surrounded it.

And now I believe I have mentioned my principal characters, and places,
though others will be introduced to you from time to time as our story
progresses.

So on this pleasant spring day, for one of the few times, Amy was not
brooding on the subject that had given her such uneasiness of late.
Nor were the other girls concerned with anything save the finding of
the five hundred dollar bill, which absorbed everything else for the
time being.

"Who could have lost it?" wondered Mollie.

"There aren't so many persons in Deepdale who can afford to throw away
money like this," added Amy.

"It wasn't thrown away--it was lost," declared Betty, "and we must find
the owner if we can."

"Especially after such a pathetic message," said Grace. "Poor fellow! His
last big bill!"

"What makes you think it was a _man_?" asked Amy.

"That isn't a girl's writing," insisted Grace.

"Fine! You'll be a detective if you keep on--or should I say
detectivess?" asked Mollie, with a laugh.