Part 31 (2/2)

Jack ducked in and out of the crowd until he reached the girl called Nannette. She was a very small creature, a cripple, and when seen by Cora, the latter immediately essayed to look after the delicate child, so that she might not suffer unnecessarily in the rush and crush of the crowd.

And Nannette was indeed glad to see Jack Kimball. The young man almost carried her to Cora, for Nannette was a general favorite in the village--one of those human buds that never blossom, but always stay in the childhood of promise--unconscious of time and unmindful of method.

”Oh, we are so glad you came down,” exclaimed Cora, embracing the child. ”You will have a lovely day. Are you tired? Did you enjoy the sail?”

But before she could answer the other girls plied similar questions, until the little one was fairly besieged with kind attention.

”h.e.l.lo 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 sh.o.r.e dinner.”

”Land o' Goshen!” shouted Jack. ”Look--at--Andy!”

The girls turned to see what he indicated. And sure enough, there was little Andy from Squaton, but so dressed up and displaying such a physical ”s.h.i.+ne,” that his friends from Chelton would scarcely have recognized 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 whole crowd, and let you take your pick? Seems to me you want every one you see,” but at the same time he ”reached” little Andy, and led him over to the rail, behind which the motor girls were sequestered.

Andy was delighted to see Cora. He was br.i.m.m.i.n.g over with news--but it did not take him long to whisper that he had something ”special” to tell 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 mother got the hundred!”

”The diamond earrings have been found!” exclaimed Cora, startled at such a surprising piece of news.

”Yep, they're found, all right,” replied Andy. ”What do you think of me 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 all that '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 was gone.

As he sauntered off, with his companions, Cora saw that he was counting money--considerable money, too, it seemed to her.

Bess and Belle were busy talking to Nannette. They had not noticed Andy. The excursionists were now almost all landed.

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