Part 17 (1/2)
”I mean some trick.”
”How can you tell?”
”Why, Jack's so anxious to get us off. He paid the hotel bill for me, bought me a magazine and some candy. He never does things like that unless there is something queer about to happen. Does anything seem wrong? Do I look all right?”
”Perfectly charming, Cora. That's a stunning sweater you have.”
”Yes, I like it. Then it can't be me that he's going to bother. I wish I could tell what it was.” She looked back to where Jack, with hurried politeness, was helping Belle into her car. He did not want her to have a glimpse at the rear of it.
”Well, we'll see what develops,” spoke Cora, as she slipped in first speed, and prepared to set the clutch. She gave a last look back. The little cavalcade of autos was all ready to start. That of Norton, with Walter at the wheel, and Bess on the seat beside him, was directly behind Cora's big maroon beauty, then came the machine of the twins and lastly that of Jack.
”Let her go!” shouted Jack.
Cora's machine shot forward. Norton's jumped as Walter let in the clutch.
Then Jack, with a quick motion, pulled from the back of the Robinson car, that Norton was driving, a strip of white muslin. It left revealed another, containing the words:
ON THEIR HONEYMOON
”Let 'em have it!” cried Jack.
Instantly the urchins with the paper bags opened them and a shower of rice fell over Norton and Belle, being scattered liberally over Mrs. Fordam.
”Mercy!” cried the chaperone. ”What is this? Stop it at once!” she ordered to the boys, but laughingly they persisted.
”Good luck!” cried the street lads.
”Hurray!”
”Send us a piece of wedding cake!”
Cora, turning, seeing the showers of rice and hearing the calls, guessed what had happened.
”This was Jack's trick!” she exclaimed. ”He's given the impression that this is a big wedding party. Oh, wait until I get a chance to retaliate.
Hurry up!” she cried back to Norton, who was grinning cheerfully, and trying to summon a blush to his cheeks to make him fit the part of the bashful bridegroom.
Walter shot Norton's car ahead, and Norton guided that containing the placard out into the middle of the street. There the words were more plainly seen, and good-natured laughter came from the throng, who thought they understood the situation. The rice continued to fall, for the boys had bought liberally of it, and had bribed the street urchins to throw it.
”This is terrible!” exclaimed Bess, in the car with Walter, seeing what had happened.
”It's only a joke,” he said. ”But I was afraid you girls wouldn't like it.”
”Like it? I should say not. I'm going to take that sign off our car at once.”
She made a motion as though to alight from the moving auto, but Walter detained her.
”We'll take it off when we get around the corner,” he promised.
”What does this mean?” demanded Belle, rather indignantly, of Norton.
”I guess they take this for a wedding procession,” he replied.