The on the March Part 8 (1/2)
”What I'm wondering,” said Bessie, ”is what Miss Eleanor did to keep them from getting Zara. If you ask me, that's the really clever thing that's been done to-day. I was dreadfully frightened when I decided that was what they were up to.”
”Well, your telegram helped,” said Dolly. ”If it hadn't been for that, they'd have been taken completely by surprise. Just imagine how they would have felt, if they'd looked up when their train stopped at Canton, and had seen Farmer Weeks coming down the aisle.”
”It would have been dreadful, wouldn't it, Bessie? Do you know, Miss Eleanor wasn't a bit anxious to have us stay behind? She was afraid something would happen, I believe. But it's certainly a good thing that you thought of doing it, and had your way.”
”I was afraid they'd try to play some sort of a trick, Dolly. That's why I wanted to wait. I couldn't tell what it would be, but I knew that if Jake was there it wouldn't do any harm to watch him and see what he did. I didn't expect to get him on our side, though. Before I talked to him, of course, I was really only guessing, but he told me all he knew about the plan. They hadn't told him everything, but with what I had guessed it was enough.”
”No one trusts him, you see, Bessie. It's just as I said.”
”Well, do you know, I shouldn't wonder if that was one reason for his being so untrustworthy, Dolly. Maybe if he finds that we are going to trust him, it will change him, and make him act very differently.”
”I certainly hope so, Bessie, but I'm afraid of him. I'm afraid that they will find out what we've done, and try to use him to trick us, now that we think he's on our side.”
”We'll have to look out for that, Dolly, of course. But I don't believe he's as black as he's painted. He must have some good qualities. Perhaps they'll begin to come out now.”
At Bay City, where they arrived comparatively early in the afternoon, they had a surprise, for Miss Eleanor and all the girls were at the station to meet them, including Zara, who looked nervous and frightened.
”Oh, I'm so glad you've come here safely, Bessie,” said Eleanor, flinging her arms about Bessie's neck. ”Your train came right through, didn't it?”
”Yes, and we saw Mr. Holmes and the rest of them on the platform at Canton,” said Bessie, laughing. ”Did they get aboard your train?”
”Did they?” cried Eleanor. ”They most certainly did, and when they couldn't find either you or Zara, they were so angry that I was afraid they were going to burst! I don't believe I ever saw men so dreadfully disappointed in my life.”
”How did you manage to hide Zara?”
”That was awfully funny, Bessie. I found some friends of mine were on the train, travelling in a private car. As soon as I got your telegram, I went back to see them. They had a boy with them, who is just about Zara's size. So Zara dressed up in a suit of his clothes, and she was sitting in their car, with him, when they came aboard to look for her.”
”Did they look in that car?”
”Yes. They had a warrant, or something, so they had a right to go everywhere on the train--and they did!”
”I should think the people who didn't have anything to do with us must have been furious.”
”Oh, they were, but it didn't do them any good. They searched through the whole train, but Zara looked so different in boy's clothes that they never even seemed to suspect her at all. She kept perfectly still, you see, and after they had held us up for nearly an hour, we came on.”
”Oh, how mad they must have been!”
”You ought to have seen them! It made us very late getting here, of course, and we missed the train we were to take to Green Cove. But I think we would have waited here, anyhow, until you came. I was very anxious about you, Bessie. What a clever trick that was! If it hadn't been for you, we would have been caught without a chance to do anything at all.”
”Bessie's made friends with Jake Hoover, too,” said Dolly, disgustedly. ”Tell Miss Eleanor about that, Bessie.”
”You did exactly the right thing,” said Eleanor, when she had heard the story, much to Dolly's disgust. ”I agree with Dolly that we will have to look out for him, just the same, but there is a chance that he may do what he promised. Anyhow, there's a lot to gain and very little to lose.”
CHAPTER XII.
PLUM BEACH.
On the way to Plum Beach, on the little branch line that carried the girls from Bay City to Green Cove, Eleanor was very thoughtful, and Bessie and Dolly were kept busy in telling the other girls of their experiences. They wanted to hear from Zara, too, just how she had escaped.
