Part 5 (1/2)
They were hardly settled when there was a last warning cry of ”All aboard” and the train began to irls peered out to wave good-by to the boys and some of their other friends who had coloo that they took to be ”See you later!” and then the train swept around a curve, hiding the station froh, as she opened her grip to fish for the inevitable candy box, ”the boys see pretty hard
They looked as if ere already dead and buried”
”Far fro view fro to live”
The hours of the irls, and they were surprised when the porter cah with his ”Foist call fo' dinnah!”
The afternoon passed uneventfully, and they a up stories about their fellow passengers There was the quaint little man in number four who reht very easily have been a professor, judging from the number of books he carried
Then there was the freckled-faced small boy in number three whose antics kept his mother in a continual state of ”nerves” Once when he bounced one of those implements commonly known as ”spit balls” off of the bookish littleto stifle their merriment
Then there was the very pretty, but irl behind them in nu around to look at her every fivepicture actress or so, I'm sure of it,” Grace confided in Betty's unsympathetic ear ”I wonder if I could fix my hair the way she does She fascinateswith a twinkle ”You h I doubt it--but please ree”
”Well, you knoouldn't do that,” said Grace in a huff, adding uess you are just jealous, that's all”
”Uh-huh, that ood-nature that made Grace secretly ashamed of herself
”I'enerously: ”You don't need to be jealous of anybody”
”Thanks,” Betty answered, with a s hours of the afternoon wore away, dusk ca landscape in a veil of irls in conte beauty of nature that it seehts of the train flashed forth, bringing them violently back to a realization of time and place
”Don't you want any supper?” Mr Nelson was asking, in his pleasant voice ”It isn't like the Outdoor Girls to overlook ood reputation,” cried Mollie buoyantly, and away they rushed to the dressing roo on a train was no novelty to the girls, they never lost the keenness of their first delight in the experience
”It's fascinating,” Mollie re desperately at an elusive potato as the train jerked and jolted over the rails at sixty miles an hour, ”to see how often you can raise your coffee cup without spilling the coffee all over your food!”
On this night at supper Mollie was so screairls had all they could do to keep their hilarity fro them conspicuous
Mr and Mrs Nelson at a table for two across the aisle ses, and once Mrs Nelson lance and chuckled fondly
”Pretty nice set of girls?” she said softly
”Pretty nice!” Mr Nelson agreed
”I' to ere at Gold Run now,” confided Mollie, after dining She and Amy had slipped into the seat opposite Betty and Grace
”Oh, I think it's all fun,” cried Betty, for she was always the last of the Outdoor Girls to feel tired ”We change at Chicago to-hts on the train, and then Gold Run!”
”Oh, that sounds good,” cried Mollie, adding eagerly: ”Tell me, Betty, shall we be able to choose any horse ant for our own particularwith a s to see the kind of horse each one of you will choose Aentle one, Grace will choose hers for its looks and yours will be the most vicious one in the pack, Mollie”