Cora burst into a merry laugh. "There, Bess, my dear, you have broken the watchword--you are to be responsible for the boys. We pledged ourselves, as we always do, to "keep them out" this time."
When Jack heard the news he hugged Cora in the very presence of Bess.
The sister knew what he meant (it was getting away from the detectives), although Bess was somewhat embarra.s.sed at the extravagant show of affection. Then Jack did what a boy does "when in doubt," he started a series of somersaults and sofa pillow turns, until Cora declared he quite forgot that he was in the company of ladies.
With profuse apologies he a.s.sumed an unwonted show of dignity, and without another word went upstairs and called up first Ed and then Walter on the telephone, telling each all he knew, and all he could guess about the trip to Lookout Beach, and fairly begged the boys to go along!
"I am afraid the girls will have to spoil their trip if we don"t go,"
he said to Ed, who had made a half excuse, "for they really couldn"t travel along that road without us!"
And this in the very face of the fact that the elders were going along, and that the girls had declared that no boys _could_ go!
"Won"t there be high jinks!" Jack asked, and he told himself, with a jolly chuckle, as he hung up the receiver and went down to the girls, that if any "jinks" were lacking, it would not be his fault.
"Too bad we fellows can"t take you out a little way," he said, innocently, as he came downstairs, "but the fact is, we have made plans--our plans are still secret!" and Jack ran down the walk like the big boy that he was in spite of his few years of good record at college.
Turning as he reached the street, he shouted:
"Oh you--secrets!" then Cora and Bess were left alone.
"Well, I suppose I can go," said Cora, finally, "although it does seem strange to leave town in such haste. But after all, if I remain longer, I shall only find more things to be attended to, and I will be just as well off to--escape from them."
Bess was delighted, of course. She knew Cora so well, and she had grave fears that the methodical young girl would not run away at such short notice, but, now that she had gained her chum"s consent, Bess had need to hurry back and finish up her own preparations.
Jack was on his way to the post-office, when he saw the now familiar figure of little Andy. He hailed him pleasantly, and the boy lost no time in hurrying up to the tall young man who waited for him.
"Now, Andy," began Jack, "suppose you tell me about those women--those who are after my sister. When did they say they were coming to Chelton?"
"I heard them tell the--the men that they would come in on the two o"clock trolley," said Andy, "and that was the reason I thought it would be better fer your sister to be--out of town. Is she goin"?"
"I guess she is," replied Jack, much amused at the boy"s earnestness.
"But she has no reason, you know, to want to avoid any one."
Andy hung his head. Then he thrust his hands into his pockets. This latter gesture Jack knew was equivalent to preparing for a sudden shot of information.
"It looks bad," said the boy, timidly.
"What looks bad?" demanded Jack.
"Well," said Andy, "maybe you won"t believe me, but it was just this way. I was under the window listening, when all of a sudden old Ramsy took out of her pocketbook a slip of paper. She handed it to the man, and said that she had found it in the girls" room, and that she was sure that your sister gave it to Rose, for she saw her slip something into her hand as Rose went out from the shed. The man read what was on the paper and then put it on the window sill. A nice little breeze came along----"
"And blew it right out to you," finished Jack, not attempting to hide his surprise at the boy"s astuteness.
"Yep, and I"ve got it right here," Andy declared, jabbing his hand into his torn blouse, and then from the depths of what might have been a handkerchief, had it not been beyond identification, he produced a card.
"That"s my sister"s card," said Jack, still showing surprise. Then he turned to the reverse side. He read the words, written in pencil: Clover Cottage--Lookout Beach. "That"s nothing," he added, "that"s the cottage where my sister is going to spend the summer. She wrote it on the card for a memorandum, I suppose, and forgot about it."
"But Nellie and Rose had it in their room," persisted Andy.
"Perhaps my sister asked them to write to her," went on Jack, wondering why he bothered so much with the idle chat of an ignorant urchin.
"Well, Mrs. Ramsy said if she could get hold of the girl that gave that card to her girls, she would not wait for judge or justice but she would--well, she said she would do lots of things."
Jack laughed outright. "Now, see here," he went on, finally, "you had better take this car back to Squaton, Andy. You have been away from home for a long time, and the first thing you know they will have detectives looking for you. Or, maybe, they will say--you ran after the girls!"
It was not like Jack to joke in that strain, but the lad looked so comical, and he said such serious things in contrast to his appearance, that for the life of him, Jack could not resist the temptation to tease him.
"Nope. I"m not goin" home," declared Andy. "Mom knows where I am, and I am goin" to stay in town till the two o"clock trolley comes in."
"To meet the Ram and the Schenk?" asked Jack, laughing. "Then at least take this change, and look the town over. Buy some ice cream and--a brick bat or two to have ready when----"
"There"s a fellow I know," interrupted Andy, and taking the proffered coin, he was soon lost to Jack, and to the business of detecting the detectives.
CHAPTER XIII
GOING AND COMING
The weather was uncertain--it might rain, but there were cobwebs on the gra.s.s, which meant "clear." But the sun did not come out, and it was past noon.
These unfavorable conditions were unusual on a day when the motor girls were to make a run, but Bess, Belle and Cora were almost too busy with their preparations to pay much heed to the possibility of rain while en route.
The start was to be made at two o"clock, and the chimes on the dining room mantel of the Kimball home had just warned Cora that half the hour between one and two had gone by.
"We take no note of time but from its flight," quoted Cora to herself, hurrying through the room to crowd a last few things into her motor trunk. "I wonder where Jack is?"
At that very moment Jack"s inevitable whistle was heard, and the next, the boy was in the room, looking as deliciously lazy as ever, in that way so peculiar to boys who have a great deal to do at the time; the science of which studied indifference is absolutely impossible for a girl to fathom.
"Why this fluttering fl.u.s.ter, sis?" he asked, crumbling deeper in the leather-cushioned chair. "You will positively get overheated and ruin--your--complex--ion!" This last was drawled out with the most aggravating yawn.
"Why, Jack, I have to be in my car at ten minutes to two, and do you see the time?"
"No, but I hear it. I wonder who on earth put a clock to ticking. Bad enough to hear the hours knock, but this constant tick----"
"Jack, whatever you have to say to me please say it," interrupted the sister. "I know perfectly well that this preamble is portentous."
"No, it"s merely pretentious," answered Jack, drawing from his pocket the card that Andy had turned over to him. "Do you happen to remember where you dropped this?"
It was a simple guess, but Jack tried it.
"Dropped that?" repeated Cora, taking the card from his hand. "Why, I declare! I have looked everywhere for that. I wanted it last night. I had actually forgotten the name of the cottage, and I wanted to give it to you for your note book. Where did you find it?"
"Didn"t find it, it found me. Andy gave it to me."
"Andy!" and Cora"s eyes showed her surprise.
"Yes. He said the old lady, Ramsy, found it in your strawberry girls"