To his astonishment, Sarah, who hated demonstration of any kind, threw her arms about his neck and burrowed her face on his shoulder. Bony rolled protestingly to the floor and squeaked sharply as he hit the dashboard in his descent. "The horse fell down," sobbed Sarah, "and she wouldn't get up. And it got darker and darker and there weren't any houses anywhere. Is Belle dead, Jack?" "Not a bit of it," said Jack stoutly. "She was tired, because she is an old horse and isn't used to traveling far." "Now that she is rested, we'll have no trouble getting her home," put in Warren. "You stay where you are, Sarah, till we get her up." But Sarah had had enough of the runabout and she insisted on climbing down while the boys got Belle to her feet and went over the harness. "It's a wonder it didn't slide off her," declared Warren as he cinched belts and snapped unfastened buckles. "I'll give you a lesson in harnessing some day, Sarah, for you still have a few points to learn." It was an odd procession that drove into Rainbow Hill lane an hour later. They dared not hurry the old horse and Sarah flatly refused to be taken home in the buggy with Tony, leaving Belle and the runabout to be driven in at a slower pace. Jack would have bundled her off unceremoniously but Warren, while admitting that she had "made enough trouble and ought to consider the feelings of other people once in a while" would not force the issue. "She's dead tired and she's been badly frightened," he said quietly. "After all, it will mean a difference of not more than half an hour. We'll wait for old Belle." So Jack and Richard, driving the runabout and the old mare, set the pace and Sarah and Bony in the buggy with Warren followed behind Tony. Rosemary and Winnie and the Hildreths came running out to greet the prodigal, who had to be awakened to answer their eager questions--and Winnie bore Sarah off to bed while Rosemary flew to the kitchen and began making sandwiches to serve with the ginger ale she knew was in the ice box. Excitement has a way of making people hungry and the boys especially were appreciative of the refreshments. Doctor Hugh read his small sister a severe lecture the next morning when, upon his return with his mother, he heard the story, and extracted her promise that hereafter she would not leave the farm without explicit permission. A subdued Sarah made a shamefaced apology to Mr. Hildreth for taking his horse and runabout and for as much as three days she slipped about like a meek little shadow. "Jack told me you found the horse shoe, Warren," said Rosemary, meeting Warren that next morning as he came from the creamery. "So you really found Sarah for us--and I think you are very quick and clever." "Any one of us would have found her," declared Warren lightly. "You can't really lose a little girl and a horse--you're bound to fall over them sometime, sooner or later."