Mrs. May seeing her preparations and realizing Dorothea’s intentions, kissed her lovingly.
“I was going with April but I shall feel that she is safe with you, dear.”
A little later the traveling carriage driven by Uncle Jastrow, with the boy beside him on the box, stopped in front of the Heath House and April came running to meet them.
At sight of Dorothea she paused a moment.
“I didn’t think of your coming,” April murmured as she jumped in and settled down beside her cousin.
“Of course I meant to go with you all the time,” said Dorothea in a matter-of-fact tone, and April kissed her, tears too near for speech.
Under constant urging from April, Uncle Jastrow had driven the horses at as fast a gait as they could go. But the shadows were lengthening and there were still untraveled miles ahead of them. During the long hours the girls had scarcely spoken to each other, but much of the time had sat, hand in hand, looking at the ribbon of road ahead of them as the horses galloped mile after mile. Under the most favorable circumstances the task set would have been a hard one, but there was a determination behind April’s quiet manner that meant a battle against any force that might attempt to hold her back.
“Faster, Uncle Jastrow!” she said, in a steady voice.
“’Deed, Lil’ Miss,” the old darky answered, “they’s doin’ all they can, ’less yoh want ’em dyin’ on the road.”
“Faster!” was all the reply April made, and the driver, with a shake of his white head, urged on the tiring beasts.