AT THE FESTIVAL
While Dora and her cousins were talking to Minnie the others had sought
out Mr. Sanderson, who was down in the barn superintending the stowing
away of some grain. The farmer listened with interest to what they had
to tell him about Blackie Crowden, but shook his head dolefully.
"I'm pretty well satisfied that they'll never get that money back for me
now," he announced. "A fellow of that character would use up cash about
as fast as he could lay hands on it."
"Well, let us live in hopes," returned Dick, not knowing what else to
say.
The farmer asked them about their tour, and said he trusted that they
would have a good time. Then Sam ventured to mention Songbird.
"Better not talk to me about that young man," declared Mr. Sanderson,
drawing down the corners of his mouth. "He may mean well enough, but
he's not my kind, and I've told Minnie she had better stop having him
call and also stop writing to him."
"Oh, Mr. Sanderson! I think you are doing our chum an injustice," cried
Sam. "It wasn't his fault that he was robbed of that four thousand
dollars."
"Humph! That's as how you look at it," grumbled the farmer. "I've said
what I think, and I'll stick to it." And nothing that the Rovers could
say would alter his decision in this matter.
"Oh, I'm so sorry for Minnie I really don't know how to express myself,"
were Dora's words, when the party were once more on the way to the
Ashton hotel. "If her father compels her to give up Songbird it will
just about break her heart."
"I don't believe she's the one to give up Songbird," answered Sam. "She
isn't that kind of girl," and he looked at Grace. But her eyes at that
moment were turned in another direction. He followed the look and saw
that she was gazing at Chester Waltham, who, with his sister, had driven
their car to meet the others.
"There is one thing about this whole matter that worries me," said Dick,
"and that is that when they catch this Blackie Crowden--and I think
they'll land on the fellow sooner or later--most of the money may be
gone. There will be some satisfaction in placing such a rascal behind
the bars, but that won't give Mr. Sanderson his cash back nor lift that
mortgage."
"We've just got news and we thought we would let you know about it,"
cried Ada Waltham, as the runabout came to a standstill close to the
other automobiles. "There is to be a grand festival at Larkinburg this
evening, and if it is not necessary to stay in Ashton to-night we might
as well go to that place and attend the festival. I received a letter at
the Ashton post-office from two girls who used to go to Hope, and they
are to be at the affair, and they write that it will be well worth
attending."
"Oh, yes, let us go to Larkinburg by all means!" cried Grace. "I know
the two girls--Jennie Cross and Mabel Stanford. The festival will
certainly be well worth while if they say so."
"Let me see--how many miles is it to Larkinburg?" questioned Tom.
"Only sixty, so we can make the run with ease if we start directly after
lunch," answered Chester Waltham.
The matter was talked over for a few minutes, and as a result it was
decided to go ahead and make the town mentioned in ample time to attend
the festival.
"They are going to have a concert and some outdoor tableaux, with
refreshments," said Grace. "Ada was telling me all about it."
"Well, that will be much better than staying in Ashton doing nothing,"
returned Dora. "And, besides, we must be getting along on our trip. Dick
says we are really a day behind in our schedule."
During the stop at the Ashton hotel for lunch, Chester Waltham had been
very attentive to Grace and had asked her if she did not wish to change
places with his sister on the run to Larkinburg; but she had declined,
offering some excuse which was far from satisfactory to the young
millionaire.
"I thought you were going to put in part of this tour with me," he had
said, rather reproachfully. "Besides, if you will come in with me it
will give Ada a chance to visit with the others."
"Well, I'll ride with you some time," Grace had answered. "I want Ada to
have as good a time as any of us."
The long hours spent on the road had proved rather tiring to Mrs.
Stanhope and Mrs. Laning, and when Larkinburg was reached they were glad
enough to rest in a comfortable room which Dick engaged for them.
"You young folks can go to the festival," said Mrs. Stanhope, with a
smile. "We are going to stay here and go to bed early;" and so it was
arranged.
The festival was held in a large grove bordering a beautiful stream and
located some distance from the center of the town. As soon as our
friends had arrived they had called up the two former students of Hope,
and it had been decided that these girls, along with their escorts,
should join the others and all should attend the festival together.
"We can easily pack the whole crowd in our three cars," announced Dick.
"I can't carry any extra people in my runabout," complained Chester
Waltham. "Of course, one of the fellows might stand on the running
board, but----"
"We'll take them, don't worry," answered Sam. "We've got some vacant
seats, you know, and four extra won't count."
