Chapter XXVI: An Adventure

"Where is Lois?" Laura flitted from one group of people to another, growing anxious in her continued failure to get any information.

"She was naughty, and she's gone!" screamed Claude and Nettie, who came rushing hand in hand out the front door.

"Where did she go?"

"Over the roof."

Laura grew pale.

"The roof? Whereabouts? Where is she, I say? Where were you?" She took hold of their shoulders as if to shake the answers out of them.

Alas, when they spoke her worst fears were confirmed! The children had climbed the four flights of steps to the tower room, where Lois had crawled out upon the roof; they called to her and in trying to turn she had slipped out of sight over the edge.

Laura ran moaning toward the foot of the tower, dreading to find a little crushed body lying there inert, but no! the crowd was gazing upward horror-stricken, and she caught a glimpse of a white object clinging to a swinging ladder high up in the air.

Between the second story and the sloping tower roof a scaffold had been erected by workmen who were repairing the walls. Fearing possible injury to the children by falling stones, Mr. Dawson had instructed them not to work on the day of the picnic and they had secured the scaffold from the reach of mischievous boys, placing it fortunately just in position to arrest the child's fall.

"If only she doesn't get dizzy!" a voice was saying and Laura for the first time noticed that a boy was scaling the wall. Favored by the thick vines and uneven stones up he went with the agility of an acrobat. He was bareheaded and the sun shone on his face, reddened with exertion, and on his sandy hair and Laura recognized him as one of the Stony Road boys, the one she had talked with on the glass-boat.

"It's Bud Waters--the rest of us were too heavy to try it, and he was off like a squirrel, soon as he saw the child," explained Mat hurriedly. He was with a crowd of boys, among whom were Mark, Hugh, and Jed, carrying a coil of rope.

"We're going up to the roof--if she only holds out that long!"

"Mat, Mat, it's our Lois!" wailed Laura. She saw Mat's face blanch, and the crowd passed, leaving her half crazed. She knew that Alene and Ivy were standing beside her with tears in their eyes, murmuring half audible prayers, but she did not see them. Her gaze turned steadily upon the little hanging figure, and on the boy who went climbing up the wall.

Ah, he has almost reached the goal--he has grasped the ladder--a thrill went through the crowd--he is holding the little one safe from harm! Then, seated beside her on the ladder, he gave a whoop of joy that was answered by the crowd's enthusiastic cries. A moment later the other boys were seen at the narrow windows above and the rope came gliding over the roof.

Then everything became a blur to Laura; she heard a shout of many voices and knew no more until she found herself sitting on a bench with Mrs. Major fanning her, Miss Marlin demanding fiercely from everybody why she had forgotten to bring her lavender salts, Kizzie dancing round with a glass of water, and Ivy and Alene kneeling on the grass chafing her hands, and then, oh blessed sight, Uncle Fred coming across the lawn with Lois safe in his arms!

On seeing her big sister, she stuck a tiny finger into her mouth half abashed.

"Lawa, don't cwy! I didn't mean to go so far down the woof!" she cried, cuddling into Laura's arms.

"Oh, girls! I could kneel to that boy! I'd go and kiss him now only I know boys hate to be fussed over!" declared Laura.

"I'll give him a bushel of kisses!" cried Lois rapturously, whereupon they kissed her all round while Nettie looked on enviously at the stir the little maid was making.

"I wonder why when I'm naughty I get a scolding instead of kisses," she confided to Claude.

"I suppose it's because you've never been quite that naughty, though you've been pretty bad," he said, which latter assurance consoled his chum.