derful!"

"A pearl necklace?" queried the girl from the Red Mill, her interest
growing.

"Yes, indeed."

"How careless of her!" said Heavy, with a yawn.

"Silly!" exclaimed The Fox. "It was stolen, of course."

"By whom?" demanded Ruth.

"Why, if the police knew that, they'd get back the necklace, wouldn't
they?" demanded Mary Cox, with scorn.

"But I didn't know--they might suspect?" suggested Ruth, meekly.

"They do. Gypsies."

"Gypsies!" cried Ruth and Helen together. And then the latter began:
"Oh, girls! listen to what happened to Ruth and me only a week ago!"

"Wait a bit, dear," broke in Ruth. "Let us know a little more about the
lost necklace. Why do they think the Gypsies took it?"

"I'll tell you," said The Fox. "You see, this aunt of Nettie's is very,
very rich. She comes from California, and she was on to visit the
Parsons last spring.

"There was a tribe of Gypsies camping near the Parsons estate. They all
went over to have their fortunes told--just for a lark, you know. It was
after dinner one evening, and there was company. Nettie's Aunt Rachel
had dressed her best, and she wore the necklace to the Gypsy camp.

"That very night the Parsons' house was robbed. Not much was taken
except the aunt's jewel-box and some money she had in her desk. The
robbers were frightened away before they could go to any of the other
suites.

"The next day the Gypsies had left their encampment, too. Of course,
there was nothing to connect the robbery with the Gyps., save
circumstantial evidence. The police didn't find either the Gypsies or
the necklace. But Aunt Rachel offered five thousand dollars' reward for
the return of the pearls."

"Just think of that!" gasped Helen. "Five thousand dollars. My, Ruthie!
wouldn't you like to win _that_?"

"Indeed I would," returned her chum, with longing.

"But I guess the Gypsies _we_ were mixed up with never owned a pearl
necklace like that. They didn't look as though they had anything but the
gaily colored rags they stood in--and their horses."

"What do you know about Gypsies?" asked The Fox.

"A whole lot," cried Helen. "Let me tell you," and she proceeded to
repeat the story of their adventure with Queen Zelaya and her tribe.
Ruth said nothing during the story; her mind was busy with the mystery
of the missing necklace.

CHAPTER XVIII

GETTING INTO HARNESS

Nettie Parsons proved to be a very sweet, quiet girl, when she came
aboard the train at Ma