"What is it?" asked Richard eagerly.  
"Yes, what is it?" urged Jack¹.
 
Warren stooped and picked up something from the road.
 
"A horse shoe," he said briefly². "One of Belle³'s—hers were old and thin, you know, Rich. And over here—" he walked a few steps to a crossroad—"Sarah must have turned off. You can see the marks."
 
"Well," sheer relief spoke⁴ in Richard's voice, "that's one thing to be thankful for; if she turned off from the main road, she wouldn't meet many cars. But how far do you suppose she can have gone down the Linden road?"
 
Warren climbed back into the buggy and turned Tony's head down the Linden road.
 
"She hasn't gone far, not with Belle," he asserted confidently. "The old horse couldn't stand a long trip; I don't know whether there are any places for Sarah to drive in down here, but I hope some kind farmer has her safely housed."
 
The Linden road was very dark and there was no moon to help out the two twinkling buggy lights. Suddenly Tony whinnied.
 
"Pull in, pull in!" cried Richard excitedly. "I think I see something!"
 
With a sharp "Whoa!" Warren brought the buggy to a standstill.
 
"Unscrew one of the lights," he directed Richard, at the same time jumping out and running to Tony's head with the rope and weight, a wise precaution for the horse might take fright easily in that strange place and start to run. "Come on, Jack."
 
They had to go only a few rods. Then the buggy lamp and the pocket flash showed them the runabout, with something dark and small curled up on the seat. The mare⁵ was down between the shafts⁶ and she raised her head inquiringly as the lights flashed into her patient eyes.
 
"Sarah—asleep!" whispered Jack. "And the pig, too!"
 
"Belle fell down and Sarah couldn't get her up," said Warren, realizing at once what had occurred. "The poor kid—she must have been frightened stiff."
 
Jack pulled himself up on the runabout step and leaned over Sarah. The tears were not dry on her cheeks and as he looked she opened her dark eyes with a little cry.
 
"You're all right, Sarah," he said soothingly⁷. "Warren and Richard and I have come to take you home."
 
To his astonishment⁸, Sarah, who hated demonstration⁹ of any kind, threw her arms about his neck and burrowed¹⁰ her face on his shoulder. Bony rolled protestingly to the floor and squeaked¹¹ sharply as he hit the dashboard in his descent.
 
"The horse fell down," sobbed¹² Sarah, "and she wouldn't get up. And it got darker and darker and there weren't any houses anywhere. Is Belle dead, Jack?"
 
"Not a bit of it," said Jack stoutly¹³. "She was tired, because she is an old horse and isn't used to traveling far."
 
"Now that she is rested, we'll have no trouble getting her home," put in Warren. "You stay where you are, Sarah, till we get her up."
 
But Sarah had had enough of the runabout and she insisted on climbing down while the boys got Belle to her feet and went over the harness.
 
"It's a wonder it didn't slide off her," declared Warren as he cinched belts and snapped unfastened buckles¹⁴. "I'll give you a lesson in harnessing some day, Sarah, for you still have a few points to learn."
 
It was an odd procession that drove into Rainbow Hill lane an hour later. They dared not hurry the old horse and Sarah flatly refused to be taken home in the buggy with Tony, leaving Belle and the runabout to be driven in at a slower pace. Jack would have bundled her off unceremoniously but Warren, while admitting that she had "made enough trouble and ought to consider the feelings of other people once in a while" would not force the issue.
 
"She's dead tired and she's been badly frightened," he said quietly. "After all, it will mean a difference of not more than half an hour. We'll wait for old Belle."
 
So Jack and Richard, driving the runabout and the old mare, set the pace and Sarah and Bony in the buggy with Warren followed behind Tony.
 
Rosemary and Winnie and the Hildreths came running out to greet the prodigal¹⁵, who had to be awakened¹⁶ to answer their eager questions—and Winnie bore Sarah off to bed while Rosemary flew to the kitchen and began making sandwiches to serve with the ginger¹⁷ ale she knew was in the ice box. Excitement has a way of making people hungry and the boys especially were appreciative¹⁸ of the refreshments¹⁹.
 
Doctor Hugh read his small sister a severe lecture the next morning when, upon his return with his mother, he heard the story, and extracted her promise that hereafter she would not leave the farm without explicit²⁰ permission. A subdued²¹ Sarah made a shamefaced apology to Mr. Hildreth for taking his horse and runabout and for as much as three days she slipped about like a

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