violently, knelt beside Grace on the plank. But it was too short; when
Tom Gray seized one end of it he nearly upset both the girls into the
water.

"Oh, what shall we do?" cried Grace in despair when suddenly there came
the thought of the little wagon.

Quickly untwisting a long muffler of red silk from about her neck, Grace
tied it securely in the middle, around the cross piece of the tongue of
the stout little vehicle. Then she pushed it gently until it stood on the
edge of the hole. Giving one end of the muffler to Julia, Grace took the
other herself.

"Catch hold of the tail piece, Tom," she cried.

Fortunately the ice was very rough where the girls were standing, or they
would certainly have slipped and fallen. They pulled and tugged until
gradually the ice in front of them, with Tom's additional weight on it,
instead of breaking began to sink. But Tom Gray was out of the hole now;
helped by the wagon he slipped easily along the half-submerged ice, then
finally rolled over with a cry of relief upon the firm surface.

In the same way they pulled out the deaf and dumb man, who had certainly
been brave and patient during the ordeal, although he had uttered the most
fearful sounds.

As soon as his feet touched the solid ice, he seized his wagon and made
for the bank. Grace, remembering she had promised him her ring, hurried
after him, but she was chilled to the bone and could not run. By the time
she reached the bank he had rounded the corner of the ice house and was