Part 17 (1/2)

”All right,” Roy answered; ”ht? How about you, Blythey?”

Blythe did not answer He seeave the impression of a taut rope A heavy timber which they lifted from across his back, where it had lain like a seesaw, must have all but broken his spine A rusted nail in it had torn his poor, shabby coat almost in twain, and there was blood on the flannel shi+rt beneath it Blood was flowing freely fro down from his neck like water off a roof

They turned back his coat collar to see if therethe the na store in Quebec It shocked the scouts to see that in the very moment of their friend's supreht? Speak? Stand up, can't you?”

He neither moved nor spoke He seemed transfors lay a heavy timber, which had cut his trousers and which s when it fell As they lifted it blood trickled away They noticed that he moved both feet spasmodically as if they had been asleep There could have been no circulation there, for the tireat tourniquet

He remained immovable, silent, until the scouts had released Roy's foot and helped him out from under that human roof That roof, at least, had not collapsed Bruised and bleeding as Blythe was, he remained in his attitude of Herculean resistance as if he had died and become petrified there

Then he spoke, his voice weak but tense, ”Is he all right?”

”Yes, I'ht,” said Roy; ”how about you?”

Blythe did not answer He drew himself to his feet, reeled, clutched at Westy who stood nearest, and fell to the ground insensible

Just at thatindicated it to one or two others It was a trifling coincidence and held his glance and thought for but a second On an end of fallen beae sat a robin with head cocked sideatching the stricken, unconscious hero

It seeht in that minute of his heroic abandonment, his coentleness

CHAPTER XXVI

MR FERRETT'S TRIUMPH

Roy's injury was but a strained ankle For a moment he seemed dazed and unable to realize what had happened That the whole collapsed roof had been held above him by superhuman effort of Blythe only dawned on hi, unconscious fore, Doc Carson kneeling by hi silently about It did occur to Roy, as odd thoughts do come in tense moments, how pleased and content Blythe would be could he but know that ”Doctor Cawson” was in attendance His faith in scout first aid was so great, so flattering

They made sure that his back was not broken and that his heart action was not dangerously weak Doc bathed the streaked hair and sterilized the cut which he thought was not necessarily et a doctor,” he said He seemed the calmest one present ”Hustle to Duet to a 'phone

If you can find a doctor send hieboro; call up the hospital and tell the but Artie Van Arlen pulled hio”

”If it's a hospital eency call, the police will coet to a 'phone, that's all I care about And hustle”

Before he had finished speaking Artie was gone Several of the with steady, easy speed down the smooth white road The patter of his shoes sounded farther and farther off until the sound died altogether, and the hurrying figure grew s down the scale from patrol leader to tenderfoot

They saw his hat blow off and that he did not pause to recover it Then he passed between the old gateposts where the sentinels had once stood, and disappeared in a turn of the road There were houses a little beyond that point

Under Doc's direction the scouts worked three boards under Blythe's own balsaot hi shack, out of the glaring sunlight

There, in Blythe's Bunk, the only hoently down and at Doc's request those ere not needed went out The victihastly pale and with a look of being polished caused perhaps by the water which Doc Carson kept applying