black face wrinkled in fear she let forth such a howl of absolute despair that the girls were all on the verge of joining with her in their keen sympathy.

”Oh, Rosy,” cried Nathalie springing hastily forward and taking the child's hand softly in hers, ”see, it is Mrs. Page's little girl. Don't you remember when you called me that-Mrs. Page's little girl?” She repeated softly as she saw the child had stopped her crying and was staring up at her. But the black eyes closed again and the little form s.h.i.+vered as a prolonged howl answered the questioner.

But Nathalie, who loved children, lifted up the little head with its pigtails and laid it against her breast as she tried again. ”There dearie, don't you want to go in the choo-choo cars to see Mamma?”

These words had the desired effect, and the howl was arrested as two big black eyes stared with awakening interest while Nathalie caught hold of the stretcher and choo-chooed it back and forth. ”Come, Rosy!” she cried in a third attempt, ”and we will go in the choo-choo cars to see Mamma, and-oh, yes, the little rag-dollie I made for you, don't you remember what a lovely time we had?”

The black eyes opened wide, stood still for a wee second, and then twinkled into a smile as their owner cried, ”Oh, yes, I knows youse; youse de Story Lady!”

”Yes, I'm the Story Lady,” quickly answered Nathalie, her face breaking into a smile; then as Rosy smiled back, ”but how did you get here, Rosebud, so far away from home?”

The little face screwed into a knot as she whimpered, ”Oh, I got lost, Story Lady. I picked daisies in de lot, and den Jacob he showed me de blue flowers he got in de wood. So I runned to de wood, and oh, I got a lot!” Her eyes gleamed with joy as she held up a few withered violets still clutched in her tiny hand. ”And den it grew all dark,” she moaned, ”and I couldn't fin' de road, and I fell and hurt my leg. Oh, I'se so hungry!” she ended piteously.

But when she saw so many eyes watching her, she covered her tiny face with her hand, shyly peeping out from between her fingers.

The girls all laughed merrily at her coquettishness, but their laughter became almost a howl as the little black eyes began to play peek-a-boo at them, and then danced in unison with their laughter, as if enjoying the sensation she had created.