"What sort of a woman was she?" With her eyes Cora signalled to Jack to remain quiet. She knew the girls would.
"Well, I couldn"t rightly say, miss, as it was so dark right after the storm. But before I knew what she was doin" she had come into the pasture that I hired for the sheep over night, and run toward a hay stack. She stumbled over a lamb, fell down, the dogs barked, and it took all I could do to quiet them sheep."
"What became of the woman?" asked Cora, making a motion with her lips to signify that she thought her the same mysterious one who had been in her barn.
"Well, she was real sorry for having made me so much trouble, and it _was_ trouble. She said she didn"t see the sheep in the field, and she was as scar"t as they was, I reckon. I asked her what she was doin" out and she said looking for a girl."
"A girl?" asked Jack, sharply.
"Yes. I ast her if it was her girl--thinkin" she might be a farmer"s wife from around there, but she didn"t say any more. Only she kept sort of moanin" like, an" sayin" as how her life was spoilt, an" how if she could only find a girl--well, I couldn"t make much head or tail of it, an" anyhow I was worried about the sheep, for one got torn on a barbed wire fence. But I was sorry for the woman. I ast her if she intended to spend the night out-doors, and she said yes.
"I couldn"t hardly stand for that--for by her voice I could tell she wasn"t a common kind. So I ast her if she had any money. I was goin" to give her some myself, so she could get a night"s lodging anyhow. She put her hand in her pocket--sort of absent-minded like, and then she got a surprise, I guess, for she pulled out a silver purse, that she didn"t seem to expect to find there. I could see it plain for I was lightin"
my pipe just then to quiet my nerves."
"A silver purse?" cried Cora.
"Ahem!" coughed Belle, meaningly, and Cora, looking at her, understood there was something to be told--later.
"Yes, a silver purse," went on the man. "She didn"t appear to know she had it, and when she opened it and saw some bills and silver, she was more struck than ever. She said something about not knowing it was there, and then she cried out: "Oh, it must have been them dear girls! G.o.d bless "em!" That"s the words she used, miss. I remember "em well."
The others had left their cars now, and come up to hear the recital. The boys looked meaningly at one another, and the girls exchanged glances.
"What happened next?" asked Cora.
"Why, nothin" much, miss. You see the woman had money though she didn"t know it, which I took to be queer. But it wa"n"t none of my affair. She gave me good-night and went back to the road, walkin" off in the direction of the town. I guess she got lodging all right--she could go to a hotel with that money. It was more than I carry. But the sheep was all right by then, quieted down, so I left "em to my dogs and crawled under the hay. I slept good, too.
"But now, miss, I want to oblige you an" your friends, so I"ll just drive my animals into that field. I don"t believe the owner will care."
"Well, take this in case he does," said Cora, pa.s.sing over a two-dollar bill. "Get ready now, people!" she cried gaily. "We"re going to move!"
With the aid of the beautiful collies, who seemed to be able to do everything but talk, the herder drove his sheep through the lowered bars of the pasture.
Then, with the bars up again, so they could not come out, the man waved for the auto to proceed, swinging his cap at the boys and girls in token of good will. Cora"s _Whirlwind_ speeded up, followed by the others, and soon they were on the broad, level highway that led to Mooreville.
"Cora, I simply must speak or I"ll----" began Bess.
"Don"t burst!" cautioned Jack, running his car up alongside his sister"s.
The road was wide enough for three for a short distance.
"Wasn"t that the same woman who was at your house?" went on Bess.
"I"m sure of it," a.s.sented Cora. "Only I didn"t want to speak of it before him, Poor creature! What a plight to be in! No place to stay!"
"But that silver purse!" cried Bess. "And the money----" She stopped suddenly and looked at her sister. "Belle Robinson, you never gave that to her!" she cried.
"Yes I did," admitted Belle. "I slipped it into the pocket of her cloak.
I could see she needed it."
""Bread upon the waters,"" quoted Cora. "I was wondering where she got it when the man mentioned it. To think of hearing about her again. Girls, I"m sure she must be, in some way, tragically mixed up in our lives. We are destined to meet her again, I"m sure."
"Well, I can"t afford another silver purse," said Belle, smiling. "It will have to be plain leather next time."
"We"ll all chip in," declared Jack.
"Well, we must make time now," a.s.serted Cora.
They found a rather anxious restaurant keeper looking down the road up which they came, but he became all smiles when he saw the merry party, and soon they were sitting down to a plain, but well-cooked and substantial meal. And they all had appet.i.tes, too!
"We will spend the night at the Mansion House, in Fairport," spoke Cora, consulting a list after dinner. "I will telephone for rooms."
"Perhaps you had better let me," suggested Cousin Mary, and she made the arrangements over the wire.
Once more they were under way again, and all went well until Jack shouted that his tire had gone flat and would have to be pumped up.
"Go ahead--don"t wait for us!" he called to his sister. "We can speed up and catch you."
"Don"t take the wrong road," Cora cautioned, and then Jack and Ed got out the repair kit. The work took them longer than they had expected, and it was getting dusk when they were ready to proceed.
"We"ll never make it before dark, old man," said Ed.
"Oh, I guess we will. I"m going to fracture some speed limits," and Jack opened wide the throttle. The _Get There_ did make good time, but it was not worthy of its name. For, after going for some time, Jack felt that he must be nearing Fairport. He got out to look at a sign post, lighting a match to distinguish the directions. Then he uttered an expression of dismay.
"What is it?" asked Ed, anxiously. "Something else gone wrong, Jack?"
"Yes--_we"ve_ gone wrong!"
"How so?"
"Why, we"re on the Belleville turnpike, and to my certain knowledge we"re about fifteen miles off the right road for Fairport. I thought that fellow we asked, about sunset, didn"t seem very sure of his directions.
He told us wrong--maybe not on purpose--but wrong just the same. Ed, old man, we are lost in a dismal country with night coming on. Please groan and shiver for me, while I think of the proper thing to say. We"re lost!"
"Well, the only thing to do is to go back," remarked Ed, philosophically.
"Come on. Luckily the roads are good."
"Hark! Some one is coming!" exclaimed Jack, as he heard footfalls on the hard highway. "I"ll ask him. Maybe there"s a short cut to Fairport."
The figure advanced out of the darkness into the glare of the lights on Jack"s car. Then he exclaimed involuntarily:
"It"s a girl!"
CHAPTER VII
WORRIES
"Where shall we leave our cars?" asked Belle.