to the others, and letting the receiver fall
with a bang, "little Paul is missing--mother thinks he went out of
doors. Oh, that poor child!"

CHAPTER V

UNPLEASANT NEWS

Will was the first to realize the import of the message. He exclaimed
briskly:

"Gone out; eh? Well, it won't be hard to track him, for there is a
light, new covering of snow on the ground and sidewalks. That is, if we
get right at it. Come on, Mr. Blackford, and we'll find the little
rascal!"

"Of course we will!" cried Betty. "Don't cry, Mollie dear. He can't be
lost for long; everyone in Deepdale knows him and whoever finds him will
take him home."

"Yes, but he--he may freeze!"

"Oh, it isn't cold!" declared Grace, though she was even then shivering.
Grace was not any too well built to stand cold weather.

"That's it! Stick to it!" whispered Will in her ear. "Insist that it
isn't cold."

"I'll come with you and help search," suggested Amy, who had been
bidding her callers good-night. "I wonder if we ought to have a
lantern?"

"It would be useful," spoke Betty.

"I have one of those pocket electric flash-lights," remarked Will.

"And I can get another," said Amy. "I'll be right with you, as soon as I
get my coat and rubbers."

Soon the six young people were tramping through the storm, which seemed
to be increasing in severity, though knowing how Mollie would worry
about her little brother being out in it, the others kept insisting that
it was a mere flurry, that it would amount to nothing, and would soon be
over, or turn to rain.

But the snow did not itself hold out any such mild promises as that, and
Mollie shivered as she felt the cold and cutting blasts of wind, which
had a lower temperature than on the ice that afternoon.

They reached Mollie's house to find a very much excited and tearful Mrs.
Billette, the widow being ministered to by some of her neighbors who had
hurriedly come in, on hearing from a servant what had happened.

"Tell me all about it, Mother!" cried Mollie, partly lapsing into French
in her excitement. Mrs. Billette spoke entirely in that language now.

It appeared that little Paul had been allowed to stay up later than
usual without being undressed, as he had a new picture book to look at.

Then company had come in, and, in the abstraction of playing hostess,
Mrs. Billette had forgotten about Paul until a little while before. He
had been missed and a hasty search had not disclosed him in the ho