Upon reaching their own camp they were much relieved to find everything as it should be. Nothing had been disturbed. But, ere they had finished their breakfast, three farmers came striding in to know if anything had been seen of the Gipsies.

"They left early this morning," answered Miss Elting. "Why?"

"Wal, nothing only one of them traded off on me a ring-boned, spavined old hoss, which he said was sound. I'll catch them when they come this way again."

"I think I understand why the Gipsies took such an early departure,"

said Harriet after the men had gone. "But I do not believe Sybarina had anything to do with such dishonest dealing."

The day's route was laid out after breakfast. The boys undoubtedly had gone on, for nothing was to be seen of their campfire. Miss Elting rather thought they would see no more of the Tramp Club after the fortune-telling that Harriet had given the chief the night before. But with the route that Sybarina had laid out for the girls, the guardian believed they could make some time and gain the advantage over the boys.

Camp was hurriedly struck after breakfast. Their route that day lay across lots and their camping place was to be on the edge of a forest easily accessible to Jane with her motor car. Using government maps, as they were doing, they were able to locate every little rise of ground, every hollow and almost every clump of bushes along their way. These government maps Miss Elting had purchased at a comparatively small cost, as any one may do. They are very useful to one who is taking a tramp through the country, and the Meadow-Brook Girls found them so.

Jane accompanied her companions out to the highway and followed along behind them in her car for the first mile. Then their ways parted, the tramping girls to climb a hill, Crazy Jane to follow the highway on to the point where she too was to leave the road and make camp for them.

But there was always a long wait for Jane, so the girl occupied the time in driving to the nearest village to make a number of purchases at the stores.

CHAPTER XXII-A COMBIETTA CONCERT

Her shopping done Jane lost no time in cranking up her car, hopped in and with a wave of her hand swung down the road and went honking through the village on the way to the place chosen for the Meadow-Brook Girls'

camp for that night. Jane had avoided all questions about herself and her party, except to say that they were camping. The girl did not propose to leave a trail for the Tramp Club if she could avoid it. As the girls were nearing the end of their journey it behooved them to cloak their movements with secrecy if they hoped to outwit their young rivals and win the race, which they were determined to do.

Jane had pitched the tent just within the edge of the woods and had started a small cook-fire when the welcome "hoo-e-e-e" of the Meadow-Brook Girls first reached her ears. She ran out into the open waving her ap.r.o.n and shouting a welcome.

"There she is," cried Margery.

"Dear old Jane!" exclaimed Hazel. "She has gotten everything ready for us and started a fire."

"I propose three cheers for Jane McCarthy," cried Harriet. The cheers were given in the shrillest tones of the Meadow-Brook Girls. Jane bowed in exaggerated fashion at this ovation.

"Have you seen the boys to-day, Jane?" was Harriet's first question.

"Not a sign of them, the rascals," replied Jane.

"I imagine that they are at Granite Spring, half a dozen miles back,"

laughed Harriet.

"What makes you think so?" asked Hazel.

"Because, when I read Captain Baker's fortune, I told him that our next camping place was to be not far from that place. He will make straight for Granite Spring, you see if he doesn't."

"Then I don't think we'll see the lads again this trip," concluded Jane.

"But, girls, you've got to get busy if you hope to win this contest.

Three more days of hiking will bring you to Meadow-Brook. If the boys once get ahead of you, you can't expect to catch up with them and win in that length of time."

"We simply must win, Jane," returned Harriet determinedly.

"Then you'd better begin to think about how you're going to do it,"

advised Jane dryly.

"Jane is right," agreed the guardian. "We must plan to-night. And I think we shall have to put in one big day's walk, perhaps more than that. I should first like to know where the boys are. Jane, will you make an effort to locate them to-morrow?"

"Yes, indeed, Miss Elting."

"When we have definite information on that point we ought to be able to map out a plan of campaign that will win the contest for us. I believe we have gotten ahead of them now and that we shall be able to keep our lead."

"Of course we are going to win," reiterated Harriet Burrell.

"If it is all settled that we are to win the race, I propose that we celebrate to-night," suggested Jane.

"How?" asked Margery.

"I've got a bag of fruit in the car. We'll make fruit lemonade, then we'll have a combietta concert."

"What ith a combietta conthert?" interrupted Tommy curiously.

"Wait and see," teased Jane.

"Now, Jane, be good and tell us about this combietta affair?" coaxed Hazel. "What is it?"

"An instrumental concert," giggled Jane. "I got the musical instruments when I was in town doing some shopping. Oh, don't worry, darlin's. You all know to play them. The first thing to do is to decide upon the tune.

How about the 'Marching Through Georgia' for a starter?"

Jane spread out six squares of thin white paper. She then produced the same number of small packages.

"Oh, we'll wake the squirrels and the chipmunks and the weasles,"

promised Jane, with a grin of antic.i.p.ation.

Tommy picked at the wrapping on the end of one of the small packages and uttered an exclamation of disappointment.

"It ithn't a musical inthrument at all," she declared indignantly. "It ith nothing but a common old black comb."

"That's just where you're wrong," answered Jane. "These combs are new. I bought them in the village store this very day. Listen, dears. This is the combietta. It makes music through its teeth, and plays any tune you call for."

"Wonderful," laughed Miss Elting. "There is something very familiar about this marvelous musical instrument. Combietta, do you call it, Jane?"

"Sure I do. But the name is my own invention. The music is as old as the combs themselves and I don't know how old they are."

"I remember having made music with combs when I was a girl in short frocks," nodded the guardian. "Play, Jane, and show the girls how to make music."

Crazy Jane folded one of the square slips of paper over the teeth of one of the combs, then placed the comb's teeth between her own.

"Zu-zu-zu-zee-zee-zah," she breathed through paper and comb, which strange sounds were instantly interpreted by Jane's companions, as "Come Back to Erin."

Each girl with a cry of delight, now s.n.a.t.c.hed up a comb, wrapped it in the thin paper and joined enthusiastically in the chorus of "Come Back to Erin." Tommy Thompson, fully as delighted as her companions, leaned against a tree making hideous noises on her comb; Miss Elting, sitting on a stump, eyes fixed on the foliage far above her, was an enthusiastic performer in the combietta concert.