All of the rest of the
twelve girls who had been decoyed into the Buchholz house by the
"sympathetic Mrs. Eddy" were thrown into a panic. And the terror of
the situation was not mollified in the least by the sudden appearance
on the scene of five men.

Where the men came from so suddenly was not at all clear. Undoubtedly
they had been hidden somewhere, but that place could not be
determined, for none of the girls remembered from what direction they
had made their appearance, north, south, east, west, up, or down. They
were just there, and that was all there was to it.

The men did not look like ruffians exactly, although they were not
clad in "gentlemen's clothes." The girls were huddled together in the
dark scantily-furnished front room, which at some time probably had
served the purpose of a combined parlor and reception room. The next
apartment, probably designed as a living room, was lighted by a single
gas jet turned low.

Ethel and Ernestine fainted in the midst of the address of warning and
command from the spokesman of the plotters. This was a signal for a
rally to their aid on the part of the other Camp Fire Girls best
gifted with presence of mind. Marion led this move, and was quickly
assisted by Ruth Hazelton, Julietta Hyde, and Marie Crismore. No
objection was offered by the men to this proceeding, as they were
intelligent enough to realize that the success of their plot depended
largely on a careful guard against a noisy panic that would attract
attention from without.

"Somebody get some water quick," Marion directed, as she proceeded to
go through the reviving formula in which all of them had been
thoroughly drilled.

"I'll get some," "Mrs. Eddy" volunteered, indicating by her offer and
actions that she was an efficient ally of the kidnappers. She hastened
into the kitchen and soon returned with a large dipper of water.
Marion took it from her and sprinkled some of the liquid on the faces
of the unconscious girls. The latter quickly recovered and sat up.

But meanwhile the five men were not idle. The leader addressed the
girls again with more gentle words and manner, realizing, as only an
intelligent criminal may do, that a confidence man's method is the
best method for producing a desired illegal effect. In a degree, he
was successful, attempting to reassure the captives in the following
manner:

"Now, girls, you have nothing to fear from us, if you obey orders. We
don't wish to harm a hair on