“Say, I know who that is, all right,” he told the others. “There’s a queer little old woman at the Williams house, the sassiest and quickest with her tongue you ever did hear, and they say she’s that set in her ways nobody ever can make her do a thing she’d opposed to. Yes, that must be Miss Maria screeching, and she’s perched up in that tree, all right, like a guinea hen. We’re going to have a fine time of it getting her down, let me tell you, if she happens to be afraid of the limb breaking.”
When the launch drew up alongside the house it was found that three persons had perched on the ridgepole of the roof, and were clinging there in great distress of body and mind. One of them was a brawny farm hand, another a heavy-set woman, while the third was a small negro.
The last immediately slipped down the slope of the roof and managed to squirm aboard the boat, as though not meaning to let this fine chance escape him. It was something of a task to get the big woman safely down; but Monkey Stallings volunteered to climb up with a clothes line and make some sort of a “check,” so that with the help of the strong hired man she was finally successfully taken aboard.
“Is that Miss Maria in the tree there?” Tip asked the man, after Hugh had learned that there were no others about the house needing assistance.
“Jest who it is,” was the answer of the hired man. “She got skeered ’baout the house right in the start, an’ sez it was apt to be kerried away, which a tree wouldn’t because it’s got roots. I helped her get up among the branches, but they hain’t be’n a minute sense thet she hain’t kept whoopin’ it up. And haow she’s a-goin’ to be took daown beats me.”
The launch was soon under the tree, and sure enough trouble began immediately. The little old woman was perched fairly high up, though even at that she doubtless often imagined the rising flood was touching her dangling feet. She declared she was afraid to move so as to come down. Monkey went up to assist her, but she continued to cling desperately to her limb and say she was afraid.
At Hugh’s suggestion Monkey even carried up the rope, and, passing it over a limb above her head, fastened a loop under her arms. This was to inspire her with confidence; but she kept her grip, and gave them all manner of trouble.
“I warned you what you’d run up against,” chuckled Tip. “I know the lady of old. When she sets her mind it sticks! Serve her right if we sailed away and left her up there in her old tree to camp out.”
“Well, we can’t do that,” said Hugh, frowning. “They say that if the mountain won’t come to you, it’s up to you to go to the mountain. We’re going to get her down, and that right away. And, Billy, I’m going to leave that part of the job to you. The rest hang on to the rope, and keep it taut, so she won’t fall and get hurt. We’ll remove her support, which is the only way. Here, Billy, you’re a good hand with a hatchet; climb up there and cut that limb close to the tree. Never mind what she says to you. Some people don’t know what’s good for them, and even have to be saved against their will. Now, up with you, and get busy, Billy boy.”