CHAPTER II
A FINE CHANCE
"That Alice Jallow is certainly the meanest girl in Deepdale!" declaredMollie, with vehemence.
"And Kittie isn't much better," added Grace, with spirit. "I don't seehow Margaret can go with them."
"She's a newcomer here, that's the reason," said Betty--bouncing Bettyshe was now, for she was whirling about and "teetering" on her skates ina dizzying fashion. "When she gets to know those girls she won't haveany more to do with them than--we do."
"And there was a time, even after they made those first slurring remarksabout Amy, that they seemed real nice," spoke Grace.
"It was too good to last," asserted Mollie. "Oh--the cat!"
Mollie shot out the word as though she would like to exercise some ofthe proclivities of a feline herself, and scratch.
"What possessed her to stop where she did, and talk loud enough for Amyto hear?" asked Grace.
"It's hard to tell," decided Betty with a sigh. "Shall we go after her?"and she nodded in the direction taken by Amy, who could not now be seenbecause of the intervening crowds.
"No; best let her cry it out, poor child," said Mollie, softly. "She wascrying when she skated away."
"Well, if we can find the boys we'll just mildly hint that thosechocolates are about due," observed Grace, and she and the others lookedabout for Will and his chums, little dreaming of the danger which, atthat moment, menaced poor Amy.
Those of you who have read the previous books of this series need nospecial introduction to my heroines. Others may care for just a briefone. The initial volume, entitled "The Outdoor Girls of Deepdale; Or,Camping and Tramping for Fun and Health," told how Betty, Mollie, Graceand Amy decided to go on a walking tour. Incidentally they solved themystery of a five hundred dollar bill, and won the lasting gratitude ofa Mr. Henry Blackford, a young business man.
In the second book, "The Outdoor Girls at Rainbow Lake; Or, TheStirring Cruise of the Motor Boat _Gem_," there was a queer ghostlymystery on an island, but the girls were a match for it. As may beguessed from the title, the story has to do with boating, Betty havingbecome the proud possessor of a fine craft.
When Mollie Billette got her touring car the girls saw no end of goodtimes ahead of them, and their hopes were fully realized. The thirdvolume, named "The Outdoor Girls in a Motor Car; Or, The Haunted Mansionof Shadow Valley," involved the girls from the very start in a series ofqueer happenings. They could not discover, until the very end, why acertain girl fell out of a tree. And as for the strange manifestationsin the mysterious old mansion--but there, it would not be fair to betraythe secret in such a fashion.
The beautiful Fall weather gave the girls a chance to make long tours inthe car, and they enjoyed every minute spent in the open. And now theywere on the edge of winter.
A cold snap had frozen over the Argono River, on the pleasant banks ofwhich was located Deepdale, the thriving town where our friends lived.And they were out enjoying the sport when Amy overheard the cruel wordsthat sent her off crying.
I might add something about the personal lives of the four chums, bysaying that Betty was an only child, that Grace had a lovable brotherWill, and Mollie a small brother and sister--Paul and Dodo--twins, whowere alternately called the "cutest" and the "most mischievous"youngsters in existence. Of Amy's mystery I have already hinted.
When Will Ford saw the danger in which his sister's chum wasunconsciously placing herself he fairly raced forward. There was need toact promptly, and Will did so. Skating in a diagonal direction he fairlycollided with the girl, and forced her out of her course, and away fromthe dangerous hole that yawned there just before her.
"Amy!" Will cried. "What is the matter?"
Amy looked up with a start, and Will saw that she had been crying.
"I--I don't know," she stammered. "I guess I wasn't looking where I wasgoing."
"I should say not!" cried Will. "Look there!" and he pointed to the openwater that seemed so black and ugly in contrast with the pure ice.
"Oh--oh!" she gasped. "Was--was I skating toward that?"
"Right toward it!" exclaimed Will. "I couldn't do anything else thanshove you to one side. I hope I didn't hurt you."
"Oh, no, Will, it was good of you. I--I didn't know what I was doing. Iwas thinking--thinking----"
She hesitated, and again tears came into her eyes.
"Can I do anything for you--has anything happened?" he asked, eagerly."Has anyone----"
"Oh, no, Will. It is--nothing."
"Then let's go back to the others," he proposed. "They may be gettinganxious about you."
"No, Will, I'd rather not go back--just now. I'll go on--home." Amyhesitated over the word. "I can take a short cut across the fields."
"Then let me take off your skates," he said, gently. Perhaps he guessedat something that had occurred. "Come over to shore and I'll have themoff in a jiffy. Then I'll walk home with you."
"No, Will," said Amy, in a low voice. "I had rather go alone, really Iwould. Just tell the girls----"
She hesitated again, and seemed unable to speak.
"Tell them I am all right--that I want to be alone. They willunderstand."
