The girls hurried across the field and, in a short time, came to the place where Joe and Dick had left their airplanes to follow Teddy into the gully. “Oh, look!” exclaimed Margie. “Here’s my brother’s plane!” “Then the other must be Joe’s,” said Lucy. “For it isn’t Teddy’s.” “How do you suppose the planes got here?” asked Margie. “Why,” said Lucy, considering, “I guess the boys flew them and the planes came down and the boys couldn’t find them. But we have. And we can take the planes home and won’t the boys be surprised?” “I should say so!” exclaimed Margie. “But where is Teddy and his plane?” “Maybe his flew another way, and he and Joe and Dick are hunting for it,” suggested Lucy. “Anyhow, we have found two of the planes and we’ll take them home with us. When the boys are feeling sorry that they have lost them, we’ll give them back.” “Oh, what fun!” laughed Margie. The two girls each picked up one of the toy planes and were starting to walk back across the meadow when Margie exclaimed: “Hark! Did you hear that?” “Hear what?” Lucy asked. “That noise.” “What sort of a noise?” asked Lucy. “A--a sort of a--a whoofing noise!” whispered Margie. “It seemed to come from those bushes near the edge of the wood. Listen! There it is again!” Lucy heard a noise and said: “It was more like a cow snorting than a whoofing noise.” “Well, maybe it was a cow,” admitted Margie. “Anyhow it was a noise and--oh, look, Lucy! It’s coming for us--that noise. Oh, it’s a wild cow--or something. Run! Run!” Lucy gave one look and then, holding tightly to Joe’s plane as Margie was carrying Dick’s, the two girls turned and ran as fast as they could crying: “Help! Help!” CHAPTER V THE MYSTERY CLUB Though Margie and Lucy ran fast, carrying the toy planes, they had a chance to look back to see what had frightened them. They both looked at the same time and Margie said: “It isn’t a cow that’s chasing us.” “No, it isn’t a cow,” Lucy agreed. “It hasn’t the horns of a cow. It looks more like a reindeer.” “Reindeers only come around Christmas time--if you believe in them,” said Margie. “Besides, there wouldn’t be reindeers down here--only up at the North Pole.” “Well, anyhow, it’s coming after us, whatever it is,” added Margie. “Come on! Run fast!” “Oh, why doesn’t somebody help us?” cried Lucy. “Go on back, you old scarecrow you!” she shouted. “It isn’t a scarecrow, whatever else it is,” said Margie. “I know it isn’t,” Lucy admitted. “But I couldn’t think of anything else to call it. Oh, goodie! Here’s the fence. Now we can crawl under and be safe.” The girls reached a fence at one corner of Mason’s meadow and lost no time in crawling below the first rail. They pushed their brothers’ airplanes through the fence ahead of them. The grass was long and green at the place where Margie and Lucy had crawled under the fence. And, noting as they were on their hands and knees, that the grass was above their heads, Margie said: “Why not stay here?”