Blue Robin, the Girl Pioneer Part 15

"I have found a clew!" she cried triumphantly a moment later, as she returned and held up her hand. Between her thumb and forefinger was a bit of red, which she was waving gleefully as she came towards them. As the Sport and Mrs. Morrow hurried to her side they saw a loop of red ribbon still with the knot in it by which it had evidently been recently tied to some object.

"It is Rosy's hair-ribbon!" cried Nathalie. "I found it clinging to one of the ferns."

"Oh, are you sure?" burst from Mrs. Morrow, her eyes eager with hope as she bent over the little scarlet knot.

"Indeed I am sure," answered the delighted girl, "for it is the very ribbon I found in my work basket and tied on Rosy's funny little topknot the day she was at our house. See, here is the very cut in the edge-that is the reason it was of no use to me-but Rosy was as happy as a lark over it. Oh, isn't this too lovely, for now I know the child is somewhere near!"

With renewed hope they set forth again on the hunt, Nathalie running ahead and calling "Tru-al-lee!" as loud as she could-it was the only bird call she knew-to get in touch with the advance guard and tell them the good news.

In answer to her Blue Robin call, in a few moments a Bob White whistle was heard, rather faint, but there was no mistake as to that quick, clear note. The Sport, a few yards behind, immediately responded by giving a similar call, and then as they stood waiting to ascertain from what direction the whistle had come, there sounded a sudden, sharp snap of the underbrush near, and Kitty Corwin's face emerged into view.

"Hurrah, girls!" she shouted jubilantly, "we have found her!"

"Oh, where? Where?" came in an instant from three throats as Kitty leaned against a tree and panted.

"Down in a ravine, huddled close against a rock, asleep. Helen did not want to waken her until Nathalie came, for fear she would be frightened at the strange faces. Come on, quick!" she exclaimed excitedly, turning and darting back the way she had come with light, fleet steps.

But the belated ones needed no urging, especially Nathalie, who dashed ahead without regard to time or place, with a haste that left no doubt as to her joy that her searching party had been a success. Overhanging branches and dried twigs that blocked her way were ruthlessly brushed aside, or run against, scratching and bruising her unmercifully as she discovered later, but it made no difference to the happy girl.

It seemed but a moment when she emerged into a clearing, and close at the heels of Kitty climbed down into a small ravine. It had evidently been at one time the road-bed of a brook, but was now filled with scraggy stones, dried underbrush, and fallen logs.

As Nathalie saw the little motionless figure cuddled in a heap against the rock, her heart leaped with misgiving. "Oh, is she dead?" she asked Helen, who stood guard by the side of the rock, every now and then brushing away a gnat or a fly that descended with a loud buzz on the smeared black face, which lay partly exposed to view as it rested on a mite of an arm.

"Oh, no," a.s.sured Helen, "she is all right, only asleep. I suppose she wandered about for some time in the darkness and was tired out, poor little tot!"

The little one looked so pathetically small as she lay there, just a heap of bones, black skin, and woolly hair, with the tears still glistening on the black lashes, that Nathalie's heart was stirred with pity.

Mrs. Morrow now came forward and quickly felt her pulse, crying as she did so, "Oh, you poor little black baby! Yes, she is all right!" she nodded a.s.suringly, "but Helen, what is the matter with her leg?" Her sharp glance noted that it lay rather limply on the ground.

"I am not sure," said Helen with bent brows as she touched it softly, "but I am afraid it is broken. That is why I waited for you and Nathalie, I did not like to move her for fear of hurting her."

"But we shall have to," returned Mrs. Morrow as she finished examining the injured limb, "for it is broken, and we must get her home as soon as possible, for it will have to be set."

As Helen and Mrs. Morrow attempted to take hold of the child to lift her on the stretcher the girls had made, she opened her eyes wide into the strange faces bending over her. Then she closed them quickly, and as the little black face wrinkled in fear she let forth such a howl of absolute despair that the girls were all on the verge of joining with her in their keen sympathy.

"Oh, Rosy," cried Nathalie springing hastily forward and taking the child's hand softly in hers, "see, it is Mrs. Page's little girl. Don't you remember when you called me that-Mrs. Page's little girl?" She repeated softly as she saw the child had stopped her crying and was staring up at her. But the black eyes closed again and the little form shivered as a prolonged howl answered the questioner.

But Nathalie, who loved children, lifted up the little head with its pigtails and laid it against her breast as she tried again. "There dearie, don't you want to go in the choo-choo cars to see Mamma?"

These words had the desired effect, and the howl was arrested as two big black eyes stared with awakening interest while Nathalie caught hold of the stretcher and choo-chooed it back and forth. "Come, Rosy!" she cried in a third attempt, "and we will go in the choo-choo cars to see Mamma, and-oh, yes, the little rag-dollie I made for you, don't you remember what a lovely time we had?"

The black eyes opened wide, stood still for a wee second, and then twinkled into a smile as their owner cried, "Oh, yes, I knows youse; youse de Story Lady!"

"Yes, I'm the Story Lady," quickly answered Nathalie, her face breaking into a smile; then as Rosy smiled back, "but how did you get here, Rosebud, so far away from home?"

