CHAPTER VI
CORA'S QUEER PLIGHT
Springing to the back of one of the big field horses, Farmer Stevensresponded to the frantic summons of the auto horn, and started withthe pair up the hill to the assistance of Cora, and the righting ofher car, that almost swung between the narrow ledge of land, and thegreat gulf of mountainous space that lay just beneath the banked uphighway.
"Oh, I am so afraid that Cora is hurt," wailed Belle. "We can't seeher, and she must have been tossed over into the tonneau of the car."
"She was on the right hand forward seat," gasped Bess, as both girlsran along to the spot where the _Whirlwind_ was ditched, "but she mayhave sprung out to avoid being thrown down the gully."
Although Bess was but a short distance behind Cora when the latter'scar met with the mishap, it now seemed a long space of roadway thatlay between them. Of course Bess had to bring her car to a safe place,at the side of the thoroughfare, and Belle had to help some, so thatit had taken a minute or two to do this, before they could run toCora. In the meantime Mr. Stevens came along with his horses, andHope, signalled by the tooting of the horn of the _Flyaway_, hadcalled two of his hired men from the fields, so that the ditched autoand the danger to its driver met with ready assistance.
"Oh, if Cora should be----" Then Belle checked herself. She had anunfortunate habit of predicting trouble.
Mr. Stevens left his horses by the rail fence through which the_Whirlwind_ had passed without hesitation, and Bess was beside himjust as he reached the big car.
"Oh, where is she!" wailed the girl, unable longer to restrain herfears.
There was the car, partly overturned but seemingly not damaged.Neither within nor without was there a sign of Cora!
"She must have been thrown down the embankment," said the mananxiously. "She surely is not with the machine."
Bess now joined Belle and ran to the edge of the cliff. Almost afraidto look, they peered over the brink.
"Where can she be?" breathed Belle, her hands clasped nervously.
"Cora! Cora, dear!" called Bess. "Where are you?"
"Here!" came what seemed to be a very faint reply.
"Where?" shouted the girls, now making their way down, step by step,over the perilous cliffs.
Farmer Stevens knew every inch of that hill. He often had to rescuefrom its uncertainties either a sheep or a young cow. He also knewthat precisely where the machine was ditched, the hill shelved to aperfectly straight bank, so that instead of an incline the wall ofearth actually seemed to run under the surface.
"If she went over there," he told himself, "she never stoppeduntil--she landed."
"Oh, Cora!" called the girls again, "can't you tell us where you are?"
"Look out there, young ladies," cautioned Mr. Stevens, "or you may godown--double quick!"
Hope was scaling the rocks like a wild creature. The two hired menwere almost jumping from cliff to cliff making straight for the clumpof hemlock trees at the very edge of the stream, that, in its quietway, defied the great hill above it.
"Here she is!" called Hope. "Here in the--bed of hemlock!"
To Bess and Belle, not acquainted with the peculiarities of theflat-branched evergreen, finding Cora in "a bed of hemlock" was rathera startling discovery, but to Hope--what nest could have been safer!Cora had fallen over the cliff into the soft branches of a tree thatjutted out from the shelving earth.
"Are you hurt?" asked the girl from the farm, looking up into thebranch of the big green tree.
"I don't know--I don't think so, but I feel queer. I must get down,"Cora managed to say.
By this time the others had reached the spot. Bess and Belle werealmost hysterical lest Cora should lose her hold and again fall to amore dangerous landing. But the hired men stationed themselves underthe tree, and, with their strong arms netted beneath the giantevergreen, they waited for Mr. Stevens to give an order.
"All ready?" asked Mr. Stevens.
"Yes, sir," replied the men.
"Young lady, can you get free of the branches?" he called to Cora.
"I am directly over a great hole," she answered timidly, "and I amafraid I cannot hold on another minute."
"Then drop," said the farmer. "We will catch you. Don't be afraid. Youcan't escape the arms of Sam and Frank!"
"Oh, if she should go to the bottom," wailed Belle, covering her facewith her trembling hands and uttering sighs and sobs. Bess was morecourageous, but equally frightened.
Sam and Frank stood like human statues. Clasped hand to wrist, theirsunburned arms looked strong and secure.
Presently there was a fluttering in the leaves--a slide through thebranches and Cora dropped--down on the human net of arms, safe, andseemingly sound, but too weak to recover herself at once from thestrange position.
Gently as could a woman, these farm hands lowered their burden to thesoft bed of moss at their feet. Belle and Bess leaned over the quietform, while Hope hurried to the stream below for some water, which shequickly brought in the strong cup improvised from her stiffenedsunbonnet.
"This is spring water," she said. "Swallow a few mouthsfull."
Cora opened her lips and sipped from the strange cup. Then she turnedand tried to rise, growing stronger each instant, and determined to"pull herself together."
"Wasn't it silly?" she asked, finally.
"Wasn't it awful! Are you much hurt?" inquired Belle, fanning Corawith her motor hood.
"Not a bit--that I can tell," she answered. "That natural--hammock--was amiracle."
She attempted to rise, but fell back rather suddenly.
"I've got a twist somewhere," she said. "I think my shoulder issprained."
Without waiting to be asked to do so Frank, the younger of the farmhands, put his arm about Cora's waist, and brought her to her feet.
"Oh, thank you," she stammered rather shyly. "I am sure you havehelped me wonderfully. I don't know how to thank you--all."
"You can stand, eh?" asked Mr. Stevens, satisfaction showing in hisvoice, and ruddy face.
"I suppose you feel--that I should have taken your offer for thehorses?" she remarked with confusion.
"Well, there is always a first time," he replied, "but since you areno worse off you must not complain. Guess the boys had better lift youto the road. Then we will see if you can run your car."
Again, in that straightforward way, peculiar to those who know whenthey're right and then go ahead, the "boys" simply picked Cora up, sheputting her arms over their shoulders, and while the three other girlswended their way over the cliff, Cora was carried safely back to thespot where still lay the helpless _Whirlwind_.