"Oh, what is it?" wailed Margery.
No one was able to answer the question for the moment. It was a
startling interruption. Even Harriet, though unafraid, could not make up
her mind what was the meaning of the outbreak.
Now she saw what the lights were. They were flaring torches made from
cat-tails. Then all at once she recalled that the Tramp Club boys played
harmonicas. She had heard them play once before.
"Don't be afraid, girls. It is the boys," said Harriet in a relieved
tone.
"The boys?" questioned Miss Elting. Then her face lighted up
understandingly. "Oh the rascals!" she exclaimed.
The girls now that they knew no danger threatened them stood perfectly
still, waiting for the concert to come to an end.
"You may come in, boys, when you have finished your concert," called the
guardian. "We have enjoyed the serenade very much."
The music and shouting ceased abruptly. A moment later Captain Baker
stepped into the camp. His face was flushed, but there was a certain
sheepishness about him that made Harriet Burrell's eyes twinkle.
"Why, Captain! We did not look for you this evening," greeted Miss
Elting.
"Thought you had given us the slip, did you?" grinned George. "You'll
have to get up earlier in the morning, to do that."
"Oh, won't you though!" chorused his companions trooping in after their
captain.
"But how did you find us?" questioned Harriet.
"Easiest thing in the world. We followed Miss McCarthy's car tracks."
"Where to?" twinkled Jane.
"All over the country. You surely led us a fine chase. But we found you,
just the same."
Tommy now ventured from the tent.
"Thay, you nearly thcared me to death," she chided. "What do you boyth
want?"
"Why, Tommy, they came to serenade us," reproved Miss Elting. "We
enjoyed the music very much," she said, turning toward the boys. "If you
will sit down and play another selection, we will serve refreshments
afterwards. Jane! Will you get the things ready?"
"Yes. But the boys don't deserve it. However, so long as we are going to
win the race we can afford to treat them well," teased Jane.
The captain smiled a superior smile.
"We could have gone right on to the end of the route to-day without
stopping, if we had wished to do so. But we didn't want to take an
unfair advantage of you."
"Oh, no. You boys never do take an unfair advantage, do you?" chuckled
Crazy Jane. Miss Elting gave her a warning glance. The captain did not
observe it.
"Give them another tune, boys," George ordered.
"First please extinguish those cat-tail torches," requested Harriet.
"You will set the woods on fire, if you are not careful. Everything is
so dry now that a fire would start very easily."
The torches were ground out under foot, after which the Tramp Club
played "Home Sweet Home" on the harmonicas. At a nod from the guardian
the girls got out their combs and joined in the tune. The woodland
inhabitants probably never had heard a concert like this. It sent the
birds hopping from limb to limb in great alarm. Fortunately there were
no neighbors near at hand, so only the inhabitants of the forest were
disturbed.
Jane that day had purchased a large chocolate cake at a baker shop in
the village. She brought this out then disappeared into the tent,
emerging a few minutes later with a pail of fruit lemonade, while Hazel,
who had accompanied Jane, followed her, bearing cups and glasses. Miss
Elting busied herself with cutting the cake and Harriet served the
lemonade.
"Well, boys, here's to the candy we're going to have when we get to our
journey's end," teased Jane McCarthy, raising her glass of lemonade.
"And here," returned the captain, raising his glass with a flourish, "is
to those beautiful handkerchiefs that we're going to wear next to our
hearts for years and years to come."
"To the stars that hold our future," teased Harriet.
The captain paused with the glass of lemonade in his hand. He glanced
quickly at Harriet Burrell, but the innocent expression on her face told
him nothing. Miss Elting saw that George had something on his mind. She
suspected what it was. An amused smile played about the corners of the
guardian's mouth. There was a smile in Harriet's eyes, too, as she
caught and read the thought in the mind of Miss Elting.
After the cake and lemonade had been disposed of, the party of young
people chatted for the better part of an hour. Captain Baker, however,
appeared uneasy. Twice he essayed to speak then checked himself
abruptly.
"It's coming now," whispered Harriet. "He's trying to think of a way to
begin."
Miss Elting nodded.
"I have a confession to make," began the captain, in an embarrassed
manner.
"A confession!" exclaimed Harriet in a surprised tone.
