p!" Laura stuttered in her indignation. "If you don't believe
me, just look at my nose."

"I don't see what your nose has to do with it," Billie began scornfully,
but the third of the trio, Violet Farrington, by name, interrupted.

"Laura's right," she cried. "I just felt a great big drop myself. Now,
what ever are we going to do?" Vi dropped down in a pathetic little heap
on a convenient rock, looking up at her chums wistfully.

Violet Farrington was always a little wistful when in trouble, like a
small girl who can never understand why she is being punished. But just
now this wistfulness irritated Billie Bradley, who was very much given to
quick action herself, and she turned upon Vi rather snappily.

"Well, you needn't just sit there like a ninny," she cried. "Get up and
help us think what we can do to get out of this mess."

"Mess is right," said Laura Jordon gloomily.

And it must be admitted that the girls were in rather a trying situation.
Their botany teacher at Three Towers Hall, where they were students, had
sent them into the woods to gather some rare ferns which they were to use
in the botany class the next day.

That was all very well; for if there was anything the girls loved it was
a trip into the woods. They had started off in hilarious spirits; and
then--the impossible thing had happened.

They had gathered the ferns, turned to go back to Three Towers, and
found, to their absolute dismay, that they did not know which way to go.
There was no getting over the fact. They were absolutely and completely
lost!

For almost an hour now they had been wandering around and around, getting
deeper into the woods every minute, until they had finally begun to feel
really frightened. Suppose they couldn't find Three Towers before dusk?
Suppose they should be forced to stay in the woods all night? These and a
hundred other thoughts had chased themselves through their heads, but
they had said nothing of their fears to each other. The girls were
thoroughly "game."

But now had come this new complication. It had begun to rain. Hopelessly
lost in the woods and a storm coming on! It was a situation to try the
patience of a saint. And the girls were not saints. They were just happy,
fun-loving, lovable specimens of young American girlhood who could upon
occasion show rather alarming flashes of temper.

"I'm not a ninny," Vi protested hotly; but Billie was already started on
a different train of thought. She caught