th, clasping her hands.

"And with him are the two men who were present when the street car
accident happened in New York--Fripp and Jagle. They are the hunters who
have been annoying Mr. Macksey."

"Oh, what shall we do?" asked Ruth. "We can't appeal to them for help,
not after the way Merley behaved to us."

"Of course not! Oh, isn't it provoking? Just as we see help we can't
avail ourselves of it. The men are getting farther and farther away,"
Alice went on. "If we are going to appeal to them we must be quick about
it."

"Don't call to them!" exclaimed Ruth. "It might be dangerous. They
haven't noticed us--let them go. But Alice, did you see how Merley seems
to have recovered from his accident? He walks as well as the others."

"Yes, so he does. I'm glad they didn't see us. But I have a plan. There
may be other persons in the cabin. When the three men are out of sight,
and they will be in the woods in a little while, we can go and ask help
of whoever is left in the cabin."

"Yes," agreed Ruth, and they waited, going back to the small cabin. "I
remember now," Ruth added after a pause, "that man who was in the bushes
the time of the coasting race was Fripp. I knew I had seen him somewhere
before, but I could not recall him then."

CHAPTER XXIII

THE PLAN OF RUSS

The three men, with their guns on their shoulders, passed out of sight
into a clump of woodland.

"Now's our chance," said Alice. "We'll slip over to the other cabin, and
see if we can get help. These men are evidently up here on a hunting
trip, and they may have a man cook, or some sort of help in the cabin.
Whoever it is can't refuse to at least set us on the right road. We
don't need to mention that Mr. Merley is going to sue our father."

"I should say not," agreed Ruth. "Oh, that horrid man! I never want to
see him again. But isn't it queer how soon he recovered from his
injury?"

"Rather odd. We must tell daddy about it when we get back."

"If we ever do," sighed the older girl.

"If we ever do?" repeated Alice. "Why of course we'll get back. I don't
believe it is going to storm any more."

"I hope not."

On their snowshoes the moving picture girls made their way to the second
cabin. But again disappointment awaited them, for there was no answer to
their repeated knocks.

"No one at home," spoke Alice. "Shall we try to go in?"

"It would do no good," Ruth decided. "If it is shelter we want we can
get it at the other cabin.