to New York with Aunt Audrey and look for Reda, if you are
worried about her," Cleo volunteered.

"Oh, I wouldn't have you think of such a thing," Mary quickly replied
with something like fear in her voice. "I hope Mrs. Dunbar is not
taking any trouble about her?"

"No, indeed. Aunt Audrey is so busy with her pictures I don't see what
she does when Uncle Guy is home, and he wants any attention," Cleo
remarked. "Mary, I wondered if we might not pack up Reda's things?
She won't come back now, surely, and I think you might feel better to
be sure her folks would not come around for anything. Have you any
address we might send to?"

"No, but she kept papers. I could understand them if we could find
them. Perhaps we better look to-morrow. Here we are home, and the
girls have gone in already. I guess we must have crawled slower than
Madaline's turtle."

"And it's quite dark," said Cleo. "Mary," she whispered, "isn't that a
man over there behind that tree? See, he just stepped back from the
light. Let us talk as if we saw the other girls so he won't think
we're alone," she hastily muttered. Then in a clear voice she
called--"Wait a minute, Benny, I want you to carry this" (it was the
fishing rod). "Oh, all right," she kept on to the imaginary boy.
"Here it is," and with that both girls ran into the driveway and up to
the house like two frightened deer. At the porch they stopped
breathless. Mrs. Dunbar and two friends were sitting there.

"Well, what's the trouble, girls?" she asked. "Running away from the
new moon?"

"No, Auntie," Cleo replied, "but we thought we saw someone back of the
tree--a man, and when he saw us he seemed to hide. Where's Michael?"

"I'll call him if you are timid, but we are going to have some
gentlemen callers this evening. Maybe you are running away from one of
them," she said with a light laugh. "But you girls set such store by
Michael, I am afraid I shall have to have the garage moved up nearer
the house. Never mind, our good watchman will be home soon. Uncle Guy
will be in Chicago this week," she finished with an inflexion of
pleasure anticipated.

Cleo was just deciding she must get her letter off to her Uncle Guy's
hotel quickly, as she calculated wisely he would give more attention to
a letter than he would be able to give to conversation for some days
after his home-coming.

Leaving her guests for a few moments, Mrs. Dunbar touched the call
button for Michael, a