this matter may be of deep concern to Jo and her
grandmother, if not to me.”
Mrs. Byrd had stepped to the porch door in
time to get the gist of the conversation, and at
once spoke up.
“I think Nancy is right,” she declared thought-
fully. “Of course, I don’t want the girls to go
looking for trouble, but I’m beginning to think
someone ought to investigate those mysterious
people. If anything questionable is going on, I
want to know about it. I’ll ask the Black Snake
Colony to move out, even if I do lose the rent.
Why, I might get into trouble myself if they
Stay.”
Mr. Abbott and Mrs. Salisbury fell into an
injured silence. Nancy gave her friends a sly
wink, and in a few minutes they all quietly with-
drew to the springhouse to discuss their plans.
Here, she told the girls about her conversation
with Chief McGinnis.
“Something peculiar is going on at those cult
meetings, I’m sure,” Nancy went on, “and I must
find out about them if I can. Do you all want to
join me in the investigation?”
“Of course,” Joanne and George said.
“Do you think it’ll be safe?” Bess asked.
“I’m not making any rash promises.” Nancy
laughed.
Bess gave a little shiver. “I don’t like it, but
count me in.”
“How can we visit the colony without being
caught?” George asked.
“That’s the problem,” Nancy replied. “We
must make our plans carefully. Before we do any-
thing, I suggest we find out about the robes the
cult members wear. We may need to wear similar
ones to help us in our investigation.”
“There’s only one way to find that out,” Joanne
said. “Some night when they’re having a cere-
monial meeting, we can sneak through the woods
and try to get a closer look at what’s going on.”
Nancy nodded excitedly. “The double en-
trance to the cave will be perfect!” she said. “If
we can’t sneak into the meetings any other way,
we can get into the cave at the end they don’t
use.”
“Sounds terribly risky to me!” Bess com-
mented.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” George said scornfully.
“Don’t be such a wet blanket, Bess!”
Her cousin opened her mouth to retort, but
Nancy interposed quickly to forestall any further
argument.
“We’d better not tell our plan to anyone ex-
cept your grandmother, Jo,” she advised. “Other-
wise, Mrs. Salisbury and Mr. Abbott will try to
talk her out of letting us investigate.”
After a light supper and some rather forced
conversation on trivial matters, the girls retired.
They had tried to keep silent about the activities
of the nature cult, but their secretive manner did
not escape the notice of Mrs. Salisbury and Mr.
Abbott.
“You’re up to something,” Mrs. Salisbury re-
marked the next morning. “And if I were Mrs.
Byrd, I’d put a stop to it at once!”
Mrs. Byrd, however, went on serenely with her
work, being careful not to interfere with the
girls’ plans. They maintained a close watch of
the hillside, but for two days seldom saw anyone
in the vicinity.
“I think they’ve holed in for the rest of the
summer,” George declared impatiently at break-
fast. “Either that, or they’ve moved out.”
“The cult’s still there,” Joanne reassured her.
“The rent check arrived in the morning mail.”
“By the way, where do these nature people get
their food?” Nancy queried. “They can’t live on
blue sky and inspiration.”
“I think friends must bring food to them in
automobiles,” Joanne answered. “Several times
I’ve seen swanky cars drive up and park near the
hillside.”
“The cult members must be fairly well off,
then,” Nancy said thoughtfully. “I’m getting
tired of marking time. I wish something would
happen soon. If it doesn’t, I think I’ll investigate
that cave, anywayl”
That night the girls were late in finishing the
dishes. By the time they had put everything
away it was quite dark. When they went out to
the porch, they were relieved to find that the
boarders had gone to their rooms.
The girls sat talking quietly for some time.
The moon was high, and Nancy, from force of
habit, glanced eagerly toward the distant hill.