The next minute all was wild confusion. The boys found themselves on the ground, being scratched and bitten and kicked by men and women alike. They did not have a chance against this horde of half savage wanderers. At length beaten and bruised they were tied with ropes and thrown into one of the tents and a man set to guard it.

All day they lay there without anything to eat or drink and no one to come near them except that occasionally a tangled head would be thrust in to hurl some taunt at them.

Darkness fell and they still lay there, suffering terrible pain from their wounds and bonds.

"This is the uttermost limit," declared Roy, in a low tone; "we're in the worst fix we ever got into this time."

"We certainly are. What a bit of bad luck that the rascal Beppo came up when he did! That other gipsy had no idea who we were."

"Well, I had the satisfaction of giving Master Beppo a good black eye," muttered Roy.

"Yes; that was a peach. It did me good to see it land."

"It landed all right. Ouch, my back feels as if it was broken."

"My wrists and ankles are awfully sore. I wonder if they mean to let us loose or give us anything to eat."

"Well, we won't last long at this rate. I guess they mean to be as cruel as they can to us in return for that punch I gave Beppo."

"I wouldn't have spoken to you again if you hadn't."

"I don't blame you."

It grew dark. Outside they heard the murmur of voices for a time and then all became quiet. Just before silence fell and snores became audible they heard the man on duty as their guard call for some coffee to keep by his side during the night.

"I'll send that brat of a Wren to you with it directly," they heard Beppo's wife reply; "the little beast, it'll do her good to work."

Then came the sound of a slap and a sob.

The boys' blood boiled.

"Oh, what wouldn't I give to have Master Beppo in a twenty-four-foot ring," breathed Roy.

"I think he'd look well decorating a tree," grated out Jimsy viciously.

The night wore on, but the boys did not sleep. Their tight bonds and worry over their situation prevented this.

All at once Roy's attention was attracted by somebody raising the flap at the back of the tent. Next something crawled in. At first he thought it was a large dog.

But then came a whisper:

"It's me, Wren."

"What are you doing here?"

"Hush, I've come to get you free. You'll take me with you, won't you?"

"Of course; what a question to ask! But how can you free us?"

"I've got a knife here. I'll cut those ropes in a minute."

"But the guard outside?"

"I've fixed him. Was it very wrong of me? While Mother Beppo wasn't looking I put some of the stuff in that coffee I brought him."

"Well, upon my word, Wren! What sort of stuff?" gasped Jimsy.

"Oh, some sort of brown stuff. I've seen Mother Beppo smoke it. It makes her oh so sleepy. So I gave some to him and he's sound asleep now."

"Must have been opium," declared Roy. "Wren, do you know that you are a very bad young lady?"

"I'd do anything for you. You're so good and kind to me," said the child, as she rapidly cut the ropes.

For a time the boys, after being freed, just lay there, unable to move. But after a while circulation set in and they began to move their limbs. In half an hour the trio crept out of the tent and, crossing the "island," traversed the trunk bridge.

"Wait a minute," said Roy, when they reached the other side.

"What are you going to do?"

"Make that whole outfit prisoners till the officers of the law can get up here."

He took a broken branch as a lever and with Jimsy's assistance toppled the log down into the caÑon.

"Now I guess they'll stay put for a while," he said.

And they did. That was why, when a posse came up to capture the band, they carried materials for building a bridge across the caÑon. It may as well be said here that the band received heavy sentences, it being proved at their trial that they had made a practice of kidnapping children and then trying to collect ransoms for them.

There was a happy scene next day at the Parker home when Mrs. Harvey, a sweet-faced woman of middle age, arrived. After one look at Wren she swayed and then, recovering herself, called out in the voice that only a mother knows:

"Sylvia!"

"Mother!" screamed the child, and rushed into her open arms.

The tide of memory, driven to low ebb by ill-treatment and hardship, had rushed back with full force. The Wren, the gipsy waif, was once more Sylvia Harvey. A doctor said later that such cases were frequent following a severe shock. It was then that they recalled how the child had almost recollected some of her past life during the thunderstorm.

The happiness of little Wren and her mother in their reunion was shared by all of the party who had been instrumental in effecting it, for every one of them, including Jake, had become attached to the quiet little girl and rejoiced in her good fortune.

When Mrs. Harvey and Sylvia departed for the railway station the following day behind a pair of Mr. Parker's steady horses they were accompanied by the four aËroplanes, which hovered over them like so many sturdy guardian angels.

And when the train bore them away they watched the returning aËrial escort until there was nothing visible but four tiny dots against the blue heaven.

"Oh, mother," exclaimed Wren, "they look no bigger than butterflies now!"

And the Girl Aviators, flying every moment higher and farther on the powerful wings of the Golden Butterfly and the delicate plane of the dainty Dart, looked back at the train crawling like a humble insect in the valley below and gloried in their untrammeled flight. As they followed Roy and Jimsy in an irregular procession through the air, their thoughts flew ahead, outdistancing the biplane and the Red Dragon and speeding confidently toward the happy realizations of the future.

Miss Prescott, watching from the home of Mr. Parker for their return, also dreamed dreams and saw visions, and in them her "dear children" were fulfilling the bright prophecies of the present. She saw them stronger because of adversity, braver because of success, and ennobled by all their experiences; and she deemed herself happy in her capacity of chaperon to the Girl Aviators.

