“Are you all right, girls?” asked Betty, anxiously.
“Yes, but weak from laughing,” shouted Joan.
“Oh, if I ever get a chance to pay Hepsy back!” threatened Ruth, angrily.
“Verny? I’d give my hat if we could only have had a movie taken of this whole episode,” added Julie, still giggling.
“I shall never accuse Hepsy of being a silly beast again,” said Mrs. Vernon, once she was satisfied there were no bruises or other injuries to the girls.
[CHAPTER ELEVEN—IN BLUEBEARD’S CAVE]
The buckboard was drawn out of the path and left beside the cave; then Hepsy was unhitched and tethered to a tree with enough rope to allow her to graze. But she kept turning her head to look quizzically at the scouts, as much as to say:
“Huh! you thought you had played a trick on me, but I managed to turn the tables, after all!”
“Verny, Hepsy’s got a wicked gleam in her eyes, just as if she dumped us out on purpose,” laughed Julie, slapping the horse on the shoulder.
Mrs. Vernon was too busy unpacking a pasteboard box to reply, so the scouts stood about her asking questions about the package.