CHAPTER XIX

A SURPRISE TRIP


When Ralph Willoby carried his senseless burden to the platform, where,
so short a time before, the girl had been as merry as any of her
playmates, Squire Travers determined upon one thing--to form a
searching party of all the boys to scour the woods from tree to stump
and if possible run down the villain who had attacked Dorothy.

The fainting girl was soon revived by the careful ministrations of Miss
Ellis, assisted by pupils following her directions; and, before the
half-conscious girl realized what had happened to her, the boys were
running through the woods, led by the squire and Ralph, bent on finding
Anderson.

But such reflections were of little use now that the harm was done.
Dorothy was very weak indeed. She felt as if those sinuous fingers were
still about her throat, and she could see those terrible eyes peering
into hers in spite of all her efforts to forget her awful experience.

Some boys had already been sent off to the nearest place where it would
be possible to get a conveyance to take her home, and they now returned
with a covered carriage.

Into this Miss Ellis and Dorothy were assisted, while the remainder of
the girls were soon ready to leave the grounds in the large picnic