Author of The Grace Harlowe High School Series, The Grace Harlowe College Girls Series, Grace Harlowe’s Problem, Grace Harlowe’s Golden Summer, Grace Harlowe Overseas, Grace Harlowe with the Red Cross in France, Grace Harlowe with the U. S. Troops in the Argonne, Grace Harlowe with the Marines at Chateau Thierry, Grace Harlowe with the Yankee Shock Boys at St. Quentin, Grace Harlowe with the American Army on the Rhine, etc., etc.
Illustrated
PHILADELPHIA
HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY
Copyrighted, 1921, by
Howard E. Altemus
CONTENTS
| PAGE | |
| Chapter I—The Call of the Wild | [11] |
| The Overton girls plan for a summer outing in thesaddle. Hippy has a dark secret. “No weak lemonadetrips for me,” declares Emma Dean. A proposalthat is both interesting and alarming. Old friendsreunited. A journey toward the setting sun. | |
| Chapter II—On the Overland Coach | [25] |
| Grace Harlowe’s discovery. Overton girls vote for anight ride on the old Deadwood stagecoach. “Playtricks on us and you will be sorry.” Off for a novelride. Inside passengers register a violent protest.The coach threatens to fall to pieces. | |
| Chapter III—A Thrilling Halt | [41] |
| Hippy takes a new kind of “sideslip.” Grace hearsof the savage Apaches. Ike Fairweather is amazed.Elfreda issues a solemn warning. “Something is goingon here!” exclaims Grace Harlowe under herbreath. “All out, and keep your hands up!” | |
| Chapter IV—The Battle with the Bandits | [52] |
| Highwaymen and Overton girls in a pitched battle.“The cowards!” cries Grace Harlowe. Bandits discovertheir mistake too late. Wounded and defeated,outlaws of the Apache Trail throw away their weapons.Disaster overtakes the Overton girls. | |
| Chapter V—Wanted by the Sheriff | [63] |
| The Deadwood stagecoach goes over a precipice and islost. Ike Fairweather’s rage beyond the power ofwords to express. Grace gives her prisoners a sternwarning. A grilling journey on foot. A notoriousbandit leader among the captives. | |
| Chapter VI—A Shot Well Placed | [74] |
| Ike Fairweather joins the Overton party. Riders ofthe Old Apache Trail. Lieutenant Wingate comes acropper. A succession of spills. The first night incamp. Hippy’s oratory is checked by a bullet. “Putout the campfire!” commands Grace Harlowe. | |
| Chapter VII—A Lively Night in Camp | [84] |
| The first casualty. A mysterious shot. The Overtoncamp is put under guard. Rifle shots alarm the campers.A silence “heavy with significance.” Ike Fairweatherwings a night prowler. Grace makes astartling discovery. “The ponies have gone, Mr. Fairweather!” | |
| Chapter VIII—Hippy Calls to Arms | [94] |
| Aroused by a low-spoken warning. Hurried preparationsare made to defend the camp. The battle openedwith a thrilling Indian war whoop. “Steady, girls!We’re going to catch it!” Strategy that bore fruit.“We have ’em on the run!” cries Hippy. | |
| Chapter IX—A Startling Discovery | [101] |
| Attackers lose heavily. Indians or white men—which?The Overton girls enjoy a real picnic. Emma Dean ismissing. “Elfreda, get a rifle and come with me!”directs Grace Harlowe incisively. “Something serioussurely has happened to Emma.” | |
| Chapter X—A Double Capture | [110] |
| Grace picks up the trail. The search continued deepinto a somber canyon. Signal shots are fired. A humanvoice sounds close at hand. “Grace! Oh, Grace!Save me!” wails Emma Dean. Overton girls in thehands of mountain outlaws. | |
| Chapter XI—Following a Cold Trail | [123] |
| “I tell you I heard Grace’s signal shots!” LieutenantWingate fails to find a trace of the missing ones.Ike noses out the trail. “Right here’s where theytook to their ponies.” A weird night journey. Theguide confesses himself beaten. | |
| Chapter XII—An Interrupted Interview | [131] |
