He turned to Shirley and would have lifted her to the saddle, but she protested.
“Take Mabel first,” she said.
Mr. Willing knew his daughter, and therefore he did not question her decision. Without a word he turned to Mabel and lifted her gently to the saddle. Then he swung himself up in front of her.
The horse plunged again into the creek, and in a few moments Mabel was safe on the other side.
“Now you run to the house as quick as you can get there,” said Mr. Willing as he handed her down.
Mabel wasted no time, and set out for the house on a run, while Mr. Willing turned his horse’s face toward the stream, and went after his daughter.
The second trip was made without incident, and Shirley found herself being borne toward the house in her father’s arms. Wet and bedraggled, she snuggled close to him, and though the trip to the house took but a few minutes, she was half asleep when he called to her to jump down.
“Go to bed at once,” he commanded. “If you are not careful you will be sick. You are not strong enough for such experiences.”
But Shirley must stop and kiss him first, and then she left him with a word of caution.
“I am just as strong as you are, Dad. You, too, are soaking. Mind, you change your clothes at once.”