bedroom, she cried bitterly before
she appeared before the family.

"I have no right to make them feel miserable just because my heart, is,
breaking," she sobbed aloud. "I won't let them see how bad I feel. But
if I don't find Beulah, I just know I shall die!"

Could she have run to Momsey for comfort it would have helped, Oh, how
much!

"I am a silly," Nan told herself at last, warmly. "But I cannot help it.
Oh, dear! Where can Beulah have gone?"

She bathed her eyes well in the cold spring water brought by Tom that
she always found in the jug outside her door in the morning, and removed
such traces of tears as she could; and nobody noticed when she went out
to breakfast that her eyelids were puffy and her nose a bit red.

The moment Rafe caught sight of her he began to squall, supposedly like
an infant, crying:

"Ma-ma! Ma-ma! Tum an' take Too-tums. Waw! Waw! Waw!"

After all her hurt pride and sorrow, Nan would have called up a laugh
at this. But Tom, who was drinking at the water bucket, wheeled with the
full dipper and threw the contents into Rafe's face. That broke off the
teasing cousin's voice for a moment; but Rafe came up, sputtering and
mad.

"Say! You big oaf!" he shouted. "What you trying to do?"

"Trying to be funny," said Tom, sharply. "And you set me the example."

"Now, boys!" begged Aunt Kate. "Don't quarrel."

"And, dear me, boys," gasped Nan, "please don't squabble about me."

"That big lummox!" continued Rafe, still angry. "Because dad backs
him up and says he ought to lick me, he does this. I'm going to defend
myself. If he does a thing like that again, I'll fix him."

Tom laughed in his slow way and lumbered out. Uncle Henry did not hear
this, and Nan was worried. She thought Aunt Kate was inclined to side
with her youngest boy. Rafe would always be "the baby" to Aunt Kate.

At any rate Nan was very sorry the quarrel had arisen over her. And she
was careful to say nothing to fan further the flame of anger between
her cousins. Nor did she say anything more about the lost doll. So the
family had no idea how heartsore and troubled the girl really was over
the mystery.

It hurt her the more because she could talk to nobody about Beulah.
There was not a soul in whom she could confide. Had Bess Harley been
here at Pine Camp Nan felt that she could not really expect sympathy
from her chum at this time; for Bess considered herself quite grown up
and her own dolls were relegated to the y