But she forgot her terror as soon as she was mounted pickaback, and thought herself the “country cousin” taking a ride on a holder.
All this while everybody in the Allen half of the house was up and hunting for the lost child. Milly was crying bitterly; Johnny had come in from the barn, where he had pulled the hay all over; and Uncle Ben, who had just returned from his journey, was starting out on the street with a lantern.
Just then Mrs. Hunter walked in, and dropped Flaxie into Aunt Charlotte’s arms, saying:
“Here, I’ve brought you a poor sick child.”
Then there was such a commotion that Flaxie was more bewildered than ever, and at sight of Uncle Ben she screamed wildly. It was his coming home about ten minutes before that had frightened her, in the first place, by waking her from a bad dream; and she had slipped out of bed, and out of the open front door, before any one missed her.
“There! there! darling, don’t cry,” said Aunt Charlotte, hushing her in her arms, while Mrs. Hunter heated a blanket.
“I’ve done something orful,” said Flaxie in her auntie’s ear. “I’m so sorry; but I stole a horse and sleigh! Don’t tell, auntie! I put ’em behind that door.”
“Well, never mind it, dear; you didn’t mean to,” said Aunt Charlotte, smiling in spite of her heavy heart. Then she turned to Uncle Ben, who stood by, looking puzzled, and asked him in a whisper if he “didn’t think he ought to go for the doctor”?
“Oh, by all means,” said Mrs. Hunter, beginning to help him on with his overcoat.
He had hurried home in the night train, on purpose to spend Christmas day with his family, and was really too tired to take a ride of two miles in a snow-storm. But he was not thinking of that; he was thinking how dreadful it was to have his dear little niece sick away from home; and how her papa didn’t like the Hilltop doctor,—and perhaps it was best to go three miles farther to the next town after Dr. Pulsifer.