wered Nan. She was so bewildered she scarcely knew what to
say. "Oh, isn't it awful!"

They gathered close around the fallen girl, but nobody dared to touch
her. While they were there, and one had gone to tell Mrs. Lavine, a
gentleman came up. It was Mr. Bobbsey, coming home from the lumber yard
for lunch.

"What is the trouble?" he asked, and then saw Grace. "What happened to
her?"

"She was--was jumping rope, and couldn't jump any more," sobbed Nan.
"Oh, papa, she--isn't de--dead, is she?"

Mr. Bobbsey was startled and with good reason, for he had heard of more
than one little girl dying from too much jumping. He took the limp form
up in his arms and hurried to the Lavine house with it. "Run and tell
Doctor Briskett," he called back to Nan.

The physician mentioned lived but a short block away, and Nan ran as
fast as her feet could carry her. The doctor had just come in from
making his morning calls and had his hat and overcoat still on.

"Oh, Doctor Briskett, do come at once!" she sobbed. "Grace Lavine is
dead, and we did it, turning the rope for her!"

"Grace Lavine dead?" repeated the dumfounded doctor.

"Yes! yes!"

"Where is she?"

"Papa just carried her into her house."

Without waiting to hear more, Doctor Briskett ran toward the Lavine
residence, around which quite a crowd had now collected. In the crowd
was Bert.

"Is Grace really dead?" he asked.

"I--I--guess so," answered Nan. "Oh, Bert, it's dreadful! I was turning
the rope and she had reached ninety-seven, when all at once she sank
down, and----" Nan could not go on, but leaned on her twin brother's arm
for support.

"You girls are crazy to jump rope so much," put in a big boy, Danny Rugg
by name. Danny was something of a bully and very few of the girls liked
him.

"It's no worse than playing football," said a big girl.

"Yes, it is, much worse," retorted Danny. "Rope jumping brings on heart
disease. I heard father tell about it."

"I hope Grace didn't get heart disease," sobbed Nan.

"You turned the rope," went on Danny maliciously. "If she dies, they'll
put you in prison, Nan Bobbsey."

"They shan't do it!" cried Bert, coming to his sister's rescue. "I won't
let them."

"Much you can stop 'em, Bert Bobbsey."

"Can't I?"

"No, you can't."

"I'll see if I can't," answered Bert, and he gave Danny such a look that
the latter edged away, thinking he was going to be attacked.

Doctor Briskett had gone into the house and the