ed to go over there, and he
considers children the natural judges of danger. We know better. Here
we are mere kiddies, and we are not a bit afraid," and she laughed at
the idea.

"In fact, we are just dying to go. How do you get there?" This from
Margaret.

"Take the launch to the point, then hire a boat and row over to the
island. We saw 'the girl' do it. It's only a short distance."

"Sounds alluring," said Mary, who was now a splendidly healthy little
girl, quite unlike the timid creature discovered by the girls in our
second volume, "The Girl Scouts at Bellaire."

"You are almost chubby, Mary," remarked Grace. "I suppose you had a
wonderful winter in the South with your folks."

"Oh yes, wonderful," replied Mary. "But I would rather have been to
school in New York with you girls. Perhaps next fall I can enter with
you."

"So it is all decided," prompted Helen. "We are to go to your Looney
Land and capture the lunes. I wonder if we had not better bring a few
brothers along?"

"As scouts we scorn a body guard!" replied Louise, "although it might be
well to leave a lookout over at the point."

"When do we set out?" asked Julia, now as keen as her companions on the
perilous expedition.

"That must depend on the weather," said Cleo. "We can't brave the waters
with overhung skies. If I'm not mistaken I hear thunder this minute."

"Bring your wheels in," cautioned Grace. "Benny will put them in the
garage. There! That surely sounded near by."

In the cyclonic way storms have of gathering near the ocean, clouds
tumbled over clouds, piling mountains high, then dipping down in
veritable spouts ready to empty their weight of water on the shrinking
earth. The weather had been just warm enough to precipitate this sort of
shower, and before the first drops fell people scurried for shelter,
deserting piers, and board walk, as if swept away by the reckless west
wind.

The Girl Scouts stayed on the porch until the lightning frightened them
inside Rosabell cottage, then from the windows watched the vagaries of
the summer storm.

A sudden blinding flash of lightning and its immediate clap of thunder
drove the girls from the window.

"Oh!" shouted more than one. "Wasn't that awful!"

"Listen!" as a gong sounded. "The fire bell!" cried Grace. "Get your
coats; see the crowd over there! Let's run."

Without a thought of the down-pouring rain, the Girl Scouts, garbed in
such protective garments as they could snatch fr