CHAPTER IV.

A MOMENT OF PERIL.

It was a thrilling moment in Harry Webb’s life when he saw his chum’s sister in her extremely perilous situation.

He well understood how hard it was to keep up one’s courage in that freezing cold water, with the strong current trying its best to drag one under the ice.

“Don’t let go, Minnie!” he shouted, and just then his own voice sounded strange to him. “Hold fast! I’ll be there in another minute!”

With powerful strokes he swept nearer and nearer. The somewhat thin ice bent and cracked beneath his weight, but to this he paid scant heed.

In his pocket, Harry had a couple of skate-straps he had brought along in case anything should happen to his clamp skates. These straps he now buckled together, and wound one end around his hand.

Getting as close to the hole as he dared, he threw out the end of the straps.

“Catch the buckle, Minnie!” he cried. “Can you reach it, or shall I come closer?”

The poor girl in the water tried to speak, but the words would not come, so benumbed and cold was she.

But she put out one hand convulsively, and caught the strap just above the buckle.

“Now put the other hand on the ice, and I’ll pull you up,” went on Harry. “Steady, now, or the ice will----”

Crack! crack! crash!

The ice around the brave boy had suddenly given way, and on the instant he found himself plunged into the chilling water head first.

He went down several feet, and then turned and came up. The shock to his system, all overheated from racing, was terrible, and for a few seconds he seemed fairly paralyzed.

But he retained his hold on the straps, and by their aid was quickly at Minnie Woodruff’s side.

“Oh, Harry!” the girl burst out.

She could not say more, but those two words just then meant a good deal.

“I’ll save you yet, Minnie,” he returned, as he caught her around the waist. “Hold fast to me.”

“I--I can’t! I’m so co--cold!”

“I’ll hold you, then,” he went on. “Help! help! help!”

His cry rang out loud and clear across the frozen river. Fortunately, several had seen him turn from the race course, and watched where he had gone. These persons were now hurrying to the scene of the accident as fast as possible.

“It’s Harry Webb!”

“He’s trying to save Minnie Woodruff from drowning!”

“What a plucky boy to leave the race and go in after her!”

These and numerous other shouts went up. Then, as the little crowd drew closer, they speculated upon how they should aid the struggling pair.

“Somebody get a rope!”

“We want a board worse than anything! You can’t pull them out with a rope.”

In the meantime one boy threw out the end of his long tippet to Harry, who caught one end of it and tied it about Minnie’s wrist.

Then, suddenly, a boy came skating toward the crowd, carrying a long board. It was Boxy Woodruff!

“Here’s a board to get ’em out with!” he cried. “Now if--Minnie!”

He had not previously recognized his sister, and now at the discovery he almost fainted.

“Minnie! and Harry has gone in after her!” he murmured. “Oh, I hope they both get out safe!”

Willing hands had taken the board and shoved out one end toward the big hole in the ice.

“Get back!” shouted a cool-headed man. “Get back, every one, or there’ll be a dozen more in together!”

The warning came none too soon, for already the ice was cracking in a dozen directions. The crowd started back, only the man and Boxy remaining at the outer end of the board, to prevent it slipping around.

Bringing every ounce of his youthful strength into play, Harry caught hold of the end of the board, and slowly pulled himself out of the water, with Minnie half-clinging, half-held to his side. The ice groaned dismally, but did not break, and in a few seconds the two were safe once more.

Boxy caught Minnie in his arms just as the exhausted girl was on the point of fainting. A crowd of admiring boys surrounded Harry.

“Good for you, Harry!”

“That was well done!”

“My! but he’s got nerve, hasn’t he?”

“I--I guess I had better get ho--home!” chattered the hero of the occasion. “I’m almost fro--frozen!”

“Here, take my overcoat!” It was Jack Bascoe who spoke. “You’re a brick, Harry! I never dreamed that you had turned out to save Minnie Woodruff.”

“Who won the ra--race?” questioned Harry, as he slid into the overcoat in short order.

“I did. But you were ahead, and you deserve----”

Jack broke off short, as a sleigh drawn by a pair of coal black horses dashed up on the ice. It was old Mr. Grimes’ turnout.

“Get in here, and put the girl in, too!” cried the old fellow, who sat on the front seat beside the driver. “Be quick! The sooner you both get home the better. You’ll catch your death of cold out here on the river.”

