let Chicago alone!” advised Walter. “I’m looking after Eline. I won’t let them hurt you,” and he moved closer to her. She seemed to shrink, whereat the others laughed.
They walked about for a little while, strolling out to the Kimball garage–a rebuilt stable, where three fine machines now stood, two of them having brought the visitors. Then when they had acquired the necessary breath of air, they went back into the house.
Eline matched herself up to a Chippendale chair, while Belle, always fond of plenty of room, found it on a divan. Bess had secured one of those Roman chairs curved up at both ends, seemingly intended to prevent anyone from sitting anywhere but in the exact center. She assumed a graceful pose–everything Bess did had that attribute.
“My! it is certainly getting warmer!” complained Walter. “Maybe we should have stayed out.”
“We can talk better in here,” was Cora’s opinion. “We’ll need all the breeze that we can get on high gear if this keeps up,” said Ed, with a sigh.
“Oh, but the dust!” exclaimed Bess. “I know I’ll simply choke, and – ”
“Chew gum!” broke in Cora. “That absorbs the dust.”
“Couldn’t we chew chocolates as well?” asked Belle. “I would rather swallow half the dust of the roads from here to Sandy Point Cove and have my throat macadamized, than chew gum.”
“We’ll allow you to make yours chocolate,” conceded Jack, “though chocolates do not allow space for – ”
“Gab,” put in Norton Randolf, who seldom said anything really nice to the girls. Yet he always managed to interest them with his drawl and indifference. “We ought to get out something that would stop the talk when we get to a close turn,” he proceeded. “I’m always afraid some one will release the emergency brake on a down grade, with a rude remark.”
“He’s real bright!” chuckled Ed. “I don’t think!”
“Now, please, let’s get down to business,” suggested Cora, crisply. “The time passes so quickly, and we have a lot of matters to arrange. Bess, I put an extra wrench in your tool-box. I remembered your ability in losing those handy little articles.”
“Thanks,” drawled Bess. “But why stop at a wrench? Why not duplicate all the fixings? What I don’t lose Belle does. But then,” and she turned mocking, pleading eyes on Jack, “your brother is such a dear for fixing us up. I guess the Flyaway will be there at the finish.”
“Is it very far where you are going–to Sandy Point Cove?” asked Eline.
“Oh, yes,” answered Walter, “it’s miles and miles, and then more miles. But we are all going, little girl, so don’t worry,” and he struck a stiffly-heroic attitude to show his valor.
“It is a good thing you have a livery-stable-sized garage,” remarked Ed to Cora. “It holds all the cars very nicely.”
“Yes, there isn’t another in Chelton, except the public ones, so well arranged,” added Walter. “But we might have waited until morning to bring the machines here.”
“No, I thought it was best to have them here the night before we were to start,” explained Cora, who was to assume the leadership of the prospective trip. “Some of us might have been tempted to go out on a little spin this evening, and an accident might have occurred that would delay us.”
“Did the Petrel get off safely?” inquired Ed.
“Yes,” replied Jack. “It’s in a regular motor boat crate that the man said would stand the journey. I saw it put in the freight car myself, and well braced. It will be there waiting for us when we get to the Cove.”
“I hope it runs,” murmured Walter.
“Don’t be a pessimist–or is it an optimist? I never can tell which from what,” spoke Belle. “I mean don’t be one who’s always looking on the dark side. Look for the silver lining of the clouds.”
“Say, it’s clouding up all right,” declared Jack, as he glanced from the window.
A distant rumble was heard at that moment.
“That’s thunder!” exclaimed Belle, “and we have no umbrellas.” She glanced at her sister and Eline.
“Better have it rain to-night than to-morrow, when we want to start,” said Cora, philosophically.
“Sit by me, Belle,” pleaded Jack. “I won’t let the bad thunder hurt you.”
“We’ll all sit by each other!” proposed Walter.
This was a signal for a general change of places, each boy pretending to protect a girl.
“Now don’t let’s get off the track,” went on Cora, when quiet had been restored. “Are you all sure that you want to go directly to the Cove, and don’t care for a little side trip before reaching there? Of course it’s going to be fine at the shore, and there’s enough variety so that each one can find something she or he likes–rocks, ocean, sandy beach, a lighthouse – ”
“Where they do light housekeeping?” asked Ed, softly.
“Please don’t,” Cora begged.
“Any nice girls down there?” asked Jack, making eyes at Eline.
They all started as a particularly loud clap of thunder followed a vivid flash of lightning, and the wind rose suddenly, moaning through the trees.
“I don’t believe it will amount to much,” was Walter’s opinion. “Probably only a wind storm.”
“But I guess I’d better put down the windows on the West side,” remarked Cora. “I’ll be back in a moment – ”
As she spoke there came a dash of rain against the side of the house, and another flash of lightning was followed by a vibrating peal.
Cora screamed.
“Oh, what is it?” demanded Bess, nervously. Jack clasped her hand.
“Look!” cried Cora. “The garage–it’s on fire. I just saw a flash of flame! Our autos will be burned!”
“We’ve got to get ’em out!” declared Jack. “Come on, fellows!”
He made a dash for the door. Ed leaped through the low, open window. Walter followed Jack. The girls stood uncertain what to do.
“The lightning struck it!” gasped Eline.
“We must help to get out the autos!” cried Cora. “We must help the boys to fight the fire!”
“Telephone in an alarm!” suggested Bess.
“The autos first! The cars first! We must get them out!” Cora cried as she hurried out of the door, the three other girls trailing after. “If we get the cars out the barn can go!”
CHAPTER II
THE STRANGE WOMAN
Only for an instant had Cora Kimball hesitated. Usually
