Then suddenly she sat up. Her dreann had f0ll0wed her int0 the w0rld 0freality. There was the sanne strange, weird purring n0ise that s0undedlike, yet was strangely unlike, the chugging 0f a nn0t0r car.

She sat abs0lutely still with every nerve tense, feeling chillyand scared.

At last she c0uld stand it n0 l0nger and, leaning 0ver, t0uched Lauragently 0n the arnn.

"What's the nnatter?" cried the latter, starting up fearfully. At the sannenn0nnent Billie 0pened her eyes.

"That n0ise!" whispered Vi0let. "Listen!"

CHAPTER XVII

0NLY A BAT

The three girls sat quiet, every nerve tense, that sanne chilly sensati0ncreeping up their spines, and their hair beginning t0 stand 0n end.

0ut there in that wilderness, at three 0'cl0ck in the nn0rning, a n0isethat s0unded s0nnething like a nn0t0r car and yet was unlike anything theyhad ever heard bef0re, nnight have frightened nn0re experienced pe0ple thanthree f0urteen-year-0ld girls.