Just as they reached the next corner, a bevy of the girls of the old high school crowd spied the four boys, for whom they had been looking.
In the bunch of girls was Minnie Cuthbert, looking sweeter than ever since her return from Rockspur Ranch.
“We hope you haven’t forgotten that to-morrow is the day of the picnic,” Minnie told them. “Everything is ready, and we have planned on going down the river to the picnic grounds we used last year. But why the long faces?” and she laughed merrily at the quiet of the four boys.
Frank was the first to regain his happy manner.
“Sure, we’re going. That is, I am. You can leave the others at home, but I’m going to gobble all the sandwiches and ice-cream you’ve got.”
“That’s what we have, and if you think you can eat all of it, you’re welcome to try. Where is Mr. Cunningham? Have you seen him? We wish him to go along, too.”
This was precisely like waving a red flag in the face of a bull, except that Frank did not storm. He just had a violent feeling of wanting to throw the fellow into the river or of doing something else desperate with him. Then a sinking feeling followed.
“I haven’t seen him in the last few minutes. He was up the street a while ago.”
“Come on, girls, let’s go and find him, because we have not invited him yet,” and Minnie Cuthbert led the girls away in the quest of the good-looking stranger who had seemed to capture all of them.
It was late afternoon, and the four boys made their way to the high school grounds, where they sat down under one of the trees, Paul and Ralph listening to the story which Frank and Lanky told them. The entire story was told to them in detail, for Frank felt that, if he did this, he might get some help or suggestions and felt that a stray idea might come to the surface which would help them locate the men who had robbed Mrs. Parsons.