"Very well." He skated with her to the bank, where she sat on a log.Then, with her skates dangling over her shoulder, Amy set off across thesnow-covered fields alone--with bowed head--and into her eyes the tearscame again as she thought of what she had heard.
Will watched her, shook his head once or twice, as though puzzled, andthen skated back toward his sister and the others.
"Where's Amy?" Grace demanded, anxiously, as he came in sight.
"Gone home."
"Home? Why didn't you go with her?" asked Mollie, quickly.
"She wouldn't let me. Say, she acted mighty funny. She was skatingalong, looking down, and she came within a few feet of going into an airhole. I had to almost knock her to one side. She seemed dazed. Didanything happen?"
"Yes, there did," said Grace, promptly. "And the less said about it thebetter. It was that horrid Alice Jallow making slurring remarks aboutAmy. We won't take any notice of her after this. Oh, how mean she is!"Briefly, she told Will what had happened.
"That accounts for it," he said. "Poor Amy! No wonder she didn't lookwhere she was going. She might have been drowned."
"Don't say that!" cried Betty, sharply.
"Why not, when it's the truth?"
Betty gave the woman's reason.
"Because."
Frank and Allen came skating up.
"Come!" cried Grace, as joyfully as possible under the circumstances."The prizes--our chocolates, boys!"
"Of course!" added Allen. "But where is Amy?"
"She'll be along later--maybe," and Will winked at his chum as a signalnot to be too inquisitive. The young lawyer understood and nodded.
Soon the party of young people were in a drug store, partaking of hotchocolates, and talking of the fun on the ice, while Grace spent sometime at the candy counter, selecting a new variety of chocolates.
That evening Betty and Mollie called on Grace.
"Let's go over and cheer Amy up," proposed Betty, who was alwaysthinking of some kindness.
"All right," agreed Grace. "Come into the library a moment. I'll get youthat book I promised, Betty. Oh, it's just splendid! You won't stopuntil you finish it."
"Good!"
"Oh, Papa, I didn't know you were here!" exclaimed Grace, as, leadingher chums into the library, she discovered her father busy over a massof papers on the table.
"That's all right," he invited. "Come right in. It's only a little legaltangle I'm trying to straighten out," for Mr. Ford was a well-knownlawyer.
"Anything we can help you with?" asked Betty, with a smile.
"I'm afraid not," he answered, laughing. "I've just been appointedreceiver of a bankrupt lumber camp up in the North Woods, and I've gotto arrange for some one to stay there during the winter to see that itisn't disturbed. It comes just at the wrong time, too. I'm so busy Ido
n't know how I can spare the time to go up there and straighten thingsout. Where are you going, Grace?"
"Over to see poor Amy Stonington. It's too bad! She heard something moreabout her mystery to-day, Daddy, and she nearly skated into anairhole--she was so upset. Isn't it horrid?"
"Yes, it is too bad about Amy," said Mr. Ford, for he knew the story, asdid many in Deepdale. "She ought to get out and away from theinfluences around here. Stonington ought to take her away."
He was musing for a moment. Then a queer expression came over his face.
"Girls!" he cried. "I think I have something that will just fill thebill!"
"Oh, Papa!" cried Grace, clapping her hands. "When you talk that way Iknow something is going to happen!"
"Well, we'll see," he answered. "As I understand it, the High Schoolwon't open until late this winter, on account of the repairs not beingfinished."
"That's right, Daddy!" cried Grace. "Not until after Christmas. Go on!"
"Well, about this lumber camp that I've got to get someone to takecharge of. It seems that there are some bungalows or cabins in it thatcan be hired out to campers. Now if----"
"Daddy, I've guessed it!" cried Grace, jumping up and putting her armsabout his neck. "You're going to let us go up there to a winter camp.Aren't you?"
"I was thinking of it," he confessed. "It seems to me to be a finechance for you to get all the fresh air you want. And I suggest that youtake Amy along. What she needs is a change of environment. She has hadtoo much of Deepdale of late. Could you take her with you?"
"Of course, Daddy!" cried Grace. "Oh, what a lovely opportunity! Wecould get Cousin Jane to go with us, perhaps," and she looked at Mollie,whose cousin had chaperoned them on the auto tour.
"Yes, she could," said Mr. Ford, slowly. "And I was thinking of an oldlumberman and his wife whom I might appoint as care-takers of the camp.They could help look after you."
"As if we needed looking after!" challenged Grace.
"Well, we'll think about it," he said. "If you girls want to go to awinter camp, I see no reason why you could not. Of course there arecomplications, but perhaps we can get over those."
"Complications!" cried Grace. "Girls, we'll not stir another step untilwe hear all about those complications! It sounds very interesting."
"It surely does," agreed Betty and Mollie.