"Are you girls going to stay alone to-night?" asked Ed suddenly.
"Oh, no, indeed! We expect Nettie back from the city. Never was there a girl like Nettie for scaring away scares," replied Bess.
"But suppose she does not come?" spoke Jack. "Don"t you think it might be well----"
"To hire a special officer? No, thank you," answered Cora. "We are not the least bit afraid. Besides, we have a gun."
"The dearest little revolver," went on Bess. "Father got it specially for mamma, and she won"t even look at it, so it"s mine."
"Yes, and you most scared Nettie to death with it," interrupted the twin sister. "What do you think, boys? Nettie wouldn"t touch the thing, and actually took a dustpan and a brush and scooped the weapon up from under Bess"s pillow. Wasn"t that dangerous?"
"And dumped it in the bureau drawer," added Cora, with a laugh.
"Better let me take charge of that, Bess. I won"t take chances with Nettie scooping it up while I"m here."
"Very well, Cora. You may take charge of it. Father suggested it was not a bad thing to have along when we take lonely runs. But, of course, I should never dare to fire it even to scare a tramp."
"Say, are you girls going to stay here all summer?" asked Walter. "I thought you had planned for a tour somewhere."
"We have. We are going to tour in our cars through New England,"
answered Cora. "First, we are going to the Berkshires, then we may go to the White Mountains. Of course, we are not going to let our cars get rusty around here."
"No, indeed," put in Bess. "We are only waiting to arrange about our chaperon. Isn"t it dreadful to be a girl, and have to be toted around under some maternal wing?"
"Well, no. I shouldn"t exactly think it dreadful to be a girl," and Jack made a funny face; "that is, a real nice twin girl, with rosy eyes and blue cheeks----"
"Jack!"
"But I was just going to say," went on that young man, "that the toting around might be inconvenient--at times."
"Couldn"t a fellow or two do the toting?" asked Walter the innocent.
"That"s just exactly the trouble. If we were perfectly sure we would not meet a fellow or two," replied Belle, making a very pretty mouth at Walter, "there would be no need of the toting."
"Then don"t meet them--take them along. I"ll go."
"Me, too," added Ed.
"Me, three," multiplied Jack.
"We fully expected you all to come," drawled Cora coolly.
"Oh, you did? Isn"t that nice! They fully expected us all to come, and never told us a word about it. Now, that"s what I call real cozy, and real----"
"Jack," interrupted Cora, "have we ever had a long trip entirely without you?"
"Seems to me you did have one or two--rather disastrous they were, too, if I remember aright. But we caught up. Now this time you are really going to allow us to go in the line, eh?"
"Just to wind up the season," Cora reminded him.
"Oh, sort of a winder. Well, it"s all right, Cora. I hope we can fix it to go. When do we start, if a fellow might make bold to ask? You see, my car is in the shop. Walter has loaned his to some one up the State. But a little thing like that doesn"t matter when the girls say we shall go----"
"If we have to walk," finished Ed.
"We did plan to leave as soon as mamma could arrange about a friend of hers to accompany us," said Bess, with a sigh. "We hoped she would know when she came back to-morrow."
"Well, I"m going to take my car down to the garage," remarked Cora, getting up from the porch swing. "We can talk of the trip after tea.
And we have also decided to ask you poor, starved bungalofers to tea.
Have you had any since you went to housekeeping?"
"Ed _said_ it was tea," replied Jack, "but I think it was stove polish thinned out. We didn"t really enjoy it. Now, that"s awfully nice. To stay to tea! Bess, may I take your car in for you?"
"If you would, Jack. I am lazy after the sunny ride. Seems to me the sun never goes down at the beach."
Ed had not asked permission to run Cora"s car down the street for her, but he was now cranking up, while Walter deliberately took his place at the wheel.
"Let the "chiffonier" do the work," said Walter, with a laugh. "He loves work."
Cora stepped lightly into the tonneau of her handsome machine, and Ed followed. "To the Imperial!" he shouted into Walter"s ear, "and see that you get there, man!"
So the tables were turned, and Walter was "doing the work." As there was nothing left to do, Walter threw in the gear lever and let in the clutch, while Cora, laughing at the trick, settled herself comfortably at the side of Ed. The _Whirlwind_ skimmed along the avenue, first down to the post office and later fetched up at the garage. Bess and Jack, with Belle, followed, and as the little party glided along through the sea-side town, many admiring glances were cast in their direction.
"If Nettie does not come," remarked Ed, "are you sure, Cora, you won"t be the least bit afraid alone at the cottage?"
"Why, no. There is a telephone wire over to the hotel, and, besides, I"m going to c.o.c.k the little ivory pistol before I go to bed. A sneak thief always runs at the very sound of a pistol."
"Well, I hope you will have no occasion to fire," replied Ed, "but, if you do, fire from the south window, and we will hear you."
"And run all the way up the beach?" Cora told him, laughing at the possibility. "Why, there is always an officer on the pier, and he will be only too glad to have a run--he needs it."
"You have it all planned?"
"No, how silly! I was only thinking that in a real emergency it is well to be ready."
"I guess you won"t have any trouble. Here, man," to Walter, "don"t you know better than to drive the lady into the barn?"
But Walter paid no heed, and before the car stopped it was properly stalled in the very end of the big stone garage.
CHAPTER III
A MISHAP
"The tea was just right," declared Ed, "and I can"t see why you will not consent to let us entertain you for the remainder of the evening.
Just because the maid has not come down is surely no reason why you should lose such a fine evening"s sport."
"But we never leave the house entirely alone after dark," protested Belle vaguely.