e when they
had told their story. "Nothing like them dogs to trail a man."

"We haven't any bloodhounds and we haven't any time to get them,"
replied Mr. Mason.

"We might offer a reward for their capture," suggested Walter.

"We'll do that--if the authorities cannot aid us," said his father.

"Those rascals ought to be hung, Dad."

"I wouldn't say hung, Walter. But they ought to be severely punished. I
fear they have scared Nan so she will not enjoy her visit to Florida."

"You had better take those papers, Dad."

"I think so myself. I can't understand why Nan kept them."

"Oh, some of the other girls thought she'd be afraid to keep them, and
she wanted to show them that she wasn't afraid. But now I guess she had
better give them up."

The search was continued for a while longer and then father and son
returned to the others. Then all set out for town.

The girls plied Nan with questions on the way back, but she was too worn
out with her terrible experience to answer them. The reaction was upon
her, and all she wanted to do was crawl off in a corner somewhere and
think things out.

They found the only hotel in Sunny Slopes, and, under Mr. Mason's expert
management, were soon comfortably installed in a suite of rooms on the
second floor.

"You must rest a bit, Nan," said Mrs. Mason kindly. "If you don't you
may get sick."

"Oh, I can't rest," declared the girl.

Nevertheless, Mrs. Mason made her lie down, and presently Nan dropped
off into a troubled doze. In the meanwhile Mr. Mason, followed by
Walter, had raced off to interview the authorities.

When Nan opened her eyes she found the other girls impatiently waiting
to speak to her.

"Goodness! I thought you were going to sleep forever," said Bess, as she
saw with relief that Nan's eyes were open. Rhoda, who had been moving
around in the other room, came to the door and peeped in.

"And here we've been waiting all this time to tell you the news," said
Grace plaintively.

"News! What news?" asked Nan, still heavy with sleep.

"Who do you suppose is here?" asked Bess, then went on eagerly without
waiting for an answer. "It's Linda, Nan. And she has Cora Courtney with
her. We met them in the hall just now."

"I don't think Linda would have spoken to us, and I'm sure we weren't
going to," Grace took up the story, "but Cora stopped, and so Linda
really had to. I imagine they are none too friendly from the way they
acted to each other."

"It's str