The Outdoor Girls of Deepdale | Page 8

"Poor fellow! His last big bill!"
"What makes you think it was a _man_?" asked Amy.
"That isn't a girl's writing," insisted Grace.
"Fine! You'll be a detective if you keep on--or should I say detectivess?" asked Mollie, with a laugh.
"I wonder what that note means?" inquired Mollie.
"Why," said Betty, "it seems to indicate that some young man ran through a fortune--or lost it--and had only five hundred dollars left. He was going to try to redeem his standing or wealth with this, and probably wrote this to remind himself not to fail. I used to have a habit of leaving my room untidy, and Daddy suggested once that I write a notice to myself, and pin it where I would see it as I came out each morning. I did, and I cured myself. This young fellow probably tried the same system."
"What makes you think he is _young_?" Grace wanted to know.
"I'm following your line of reasoning--no elderly man would do anything like this--write such a strange memorandum to himself. I'm sure he is young."
"And--good-looking?" asked Amy, smiling.
"Let us hope so--if we are to return the money to him in person," suggested Mollie.
"Well, the best thing to do is to put that in some secure place, Betty," advised Grace. "Has your father a safe at home?"
"Yes."
"Then let him keep it, and we can put an advertisement in the Banner. 'Found--a sum of money. Owner can have same by proving property, and paying for this advertisement.' How is that?"
"Wouldn't you ask for a reward?" came from Mollie.
"The idea--of course not!"
"But he might give us one," suggested Amy, "without being asked."
Then talking excitedly about the find, and speculating on how it could have come in the road, the girls accompanied Betty to her house. Mrs. Nelson was duly astonished at the news, and agreed with the chums that the best plan was that suggested by Grace. Accordingly, when Mr. Nelson came home, the bill and the queer attached note, were put in his safe. Then an advertisement was telephoned to the paper.
"And now let's talk about our Camping and Tramping Club," proposed Betty, for her three chums had called that evening after supper.
"I spoke to mamma about it," said Mollie, "and she said she thought I could go. But we must stay with friends, or relatives, at night; she won't let me put up at a hotel."
"Of course not!" cried Betty--"none of us will. Now my plan is this: Papa and mamma have a number of relatives living in distant towns, but all in this vicinity. Probably you girls have some also. Now, why couldn't we arrange a tour that would take us on a circuit say of--two hundred miles--"
"Two hundred miles!" came in a horrified chorus.
"Why, yes, that's not much. We can take three weeks to it, and that's only a little over ten miles a day--not counting Sundays, of course. If we can't walk ten miles a day--"
"Oh, that's not so bad," admitted Amy.
"I can easily do that," assented Mollie.
"What about our meals?" asked Grace.
"Can't you carry enough chocolate fudge to do between morning and evening?" asked Amy, with a laugh.
"I've got that part all planned," began Betty. "Or at least I have an idea about it. We can get breakfast and supper at our friends' or relatives' and at noon we can go to restaurants, or to houses along the way. Why, we can even take a little camping outfit with us, and make coffee on the road, carrying sandwiches, too."
"Fine!" cried Amy and Mollie.
"Make chocolate--not coffee," begged Grace.
"Well, chocolate then," assented Betty.
"I have a couple of aunts somewhere out Bessingford way," spoke Amy.
"And mamma has a cousin or two near Millford," went on Grace.
"Now, it's your turn, Mollie," said Betty.
"Oh, I have some wood-pile relations scattered about the country!" exclaimed the French girl, her eyes sparkling. "I guess they would be glad to entertain us."
"And I can fill in the between-spaces with uncles and aunts and cousins, I think," spoke Betty. "Now let's make out a partial list."
It took some little time to do this, but it was finally accomplished.
"Well, shall we decide on it?" asked Betty after a pause. "Shall we form the Deepdale Camping and Tramping Club?"
"I move you, Miss Chairman, that we do!" exclaimed Grace. "The sooner the better."
"Second the motion!" came laughingly from Mollie.
"All in favor--"
"Aye!" came in a joyous chorus, and the little club was thus quickly formed.

CHAPTER III
JEALOUSIES
"What do they find to talk about so often?"
"And so secretly. As soon as any of us other girls come near they begin to speak of the weather--or something like that."
Thus remarked Alice Jallow to Kittie Rossmore a few days after the formation of the Camping and Tramping Club. The question and comments took place in the court of the High School, just before the bell was