Part 14 (2/2)
Completely spent, she lay there a moment resting.
”Don't give up!” she called to Mr. Eckenrod. ”I'll get back as fast as I can!”
The closest house was the artist's own cabin in the woods. Plunging through the big drifts, the girl pounded on the door.
Almost at once it was opened by a middle-aged woman with graying hair and alert, blue eyes. Seeing the girl's rumpled hair and snow-caked skiing suit, she immediately understood that something was wrong.
”You're Mrs. Eckenrod?” Penny gasped.
”Yes, I am. What has happened?”
”Your husband has had a bad fall and his leg may be broken! We'll need a rope and a sled.”
Mrs. Eckenrod won Penny's admiration by the cool manner with which she accepted the bad news. After the first quick intake of breath, she listened attentively as Penny told her what had happened.
”You'll find a long rope in the shed,” she directed.
”And a sled?”
”The only one we have is a very small one my grandchildren use when they come here to play. It will have to do. You'll find it in the shed too.
While you're getting the things, I'll telephone a doctor to come right out!”
”We'll need a man to help us!”
”No one lives within miles except those folks who moved into the monastery.”
”We'll get no help from there!” Penny said bitterly.
”I'll call Riverview for men!”
”We don't dare wait, Mrs. Eckenrod. Your husband is half frozen now.
We'll have to get him out ourselves somehow.”
”If we must, we can,” replied the woman quietly. ”I'll telephone the doctor and be with you in a moment.”
On her way to the shed, Penny looked hopefully across the darkening hills for a glimpse of the lone skier she had seen earlier in the afternoon. He was nowhere visible.
By the time Penny had found a rope and the sled, Mrs. Eckenrod joined her. The woman had put on a heavy coat, galoshes, and carried woolen blankets.
”How did the accident happen?” she asked, as they plodded through the drifts together.
Penny related the unfortunate argument involving the theft of firewood.
”Oh, dear! It's Vernon's dreadful temper again!” Mrs. Eckenrod exclaimed.
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