explosive.

"Who on earth--" she began, then interrupted herself, and with trembling
fingers tore the envelope open. The girls watched her, wide-eyed and
tense.

"It's from mother," she cried, then crushed the paper in her hands and
looked around at the sympathetic faces with eyes grown dark with fear.
"Girls," she said, "I--I'm afraid to read it--I--"

CHAPTER XVI

THE SHADOW OF DISASTER

Betty put a steadying arm about Mollie and asked gently:

"Would it make it any easier if I were to read it, dear?"

"No, oh, no!" cried Mollie, then smoothed out the crushed paper and read
the telegram through while her face grew whiter and her lips closed in a
tense line. With a queer little sound in her throat she turned away and
handed it to Betty.

"Read it," she commanded in a choked voice.

Mrs. Ford put an arm about Mollie while Betty read aloud and the girls
crowded closer.

It was a brief, paralyzing message the telegram contained.

"Twins are gone. Were not home last night, and am
wild with anxiety. No need your coming home. Am
doing everything possible to find them. MOTHER."

"The twins!" gasped Amy.

"Gone!" added Grace, stupefied. "Oh, Betty, are you sure you read it
aright?"

For answer, Betty handed her the telegram and turned to comfort Mollie,
who was sobbing bitterly.

"I knew I shouldn't have gone away," she was saying over and over again.
"I knew I should have stayed at home."

"But your staying at home probably wouldn't have made any difference,"
argued Betty soothingly.

"And by this time they may have been found, anyway," added Mrs. Ford,
gently leading Mollie toward the house, Betty at her side, while Grace
and Amy followed, mute with sympathy.

"Yes; or by this time they may be dead!" sobbed Mollie, refusing to be
comforted. "They must have met with some accident or they wouldn't have
stayed away all n-night."

"Maybe they ran away," suggested Grace, trying hard to think of
something cheering to say. "They've done it before, you know."

"Yes," agreed Mollie, sinking into a porch chair and searching
desperately for a handkerchief in her pocketless bathing suit. "But they
always came home before night. I know it must be something awfully
serious to keep them away over night."

Mrs. Ford was very much worried and disturbed, but she nevertheless
managed a bright smile.

"As you say, they probably ran away," she said. "Only this time they
have wa