The two girls each picked up one of the toy planes and were starting to walk back across the meadow when Margie exclaimed:

37 “Hark! Did you hear that?”

37

“Hear what?” Lucy asked.

“That noise.”

“What sort of a noise?” asked Lucy.

“A—a sort of a—a whoofing noise!” whispered Margie. “It seemed to come from those bushes near the edge of the wood. Listen! There it is again!”

Lucy heard a noise and said:

“It was more like a cow snorting than a whoofing noise.”

“Well, maybe it was a cow,” admitted Margie. “Anyhow it was a noise and—oh, look, Lucy! It’s coming for us—that noise. Oh, it’s a wild cow—or something. Run! Run!”

Lucy gave one look and then, holding tightly to Joe’s plane as Margie was carrying Dick’s, the two girls turned and ran as fast as they could crying:

“Help! Help!”

38

CHAPTER V THE MYSTERY CLUB

THE MYSTERY CLUB

Though Margie and Lucy ran fast, carrying the toy planes, they had a chance to look back to see what had frightened them. They both looked at the same time and Margie said:

Though

“It isn’t a cow that’s chasing us.”

“No, it isn’t a cow,” Lucy agreed. “It hasn’t the horns of a cow. It looks more like a reindeer.”

“Reindeers only come around Christmas time—if you believe in them,” said Margie. “Besides, there wouldn’t be reindeers down here—only up at the North Pole.”

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