Would they risk writing and awaiting a reply from the hiding place in the dark little cave of the hollow stone?

CHAPTER XIV

WOODLAND MAGIC

“Oh come on, girls!  Don’t bother waiting for the big girls.  They’re going to drill.  I can’t wait to see the letter, Cleo.  Did you get Hal Crane?  And will he surely take it for us?”

It was Grace who, dragging Cleo and attempting to lasso Madaline with her book strap, besought her friends to hide away from their companions that they might read the wonderful letter, and then dispatch it to its post box under the stone in the River Bend Woods.

“I’m so excited,” Grace confessed.  “I honestly do feel, girls, something wonderful will come from our woodman mystery.  His letter proves he is nice.”

“So you have given up the tramp idea, Grace,” Cleo smilingly remarked.  “I’m glad of that.  I didn’t just fancy writing my best stationery letters to some hobo.”

“I’m perfectly sure he is a nice clean man,” declared Grace, “for there wasn’t a smudge on that little note, and I have noticed since that the paper is a fine quality.  Oh, I am perfectly sure he is a very nice young man,” and the bright-eyed, pink-cheeked girl laughed at her own deductions.

“But Mrs. Johnston’s wash?” Madaline reminded her.  “What about that?”

“Why, perhaps he didn’t steal that at all.  He might even have rescued the bag from a real tramp,” replied the resourceful Grace.

“Hal is going to meet us at three-thirty down at the stone wall,” injected Cleo, “and if you girls want to see this letter before he flies off with it you had best come along.  Of course he is coming on his bicycle.”

“Oh, yes, let’s hear it,” pleaded Grace.  “I’m sure it’s splendid.  I never could have answered that note myself.”

Cleo accepted the compliment and the three little second-grade scouts hurried along in the direction of the young willows, behind which an ancient stone wall gave historic prestige to the now modern Flosston.

Nimbly they sprang the wall and quickly they devoured the letter.  It read, from the hands of Grace, as follows: 

“Dear woodsman:  We girl scouts of True Tred Troop have decided to answer your letter.  Perhaps you need friends.  If you do, could we help you?  Our rules oblige us to assist all fellow beings in distress.  Are you in need of help?  You see, we not only can assist others, but in doing so we earn promotion.  When one of us tied you up she thought it was brave to do so, but now we feel that may have been a mistake.”

Grace paused.  She did not like the idea of admitting a mistake even thus remotely.

“Couldn’t we leave that out?” she asked Cleo.

“Why, no, how could we apologize and expect to make friends with him if we didn’t try to fix that tieing-up business?” Cleo inquired.