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Page 79
But neither Jane nor any one else happened to come along, and
though Marjorie called a few times, nobody seemed to be within
hearing.
"I should think we could find some way to get down," said Molly.
"Can't you think of any way, Mops?"
Marjorie considered. To jump was out of the question, as it would
probably mean a sprained ankle.
"I wish we had a rope ladder," she said, "and, Molly, I do believe
we can make one. Not a ladder, exactly, but don't you know how
people sometimes escape from prisons by tying sheets together and
letting themselves down?"
"Yes, but we haven't any sheets."
"I know it, but we can take our dress skirts. Not the paper ones,
but our own gingham ones. They're strong, thick stuff, and we can
tie them together somehow and let ourselves down that way."
Although obliged to work in somewhat cramped quarters, the girls
managed to take off their dress skirts, and, as they were very
full, one of them was really sufficient to reach far enough down
the side of the wardrobe to make a jump possible.
"I'll tell you what," said Marjorie: "let's tie the two together
at the corners like this, and then put it right across the top of
the wardrobe, and each of us slide down on opposite sides."
When the full skirts were stretched out to their greatest width
and tied together by their hems, at what Marjorie called a corner,
the girls flung the whole affair across the top of the wardrobe,
and sure enough, the skirts hung down on either side to within
four or five feet of the floor, which was quite near enough to
jump.
So thick and strong was the material, there was really no danger
of tearing it, and in great glee the girls grasped their life-line
and half slid, half clambered down.
They came down on the floor with a sudden thump, but in safety.
All would have been well had they had sense enough to let go of
their gingham skirts, but, doubled up with laughter, they clung to
them, with the result that a sudden and unintentional jerk forward
brought the whole wardrobe over on its face, and it fell crashing
to the floor.
Such a racket as it made! It fell upon a small table, whose load
of vases and bric-a-brac was totally wrecked. It also smashed a
chair and very nearly hit the bird-cage.
And just at this moment, of all times, Uncle Steve appeared at the
door!
Although dismayed at the catastrophe, Uncle Steve couldn't help
laughing at the astonished faces of the two girls. For, jubilant
at the success of their descent, the accompanying disaster had
been thrust on them so suddenly that they scarcely knew what it
all meant. And costumed as they were, in their little ruffled
white petticoats, with hats and bodices made of newspaper, the
sight was a comical one indeed.
"Marjorie Maynard!" exclaimed Uncle Steve, "you certainly DO beat
the Dutch, and Molly lends you valuable aid. Would you mind
telling me WHY you prefer the wardrobe flat on its face instead of
in an upright position?"
"Oh, Uncle Steve it upset itself, and I'm so sorry!"
"Oh, well, if it upset itself I suppose it did so because it
prefers to lie that way. Probably it was tired and wanted to rest.
Wardrobes are a lazy lot, anyway. But do you know, I was stupid
enough to think that you girls had something to do with its
downfall."
"Oh, we did, Uncle Steve," declared Marjorie, and as by this time
her uncle's arm was around her, and she realized his sympathetic
attitude in the matter, she rapidly began to tell him all about
it.
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