“How do you do, girls!” cried Pepper, with a grim smile. “Oh, Pepper are you hurt?” queried Laura anxiously. “Not much, scratched a little, that’s all.” “And what of you, Andy?” questioned Flossie. “Got a few bush leaves down my neck, that’s all,” answered Andy. His wrist was a good deal scratched but he kept it out of sight, not wishing to alarm the girls still more. “Can we do anything for you?” questioned Laura. “Might bake us a few pies,—as you did when we ran away from school,” answered Andy. “How absurd!” cried Flossie, and gave a laugh. “Oh, I am so glad you didn’t hurt yourselves seriously.” By this time Jack and Dale were coming up, and the situation was quickly explained. The young major shook hands with the girls and turned the horse around for them. The Ford girls were glad to meet the cadets but sorry that they had interrupted the race so disastrously. “Oh, it was a tie anyway,” said Andy. “I don’t care, if Pep doesn’t.” “It wasn’t much of a race anyway,” answered Pepper. “How have you been since we saw you last?” he added. “Very well,” answered Laura. “How are matters at the school? We heard somebody had taken the clapper of the Union Church.” “So we heard, too,” said Dale dryly. “But that’s a thing of the past now. We are getting ready to go into camp again—this time in the regular fashion, under Captain Putnam and the teachers, you know.” “How delightful!” murmured Flossie. “And where are you going?” “Up to Lake Caboy, near the river and the falls.” “Well, of all things!” “What makes you so surprised?” asked Dale. “Why, we are going up to Lake Caboy ourselves—up to the new summer hotel there. Papa and mamma thought it would be a change for us.” “Then we may see something of each other,” said Jack. “That will be fine.” “We’ll come down to your camp—if you’ll allow visitors,” said Flossie. “I guess Captain Putnam will have to allow them. Every time we go into camp the country folks come to see us. They like to see the tents and the uniforms, and like to see us drill.” “Then we’ll be sure to come.” “We’ll try to arrange for a regular visitors’ day,” said the young major. “Then we can have drills and athletic contests, and a lunch, and all that.” “Oh, that will be grand!” cried both girls enthusiastically. “Have you been to Lake Caboy before?” questioned Pepper. “Yes, we were up there two years ago, for a week,” answered Laura. “We stayed at the old hotel that was burnt down—a place near the old Robertson mill. You’ve heard of that place, haven’t you?” “No.” “It is said to be haunted.” “Haunted!” cried all of the cadets in chorus. “Yes. We never went very near it, for we were afraid.” “We’ll have to investigate that mill,” said Dale. “I don’t believe in ghosts.” “We had almost forgotten about the old mill until yesterday,” went on Flossie. “Then the strangest kind of a boy asked us about it—a tall, thin boy.” “A tall, thin boy!” cried Pepper. “Did he tell you his name?” “Yes, Bert Field.”