She  had  invited  one  other  girl  from  Briarwood,
too;  but  Mary  Cox  had.  refused  the  invitation.
The  Fox,"  as  her  school-fellows  called  her,  had
been  under  a  cloud  at  the  end  of  the  term,  and
perhaps  she  might  have  felt  somewhat  abashed
had  she  joined  the  party  of  her  school-fellows  at
Snow  Camp.
Tom  had  invited  his  chum  at  school,  who  was
Madge  Steele's  brother  Bob,  and  another  boy
named  Isadore  Phelps.  With  Mr.  Cameron  him-
self and  Mrs.  Murchiston,  the  lady  who  had  been
the  twins'  governess  when  they  were  small,  and
several  servants,  the  party  wrere  to  take  train  at
Cheslow  the  next  day  for  the  northern  wilderness.
The  trio  of  friends,  as  they  hurried  across
Hiram  Bassett's  pasture,  were  full  of  happy  an-
ticipations regarding  the  proposed  trip,  and  they
chatted  merrily  as  they  went  on.  Halfway  across
the  field  they  passed  along  the  edge  of  a  bush-
bordered  hollow.  Their  skating  caps — Tom's
white,  Ruth's  blue,  and  Helen's  of  a  brilliant
scarlet — bobbed  up  and  down  beside  the  hedge,
and  anybody  upon  the  other  side,  in  the  hollow,


6  RUTH   FIELDING   AT    SNOW   CAMP

might  have  been  greatly  puzzled  to  identify  the
bits  of  color.
'For  mercy's  sake  I  what's  that?'    ejaculated
Helen,  suddenly.
The  others  fell  silent.  A  sudden  stamping
upon  the  frozen  ground  arose  from  beyond  the
bushes.  Then  came  a  reverberating  bellow.
Tom  leaped  through  the  bushes  and  looked
down  the  hill.  There  sounded  the  thundering  of
pounding  hoofs,  and  the  boy  sprang  back  to  the
side  of  his  sister  and  her  chum  with  a  cry.
