“If we could get there, we could find our way,” Veve said hopefully. “Or should we start back to the Stone cabin and ask Mrs. Stone how to get home?”
“I’m not even sure we could find the cabin now,” Connie admitted. “This hateful snow hides everything.”
“Let’s keep on a little ways farther and see if the road leads to Mr. Jeffert’s farm.”
On the girls trudged, becoming more discouraged by the minute.
From up the hill, they heard the muffled roar of a motor. A truck was bearing toward them.
“Someone’s coming!” Veve shouted. “Let’s ask for a ride, or at least find out how to get to the Gordon farm.”
Stepping to the side of the road, but not so far away that they would not be seen, the girls waited for the truck to draw near. Soon it loomed up through the wall of blinding snow.
The truck was carrying a load of freshly cut evergreens.
“Yell, or he won’t stop!” Connie directed.
Both girls moved out into the road, waving their arms, and yelling for the truck driver to pick them up. He did apply brakes, and peer briefly at them from the cab. Then he drove past.
“Oh, how mean!” cried Veve, staring after the disappearing truck. “He saw us, and deliberately wouldn’t stop!”
“It was Felix Gossart too,” added Connie, who had seen his face quite clearly for an instant. “He had a load of evergreens. I wonder--maybe they were Mr. Jeffert’s trees!”
“Mr. Jeffert went to Goshen with Grandfather Gordon,” said Connie, thinking aloud. “It would be a good chance for someone to take the trees. Only of course we don’t know that Mr. Gossart would do such a thing.”
“He’s mean or he would have picked us up,” Veve insisted. She shook snow from her hood and huddled close to her friend. “Oh, Connie, I’m cold and we’re lost! What are we going to do now?”
Connie scarcely knew what to do. The storm seemed to be getting worse, for snow came down faster and the wind was rising.
“Maybe another car or truck will come along,” she said hopefully.
“We can’t stand here and freeze,” shivered Veve. “I think this is a side road. Mr. Gossart’s truck may be the only one to drive past today.”
Connie knew that Veve depended upon her to make a decision. While they might keep on walking, she could not be sure the road would lead to Mr. Jeffert’s farm.