"She must take her chances, then." Angela's tone was cool. "Come, do get in, and let us drive on, Ida. We have wasted too much time already." Ida hesitated. Her gaze wandered from Angela to the sick woman, whose head had fallen forward again. Then her face brightened suddenly. "The cart!" she said. "Why did I not think of it before? I can get her into that cart; it will be quite large enough if I take out all those things." "But what good will that do?" asked Angela. "How will she be any better off in the cart?" "I can pull it, and take her to Edgerton in that way." "Ida!" Angela almost shrieked. "Yes, I can, and I _will_, unless," and she smiled winningly, "you will allow me to put the cart behind the phaeton? Then Prince can pull us all." "Well, I suppose I can do that much," said Angela, reluctantly; "but how will we look!" "We needn't care for that. People who want to laugh can do so." "And are you going to handle all those horrid cooking utensils in that cart? And that soiled pillow and blanket? Oh, Ida, I wouldn't touch them for anything you could offer." Ida laughed. "It's in a good cause," she said, cheerfully. A few minutes later the sick woman and her child were in the cart, and the little cavalcade set out for Edgerton. As the cart was old and rickety they feared it would fall to pieces under any strain, so Prince was made to walk. As they reached the outskirts of Edgerton they saw Dr. Stone of that place coming jogging toward them in his low buggy, driving his big gray horse. He pulled up as he met the girls, and listened with interest to the account Ida gave of their charge. "I fear you have done an imprudent thing for yourselves," he said, "but of course it was only natural and right that you should want to help the poor creature. She must go to the hospital ward of the county poor-house. That's the only place for her. I will drive there at once and order a man to be sent for her." He sprang out of his buggy and drew the cart to one side of the road. "She is asleep, and will not miss you," he said, "and as you have a long drive before you, I advise you to start at once." The girls were only too thankful to be relieved of their troublesome charge. "But I venture to say that we have already caught the fever from her," said Angela, as she once more turned Prince's head toward home, "and if I fall ill I will never forgive you, Ida." "If either of us is to suffer it will be I," said Ida. "Well, that would be only fair; for you know I didn't want you to go near her, and you _would_ do it. You even handled those soiled things in that miserable cart." "I know my Aunt Patty would have blamed me had I followed your advice," said Ida. "Well, you need not have cared for that. What if she did?" replied Angela. "It would have mattered a great deal," answered Ida, in a low voice. "I don't believe my Aunt Patty ever did an unkind or a cowardly thing in her life." CHAPTER VIII.