The white lips of Frank formed these words as he still staggered onward, though there was little need of this. Surely the plunging horse, mad with terror, would reach him before he could take half a dozen breaths.
What could he do to bring the beast to a halt? He saw Lef half standing up and sawing wildly at the lines, dragging the horse’s head from side to side with the energy of his action. But what almost froze the blood in Frank’s veins was the sight of that pitiable, shrinking figure cowering down in the seat just behind.
How well he remembered that bright red dress. He had thought the girl never looked so pretty as the day she first wore that; and he mustered up courage enough to tell her so, too. And now—Frank gulped something down that threatened to choke him, and tried to set his muscles for a mad spring when the runaway horse came up with him.
“Get out of the way! You’ll scare him into the river!” howled the badly-rattled Lef, as he continued to saw away at the lines as if for dear life.
That was just what Frank thought would be the best thing that could happen. As it was, an upset might cost one or both lives, if the occupants of the swaying vehicle were hurled upon the rocks at the side of the road.
Instead of getting out of the way, as Lef seemed to want, he stood as if rooted there. He even did more, for he snatched off his hat and waved it in order to make the horse sheer.
“Stop that, you fool!”
Lef fairly shrieked these words. He evidently thought Frank had taken leave of his senses, and would bring about a disaster. On the contrary, the boy in the road had calculated wisely, and saw that there was a chance of bringing that wild race to a halt without a terrible smash.
It turned out exactly as Frank had figured. The animal, startled at seeing this figure in the middle of the road, with wildly waving arms, and uttering hoarse shouts, jumped to one side.
There was the hill to the right, and hence the only way in which the beast could leave the road was in the direction of the river.