“Well, conditions are not as bad as they might be,” said Miss Ladd, as she took hold to assist at hauling the line out of the water. “We have the stakes and the rope and can put them back into place.”
“Would you mind telling us what has happened?”
These words drew the attention of the Camp Fire Girls away from the object discovered in the water and to the speaker, who was one of the older of the urbanely clad summer resorters from the Graham cottage.
“Someone has been guilty of some very malicious mischief,” Miss Ladd replied. “We had roped in a bathing place after examining it and finding it safe for those who are not good swimmers, and you see what has been done with our work. The stakes were pulled up and the rope hidden in the water. Fortunately we have just discovered the rope.”
“Isn’t that mean!” said the younger girl, whom the campers surmised correctly to be Olga Graham.
“Mean is no name for it,” the other Graham girl declared vengefully. “Haven’t you any idea who did it?”
“None that is very tangible,” Miss Ladd replied. “There was a mysterious prowler near our camp last evening, but we didn’t catch sight of him. He threw a heavy stone into our bonfire and knocked the sparks and embers in every direction, but he kept himself hidden. A little later we heard a hideous call in the timbers, which we were pretty sure was intended to frighten us.”
“That’s strange,” commented the older of the visitors.
“Maybe it’s the ghost,” suggested Olga with a faint smile.
“Ghost!” repeated several of the Camp Fire Girls in unison.