Carolyn of the Corners Part 39

"I'll show him," murmured Chet. "I won't give up! Poor little kid-I guess _not_! I'll get her home--"

Prince began to bark. He could not move forward much faster than Chet did; but he faced to the right and began to bark with persistence.

"There-there's something over there, Chet," murmured Carolyn May. She was all but breathless herself.

Then, through the wind and the storm, came a faint hail. Prince eagerly pursued his barking. Chet tried to reply to the hail, but his voice was only a hoa.r.s.e croak.

"We've got to keep on-we've got to keep on," muttered the lad, dragging the sled slowly.

His submersion in the icy water had been a serious matter. His limbs were too heavy, it seemed, for further progress. He scarcely knew now what he was doing-only the tolling of the chapel bell seemed to draw him on-and on-and on--

The dog had disappeared. Carolyn May was weeping frankly. Chet Gormley was pushing slowly through the storm, staggering at each step, scarcely aware in what direction he was heading.

CHAPTER XXIII-HOW TO WRITE A SERMON

Joseph Stagg heard the dog barking first of all. Rightchild and the cook were directly behind him, and when the hardware dealer bore suddenly off to the right they shouted after him.

"If the ice is breaking up, Joe, that's where she'll give way first-in the middle of the cove," Rightchild said.

"And the boy wouldn't know any better than to come right up the middle,"

Mr. Stagg declared.

"You're right," agreed the cook.

"Besides, there's the dog. Listen!"

Prince's barking was unmistakable now. The other men realised what the sound must mean. It was as convincing as the chapel bell; and that kept on as steadily as a clock pendulum.

The men with Mr. Stagg having spread out on the ice like a skirmishing party, now closed in towards the point from which sounded the dog's barking. The hardware dealer shouted as he ran. He was the most reckless of them all, and on several occasions came near to falling. The snow over the ice made the footing treacherous, indeed.

Suddenly an object appeared in the smother of falling snow. Hoa.r.s.ely the dog barked again. Mr. Stagg shouted:

"Hey, Prince! Prince! Here we are!"

The mongrel made for the hardware merchant and almost knocked him over.

He was mad with joy. He barked and whined and leaped upon the man; and the sight of Joseph Stagg down on his knees in the snow trying to hug the wriggling dog was certainly one to startle his neighbours.

"Show 'em to us, good dog!" cried Uncle Joe. "Take us to 'em! Where's Hannah's Car'lyn? Show us, boy!"

"That dog's a good un," declared Rightchild.

"Now you've said something," agreed the eating-house cook.

Prince lapped Mr. Stagg's face and then ran off through the falling snow, barking and leaping. The men hurried after him. Twice or thrice the dog was back, to make sure that he was followed. Then the men saw something outlined in the driving snow.

"Uncle Joe! Uncle Joe!"

The child's shrill voice reached the hardware merchant. There was poor Chet, staggering on, leaning against the wind, and pulling the sled behind him.

"Well, you silly chump!" growled Joseph Stagg. "Where're you going, anyway?"

"Oh, Uncle Joe!" wailed Carolyn May, "he isn't anything like that, at all! He's just the very bravest boy! And he's all wet and cold."

At the conclusion of this declaration poor Chet fell to his knees, and then slipped quietly forward on his face.

"I vum!" grunted the hardware dealer, "I guess the boy is all in."

But Chet did not lose consciousness. He raised a faint murmur which reached Mr. Stagg's ears.

"I-I did the best I could, Mr. Stagg. Take-take her right up to mother.

She'll fix Car'lyn up, all right."

"Say, kid!" exclaimed the cook, "I guess you need a bit of fixin' up yourself. Why, see here, boys, this chap's been in the water and his clothes is froze stiff."

"Pick him up and put him on the sled here, boys," Mr. Stagg said. "I'll carry Hannah's Car'lyn myself."

The party, including the excited Prince, got back to the docks without losing any time and without further accident. Still the chapel bell was ringing, and somebody said:

"We'd have been up a stump for knowing the direction, if it hadn't been for that bell."

"Me, too," muttered Chet Gormley. "That's what kep' me goin', folks-the chapel bell. It just seemed to be callin' me home."

Joseph Stagg carried his niece up to Mrs. Gormley's little house, while Rightchild helped Chet along to the same destination. The seamstress met them at the door, wildly excited.

"And what do you think?" she cried. "They took Mandy Parlow home in Tim's hack. She was just done up, they tell me, pullin' that chapel bell. Did you ever hear of such a silly critter-just because she couldn't find the s.e.xton!"

"Hum! you and I both seem to be mistaken about what const.i.tutes silliness, Mrs. Gormley," grumbled the hardware dealer. "I was for calling your Chet silly, till I learned what he'd done. And you'd better not call Miss Mandy silly. The sound of the chapel bell gave us all our bearings. Both of 'em, Chet and Miss Mandy, did their best."

Carolyn May was taken home in Tim's hack, too. To her surprise, Tim was ordered to stop at the Parlow house and go in to ask how Miss Amanda was.

By this time the story of her pulling of the chapel-bell rope was all over Sunrise Cove, and the hack driver was, naturally, as curious as anybody. So he willingly went into the Parlow cottage, bringing back word that she was resting comfortably, Dr. Nugent having just left her.

"An' she's one brave gal," declared Tim. "Pitcher of George Washington!

pullin' that bell rope ain't no baby's job."

Carolyn May did not altogether understand what Miss Amanda had done, but she was greatly pleased that Uncle Joe had so plainly displayed his interest in the carpenter's daughter. On this particular occasion, however, she was so sleepy that she was lifted out of the hack when they reached home by Uncle Joe, who carried her into the house in his arms.

When Aunty Rose heard the outline of the story she bustled about at once to get the little girl to bed. She sat up in bed and had her supper, with Prince sitting close beside her on the floor and Aunty Rose watching her as though she felt that something of an exciting nature might happen at any moment to the little girl.

"I never did see such a child-I never did!" Aunty Rose repeated.

The next morning Carolyn May seemed to be in good condition. Indeed, she was the only individual vitally interested in the adventure who did not pay for the exposure. Even Prince had barked his legs being hauled out on to the ice. Uncle Joe had caught a bad cold in his head and suffered from it for some time. Miss Amanda remained in bed for several days. But it was poor Chet Gormley who paid the dearest price for partic.i.p.ation in the exciting incident. Dr. Nugent had hard work fighting off pneumonia.

Mr. Stagg surprised himself by the interest he took in Chet. He closed his store twice each day to call at the Widow Gormley's house. The seamstress was so delighted with this attention on the hardware merchant's part that she was willing to accept at its face value Chet's hope and expectation that _some_ day the sign over the store door would read, "Stagg & Gormley."