TOMMY FALLS OUT OF BED
The night was far spent, and the air at their altitude was crisp and
chill. Below them a fog had settled over the canyons and gullies,
blotting the landscape entirely from the sight of any one above the
mist line. But, though there was no moon, objects could be made out
with reasonable distinctness on Sokoki Leap, where the girls, their
guardian and the guide were sleeping more or less soundly. Toward
morning, however, Tommy awoke with a start. She twitched and jerked,
rolled herself into a ball, straightened out again and twisted and
turned, wide awake and nervous. Her rope being long, the guide was not
disturbed--at least, not then.
An owl hooted high in a ledge above their camping place. It hooted
three times. Tommy rose, throwing off her blanket. She stood
shivering in her kimono, for the air had grown chilly, undecided
whether to awaken the camp or lie down again. Finally she sank down
and rolled over and over in her blanket, this time determined to wrap
up so snugly that the cold could not reach her.
Then came the interruption, starting with a scream so terrifying as to
awaken every member of the party and to frighten the owl into sudden
silence. Shouts were heard from all sides. The girls began struggling
to free themselves from their blankets. To do this some of them rolled
toward the guide, others from him, according to the way they had rolled
themselves in their blankets before going to sleep. Harriet was the
first to free herself from the folds of the gray blanket that enveloped
her. She leaped to her feet, crying out, "What is the matter now?"
A strange sight met her gaze. Janus was sliding over the shelf, half
rolling, half slipping, in a mysterious fashion. At the same time the
others of the party were performing strangely, getting up, falling
down, as, entangled in their blankets, they staggered dangerously near
the edge of the rocky shelf, apparently unmindful of their peril.
"Catch me! Jump on the rope!" yelled the guide.
Harriet's quick eyes, now wide open, caught the significance of the
scene. Without an instant's hesitation she sprang toward Janus, fairly
hurling herself upon him. One hand grabbed a taut rope that was
straining with some heavy weight pulling on it at the other end.
Janus sat up as the girl threw her own weight on the line to assist in
holding it until the guide should have recovered himself.
"Oh, what has happened?" cried the guardian.
"Some one is over the edge," answered Harriet almost breathlessly.
"Quick! Find out who it is."
"It's Tommy!" screamed Margery Brown.
Miss Elting sprang toward the edge of the shelf.
"Stop!" thundered the guide. "Careful! Don't rush. Take it easy.
All the rest of you stay back. You go cautiously to the edge, Miss
Elting, and find out just what shape she's in."
Grubb gave his commands in a quick, business-like tone; at the same
time he removed his belt and unfastened the girls' ropes.
Margery began to scream again. Jane grasped and shook her.
"Stop that! Tommy's doing enough howling for the whole party," she
exclaimed.
Tommy's cries were all-sufficient--heart-rending, in fact. Harriet
motioned to Jane to come and assist in holding the rope. Jane
responded promptly.
"May I go and help?" questioned Harriet eagerly.
"Yes. It's a good idea. Keep her quiet if you can," urged Miss
Elting. "She is likely to saw the rope in two at the rate she is
floundering about. I hope her belt is strong enough to hold."
"Oh my stars, what a mess!" groaned Jane McCarthy.
"It's worse than that," answered Janus, but he did not explain just
what danger threatened the screaming little girl.
Harriet turned the rope over to her companion and hurried to the edge
of the shelf, where she stretched herself on the rock with her head
protruding over. What she saw was an object that resembled a great
spider suspended from a silken thread. The spider was dangling in the
air, with arms and legs working frantically. The poor little spider,
in this instance Tommy Thompson, was slowly turning from side to side,
clawing frantically at the smooth side of the mountain when her hands
got into position where she could touch it. Miss Elting was trying to
soothe her. Harriet adopted a different policy.
"Tommy!" she cried sharply.
"Oh, thave me! Thave me!" wailed the little tow-headed girl.
"Do you want to drop clear to the bottom?" demanded Harriet.
"No, oh, no! Thave me! I'll be good. I'll--"
"You'll be down there in a heap if you don't stop struggling. Listen
to me! Are you going to stop that screaming and do something for
yourself, or are we to let you hang there until to-morrow morning?"
continued Harriet.
"Yeth, oh, yeth! I'll be good. I'll do whatever you tell me. But
thave me. Pleathe thave me!" sobbed the unhappy little Tommy.
"Stop clawing. Let your body hang limp. Don't make a move, and keep
quiet. You confuse us. Remember, if you struggle you are likely to
pull us over with you. I am going to get something; then I shall try
to pull you up. Hazel and Margery, stay close to Miss Elting. Miss
Elting, will you look after them while I go to hunt a stick?"'
