“Well, it seems that he had teased her about a poorly cooked dinner, and it turned out that she was really very sick, with a fever. She took his teasing to heart, and ran out without any coat or hat. He naturally thought she would come right back, but she didn’t. Then he began to phone to all her friends, and to us, but nobody has seen her since. We don’t know whether she’s dead or not!” “How dreadful!” whispered several of the girls, sympathetically. “And so, ever since then, papa and Mr. Smith have both spent a great deal of money in trying to trace her; but no detectives have ever found a clue. Mr. Smith finally became discouraged, and went away, giving her up as dead. But we have never given up hope.” “Surely she’ll turn up,” said Doris, consolingly. “Why, if she had died, somebody, somehow, would have sent word.” “Except that there was no way to identify her. Well, papa has another theory. He thinks her exposure while she was so sick made her temporarily lose her mind, and probably even now she is an amnesia victim, wandering around trying to find out who she is.” “Wouldn’t it be great if we’d find her!” cried Alice, who was always looking for adventure. “We’d never find her this far away,” said Daisy, sadly. “If Olive’s alive, she’s somewhere in the East. Mr. Smith said she couldn’t have had more than ten or fifteen dollars in her purse.” “Anyway, I’m going to watch for her all the time!” declared Alice. “I’d rather watch for her than for that old stick of a lieutenant!” “Tell us what she looks like!” begged Marjorie. “She’s very striking looking. You couldn’t miss her. She has dark, wavy hair, and very pink cheeks. Her eyes are blue, and she has a dimple in her right cheek. She’s medium height, and slender.” “Have you a picture of her?” asked Lily. “I’m afraid I haven’t,” sighed Daisy. “I didn’t bring any pictures at all with me. I thought we might live in tents, and wouldn’t want anything that wasn’t absolutely necessary.” “Well, let’s look at every girl we see, every time the train slows down. And we can go in the diner in relays tomorrow, and look over everybody on the train!” said Alice. “Now Alice, that’s too foolish!” cried practical Florence Evans. “Imagine finding her right on this train! You sound like a dime novel!” “But she must be somewhere!” persisted Alice, stubbornly. This discussion was interrupted by Marjorie’s asking Daisy what she was planning to do next year. “I’ve been studying stenography,” replied the girl, “and I have a position waiting for me at home in the principal’s office of the public school. I’m very lucky, because that will allow me to be with mother, and help a little besides.” “I think you’re wonderful to be so cheerful!” said Marjorie, admiringly. “And think of keeping it from us all this time!” “Well, I always hoped the thing would solve itself, and that there would be no need of explanations. But now I’m getting pretty hopeless too.”