| Threats fail to disturb Grace Harlowe. A bandit’swife demands to know why Grace shot Con Bates.“I’m goin’ to see thet you settle for thet little job.”Belle Bates meets her match. “Drop thet gun, an’ doit quick!” commands a stern voice behind Grace Harlowe. | |
| Chapter XIII—A Struggle for Life | [138] |
| A case of shoot or be shot. “Run, Emma! Run!” Abattle of give and take. Grace gets a bullet wound.A dash for freedom. The escape. Grace makes thebest of a serious situation. A blood-chilling wail ofagony sounds close at hand. | |
| Chapter XIV—A Night of Terror | [150] |
| “There it goes again!” Emma Dean gives way toher fears as the wild, haunting wail is repeated. Twoyellow eyes in the dark. Grace fires a telling shot.Alarmed by signal shots in the canyon. The two Overtongirls witness a spirited battle. | |
| Chapter XV—Ike Distinguishes Himself | [160] |
| The end of a grilling hike. Western Jones wings thebandits. Elfreda Briggs sews up Grace Harlowe’swound. The operation proves to be more than Ike andEmma can stand. “Next time I shore’ll look t’otherway,” avers the old stagecoach driver. | |
| Chapter XVI—A Glimpse into Fairyland | [166] |
| Overton girls mess in the weird forest of Sahuaro. Theoutfit selects a new name for itself. Lieutenant Wingate’sspeech rudely interrupted. The wonders of theApache Mountains are unfolded before the OverlandRiders. Hippy’s chest swells with pride. | |
| Chapter XVII—Going to Bed in the Clouds | [175] |
| Lieutenant Wingate loses his hat, and Ike Fairweatherhas a narrow escape. Grace decides to explore the ancientcliff dwellings. Being above the clouds gives theOverland Riders a new thrill. An alarm arouses Graceat dead of night. | |
| Chapter XVIII—The Hardest Blow of All | [186] |
| A jar and a crash. “Some one has run our wagon offthe trail into the canyon!” gasps Grace Harlowe.Hippy and the bandits battle in a cloud. Grace takesa hand. Emma Dean bewails the loss of her black silkskirt. Horses and riders are now obliged to carry theOverlanders’ equipment. | |
| Chapter XIX—Heroines of the Trail | [198] |
| The arrival at Roosevelt Dam. Grace Harlowe meetsan old friend from the front. The fame of the OverlandRiders has preceded them. An Apache Indianengaged to care for the ponies. An evening of realenjoyment at the mountain inn. | |
| Chapter XX—The Mysterious Arrow | [205] |
| Picnicking by the blue waters of Lake Roosevelt.“The end of a perfect day!” Guests entertained atthe Overland Riders’ camp. Food, to Hippy, ofgreater moment than mere Indians. The army spiritof freedom. A barbed messenger drops into the campof the Overlanders. | |
| Chapter XXI—A Night of Thrills | [217] |
| A warning of trouble to come. The storm breaks.“I think we are going to catch it,” mutters GraceHarlowe. Tents wrecked by the gale. The Overlandcamp is swept by bullets from the mountains. Teaand crackers replace storm and bullets. Guests havean exciting time. | |
| Chapter XXII—Relics of an Ancient Race | [228] |
| A picnic in the home of the Cliff Dwellers. A guestfaints on the brink of the chasm. Grace prepares forher daring descent. General Gordon protests. “Holdfast to the rope!” All being ready, Grace Harlowegoes over the edge of the precipice, a smile on her face. | |
| Chapter XXIII—Between Earth and Sky | [236] |
| A dizzy descent through space. “Harlowe luck iswith me!” Grace explores the ancient communityhouse. The mustiness of centuries is on the air.“That smells like a dead fire!” Grace Harlowe isstartled by a human groan. The discovery. | |
| Chapter XXIV—Grace Solves the Mountain Mystery | [242] |
| “Joe Smoky Face! What does this mean?” demandsGrace. In the bandits’ lair. A lonely vigil on themountain. Grace traps the bandits. “That is whatI call good shooting,” declares Grace Harlowe.Overland Riders at the journey’s end. |