blacker and more dismal.

The children in the underbrush had climbed up into the low trees to get
a view of the automobiles.

Jack, Ed and Walter were making their way through the brush to reach
the spot whence the smoke was coming.

Mr. Rand and his men were hurrying over from the cross road.

"Go slow!" he called, with the disregard of speech that makes a saying
stronger.

"All right," answered Jack. "We'll take it carefully."

"It's a camp!" exclaimed Walter, "and Gypsies, I'll wager."

"Oh, I am so frightened!" cried Belle. "Yet I would brave them alone
for the sake of dear, darling Cora."

"Of course you would," Betty assured her, as she picked herself up from
a fall over some hidden root.

Dr. Robbins had secured a stout stick, and she made her way with more
care over the uncertain footing.

"There's a family of them, at any rate," remarked Jack, as he neared
the open spot, where now could be seen a hut.

A rough-looking man was waiting to see what they wanted. He smoked a
pipe, wore heavy shoes and clothing.

Mr. Rand spoke first.

"Good afternoon, stranger," he said in a pleasant voice.

The man touched his hat and replied with an indistinguishable murmur.

"Camping?" went on Mr. Rand, scarcely knowing how to get into
conversation.

"Sort of," replied the man shortly.

"Might we intrude for a little water?" continued the old gentleman.
"The girls had a dusty ride."

"Certainly," replied the woodsman, motioning toward a pail and dipper
on a bench in front of the hut.

"Hard to get at," whispered Jack to Walter, "but he doesn't look so
bad."

"No, I rather think he is not the man we want," agreed the other young
man.

"Stay here all year?" asked Ed, as he handed the brimming tin dipper to
Bess, and turned to the stranger.

"Pretty much," spoke the man with the pipe. "But is there anything
wrong? Anything I could do for you?"

This caused the whole party to surmise that he must have heard that
"something" was wrong. That looked suspicious.

A woman emerged from the hut. She was not altogether untidy, but of
course showed that she lived far from civilization. She bowed to the
party, then called to the children in the woods.

"Well," said Mr. Rand finally, "we are looking for somebody. You
haven't happened to hear or to have seen anything of a young girl in
these parts, a girl--who might have gotten lost in the woods; have you?"

"I have heard that a girl was lost," replie