"I withh I had thome clotheth fit to be theen," complained the little girl. "Thith dreth ith a thight."

"Be thankful that you are alive," answered Harriet sharply.

"We should have perished, had it not been for you," answered the guardian.

"Considering that I was the only one who didn't get into the mud, I simply had to be the one to go for help. I don't deserve any credit,"

flung back Harriet, hurrying over to a.s.sist the suffering Buster. After Buster, came Hazel, the last to be rescued.

"Have we got them all?" questioned the young man.

"Yes, thank goodness," answered Harriet.

"We are under great obligations to you, young gentlemen. We are in no condition to properly express our appreciation this evening. I hope we may have an opportunity to do so in the morning," said Miss Elting.

"We are very glad to have been able to help you. We needed a little exercise," laughed the young man. "Yes, we shall see you again, but we haven't finished our work yet. What do you say? Shall we fix up some litters and carry the young ladies out?"

"I don't know. We shall see in a few moments. Give them a chance to rest. They are completely exhausted."

"Certainly. We fellows are going on ahead to examine this path. We'll return presently."

The boys trudged off down the trail.

"We shan't go far," called back the leader, then strode off after his companions. Harriet and Miss Elting made the girls as comfortable and presentable as possible, though it was apparent that both girls and clothes needed a thorough scrubbing.

"I don't know how we are going to reach camp," pondered the guardian, while waiting for Grace, Margery and Hazel to rest.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," exclaimed Harriet; "Jane met these boys this afternoon. Two of them are acquaintances of hers. They are high school boys from the town of Proctor. Like ourselves they are out on a long tramp, and they are camped right near where we are to camp for the night. They a.s.sisted Jane to put up the camp and get everything in order. Then, when night came, Jane began to grow worried. She declared that something had happened to us. One of the boys wanted to know which way we were to come and Jane told them."

"'Then they have gotten into the swamp and they're in trouble,' declared one of the boys. It seems that these boys pa.s.sed through here yesterday, and two of them got into the mora.s.s in broad daylight. No wonder we floundered into it trying to get through there in the dark. Of course Jane was wild with anxiety. She said they must help her find us. This they were willing and glad to do. They decided to come to this end of the swamp and begin their search from the point where we were supposed to have entered."

"Did you meet them?" interrupted Miss Elting.

"Yes. Jane rushed them, in her car, to the nearest point on the road, then ran across the field with them to the place where we took the swamp trail. I met them just as I came out into the field. Jane was wild with delight, then she cried when I told her where you were. She wanted to come here with me. I told her to hurry back to camp and prepare hot water, get everything ready, then come for us. She will be back long before we get out of the swamp I think. The boys told me all that I have told you, as we were hurrying in here. It is very fortunate for us that we met them," declared Harriet in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I think you are a very brave and resourceful girl, Harriet. You will get some honor beads for this. Girls, shall we sing 'Forty-nine Blue Bottles' now?" questioned Miss Elting quizzically.

"No!" shouted Tommy, so loudly that the Tramp Club, who had gone a short distance down the trail, heard and thought that the girls were calling them back.

"Did you call us?" hailed the leader, running back toward the girls.

"No," returned Miss Elting. "We are all right, thank you."

The boys continued on down the trail. Half an hour later they returned to find the girls somewhat rested and ready to proceed on their journey.

"Do you think you feel strong enough to go on?" asked the leader of the Tramp Club solicitously.

"Yes," replied Miss Elting. "We are anxious to meet Jane and get settled for the night. You have not told us yet to whom we are indebted for our rescue."

"My name is George Baker. I'm the captain of the Tramp Club. They're a fine lot of fellows, but full of mischief."

"As I said before, we haven't words with which to express our grat.i.tude to you for what you have done for us," said Miss Elting. "Ah! There are your friends. Won't you introduce us to them? I'll first introduce my Meadow-Brook Girls." Miss Elting introduced the girls to the Tramp Club as a body, after which the captain did the same with his friends. The names of the members of the club as given by the captain in his introduction, were Dill Dodd, Fred Avery, Sam Crocker, Charles Mabie, Will Burgess and Davy Dockrill.

"Taken altogether, ladies," remarked the captain, "we are a choice band of ruffians on the road, though sometimes gentlemen when we are at home."

"I disagree with you," laughed the guardian. "I shall never meet any finer gentlemen than I have met to-night."

The captain doffed his hat. Tommy was regarding him out of the corners of her eyes. She seemed about to say something; then, apparently changing her mind, smiled impishly to herself and remained silent.

"I told your friend, Miss McCarthy, to set the boys at work getting things ready for the ladies when they reached camp," said the captain.

"My, but I got some thrills riding out here with Miss McCarthy. We must have driven out here at the rate of about a hundred miles an hour. I never before rode so fast in my life. Here, fellows, what's the matter with you! This is no marathon. The young ladies can't hit up that pace and keep on their feet. Slow down."

"We can walk jutht ath fatht ath any boy in bootth," retorted Tommy indignantly.

Captain Baker touched the rim of his hat.

"I'll argue it out with you some other time, Miss Thompson," he said.

"Oh!" moaned Margery, staggering a little.

The head tramp immediately sprang to Margery's a.s.sistance. "Let me help you," he insisted, taking Margery by the arm. Miss Elting stepped up on the other side of Margery, taking the latter's free arm.

"Now, you will be all right, dear," encouraged the guardian.

Harriet, in the meantime, was a.s.sisting Tommy along. The boys ahead began to sing. In this way the party followed the trail out to the field. The girls breathed sighs of relief as they emerged into the open.

Just then, out of the darkness, rushed a figure, throwing itself upon Tommy and Harriet.

"Oh, you dear girls!" cried Jane, flinging an arm about the neck of each. "I nearly cried my eyes out over you. But, when the boys started out to find you, I knew it would be all right. Everything is ready for you. Nice warm baths, and there will be a pot of hot coffee for you.

I'll whisk you to camp in short order."

"Never mind the whisking," spoke up the guardian. "Captain Baker has told us about your whisking him out here this evening."

Jane threw back her head and laughed.

"How about going back? I'll tell you what, boys. I'll take the girls and one of you, then I'll come back and get the rest."

"No thank you, we will walk it," answered the chief tramp promptly.

"Never," insisted Jane. "You come with us, young man. I'll be back here in half an hour for the rest of these brave boys."

The captain declined to desert his men. Jane therefore urged him no further. The boys a.s.sisted in helping the Meadow-Brook Girls into the car, then Jane drove away at a rapid rate. She let the girls out at their camp, located in a very pretty and now moonlit valley.

"You'll find everything ready. I'm going back for those unruly boys,"

Jane announced, turning her car about and racing back over the road, her hair streaming over one shoulder, her eyes sparkling with the excitement of it all. The tramps had another lively ride to camp. Jane did not spare them. She took an almost savage delight in trying to frighten them, but did not succeed very well in this attempt. If they were afraid they failed to show it.

On reaching camp the tired wayfarers lost no time in making for their tent where hot water for their baths awaited them. By the time Jane returned with the members of the Tramp Club the Meadow-Brook Girls, clad in dry, fresh clothing, were ready to receive their guests. They presented a wholly different appearance, now, and the boys gazed at them admiringly.

"Jane, the boys must join us at supper," declared Miss Elting.