CHAPTER XXIII
THE EXCURSION
When Jack returned to the bungalow, with the rescued runabout, he wasall excitement over the discovery of pretty Beatrice Blakley. He evenwent so far as to declare that she had confided in him the fact thatshe was just about to get an electric runabout, that her father was avery wealthy man, and that she was going to be at Lookout Beach allsummer!
This information was detailed in such a way as to excite thepossibility of jealousy in the other motor girls, particularly inBess, who really looked upon Jack Kimball as quite a friend--one whomshe could depend upon to look out for her particular pleasure, andgive her all the little attentions that go to make up the sum total ofa good time for the summer girl.
So the arrival upon the scene of Miss Beatrice was rather asurprise--to say the least.
"Come on, Cora," called Jack, after he had given a particularlyenthusiastic description of Beatrice's wonderful management of hersick mother, "I promised you would go to the hotel this afternoon tosee how Mrs. Blakley is, and to find out if they need anything beforeMr. Blakley gets down from town."
"Of course I'll go," replied Cora, with a sly smile. "Belle and I, orBess and I will call, certainly."
"Well, get in the machine, you three, and we boys will get ourselvesdried out. You may keep the runabout at the Clover until you are readyto go over in the afternoon. Then I'll drive you."
This assertion caused every one to laugh at Jack. The idea of hisdriving two motor girls! As if they couldn't manage a little car likethat!
"Well, we will see," said Cora, as she, Bess, and Belle climbed intothe car, which held three comfortably. "Perhaps if you are very goodwe may take you along. Or you may----"
"I say, fellows!" interrupted Ed. "I thought we were going to see thatexcursion come in from Chelton this afternoon. Some of our boys arecoming down."
"Of course," added Walter. "Jack, you don't call on B---- thisafternoon. Make it some other time. We are going down to the pier tosee the folks from home, and in the meantime, we've got a lot to do toget this camp pitched. And you are cook for the first week. Don'tforget that."
"Oh, all right," assented Jack. "Of course, if you all insist. PerhapsI can live!" and he sighed dramatically.
Two hours later the motor girls and the boys, all refreshed in correctsummer 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 everyyouth in Chelton, waving over the deck rails, as the annual summerouting of Lincoln County put in to port at Lookout Beach.
Hazel and Paul were with the Kimballs and Robinsons, so that all ourfriends from Chelton united in welcoming the excursionists.
"There's Fred!" called Jack, the first to discover a familiar face inthe big crowd.
"And there's Ben," added Ed. "As if Fred Bennet could travel withoutBen Fredericks."
"Clear the way there, please," ordered the boatman. "We must have roomfor the gangplank--that's a big crowd."
The girls left the inside aisle, and slipped under the rail to theouter walk of the pier, but the boys held to their place. Theyinsisted upon seeing the people land, and it was no little fun to bereal sojourners at the popular watering place, when so many other boysand 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 calledNannette. She was a very small creature, a cripple, and when seen byCora, the latter immediately essayed to look after the delicate child,so that she might not suffer unnecessarily in the rush and crush ofthe crowd.
And Nannette was indeed glad to see Jack Kimball. The young man almostcarried her to Cora, for Nannette was a general favorite in thevillage--one of those human buds that never blossom, but always stay inthe childhood of promise--unconscious of time and unmindful of method.
"Oh, we are so glad you came down," exclaimed Cora, embracing thechild. "You will have a lovely day. Are you tired? Did you enjoy thesail?"
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 waslittle Andy from Squaton, but so dressed up and displaying such aphysical "shine," that his friends from Chelton would scarcely haverecognized 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 wholecrowd, and let you take your pick? Seems to me you want every one yousee," but at the same time he "reached" little Andy, and led him overto the rail, behind which the motor girls were sequestered.
Andy was delighted to see Cora. He was brimming over with news--but itdid not take him long to whisper that he had something "special" totell 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 mothergot the hundred!"
"The diamond earrings have been found!" exclaimed Cora, startled atsuch a surprising piece of news.
"Yep, they're found, all right," replied Andy. "What do you think ofme 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 allthat '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 wasgone.
As he sauntered off, with his companions, Cora saw that he wascounting money--considerable money, too, it seemed to her.
Bess and Belle were busy talking to Nannette. They had not noticedAndy. 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 earringsmust have been found--he said that distinctly enough, but had they beenhidden by the orphan girls, as was the case which contained the gems?
"Cora," called Belle, "Nannette is hungry. Come up to the candykitchen, 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 peoplethat 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 thecandy 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 exhibitionkitchen. There were a few girls in white aprons, and high white caps,doing up pieces of "taffy" in papers, and working beside them were twomen, also clad in white linen. The men were popping corn over a gasstove.
"Look," said Belle. "That is how they make it. Stand here a moment andwatch."
The girls drew up in front of the window. As they stopped two men fromthe 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.
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p; "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 inconversation with them. Come on."
But both men were looking directly at Cora. She felt it was too latefor 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 candykitchen came forward with their trays of freshly-made candy. Bothgirls looked through the window--directly at Cora and at the otherswith 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 likestatues. Then they evidently saw the two men who stood directly backof Cora.
With a scream that penetrated the distance and the glass windows, thetwo unfortunate girls dropped their trays on the counter, and dashedout of the store into the kitchen, showing fright and terror as theyran.
"They saw the detectives," declared Cora. "Oh, I must reach them! Butin this crowd!"
Some one tapped Cora on the shoulder.
It was one of the Squaton detectives.
The Motor Girls at Lookout Beach; Or, In Quest of the Runaways Page 23