"I'd rather not," answered Cora.

"Don't you dare!" cautioned Bess, who heard what was said.

"But we'll be late for lunch--and it has been ordered," wailed Belle. "And I'm so hungry!"

Cora resolved on an appeal.

"Do you think you could drive your sheep to one side, and keep them there until we pa.s.sed?" she asked the man. "It will take us only a minute to shoot by."

"It would be a risky undertaking miss," the herder answered respectfully enough. "Sheep is queer critters. You think you've got 'em just where you want 'em, when, all to once they break out, and if one goes the others follow."

"Yes, I know!" Cora was genuinely distressed. "But we simply must get past!" she exclaimed. "Can't you think of a way?" She looked ahead at the sheep. There were a hundred or more--quite a flock. The herder took off his cap and scratched his head reflectively--looking the while meditatively at his pipe.

"It might be done--it might," he murmured.

Cora brought her car to a stop.

"Oh!" cried Bess and Belle together, and Bess, who was driving, jammed on the foot and emergency brake quicker than she ever had in her life before.

As it was her fender struck the rear tires of Cora's car.

"Oh dear!" wailed Eline, clutching at Cora, while Belle, recovering from her momentary fright, had the presence of mind to raise her arm in the air as a signal for the boys to come to a halt.

"Cora Kimball!" cried Bess. "What did you stop so suddenly for, and not signal us? We might have broken your car!"

"I'm sorry. But I just thought of something, so didn't think of signalling. Any damage done?"

"No, but there might have been."

"All right then. Will you please come here?" she called to the man. "I want to speak to you--that is, if the sheep will be all right."

"Yes, miss, the dogs will look after 'em," and, calling a command to the intelligent collies, he advanced toward Cora's car.

CHAPTER VI

JACK IS LOST

"How many sheep have you?" asked Cora.

"Well, there's just a hundred and ten, miss. I had a hundred and 'leven, but one died on me," the man explained.

"What is this--a cla.s.s in arithmetic?" inquired Jack, who had left his car and come up to where his sister sat in hers.

"Now, Jack--please----" she said.

"And how much farther does this road go before----"

"The road doesn't go--it stays right here!" chuckled her brother.

"Stop it!" she commanded in such a tone that he knew she meant it.

"How far before there is a cross-road into which you could turn your sheep?" went on Cora, fixing the man with what Jack said afterward was "a cold and fishy glance."

"A matter of four mile, miss."

"I thought so. Then we'd have to tag along behind you all that distance, losing time, and----"

"To say nothing of swallowing all that dust!" exclaimed Belle, pointing to a cloud of it that hung over the flock of sheep, which the dogs were skillfully herding. "Oh, it's awful!"

"That's why I've thought of a way out," spoke Cora.

"Then _out_ with it, Sis!" exclaimed the irrepressible Jack. Once more his sister turned her attention to him--this time it was only a look, but it sufficed.

"Do you see that field over there?" asked Cora of the sheep man, pointing to one rich and luxuriant in deep, green gra.s.s.

"Yes, miss, I see it," and he pointed with the stem of his pipe to be sure he made no mistake.

"Yes. Well, now, could you take your sheep in there, and keep them--er--quiet--until we pa.s.sed in our autos. You see it is impossible for us to get by on the road, for even if you did get the animals to one side one might leap out, under the wheels of a car and there would be an accident."

"I see, miss. The sheep might be killed."

"Yes, and we'd be wrecked," growled Jack. "What's the game, Sis? If we stay here much longer that dinner will be eaten by some one else."

"Be quiet Jack--please! Now could you not drive your sheep into the field?" she asked. "Then we could get past. Of course we might turn around and go back to some other road, but it would delay us. Could you?"

Certainly no mere man could withstand the appealing glance thrown at this humble sheep herder. He capitulated.

"I guess I could do it, miss. But what if the man who owns this field was to see me? You see I'm a stranger in these parts--I'm only hired to drive these sheep to the man that bought them."

"I see. Well, if we gave you a dollar or so, you could give it to the man who owns that pasture in case he made objection. It would be worth two dollars to get past."

"More," Jack framed with his lips, but he did not speak aloud, being a careful and frugal youth.

"The sheep could not eat much gra.s.s in the short time you drove them into the field, kept them there until we got past, and then let 'em out again; could they?" she asked, with a winning smile.

"No, miss, I guess I can do it. Sheep is queer. They is easily frightened, and maybe it would be the best way. Why, only last night, when I had turned 'em into a pasture they near ran off on me."

"Why?" asked Jack, rather idly.

"Well, you see it was this way. I had 'em all settled for the night, a matter of several miles back, when a woman came running along the road.

She was takin' on somethin' bad, cryin' like, and mutterin' 'Kin I ever find her? Kin I ever find her?' You see----"

"Was that what she said?" cried Cora excitedly.

"She did, miss!"