have thought of them as dead, they were alive--"

"Very much so," said Will, with a grin, "and probably kicking too--just
like us!"




Chapter XXI

Out of the Dark



It took the Outdoor Girls a moment or two to digest this rather startling
information. And when it did finally seep into their consciousness, their
first feeling was one of joy for the poor professor whose sons would be
restored to him after all.

But quick on the heels of this thought came another. How could the sons be
restored to their father, if the father were nowhere to be found?

"You say the old chap skipped out, decamped?" Will broke in on their
meditations. "That sort of complicates matters, doesn't it?"

"Rather," agreed Roy, frowning. "It is going to be rather tough on those
fellows, James and Arnold, to come home, expecting to be welcomed by a
rejoicing parent, only to find said parent missing."

"Humph, that's the first time I've thought of the boys' side of it," said