They were backing up. Then they stopped and the driver shifted gears. The bus leaped ahead, the throttle on full and the exhaust barking in the crisp air. Gradually their forward motion ceased and the wheels ground into the snow.
Without a word the bus driver shifted instantly into reverse and they lurched backward. The driver stopped the bus, set the emergency brake, and dodged out into the night.
“What’s the matter?” asked Helen, who was almost hidden in her fur coat and deliciously sleepy.
“I think we’ve hit a drift,” replied Janet.
“We ought to be almost home, though. It seems like we’ve been traveling for ages.”
“I expect we are,” but Janet didn’t feel the optimism that she meant her words to convey.
If the wind had increased they might find themselves in a serious situation.
The bus driver opened the door and stuck his head in.
“One of you fellows come out and give me a hand with the shovels.”
Jim Barron, nearest the door, responded with Ed Rickey at his heels.