"Come over here by me, girls," commanded the guardian in response to
the request. "Now, stand perfectly still. Tommy's life may depend
upon your doing only what you are told. A Meadow-Brook Girl is a sort
of soldier, and a soldier is not a good soldier unless he can take and
obey orders."
Hazel was trembling a little, Margery a great deal, but the words of
the guardian served to quiet and steady both girls.
Harriet came running toward them, carrying a round stick, a piece from
a small sapling that the guide had picked up for firewood. This she
cautiously slipped under the rope at the edge of the shelf, prying the
rope up a little in order to do so, thus sending Tommy into a fresh
outburst of terror when she felt the added movement of the rope.
"Miss Elting, I think you had better manage the stick. You are not
likely to lose your presence of mind. Hazel and Margery may help me
pull Tommy up. Be sure not to let the rope drag over the sharp edge of
the stone, or we may lose her."
Margery indulged in a fresh attack of shivering. Hazel gripped her
arm, whispering, "Brace up, dear!"
"Oh, I can--n't," sobbed Margery. "My knees won't hold me up."
"Now, girls," called Harriet cheerily, "take hold of the rope, but be
gentle about it. Remember, a sharp jolt might be a serious thing for
Tommy. It might jerk Miss Elting over, too, so be very careful. Now,
Tommy, we are going to pull you up. Don't reach for the rock. It
won't help you any to do so. Just hang limp. Try to imagine that you
are a bag of meal and we are pulling you up for the muffins to-morrow
morning."
"Oh, I can't laugh," wailed Tommy.
"Then cry, if you wish, but don't make a noise doing it. Shed all the
tears you wish to, but let them be silent tears. Now then!"
Harriet stepped back, taking firm hold of the rope. She was near the
edge of the shelf, Hazel directly behind her, with Margery still
farther back.
"When you are ready, Miss Elting! Let us know when you wish a fresh
hold." Harriet was perfectly calm outwardly.
"Ready!"
"All together! One, two, three--pull! Steady; not so violently. This
is a small rope, and----"
"Whoa!" interjected the guardian sharply.
"We are taking up the slack back here. Good work for you girls,"
encouraged the guide.
"What is it? Oh, what is it?" screamed Tommy.
"Stop that noise!" commanded Harriet. "Everything is all right!"
"Ready again," commanded Miss Elting. "One, two, three--pull!"
Tommy came up about a foot this time. Her progress was slow, but it
was, at least, sure.
Jane and the guide were acting as anchors, at the same time assisting
in pulling on the line, holding down when the pauses came.
After every pull Miss Elting would call a halt while she worked the
round stick down over the edge of the rock to keep the rope from being
unduly worn. In this way Tommy came up little by little, now and then
uttering a sharp scream at some unexpected jolt. Once, when the rope
slipped from the round stick, Tommy felt herself slipping into
unconsciousness, but pluckily recovered herself. She clenched her
fists until the nails almost cut into the flesh of her hands, and all
the time she was wondering if the belt that seemed to be cutting her in
two would hold or break. Those on the ledge above were wondering much
the same thing. They were operating with extreme caution for that very
reason.
"You are almost up to us, Tommy," encouraged the guardian. "Be very
careful. Make no sudden moves. Don't try to take hold of the edge
when we get you level with it. We shall have to pull you over the last
two or three feet by taking hold of you. Then we will have something
to be thankful for, won't we?"
"Yeth," wailed a weak voice from over the side.
"Ready!"
This time Tommy came up so close that the guardian was able to touch
her. Miss Elting leaned over and patted Tommy on the shoulder
reassuringly.
"One more long, strong pull and we shall have you within a little way
of safety. Girls, are you ready for the last pull?"
Margery was breathing heavily, Hazel, too, was taking short, excited
breaths.
"Yes, when you are ready," answered Hazel. "Get ready back there,
ready to hold fast after the last pull. Don't give way the fraction of
an inch," called Harriet. "This is like things I have read about
Alpine climbing, except that I guess they don't pull them up dangling
in this fashion."
"Pull!" called the guardian. "Steadily and slowly this time."
The girls were breathing heavily now.
"Stop!"
"Oh, am I up?" wailed the little, lisping girl.
"Yes. Now be perfectly quiet. Harriet, can you help me?"
"Yes. All hold fast. I am going to let go. Step back a little
farther, girls. There!"
"We have it," shouted Janus.
"We have," cried Crazy Jane.
Harriet stepped forward.
"Hold up your arm, Tommy," directed the guardian. "You take that arm,
Harriet. Now one foot, Tommy. I'll take that. Don't move about any
more than you can help. Wait! Her arm first. Have you got it,
Harriet?"
"Yes."
Snap! Tommy uttered a wild scream of terror. Miss Elting was reaching
for the upraised foot.
Tommy's belt gave way when her foot was almost within the guardian's
grasp, and her slender body shot downward.