arriet turned the rope over to her companion and hurried to the edge
of the shelf, where she stretched herself on the rock with her head
protruding over. What she saw was an object that resembled a great
spider suspended from a silken thread. The spider was dangling in the
air, with arms and legs working frantically. The poor little spider,
in this instance Tommy Thompson, was slowly turning from side to side,
clawing frantically at the smooth side of the mountain when her hands
got into position where she could touch it. Miss Elting was trying to
soothe her. Harriet adopted a different policy.

"Tommy!" she cried sharply.

"Oh, thave me! Thave me!" wailed the little tow-headed girl.

"Do you want to drop clear to the bottom?" demanded Harriet.

"No, oh, no! Thave me! I'll be good. I'll--"

"You'll be down there in a heap if you don't stop struggling. Listen
to me! Are you going to stop that screaming and do something for
yourself, or are we to let you hang there until to-morrow morning?"
continued Harriet.

"Yeth, oh, yeth! I'll be good. I'll do whatever you tell me. But
thave me. Pleathe thave me!" sobbed the unhappy little Tommy.

"Stop clawing. Let your body hang limp. Don't make a move, and keep
quiet. You confuse us. Remember, if you struggle you are likely to
pull us over with you. I am going to get something; then I shall try
to pull you up. Hazel and Margery, stay close to Miss Elting. Miss
Elting, will you look after them while I go to hunt a stick?"'

"Come over here by me, girls," commanded the guardian in response to
the request. "Now, stand perfectly still. Tommy's life may depend
upon your doing only what you are told. A Meadow-Brook Girl is a sort
of soldier, and a soldier is not a good soldier unless he can take and
obey orders."

Hazel was trembling a little, Margery a great deal, but the words of
the guardian served to quiet and steady both girls.

Harriet came running toward them, carrying a round stick, a piece from
a small sapling that the guide had picked up for firewood. This she
cautiously slipped under the rope at the edge of the shelf, prying the
rope up a little in order to do so, thus sending Tommy into a fresh
outburst of terror when she felt the added movement of the rope.

"Miss Elting, I think you had better manage the stick. You are not
likely to lose your presence of mind. Hazel and Margery may help me
pull Tommy up. Be sure not to let the rope