Harriet heard Tommy give a little scream. It was quickly suppressed. Undoubtedly Miss Elting had sharply rebuked the terrified little girl. Harriet did not pause again. This was her last chance to get the bulls away from the trees that held her companions. Their safety depended upon her doing so. She was determined to succeed, even at the imminent risk of losing her own safety. The animals did not seem to be gaining on her, but all at once they put on a great burst of speed. Harriet darted sideways, then straight ahead again. This time she leaped out into the open, flaunting the skirt, tantalizing the ugly beasts, resorting to every artifice she could think of to take their attention from Miss Elting and the other girls.
Harriet succeeded beyond her expectations. She also succeeded in enraging the beasts far more than she had hoped to do.
Now they were getting too close for safety, so Harriet darted in among the trees, followed by the three savage, bellowing bulls. She grasped the first low-hanging limb that she came to, and swung herself up into a tree. A pair of sharp horns caught the end of the skirt, rending it nearly to the waist. Harriet clung desperately to the skirt. She did not propose to lose it if she could help doing so. Jerking the skirt away she climbed higher and, bracing herself, gazed down triumphantly.
“That’s the time I fooled you, didn’t I?” she taunted. Leaning forward the girl waved the skirt. She reached down far enough to flaunt the skirt full in the face of the nearest animal. He bellowed his rage and pawed the dirt. She continued to aggravate him. If she could only keep them all there until her companions reached the highway!
“Hoo-e-e-e-e!” sounded the distant, long-drawn call of the Meadow-Brook Girls.
“Oh, they’re safe!” cried Harriet joyfully. For a moment she closed her eyes and clung panting to the trunk of the tree. After resting a few moments she cautiously drew on her skirt and fastened it, three pairs of red, evil eyes observing her threateningly. Then she climbed to the topmost branches of the apple tree, hoping to get high enough to obtain a glimpse of her companions.
“I might have known that a tree with such low boughs would not be high enough for that,” she muttered. “But I’ll call.”
Listening she heard the “Hoo-e-e-e!” of Miss Elting again.
“Hoo-e-e-e-e-e-e! Hoo-e-e-e-e!” answered Harriet Burrell.
In response the others began shouting. The bulls did not appear to be interested. One of them lay down.