tion. In less than half an hour they were at
the door of Helen's prison, where Jake gave the "open sesame" knock.

An uncouth woman opened the door. Behind her stood a man, who proved
to be her husband. Jake pushed the astonished pair aside, and went
directly to the side of the room opposite the entrance and lifted a
bar across a door opening into another department. As he opened this
door, Marion rushed forward and was first to greet a slender,
pale-faced girl, who stepped out eagerly toward her rescuers.

"Helen!" cried the girls in a chorus.

Jake slipped out and was seen no more.

* * * * *

CHAPTER XXII.

A SLEIGHRIDE HOME.

That was a meeting not soon to be forgotten. It was a signal for the
casting away of every element of secrecy, and Helen told her story.

She told the story of her brother, of his sickness when a child, of
the resultant distortion of his character into that of a man of
strange and incongruous genius and weakness, and of the embarrassment
he had caused her and her mother. He, it was, she said, who had
written the skull-and-cross-bones letter.

"Who wrote the other anonymous letter that you received at the
Institute?" Hazel Edwards inquired.

"I don't know," Helen replied with a faint smile. "Perhaps these boys
can answer that question."

"I must plead guilty to that," announced Clifford, advancing with a
bow.

"But what's the surprise you were going to spring?" inquired Ruth
Hazelton, mischievously. "Is this it?"

"Now, never you mind," said Clifford. "Things didn't go just right.
This kidnapping affair interfered with our plans, and they are hereby
called off. We didn't want you to know we were here."

Two of the boys had been dispatched as messengers to Hollyhill for
vehicles to take the girls back to Marion's home. About 2 o'clock in
the morning Mr. Stanlock, several of his neighbors, and three
policemen, led by the two Scout messengers, burst into the room and
announced that they had brought three bob-sleds to give them all a
sleighride.

And a glorious sleighride home it was for all except the two
prisoners, whom the police took into custody.

* * * * *

The story of the CAMP FIRE GIRLS IN THE MOUNTAINS is told, all but the
subtitle, "A Christmas Success Against Odds." There was a real success
in store for them. The police made a raid, but found that the criminal
element that had gained a throttle h