“You’re not going back,” declared Ezra. “I’ll look after that young miss myself. Come right in the house. Here, Kitty,” he spoke to a young woman at the door. “Here’s Miss Loomis that brought us those good apples. She’s had an accident up the road a piece. Her and a young miss was out driving, and as far as I can make out they got catched on the railroad and a wheel came off. You tidy her up a bit while Mark and me goes after the other one.”
Jessie had often seen Ezra’s daughter as well as her husband Mark, and she was quite willing to be taken indoors to have her face bathed, the dirt brushed from her clothes and herself generally looked after. There was a tremendous bruise on her leg, one stocking was badly torn, and the side of her face was scraped and sore where she had fallen against the bank.
“It’s lucky you weren’t killed outright,” said Kitty, when by dint of much questioning she learned how the thing happened. “Pappy’ll be back in no time. You just set still and wait for him. I reckon your ma’ll be glad to see you alive when she hears what’s went on.”
She established Jessie in a chair by the window and continued her preparations for supper. In a very short time Ezra and Mark were back again with Adele in the wagon and Dapple Gray behind it. “I conclude she has broken her arm,” said Ezra to his daughter as he came into the house. “There ain’t no time to lose in getting her to the doctor to have it sot, so I think the quickest way is to drive her right to Dr. Sadtler’s and let him see what’s wrong. I ain’t said nothin’ to her about what I think.”
“Pore little thing,” said Kitty, “she looks real white.”
Jessie had flown to Adele. “I couldn’t come,” she exclaimed. “Ezra wouldn’t let me. Do you feel any better?”
“No.” Adele shook her head and her tears broke out afresh. “I want to go home, I want to go home,” she sobbed.
Ezra came out before Jessie had time for another word. “You stay here, honey,” he said to Jessie. “I’ll take this young lady to the doctor and let him fix her up so she’ll feel better and then we’ll come back for you.”
But Adele wailed out, “Go with me, Jessie. Go with me. I don’t want to see the doctor all alone.”
“Ezra will be with you,” said Jessie who was feeling rather shaky herself.