go straight ahead. She
was crafty enough not to turn in at once for fear the boys might
suspect, so she kept on a short distance to where the road turned and
then she cut into the bit of forest scrambling up the bank and
scratching her hands, with the brambles, but reaching the path in a few
minutes. The further she went the darker it grew. The sun was setting
and she could see long fingers of light between the trees. She wished
she had some one with her, that Cousin Ben would appear before she went
much further, but there was no sign of him and she plodded on, the dead
leaves rustling about her feet or falling from overhead, giving her
little starts of fear. It seemed a long, long way, and she almost wished
she had not undertaken the work of rescue, but at last she saw, dimly
ahead of her, a figure approaching and heard a cheerful whistling which
she recognized as her cousin's. And she darted forward to meet him.

CHAPTER II

THE SECRET

Cousin Ben striding along did not at first see the little girl, but at
her calling "Cousin Ben, Cousin Ben," he stopped short.

"Why, you little monkey, what are you doing here?" he said. "The
bugaboos will catch you here in these dark woods."

"There isn't such a thing as bugaboos," returned Edna stoutly, "and I
should be very silly to think so, but something will catch you if you
don't look out."

"'The gob-e-lins will get you if you don't look out,'" replied Cousin
Ben, laughing. "Is that what you are trying to say? If you are not
afraid of bugaboos neither am I afraid of goblins. What do you think is
going to get a big fellow like me?"

"Why," said Edna at once becoming serious, "I will tell you; I heard
some college boys talking back there by the edge of the woods."

"You did? and what did they say?"

"They said: 'We'll nab him as he comes out, boys.'"

"Humph! What did they look like? Did you know any of them?"

"The one who said that was John Fielding, and there was another that
I've seen before. He sits back of our pew at church."

"Sophs, both of them, and did you come all this way to tell me about
it?"

"Why, yes, I was afraid they wanted to haze you."

"What do you know about hazing?"

"Mother told me about a young man who nearly died of pneumonia because
some of the boys doused him in cold water, in a pond or something."

"And you didn't want me to have pneumonia. I won't on this occasion, I
promise you. I think we can circumnavigate those fellow