Part 12 (1/2)
CHAPTER XII
THE GIRL IN THE DITCH
When all the machines had been stopped there was a wild rush to the rescue--Bess and Belle with Gertrude hurrying back to where Daisy and Maud had been left, while Cora, Ray and Hazel ran forward to the side of the strange runabout. The boys divided themselves--some going in each direction.
Presently Cora shouted
”Jack! Jack! Hurry! It's Clip! And she is unconscious!”
Jack was not far away, and at his sister's call he hurried to her. Ray had taken Cecilia's head in her lap, while Cora was trying to lift the unconscious girl from her bent-up posture in the narrow, roadside, gra.s.s-grown ditch.
”Oh, the poor dear!” sighed Cora. ”To think that our sport should have--”
Cecilia was opening her eyes.
”Clip! Clip, dear!” whispered Cora. ”Try to--wake up!”
Cecilia did try--she put her hand to her dazed eyes.
”Here! Let me lift her,” commanded Jack, slipping down on the other side into the deep gra.s.s and without any apparent effort lifting Cecilia up. With one long step he reached the road. Then for a moment he seemed uncertain--should he lay the girl down, or carry her to a machine?
”Oh, I can stand,” she said faintly. ”I am much better now.
What--happened?”
”You happened,” answered Jack, so dismissing the question. ”Just keep still, and we will have you around directly. This is where you beat the motor girls.” He was now helping her to her feet. ”You may ride back with the motor boys.”
”Are you better?” asked Ray anxiously, stroking Cecilia's white hand, which had been divested of its glove. ”Wasn't it dreadful?”
”Very,” sighed Cecilia. ”And my poor little machine! Jack, how can I ever--”
”You can never,” he insisted with a wink. ”I never saw such a rambunctious ram. Didn't he ramify, though?”
”What in the world was it?” asked Cecilia. She was sitting on the gra.s.s and seemed almost prepared to laugh. ”I thought I must be seeing things. Then I--”
”Felt things,” said Jack. ”That's the regular course of the disease.
Here come the others. h.e.l.lo, Daisy has the veil tied up, and Maud is limping.”
”What happened to them?” asked Cecilia.
”Same thing that happened to you,” replied Jack. ”The ram. That was the most happening thing I have seen in some time.”
Maud was limping, and had Ed's arm. Daisy kept her hand to her face, and she clung to Walter. Hazel flashed a meaning look to Cora. The girls might not be very badly injured, but they needed help--that sort of help.
”Well!” exclaimed Cora. ”You look as if something did happen.”
”Oh, I'm all scratched,” fluttered Daisy. ”That is, my face feels like a grater.” She took her handkerchief from the abused face. A few harmless scratches were discernible.
”Not so bad,” said Jack. ”Just the correct lines, I believe, for--let me see--intellectuality.”