"I let that picture-making get in between us," she wailed. "I'm glad it's all done and out of the way. I'd rather not have written the scenario at all, than have anything happen to Amy."
"You're a goose, Ruthie," declared her chum. "You're not to blame. Her father's harshness with her has made the child run away. If she has."
"Her own unhappy disposition has caused all the trouble," said Ann, bitterly.
"Oh! don't speak so," begged Ruth. "Suppose something has happened to her."
"Nothing ever happens to kids like her," said Ann, bruskly.
But that was not so. Something already had happened to Amy Gregg. She was lost!
CHAPTER XXI
HUNTING FOR AMY
In spite of her seemingly heartless words, it was Ann Hicks who agreed to go with Ruth to hunt for the lost girl. Helen frankly acknowledged that she was afraid to tramp about the woods and fields at night, with only a boy and a lantern for company.