the Moon Society
was. I've known for quite a while, and now I'm going to tell."
You could have heard a pin drop and all eyes were fixed on her
expectantly. "There isn't any DARK OF THE MOON SOCIETY!" she announced.
"Or rather, I'm it."
An incredulous murmur went around the circle.
Sahwah continued. "I kidnapped Eeny-Meeny during the panic yesterday and
hid her in that roll of sail cloth. The whole thing is a joke, gotten up
for Katherine's benefit. She was having such a terrible fit of blues
Gladys was afraid she would never get over it unless she had something
to occupy her mind, so I started this business to give her something to
think about. I wrote those mysterious warning notices and posted them
around the camp. When I saw what a beautiful effect it was having on
Katherine I couldn't resist the temptation to keep it up. I knew how
fond she was of Eeny-Meeny and decided that if anything threatened her
Katherine would think of nothing else night and day. I pretended I had
heard voices of the boys plotting to take Eeny-Meeny and burn her up
tonight.
"That night when Katherine thought I was walking in my sleep I had been
up putting a notice on Eeny-Meeny. When I saw Katherine I was afraid she
would be suspicious of my being out at that hour and the only thing I
could think of was to pretend that I was asleep." Here Sahwah
interrupted herself with a convulsive giggle. "And she tied a string to
my foot and kept ahold of it for the rest of the night!"
"And I jumped into that tub of water thinking I was on the trail of the
Dark of the Moon Society!" exclaimed Katherine, righteous wrath and
amazement struggling for possession of her.
"And I destroyed three perfectly good cans of beans getting up a panic!"
said Hinpoha.
"And brought down the house," added the Captain, who had been one of
those caught in the fall of the tent.
"And you mean to say," demanded Katherine, "that those boys never
intended to burn up Eeny-Meeny?"
"Perish the thought," said Sahwah, enjoying herself in the extreme.
"They're as innocent as day old lambs."
"Then so is Anthony," said Hinpoha.
"That's right," said the Captain. Then, turning to Anthony, he made a
frank apology for accusing him of hiding Eeny-Meeny.
And all the Winnebagos were filled with remorse when they thought how
they had blamed Antha for that same disappearance.
Katherine lay back overcome and fanned herself with a bunch of leaves.
"Well, I'll--be--jig
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