The girls from Hope were a jolly pair and so were the two young men who
accompanied them. All got in the Rovers' machines, and away they went,
followed closely by the Waltham runabout. A parking space had been set
aside, and there our friends found themselves surrounded by machines of
all sorts, and a jolly, laughing crowd numbering several thousands of
people.
"Oh, how pretty!" burst from Grace's lips, as they strolled toward the
place where the concert and the tableaux were to be given.
A stage had been constructed among some trees and bushes with a
background of the river, and here scores of lamps and lanterns twinkled
forth. The seats were placed along a sloping bank, and soon the whole
crowd was gathered to listen to the opening number of the concert.
As soon as the machines were parked Chester Waltham, almost ignoring his
sister, had devoted his attention to Grace, doing this while Sam was
busy talking over some matters with his brothers. Waltham had walked
over to the seats with Grace beside him, and now he saw to it that she
was placed where he could talk to her with ease. This, of course, did
not particularly suit Sam, but he was helpless in the matter and so made
the best of it.
The concert was a fine one and the tableaux, which were interspersed
between the various musical numbers, were intensely interesting.
"Certainly well worth attending," was Tom's comment, when that portion
of the festival came to an end amid a loud clapping of hands.
"And now for some refreshments," announced Dick. "Come on, let us hurry
or the tables may all be filled," for some long tables decorated with
lanterns had been set under the trees at one side of the grove.
"My! but it is rather chilly here," was Grace's comment, when they were
moving toward the tables. "I feel positively cold."
"Didn't you bring your jacket?" questioned Sam.
"Yes, but I left it in the auto."
"I'll go and get it," he returned, and ran off to procure the garment.
He found that more machines had come in, and it was some little while
before he could locate their automobile and pick out the jacket.
In the meanwhile, Chester Waltham, leaving his sister with the other
girls from Hope, had gone on with Grace and seated her at one of the
tables, with the others of the party opposite. There was but one vacant
seat left next to Grace, and this the young millionaire appropriated.
"I don't know what Sam will do when he gets here," remarked Grace,
anxiously.
"Oh, I guess he'll find a seat somewhere," answered Chester Waltham,
coolly.
The youngest Rover was rather surprised on getting back to find every
seat filled and the young millionaire sitting beside the girl who was so
dear to his heart, but he made no comment. He helped Grace don the
jacket, and then stood back until there was a vacant seat at a table
some distance away.
"I think it was rather mean of Chester Waltham to appropriate that
seat," whispered Nellie to Dora while they were being served.
"I think so myself, Nellie," was the low reply.
At last the festival came to an end, and all those in the crowd prepared
to go home.
"I hope you enjoyed your refreshments," said Sam, rather coolly, as he
came up to Grace's side.
"Why, yes, I enjoyed them very much," answered the girl. She looked at
him rather pointedly. "Didn't you think the sandwiches and cake and
other things were very nice?"
"Nice enough," he grumbled. "Come on, let us get back to the hotel, I'm
as tired as a dog," and he started to walk away, leaving the others to
follow him.
His words and the manner in which they were spoken rather nettled Grace,
and she walked toward the automobiles in silence, with the others in
front and behind her. But Chester Waltham remained at her side, and as
they approached the machines he caught her by the arm.
"Say, Grace, come on and take a ride with me," he half whispered. "It's
a beautiful night. Come on, you don't want to go back to the hotel
yet."
"But what about Ada?" she questioned.
"Oh, she can take your place in one of the other autos, can't she?"
"I--I--suppose so," faltered Grace. She hardly knew how to go on. She
did not wish particularly to take a ride with Waltham, and, at the same
time, she was hurt over the way Sam had spoken to her.
"See here, Sis," cried the young millionaire, "I am going to take Miss
Laning back in my runabout. She says you can take her place with the
Rovers."
"Oh, all right, Chester," answered the sister. "Hope you have a nice
time of it," she added to Grace.
There was a large crowd down among the automobiles, and our friends had
all they could do in the semi-darkness to get their machines out on the
road in safety.
"Where is Grace?" demanded Sam, as some of the others came up to him. He
had just turned on the lights of both cars.
"She is going to ride back with Chester," answered Ada Waltham. "You'll
have to let me ride back with you," and she laughed lightly.
"Oh, all right. Come ahead," returned the youngest Rover. He spoke as
lightly as he could. He did not wish to let the others know his true
feelings. There was a strange bitterness in his heart, and for the
moment he wished that he had never come on this tour.