Her legs felt like wooden things.
Presently the girls went toward the spring.
"Drink slow," called out Dale.
Big Spring had its source somewhere deep under the gray, weathered bluff, from which came a hollow subterranean gurgle and roar of water.
Its fountainhead must have been a great well rushing up through the cold stone.
Helen and Bo lay flat on a mossy bank, seeing their faces as they bent over, and they sipped a mouthful, by Dale's advice, and because they were so hot and parched and burning they wanted to tarry a moment with a precious opportunity.
The water was so cold that it sent a shock over Helen, made her teeth ache, and a singular, revivifying current steal all through her, wonderful in its cool absorption of that dry heat of flesh, irresistible in its appeal to thirst.

Helen raised her head to look at this water.

It was colorless as she had found it tasteless.
"Nell--drink!" panted Bo.

"Think of our--old spring--in the orchard--full of pollywogs!" And then Helen drank thirstily, with closed eyes, while a memory of home stirred from Bo's gift of poignant speech..