Part 23 (1/2)
”We agree with you perfectly, Miss Carter, and will say nothing at all in regard to the accident,” the spinsters a.s.sured her, and they looked so kind and sensible that Helen's heart was warmed to them and she wondered that she had not noticed before what very intelligent, good faces both of them had.
”All right,” said Dr. Wright, ”it is perfectly ethical for a physician to keep his patient's malady to himself. Miss Helen Carter is suffering from an injury to her ankle. If the inquisitive choose to make of it a sprain it is their own affair. Now, Lewis, how shall we manage? It will be pretty awkward for us to make a basket of our hands going up this cliff,” and with that he stooped and picked Helen up in his arms, and with no more exertion than if she had been Bobby, he made his way up the mountain.
”Would it hurt me to walk? I can't bear to be so much trouble.”
”It is best to keep very quiet. I am pretty sure there is going to be no trouble, but I must have you behave just exactly as though there was.”
”Lewis, you get Douglas off by herself and let her know what it was, but wait until we are back in camp. Tell her so she won't be scared, and let her know it is all right before you let her know what it is.”
”I believe the rattlesnake is called crotalus horridus,” said one of the wise ladies.
Dr. Wright wished she would stop talking about snakes and especially rattlers, as he wanted to get Helen's mind off the terrifying occurrence.
”We are not sure this was a rattlesnake,” he said.
”I think it was,” she whispered to him. ”I remember as I jumped I heard something that sounded like dry leaves.” Did the young man hold her closer to him or was it just a fancy on her part?
”It knocks me all up to think about it,” he muttered. ”I am glad, so glad I followed you.”
”I am, too!”
A wave of crimson flooded the young man's face. He didn't know why, but his blood was singing in his veins and his breath came quickly. If it had not been for the presence of the respectable spinsters, he was sure he would have had to kiss that piquant face so close to his.
”Come on, Doc, my time now to take up the white man's burden. Helen is no featherweight and you are red in the face and panting from carrying her this far.”
”Not a bit of it!” and Dr. Wright held on to his burden while Lewis endeavored to relieve him.
”Well, let's cut the baby in two, like my Aunt's favorite character in history.”
”If I give up, it will be for the same reason the woman in the Bible did,” laughed Dr. Wright. ”You remember it was the woman who had the right who gave up?”
The spinsters were still talking about the habits and customs of the horridus crotalus.
”They know so much and keep piling on so much more, I fancy if they didn't give out some of their learning, they would bust,” whispered Lewis, as he grasped his cousin in a bear hug and started to finish the journey to the temporary camp.
”Do you remember a limerick, I think Oliver Hereford's?” asked Helen:
”'There was once a h.o.m.o teetotalus Who stepped on a horridus crotalus, ”Hic!” clavit in pain, ”I've got 'em again!”
Ejacit this h.o.m.o teetotalus.'”
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE DIAGNOSIS.
There was a great outcry from the party when Helen appeared in the arms of Lewis with an ostentatious bandage on her ankle, so that the verdict of a sprain was established without the attending physician's having to perjure himself with a false diagnosis.
Helen was looking very pale and tired, and thankful indeed was she for the bony back of Josephus, that was destined to bear her home. She and Bobby both found room on the patient old mule, who started off with his usual bird-like spirit, seemingly proud of his fair burden.
”I am afraid we are too much for Josephus,” Helen said to Josh.