CHAPTER XXII
A STRUGGLE WITH THE WAVES
When Ed, Jack and Walter ran down the sandy beach, directly into thewater, and then attempted to rescue from the waves a lady and herdaughter, who were in the ocean-going auto, the girls were not afraidto follow them--to the extent of walking into the water knee deep.
The helpless woman was a cripple, and when she, with an exhaustingeffort, managed to turn to one side and fall over the rim of therunabout seat into the water, she dropped like a stone into the surf.The daughter jumped, but in her frantic efforts to reach her mother,she crawled under the car, and was in very great danger of being lostherself.
Suddenly the helpless form of the crippled woman rose to the surface.
Jack threw his arms about the invalid, and, after shouting for Walterto help him, as the force of the rollers threatened to take him offhis feet, the two young men managed to make their way safely to thesand with the unconscious form.
Meanwhile the anxious motor girls hastened to offer what assistancethey might be able to give.
"Lay her down here," said Cora, as her brother escaped from the furyof one great, dashing mountain of water, that broke into foam as itspread out over the sand.
"I think we will have to take her into the bungalow," he replied. "Butwhere is Ed? Look for Ed! He has not found the girl yet!"
And indeed neither Ed nor the girl could be seen!
Cora and Bess left Belle with Jack and Walter to attend to the woman,while they again stepped forward as far into the water as it seemedsafe to go.
"There is Ed!" shouted Cora, and without doing more than unclaspingthe leather belt that confined her waist, she struck out boldly towarda point considerably farther out than the spot where the stalled carstood in the water.
"Oh, you can't swim--that way, Cora!" called Bess. "Cora! Cora! comeback!"
But with arms over her head Cora plowed her way through the waves,stroke after stroke, until she was beside Ed, who was struggling tobeat back the rollers that fought for the very life of the girl he hadjust brought up from under the heavy blanket of smothering water.
"Mother! Mother!" wailed the girl. "Let me get--mother. Sheis--down--down there!"
"No--she is--safe!" gasped Cora. "Come! Let us help you--out!"
"Oh is--she safe! I--I am all right! I--can swim!"
"But you are too weak!" called Ed. "Let us help you!"
A shriek--and the girl again disappeared.
Ed went down after her, and while Cora kept in motion to sustainherself, Ed came up with the girl again in his arms.
"Take hold!" he gasped to Cora. "She is hurt and cannot swim."
Cora, with one well trained arm, conquered the waves, while with theother she helped support the form of the almost fainting girl, as Ed,swimming in the same way, and almost carrying the girl with his freearm, made for the shore.
Forgetting everything but the danger to her friends, Bess, too, raninto the waves to meet the swimmers.
"Go back!" shouted Ed. "If you lose your footing we can't help you."
Scarcely had he uttered the words than Bess stumbled and fell, headforemost, into the roller that was rushing up on the shore!
Fortunately the incoming water brought Bess in--fairly tumbling her outon the sand. The same power assisted Ed and Cora to land with thestrange young girl. Meanwhile Jack and Walter had made their way tothe bungalow, assisting the crippled woman.
"Oh!" shrieked Bess, scrambling to her feet. "Oh, I--am smothered!"
"So are we!" Cora managed to say. "Come, Bess. Help us revive theyoung lady."
"Oh I--am--all--right now----" murmured the girl. "Only let me--get tomother!"
A sorry looking sight indeed were the motor girls--all four of them,for the strange girl should be classed with Bess, Belle and Cora, asshe, too, owned a car and drove it. True she did allow it to getbeyond control, and, by a sudden wrong turn of the wheel, sent it inthe ocean. Still she was a motor girl for all her inexperience.
"Where are you hurt?" asked Ed, as they all stood for a moment on thebeach. The strange girl was working her shoulder with evident painfuleffort.
"I must have injured my neck or shoulder blade when I dove under themachine," she replied. "Something--is very stiff."
"Let us get up to the bungalow," suggested Cora, for the strange girlseemed like one dazed. "Your mother is there, and I hope by this timeshe has revived."
