"We had all we wished," faltered the circ.u.mspect Ray Stuart. "You were entirely welcome--might have saved, at least, the dishes."
"Oh," breathed Ed, "it is so much pleasanter to poach--don"t spoil it."
Ed cast a most appreciative glance at Ray. She expected it, of course, and accepted it with a smile.
Clip was talking earnestly to Jack, Cora was being entertained by Walter, who, at the same time, managed to keep up a running conversation with the group of girls now busy putting away the lunch things.
"We had a dreadful accident coming out," said Belle. "Bess ran over--"
"A square meal in a square basket," interrupted Bess. "I demolished the hamper that Ida Giles had bestowed on Sidney Wilc.o.x. It was a peace offering, I believe."
"And you should have seen the kind of "pieces" Bess made of it,"
commented Hazel with a merry laugh.
"Hush!" hissed Ed with his finger to his lips.
"Something tells me that the demolished hamper forbodes evil. You will regret the day, Miss Elizabeth, that you spilled Sid Wilc.o.x"s-"
"Pumpkin pie," finished Cora. "I never saw such pumpkiny pumpkin pie in my life. I can smell it yet!"
"Mrs. Giles" famous home-made," quoted Walter. "Well, it might have been worse--they might have eaten that pie."
"Say, fellows," said Jack suddenly, "this is all very pretty--the girls, I mean, of course--but does it smite any one of you young rustics that we have an engagement--ahem! At three-thirty, wasn"t it?"
"Precisely," declared Ed. "So much obliged for the feed; and do we make a party call?"
"Of course," answered the pretty Ray, attempting to tie her huge scarf, without having any idea of doing so. "We shall expect--"
"The bunch?" interrupted Jack, knowing Ray"s preference for the handsome Ed.
"How--"
"Naughty," simpered Cecilia. "Jack, how can you use slang in the presence of ladies?" and she a.s.sumed the characteristic "tough" walk, which had always been one of Clip"s most laughable capers.
"Loidies!" echoed Jack, tilting his cap and striking an att.i.tude appropriate to that a.s.sumed by Cecilia. He slipped his arm within hers, and the pair "strutted off," in the fashion identified with the burlesque stage.
"Here! here!" called more than one young lady. "Come back here, Clip!
There are to be no boys!"
"This isn"t a boy," called back Cecilia, keeping up the performance.
"He"s only a--"
"Don"t you dare!" threatened Jack.
The girls began to gather the things up from the gra.s.s.
"Now don"t hurry," remarked Ed coolly. "The fact is, we are not going your way."
"Don"t want us!" almost gasped Ray.
"Shook!" groaned Bess.
"Not at all," Walter hurried to add, "but the real truth is--well, let me see. What"s the real truth?"
Jack was fetching Cecilia back. At some secret sign the young men actually took to their heels, and ran away before the girls realized what was happening. But from a distance they waved a cheerful adieu.
"What do you think of that!" exclaimed Hazel.
"Oh, they are just up to some frolic, and could not take us in," said Cora. "If we were not so busy with our plans we might follow them.
But I propose continuing the business meeting."
With some reluctance, for the time had been greatly enlivened by the appearance of the young men on the scene, the girls once more got to discussing the details of their proposed three days" tour.
As Cora had predicted, Maud wanted the stops along the way made at the homes of her various and varied relatives. Daisy feared her mother would insist upon a chaperone, and this almost absorbed Daisy"s chance of being eligible. Ray thought the motors should flaunt flags--pretty light blue affairs--but Bess declared it would be infinitely more important to carry plenty of gasoline.
So the girls planned and plotted, until, in the northwest, a great black cloud came stealing over the silent blue, gathering fury as it came, and coming very quickly at that.
"A storm!" shouted Belle. "Oh, I do hope it won"t be the thundering kind!"
There was a swirl of the leaves around them, and the wind gave a warning howl. All ran for the cars.
"A tornado, likely," said Hazel. "And, oh, dear! this is just about the time that Paul will be bringing the mail over. I am so nervous since his firm undertook the mail route between New City and Cartown.
This is such a lonely road for an auto in a storm--especially when every one knows Paul carries the mail."
Hazel was greatly agitated, but the other girls endeavored to rea.s.sure her.
"Why, Paul will be all right," declared Cora, surprised at Hazel"s alarm. "What could happen to him? Why is a storm in the afternoon of such consequence?"
"Oh, I don"t know," sighed Hazel; "but having to manage a car, and be personally responsible for the big mailbag--there is so much important mail between Cartown and New City--I have been nervous about it ever since Paul began carrying it."
"But it makes him all the more important to his firm," said Cora convincingly, "and I am sure he will be all right."
"You read too many wild-west stories," commented Bess, who was still alongside the Whirlwind with her Flyaway. "There are no stagecoach hold-ups these days."
"I hope not," returned Hazel with a forced laugh.
Quickly the storm was gathering. With some apprehension Cora directed the line of cars.
"You lead, Daisy," she said, "as your clothes are most perishable."
"Indeed," shouted Cecilia, "my "strained" nurse suit will have to go to the laundry if it gets wet, and that adds to the price--reduces my bargain."
"Well, hurry, at any rate," commanded Cora. "I know of a barn we may be able to make."
"We ought to meet Paul at the bridge," remarked Hazel, evidently unable to dismiss her concern for her brother.
"Now, Hazel," exclaimed Cora, her voice carrying something of vexation, "one would think you suspected--"