Chapter X: Reunited

"Who was she?"

It was Cora who demanded this when, an hour or so later, Jack and Ed had been reunited to their party in the Mansion House at Fairport.

"Who was she?" and Cora looked appealingly at her brother, who smiled in a tantalizing fashion.

"We told you everything," remarked Ed. "Over the wire, you know."

"It's very easy to tell things--over the wire," remarked Belle, with a laugh. "One doesn't have to--blush, you know."

"And if one does, even the central operator can't see it," spoke Bess. "Oh, you boys have given us a big scare!"

"Scare? How?" demanded Jack, with a look at his sister. "We couldn't help getting on the wrong road."

"Perhaps not, Jack," said Mrs. Fordam, gently. "But Cora was quite worried, and has been telephoning to police stations all along the route to see if she could get any word about you and Ed."

"Did you?" asked Ed, quickly.

"There was one report of an auto accident," spoke Cora, "and I was so frightened, Jack, until I heard that it was a big car, and then I knew it couldn't be yours. But did it all happen as you've told?"

"Exactly," exclaimed Jack.

"Girl and all?" Walter wanted to know.

"The girl _most_ of all," answered Ed. "How about it, Jack old man?"

"I'm with you. She----"

"Stop!" commanded Cora. "We don't want you to incriminate yourselves any more than you have to. Besides it's getting late, and we must get some rest to be ready for an early start to-morrow morning.

"But I have been quite worried, Jack, and I couldn't get much satisfaction by telephoning. However, you're here now, and we will forgive you. Did you have supper?"

"We had--dinner," answered Ed, with a tantalizing smile. "It was a good one, too. Then we got on the right road and made pretty good time over here."

The little party of young people was in the hotel parlor. As Cora had said, it was getting late, the hands of the clock approaching the midnight hour, and they all had had rather a strenuous time that day.

Jack and Ed had left their car in the garage with the others.

"Me for the downy feathers!" exclaimed Jack, with a yawn. "You look sleepy, too, Eline."

"I'm not, even a little bit, really," and she smiled brightly.

"They keep late hours--in Chicago," remarked Belle, with a laugh.

"I really think we had better retire," said Mrs. Fordam.

"That's what I'm going to do--in the morning," spoke Jack.

"You're not going to stay up until morning, Jack!" cried Cora.

"No, that was only a joke," he explained. "I mean I'm going to have a new tire put on the _Get There_--have it re-tired you see. Get the idea? It was a joke."

"A tired one," yawned Ed. "Come on to bed."

"Say, if we try to get off any more smart sayings we'll all have the nightmare," suggested Walter.

"And it's no fun to make a tour on one of those creatures instead of in an auto," put in Norton.

The young travelers were soon on their way to that part of the hotel set aside for them. Mrs. Fordam had seen to it that the girls got the most comfortable rooms. The boys were not so particular.

"We'll try and get started by nine o'clock," suggested Cora, as she bade her brother good-night.

"That's too early," he protested. "Why, we'd have to get up and have breakfast at seven. Make it ten, Sis, and that will give me time to have that tire looked after. Otherwise I may be holding you back all along the route."

"All right," Cora assented. "We'll make it ten."

"Say, old man, who was she?" asked Walter, as he and Jack strolled along the corridor together. "Tell a fellow; can't you? I won't give you away if you were stringing the girls."

"I wasn't stringing them!" declared Jack. "It all happened just as I've said."

"But who was she?"

"A mystery of the road," put in Ed.

"Pretty?" Norton wanted to know, quickly.

"Pretty--pretty," echoed Jack. "Really all she told us was that she had been working in an office, had become tired of it and was traveling about as a sort of vacation."

"Did she look as though that might be the case?" asked Walter.

"Eminently so, my august cross-questioner," answered Jack. "And that's all I'm going to say. I'm dead tired. See you later," and he went to his room.

"Who do you suppose that girl could have been?" asked Bess of Cora a little later, as they were putting up their hair for the night.

"I haven't the least idea."

"Why, how queer. I thought you did have!" and Bess looked at Cora in rather a searching manner.

"No. Why should I?"

"Oh, I haven't any special reason for saying so, and yet--oh, well, it doesn't make any difference I suppose, but----"

"Bess Robinson, just what do you mean?" and Cora's eyes lost their slumberous inclination as she faced her chum.

"Why, Cora dear, nothing at all," and Bess spoke very sweetly. "Only, from the way you spoke to Jack, and the way he answered, I fancied--oh, really it's nothing at all. I shouldn't have said it."

"I don't like those half-formed questions, Bess. If you think anything----"

"No, really I'm too tired to think, Cora. I'm going to bed." They had adjoining rooms.

"Perhaps you have some theory yourself?" suggested Cora.

"None in the least. I don't even know what a theory is. Is it that algebra affair?"

"No," answered Cora, with a laugh. "You are hopeless, Bess. Good-night!"

Jack and the other boys were up early, despite the former's objection to a too-soon breakfast. They ate before the girls had come down, and then went around to the garage to see about the cars, Jack to get a new tire for his, while Norton wanted the ignition system of his engine gone over.

It was when these attentions had been given that Norton, with a twinkle in his eyes, exclaimed:

"Fellows, I've thought of a joke!"

"What is it?" demanded Jack.

"Hush! Listen, as the telephone girl says. Pray thee come hither," and he led the three to a corner of the garage. Then ensued some whispering.

"How's that?" demanded Norton, when he had concluded. "Won't it be rich? The girls won't know what is up, for we can get Bess and Belle into the car, without them seeing the rear of it."

"It's a good trick all right," admitted Jack rather slowly, "I only hope they won't get angry about it."

"Angry!" cried Norton. "How could they be? According to your story they've done worse than that to you fellows lots of times."

"Sure they have," declared Ed. "Go ahead and do it."

"I have my doubts," spoke Walter, deliberately, "but I'm not going to be the kill-joy. Go ahead, I'll do my share," but he was not very enthusiastic.

"We can get the cloth and paint here," went on Norton. "I'll do the lettering. You can make the pudding, Jack."

"All right. But who's to get in the car with Belle?"

"I will," exclaimed Norton, quickly. "You fellows can make some excuse. I'll let Walter drive my car, and Bess can ride with him."

"All right," assented Jack. "It's a go," and they proceeded to carry out their little joke, over the outcome of which Walter and Jack, at least, had some anxiety.