"Who was the man who rescued you?" questioned Grace, after the laugh at Emma's expense had subsided.
"I don't know. I never saw him before. He is a slick article, whoever he may be."
"Are you certain that it was not our Mystery Man?" asked Anne.
"I am. Say! We must get out of here right smart, for there is going to be trouble," urged Hippy.
"I should say that we already have had our share of it," complained Elfreda.
"Yes, but this is different, child. The mountaineers are after us—after me especially," he added, throwing out his chest a little.
"After you—after you, Hippy, my darlin'?" cried Nora. "Why should they be after you?"
"I don't know any more about it than you do. Perhaps the little mix-ups we had with those two fellows may have something to do with it."
"It must be something more serious than revenge for your having bounced one and driven the other one away," offered Grace. "Will you please tell me why we should move in such a hurry?"
"Because the fellow who got me out of my scrape said we must. He says we have got to make Thompson's farm as quickly as possible and stay there until the storm blows over," insisted Lieutenant Wingate. "Of course, I don't give a rap for myself, but I have a great moral responsibility."