"Oh, honestly, George!" 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 deserted. 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 Syndicate, or counterfeiting mysteries. But immediately Bess would say, "Shush! We're relaxing. We may have a big night tonight."

Finally the girls started for the farmhouse. To reach it they had to cross a field in the corner of which lay a heap of large stones, apparently raked there when the acreage was cultivated. George, grinning, climbed across the stones, saying, "This life is making me rugged. I- Oh, ouch!" she cried loudly, then added, "A snake! It bit me!"

CHAPTER XVMasqueraders

Nancy and George turned Just in time to see a brownish snake slither off in a wiggling motion and disappear among the stones.

"Oh, George!" Bess cried. "Was it a poisonous one?"