"I am," declared the girl; "but the idea of me wasting sympathy!
I might have discovered the dead man of all my life-long dreams -
had to appear in court, and all the other delightful consequences
of finding a man under suspicious circumstances; and there you are
not even sick. Jack Kimball, how could you? You might at least
have had the politeness to be deadly ill."

Walter crawled out from the thicket.

"I thought I smelled eating," he remarked, "and I suggested that
we postpone the wild and woolly until we had investigated."

"Oh, come on," called Cora. "We may as well allow you to move on.
- You have actually interrupted the plans for our first official
run.'

"Good!" exclaimed Ed Foster, who, with some other young chaps, had
collected themselves from the various haunts. "Any boys?"

"Boys!" echoed Cora.

"B-o-y-s!" drawled Maud, "chucking the imploring look," as Cecilia
whispered to Cora.

"We have been discussing the question," declared Bess, as they all
started toward the lunch spread on the grass, "and we have now
fully decided. The answer is: No boys!"

This verdict brought forth the expected chorus of groans from the
young men.