ridge, and then
turned to look after their patient.

CHAPTER IV

SOLVING A PROBLEM

The girls tiptoed into the little room at the right and saw that Mrs.
Bragley was not asleep. As they approached the bed she greeted them with
a faint smile.

"It's too bad that you should have all this trouble," she said. "Here
I've gone and spoiled all your afternoon's fun just because I was too
slow and stupid to get out of your way."

"It wasn't your fault at all," declared Bess warmly. "I know I'd have
been scared stiff if I'd seen that sled bearing down upon me. The thing
we're grateful for is that you weren't killed."

"How are you feeling now?" asked Nan gently, as she adjusted the
bedclothes.

"Rather poorly," was the answer. "My ankle's hurting me a good deal. And
then I have a sort of all-gone feeling. But I suppose that's on account
of the shock. But I'll be all right by to-morrow," the woman hurried to
say bravely.

"We've sent for a doctor and a nurse," Nan explained. "They'll be here
in a little while."

A worried look came into the woman's pale and drawn face.

"A doctor? A nurse?" she repeated. "That's good of you, my dears, but I
can get along all right without them. And besides, besides----"

She hesitated, and Nan, who guessed what she was thinking of, hastened
to reassure her.

"Don't worry about anything," she urged. "There won't be any expense.
It's our fault that you are hurt, and the very least we can do is to see
that it doesn't cost you anything to get well. You just leave it to us,
please."

Tears came into the poor woman's eyes.

"How good you are!" she said brokenly. "There was a time when I had
money enough to get along comfortably, but that was before my husband
died. He thought that he was leaving me enough to take care of me for
the rest of my life. But somehow or other I guess I've been cheated out
of it or lost it somehow. It's all mixed up in my mind, and I don't
exactly know the rights of it. I never did have any head for business,
anyhow."

"There, there," said Nan soothingly, as she feared that her patient was
getting excited. "You can tell us all about it some other time. Let me
fix your pillows now and you try to get some sleep before the doctor
comes."

She brought a cooling drink, and then she and Bess withdrew into the
other room and conversed in low tones until, just before dark, the
doctor made his appearance.

He was a big, cheery man, who radiated confide