CHAPTER XI--BOBBY IS INTERESTED
Indeed, one could not have ventured many feet from the path at thisseason of the year, when the heavy Spring rains had filled the swamp,without sinking into the mire. Eve knew this very well, and it was withfast-beating heart that she slipped from her horse, tied the bridle-reinto a sapling, and ventured cautiously in the direction of thehalf-choked cries.
"I'm coming! Where are you?" she called.
The cry for help came for a third time. Eve parted the bushes beforeher, and then shrank back. She had been about to put her foot upon a bitof shaking moss which, when she disturbed the branches of the bush, sankcompletely out of sight in the black mire.
Another step might have proved her own undoing!
But on the other side of this dimpling pool of mire a willow tree of the"weeping" variety stood with its roots deep in the swamp. And clingingto a drooping branch of this tree were two sun-browned hands--muscular,but small.
"A woman!" gasped Eve. Then, the next moment, she added: "A girl!"
And a girl it was--a girl no older than herself. The victim was all butshoulder deep in the mire. She was clinging desperately to the branch ofthe tree. Her face was half hidden by the twigs and leaves, and by herown disarranged hair, which hung in black elf-locks about it.
But even in that moment of surprise and fear, Eve identified her. It wasthe girl who had been a fugitive from the Gypsy camp.
The identity of the person in peril did not claim Eve's attention forhalf a moment, however. It was her necessity, and the fact that she mustbe rescued immediately that spurred the farm girl to action.
"Hold on! I'll save you!" she shouted, and even as she spoke she saw thegirl slip down a hand's breadth deeper into the ooze. If she was to savethe victim Eve must indeed work rapidly, and to the purpose.
She saw how the girl had come into her evil plight. Beside the tree rana narrow strip of grassy hummock. It looked sound, but Eve well knewthat all such places were treacherous.
The Gypsy girl had trusted to it, venturing off the regular and beatenpath. She had slipped, or the edge of the hummock had caved in with her.Only by chance had she caught at the branch of the willow and so stayedher descent into the bottomless morass.
Fleet of foot, Eve sprang back to the bridle-path where the mare wastied. She wanted the only thing which, in this emergency, could be ofhelp to her--and to the girl sinking in the mire.
There was no time to go for help. There was no fence near where shecould obtain rails, even. Nor did she have anything with which to cutdown saplings to aid the girl.
Quickly her nimble fingers unbound the leather bridle from the tree.Then she unbuckled the reins and removed them entirely, letting the marego free if she would. But the wise old horse stood and watched her,without offering to run away.
"That's right! Stand still, old girl!" exclaimed Eve Sitz. "I'll wantyou mighty bad in a minute, or two, perhaps."
She sprang upon the tussock on which the victim of the accident hadevidently been before her. But she was cautious. She came to the placewhere the poor girl clung to the tree branch. Those twigs were slowlyslipping through her cramped fingers. In a few seconds she would slipentirely from her hold. Already she was too far gone to speak, and hereyes were closed.
It was no use calling again. Eve bent forward and with a little prayerfor help, cast the loop of the strong rein over the victim's head andshoulders.
As she did so the girl's hands slipped entirely from the tree branch.
Eve screamed. But she threw herself back, too, as the weight of thesinking girl came upon the bridle-rein. Eve easily held her up. Shecould sink no farther. But the question that troubled the farmer'sdaughter was: Could she draw the unconscious girl out of the mire?
But Eve was the heavier of the two, and far stronger. The Gypsy girlcould run and leap like a hare--as she had proven the day the girls ofCentral High had seen her escaping from the encampment of her Romanycompanions. But she had not been strong enough to scramble out of themud when she had once fallen into it.
Now Eve, sure that the bridle-rein would hold, flung herself back anddragged the girl up. She came out upon the narrow tussock slowly, butsurely.
Eve wrapped the lines about her wrists and tugged with all her weightand strength; and she was not many seconds in accomplishing the rescue.
The unfortunate girl lay helpless on the edge of the morass. She was amass of mud, and her eyes were still closed. Eve seized her under thearms and dragged her across the trembling hummock to firmer ground. OnceEve herself stepped over the edge of the solid ground andplunged--knee-deep--into the mire.
But she recovered herself and quickly brought her burden, breathlessthough she herself was, to the bridle-path. The old gray mare lookedupon the muddy figure on the ground with ears pricked forward. But Evespoke softly to her, and the creature stood still, as though she knewher help was needed.
Eve did not trouble to put on the rein again. When she got her breathshe raised the girl, who was still only half conscious, in her arms, andmanaged to get her on the horse.
"You've got to carry double; but you can go just as slow as you want to,old girl!" Eve exclaimed, as she leaped upon the mare herself, sittingbehind the other girl, and holding her on.
Then she spoke again to the mare, and the latter picked her waycarefully over the narrow path and so to the North pasture. In fifteenminutes Eve had the strange girl at the farmhouse, where herkind-hearted mother helped put the visitor to bed. They were trueSamaritans in that house. They reserved all questioning until after theneedy had been aided.
Eve went to town that afternoon, for she was due for practice at theathletic field, full of this adventure. The strange girl had not said aword about herself save that she had been traveling through the marshearly that morning and had mistaken the path.
Eve had told her mother her suspicions as to who the girl was, and itwas plain that the young Gypsy would be unfit for travel for some days.The Sitzes would try to find out something about her condition and whyshe was striving to escape from her companions.
"But, it's plain why she left town so hurriedly," declared Jess Morse,one of those to whom Eve told her story. "I've seen those Gypsy women intown myself this week. I saw the queen--Grace Varey, did you say hername is?"
"That's the name she gave us last year," said Eve.
"Well, I saw her only this morning. The Gypsies have come to town tosearch for that girl. She knows it and was escaping into the countrywhen she got into that swamp. My! It was lucky you rode that way, Eve."
But it was Bobby Hargrew who showed the most interest in the affairs ofthe mysterious Gypsy girl. She asked Eve a hundred questions about herand finally admitted that she had reasons for wishing to know all abouther that she did not feel free to divulge.
"I tell you honestly, Eve, I wish you'd let me go home with you so thatI can see that girl before Monday morning," said Bobby, bluntly.
"Well, why not?" returned the farm girl, laughing. "You'd be welcome,Clara."
"I'll telephone father at the store and run home and pack a bag and meetyou at the station," announced Bobby, greatly excited.
"Why, we'll be more than pleased," urged Eve. "I'd like to know what thematter is with that girl, too. If you find out, will you tell me?" andshe laughed again.
"If it's only _my_ secret I'll tell you in a minute," promised Bobby.But in her heart she believed that it would prove to be partly MissCarrington's secret, and she could not speak of _her_ affairs, that wassure.