CHAPTER II
A STRANGE GIRL
Mollie was the first to recover herself. Her position at the steeringwheel had given her an advantage, in that she had something to hold to,and so was not tossed about as were her chums when the auto came to sucha sudden stop.
"Oh, dear!" Mollie exclaimed, ruefully. "Are any of you hurt?"
She gazed back at Grace and Amy, having assured herself by a look atBetty beside her that the latter bore at least no visible injuries.
"I bumped my elbow--on the funny bone," said Grace.
"This is far from being funny," went on Mollie, half hysterical now.
"Stop it!" commanded Betty, getting control of her nerves, and thentaking the situation in hand, as she so often did. "No one is hurt, andthe car doesn't appear to be damaged, unless the stopping of the motorindicates that."
"No, I shut it off," said Mollie. "Amy, how about you?"
"Oh, I'm all right. But what in the world happened?"
In concert they all looked back toward the big tree, which, to avoidhitting something that fell from it, Mollie had steered away from sosuddenly, and with such unexpected results.
"Why--why, it's a--girl!" gasped Betty, as she saw a huddled figurelying on the thick grass at the foot of the maple. "It's a girl,Mollie!"
"Oh, my, I hope we didn't hit her!" gasped Mollie. "I'm all in atremble. Betty--I'm--I'm going to----"
"Don't you dare say faint!" commanded Betty. "Come, we must see what isthe matter. Poor thing!"
"Oh, if--if we struck her!" gasped Mollie.
"I don't see how we could have," declared Amy. "You steered out tooquickly."
"Yes, she did steer out quickly, all right," asserted Grace, rubbing hertingling elbow. "Why, Amy, your forehead is all bruised!"
"Yes, my head hit the robe-rail I guess," said Amy. "But that isn'tanything. Oh, let's hurry to that poor girl."
Leaving the auto where it was, half-way through a patch of briars andbrambles, the four girls approached the quiet figure lying under thetree. They looked up and down the road in case help would be needed,but not a person or vehicle was in sight.
"Oh--oh! I'm--I'm afraid to--look," spoke Mollie, shrinking back, asBetty bent over the figure of the strange girl. The latter's eyes wereclosed, and her loosened hair was in a mass about her head--even tossedas it was the girls could see there was a wonderful wealth of it. Bettygently pushed aside the locks from the forehead, and, as she did so shestarted back. Then bravely repressing her feelings she said:
"It's a cut, but it doesn't seem to be very deep."
"Oh, the blood--the blood!" murmured Mollie, putting her hands beforeher eyes. "And--I--I did it!"
"Nonsense! Stop it!" cried Betty. "Perhaps you did not do it at all--itmay have happened in the fall."
"She is unconscious," said Grace.
"Yes, and we must get her to a doctor, or bring a doctor here as soon aspossible," spoke Betty. "I think we can get her to a doctor morequickly. Will your machine run, Mollie? Can you operate it?"
"Oh, it will run all right. Nothing is broken, I'm sure of that. ButI----"
"You've just _got_ to run it," declared Betty, firmly, "even if it onlycrawls. Now if we can find some water to bathe her head we can tell howbadly she is hurt. Girls, look for a spring. One of you bring me a laprobe."
Thus Betty issued her orders, and while the girls are preparing to lendaid to the injured stranger I will take a moment of your time--my newreaders--to explain briefly some facts about the characters of thisstory.
In the first book, entitled, "The Outdoor Girls of Deepdale; Or, Campingand Tramping for Fun and Health," I told how Mollie, Betty, Amy andGrace, four girls of Deepdale, a town in the heart of New York State,organized a little club for camping and tramping. They went on a tour ofabout two hundred miles, stopping at night with friends or relatives,and on that tramp they solved a queer mystery having to do with a fivehundred dollar bill--solved it very much to the satisfaction of acertain young man.
In the second volume, called "The Outdoor Girls at Rainbow Lake; Or, theStirring Cruise of the Motor Boat _Gem_," I related what good times thegirls had when Betty's uncle gave her a fine gasoline craft. Stirringtimes the girls had, too, when there was danger from a burning haybarge; and jolly times when they took part in races and went to dances.That Mollie's little sister Dodo was in distress because of a peculiaraccident, which involved Grace, and caused the loss of valuable papers,detracted somewhat from the happiness of the girls for a time.
But in the end a "ghost" led to the finding of the missing documents,and Dodo was cured, so that all came out right. Then had followed moredelightful times cruising and camping, and now, with the advent of fall,and Mollie's touring car, more glorious times were in prospect. Thegirls had not been long back from Rainbow Lake when Mollie received herauto.
