At last they came to a ford that led across a muddy brook. As the horse
entered the water, the forward end of the rickety old "saloon" pitched
sharply downward. The prop that had held the door fast loosened and the
door flew open!
Needless to say, the girls lost little time in getting out of their
prison. Before the "saloon" had topped the other bank, they jumped out
and ran into the alder bushes that bordered the stream.
Their captor was evidently not aware of their escape, for the "saloon"
kept on its course. As soon as it was out of sight the girls waded the
brook and, hastening back to the fork of the road, took the homeward
trail.
About four o'clock in the morning grandmother Ruth heard them knocking
at the door. They were still much excited, and told so wild and curious
a story of their adventure that after breakfast the old Squire and
Addison drove over to Lurvey's Mills to investigate.
Almost the first thing they saw when they reached the Mills was that old
"daguerreotype saloon," standing beside the road near the post office,
and pottering about it a large, ungainly man--a hunchback with club
feet.
A few minutes' conversation with him cleared up the mystery.
Pages:
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260