ion for the woods. When she was alone
in them she would stand still a long time, calling to the birds, and she
delighted in having them steal near and shyly listen to the sweet sounds
she made in return for theirs. No one knew of this accomplishment of
Mollie's, not even Bab.

Up the steep hillside Mollie clambered. Below her she could hear the pop,
pop, pop, of a rifle. The girls were evidently taking their lesson in
target practice from Naki.

"I suppose I am fairly safe up here," Mollie chuckled, "but I wouldn't
care to be too near those shooting experts. I know they will hit
everything near them except their target."

She sat down on the root of an old tree that jutted out from an
overhanging bank, and drew a sheet of paper from her pocket. She would
write to her mother of their rescue of an airship. Mollie bit the end of
her pencil--she was not in a writing mood. Why had she taken such a
dislike to Reginald Latham? He had been polite enough, and was rather
good-looking. It was Bab's habit to feel prejudices, not hers. She
wouldn't say anything to her mother about him, but certainly Bab seemed
to like him unusually well.

Crack! Crack! The sound came from the bushes! She looked quickly around.
It must have been a gust of wind that stirred. In another minute there
tumbled over her head a shower of leaves and acorns, that for an instant
blinded her. But she could hear plainly this time; light feet were
running along the bank above the ravine where she sat.

Without pausing a moment she jumped to her feet and ran up the path that
led from the bottom of the ravine to the hilltop. Nothing was in sight;
but further on through a thicket of trees, she caught the distant sound
of flying footsteps. She could see the underbrush move, as though shaken
by something in passing.

A shivering sense of mystery possessed the girl. Could it be the ghost?

Without stopping to think Mollie flew in pursuit; determined to discover
what had disturbed her. Once she saw a bright object flash ahead of her,
brown and scarlet, through the trees. It was gone in an instant. Surely
it was but a shadow from the autumn leaves.

For some distance Mollie had been following what seemed to be a pathway
through a tangled thicket of bushes and trees. Suddenly she stopped. So
far as she could see the path ended abruptly. Yet, at this very moment,
she heard a faint hallo!

It was the voice of temptation to Mollie, and she let her curiosity get
th