oom before the candidates had been
welcomed into the society of honorable Nicks. That mask went into room
twelve.

CHAPTER XV

LOST ON MOUNT GABRIEL

A full month of school life had passed at Glenwood. The beautiful
autumn had come to tint the leafy New England hills, when Mrs. Pangborn
announced that her classes might go on a little picnic to the top of
Mount Gabriel. The day chosen proved to be of the ideal Indian summer
variety, and when the crowd of happy students skipped away through the
woods that led to the mount, there seemed nothing to be wished for.
Miss Crane had been sent in charge, and as Edna said, that meant just
one more girl to make sport.

As usual Viola did not join the merry-makers. She had the continuous
excuse of her mother's illness, which had really been a matter of great
worry to her, as Mrs. Pangborn, if no other at the school, knew to be
true.

"It's as warm as August," declared Nita Brant, scaling a darling little
baby maple and robbing it of its most cherished pink leaves.

"Oh, Nita," sighed Tavia, "couldn't you take some other tree? That
poor little thing never wore a pink dress before in all its young life!"

"Too young to wear pink," declared the gay Nita, affecting the
brilliant leaves herself. "I just love baby leaves," and she planted
the wreath on her fair brow.

This started the wreath brigade, which soon terminated in every one of
the picnickers being adorned with a crown of autumn foliage.

At the foot of the mountain the girls made an effort to procure
mountain sticks, but this was not an easy matter, and much time was
taken up in the search for appropriate staffs. Those strong enough
were invariably too hard to break, and those that could be procured
were always too "splintery." But the matter was finally disposed of,
and the procession started up the mountain.

It was growing late in the afternoon, the pilgrimage not having been
taken up until after the morning session, and when the top of the
mountain was finally reached, Miss Crane told her charges that they
might scurry about and get such specimen of leaves or stones as they
wished to bring back, as they would only remain there a short time.

The air was very heavy by this time, and the distant roll of thunder
could be heard, but the gay girls never dreamed of a storm on that late
October afternoon as they ran wildly about gathering bits of every
procurable thing from moss to crystal rocks. Tavia