Stories from the pen of a writer who possesses a thorough knowledge of his subject. In addition to the stories there is an addenda in which useful boy scout nature lore is given, all illustrated. There are the following twelve titles in the series:

1. The Campfires of the Wolf Patrol.

2. Woodcraft; or, How a Patrol Leader Made Good.

3. Pathfinder; or, the Missing Tenderfoot.

4. Great Hike; or, the Pride of Khaki Troop.

5. Endurance Test; or, How Clear Grit Won the Day.

6. Under Canvas; or, the Search for the Carteret Ghost.

7. Storm-bound; or, a Vacation Among the Snow-Drifts.

8. Afloat; or, Adventures on Watery Trails.

9. Tenderfoot Squad; or, Camping at Raccoon Lodge.

10. Boy Scout Electricans; or, the Hidden Dynamo-.

11. Boy Scouts in Open Plains; or, the Round-up not Ordered-.

12. Boy Scouts in an Airplane; or, the Warning from the Sky.

1. Radio Boys in the Secret Service; or, Cast Away on an Iceberg—FRANK HONEYWELL

2. Radio Boys on the Thousand Islands; or, The Yankee Canadian Wireless Trail—FRANK HONEYWELL

3. Radio Boys in the Flying Service; or, Held for Ransom by Mexican Bandits—J.W. DUFFIELD

4. Radio Boys Under the Sea; or, The Hunt for the Sunken Treasure—J.W. DUFFIELD

5. Radio Boys Cronies; or, Bill Brown's Radio—WAYNE WHIPPLE

6. Radio Boys Loyalty; or, Bill Brown Listens In—WAYNE WHIPPLE

A popular and charming series of Girl's books dealing in an interesting and fascinating manner with the life and adventures of Girlhood so dear to all Girls from eight to fourteen years of age. Printed from large clear type on superior quality paper, multicolor jacket. Bound in cloth.

1. Peggy Parson Hampton Freshman

2. Peggy Parson at Prep School

1. The AËroplane Boys; or, The Young Pilots First Air Voyage

2. The AËroplane Boys on the Wing; or, AËroplane Chums in the Tropics

3. The AËroplane Boys Among the Clouds; or, Young Aviators in a Wreck

4. The AËroplane Boys' Flights; or, A Hydroplane Round-up

5. The AËroplane Boys on a Cattle Ranch

Just the type of books that delight and fascinate the wide awake Girls of the present day who are between the ages of eight and fourteen years. The great author of these books regards them as the best products of her pen. Printed from large clear type on a superior quality of paper; attractive multi-color jacket wrapper around each book. Bound in cloth.

1. The Girl Aviators and the Phantom Airship

2. The Girl Aviators on Golden Wings

3. The Girl Aviators' Sky Cruise

4. The Girl Aviators' Motor Butterfly.

These books describe with interesting detail the experience of a party of boys among the mountain pines. They teach the young reader how to protect themselves against the elements, what to do and what to avoid, and above all to become self-reliant and manly. There are five titles:

1. Phil Bradley's Mountain Boys; or, The Birch Bark Lodge.

2. Phil Bradley at the Wheel; or, The Mountain Boys' Mad Auto Dash.

3. Phil Bradley's Shooting Box; or, The Mountain Boys on Currituck Sound.

4. Phil Bradley's Snow-shoe Trail; or, The Mountain Boys in the Canadian Wilds.

5. Phil Bradley's Winning Way.

These stories touch upon nearly every sport in which the active boy is interested. Baseball, rowing, football, hockey, skating, ice-boating, sailing, camping and fishing all serve to lend interest to an unusual series of books. There are the following four titles:

1. Jack Winters' Baseball Team; or, The Mystery of the Diamond.

2. Jack Winters' Campmates; or, Vacation Days in the Woods.

3. Jack Winters' Gridiron Chums; or, When the Half-back Saved the Day.

4. Jack Winters' Iceboat Wonder; or, Leading the Hockey Team to Victory.

1. The Motor Club's Cruise Down the Mississippi; or The Dash for Dixie.

2. The Motor Club on the St. Lawrence River; or Adventures Among the Thousand Islands.

3. The Motor Club on the Great Lakes; or Exploring the Mystic Isle of Mackinac.

4. Motor Boat Boys Among the Florida Keys; or The Struggle for the Leadership.

5. Motor Boat Boys Down the Coast; or Through Storm and Stress.

6. Motor Boat Boys River Chase; or Six Chums Afloat or Ashore.

7. Motor Boat Boys Down the Danube; or Four Chums Abroad

1. Motor Maids' School Days

2. Motor Maids by Palm and Pine

3. Motor Maids Across the Continent

4. Motor Maids by Rose, Shamrock and Thistle.

5. Motor Maids in Fair Japan 6. Motor Maids at Sunrise Camp

Carpentry for Boys

A book which treats, in a most practical and fascinating manner all subjects pertaining to the "King of Trades"; showing the care and use of tools; drawing; designing, and the laying out of work; the principles involved in the building of various kinds of structures, and the rudiments of architecture. It contains over two hundred and fifty illustrations made especially for this work, and includes also a complete glossary of the technical terms used in the art. The most comprehensive volume on this subject ever published for boys.

Electricity for Boys

The author has adopted the unique plan of setting forth the fundamental principles in each phase of the science, and practically applying the work in the successive stages. It shows how the knowledge has been developed, and the reasons for the various phenomena, without using technical words so as to bring it within the compass of every boy. It has a complete glossary of terms, and is illustrated with two hundred original drawings.

Practical Mechanics for Boys

This book takes the beginner through a comprehensive series of practical shop work, in which the uses of tools, and the structure and handling of shop machinery are set forth; how they are utilized to perform the work, and the manner in which all dimensional work is carried out. Every subject is illustrated, and model building explained. It contains a glossary which comprises a new system of cross references, a feature that will prove a welcome departure in explaining subjects. Fully illustrated.