Page:J Allan Dunn--The Girl of Ghost Mountain.djvu/158

140 "Up here! She's up here. Bring some water."

There was a pail full of water on the verandah, cool, in the shade. Sheridan caught it up and, following the voice, saw Jackson waving to him from high up the slope, above the pine grove, close to the rim of the mountain. He had dismounted and must have run at prodigious speed to have made the ascent. Sheridan hurried through the grove along the well-trodden trail and found Red standing beside Thora who was lying outstretched on the ground, unconscious. A khaki skirt and coat seemed to have been hurriedly thrown on above her night-dress which was torn almost to ribbons. Her feet were in unlaced boots. Her hair lay flung out from her head in two immense braids of palest silver-gold.

Jackson took the pail from the panting Sheridan without ceremony and began to toss palmfuls of water into Thora's face. The cold shock of it brought her to almost instantly and she opened wide eyes that held a latent horror. Then she appeared to recognize them and sat up.

"I bane fainted for first time in my life," she said, talking with difficulty. "Give me the pail." It was half full but she lifted it without difficulty and drank deeply. When she set it down she wiped her lips with the back of her hand, uptilting her chin. They saw around her neck the purpling wealmark of a cord. Her face was bruised and smeared with blood, one ear, large and symmetrical, was torn a little at the lobe and blood had run freely from this down to her bosom, half exposed by the tattered gown. She suddenly flushed almost