as
to her own best girl friend, and she also knew that Tavia fully
appreciated the friendship of the handsome young cousin.

"When's Tavia coming?" asked Roger, another special friend of the girl
without wisdom.

"I hope she will be here before I start for the Lake," replied
Dorothy. "She always enjoys the Cedars more than she does any other
summer place."

"Hope she does, too," replied Nat, with unhidden warmth. "I want to
put a flea in her ear before she runs any further risks with the
knight of the horse."

"Really," said Dorothy, aside to Ned, when she had an opportunity of
speaking privately, "there is something very mysterious about that
man. I have an uncanny feeling regarding him, and Cologne told me he
had written a letter to Tavia."

"Did, eh?" and Ned, the elder of the White boys, instantly put on a
defensive air. "Well, whoever he may be, he had better be careful. We
happen to have a----"

"Children," called Major Dale, "if you are going out to look for your
bandit, you had best be at it. He will have all his best
holding-up-ing done and be off to his cave with the spoils before
you--beard him outside of his lair."

Just what Ned was going to confide in Dorothy about the strange man
was left unfinished much to Dorothy's disappointment, for she felt
that the boys had some important clue as to the identity of the queer
character. However, there was no time for further confidences, and she
was obliged to run off to her little personal duties, while the boys
made ready to explore the woods.

They proposed to lie in wait for the bandit for some time, and, if he
did not put in an appearance, they planned to explore the woodland for
at least half a mile around. They felt sure that they would come upon
his tracks not far from the spot where Dorothy had been attacked, for
it seemed reasonable to them, that any boy, or man, dressed as he was
described to have been gotten up, would not attempt to go far from his
hiding place.

With the White boys were two college friends, also home in North
Birchland on their vacation, so that when the party actually started
out they made up quite a squad.

"All got your guns?" asked Ned, as they sketched out their separate
lines of advance, and made secret marks to show the starting points.

"Yep," replied Ben Nichols, the biggest boy in all North Birchland,
whose particular "gun" was a golf driver.

So they started off. Roger insisted upon going, so Ned took him unde