THE "CHELTON"
"Oh, isn't it exciting?" cried Marita, who had managed to have Jack
help her over the dunes on the way to the dock.
"You're right!" replied Jack, surveying her "nautical" outfit.
"Couldn't beat it."
"Silly! I mean going for the cruise."
"Oh, I thought you meant that rig you're wearing. It is most becoming,
but I hope it won't get wet."
"Oh, the water won't hurt it. I got it on that account. I think the
girls' maroon sweaters look dandy--they can be seen for such a
distance."
"Yes, I suppose togs have something to do with a good time, although I
must say Cora doesn't seem to give much time to hers. Look at Marita
in white. She looks like a French doll."
"Oh, she is the cutest thing!" replied Lottie, in her gushing way.
"But Cora is simply stunning! Just see how she stands out in the
crowd."
Lottie and Jack strolled through the moss-padded path that led to the
white sands of Tangle Turn, talking in this vein as they went. It was
indeed a merry crowd, and well worth noticing, as was evinced by the
number of curious spectators already assembled on the dock to which
the _Chelton_ was tied.
"Who's the man?" asked Jack, espying a striking figure in the throng.
"Oh, that's Uncle Denny; don't you know him? He is the dearest----"
"Now, Lottie, I can see his bald head under his cap at this distance
without marine glasses, and it's a rule of the club that 'dears' have
special advantages in the matter of healthy heads of hair. But, of
course, if you wish to call him 'dear'----"
"Jack, you are the greatest tease," she pouted.
Bess, Belle and Cora had already reached the motor boat. Denny was
proudly "looking her over," pipe in mouth and hands in pockets. The
girls were bustling about, all enthusiasm, while the boys, assuming an
air of importance, found many points to investigate.
"Now take seats," called Cora, "we are ready to push off. Lottie,
don't lean overboard."
"Oh, I am watching the cutest little fish. See, Bess," she exclaimed.
Ed was on the dock with the rope loose from the cleat. Cora was at the
steering wheel, while Denny insisted on turning the fly wheel, as that
seemed about the most difficult thing to do. The gasoline was turned
on, Jack attending to that, and as Denny gave the fly wheel a vigorous
turn, Ed pushed off and jumped into the boat. The "push" sent the
_Chelton_ out in the water, but the motor failed to do its duty. Again
Denny tried, but still no response. As this is not unusual with any
motor, whether new or old, all hands waited patiently.
"Oh, there's the _Dixie_!" called Lottie, jumping up and waving to an
approaching boat.
At that instant the _Chelton_ started with a jerk, and there was a
chorus of screams.
"Lottie's overboard!" cried the girls.
"Overboard!" repeated the boys.
"Quick!" begged Cora. "She may sink!"
To bring the boat to a sudden stop was not an easy matter, and there
were some moments of suspense before the _Chelton_ passed safely to
the other side of the spot where Lottie was struggling.
The water was not so deep but that she was able to scramble to her
feet, but the wash of the boat forced her to work violently to keep
her head above water.
"The rope!" called Cora, who had dashed from her position at the
steering wheel to the side of the boat where the mooring rope had been
dropped. In the excitement, of course, all crowded to one side of the
small craft, which caused it to careen alarmingly.
"There! There!" shouted Ed. "Lottie, grab the rope!"
"Oh, I can't," came the rather weak and shaky reply. "I can't reach
it."
By this time the _Dixie_, the innocent cause of the accident, was
alongside. Drayton Ward, the wealthy young fellow who could boast of a
motor boat that would have aroused comment even at Newport, leaned
over the side and grasped the arm of the girl in the water. The rest
was a simple matter, for soon Lottie was assisted over the rail of the
_Dixie_, and was in the finest boat on Crystal Bay.
"What do you think of that?" gasped Bess into Cora's ear.
"Clever!" replied Cora, simply.
"But the togs?" queried Jack, to whom the accident had seemed
something of a joke.
"What a pity," returned Belle, "and she did look so sweet!"
