The Outdoor Girls on Pine Island | Page 9

probably one of the girls."
It was not one of the girls only, but all three of them, and seemingly in
the wildest excitement.
"Oh, Betty, Betty!" Mollie cried, not even stopping to say "hello."
"Have you heard the news--have you?"
"No, it's so early----" began Betty, but Grace interrupted her.
"But it isn't half as bad as what happened to us," she said, sinking into a
porch chair and fanning herself violently, being overcome either by the
heat or her emotions--possibly both. "Why! dad's running around the
house like a mad man this morning, swearing all sorts of vengeance on
the thief, whoever he or she is--I suppose it must be a he, though,
because women don't steal----"
"Hold on, hold on a minute," commanded Betty, her hands over her
ears. "How do you expect me to find out what has happened if you
won't come to the point?"
"Well, I was going to tell you if you'd only have a little patience,"
Grace continued, in an injured voice. Here she paused to put into her
mouth a chocolate cream, which she had taken from a little box she had
brought with her. Then, seeing Amy about to speak, she went on hastily,
holding the box out mutely toward her friends, who all shook their
heads. "Here I rush all the way over and get all heated up and
everything----"

"Oh, for goodness' sake, Grace!" Mollie broke in, having come to the
end of her patience. "If you don't tell the story I will. You have been
half an hour already getting nowhere."
At this dire threat Grace continued quickly. "Oh, well," she capitulated,
"since you are in such a hurry--well, the fact is, Betty, Beauty's been
stolen," and she delivered the terrible news in a hushed voice.
"Oh!" said Betty, horrified. "And your father valued him above all the
rest. Are you sure he was stolen, Grace?"
"Well, I don't see what else could have happened to him." Now that she
had delivered her news, Grace was once more as calm and composed as
ever. "The horse couldn't very well file the padlock from the outside or
climb out the window, and the groom wouldn't be very likely to take
him for a gentle stroll in the middle of the night. And unless one of
those things has happened, Beauty has been stolen. Anyway, he's gone,
there's no doubt of that."
"That's pretty bad--I can imagine just how your father feels, Grace,"
Betty's voice was grave. "I do hope they will be able to trace him. Does
your father suspect the gypsies?"
"Yes, ever since the store was robbed the other night, dad has been
suspicious of them," Grace answered. "He has tried to watch his horses
with especial care, too. That's one thing that makes him so tearing mad
to-day. Oh, you should have heard him!" and Grace sighed at the
memory.
"I remember," said Betty thoughtfully, "that Allen said something the
other night when we went to visit their camp about the gypsies being
expert thieves. From the way things have turned out I guess he knew
what he was talking about."
"And they looked so nice and romantic, too," said Amy, and drew a
sigh at the irony of fate.
This conversation took place between the girls on a certain morning

several days after their memorable visit to the gypsy camp. A day or so
before one of the large stores of the town had been looted and
practically cleaned out. For two days Deepdale had been in a furore of
excitement and indignation, for in the memory of most of the
inhabitants no such crime had ever been perpetrated. There had been
small robberies, of course, but that Hendall's, traditionally the oldest
store in Deepdale, should have been treated to such insult, and by a
band of roving gypsies, too--for every one suspected them from the
first--why, it was unheard of! incredible!
Detectives and sheriff had searched the town from end to end but had
found no sign of the missing goods. They had visited the gypsy camp,
too, submitting it to a strict investigation, but with no result. The
countryside had been scoured for miles around, but no trace had as yet
been found of the missing criminals nor of their loot. Indeed, the
thieves had covered their tracks well, and the inhabitants of Deepdale
were beginning to lose hope of immediate reparation.
Such was the chaotic state of affairs on this beautiful summer morning
when Mr. Ford had awakened to find his splendid horse, Beauty, the
ornament of his stables and the pride of his heart, strangely and
inexplicably missing.
For an hour or so the girls pondered on these two mysterious robberies
and found themselves not one whit nearer the solution. It was