felt like saying that her father's fear of vanity might some
day get him into trouble with his men, but she refrained from so
expressing herself. On the occasion before us she recalled that
conversation, for she realized that the strike was a result, in part,
of the very misunderstanding that she had anticipated. Several clever
leaders among the miners had spread the report about that Mr. Stanlock
had become immensely wealthy by overworking and underpaying his men,
while he caused to be circulated through various channels numerous
undetailed reports of his generosity, philanthropy and public spirit.

When she invited the members of Flamingo Camp Fire to be her guests
and work with her among the poor and hunger-suffering families of the
strikers she did not realize the seriousness of the situation with
reference to the feeling of the miners toward her father. Now she felt
that the condition of affairs was more than she could cope with and
from the day of her arrival home she was constantly in fear lest some
dread catastrophe should befall the family because the "biggest man"
in Hollyhill kept himself severely fortified against the adulation of
his fellow townsmen and the character weakening influence of personal
vanity.

* * * * *

CHAPTER XII.

A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE.

The Flamingo Camp Fire arrived at the Stanlock home on Friday.
Christmas was scheduled on the calendar to fall on the following
Wednesday.

From the day of their arrival all of the girls were busy with
Christmas preparations. Every one of them, several weeks before, had
taken on her the task of making, buying, or assembling from parts
purchased a score or more of presents. As one of the chief aims of
Hiawatha Institute was to teach wealthy men's daughters how to be
economical, it goes without saying that each of these girls had on
hand no enviable Winter Task.

Madame Cleaver laid the matter very plainly before her two hundred and
forty-odd girls. She had observed that the Christmas problem had a
tendency to make some of the students of her school sympathize with
Old Scrooge. If Christmas wasn't a humbug it could very easily be made
a nuisance.

Madame Cleaver agreed with them in this respect. She told them so.
Furthermore, she added:

"I don't wish you to understand that there is anything compulsory in
the giving of presents on such occasions. One of the dangers of this
sort of thing is that it is