All this time the drenched girl was being most carefully looked after
by the gallant captain of the _Dixie_. He was seeing to it that she
did not suffer from a chill, for a big coat had been wrapped around
her and her pretty white cap that had merrily floated off was now
replaced by one marked "Dixie." Altogether, for a mere Summer dip,
Lottie was having a magnificent time, as Ed took pains to observe.
"Oh, I can't go with you now!" called Lottie. "Mr. Ward has kindly
offered to take me home."
There was a pause after that remark. If Lottie went back to the
bungalow it seemed only reasonable that someone should go with her.
But who? Everyone wanted to take the trip on the _Chelton_.
"Let us take you up to the point," called Cora, "and we can wait for
you to change and come back. Our trip would be spoiled with one of the
party missing."
"Let's shift," suggested Drayton, with a gracious smile at Cora. "Mine
is probably the faster boat. You get in here with us, Miss Cora, and
we will run up and down the bay while your friends are working off the
oil smoke. That's a neat little boat you have, a perfect little
model," he finished, coming as close as possible to the _Chelton_.
"Yours is all right, too, Dray," replied Jack, "but it looks too good
to be true. Doesn't shoot up on land for a change, does it? I have
heard of _Dixies_ doing that stunt."
"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Lottie. "I am freezing to death. I guess I'll go
change my dress."
"Good idea," agreed Cora, who was ready to leave her boat and go back
to the bungalow with Lottie. "Come on," and she jumped to the dock to
which her boat had drifted. "I'll run along with you."
"Nice way to treat a fellow," complained Drayton. "Well, fellows, I'll
race you while we are waiting for the ladies to return. What do you
say, Jack?"
"I'm willing, as long as Cora has finally condescended to let me touch
the wheel. Everybody sit down this time."
Without a word all hands, keen for a race as soon as one was
suggested, took seats, and the two boats veered out into the bay and
"lined up" for the start. Denny was the proudest engineer imaginable,
and constantly looked over the fine mechanism.
"Ready!" shouted Ed, and at the word both throttles were thrown wide
open and the boats shot up the bay, emitting clouds of smoke from
their newly oiled works, and "chugging" so rapidly that the sounds
were drowned in a roar. It was a pretty sight, for in the girls' boat
a line of colored sweaters and waving caps lent life to the gray of
the waters, while Drayton, in his glistening, highly-polished _Dixie_,
only needed the glint that the sun lent to complete the picture
afforded by his fine craft.
"Oh, isn't this glorious!" exclaimed Marita. "I thought I should be
frightened, but this is--lovely."
"Frightened!" repeated Belle. "I used to be so afraid of the water I
couldn't see anything but the bottom every time I came out; but now I
just love it."
"Hey there, Dray!" shouted Ed. "You're out of the course. Get in from
shore!"
"He's keeping his eye on those girls on the beach," laughed Walter.
"Those are the lassies who have the white canoe." So saying he waved
his own cap and a flutter of handkerchiefs from the beach came back in
recognition.
"Turn at the island," ordered Denny.
Here a white flag fluttered, the stake left from some recent sailing
races. Gracefully the _Chelton_ rounded the stake first. Drayton had
lost time in running too close to shore. Only a minute later the
_Dixie_ swayed after the _Chelton_, then the final stretch was taken
up in earnest. Spectators on the bank might wave now, but the
motorists had no eyes for them. A slight miss in the _Chelton's_
explosion brought Denny and Ed to their feet--there should be no break
in the rhythm of that chug.
"She's all right," Ed called to the old sailor, "only too much oil."
Denny shook his head lest a word might interfere with the boat's
motion. Dray stood up and did something that caused the bow of his
boat to shoot up, while the stern seemed to bury itself in the waves.
"His is a racer," Walter told Bess, who was as intent as any of the
watchers on the result of the trial of speed.
"Maybe ours will turn out to be a winner," Bess responded. "We keep
pretty close."
Jack never took his hand off the steering wheel, Denny was watching
the engine, and the others were peering down the straight course
ahead.
"Oh, I'm getting all wet," exclaimed Marita, for the spray was dashing
in on all sides.
"Get down in the bottom," advised Walter, "we can't slacken up now. Or
go in the cabin if you like and close the ports."
