True it was a very small house, compared with that occupied by the Robinsons in Chelton, but then there were no maids, and there was no formality. Just a perfect little cottage with everything in it for real housekeeping!
"A regular playhouse!" commented Cora. "I wish we could keep it all to ourselves without Nettie, or any other maid."
"You must come and see our house when we get set up," said Ed. "We are going to do it all alone. Take turns at cooking, and, I suppose, take turns at eating."
Bess and Belle were busy making a room ready and comfortable for the arrival of their mother, and her guest.
"I am sure mamma will like this room best," said Bess, "for it looks out over the bay and has such a lovely tree just on the east end, where the sun might have been troublesome at daybreak."
"Yes, what a perfectly delightful room," exclaimed Cora, a.s.sisting in arranging the bed with the white coverlets, that had been placed within reach, all ready for the first comers.
"We never before had a furnished house," went on Belle, "and just see!
A cake of soap and box of matches in each room! Now that is what I call _real_ furniture."
And so they went on from room to room, the girls selecting and arranging according to what seemed most practical, and most pleasing.
The fright of the "suicide note" was almost forgotten in the joys of exploring and experimenting.
Then the boys discovered that it was almost lunch time, and this was the signal for "a raid" on the town stores.
Ed and Jack jumped into the _Get There_, and were off before Bess or Belle had a chance to tell them what might be "nice for lunch."
"Oh, we may as well try our hand all alone this time," commented Jack, "and if we fail in buying the right things, it will add to our general knowledge in managing "our bungalow.""
So they drove off, while Walter a.s.sisted in spreading rugs on the porch, and putting up hammocks.
"Wouldn"t have missed this for anything," Walter declared, when Cora asked him to help put the leaves in the dining-room table. "Isn"t this just playing house, though!"
"And to think that we do not have to wash any old, dusty dishes,"
remarked Cora. "Dear me! I wish we could get some tangible clue to the actual whereabouts of those two lone, miserable, runaway girls!"
CHAPTER XIX
THE MOVING PICTURE "MOVED"
"Where shall we go first?" asked Bess, in a very fever of delight.
"There are so many places down here. I had no idea it was such a lively place."
"I vote for moving pictures," said Cora. "I have not seen a really good motion picture show since last summer."
"But we have to get down to our bungalow," objected Jack. "When fellows rent a place they are expected to see that it doesn"t burn down or--blow away."
"Oh, can"t you put up some place else to-night?" asked Belle. "Mother will not let us go out alone, and we are just dying to see some of the seaside sights."
"Well, seein" as it"s you," he replied, "we might arrange to sit on the beach all night. But otherwise we have got to get down to the bungalow, and see if there is sleeping room in it, for we will not--absolutely will not--go to a hotel."
They were seated on the porch of Clover Cottage, having just had a supper which the young ladies prepared, and which every one, including Mrs. Robinson, declared was as good and tasty a supper as one could desire. True, there was some difficulty about its preparation, as there was no gas in the cottage, and the boys had considerable trouble in procuring the sort of oil that is used in the sort of stove to be found in the furnished house at the seash.o.r.e. But all this, and much more, was finally accomplished, and the meal that evolved from the process did credit to the girls from Chelton.
"I"m with Cora for the motion pictures," Ed declared, as he swung himself out of the hammock, and onto his feet. "And I"m also in for a quiet little spin thereto."
"We can all pile in the _Whirlwind_," said Jack, "and with Walter at the wheel we will all have a jolly good time and nothing to do but admire the--curve of Wallie"s ears."
"Well, I guess not," objected Walter. "I went for the kerosene. It"s up to somebody else to do the ch.o.r.es this time."
It was then decided that Ed should drive the car, and presently the girls reappeared on the porch, each dressed in her regulation summer garb: Bess in her dainty muslin princess, Belle in her faultless linen outing suit, and Cora in her pretty blue sailor gown. The change from motor attire was welcome, and the boys did not fail to pa.s.s their compliments, and other remarks upon it. This last included the criticism that Bess might do well to add another bow behind her other ear, that Belle break off at least two yards of her single pond lily stem, and that Cora might shift her tie two or three degrees farther north; otherwise, the boys declared, the girls looked "very sweet."
"We must put the steerage chairs in the tonneau," said Cora. "Belle, we vote that you and Walter occupy these state chairs, as you will take up the least room."
"Go slow," said Jack, with better intent than grammar. "We want to see--the pretty girls."
"And we want to see--everything," added Bess. "Isn"t this perfectly delightful? I am sure we will have wonderful complexions after our summer here. Why, the spray fairly washes one"s face."
"Nice of the spray," declared Walter, "and I fancy it will be very useful to the bungaloafers, for we have to carry the house water from the ocean. I can see myself washing in the atmosphere."
Along the broad, ocean driveway the lights were already blinking and sputtering in their regular nightly glow. Music could be heard from many and various attractions, and altogether the scene was as merry as the motor maids might have desired.
"Let"s stop here and walk on the boardwalk," suggested Jack. "We can put the machine up at that garage."
This hint was promptly acted upon, and as soon as Ed had delivered the _Whirlwind_ to the man, who would charge outrageously for housing the machine for a few hours, he joined his friends, who were all expectant for the first night"s pleasure at the seaside.
Scarcely had they decided which way to go when a shout, in a familiar voice, attracted their attention.
"h.e.l.lo there, Chelton!" came the call. "Where are you bound for?"
"There are Paul and Hazel!" exclaimed Cora. "Isn"t that fine! Now we _will_ have a party!"
And sure enough, along came Paul Hastings and his sister Hazel. Paul, handsomer than ever, with the ocean tan just acquired in his return trip from Europe, and Hazel as bright and fetching as possible, her eyes always ready to "gleam," and her lips always ready to smile, for Hazel had the reputation of being the sort of girl who is brilliant, and knows how to "do all things well."
"This _is_ luck," declared Jack. He was very fond of Hazel.
"Isn"t it though!" reiterated Cora. She never tried to hide her admiration for Paul Hastings, who knew how to make his brains work for his hands.
"Where are you stopping?" asked Belle.
"We intend to stop at the Spray," said Hazel, "but the fact is, we only came down this afternoon and haven"t stopped at all yet."
"And how"s Old Briney?" asked Ed. "Salty as ever?"
"Just seasoned to taste," replied Paul. "I"m very fond of salt--taken externally."
"You look it," declared Walter. "I would mistake you any place for a regular tar."
With additional compliments from the girls, for indeed the sea tan was very becoming to Paul, the party started off to the theatre where the "barker" at the entrance announced the motion picture performance.
They found the place crowded, so that the party were not able to obtain seats together. Bess and Hazel went with Jack and Walter, while Paul and Ed looked after Cora and Belle.