“Oh!” gasped Mabel. “There’s been a robbery here, Chief. Mother’s diamond ring, that father gave her for a wedding present. It was a lovely ring, and——”
“Skip all those details,” urged Alice in a low voice. Alice could be very practical at times.
“Yes, a robbery,” went on Mabel’s voice. “At our house. A Gypsy came to tell our fortunes—no it’s nothing about the porch—I said fortunes—f-o-r-t-u-n-e-s—” and she spelled it out. “A Gypsy girl—mother’s ring was on a table. Now it is gone—no, not the table—the ring. Oh, please do hurry and get the boys! What? No, boys didn’t take the ring. A Gypsy girl took it, and the boys—my brother, and Jack Pendleton and Blake Lathrop. We’re so afraid the Gypsy men may attack them. You’ll send at once? Oh, thank you!”
The instrument clicked as Mabel hung up the receiver, and turned her still tearful eyes on her mother and her chums.
“There, at least the boys will be safe,” she whispered. “But if they can only get your ring, momsey.”
“Never mind, dear. It might be worse. Don’t distress yourself over it. We’ll just wait until the boys come back. Perhaps you had better make some coffee and sandwiches. They’ll be cold, for it’s chilly, even if it is nearly June.”
“And time to go camping,” added Natalie.
Mrs. Anderson looked at her daughter in some surprise.
“I haven’t told you yet, momsey,” Mabel said, “but we Camp Fire Girls have been challenged by the boys to go off to the woods at Green Lake, and be real camp fire maidens. We are thinking of doing it. Do you think we might?”
“I’ll see. We’ll talk it over later. But now if you’ll light the fire perhaps being busy will make you forget this little trouble.”