Amy released her tense grip upon Jessie’s arm and straightened up. From the front seat there came a sound between a sob and a laugh. The author of the sound was Nell. Miss Alling herself seemed not in the least perturbed.
“Nasty business,” she said disgustedly, as she eased herself from behind the wheel and felt for a footing in the wet grass. “Might know I would end up in a mud hole like this. Well, I guess there is nothing for it but for us all to get out and push. Give you girls an appetite for lunch,” she added, with a chuckle.
“Just now I feel as though I would never be able to eat again,” remarked Nell, the usually calm and collected.
They heard the boys calling to them and the next moment Burd, Darry and Fol appeared, looking extremely anxious.
“Why the lengthy faces?” cried Amy. “You needn’t look as if we had already shuffled off this mortal coil. Cheer up, boys, there is lots of kick in us yet.”
“What shocking slang,” reproved Jessie, with a chuckle. “And just when you should be making a good impression upon Miss Alling, and everything.”
“My dear,” spoke up Aunt Emma absently, “if I never had anything worse than slang to worry about, I should be a very lucky woman. This car! Now I ask you! Just look at it! Sunk a foot deep in mud and water!”
“It is a rather sorry-looking spectacle,” agreed Burd, adding with a grin: “But it would be looking a heap worse if it had gone over that embankment.”
“So should we,” replied Jessie, with a forced laugh.
“The appearance of none of us is likely to be improved at once,” Miss Alling informed him, with a merry twinkle in her eyes. “You will probably be liberally spattered with mud—and bad temper—before we get this car on the state highway again. We’ll have to ford the river.”