nie S.

From inside, the tightly drawn curtains there came a variety of sounds,
screams, exclamations, and grunts as of someone gasping for breath.

"Be you hurt?" yelled the frantic Mr. Holt.

It was the voice of the younger passenger which first made coherent
reply.

"No," it panted. "No, I--I think I'm not hurt. But Aunt Thankful--Oh,
Auntie, are you--"

Aunt Thankful herself interrupted. Her voice was vigorous enough, but it
sounded as if smothered beneath a heavy weight.

"No, no," she gasped. "I--I'm all right. I'm all right. Or I guess I
shall be when you get--off of me."

"Judas priest!" cried Winnie S., and sprang to the scene. It was the
younger woman, Emily, whom he rescued first. She, being on the upper
side of the tilted wagon, had slid pell-mell along the seat down upon
the body of her companion. Mrs. Barnes was beneath and getting her out
was a harder task. However, it was accomplished at last.

"Mercy on us!" exclaimed the lady, as her companions assisted her to
rise. "Mercy on us! I feel like a pancake. I never knew you weighed so
much, Emily Howes. Well, that's all right and no bones broke. Where
are we now? Why--why, that's a house, I do believe! We're in somebody's
yard."

They were, that was plain even on a night as dark as this. Behind them,
bordering the stretch of mud and puddles which they had just left, was
the silhouette of a dilapidated picket fence; and in front loomed the
shadowy shapes of buildings.

"We're in somebody's yard," repeated Thankful. "And there's a house,
as sure as I live! Well, I never thought I'd be so grateful just at the
bare sight of one. I'd begun to think I never would see a house again.
If we'd run afoul of a ship I shouldn't have been so surprised. Come on,
Emily!"

She seized her companion by the hand and led the way toward the nearest
and largest building. Winnie S., having retrieved and relighted the
overturned lantern, was inspecting the wreck of the depot-wagon. It was
some minutes before he noticed that his passengers had disappeared. Then
he set up a shout.

"Hi! Where you be?" he shouted.

"Here," was the answer. "Here, by the front door."

"Hey? Oh, all right. Stay where you be. I'll be there pretty soon."

The "pretty soon" was not very soon. Mrs. Barnes began to lose patience.

"I ain't goin' to roost on this step till mornin'," she declared. "I'm
goin' inside. Ain't that a bell handle on your side of the door, Emily?
Give it a pull, f