Even in their discomfiture our friends could not help noticing what apretty and pleasant mannered girl the stranger was. Every littlenicety of good breeding was perfectly evident in her gentle gratitudeto her rescuers, and in her earnest solicitation for her mother.
Ed led the way to the camp, while the girls followed. Belle met themat the door.
"How is she?" asked Cora, knowing how anxious was the girl about herinvalid mother.
"She is quite revived," replied Belle, "but she wants her daughter. Iam so glad you have come," hurried on Belle, without waiting for anyformality. "She seems greatly worried about--Beatrice."
"Oh, let me see her," exclaimed the girl. "Dear, little, darlingmamma," and before the others could show the way Beatrice (for suchwas her name) had the crippled form clasped lovingly in her arms.
What a strange sight in the musty little bungalow! Belle was the onlyperson who was not dripping wet--and the girls were so far from CloverCottage, and from an auto to take them there, that there was aprospect they might dry out before fresh garments could be secured.
Beatrice looked up from the face of the trembling woman. "I wonder ifwe can--use the car?" she ventured. "I must get mother back to thehotel."
"If we can get the machine out and the magneto is not short circuitedfrom the water," said Jack, "I don't see why you couldn't run it."
"There are the life guards," exclaimed Cora, who stood by the opendoor. "And they have a coil of rope."
"Good!" declared Jack. "We will have something to pull with, and someone to help us now. Come along, boys. Girls, you will find a basket ofprovisions some place. There may be, in it, something of use," andwith this he ran out to the beach where like two bronzed figures thelife guards stood regarding the auto in the ocean. It did not take theboys long to explain the situation, and to show what needed to be doneto haul out the ocean-going car. Fastening the heavy ropes about themachine the three boys and the two men pulled--pulled--and pulled!
At first the car would not budge. Then the soft sand, in which thetires were buried, slid away some, under the urgent pressure, andfinally, when the car once moved, all hands at the ropes gave aconcerted pull, and the machine rolled slowly, but more and moresurely, toward the edge of the shelving beach.
"Good!" exclaimed Ed. "Don't stop! Keep it up!"
It was heavy work, but at last the auto was clear of the water.
"There!" gasped Jack, almost breathless. "That's all to the gasolene!Now to look her over."
Half an hour of steady work and then Ed grasped the handle and startedto crank up. It was stiff at first but presently the familiarwhir-r-r-r--of the motor sounded, and Walter from the seat threw in theclutch with the lever set at low speed. The magneto was all right.
The little car swung out as gracefully as if it had "never tasted saltwater," as Jack put it.
The girls were eagerly watching every move.
How thankful they were, for the woman in the bungalow had need ofimmediate medical attention.
In less time than it would seem possible to accomplish so much, Jackand Ed lifted the light form of the sick woman into the car, and,while Beatrice supported her mother on the right, Jack took his placeat the wheel, and started off toward the hotel.
"We will send the auto back for you young ladies," called Beatrice."It won't take any time to get to the hotel."
The car once out of sight, Walter and Ed rushed into the bungalow,smashed a couple of dry boxes, and thrust them into the little stonefireplace, put a match to a bundle of paper, and then all four, whohad assisted in the rescue, stood before
the blaze, while steamsizzled up from the water that fell in puddles on the floor from thesoaked garments.
"We _did_ get it," remarked Ed. "I never swam before--this way."
"Is there anything wetter than wet clothes?" asked Cora.
"Oh, yes," replied Bess. "I think the wettest thing I have ever foundis the--bottom of the sea! Mercy, but I did think I was gone!"
"You were," replied Walter, swishing a few drops of the too plentifulwater in her eyes. "You were gone, but not forgotten, and you cameback like--the famous penny!"
"Oh, you can joke!" retorted Bess. "But I tell you I was almost washedout."
"Worse than the laundry," teased Ed. "Well, Bess, you look a lotbetter. I do believe you've gotten thin!"