And Minnie Woodruff and Harry were bundled into the back seat by Boxy and the others without delay; the robes were piled over them, and then off they spun for the town.

Luckily, the Woodruff and Webb homesteads were not far distant, and inside of ten minutes both the girl and the boy were in their homes, and being taken care of by their mothers.

Mrs. Webb wished Harry to go bed, but he demurred at this.

“I’m not so frail as all that, mother. I’ll go up to your room, where it’s warm, and take a good rubbing down and change my clothing, and then I’ll be all right. I only hope Minnie gets over it all right.”

Harry departed up the stairs, and after giving him a complete change of raiment, Mrs. Webb hurried next door to assist in making Minnie comfortable, for she knew Mrs. Woodruff was rather sickly, and could not do as readily as most women.

She came back inside of half an hour, and found Harry sitting by the dining-room stove, and with him Jack and Andy Bascoe, who had followed old Grimes’ sleigh on foot.

“I’m feeling just as well as ever, excepting that I’m awfully tired,” said Harry. “How is Minnie?”

“She is abed, but the doctor who was summoned thinks she will recover in a day or two. She was in so long that her whole system was chilled. Mrs. Woodruff is very thankful for what you did.”

“Oh, I didn’t do any more than any other fair-minded fellow would do,” replied Harry, modestly.

“She seems to think so, and so does Boxwell. Mr. Woodruff has not yet come home.”

“He is a genuine hero,” put in Andy. “He ran a great risk, and all the boys say so.”

Jack agreed with him on this point, and a little later, before departing for dinner, spoke of the gold medal he had won.

“That medal ought to go to you, Harry,” he said. “And, by rights, I ought to get the second prize, that Sully got. It isn’t fair to do you out of your winnings in this way.”

“But you won the medal; I didn’t,” said Harry.

“But you would have won it, though.”

“That’s so,” said Andy.

“I don’t care so much for the medal, but you know I was wishing for the money, so I could go with you fellows on that tour----” began Harry.

“Well, if that’s all, I’m going to fix you up on that score,” said Jack, decidedly. “I’ll keep the medal and give you the trip money----”

“No, sir!” cried Harry. “I’m going to get that money myself--by earning it or otherwise, or else I don’t go. That’s settled.”

And all the talking the Bascoe brothers could do would not shake him from this determination.

It was growing toward evening when Boxy’s father, who had been on a trip to New York, came home. He was completely taken aback by the news that awaited him, and very solicitous concerning his only daughter’s welfare.

He remained by Minnie’s side all of that evening, and it was not until well into the forenoon of the next day that he ran over to the Webb house.

“My dear Harry, how can I thank you for what you have done?” he cried, as he grasped the young hero warmly by the hand. “You saved Minnie’s life!”

“Well, I’m downright glad of it,” stammered Harry, not finding anything else to say on the moment.

“Mrs. Woodruff is also very grateful. I would have been over before, but I could not bring myself to leave Minnie’s side.”

“How is she this morning?” questioned Mrs. Webb.

“Very much better--in fact, completely out of danger,” returned the happy father. “Harry, I do not know how to reward you,” he went on, still wringing the boy’s hand.

“I am not looking for any reward, Mr. Woodruff. I only did what I thought was my duty.”

“Nevertheless, you played the part of a real hero, and you deserve a rich reward--more than I or any other man in Rudskill can afford.”

“I was glad to save Minnie for friendship’s sake.”

“I believe you, my boy, but I shall not let it rest there, let me tell you that. In a few days I am going down to your father’s store and have a talk with him about you. Boxwell tells me you have said you would like to attend college with him.”

“Indeed, Mr. Woodruff, I would, but--but----”

“Never mind the buts, Harry. I’m going to talk with your father about it. Boxwell says he wishes you to take the clerk’s place in the store, so as to reduce expenses, but maybe I can fix that up. A bright, brave boy like you deserves a chance in life. Now I must go. By the way, here is a little trifle from Minnie and Mrs. Woodruff which you must not refuse. Boxwell put it in their heads to send it to you.”

As Mr. Woodruff finished, he brought forth a sealed envelope, and thrust it into Harry’s hand. Before the boy could utter any protest he was gone.

With his mother looking over his shoulder, Harry tore open the envelope. There were two things inside. One was a card, on which was written:

“Please accept the inclosed for your share of the expense of the coming tour of the Zero Club.”

Accompanying the card was a crisp, new twenty-dollar bill.