The little face screwed into a knot as she whimpered, "Oh, I got lost, Story Lady. I picked daisies in de lot, and den Jacob he showed me de blue flowers he got in de wood. So I runned to de wood, and oh, I got a lot!" Her eyes gleamed with joy as she held up a few withered violets still clutched in her tiny hand. "And den it grew all dark," she moaned, "and I couldn't fin' de road, and I fell and hurt my leg. Oh, I'se so hungry!" she ended piteously.

But when she saw so many eyes watching her, she covered her tiny face with her hand, shyly peeping out from between her fingers.

The girls all laughed merrily at her coquettishness, but their laughter became almost a howl as the little black eyes began to play peek-a-boo at them, and then danced in unison with their laughter, as if enjoying the sensation she had created.

But time was precious, and so with the promise of candy and a story from Nathalie the little one was lifted from the ground and carefully placed in the stretcher, and the Pioneer search party, weary, and warm, but jubilantly happy at their success, started for home.

"Some one of you girls ought to run ahead and get the doctor!" exclaimed Mrs. Morrow as the rescuers plodded carefully but slowly up the ravine with their burden, "for the child needs attention at once. I don't wonder she cries!" For, alas! the little one had begun to whimper softly, although Nathalie was still playing choo-choo car as hard as she could, so as to divert her mind from the pain and hunger pangs that had now begun to a.s.sert themselves more forcibly.

"I will go!" cried Edith quickly, and then at a nod of a.s.sent from their Director she disappeared in the shadowy gloom of the trees like a small whirlwind. Barbara and Kitty were then despatched to hurry and tell Rosebud's mother that the lost was found.

As they reached the edge of the woods, Mrs. Morrow thought she heard the throb of an automobile engine, and as it was followed in a moment by the toot of a horn, she begged Nathalie to hurry to the road, just a few feet beyond in the opening. "It sounds like the doctor's car-perhaps he will take little Rosy home-for, O dear, she is suffering so!"

Nathalie softly unfastened the little hands that were clinging to hers, and with a few bounds reached the road where, sure enough, she saw a few yards ahead an automobile that had just pa.s.sed.

Yes, it was the doctor! Nathalie thought she recognized his car, and with mad haste tore after it, shouting to the full extent of her lungs, "Doctor! Doctor!"

The occupant of the car, who evidently was not driving at a very high rate of speed, heard her shouts and in a moment brought his car to a standstill. As he turned about and stared at the oncoming figure of Nathalie, who, red-faced and bedraggled was speeding towards him, he looked slightly surprised.

"Oh, Doctor," began the girl. She paused, for the gentleman who was looking at her with such a puzzled expression, coupled with slight indignation at being stopped in this way, was a strange young man!

Nathalie halted abruptly as she discovered her error, feeling as if her face would burst from the heat of her unwonted exercise and the fact that she had been tagging in this tomboy style, after a strange man.

"Oh-I'm so sorry," she panted apologetically, "but Mrs. Morrow thought she heard an automobile, she was sure it was the doctor-"

"Mrs. Morrow!" exclaimed the young man, "why, is she anywhere about?" He jumped from his car as he spoke and came towards her.

"Oh, yes," cried the girl, with a gleam of hope that if this young man knew their Director there was a chance for Rosy. "We have been looking for a little colored girl who was lost-oh, I mean the Pioneers-we have been searching in the woods," she explained confusedly, the blood surging furiously into her cheeks under the keen gray eyes that were looking so searchingly down at her. "Oh, can't you help us?" she burst off appealingly. "Mrs. Morrow wants to get her home as soon as she can, for she has a broken leg."

"A broken leg?" echoed the young man, "why, of course I will help you,"

he continued heartily. "Where is Mrs. Morrow? And-oh, I see-" the gray eyes gleamed pleasantly, "you are Blue Robin, the little girl who lives across the way from us. I am Mrs. Morrow's brother, Jack Homer!"

CHAPTER X-NATHALIE AS THE STORY LADY

Nathalie's color flamed again as she heard that "little girl," and she drew herself up in momentary indignation. Oh, this was evidently the Dr.

Homer whom she had heard the girls talk so much about, and who had been giving them lessons in First Aid to the Injured. But who could have told him she was a little girl?

This affront to her dignity was forgotten, however, as she quickly remembered the need of getting little Rosy home. "Mrs. Morrow is in the woods-oh, there she is now!" she cried hastily, as she pointed to the Director, who, with the Pioneers and their burden, had halted on the edge of the woods and stood waiting for her. As Mrs. Morrow perceived her brother she quickly beckoned to him.

A few steps, and Dr. Homer was at his sister's side, listening to her hurried recital of the preceding events and her anxiously expressed wish that Rosy could be seen to as soon as possible.

"Why, if it isn't little Rosebud!" said the doctor jovially as he turned from his sister and looked down at the helpless mite of humanity, lying so patient and still in the stretcher.

The child smiled shyly, and Nathalie, perceiving that he knew her, gave a sigh of relief, for she felt that now everything would soon be all right.

It did not take the doctor long to lift Rosy tenderly into the car and to make her comfortable with her little black head on Mrs. Morrow's lap.

As he was about to jump in himself an "I want my Story Lady! I want my Story Lady!" came in a loud wail from the little patient, for Rosy's face had knotted up again as she pushed away Mrs. Morrow's detaining hand and tried to lift her head in search of Nathalie.

Nathalie hastened to the side of the car crying, "Oh, Rosy, it's all right. I'm going home to your mamma. I will be there almost as soon as you-"