was now nearly six o'clock, and Fanny was so interested in the five
girls that she persuaded them to go home with her to enjoy the evening
together. It promised a pleasant diversion, for the five girls had been
hard at work several days and had not met a single acquaintance or
congenial friend.

When Fanny arrived at her hotel that evening with the five girls, it was
to discover Uncle and Aunt in consternation over an extraordinary story
told by Johnny, who had arrived home an hour or two before. According to
his story, he and Louis had tried to see into the Dahomey village. He
did not know that it was wrong. He missed his balance and fell over the
fence. He was scared and stunned by his fall. After a while he heard
Louis yelling as if in great pain. Then two policemen came in and
protected Johnny till he got safely away. When they reached the outside
of the crowd which was all the time yelling at them, the policeman told
him to git if he didn't want to get mobbed. He ran as hard as he could
run in order to escape. Then he remembered Louis was caught, for he had
heard him calling for help. Johnny came back around the buildings, but,
alas! the bloodthirsty mob had done its work and Louis was no more.
Johnny, now safely at home, lay moaning on his bed and would not be
comforted. Fanny remembered having seen the great crowd over by the
Dahomey village, but she had not dreamed of such a terrible scene taking
place. Altogether it seemed incredible.

"Extry papurs, all about de cannibal feast!"

A thought suddenly struck Fanny that if there had been such a horrible
tragedy as Johnny had told of, the papers would tell all about it. She
ran down to the street and came back with a copy. She looked rapidly
over the paper, but she saw nothing about a lynching at the Fair
grounds. Then the front page leader, with its half a column of
head-lines caught her eye:

"_EXTRA, SEVEN O'CLOCK_"

"_The Mystery of the Dahomey Village deepens as
the Investigation Progresses"_

_"The French proprietor avers that there was no
attempt at Cannibalism, but he cannot
make a coherent statement
of the case"_

_"The supposedly bloodthirsty Dahomey men and
amazons, said to be the most peaceful and mild
in Africa. The natives contradict themselves and
tell a dozen different stories. The Exposition
management greatly alarmed, and the investigation
being pushed with vigor. Horrifying disclosures
supposed soon to be re