"I remember you now," he mumbled. "Did you see that hunchback push me down here?"

"Yes, I did. It was a brutal thing to do. I think now he may have gone for a rope."

"Don't you believe it!" Eckenrod said bitterly. "He wouldn't help us if we were freezing to death! The man is a thief! He was stealing my wood!

I'll have the law on him!"

"First we have to get out of here," Penny reminded him. "That's not going to be easy."

Eckenrod became sober as he studied the sharp walls of the creva.s.se. The only possible handhold was a ledge well above their heads.

"If you can boost me up, I think I can make it," Penny said. "Then I'll go for help."

Eckenrod attempted to get to his feet, but his left leg crumbled beneath him. Pain and despair were in his eyes as he gazed at his companion.

"Broken," he said. "Now we are in a fix."

Trying not to disclose fright, Penny said the only thing to do was to call for help. However, after she had shouted until she was nearly hoa.r.s.e, she too was filled with despair.

"Winkey isn't coming back," she acknowledged. "And no one else is close enough to hear our cries!"

In an attempt to ease Mr. Eckenrod's pain, Penny tore strips of cloth from her underskirt, and used the broken skis to make a splint.

"There's nothing wrong with my right leg," the artist insisted. "It's good and strong. If only I could get up on it, I think I could boost you to the ledge. We've got to do something!"

"Could you really do it?" Penny asked, hope reviving.

"I've got to," the artist replied grimly. "Night's coming on. We'll freeze if we're here an hour."

With Penny's help, Mr. Eckenrod after several attempts, managed to struggle upright on his good right leg. He weaved unsteadily a moment, then ordered:

"Now onto my shoulders!"

She scrambled up, grasping the icy ledge above. It broke in her fingers.

"Hurry!" muttered Mr. Eckenrod, gritting his teeth.

With desperate haste, Penny obtained another handhold which seemed fairly firm. She could feel Mr. Eckenrod sagging beneath her. Knowing it was then or never, she heaved herself up and rolled onto the ledge.

Miraculously, it held her weight.

Relieved of the burden of the girl's weight, Mr. Eckenrod collapsed on the floor of the creva.s.se again, moaning with pain.

"Oh, Mr. Eckenrod!" Penny was aghast.

"Go on!" he urged in a stern voice. "You can make it now! Climb on out and bring help! And be quick about it!"

CHAPTER 10 _MR. ECKENROD'S SECRET_

Thus urged, Penny scrambled up the slippery, sloping side of the wall and reached the top safely.

Completely spent, she lay there a moment resting.

"Don't give up!" she called to Mr. Eckenrod. "I'll get back as fast as I can!"

The closest house was the artist's own cabin in the woods. Plunging through the big drifts, the girl pounded on the door.

Almost at once it was opened by a middle-aged woman with graying hair and alert, blue eyes. Seeing the girl's rumpled hair and snow-caked skiing suit, she immediately understood that something was wrong.

"You're Mrs. Eckenrod?" Penny gasped.

"Yes, I am. What has happened?"

"Your husband has had a bad fall and his leg may be broken! We'll need a rope and a sled."

Mrs. Eckenrod won Penny's admiration by the cool manner with which she accepted the bad news. After the first quick intake of breath, she listened attentively as Penny told her what had happened.

"You'll find a long rope in the shed," she directed.

"And a sled?"

"The only one we have is a very small one my grandchildren use when they come here to play. It will have to do. You'll find it in the shed too.

While you're getting the things, I'll telephone a doctor to come right out!"

"We'll need a man to help us!"

"No one lives within miles except those folks who moved into the monastery."

"We'll get no help from there!" Penny said bitterly.

"I'll call Riverview for men!"

"We don't dare wait, Mrs. Eckenrod. Your husband is half frozen now.

We'll have to get him out ourselves somehow."

"If we must, we can," replied the woman quietly. "I'll telephone the doctor and be with you in a moment."

On her way to the shed, Penny looked hopefully across the darkening hills for a glimpse of the lone skier she had seen earlier in the afternoon. He was nowhere visible.

By the time Penny had found a rope and the sled, Mrs. Eckenrod joined her. The woman had put on a heavy coat, galoshes, and carried woolen blankets.

"How did the accident happen?" she asked, as they plodded through the drifts together.

Penny related the unfortunate argument involving the theft of firewood.

"Oh, dear! It's Vernon's dreadful temper again!" Mrs. Eckenrod exclaimed.