a stone image, and poor little Mollie lost--goodness
knows where!"

Ruth kissed Bab for comfort. Then she turned to Grace. "Grace," she
asked, "will you be a perfect dear? I know Naki is right; he must get
some one to help him search for Mollie, and one of us must go to Aunt
Sallie, who is terribly worried. See! she has already seen us, and is
waving her hand. But if you will go tell her what has happened, I shall
stay up here with Bab, and Ceally can bring us some dinner. You can come
back afterwards. By that time Naki will have returned with assistance and
we can go on with our search again."

"I hate to leave you," Grace protested, "but I will go."

"Wait for me," Naki cautioned. Both girls nodded. They were too tired to
speak.

CHAPTER VIII

END OF THE SEARCH

When Grace and Naki had finally disappeared Bab put her head down on
Ruth's shoulder and cried bitterly.

"I am so frightened!" she sobbed. "If only I were lost instead of my
little sister! Mother always trusts me to look after Mollie. I ought not
to have let her go off alone!"

Ruth wisely allowed Bab to have her cry out, before she said: "Bab, dear,
remember father said he relied on us to keep cool heads and strong hearts
in any case of emergency. Now let's gather ourselves together. Let's say
over and over again: 'We will find Mollie! We will find Mollie!'"

Bab braced up at once and repeated quietly, "Certainly we will find her,
Ruth dear."

Both girls were looking toward the woods. It was not yet night, but the
dusk was falling quickly. Suddenly, off through the trees, the two girls
distinctly saw a light that shone on a level with their eyes. Once,
twice, then again, it sparkled through the underbrush.

"What is it?" Bab breathed faintly.

Ruth shook her head. "I don't know," she answered, under her breath.

The light advanced toward them; then it drew back again, never ceasing to
sparkle. It seemed to be beckoning to them.

"Oh, Ruth," cried Barbara, "could it be a signal from Mollie?"

"How could it, Barbara, dear?" Ruth replied.

Both girls waited a little longer. The light came again. It seemed almost
to call to them. Barbara started to her feet impatiently. "I must go and
see what it is," she declared.

"Wait a minute, Bab!" pleaded Ruth. It was second nature with Ruth to be
ready for emergencies. Rapidly she tore from a pad in her leather
knapsack a sheet of paper and wrote on it: "Bab and I are going into the
woods at