Chapter XXIII: The Excursion

When Jack returned to the bungalow, with the rescued runabout, he was all excitement over the discovery of pretty Beatrice Blakley. He even went so far as to declare that she had confided in him the fact that she was just about to get an electric runabout, that her father was a very wealthy man, and that she was going to be at Lookout Beach all summer!

This information was detailed in such a way as to excite the possibility of jealousy in the other motor girls, particularly in Bess, who really looked upon Jack Kimball as quite a friend--one whom she could depend upon to look out for her particular pleasure, and give her all the little attentions that go to make up the sum total of a good time for the summer girl.

So the arrival upon the scene of Miss Beatrice was rather a surprise--to say the least.

"Come on, Cora," called Jack, after he had given a particularly enthusiastic description of Beatrice's wonderful management of her sick mother, "I promised you would go to the hotel this afternoon to see how Mrs. Blakley is, and to find out if they need anything before Mr. Blakley gets down from town."

"Of course I'll go," replied Cora, with a sly smile. "Belle and I, or Bess and I will call, certainly."

"Well, get in the machine, you three, and we boys will get ourselves dried out. You may keep the runabout at the Clover until you are ready to go over in the afternoon. Then I'll drive you."

This assertion caused every one to laugh at Jack. The idea of his driving two motor girls! As if they couldn't manage a little car like that!

"Well, we will see," said Cora, as she, Bess, and Belle climbed into the car, which held three comfortably. "Perhaps if you are very good we may take you along. Or you may----"

"I say, fellows!" interrupted Ed. "I thought we were going to see that excursion come in from Chelton this afternoon. Some of our boys are coming down."

"Of course," added Walter. "Jack, you don't call on B---- this afternoon. Make it some other time. We are going down to the pier to see the folks from home, and in the meantime, we've got a lot to do to get this camp pitched. And you are cook for the first week. Don't forget that."

"Oh, all right," assented Jack. "Of course, if you all insist. Perhaps I can live!" and he sighed dramatically.

Two hours later the motor girls and the boys, all refreshed in correct summer garb, without any evidence of their morning's experience, waited on the pier, while the big excursion boat Columbia sailed in, her colors flying gaily, and the hands and hats of seemingly every youth in Chelton, waving over the deck rails, as the annual summer outing of Lincoln County put in to port at Lookout Beach.

Hazel and Paul were with the Kimballs and Robinsons, so that all our friends from Chelton united in welcoming the excursionists.

"There's Fred!" called Jack, the first to discover a familiar face in the big crowd.

"And there's Ben," added Ed. "As if Fred Bennet could travel without Ben Fredericks."

"Clear the way there, please," ordered the boatman. "We must have room for the gangplank--that's a big crowd."

The girls left the inside aisle, and slipped under the rail to the outer walk of the pier, but the boys held to their place. They insisted upon seeing the people land, and it was no little fun to be real sojourners at the popular watering place, when so many other boys and girls have to be content to visit the beach for a single day.

"Oh, there's little Nannette," called Cora. "Jack! Jack!" she shouted, "bring Nannette over here. See! she is walking with that old man!"

Jack ducked in and out of the crowd until he reached the girl called Nannette. She was a very small creature, a cripple, and when seen by Cora, the latter immediately essayed to look after the delicate child, so that she might not suffer unnecessarily in the rush and crush of the crowd.

And Nannette was indeed glad to see Jack Kimball. The young man almost carried her to Cora, for Nannette was a general favorite in the village--one of those human buds that never blossom, but always stay in the childhood of promise--unconscious of time and unmindful of method.

"Oh, we are so glad you came down," exclaimed Cora, embracing the child. "You will have a lovely day. Are you tired? Did you enjoy the sail?"

But before she could answer the other girls plied similar questions, until the little one was fairly besieged with kind attention.

"Hello there!" shouted some one. "Where are the boys?"

"Brownson McLarin!" exclaimed Bess, with a slight blush. "I wonder----"

"If Teddy is with him," finished Belle, with a meaning nod to Cora. "Now, if Teddy is here, we may all depend upon Bess for a good time. Teddy would rather spend money on Bess than eat a shore dinner."