"Yes, I have. Oh, it isn't for myself alone, but for my friends as
well," continued the captain doggedly. The other boys exhibited signs of
uneasiness.
"What about, Mr. Baker?" asked the guardian sweetly.
"It is about those melons."
"But, my dear boy, you need not apologize for them. They were simply
delicious. I can't tell you how much we enjoyed them." Miss Elting was
making it as hard for George as possible.
"It--it isn't that. Oh, what's the use? I don't know how to say it. We
hadn't any right to give you those melons, Miss Elting."
"No right? Please explain yourself, Mr. Baker."
"I'll tell you all about it. We took those melons from the farmer's
field without leave. We didn't mean to play a mean trick on you, but we
did. We didn't think the farmer would accuse you girls of stealing the
melons. We're awfully sorry he made such a fuss about it and that you
had to pay for them. Will you please let us return to you the money that
you paid him. It was our treat, you know."
"Hm-m-m! This is a serious matter," replied the guardian slowly. The
girls sat with lowered heads so that the boys might not discover the
laughter in their eyes. "I cannot accept the money for the melons. We
had better consider the incident closed. It is very manly of you,
however, to come and tell us about it. But what induced you to do so?"
"I gueth hith conthcience troubled him," suggested Tommy wisely.
"Yes, I think so. But there was something else," admitted the boy. "It
wasn't wholly conscience. We didn't realize how very wrong it was
until----"
"Until the Oracle told you," nodded Tommy.
"What!" exclaimed George. The eyes of the Tramp Club were fixed on
Tommy. "What do you mean by that?"
Harriet got up and with crossed hands before her, chin lowered, eyelids
half veiling her eyes, moved demurely toward the captain.
"Cross my palm with silver and the past and future shall be revealed to
you," she mumbled.
George Baker gazed at her, with suspicious, puzzled eyes. All at once he
sprang up.
"I know you now! I knew I had seen you before, but I couldn't place you.
You were the Star of the East!"
"Yes," admitted Harriet.
"And thhe told your fortune," chuckled Tommy.
Margery and Hazel giggled. Crazy Jane exclaimed derisively:
"Oh, boys, boys! That's the time you got your desserts! We paid you back
with interest!"
"It was a mean trick," flared George. "We never would have thought it of
you. It was the meanest trick I ever heard of. I'm sorry I made a fool
of myself by coming here and apologizing to you."
"Mr. Baker, don't lose your temper," begged Miss Elting, scarcely able
to control her voice for laughter. "We have evened our score so let's
shake hands and be friends."
"No, thank you. I'm sorry to refuse, but you have made fools of us,"
retorted George angrily.
"Oh, no. That ith not pothible," piped Tommy.
"Come on, fellows. We will get out of here before they make us angry,"
urged Captain Baker, snatching up his hat and starting away.
"Please wait," begged Miss Elting.
George shook his head.
"What about our compact?" called Harriet.
"We're going on and win the race. We'll show you that you aren't such
athletes as you think. At least you shan't make fools of us at that.
Good night."
Captain Baker and his friends strode angrily from the camp. They did not
so much as look back. Perhaps the boys were really not so angry as they
pretended to be.
"It's too bad. I didn't think they would take it that way," cried
Harriet. "I surely thought they would be able to take a joke. Well,
what's done can't be undone. There's nothing more to be done except to
go on and try to win the race."
Jane had disappeared. Where she had gone the girls did not know. It was
some time before she returned and when she did she was excited. Her hair
was awry and her face flushed.
"Jane, where have you been?" demanded the guardian.
"I've been scouting. Girls, those miserable boys are planning to play
another trick on you. They're going to start to-night and go on without
stopping until they get home. What shall we do?"
The girls gazed solemnly into each other's eyes.
"That seems to settle it," spoke up Margery finally. "Well, let them
have the race. Who cares?"
"We all care," answered Harriet, springing to her feet. "We simply must
win that race now. Everybody will laugh at us if we don't, and I just
couldn't stand it to see those boys grinning triumphantly at us
afterwards. I don't care so much about the others."
"What would you suggest, Harriet?" inquired Miss Elting.
"Suggest? Why, there is only one thing to suggest. Checkmate them at
their own game. We'll start for Meadow-Brook this very night and we'll
keep going until we get there. Are you with me, girls?"
"Yes!" shouted the girls.