”I don't see how you kept your face straight,” said Dolly. ”I know I would have burst right out laughing, Zara.”
”You wouldn't think so if you knew Farmer Weeks,” said Zara, making a wry face. ”I can tell you I didn't want to laugh, Dolly. Why, he was within a few feet of me, and looking straight at me! I was sure he'd guess that it was I.”
”He always looks at everyone that way--just as if they owed him money,” said Bessie. ”Nasty old man! I don't blame you for being nervous, Zara.”
”Oh, neither do I,” said Dolly. ”But it was funny to think of his being so near you and having no idea of it. That's what would have made me laugh.”
”It seems funny enough, now,” admitted Zara, with a smile. ”But, you see, I was perfectly certain that he did have a very good idea of where I was. I was expecting him to take hold of me any moment, and tell the constable to take me off the train.”
”I wonder how long this sort of thing is going to keep up,” said Margery Burton, angrily. ”Until you two girls are twenty-one?”
”I hope not,” laughed Bessie, and then she went on, more seriously, ”I really do think that if Jake Hoover sticks to what he said, and takes our side, Mr. Jamieson is likely to find out something that will give him a chance to settle matters. You see, we've been fighting in the dark so far.”
”I don't see that we've been fighting at all, yet,” said Margery. ”They keep on trying to do something, and we manage to keep them from doing it. That's not my idea of a fight. I wish we could do some of the hitting ourselves.”
”So do I, Margery. And that's just what I think we may be able to do now, if we have Jake on our side. He must know something about what they've been doing. They couldn't keep him from finding out, it seems to me.”
”But will he tell? That seems to be the question.”
”Yes, that's it, exactly. Well, if he does, then we'll know why they're doing all this. You see, Mr. Jamieson can't figure on what they're going to do next, or how to beat them at their own game, simply because he doesn't know what their game is. They know just what they want to do, while we haven't any idea, except that they're anxious to have Zara and myself back where Farmer Weeks can do as he likes with us.”
”Well, it would be fine to be able to beat them, Bessie, but right now I'm more worried about what they will try to do next. This is a pretty lonely place we're going to, and they're so bold that there's no telling what they may try next.”
”That's so--and they know we're coming here, too. Jake told them that.”
”They would probably have found it out anyhow,” said Dolly. ”And there's one thing--he didn't try to warn them that you knew about what they meant to do at Canton, Bessie.”
”No, he didn't. And he could have done it very easily, too. Oh, I think we can count on Jake now, all right. He's pretty badly frightened, and he's worried about himself. He'll stick to the side that seems the most likely to help him. All I hope is that he will go to see Mr. Jamieson.”
”Do you think he will?”
”Why not? Even if they get hold of him again, I think there will be time enough for him to see Mr. Jamieson first. And I've got an idea that Mr. Jamieson will be able to scare him pretty badly.”
”All out for Green Cove,” called the conductor just then, appearing in the doorway, and there was a rush for the end of the car.
”Well, here we are,” said Eleanor. ”This isn't much of a city, is it?”
It was not. Two or three bungalows and seash.o.r.e cottages were in sight, but most of the traffic for the Green Cove station came from scattered settlements along the coast. It was a region where people liked to live alone, and they were willing to be some distance from the railroad to secure the isolation that appealed to them. A little pier poked its nose out into the waters of the cove, and beside this pier was a gasoline launch, battered and worn, but amply able, as was soon proved, to carry all the girls and their belongings at a single load.
”Thought you wasn't coming,” said the old sailor who owned the launch, as he helped them to get settled aboard.
”We missed the first connecting train and had to wait, Mr. Salters,” said Eleanor. ”I hope you didn't sell the fish and clams you promised us to someone else?”
”No, indeed,” said old Salters. ”They're waitin' for you at the camp, ma'am, and I fixed up the place, too, all s.h.i.+pshape. The tents is all ready, though why anyone should sleep in such contraptions when they can have a comfortable house is more'n I can guess.”
”Each to his taste, you know,” laughed Eleanor. ”I suppose we'll be able to get you to take us out in the launch sometimes while we're here?”