Part 2 (1/2)
CHAPTER II
WHAT CAME OF A COLD PLUNGE
Five girls and their guardian struggled free from the sinking motor car and began paddling for the surface. All knowing how to swim, they instinctively held their breath when they felt the water closing over them. Fortunately for the Meadow-Brook Girls, the top had been removed from the car, else all would have been drowned before they could have extricated themselves. Jane had the most difficulty in getting out.
She was held to her seat by the steering wheel for a few seconds, but not so much as a thought of fear entered her mind. Crazy Jane went to work methodically to free herself, which she succeeded in doing a few seconds after her companions had reached the surface.
”Thave me, oh, thave me!” wailed Tommy Thompson chokingly.
There followed a great splas.h.i.+ng, accompanied by shouts and choking coughs. About this time Jane McCarthy's head appeared above the water.
She took a long, gasping breath, then called out:
”Here we are, darlin's! Is anybody wet?”
”Girls, are you all here?” cried Miss Elting anxiously. ”Call your names.”
They did so, and there was relief in every heart when it was found that not a girl was missing. But they had yet to learn how they happened to be in the water. The latter was cold as ice, it seemed to them, and their desire now was to get to sh.o.r.e as quickly as possible.
Which way the sh.o.r.e lay they did not know, but from the looks of the sky-line it was apparent that they would not be obliged to go far in either direction to find a landing place.
”Follow me, girls,” directed the guardian. ”We will get out of here and talk about our disaster afterward. Harriet, please bring up the rear. Be sure that no one is left behind.”
The splas.h.i.+ng ceased, each girl starting forward with her own particular stroke: Tommy swimming frog-fas.h.i.+on, Margery blowing, puffing, and groaning, paddling like a four-footed animal.
”Oh, help!” she moaned.
”I'm glad I'm not tho fat ath you are,” observed Tommy to the puffing Margery.
”That will do, Tommy! Buster is quite as well able to take care of herself as are you. I've touched bottom! Here we are, girls. Oh, I am so glad!”
”Where ith it? I can't thee the bottom.”
”Stop swimming, and you'll feel it,” suggested Jane, who, having reached the sh.o.r.e, waded out of the water and ran, laughing, up the bank. ”My stars, what a mess!”
One by one the others emerged from the cold water and stood s.h.i.+vering on the beach.
”Wring out your clothes,” directed Miss Elting. This, some of them were already doing. Margery sat down helplessly. Harriet a.s.sisted her to her feet.
”You mustn't do that. You surely will catch cold. Keep moving, dear,”
ordered Harriet.
”I can't. My clothes weigh a ton,” protested Margery.
”Buthter thinkth it ith her clotheth that are heavy,” jeered Tommy.
”It ithn't your clotheth, Buthter; it'th you.”
”Make her stop, Miss Elting. Don't you think I am suffering enough, without Tommy making me feel any worse?”
”Yes, I do. Tommy, will you please stop annoying Margery?”