I might mention that Betty Nelson was the daughter of a wealthy carpetmanufacturer, with a large plant near Deepdale, while Mollie Billettewas one of three children, her mother being a widow. Little Paul andDodo I have already mentioned. Grace--the "Gibson girl," as she wasoften called, had a peculiar longing for sweets, and not being stintedas to pocket money--her father being a wealthy lawyer--she indulged hertaste rather too much, so some of her friends thought.
There was a mystery about poor Amy Stonington, for the details of whichI must refer my readers to the first book. Sufficient to say that sincea baby she had been cared for by her uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. JohnStonington. Amy had lived in the West, and had been rescued from agreat flood when an infant. What became of her parents, or her brothersor sisters--if she had any--no one seemed able to say. In a way thismystery embittered Amy's life, but she was of too sweet and good adisposition to allow it to make a difference with her friends.
The four girls had been chums since grammar school days, being now HighSchool students. In addition to the "inseparables," as they were oftencalled, my former readers will recall Will Ford, the brother of Grace;his chum, Frank Haley, and another friend, Allen Washburn, now a younglawyer, with whom Betty--but there, why should I give away Betty'slittle secret?
Quite in contrast to these boys was Percy Falconer, a rather foppishlad, who greatly admired Betty--as who did not? But as for Percy--Bettydid not care for him in the least. She was too fine a character topermit herself to be really angry at him, but Betty and Percy nevercould get along well.
"Dear Deepdale," as the girls alliteratively referred to it, was acharming country town, nestling in a bend of the Argono River, which,some miles below the village, widened out into Rainbow Lake. It was onthis lake that the girls had cruised, and had such fun, and Betty'sboat was now docked in the new house constructed for it near Mollie'shome. The girls lived within short distance of one another, and werecontinually visiting, or calling back and forth. Where you found one youwould find the others, and their parents used to say they never knewwhen to expect their daughters home to meals--for they were like onefamily in respect to dining out.
And, as usual, this beautiful summer day found the girls together in theauto, when the accident had thrown them into such consternation.
"Did you find any water?" called Betty, who had made a pillow of the laprobe, and supported on it the head of the unconscious girl.
"Yes," answered Mollie, her hand trembling as she extended a collapsiblecup of the fluid she had dipped from a nearby spring, "I'll get morewhen she takes that."
"I'm afraid I can't get her to take much of it," said Betty. "But I canbathe the cut and see how large it is."
She tried to get a little water between the lips of the strange girl,while Amy and Grace held her head up; Mollie, with another cup providedby Betty, going off after more water.
"She took a little," whispered Grace.
The girl turned her head to one side as though to avoid drinking. Thenshe muttered a few words.
"What did she say?" asked Amy.
"I couldn't understand it," answered Betty.
Again the stranger murm
ured something, and this time the girls caught:
"No, no! I will not go back to him! Anything but the life I have beenleading. Oh, why must I do it? Why?"
There was pathetic pleading in the words.
"There, my dear, you will be taken care of," spoke Betty, soothingly."We will take you to your friends."
"I--I have none! Oh, I can't go back to--him!"
Her eyes did not open, and she appeared to be in a delirium.
"Poor thing!" said Amy, softly. "Bathe her head, Betty."
"Yes, I think that will be better than trying to force her to drink."Dipping her handkerchief in the water Betty wiped away the blood fromthe cut. It was seen to be a small one.
"That ought not to make her unconscious," said Betty. "More likely shehas some additional injury; possibly a blow on some other part of herhead. Girls, did you ever see such glorious hair!" Betty caressed it.Truly there was a mass of it, and it was of beautiful silkness andsoftness. It was still partly bound up, but the autoists could easilytell that it must reach almost to the ground when the girl stood up.
"What in the world could she have been doing up the tree?" asked Grace,as Mollie came back with more water.
"It is the oddest thing," agreed Betty, bathing the stranger's face andwrists.
"Are you sure we didn't hit her with the auto?" asked Mollie,tremblingly.
"I am almost sure you did not," spoke Betty, positively. "As she startedto fall you steered out. She just toppled to the ground. See, there isnot a mark of dust on her dress, as there would be if the tires hadstruck her."
"Yes, but perhaps the mud guard, or----"
"But her dress isn't torn or much disarranged. No, Mollie, the autonever struck her, of that I'm sure. But possibly she fell on her head,and the blow and shock stunned her. Oh, we must get her to a doctor!
"Come, girls," went on Betty, "we can lift her into the auto, I'm sure,and take her to the nearest house. Then we'll go for a physician."
"Try to arouse her, first," suggested Mollie. "I can't bear to seeher--this way."
Betty used more water, and succeeded in getting some between the palelips of the girl, but to no purpose. She was limp and half senseless,though she continued to moan and talk incoherently. Then the four girlspicked her up and carried her toward the stalled automobile.