eld her hand to her forehead, and shaded her eyes in an effort
to distinguish the object in the distance. But, although she saw what
Alice meant, it was too far off for identification. In their eagerness,
the girls started to run.

Marjorie was the first to stop, realizing her mistake.

"It's a dead tree trunk!" she gasped, out of breath from the exertion.

She stopped and leaned against a tree, tired out and disappointed. But
she resolutely conquered her desire to cry: whatever happened, she must
not break down before a freshman!

"Let's go back," she said. "I'm awfully tired."

"We might as well," said Alice. "For whoever has borrowed it will be
sure to bring it back by supper time."

"Perhaps; but somehow I feel as if it were gone forever! I can't tell
you why----"

"Oh, please don't worry, Marj!" begged the younger girl. "Nobody would
take it!"

They went to Marjorie's room, and discussed the occurrence over and
over. Alice stayed until half-past five, when Lily came back from
tennis.

"Too dark to play!" cried Lily as she threw open the door. "Heavens, why
sit in darkness?"

Marjorie and Alice had hardly noticed the gradually deepening twilight,
so wrapped up were they in the event of the afternoon. They blinked as
Lily flashed on the lights.

"Who won?" asked Marjorie, half-heartedly.

"Doris, of course!" This carelessly. Then, looking closely at her
room-mate, she realized that something was wrong.

"What's happened, Marj? No bad news from home?"

"Oh, no--it isn't that." Marjorie swallowed hard, in the effort to keep
her voice calm. Then, blurting it out, "I've lost my canoe!"

Lily stood perfectly still in open-mouthed amazement, while Alice,
assisted here and there by Marjorie, told of the afternoon's adventure.
But Lily smiled reassuringly.

"You're worrying yourself needlessly, Marj. Somebody's borrowed it, of
course! It couldn't have drifted away--there's no place for it to
drift--and surely nobody would steal it!"

"Somebody must have!" declared Marjorie, feeling now that any moment she
would break down. To her relief, Alice arose to go.

As soon as the door closed upon the retreating freshman, Marjorie began
to sob violently. Lily went over and sat beside her.

"Don't, Marj, please don't!" she begged. "Wait till after supper, at
least. I'll go over and tell Miss Allen all about it the minute I'm
dressed, and we'll see what she can do."

Marjorie dried her eyes, and the girls got