“Ladies,” said the man with the gun, who seemed to be the leader, “we hate to disturb you, and all that sort of thing, but we’re badly in need of ready cash. So I just guess you’ll have to oblige us with some.”
“You mean you want to steal our money?” cried Daisy.
“Yes, dearie, if you have t’ put it that way. Shell out’s the word,” replied the man, laughing.
With a sigh of resignation, Mrs. Remington lowered her hands long enough to produce her purse, which she dropped reluctantly into the outstretched hands of the bandit, and the girls followed her example. Marjorie was among the last to surrender her purse. After the first moment of surprise, she had quickly recovered her wits, and was casting about for some method of escape; for she noticed that the man with the revolver failed to keep them covered with it when he saw that they were all girls, and had even replaced the gun in his pocket.
“If I can only get hold of my revolver without arousing his suspicions, I’ll have the drop on him, and make him give the money back. The other man won’t dare do anything for fear I’ll shoot his companion.”
These thoughts flashed through her mind with lightning rapidity, and she determined to take a chance. Under pretence of reaching for her purse, she calmly directed her hand to the pocket where she always carried her revolver, a gift from John Hadley. Alas, the pocket was empty! Then she recalled having put it away in her bag the day they had washed their uniforms. It galled her exceedingly to hand over her purse without resistance. If only Jack and John were with them! But she realized that it was useless to think of resistance now. She could not help saying, however, as she submitted like the other girls:
“You ought to be ashamed of yourselves—two men robbing a party of girls!”
“We are, dearie, we are. It almost breaks our hearts. In fact, you’d better hand over your jewelry to console us!”
“We haven’t anything but our watches,” replied Mrs. Remington, quietly. “Girl Scouts in uniform don’t wear jewelry.”
“Wal, fork ’em over!” ordered their persecutor. Each scout slipped off her wrist-watch and handed it to the bandit. The man surveyed the articles sullenly, and seeming satisfied returned to his own car. His companion had already started the engine, and without any other words they drove past the girls and sped away into the darkness.