out of the machine to call back an encouraging: "Keep hoping hard for your
boys to come home. I am sure they will be back soon."

"Thank you, young lady, thank you," said Professor Dempsey, but the words
were too low for Betty to catch and she was too far away to see the mist
that sprang suddenly to his eyes.




Chapter IV

Good News



Deepdale, the home of the four Outdoor Girls, is a thriving little city
with a population of about fifteen thousand people. It is situated on the
Argono River, a pleasant stream where a great many of the young folk of
Deepdale, and some of the older ones too, keep motor boats and canoes and
various other types of pleasure craft.

Farther on, the Argono empties into Rainbow Lake, which is picturesque in
the extreme. It has several pretty and romantic looking islands, chief of
which is Triangle Island--so called because of its shape.

There is a boat running from Deepdale to Clammerport at the foot of
Rainbow Lake, and this boat is almost always crowded with pleasure
seekers. In addition to this Deepdale is situated in the heart of New York
state and is only a hundred-and-fifty-mile run from the city of that name.