“Now let’s hurry on to town,” proceeded Betty.  “We haven’t any too much time.”

It was rather an astonished telegraph operator who, a little later, was confronted by four pretty girls, a man who looked as if he had been in a shipwreck, and a much-flustered lady.  The latter was Betty’s cousin, at whose house the girls had stopped.  It was necessary for the recipient of the money to be identified, and this Betty’s cousin, who knew the operator, agreed to look after.

There was a little delay, but not much, and soon Mr. Blackford was in a position to take up his option.  A local bank, where the telegraph concern did business, paid over the five hundred in cash, and four hundred of this was at once sent on to New York, by telegraph.

“I hope it reaches my man,” said Mr. Blackford.  “I have told him to wire me here.”

A little later word was received that the transaction had been successfully carried out.  Mr. Blackford could now get control of the business.

“And it’s all due to you young ladies!” he said, gratefully.  “I don’t know how to thank you.  You are entitled to a reward—­”

“Don’t you dare mention it!” cried Betty,

“Well, some day I’ll pay you back for all you did for me!” he exclaimed, warmly.  “I won’t forget.  And now that I have some money to spare, I’m going to get a new suit of clothes.”

He said good-bye to the girls, promising to see them again some time, and then he left, having made arrangements to go on to New York and finish up his business affairs.

“Well, now that it is all over, won’t you come on to the house and have supper?” said Betty’s cousin, as they came out of the telegraph office.  “I must say, you girls know how to do things.”

“Oh, you can always trust Betty for that,” said Mollie.

“It just did itself,” declared Betty.  “Everything seemed to work out of its own accord from the time we found the five hundred dollar bill.”

“But you helped a lot,” insisted Amy.

“Indeed she did,” added Grace.

“Well, our walking tour will soon be over,” Betty said as they neared her cousin’s house.  “We’ll be home to-morrow.  We’ve had lots of fun, and I think it has done us all good.  We’ll soon be home.”

“But not without a long walk,” said Grace, with a sigh.  “I wonder what we shall do next?  We must keep out of doors.”

“We have a long vacation before us—­all summer,” said Amy.  “I do wish we could spend it together.”

“Maybe we can,” said Betty.  “We’ll see.”

And how the four chums enjoyed the vacation that was opening may be learned by reading the next volume of this series, which will be entitled “The Outdoor Girls at Rainbow Lake; Or, The Stirring Cruise of the Motor Boat Gem.”

The stay of the girls at the home of Betty’s cousin was most enjoyable.  They remained two nights, instead of one, sending word of the change of their plans to their parents.  Then, early in the morning, they started for home on the last stage of their tour.