The Outdoor Girls in a Winter Camp

by Laura Lee Hope

  CHAPTER X

  WARNED OFF

  "Girls, it's gone!"

  Thus cried Grace, as a further search of her possessions did not revealthe box of candy.

  "What is?" asked Mollie, who had not heard the first frantic cry.

  "That lovely big box of chocolates father gave me! I'm sure I put it inthe tray of my trunk when I was packing, but now----"

  A perfect storm of things seemed to fly from the trunk, not only the"annex," as Mollie termed the tray, but the "main hotel" as well.

  "Grace, you'll have this room a perfect sight!" protested Betty.

  "Can't help it!" returned the chocolate-lover. "I must find it. Amy, youwere with me the day I packed; what did I do with that box with the pinkribbon?"

  "Oh, that; why the last I saw of it was on your dresser. Don't youremember? You took it out for a moment, after putting it in, to see ifyour ribbon box wouldn't go in that place better. Then you----"

  "Yes, I know!" interrupted Grace. "I forgot to put it back. Then thetelephone rang, and I went to answer it. Will was in talking to you whenI came back again, and----"

  "Perhaps he did not take it--you may have simply left it home,"suggested Betty.

  Grace nervously tossed her possessions back into her trunk. There came aknock at the cabin door.

  "Come!" cried Mollie, who was in the outer apartment.

  "I say, Grace!" cried Will's voice as he entered. "There are two buttonsoff my coat--must have torn loose when we upset. Sew 'em on, will you?"

  "Not now, Will, I'm busy--I can't find something. I'll sew 'em onto-morrow."

  "Yes, around noon. We fellows are going off early. There may be a bearor two up here, and we brought our guns, you know."

  "I can't bother."

  "Then Amy will," said the boy. "Say 'yes,' Amy, and I'll give you alovely box of chocolates, with a pink ribbon on!"

  "Will Ford!" cried Grace, striding up to him. "Give me my candy thisinstant!"

  "Your candy?" Will pretended much surprise.

  "Yes, certainly, my candy. The box of Walford's papa gave me!"

  She pulled his hand from behind his back and there was revealed themissing box of confections.

  "There it is!" Grace cried. "I knew he had my candy!"

  "Your candy? Say, Sis, if it's yours, how in the world did it get in mysuitcase, I'd like to know?"

  "Was it there?"

  "Honor bright!"

  Grace looked puzzled for a moment, and then she exclaimed:

  "I see now. I had it in my hand when I went in your room as you werepacking. I wanted to get a piece of wrapping paper for it, and just thenyou cut your finger, and----"

  "Yes, and you ran out like a scared cat, and dropped the candy in mysuitcase," finished her brother. "I thought you meant to give it to me,so I kept it, and toted it up here. Now will you sew those buttons onfor me?"

  "Yes, Will," answered Grace, meekly, as she accepted the box.

  "I thought that would fetch you around," he said with a cheerful grin."Never mind, Amy, next time it will be you."

  The unpacking was finished, bunks were prepared and for a little while,before turning in for the night, Will and his chums called on his sisterand her friends. Mr. Franklin dropped in to see if the young folksneeded anything. He had filled a number of lamps for them, so there wasno lack of light, that winter evening.

  The ice boat had been safely moored, plans had been made for breakfast,and the boys had evinced a determination to get up early and go hunting.

  "Are there any bears up here, Mr. Franklin?" asked Amy, nervously,looking out of the window.

  "Well, there has been known to be a few, especially in a hard winter.They come out once in a while to sort of feed-up on our stock, if theyhaven't eaten enough to sleep 'em through to Spring."

  "Would you call this a hard winter?" Amy went on.

  "Well, middlin' so," was the slow answer.

  "What are you driving at, Amy?" Mollie wanted to know.

  "It's a problem in geometry," said Will. "Things that are equal to thesame thing are equal to each other. A bear comes out to feed in a hardwinter--this is a hard winter, therefore a hungry bear is equal to ahard winter. Eh, Amy?"

  "It wasn't that at all!" she declared, blushing. "I only was wonderingif they would--would annoy us here."

  "I won't let 'em bite you, Amy!" said Will, with a protecting, brotherlyair--too brotherly, Grace said it was.

  "I guess all the bears you'll get down here you can put in your trunk,"laughed the old woodsman. "Well, I must be gettin' back. This is latefor me. 'Most nine."

  Indeed, they were all tired from the day's travel, and soon the boys hadbeen "shooed" away and the girls let down their hair.

  After a hysterical half-hour or so, which always seems to follow whenone retires after a day spent in getting to a strange place, the girlswere asleep.

  Amy awoke with a start shortly after midnight. She knew this because alight left burning low in the living room shone on a small clock. And asthe girl listened she heard a crunching sound out on the frozen snow.

  "Some one is trying to get in the cabin!" was the fearsome conclusion towhich she jumped. Then in her fright she called: "Betty--Mollie! Wakeup!"

  Mollie was the first to rouse.

  "What is it?" she asked, sitting up in bed.

  "Some one outside--they're walking around the cabin. I'm sure they'retrying to get in. Oh, please call Mr. Franklin, or the boys! I'm sofrightened!"

  "Nonsense!" exclaimed Mollie. "Wait until I take a look. No use soundinga false alarm."

  Grace and Betty wakened at the sound of the others' voices, and askedwhat was going on.

  "I'll look out and see what it," volunteered Betty, her room beingnearest the window. She slipped from bed and a moment later called:

  "Sillies! It's nothing but Mr. Franklin's dog keeping guard around thehouse. He's walking like a sentinel. Go to sleep, all of you."

  "Oh, I'm so relieved!" murmured Amy, but it was some time before sheclosed her eyes again for an uninterrupted slumber.

  Morning came, with no further alarms having been reported, and, aftersome confusion, due to their new environment, the girls got theirbreakfast. They sent over some hot pancakes to the boys, for they couldtell by the sounds coming from their cabin that the meal there was notprogressing favorably.

  In spite of the fact that Mr. Franklin was not very encouraging aboutthe presence of bears, the boys determined to go off and see forthemselves. They each had a gun.

  "Then we girls will go for a walk," decided Betty. "The woods must beinteresting at this time of year. And it isn't as cold as it wasyesterday."

  They set out, comfortably equipped for a walk, with short skirts andleggings, for the snow was rather deep. There were woodland trails andlogging roads and the girls alternated on them; seeing much to wonder atand admire, for the woods in winter are more interesting than manysuppose who have never seen them except in Summer or Fall.

  The girls went on for perhaps three miles, and were thinking of turningback, for it was nearing noon, when a voice hailed them from a densegrowth of hemlock trees.

  "I say, you folks will have to git away from there. You're on privateground. Git off!" and there stepped into view a burly, roughly-dressedman, accompanied by a bulldog. Master and dog looked equally savage.

  "Go on!" ordered the man, "before I----"