St Nicholas [serial] . wnedEsthers frantic shouts. Foran instant he hesitated. Thenhe went into the water. Itcame to his knees, to hisflanks, to the edge of hispack! Esther gave a wailof distress. He had lost hisfooting! He was flounder-ing, he was swimming. Thecurrent was sweeping himdown and down. Esther thought of theChristmas presents, but she thought still more of what it would mean toher father to lose his only pack-animal; and shedid not stop to realize that there was nothing shecould do to prevent it. Her one idea was to getnear enough to catch the rope and try to pullJake to safe grou
St Nicholas [serial] . wnedEsthers frantic shouts. Foran instant he hesitated. Thenhe went into the water. Itcame to his knees, to hisflanks, to the edge of hispack! Esther gave a wailof distress. He had lost hisfooting! He was flounder-ing, he was swimming. Thecurrent was sweeping himdown and down. Esther thought of theChristmas presents, but she thought still more of what it would mean toher father to lose his only pack-animal; and shedid not stop to realize that there was nothing shecould do to prevent it. Her one idea was to getnear enough to catch the rope and try to pullJake to safe ground. She brought her quirtdown upon Billy. Go on! she was a splash, a scramble, a sensation ofeverything going from under them; and the nextinstant she felt that Billy was swimming. He was keeping his head up-stream as well as hecould; but he too was being overpowered by thecurrent, and the leafless willows on the shoreseemed to sweep by with alarming long it lasted Esther did not know, but. THERE WAS A SPLASH AND A SCRAMBLE. she felt a shock as Billys hoofs touched three wild springs he brought himself upan almost perpendicular bank and stopped short,trembling, exhausted. Esther slid from her sad-dle and sank upon the earth. She was weak withfright. For the moment she had forgotten she remembered him she jumped up innew terror, looking about. The sight that met her eyes was a small whitemule lying on its side. Oh ! she came out with 230 ESTHERS CHRISTMAS [Jan., a wail of grief. He s dead! He s dead! Shestarted toward him, leading the pony; but as shecame near she saw the stiff legs move was not dead—not even dying. He hadmerely fallen as he had struggled up the bankout of the river. And the clumsy pack had kepthim from rising. Esther had seen fallen pack-animals before,and she knew that there was but one thing to doif one were alone, and not very strong, —one musttake off the pack. She could manage that. Butcou
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookidstnicholasserial371dodg
