s me!" she said, laughing pleasantly. "If you're not our
Maggie you look near enough like her to be her sister."

"Well, I haven't any sister in that college," said the strange girl,
shortly. "You're from Ardmore, aren't you?"

"Yes," Ruth said, Helen now having joined them. "And we saw your
light----"

"My _what_?" demanded the camping girl, who was warmly, though plainly
dressed.

"Your campfire. You see," explained Ruth, finding it rather difficult
after all to talk to this very self-possessed girl, "we skated around
the island to-day----"

"I saw you," said the stranger gruffly. "There were three of you."

"Yes. And I thought you looked like Maggie, then."

"Isn't this Maggie one of you?" sharply demanded the stranger.

"She's a girl whom--whom I know," Ruth said quickly. "A really nice
girl. And you do look like her. Doesn't she, Helen?"

"Why--yes--something like," drawled Helen.

"And did you have to come out here to see if I were your friend?" asked
the other girl.

"When I saw the campfire--yes," Ruth admitted. "It seemed so strange,
you know."

"What seemed strange?" demanded the girl, very tartly. It was plain that
she considered their visit an intrusion.

"Why, think of it yourself," Ruth cried, while Helen sniffed audibly. "A
girl camping alone on this island--and in a snowstorm."

"It isn't snowing now," said the girl, smiling grimly.

"But it was when we saw the fire at first," Ruth hastened to say. "You
know yourself you would be interested."

"Not enough to come clear out here--must be over a mile!--to see about
it," was the rejoinder. "I usually mind my own business."

"So do we, you may be sure!" spoke up Helen, quick to take offence.
"Come away, Ruth."

But the girl of the Red Mill was not at all satisfied. She said,
frankly:

"I do wish that you would tell us why you are here? Surely, you won't
remain all night in this lonely place? There is nobody else on the
island, is there?"

"I should hope not!" exclaimed the girl. "Only you two busybodies."

"But, really, we came because we were interested in what went on here.
It seems so strange for a girl, alone----"

"You've said that before," was the dry reply. "I am a girl alone. I am
here on my own business. And _that_ isn't yours."

"Oh!" ejaculated Helen, angrily.

"Well, if you don't like being spoken to plainly, you needn't stay," the
strange girl flung at her.

"I see that very well," returned Helen, tossing her hea