Part 2 (2/2)

Readers of the present volume must already feel very well acquainted with Grace Ford Grace was the Gibson type, tall and slender and fair-haired and very pretty, with a decided liking for looking in mirrors

Last of the quartette caton, and for a long titon The mystery of her past had been cleared up, however, and Aentle, sweet, she was beloved and protected by the irls soun to think very much of Grace Ford's attractive brother, Will--which is a reminder that it is time to introduce ”the boys”

Allen Washburn and his open fondness for Betty have already been spoken of Allen was tall, nearly six feet Sunburned and handsome of face and quick of action, Allen attracted every one wherever he went And, truly, Betty was no exception to this rule! Allen had been one of the first to volunteer his services to the good old arone over only a buck private, he had come back a lieutenant

There was Will Ford, Grace's brother, whom Grace and Amy both adored

Will had been in the secret service when our country entered the war, and because of this he had been the victi Afterward he had joined the army with the other boys

This was after soovernirls

The other two boys were Frank Haley and Roy Anderson who had coroup because of their friendshi+p for Will and Allen They were fine, clean-cut, likable boys, who had co folks had lived all their lives in Deepdale, a thriving little city with a population of about fifteen thousand people and situated in the heart of New York State Deepdale was situated on the Argono River, a beautiful and romantic stream where pleasure craft of all sorts disported themselves A branch line of the railroad connected with the main line directly to what the four Outdoor Girls believed to be the most wonderful of all cities, New York

The name of ”Outdoor Girls” had come to the quartette from the fact that they invariably spent their summer vacations, and winter holidays also, in some sort of outdoor sport They could ride, swi that is expected of the athletic young girl of to-day

They would never forget that first tra tour when they had trareat many unusual adventures on the way, as related in the first volume of this series, entitled, ”The Outdoor Girls of Deepdale” Nor those other times at Rainbow Lake, in Florida, at Ocean View, and later at Pine Island, where they had coypsy cave

Then had coirls doing their ”bit” at a Hostess House And a little later what black distress overwhelmed them, when Will Ford was reported wounded and Allen's na! This all happened while they were at Bluff Point taking a much-needed vacation from their work at the Hostess House

In the volu this, entitled ”The Outdoor Girls at Wild Rose Lodge,” the girls had had sa experiences An old man, Professor De cabin in the woods to recover his health, had chanced to do the girls a very great favor Of course the girls were grateful to him and were very much interested when he told theirls read of the death of his two sons in the paper, they went to the old man's lonely cabin in the woods, but found thehbor, the old man had become temporarily insane at the terrible news, had wrecked his cabin in an insane frenzy, and disappeared

Later, at Wild Rose Lodge, the girls were frightened several ti in the woods around the lodge and Moonlight Falls, a beautiful fall of water not far fro Later the boys cairls solve thethat promised to be more fun than any the Outdoor Girls had had yet No wonder that in the clamor of their excited questions and answers no one heard the telephone ringing noisily in the hall

Finally the Nelsons'up the stairs to answer it herself

”If I can hear rumbled, as she took the receiver froabberin' an' a-talkin' at the top o' their lungs hello--I can't hear you--you'll have to talk louder--you don't know the noise they is in this house Miss Betty?--jus' a en'leman to speak to you, Miss Betty,” she announced a irls ”An' le's hope you can hear hiruave her a friendly pat on the shoulder

”Oh, they'll keep quiet now, all right,” she said, with a laughing glance over her shoulder at her chums ”They'll want to hear what I have to say”

At which taunt the girls started such a dreadful clamor that she really had all she could do to hear Allen at the other end of the wire Oh, yes, it was Allen!

”Sech a noise,” gruain

”I never did see sech wild uns!”

”hello, hello, Allen,” called Betty into the telephone ”The girls are here and--what's that? At Walnut Street? All right, that will be fine I can't talk now Tell you why later Yes, we'll be there Don't be silly

Good-by!”

Her face was flushed when she confronted the girls again

”The boys have a half holiday--it's Saturday, you know,” she told thearded her et some lunch somewhere, and make a day of it I told him ould”

”By 'him' I suppose you mean Allen,” said Mollie, to which Betty ducked her a bow and the other girls giggled ”I like their nerve wanting us to pick the car?”