that poor, ragged young man, have taken Tom away," suggested Amy.
"Comforting—isn't she?" asked Mollie, appealing to the others.
"Well, I mean"
"Oh, never mind—don't make it any worse," interrupted Mollie. "The question is what can we do?"
"Let's call for him," suggested Grace. "He can't have gone very far, and it's a still day. He'll hear us."
"It is rather strange where he could have gone," mused Betty. Anxiously she looked toward the main shore. There was no sight of Tom Osborne.
Together the girls raised their voices in a shout that must have carried far. They waited, but there was no response. Then they called again, with like result. The outdoor girls looked anxiously at one another. The alligators seemed disposed to maintain their position indefinitely, and the neck of land was so narrow that the saurians occupied the entire width of it.
"Well, here goes!" cried Betty when it was evident that their calls were not going to be heeded. With that she threw a stone at the nearest alligator. Her aim was exceptionally good. Betty admitted that herself, afterward, the mis-
