“It’s no joke,” Ruth said, quickly. “You don’t mean to say that you forgot those little boys?”
“Now, stop that, Ruth Fielding!” cried Isadore Phelps, very red in the face. “A joke’s a joke; but don’t push it too far. You know very well those kids came back up here more’n an hour ago.”
“They didn’t do any such thing,” cried Sadie, having heard the discussion, and now running out to the tent. “They haven’t been near the house since you big boys took them to the pond. Now, say! what d’ye know about it?”
“They’re playing a trick on us,” declared Tom, gloomily.
“Let’s hunt out in the stables, and around,” suggested Ralph Tingley, feebly.
“Maybe they went back to Caslon’s,” Isadore said, hopefully.
“We’ll find out about that pretty quick,” said Madge. “I’ll tell father and he’ll send somebody down to see if they went there.”
“Come on, boys!” exclaimed Tom, starting for the rear of the house. “Those little scamps are fooling us.”
“Suppose they have wandered away into the woods?” breathed Ruth to Helen. “Whatever shall we do?”
Sadie could not wait. She was unable to remain idle, when it was possible that the twin brothers she had so lately rejoined, were in danger. She flashed after the boys and hunted the stables, too.