JACK IS LOST
"How many sheep have you?" asked Cora.
"Well, there's just a hundred and ten, miss. I had a hundred and 'leven,
but one died on me," the man explained.
"What is this--a class in arithmetic?" inquired Jack, who had left his
car and come up to where his sister sat in hers.
"Now, Jack--please----" she said.
"And how much farther does this road go before----"
"The road doesn't go--it stays right here!" chuckled her brother.
"Stop it!" she commanded in such a tone that he knew she meant it.
"How far before there is a cross-road into which you could turn your
sheep?" went on Cora, fixing the man with what Jack said afterward was
"a cold and fishy glance."
"A matter of four mile, miss."
"I thought so. Then we'd have to tag along behind you all that distance,
losing time, and----"
"To say nothing of swallowing all that dust!" exclaimed Belle, pointing
to a cloud of it that hung over the flock of sheep, which the dogs were
skillfully herding. "Oh, it's awful!"
"That's why I've thought of a way out," spoke Cora.
"Then _out_ with it, Sis!" exclaimed the irrepressible Jack. Once more his
sister turned her attention to him--this time it was only a look, but it
sufficed.
"Do you see that field over there?" asked Cora of the sheep man, pointing
to one rich and luxuriant in deep, green grass.
"Yes, miss, I see it," and he pointed with the stem of his pipe to be sure
he made no mistake.
"Yes. Well, now, could you take your sheep in there, and keep
them--er--quiet--until we passed in our autos. You see it is impossible
for us to get by on the road, for even if you did get the animals to
one side one might leap out, under the wheels of a car and there
would be an accident."
"I see, miss. The sheep might be killed."
"Yes, and we'd be wrecked," growled Jack. "What's the game, Sis? If we
stay here much longer that dinner will be eaten by some one else."
"Be quiet Jack--please! Now could you not drive your sheep into the
field?" she asked. "Then we could get past. Of course we might turn
around and go back to some other road, but it would delay us. Could you?"
Certainly no mere man could withstand the appealing glance thrown at this
humble sheep herder. He capitulated.
"I guess I could do it, miss. But what if the man who owns this field was
to see me? You see I'm a stranger in these parts--I'm only hired to drive
these sheep to the man that bought them."
"I see. Well, if we gave you a dollar or so, you could give it to the man
who owns that pasture in case he made objection. It would be worth two
dollars to get past."
"More," Jack framed with his lips, but he did not speak aloud, being a
careful and frugal youth.
"The sheep could not eat much grass in the short time you drove them into
the field, kept them there until we got past, and then let 'em out again;
could they?" she asked, with a winning smile.
"No, miss, I guess I can do it. Sheep is queer. They is easily frightened,
and maybe it would be the best way. Why, only last night, when I had
turned 'em into a pasture they near ran off on me."
"Why?" asked Jack, rather idly.
"Well, you see it was this way. I had 'em all settled for the night, a
matter of several miles back, when a woman came running along the road.
She was takin' on somethin' bad, cryin' like, and mutterin' 'Kin I ever
find her? Kin I ever find her?' You see----"
"Was that what she said?" cried Cora excitedly.
"She did, miss!"
"What sort of a woman was she?" With her eyes Cora signalled to Jack to
remain quiet. She knew the girls would.
"Well, I couldn't rightly say, miss, as it was so dark right after the
storm. But before I knew what she was doin' she had come into the pasture
that I hired for the sheep over night, and run toward a hay stack. She
stumbled over a lamb, fell down, the dogs barked, and it took all I could
do to quiet them sheep."
"What became of the woman?" asked Cora, making a motion with her lips to
signify that she thought her the same mysterious one who had been in her
barn.
"Well, she was real sorry for having made me so much trouble, and it _was_
trouble. She said she didn't see the sheep in the field, and she was as
scar't as they was, I reckon. I asked her what she was doin' out and she
said looking for a girl."
"A girl?" asked Jack, sharply.
"Yes. I ast her if it was her girl--thinkin' she might be a farmer's
wife from around there, but she didn't say any more. Only she kept sort
of moanin' like, an' sayin' as how her life was spoilt, an' how if she
could only find a girl--well, I couldn't make much head or tail of it,
an' anyhow I was worried about the sheep, for one got torn on a barbed
wire fence. But I was sorry for the woman. I ast her if she intended to
spend the night out-doors, and she said yes.
"I couldn't hardly stand for that--for by her voice I could tell she
wasn't a common kind. So I ast her if she had any money. I was goin' to
give her some myself, so she could get a night's lodging anyhow. She
put her hand in her pocket--sort of absent-minded like, and then she got
a surprise, I guess, for she pulled out a silver purse, that she didn't
seem to expect to find there. I could see it plain for I was lightin'
my pipe just then to quiet my nerves."
