The Outdoor Girls on Pine Island; Or, A Cave and What It Contained

rang out its

to the portal with a merry: "I'll go,

, but all three of them, and see

not even stopping to say "hello."

" began Betty, but G

vercome either by the heat or her emotions-possibly both. "Why! dad's running around the house like a mad man this morning, sw

ands over her ears. "How do you expect me to find o

uth a chocolate cream, which she had taken from a little box she had brought with her. Then, seeing Amy about to speak, she went on hastily, h

me to the end of her patience. "If you don't tell the story

ted, "since you are in such a hurry-well, the fact is, Betty, Beauty'

r father valued him above all the res

e horse couldn't very well file the padlock from the outside or climb out the window, and the groom wouldn't be very likely to take him for a gentle

s, Grace," Betty's voice was grave. "I do hope they will b

answered. "He has tried to watch his horses with especial care, too. That's one thing that ma

ght when we went to visit their camp about the gypsies being expert thieves. F

omantic, too," said Amy, and d

eaned out. For two days Deepdale had been in a furore of excitement and indignation, for in the memory of most of the inhabitants no such crime had ever been perpetrated. There had been small robberies, of course, but

to a strict investigation, but with no result. The countryside had been scoured for miles around, but no trace had as yet been found of the missing crimina

Mr. Ford had awakened to find his splendid horse, Beauty, the ornament of

hit nearer the solution. It was Mollie who finally suggested that they go to her house and look at a

's things. "They are always so novel," Grace had once said, and Moll

igure things out," Amy complained,

es found things out for us," Mollie rejoined. "Will ought to be ab

se gypsies make thieving their profession and it isn't always as easy to

ined, icily. "And there's no reason why you have to go up in

and then let fly," Betty broke in. "I'd just like to know what would hap

ace," said Grace ruefully, and Mollie laughed, the

llie's arms. "Muvver's cwyin' tuwible and she's telephonin' to evwybody to make you come home quick. O

matter with mother? Is she sick? Oh, don't bother

instinctive delicacy. "It may be so

e girls before her through the doorway. "You know as well as I do

hter, Dora-nicknamed Dodo, and one of a pair of exceedingly

er's neck, crying: "Mother, dear, what is it? Dora says you have been crying and that you h

Billette, quietly. Hysterics had given place to a sort of despairing resignation. "Only, at first, I felt as if

emanded again. "Has Aunt Elvira die

oke in, impatiently. "Aunt Elvira will probably live ano

obbed?" Mollie's little foot tap

bed of some things that money never can replace. Oh-oh-oh, if I had only put it in a safer place! How could I

ll. But, remember, you haven't told us what is lost yet," she suggested, with a gentleness very unlike her former impati

twenty years." Mrs. Billette's French origin gleamed in her dark eyes as she a

service was missing, but also a number of smaller articles, such as knives and forks. Then ther

amity. They could think of one solution

them to stay to lunch-they were too impatient to get home and spread the news to

'll see you later, anyway!" and she flew

some other things. . . . . What's that? . . . . Yes, stolen. . . . . Gone! . . . . Are you sure? . . . . Oh, now they will never get their

's gaze traveled out of the window and over the

gypsies are gone! Oh, I w