“How can I get ye up, ye bad babies!  Whichever one I pull up, the other one must go down and drown!”

The reaction was beginning to tell upon Molly, and her bravery was oozing out at her fingerends.

“Let me down,” she wailed, brokenly; “it was all my fault.  Save Marjorie and let me go!”

“No, indeed,” cried Marjorie, gripping Molly closer; “I’m the heaviest.  Let me go down and pull Molly up, Carter.”

“Quit your nonsense, Miss Midget, and let me think a minute.  For the life of me I don’t know how to get ye out of this scrape, but I must manage it somehow.”

“It’s easy enough, Carter,” cried Marjorie, whose gayety had returned now that a rescue seemed probable.  “You pull me up first and let Molly go down, but not as far as the water,—­and when I get nearly up, there’s a stick through the chain that will stop me.  Then I’ll get out, and you can pull Molly up after.”

But Molly’s nerve was almost gone.  “Don’t leave me,” she cried, clutching frantically at Midge.  “Don’t send me down alone, I’m so frightened!”

“But, Molly dear, it’s the only way!  I’d just as leave let you go up first, but I’m so heavy I’d drop ker-splash! and you’d go flying up!” But Molly wouldn’t agree to go down, and she began to cry hysterically.  So Carter settled the question.

“It’s no use, Miss Midget,” he called down, in a stern voice, “to try to send Miss Molly down.  She’s in no state to take care of herself, and you are.  Now be a brave little lady and obey my word and I’ll save you both; but if you don’t mind me exactly, ye’ll be drowned for sure!”

Marjorie was pretty well scared at Molly’s collapse, and she agreed to do whatever Carter commanded.

“All right, then,” said Carter.  “Do you two let go of each other and each hang tightly to her own chain, and push your buckets apart as far as you can, but don’t hit the sides of the well.”

Somewhat inspirited at the thought of rescue, Molly took a firm hold of her chain and pushed herself loose from Marjorie.  Marjorie had faith in Carter’s promises, but she felt a sinking at her heart as she began to descend the dark well and came nearer and nearer to the black water.

With great care, Carter drew up the bucketful of Molly, and when Midge’s bucket was still at a safe distance above the water, he stayed the chain with a stick, and pulled Molly the rest of the way up merely by his own strong muscles.

He safely landed the bucket on the curb, and picking the exhausted child out, laid her on the grass, without a word.

He then went back to the well and spoke very decidedly to Marjorie.

“Miss Midget,” he said, “now I’ll pull ye up, but ye must do your share of helpin’.  When ye reach the other bucket, shove it aside, that it doesn’t hit ye.  Stand straight and hold tight, now!”

Marjorie did as she was told, and, slowly but steadily, Carter pulled her up.  At last she, too, was once again out in the sunlight, and she and Molly sat on the grass and looked at each other, uncertain whether to laugh or cry.