"A silver purse?" cried Cora.
"Ahem!" coughed Belle, meaningly, and Cora, looking at her, understood
there was something to be told--later.
"Yes, a silver purse," went on the man. "She didn't appear to know she had
it, and when she opened it and saw some bills and silver, she was more
struck than ever. She said something about not knowing it was there, and
then she cried out: 'Oh, it must have been them dear girls! God bless
'em!' That's the words she used, miss. I remember 'em well."
The others had left their cars now, and come up to hear the recital. The
boys looked meaningly at one another, and the girls exchanged glances.
"What happened next?" asked Cora.
"Why, nothin' much, miss. You see the woman had money though she didn't
know it, which I took to be queer. But it wa'n't none of my affair. She
gave me good-night and went back to the road, walkin' off in the direction
of the town. I guess she got lodging all right--she could go to a hotel
with that money. It was more than I carry. But the sheep was all right
by then, quieted down, so I left 'em to my dogs and crawled under the
hay. I slept good, too.
"But now, miss, I want to oblige you an' your friends, so I'll just drive
my animals into that field. I don't believe the owner will care."
"Well, take this in case he does," said Cora, passing over a two-dollar
bill. "Get ready now, people!" she cried gaily. "We're going to move!"
With the aid of the beautiful collies, who seemed to be able to do
everything but talk, the herder drove his sheep through the lowered
bars of the pasture.
Then, with the bars up again, so they could not come out, the man waved
for the auto to proceed, swinging his cap at the boys and girls in token
of good will. Cora's _Whirlwind_ speeded up, followed by the others, and
soon they were on the broad, level highway that led to Mooreville.
"Cora, I simply must speak or I'll----" began Bess.
"Don't burst!" cautioned Jack, running his car up alongside his sister's.
The road was wide enough for three for a short distance.
"Wasn't that the same woman who was at your house?" went on Bess.
"I'm sure of it," assented Cora. "Only I didn't want to speak of it before
him, Poor creature! What a plight to be in! No place to stay!"
"But that silver purse!" cried Bess. "And the money----" She stopped
suddenly and looked at her sister. "Belle Robinson, you never gave that
to her!" she cried.
"Yes I did," admitted Belle. "I slipped it into the pocket of her cloak.
I could see she needed it."
"'Bread upon the waters,'" quoted Cora. "I was wondering where she got it
when the man mentioned it. To think of hearing about her again. Girls,
I'm sure she must be, in some way, tragically mixed up in our lives. We
are destined to meet her again, I'm sure."
"Well, I can't afford another silver purse," said Belle, smiling. "It will
have to be plain leather next time."
"We'll all chip in," declared Jack.
"Well, we must make time now," asserted Cora.
They found a rather anxious restaurant keeper looking down the road up
which they came, but he became all smiles when he saw the merry party, and
soon they were sitting down to a plain, but well-cooked and substantial
meal. And they all had appetites, too!
"We will spend the night at the Mansion House, in Fairport," spoke Cora,
consulting a list after dinner. "I will telephone for rooms."
"Perhaps you had better let me," suggested Cousin Mary, and she made the
arrangements over the wire.
Once more they were under way again, and all went well until Jack shouted
that his tire had gone flat and would have to be pumped up.
"Go ahead--don't wait for us!" he called to his sister. "We can speed up
and catch you."
"Don't take the wrong road," Cora cautioned, and then Jack and Ed got out
the repair kit. The work took them longer than they had expected, and it
was getting dusk when they were ready to proceed.
"We'll never make it before dark, old man," said Ed.
"Oh, I guess we will. I'm going to fracture some speed limits," and Jack
opened wide the throttle. The _Get There_ did make good time, but it was
not worthy of its name. For, after going for some time, Jack felt that
he must be nearing Fairport. He got out to look at a sign post, lighting
a match to distinguish the directions. Then he uttered an expression of
dismay.
"What is it?" asked Ed, anxiously. "Something else gone wrong, Jack?"
"Yes--_we've_ gone wrong!"
"How so?"
"Why, we're on the Belleville turnpike, and to my certain knowledge
we're about fifteen miles off the right road for Fairport. I thought that
fellow we asked, about sunset, didn't seem very sure of his directions.
He told us wrong--maybe not on purpose--but wrong just the same. Ed, old
man, we are lost in a dismal country with night coming on. Please groan
and shiver for me, while I think of the proper thing to say. We're lost!"
"Well, the only thing to do is to go back," remarked Ed, philosophically.
"Come on. Luckily the roads are good."
"Hark! Some one is coming!" exclaimed Jack, as he heard footfalls on the
hard highway. "I'll ask him. Maybe there's a short cut to Fairport."
The figure advanced out of the darkness into the glare of the lights on
Jack's car. Then he exclaimed involuntarily:
"It's a girl!"