or you?" he asked, as he saw that they hesitated.
"Always willing to oblige the ladies," he added.

The girls exchanged a glance, then Betty approached the lounger who had
the grace to straighten up as she addressed him.

"We want to send a telegram," she explained coldly. "We understood we
could send one from here."

"Sure! That's me," he responded with alacrity. "Right this way, ladies."

The girls followed him reluctantly into a little square booth-like
place, and Mollie scribbled a telegram on the blank he gave her. Then
they hurried out to the machine again. A little way down the road Amy
turned and looked back. The fellow had resumed his lounging position and
was looking after them with his little red-rimmed eyes.

"Ugh! wasn't he awful?" said Betty, as Mollie rounded a turn in the road
on two wheels. "I'm glad we don't have to see him often, he'd give me
the nightmare."

But Mollie did not answer. Her mind was once more on the twins, and she
was repeating over and over the same old question.

"What has happened--what has happened? What could have happened?"

"Betty," she said aloud, so suddenly that Betty started, "there's just
one thing we didn't think of as being a solution. It's strange, too, for
it is the most probable solution of all."

"What?" asked Betty anxiously.

"Suppose--" said Mollie, her voice so low that Betty had to bend forward
to catch the words. "Suppose they have been kidnapped!"

CHAPTER XVII

JOE BARNES AGAIN

"Well, we've got to do something. There's no use sitting around looking
at each other!"

The girls started and looked reproachfully at Mollie.

It was several days after the telegram had come which had so upset them
and their plans, and they were sitting dejectedly on the sand at the
foot of the bluff trying to read. The attempt had proved a failure,
however, and one after another the books had dropped to their laps while
they stared disconsolately out over the water.

"What would you suggest?" asked Grace listlessly, in response to
Mollie's statement.

"Can't we go in swimming again?" asked Amy mildly.

"No!" Mollie was very positive. "The boy will be coming with the
provisions and letters in a little while, and there may be a telegram or
something from mother. If there isn't pretty soon, I'll go mad."

"Let's take a walk then," suggested Betty.

But again Mollie would have none of it.

"Too warm," she said.

"Well, I thought you were the one who wa