d her chums.

"I suppose you will wonder how I played the part of a tramp," said the
young man. "I will tell you why. I was almost out of my mind, and I
imagined that by going around looking ragged I might pick up some news of
my lost money from the tramps along the railroad."

Then he told of how he had started to write a letter, stating he could
not buy the business he was after, and had then torn the letter up,
because he still hoped to find the bill and get control of the business.

"And we found part of that letter," cried Betty. "We tried to find you,
too, but you had disappeared."

"Indeed. I know how that happened--I took a short cut through the woods."

"The chocolate is ready!" called Grace, a little later. "Won't you have
some, Mr. Blackford?"

"Thank you, I will. Say, but you young ladies are all right. Do you do
this sort of thing often?"

"Well, we like to be outdoors," explained Betty, as she handed him a cup
of the hot beverage. "We like to take long walks, but this is the first
time we ever went on a tour like this."

"And we've had the _best_ time!" exclaimed Mollie.

"And _such_ adventures," added Grace. "Will you have more chocolate?"

"No, thank you. That was fine. Now I must try and get dry. But I'm used
to this sort of thing. I'm from the West, and I've been in more than
one flood."

"You have!" cried Amy, and the others knew of what she was thinking--her
own case. "I hope he didn't have the same sort of trouble I had, though,"
she thought.

"Perhaps if you were to walk along your clothes would dry quicker," said
Betty. "And if you went on to Judgeville you might be able to get a
tailor to press them."

"Thanks, I believe I will. That is, if you don't mind being seen with
such a disreputable figure as I cut."

"Of course we don't mind!" declared Betty. "We are getting rather
travel-stained ourselves."

"Our trunks will be waiting for us at your cousin's house, Betty," spoke
Grace, for it was there they were to spend the last night of their now
nearly finished tour. "We can freshen up," went on the girl who loved
candy, "and enter into town in style. I hope mamma put in my new gown and
another pair of shoes."

"Grace Ford! You don't mean that you'd put on a new dress to finish up
this walking excursion in, do you?" asked Mollie.

"Certainly I shall. We don't know who we might meet as we get into
Deepdale."

"We will hardly get in before dusk," said Betty. "From Judgeville the