her arms. "Go and have the best of times with your young friends.
We'll be thinkin' of ye here--and don't run into peril up there in
the woods. Have a care."

"Oh, we won't get into any trouble," Ruth declared, happily, with no
suspicion of what was before the party in the backwoods. "Goodbye!"

"Good-bye, Ruthie--Oh, my back and oh, my bones!" groaned Aunt
Alvirah, as she hobbled into the house again, while Ruth ran down to
the car, leaped aboard, and the chauffeur started immediately. Ben,
the hired man, had gone on to Cheslow with Ruth's trunk early in the
morning, and now the automobile sped quickly over the smooth road to
the railroad station.

By several different ways--for Cheslow was a junction of the
railroad lines--the young folk who had been invited to Snow Camp had
gathered at the station to meet the Camerons and Ruth Fielding.
Nobody noticed Fred Hatfield, saving Mr. Cameron and Ruth herself;
but the runaway found no opportunity of leaving the party. Tom had no
attention to give the Scarboro boy as he welcomed his own chums.

"Here's old Bobbins and Busy Izzy!" he cried, seeing Bob Steele and
his sister, with Isadore Phelps, pacing the long platform as the car
halted.

Bob Steele was a big, yellow-haired boy, rosy cheeked and
good-natured, but not a little bashful. As Madge, his sister, was a
year and a half older than Bob she often treated him like a very
small boy indeed.