The Outdoor Girls in the Saddle | Page 2

natural," laughed the dark-haired, pink-cheeked one, as she
visualized Mollie's little brother and sister, Dodo and Paul. They were
twins, and always in trouble.
"Anything special you called up about?" asked Mollie's voice from the
other end of the wire. "Want to go for a ride or something?"
"Not the kind of ride you mean," said the brown-eyed, pink-cheeked
one, with a knowing little smile on her lips.
At the lilt in her voice Mollie, at her end of the wire, sat up and stared
inquiringly into the black mouth of the telephone.
"Betty," she said hopefully, "you are hiding something from me. You

have something up your sleeve."
"You're right and wrong," giggled Betty. "I'm hiding something from
you, but I can't get it up my sleeve, it's too big!"
"Hurry up!" commanded Mollie in terrific accents. "Are you going to
tell me what's on your mind, Betty Nelson?"
"When will you be around?" countered Betty.
"In five minutes."
"Good!"
"Betty, wait! Is it good news?"
"The best ever," and Betty rang off.
She twinkled at the telephone for a minute, then called another number.
"That you, Gracie?"
The fair-haired, tall, and very graceful girl at the other end of the wire
acknowledged that it was.
"Please suggest something interesting, Betty," she added plaintively, as
she took a chocolate from the ever-present candy box and nibbled on it
discontentedly. "I woke up with the most awful attack of the blues this
morning."
"What, with a whole summer full of blessed idleness before you?"
mocked Betty.
"Too much idleness," grumbled Grace. "That's the trouble."
"Enter," said Betty drolly, "Doctor Elizabeth Nelson."
Grace digested this remark for a moment, staring at the telephone in
much the same manner as Mollie had done a few minutes before. Then

she swallowed the last of her chocolate in such haste that it almost
choked her.
"Betty," she said, "I have heard you use that tone before. Is there really
something in the wind?"
"Come and see," said Betty and a click at the other end of the wire told
Grace that the conversation was over.
"Oh bother!" she cried, her pretty forehead drawn into a frown. "Now I
suppose I've got to get dressed and go over there before I can find out
what she meant."
In the hall she nearly ran into her mother, who was dressed to go out.
Mrs. Ford was a handsome woman, prominent in the social circles of
Deepdale. She was kindly and sympathetic, and all who knew her loved
her.
So now, as she regarded her mother, a loving smile erased the frown
from Grace's forehead.
"I declare, Mother, you look younger than I do," she said fondly.
"Whither away so early?"
"The art club, this morning," replied Mrs. Ford, her eyes approving the
fair prettiness of her daughter. "Are you going out? I thought you were
deep in that new book."
"I was," said Grace, with a sigh for what might have been. "But Betty
called up and said she wanted me to come over. There's something in
the wind, that's sure, but she wouldn't give me even the teeniest little
hint of what it was. I wasn't going at first, but I----"
"Thought better of it," finished Mrs. Ford, with a smile. "Better go,"
she added, as she opened the door. "My experience with Betty Nelson
is that she usually has something interesting to say. Good-by, dear. If
any one should 'phone while you are here, will you tell them that I
shan't be back till late afternoon?"

Grace promised that she would and moved slowly up the stairs.
Meanwhile Amy Blackford, the last of the trio to whom the dark-haired,
pink-cheeked little person who was Betty Nelson had telephoned, had
stopped merely to remove the apron from in front of her pink-checked
gingham dress and was now flying along the two short blocks that
separated her house from the Nelsons'.
As for poor Mollie Billette, she was nearly distracted. Torn with
curiosity, as that young person very often was, to know the facts that
had prompted Betty's early call, she yet could not satisfy that curiosity.
When she had told Betty that she would be around in five minutes she
had fully meant to make that promise good. But--she had forgotten the
twins!
Upon entering the room where she had locked them while she talked to
Betty, she found a sight that fairly took her breath away.
Unfortunately, some one had left an open bottle of ink on the table.
One of the twins, deciding to play "savages," had pounced upon the ink
bottle as a means of making the play more realistic!
"Oh, Dodo! Oh, Paul! How could you be so naughty?" moaned Mollie,
sinking to the floor, while the tears of exasperation rolled down her
face.