ie, and more
than once, as she heard sounds of pursuit behind, she was frightened. It
seemed to her impossible that little Jack, mean he never so well, could
possibly enable them to escape from angry Farmer Weeks, who, for an old
man, seemed to be keeping up astonishingly well in the race. But soon
the noises behind them grew fainter, and it was not long before the
ground began to rise sharply. Jack dropped to a walk, and the two girls,
panting from the hard run, were not slow to follow his example.

"This is like playing Indians," said Jack, happily. "It's lots of
fun--much better than playing by myself. Here's my cave."

"Don't you think we'd better go on, Bessie?" panted Zara. "We're ahead
of them now, and they might find us here."

"No, I think we'd better stop right here. Would you ever know there was
a cave here if Jack hadn't uncovered the entrance? And see, it's so wild
that we'd have to stick to the path, and we don't know the way. I'm
afraid they'd be sure to catch us sooner or later if we went on."

"Listen!" said Jack. "They're getting nearer again!"

And sure enough, they could hear the shouts of those who were following
them, and the noise was getting louder. Bessie hesitated no longer, but
pushed Zara before her into the cave. Jack followed them.

"See," he said, "I can pull those branches over, and they'll never see
the mouth of the cave. They'll think these are just bushes growing here.
Isn't it a bully place? I've played it was a smuggler's cave, and all
sorts of things, but it never was as good fun as this."

"Just think that way," said Bessie to poor Zara, who was trembling like
a leaf. "When we get back with the girls, we'll think this is just good
fun--a fine adventure. So cheer up, we're safe now."

"But how will we ever get back to them, even if they don't catch us
now?" asked Zara. "We'll be seen when we go out, won't we?"

"No, indeed," said Bessie. "I'll bet Jack's thought about that, haven't
you, Jack?"

"You bet!" he said, proudly. "They'll go by, and they'll keep on for a
long way, and then they'll think they've gone so far that a girl
couldn't ever have done it. And then they'll decide they've missed her,
and they'll turn around and come back again, and hunt around near the
hotel. And when they do that--"

"Hush!" said Bessie. "Here they come! Keep quiet, now, both of you!
Don't even breathe hard--and don't sneeze, whatever you do!"

And then, lying down close to one another,