“Guess you needn’t worry,” said Laurie. “Looks as if she’d stay right here and rot to pieces. Guess she’s got a good start already.”
Their homeward way led them through the woods and around the slope of Little Crow Hill, at first by an old wood-road and then by devious trails through the now leafless forest. That was the nearer way, but there was a longer, more arduous, and far more attractive route that took them to the summit of Little Crow and laid the world at their feet; for from above the face of the quarry they could look for miles and miles up and down the broad river and across it and westward to the rising foot-hills of the mountains. Since to-day was as clear as a whistle and the air held that crisp quality that makes exertion a pleasure, Bob’s suggestion that they go up to the top of the hill was accepted with enthusiasm by Ned and Laurie. Polly, glancing solicitously at her dress, hesitated. But she was, in the boys’ parlance, “a good sport,” and she didn’t want to spoil their fun. So after a brief moment she, too, agreed, although with less enthusiasm, and they turned northward from the wood-road and ascended, for a time almost parallel to the railroad, a narrow path where the branches clutched mischievously at Polly’s skirt and proved that she had had cause for indecision.
Laurie led, with Polly next. For a while the going was not hard, but then outcropping boulders set the path to twisting and winding, and soon they were helping themselves upward by branches and setting their feet carefully in the moist tangles of root and moss. It was half-way up a more than usually severe stretch, when every muscle was tense, that Laurie suddenly stopped short, turned about and exclaimed “Say!” in such an unexpected and explosive burst of sound that Polly, thrown from her balance by her attempt to avoid collision with Laurie, and startled out of her wits, fell back against Ned. Only Bob’s prompt support from the rear saved the situation. The three glared at the offender in outrage.
“Say,” exclaimed Ned, “what do you want to do? Break all our necks? What’s the matter with you, anyway, stopping like that and shouting like a crazy man?”
Laurie stared back for an instant as though he neither saw Ned nor heard him. Then his gaze fell and he turned away. “Sorry,” he muttered.
“But—but what was it?” gasped Polly. “Did you see a snake or—or something?”
Laurie shook his head and began to climb again. “I just thought of something,” he said.
“Well, for the love of lime-drops!” scolded his brother. “Don’t think any more until we get to the top, you poor prune!”
They went on, but it wasn’t difficult to perceive that Laurie wasn’t obeying Ned’s injunction. If he had been he wouldn’t have stumbled over everything in his course and he wouldn’t have missed the path above the big fern-clad rock near the summit and gone wandering off into the brush all by himself until called back by the others. Ned observed him pityingly as he sheepishly rejoined them.
“We’ll have to hold you when we get to the top,” said Ned crushingly. “If we don’t you’ll probably walk right over the edge! What in the world’s got into you?”