the weather had been remarkably fine, but on this
particular morning the Outdoor Girls woke to find that the sky was
overcast and there was every indication of a stormy day.

"Oh bother," grumbled Mollie, as after their breakfast she gloomily
surveyed the landscape from the cretonne-curtained window. "Just as I
was about to suggest a real adventure, too!"

"What do you mean--'real adventure?'" queried Grace, lazily. The day
before she had bought a new box of candy and a magazine, and so it
happened that she was the only one of the four of them who really did
not care whether it rained or not.

Mollie turned from the window and regarded them resentfully. Then she
looked more hopeful as her eyes rested on Betty, who was sorting the
contents of a too-crowded dresser drawer.

"You are with me, anyway, aren't you, Betty?" she asked, almost
wistfully. "We'll leave these other two at home, and you and I will go
on our adventure."

"All right," said Betty, with a lack of enthusiasm that fell with a
dampening effect upon Mollie's ears. The disastrous quality of their
last adventure had had a dampening effect on the girls' enthusiasm for
this form of entertainment, and for the present they preferred the
safety of the ranch to the lure of the great unknown, as it were.
However, this condition of mind was only temporary. They would soon be
as eager as ever for new experiences. "I'm game for anything, Mollie
dear, as long as you keep away from land-slides and wild animals."

"Just hear the child!" said Mollie disgustedly. "As if an adventure
would be an adventure without a little danger mixed in!"

"Just what is your great idea, Mollie?" asked Betty mildly. Mollie was
beginning to glower. And if somebody did not stop her at the beginning,
there was sure to be a fracas. Betty knew this from experience. "Suppose
you tell us about it and get it out of your system. As I said before,
I'm willing to do anything if it isn't hunting lions and tigers."

Mollie grunted disgustedly.

"Well, there isn't a thing really exciting about it, if that's what you
mean," she said. "I just thought that since we had nothing special to do
to-day we might visit the Hermit of Gold Run again. We might be able to
solve the mystery about him in some way," she added as a special
inducement, since the girls still seemed unenthusiastic.

Grace laughed indulgently.

"Just how do you expect to solve this mystery?" she asked, with a
giggle. "You certainl