But immediately Bess would say, “Shush!
We’re relaxing. We may have a big night to-
night.”
Finally the girls started for the farmhouse. To
reach it they had to cross a field in the corner of
which lay a heap of large stones, apparently raked
there when the acreage was cultivated.
George, grinning, climbed across the stones,
saying, “This life is making me rugged. I- Oh,
ouch!” she cried loudly, then added, “A snake!
It bit me!”
CHAPTER XV
Masqueraders
Nancy and George turned Just in time to see a
brownish snake slither off in a wiggling motion
and disappear among the stones.
“Oh, George!” Bess cried. “Was it a poisonous
one?”
“I’m not sure,” she answered, “I-I hope it
wasn’t a copperhead.”
“We’d better not take any chances,” Nancy de-
dared, whipping a handkerchief from her beach
robe. “Let’s put on tourniquets, Bess.”
Like lightning the two girls tied their handker-
chiefs tightly above and below the puncture
marks made in George’s calf by the snake’s fangs.
Then Nancy took a tiny pair of scissors from
her bag. “I wish I had something to sterilize these
with,” she said.
“Will perfume do?” Bess asked, and took
from her bag the tiny bottle of Blue Jade.
The liquid was poured onto the scissors, then
Nancy deftly made a crosscut incision near the
punctures. Blood spurted out, and with it, she
hoped, any serum the snake might have injected.
George stoically had not made a sound, but fi-
nally she said, “Thanks, girls. Your quick first aid
probably made it possible for me to go to the
ceremonies tonight-if they have them.”
“I think you’d better not step on your foot, or
stimulate circulation,” Nancy advised. “Suppose
Bess and I carry you.”
George started to protest but finally consented.
Seated on a “chair” made by the intertwined
hands of Nancy and Bess, George was carried to-
ward the farmhouse.
The trip, though awkward and slow, went at a
steady pace. George maintained her Spartan atti-
tude. She not only refused to complain but teas-
ingly asked Bess, “Aren’t you glad I don’t eat as
much as you do?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Bess replied,
puzzled.
“Well, if I loved desserts as you do,” George
teased, “I wouldn’t be such a featherweight to
carry!”
Bess gave her cousin an indignant glance. “How
do you like that for gratitude! Next time I lug
you all the way home-!”
Nancy interrupted with a grin, “I guess we all
do our share of eating dessert. Anyhow, we’ve
made it, girls. Red Gate Farm is just ahead!”
As they came up to the house, Mrs. Salisbury,
who was in the garden, exclaimed, “Oh, gracious!
What happened?” Mr. Abbott and Mrs. Byrd
hurried from the house.
“Just a precautionary measure,” Nancy ex-
plained, and told of the snake incident.
George was carried indoors and laid on a couch.
Mrs. Byrd quickly called the family physician.
He arrived shortly, and examined George’s
wound.
The doctor nodded approvingly as he bathed it
with an antiseptic and removed the tourniquets.
“Excellent first-aid treatment,” he announced.
“You’ll be fine, young lady. I’d advise you to rest
for several hours.”
“Thank you. That’s good news.” George gave
a relieved grin.
For the remainder of the afternoon she was
made to lie inactive. When dinnertime came,
George got up, declaring, “I never felt better!”
“But take it easy in case we go out tonight,”
Nancy pleaded with her.
To allay suspicion on the part of the other
boarders, Bess and Joanne were posted as guards
across the road. If they saw the beginning of rites
on the hill, the girls were to give birdcalls. In the
meantime. Nancy and George waited in George’s
room, the costumes ready to be picked up at a
moment’s notice.
Suddenly Nancy leaped from her chair and
flew into her own bedroom. “What’s eating you?”
George called.
“Oh, why didn’t I think of it before? How
stupid of me!” Nancy said, returning with a piece
of paper in her hand.
“What are you talking about?” George de-
manded.
“That snake today. The way he wriggled. It
looked just like the mark over the numeral 2 in
the coded message!” Nancy cried excitedly.