“I’m not certain,” mused Dorothy, more to herself than to her companion, “but I think I caught sight of the fire tower on the ridge just before we sideslipped. That would mean that this meadow is on the eastern edge of the reservation—and that there’s a road on the hill across from the ridge. There must be a trail of some kind leading in here. They could never get the hay out or the cattle in, otherwise; this place must be used for something.”
They trudged along, keeping the trees on their left until the farther end of the meadow was reached. As they rounded the corner the light from the flash brought into view a narrow opening in the trees and undergrowth.
“What did I tell you?” sang out Dorothy. “There’s our trail! This certainly is a lucky break!”
“Where do you suppose it goes?” Betty’s question was lacking in enthusiasm.
“Oh, it’s the tunnel from the Grand Central to the new Waldorf-Astoria,” said Dorothy, squinting in the darkness. “I’m going to take a room with a bath. You can have one, too, if you’re good!”
Betty stumbled into a jagged wheel rut and sat down suddenly. “Oh, my goodness!” she moaned. “My new pumps are ruined—and these nice new stockings are a mass of runs from those nasty brambles!”
“Humph! Just think how lucky you are to be alive,” suggested Dorothy callously. “Look—we’re coming into another meadow. Yes—and there’s a light—must be a house up there on the hill.”
“What if they won’t let us in?” wailed Betty.
They were heading across the meadow, now, toward the hill. Dorothy stopped and turned the flashlight on her friend.
“You certainly are a gloom!” she declared angrily. “Do you think I’m enjoying this? My shoes and stockings are ruined, too, and this ducky dress I’m crazy about has a rip in the skirt a yard long. It will probably be worse by the time we get through the brush on that hillside. But there’s absolutely no use in whining about it—and there’s not a darned thing to be scared of. Is that clear to you, Betty?” She paused, and then went on more gently. “Come on, old thing, you’ll feel much better when we’ve found a place to get warm and dry.”