The Meadow-Brook Girls in the Hills
CHAPTER I
THE MAN WITH GREEN GOGGLES
"I hear that Janus Grubb is going to take a passel of gals on a tramp over the hills," observed the postmaster, helping himself to a cracker from the grocer's barrel.
"Gals?" questioned the storekeeper.
"Yes. There's a lot of mail here for the parties, mostly postals. Can't make much out of the postals, but some of the letters I can read through the envelopes by holding them against the window."
"Lemme have a look," urged the grocer eagerly.
"Not by a hatful. I'm an officer of the government. The secrets of the government must be guarded, I tell ye. There's six of them——"
"You don't say! Six letters?" interrupted the grocer.
"No, gals. One's name is Elting. She's what they call a chaperon. Another is Jane McCarthy—I reckon some relation of the party who wrote me a letter asking what I knew about Jan. I reckon Jan got the job on my recommendation."