"No! A thousand times, no!" protested Marjorie, emphatically.
"Then what could we do to trace her?"
"I could at least telegraph to her mother, with a prepaid reply," put in Miss Phillips.
"Oh, do—please do!" begged Marjorie; and the affair rested at that.
"Now," said Ethel, anxious to change the subject, "let's talk about our Hallowe'en party. It's only a little over a week off!"
The tone of the meeting changed from that of serious-minded discussion of a theft and its treatment, to care-free chatter about an evening of fun. Even Marjorie put aside her trouble for the time and entered heartily into the preparations.
The Hallowe'en party was to be the last event of the Scout troop as it now stood. The day following—November first—the reports would be issued, and the new Scouts would officially join the troop at the next meeting. This would necessitate new divisions into the patrols, re-elections, etc.
The fifteen girls who now belonged to Pansy troop felt especially close together. All, except Helen Stewart and Anna Cane, had lived side by side at camp, eaten at the same table, gathered around the same camp fire at night, been comrades on many hikes, and competed in the contest which Marjorie had so unexpectedly won. They wanted their troop to grow, and to take in new girls, especially if a troop was to be established at the rival seminary: but they were glad to be allowed this party for themselves.
The day after the Scout meeting, Miss Phillips sent a telegram to Frieda Hammer's mother, and received the following reply:
"No signs of Frieda. Is she kidnapped?—M. Hammer."