go under the
wheels of the vehicle.

Nan Sherwood seized the shawl and by main strength dragged its owner to
the gutter. The car slid past; both girls were safe!

"You lemme be! you lemme be!" shrieked the girl Nan had rescued,
evidently considering herself much abused by the rough treatment her
rescuer had given her, and struggling all the time to keep Nan from
lifting her upon the sidewalk.

"Why, you little savage!" gasped Bess Harley. "Don't you know you've
been saved?"

"Who wants to be saved?" demanded the smaller girl, looking up at the
three older ones out of the hood of the shawl she had clung to so
desperately. "What youse savin' me _from_?"

Bess grew more excited. "Why, Nan!" she cried. "It is--it must be! Don't
you see who she is?"

Nan was already looking down into the dark, shrewd and thin countenance
of the little one with a smile of recognition. It was Inez, the little
flower-girl, whom she had so fortunately pulled out of the way of the
automobile.

"Hullo, honey; don't you know us?" Nan asked her.

"Hi!" exclaimed the street waif. "If it ain't me tony friends from
Washington Park. Say! youse got ter excuse me. I didn't know youse."

"Why, Inez!" exclaimed Nan, kindly. "You have a dreadful cold."

"Say! if I don't have nothin' worse than that I'll do fine," croaked
the little girl, carelessly. "But I never expected to see youse tony
folks again."

"Why, Inez!" exclaimed Bess. "And we've been hunting all over for you."

"Goodness me!" burst out Grace Mason. "You don't mean to say that this is
the poor little thing we've been in such a fuss about?"

"Of course she is," Bess replied.

"This is positively Inez," laughed Nan, squeezing the little one's cold
hand in her own. "Aren't you glad to see us, child?"

"I dunno," said Inez, doubtfully. "Youse ain't come to take me back to
me aunt, have youse?" and she looked around for a chance to escape. "I
ain't goin' to live with her no more--now I tell youse!" and she became
quite excited.

Nan sought to reassure her. "Don't you be afraid, honey. We wouldn't
see you abused. We only want to help you. That is why we have been
searching for you."

"You been huntin' me up--jest to _help_ me?" gasped Inez, in wonder.

"Of course we have," said Bess.

"Hi!" exclaimed the flower-seller, with an impish grin. "I reckon me aunt
would say some of yer buttons was missin'. Youse can't be right in the
upper story," and she pointed to her own head to i