"Land o' Goshen!" shouted Jack. "Look--at--Andy!"

The girls turned to see what he indicated. And sure enough, there was little Andy from Squaton, but so dressed up and displaying such a physical "shine," that his friends from Chelton would scarcely have recognized him had not Jack pointed him out.

"Fetch him over here," begged Cora.

"Say, Cora," replied Jack, "would you like me to pull in the whole crowd, and let you take your pick? Seems to me you want every one you see," but at the same time he "reached" little Andy, and led him over to the rail, behind which the motor girls were sequestered.

Andy was delighted to see Cora. He was brimming over with news--but it did not take him long to whisper that he had something "special" to tell her, as soon as she could give him a few minutes all alone.

"What's it about?" asked Cora eagerly.

"About the 'sparklers,'" replied the lad. "We got them, and me mother got the hundred!"

"The diamond earrings have been found!" exclaimed Cora, startled at such a surprising piece of news.

"Yep, they're found, all right," replied Andy. "What do you think of me suit? And I've got more home. We got the reward."

"Who got it," demanded Cora.

"Me--I--we," stammered Andy, somewhat confused in his grammar.

"Where did you find them?" persisted Cora.

"Hey, there, Andy!" yelled a boy in a very shabby outfit. "Where's all that 'dough' you was telling us about? Come on. It's up to you," and, before Cora could get an answer from the little redheaded boy, he was gone.

As he sauntered off, with his companions, Cora saw that he was counting money--considerable money, too, it seemed to her.

Bess and Belle were busy talking to Nannette. They had not noticed Andy. The excursionists were now almost all landed.

The news so suddenly divulged by Andy confused Cora.

What did he mean by getting the reward? Of course the diamond earrings must have been found--he said that distinctly enough, but had they been hidden by the orphan girls, as was the case which contained the gems?

"Cora," called Belle, "Nannette is hungry. Come up to the candy kitchen, and we will show her how they make salt water taffy."

"All right," replied Cora. "Of course you must be hungry, Nannette, you had to leave home so early."

It was difficult to make their way through the steady stream of people that poured up the long pier. Cora walked ahead, while Bell and Bess, on either side, protected the deformed child.

"Oh, I can smell the taffy!" exclaimed the girl, as they neared the candy kitchen.

"Yes, so can I," agreed Cora. "It would almost make one hungry."

They were now in front of the store with the big glass windows. Through this glass could be seen the workers in the exhibition kitchen. There were a few girls in white aprons, and high white caps, doing up pieces of "taffy" in papers, and working beside them were two men, also clad in white linen. The men were popping corn over a gas stove.

"Look," said Belle. "That is how they make it. Stand here a moment and watch."

The girls drew up in front of the window. As they stopped two men from the excursion boat also paused to observe the candy makers.

Cora turned and looked at the men. A remark one made about "runaways" had attracted her attention.

"Oh!" she suddenly gasped. Then she clutched Belle's arm.

"Come on," she whispered. "I don't care to stand here."

"What's the matter?" asked Bess, noting the change in Cora's face.

"Those are--the detectives," she whispered. "I don't want to get in conversation with them. Come on."

But both men were looking directly at Cora. She felt it was too late for her to try to escape their scrutiny.

"Look! Look!" exclaimed Bess. "There are----"

But at that instant two girls behind the glass window in the candy kitchen came forward with their trays of freshly-made candy. Both girls looked through the window--directly at Cora and at the others with her.

"Nellie and Rose!" exclaimed Belle.

"Oh!" gasped Cora, "if I only could tell them the diamonds are found!"

For a single instant the two girls in the caps and aprons stood like statues. Then they evidently saw the two men who stood directly back of Cora.

With a scream that penetrated the distance and the glass windows, the two unfortunate girls dropped their trays on the counter, and dashed out of the store into the kitchen, showing fright and terror as they ran.

"They saw the detectives," declared Cora. "Oh, I must reach them! But in this crowd!"

Some one tapped Cora on the shoulder.

It was one of the Squaton detectives.