“I’m glad that I had an opportunity of helping you, young ladies—­ very glad,” he answered, in response to their repeated thanks.  “You conferred a great favor on me also, for I have little company.  Good-bye—­ and good luck to you.”

The girls responded gayly, and as they started forward Betty leaned far out of the machine to call back an encouraging:  “Keep hoping hard for your boys to come home.  I am sure they will be back soon.”

“Thank you, young lady, thank you,” said Professor Dempsey, but the words were too low for Betty to catch and she was too far away to see the mist that sprang suddenly to his eyes.

CHAPTER IV

 Good news

Deepdale, the home of the four Outdoor Girls, is a thriving little city with a population of about fifteen thousand people.  It is situated on the Argono River, a pleasant stream where a great many of the young folk of Deepdale, and some of the older ones too, keep motor boats and canoes and various other types of pleasure craft.

Farther on, the Argono empties into Rainbow Lake, which is picturesque in the extreme.  It has several pretty and romantic looking islands, chief of which is Triangle Island—­ so called because of its shape.

There is a boat running from Deepdale to Clammerport at the foot of Rainbow Lake, and this boat is almost always crowded with pleasure seekers.  In addition to this Deepdale is situated in the heart of New York state and is only a hundred-and-fifty-mile run from the city of that name.  Thus one can easily see that Deepdale is a very desirable place in which to live.

At least that is what the four Outdoor Girls thought.  And since they had spent most of their lives there, they certainly ought to know!

On the morning of this day, some ten days or so after their strange encounter with Professor Dempsey, the girls were gathered on Betty’s porch, talking over their plans for the summer.

“I am only waiting to hear from Uncle John,” Mollie was saying, as she swung lazily back and forth in the couch swing.  “The last time I saw him he said that he was almost sure to go north this summer and he told me that as soon as he made definite plans he would let me know.”

“You told us that two weeks ago,” Grace reminded her.  “And we haven’t heard from him yet.”

“It does seem to take him a long time to make up his mind,” sighed Amy.

Betty, who had been trying to read a novel, closed the book and turned to them with a laugh.

“Goodness, you all sound doleful,” she told them.  “It seems to me that we ought to be able to live through it, even if we don’t get Wild Rose Lodge for the summer.  There are plenty of other things we can do,”

Mollie turned upon her indignantly.

“How you talk, Betty Nelson,” she scolded her.  “As if we could possibly have as good a time anywhere else as we could at Wild Rose Lodge.  Think of being in a real hunting lodge out in the woods away from everybody!  Why, it will be a real adventure—­”