A shriek from Nita turned all eyes to her.  “The man!” she screamed.  “He has fallen—­under the wheels!”

By a single impulse Dorothy and Tavia grasped one of the rungs of the rick, and they threw their full weight on it until it snapped—­then broke!

“Quick!” cried Dorothy.  “Jump after me!”

Tavia needed no second invitation.  In an instant she had followed Dorothy Dale, and, as they landed in the dusty roadway, shaken up, but not otherwise hurt, the runaway horse, freed from the interference of its mate that had broken loose, continued to drag the hayrick toward the dangerous river, which bubbled over the black and sharp rocks, scarcely concealed by the foam that broke upon them.

“Oh, the girls!  The girls in the wagon!” gasped Dorothy, and she pressed bravely on, followed by Tavia.

CHAPTER II

TAVIA GOES BO-PEEPING

Well might Dorothy exclaim in terror at the fate that seemed imminent for the girls left in the wagon—­the girls of Glenwood School—­her dearest chums.  Those of my readers who are familiar with the previous volumes of this series, will, perhaps, pardon the rather unceremonious manner in which I have just introduced the young ladies of this book.  To those who are reading of Dorothy Dale for the first time, a few words of explanation may be necessary.  And, in presenting the young ladies of Glenwood School, I must at once apologize for, and criticise Tavia Travers.

From the very first book of the series entitled “Dorothy Dale, a Girl of To-day,” we find Dorothy striving bravely to induce Tavia to give up her stagey ways.  Every predicament in the story was a “scene” to Tavia, while but for Dorothy’s intervention, and gentle determination, these scenes would have been turned into tragedies for the wily Tavia.  Then, in the second book, “Dorothy Dale at Glenwood School,” Tavia and the young ladies of that institution got into many a “scrape” and, while Dorothy was one of the girls, in the true sense of the word, she managed to discriminate between fun and folly.

But what sacrifices Dorothy was actually capable of making for a friend were more clearly related in “Dorothy Dale’s Great Secret,” where she shielded Tavia from the consequences of her daring and foolish venture, of running away with a theatrical company.  Through two more books of the series, “Dorothy Dale and Her Chums,” and “Dorothy Dale’s Queer Holidays,” we find Dorothy still busy trying to reform Tavia, and while in each of the books there is plenty of other work for Dorothy to attend to, it seems that Tavia is her one perpetual charge.  What Tavia thinks fun is not always of the safe sort, and what Dorothy thinks necessary Tavia often thinks may be passed by as some subtle joke.  So it will be seen that each of these two interesting characters always has her own particular following, while the friendship between Tavia and Dorothy has withstood every possible test.