ture with her passenger and the conversation of
the women in the market.
Joanne was alarmed. “Oh, Gram must never
hear of this!” she exclaimed. “She’d be heart-
broken!”
The others agreed. “We won’t tell Mrs. Byrd
any more than we have to,” George said. “I do
hope we can solve the mystery before something
ugly happens!”
For the next few hours their needles flew furi-
ously. At last the costumes were finished. The
four friends could not control their laughter as
they tried them on.
“You certainly look as if you’re ready for Hal-
loween!” George told Nancy.
“Do you think I’ll pass?”
“In the moonlight they won’t be able to tell
you from a full-fledged member of the cult,” Bess
declared. “Let’s see you go through the mystic
rites.”
To the delight of her chums. Nancy danced
around the room, waving her arms wildly and
making weird moans.
“Jo!” a voice called. “Dinner’s ready!”
Startled, the girls scrambled out of the white
robes and hastily hid them. They tried to com-
pose their faces as they hurried downstairs, but
merely succeeded in looking guilty.
“Seems to me you girls spent a long time
locked up in your rooms.” Mrs. Salisbury sniffed
suspiciously.
“Planning some kind of mischief, no doubt.”
Mr. Abbott wagged his finger playfully at the four
girls.
George had a hard time keeping a straight face,
and hastily took a sip of milk. Bess could not re-
strain a giggle, whereupon Mrs. Salisbury gave
her a sharp look.
“Humph!” she exclaimed. “I must say I’ll have
to agree with Mr. Abbott this time. I’m sure you
four are up to some prank.”
Even Nancy and Joanne had to smother tell-
tale grins. They only smiled pleasantly, but of-
fered no explanation.
Actually, the girls were so excited over their
prospective adventure they could scarcely do jus-
tice to the excellent meal Mrs. Byrd had pre-
pared. Karl Jr., as usual, was a charming com-
panion.
He had many amusing anecdotes to tell, and
Nancy was happy to observe that Joanne seemed
to be enjoying it all immensely.
Indeed, by the time dessert was finished, Nancy
and her chums realized that they had temporarily
forgotten counterfeiters, syndicates, and even the
nature cult on the hill.
Everyone was sorry, a little later, when the
young man announced that he must leave.
“I wish I could stay,” he said regretfully, let-
ting his eyes rest especially long on Nancy, “but
I must get back to the city tonight. I’ll try to run
down again in a few days to see Father. Take care
of yourselves,” he added to the girls.
After Karl Jr. had gone, and the girls were
washing the dishes, George said teasingly, “You
can’t tell me ‘Father’ is the only attraction at Red
Gate Farm! He has his eye on Nancy!”
“Silly!” Nancy laughed.
“He scarcely took his eyes off you all evening,”
George insisted. “You made quite a hit this
morning with that rescued-heroine bit.”
“Oh, honestly, Georgel” Nancy blushed. “You
never give up, do you?”
“Karl Jr. wouldn’t be so bad,” Bess added,
“but imagine having Mr. Abbott for a father-in-
law!”
“You do the imagining,” Nancy said lightly.
“I’m going outside and look at the hillside.”.
All the girls watched until late in the evening,
but the mysterious place remained dark and de-
serted. Disappointed, the girls went to bed.
They awakened early the next morning, for
they had gradually become accustomed to farm
hours. When they learned from Mrs. Byrd that
Reuben was not feeling well, the girls eagerly
helped with the various outdoor chores. It was
noontime before they realized how much time
had passed.
“You girls should have some relaxation this
afternoon,” Mrs. Byrd said. “How about a swim
down in the brook? There’s a spot that used to
be known as the old swimming hole. It’s fairly
deep.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Bess declared.
Jo declined, but at two o’clock Nancy, Bess,
and George set off in bathing suits. For two hours
they swam, floated, and sun-bathed on the shore.
Every once in a while Nancy or George would
mention some angle of the colony. Hale Syndi-
cate, or counterfeiting mysteries.