CHAPTER VIII--"FOR WE ARE JOLLY GOOD FELLOWS!"
"Suppose I should be arrested!" thought Barbara uncomfortably. "It wouldbe distinctly unpleasant to be hauled off to jail, while Aunt Sallie andthe girls remain stuck in the mud, not knowing my fate, and helpless tosave me! I may meet old Dobbin's owner at any minute!"
It was after six o'clock, and, because of the heavy storm, was almostdusk. Barbara had decided to go to the end of the lane and find the mainroad to New Haven, hoping to sooner discover help in that direction.
Before long she came to a fork in the road. By riding close to thesign-post she found a hand pointing: "Nine Miles to New Haven." On shesped through the mud and rain, slipping and sliding on the horse's back,but still holding tight to his mane.
"Stop! Hello, there! Why, Mirandy, if that ain't my own hoss, and thatgirl astride it running off as fast as she can! Hello! Stop!" The farmerlashed the horse hitched to his rickety old buggy, and dashed afterBarbara, who had ridden past without noticing them. "Stop, thief!"
Down to her wet toes sank Barbara's heart. The worst she had feared hadhappened. If only she had seen their buggy in time to stop first and asktheir help. Now, rushing by them, how could she explain? Horse thief,indeed.
"Oh, please," she said, her voice not quite steady, "I am not exactlyrunning away with your horse; I am only going for help! My friends----"
The farmer grabbed the horse savagely by the mane. "Come on," he said."You can tell your story at the nearest police station. I ain't got timefer sech foolishness. What I see, I see with my own eyes. You're plainrunning away with my hoss!"
"John," pleaded the farmer's wife, "you might listen to the young lady."
But Barbara's looks were against her. The rain had beaten her hair downover her eyes. Her clothes were wet and covered with mud from trying tohelp Ruth. What could she do? Barbara was frightened, but she kept acool head. "I'll just let the old man haul me before the nearestmagistrate. I expect _he'll_ listen to me!" She was shivering, but sheknew that to think bravely helped to keep up one's courage. "If only itwere not so awful for Aunt Sallie and the girls to be waiting there, Icould stand my part," murmured Bab.
For fifteen minutes captors and girl jogged on. Only the old man talked,savagely, under his breath. He wanted to get home to his farmhouse andsupper, but this made him only the more determined to punish Barbara.
"I suppose we'll take all night to get to town at this rate," shethought miserably.
For we are jolly good fellows, For we are jolly good fellows!
Barbara could hear the ring of the gay song and the distant whirr of amotor car coming down the road. If only she could attract someone'sattention and make them listen to her! She could now see the lights ofthe automobile bearing down upon them.
Like a flash, before the farmer could guess what she was doing, Barbarawhirled around on old Dobbin's back, and sat backwards. She put one handto her lips. "Oh, stop! Stop, please!" she cried, looking like a gypsy,with her rain-blown hair and brown cheeks, which were crimson withblushes at her awkward position.
On account of the rain, and the oncoming darkness, the car was goingslowly. At the end of one of the choruses the song stopped half asecond. One of the young fellows in the car caught sight of Barbara,evidently being dragged along by the irate farmer and his wife.
"Hark! Stop! Look! Listen! Methinks, I see a female in distress," theyoung man called out.
The car stopped almost beside the buggy, and one of the boys in the carroared with laughter at Barbara's appearance, but the friend nearest himgave a warning prod.
"Hold on there!" called the first young man. "Where are you draggingthis young lady against her will?"
"She's a hoss thief!" said the old man sullenly.
"I am no such thing," answered Barbara indignantly. Then, without anywarning, Barbara threw back her head and laughed until the tears randown her cheeks, mingling with the rain. It was absurdly funny, shesitting backwards on an old horse, one hand in his mane, and the farmerpulling them along with a rope. What must she look like to these boys?Barbara saw they were gentlemen, and knew she had nothing more to fear.
"Do please listen, while I tell my story. I am not a horse thief! I'vesome friends up the road, stuck in the mud with a broken tire in theirautomobile. I saw this old horse in the farm-yard, and I borrowed orrented him, and started for help. The old man wouldn't let me explain.Won't you," she looked appealingly at the four boys in their motor car,"please go back and help my friends?"
"Every man of us!" uttered one of the young fellows, springing up in hiscar. "And we'll drag this old tartar behind us with his own rope! We'llbuy your old horse from you, if this young lady wants him as asouvenir."
It was the farmer's turn to be frightened.
"I am sure I beg your pardon, miss," he said, humbly enough now. Hiswife was in tears.
"Oh, never mind him," urged Barbara. "Please go on back as fast as youcan to my friends. You'll find them up the lane to the left. I'll ridethe old horse back to the farm, and settle things and join you later."
"Excuse me, Miss Paul Revere," disputed a tall, dark boy with a pair oflaughing blue eyes that made him oddly handsome, "you'll do no suchthing. Kindly turn over that fiery steed to me, take my seat in the carand show these knights-errant the way to the ladies in distress. I wantto prove to you that a fellow can ride bareback as well as a girl can."
But the farmer was anxious to get out of trouble.
"I'll just lead the hoss back myself," he said. "No charge at all,miss." Evidently afraid of trouble, the farmer made a hurried starthomeward, and was soon lost to view, while Barbara rode back to herfriends with help.
In ten minutes two motor cars were making their way into New Haven. Thepassengers had changed places. Ruth sat contentedly with her handsfolded in her lap, by the side of a masculine chauffeur, who hadintroduced himself as Hugh Post, and turned out to be the roommate, atcollege, of Mrs. Cartwright's brother, Donald. Barbara, wrapped insteamer rugs, sat beside the boy with the dark hair and blue eyes, whomMiss Sallie had recognized as Ralph Ewing, son of the friends with whomthey expected to board at Newport.
It was arranged that Barbara and Ruth were to sleep together the firstnight at New Haven. The truth was, they wanted to talk things over, andthere were no connecting doors between the three rooms. The hotel was anold one, and the rooms were big and dreary. They were connected by anarrow private hall, opening into the main hall by a single door, justopposite Ruth's and Barbara's room. The automobile girls were in adistant wing of the hotel, but the accommodations were the best thatcould be found.
Miss Sallie bade their rescuers a prompt farewell on arrival at thehotel. "We shall be delighted to see you again in the morning," shesaid, "but we are too used up for anything more to-night."
Barbara was promptly put to bed. She was not even allowed to go down tosupper with the other girls, but lay snuggled in heavy covers, eatingfrom a tray by her bed. Once or twice she thought she heard lightfootfalls outside in the main hall, but she had noticed a window thatopened on a fire escape, and supposed that one of the hotel guests hadwalked down the corridor to look out of this window.
In a short time Ruth came back and reported that the automobile girls,including Miss Sallie, were ready for bed.
"I am not a bit sleepy. Are you?" Ruth asked Barbara. "I will just jumpin here with you, so we can talk better. We've certainly had enoughadventures for one day!"
"Oh, no!" replied Barbara; "I feel quite wide awake." Five minutes laterboth girls were fast asleep.