uld it be? He was lost a good way from here. But it looked to
be a fine dog. Shall we go home, now?"

"Yes," agreed Ruth. "We can't get much wetter, and I don't want to
stay here any longer. I know daddy will be worried about us."

With a last look about the cabin, wondering what could be the
business of the man who stayed there, the girls started off. But they
had not taken three steps before they saw, coming toward them from
the other side of the clearing, two figures.

"Oh!" cried Ruth, drawing back. "There comes that man, and he's got
someone with him."

Alice, too, was startled and a little bit afraid, but a moment later
there came a cheerful hail.

"Oh, it's Russ and Paul!" Alice cried. "They have come for us!"

"Thank goodness!" exclaimed Ruth, and a few seconds later the four
young people were together, making mutual explanations.

Mr. DeVere had indeed become worried about his daughters, when the
storm arose, and, as they had left word whither they were going, Russ
and Paul volunteered to go after them, taking raincoats and
umbrellas.

"And here we are!" exclaimed Russ, as he helped Ruth on with her
garment.

"And we were never so glad to see anyone in all our lives; were we?"
went on Alice, who, in spite of her brave nature, had been
considerably unnerved by the events of the last few minutes.

The young men were much surprised when told about the strange man and
the dog, and they at once wanted to make an inspection of the cabin.

"Who knows what we might find!" exclaimed Russ.

"Wait until later, then," suggested Ruth. "Please take us home now."

Russ and Paul had no choice, after that, but to take the girls back
to Oak Farm.

The rain was over, but the trees still dripped with moisture and the
raincoats and umbrellas were very useful. Paul walked with Alice,
while Russ kept pace at the side of Ruth. And as the four walked
together they talked of the recent happenings, speculating as to the
meaning of them all.

Back in the comfortable farmhouse, clothed in dry garments, Ruth and
Alice were inclined to laugh at their scare, which, at the time, had
seemed very real.

"I think that man was real kind," said Mrs. Apgar, as she heard the
story. "To leave his cabin that way."

"He was, unless he had some object in view," said Sandy. "I'd like to
know what his game is. He's got some object hangin' around here, and
I'm goin' to find out what it is."

"Was that his cabin?" asked Ruth.

"No,