! Billy Long! what is the matter with you, Billy?" she demanded
the next moment.

CHAPTER XIX

THE RESCUE

The other girls--and even Mrs. Case--came running to the spot. The
teacher kept the other girls back and herself took Josephine Morse's
place and gripped Laura firmly as the latter hung over the brink of the
cliff.

Laura continued to call; but although she thought she had seen the boy
on the shelf below move, he did not reply. His face was very white.

"He's unconscious! He's hurt!" Laura gasped.

"How do you suppose he ever got there?" demanded Jess.

"The question is: How shall we get him up?" demanded Mrs. Case, briskly.

"I can get down to him--I know I can," cried Laura.

"You'll break your neck climbing down there!" declared the doctor's
daughter. "I wouldn't risk it."

"But he's helpless. He may be badly hurt," reiterated Laura.

"My dear! it would be very dangerous climbing down to the ledge," warned
Mrs. Case. "And how would you get back?"

"But somebody has got to go down to get Billy," declared Laura. "And
perhaps moments may be precious. We don't know how long he has been
there, or how badly he is hurt."

"Laura can climb like a goat," said her chum, doubtfully.

"And I'm going to try it If we only had a rope----"

"I'll run back to that farmhouse and get a rope--and some men to help,
perhaps," suggested Jess.

"Good!" exclaimed Laura. "Go ahead, and I'll be getting down to Billy
meanwhile."

"That would be best, I suppose," admitted their teacher. "But be very
careful, Laura."

Jess had started on the instant, and her fleet steps quickly carried her
out of sight. Laura swung herself down to the first rough ledge by
clinging to the bushes that grew on the edge of the cliff.

"Oh, perhaps I am doing wrong!" moaned Mrs. Case, at this juncture. "I
may be sending her to her death!"

"Don't worry!" called up Laura, from below. "It is not so hard as it
looks."

But there were difficulties that those above could not see. Within
twenty feet the girl came to a sheer wall which extended all along the
face of the cliff, and fifteen feet in height. It looked for a minute as
though she were balked.

But a rather large tree grew just above this drop, and its limbs
extended widely and were "limber." Laura climbed into this tree as well
as any boy, worked herself along the bending limb, which was tough, and
finally let herself down and swung from it, bearing the lithe limb
downwar