This was a signal for all three girls to slip down to the floor of the
boat and while they lost the good view afforded from the seats, they
evidently enjoyed the change, and craned their necks to see over the
sides.
"Of course Dray will win," complained Belle. "We couldn't expect to
beat the _Dixie_."
"We might," encouraged Bess. "Cora said this boat had remarkable speed
for its size."
"Gee, whiz!" shouted Walter, "look at that spray deluge Dray!"
"And she's missing," added Ed, for the sounds from the _Dixie_ were
distinctly out of time.
Suddenly Dray's boat slowed down, and the _Chelton_ shot so far ahead
that it was plain something had happened to the _Dixie_.
Jack stood up and looked back. "Something is wrong," he said. "We had
better not get too far ahead. Dray is fussing with the carbureter."
The race was over. The girls stood up from their hiding place and Jack
turned the boat about. By this time Dray had turned off the gasoline
and the _Dixie_ merely heaved up and down on the swells.
"What's the matter, Dray?" called Walter. "Something given way?"
"I don't know," answered Dray, "she simply won't 'mote.'"
"Let me take a look at her," suggested Denny, ever eager for a new
adventure.
"Oh, there are Cora and Lottie!" exclaimed Belle. "Can't we go in for
them, and look after Dray's boat afterward?"
"That would be a nice way to treat a ship in distress," said Denny,
"but excuse me," and he showed regret at his remark. "I shouldn't be
thinkin' of a lad when the young girls are needin' help."
"Oh, the girls are all right," Jack assured the old seaman; "but say,
Dray," he called, "what's the matter, anyhow?"
"Just give me a line and tow me in, then we will hold a post mortem,"
replied Dray, good humoredly. "I don't fancy taking her apart out
here."
"Good!" exclaimed Marita, "then we can go for Cora and Lottie."
Promptly the brand new rope of the _Chelton_ was tossed to the
disabled boat and fastened, then the two boats started for shore.
Cora and Lottie were waiting. The latter had shed her wet "garments of
vanity," as Belle described them, for a simple brown linen frock.
"What happened?" called Cora, as the boats neared shore.
"Mis-happened," answered Dray. "It was just fate. We couldn't expect
to beat the motor girls."
"Nice of you," acknowledged Cora, "but I am sorry if there is anything
wrong with your beautiful boat."
"It's the boat and not the boy," remarked Ed. "Well, we'll do as much
for you some day, Cora. Wait until we get our little _Lassie_ out.
She, being a mere girl, may have a show."
"What's the matter, Lottie?" asked Bess, as they landed and the girls
noted that Lottie was remarkably quiet, and even a trifle pale.
"Not a thing," Cora hurriedly answered, while she crushed her fingers
on Lottie's arm. "We were detained at the bungalow, that's all. We'll
tell you all about it later on."
The girls gathered around Cora and Lottie at this remark. But Cora, by
some mysterious signal system, had warned Lottie not to say anything,
and she soon joined the boys, who had already boarded the _Dixie_ to
overhaul her.
They looked at the engine, at the spark plugs, at the cylinder, but
Cora, who happened to have more room at the point where the carbureter
was situated, suddenly exclaimed:
"I've got it! Water in the carbureter!"
"Right-o!" confirmed Dray, in another moment. "The spray mixed with
the gas--dashed over into the air in-take valve. Moral, go slow, for
water sometimes is fatal, even in a good cause!"
"Shame to spoil the race," said Ed; "we were just warming up."
"It's all right," commented Denny, "and a good lesson. I never knew
myself that too much speed would do the like of that. Well, I must be
off doin' some chores. I've been a-galavantin' most of the day, and
the fishes of Crystal Bay are not educated to come up to me door yet.
Thank you for the sport. It was fine," he concluded, genially.
"Indeed you must come along again," Cora urged. "This was only a
baby-trial. We will want to be going out on the deep soon; then you
must come along."
"Thank you, very kindly," Denny called, as he started off. "The deep
is a bad place for young 'uns, I can tell you. Better stick around
shore."
"Tell us what is the matter, Lottie," demanded Bess, for Lottie had
not yet recovered her self-possession.
"Oh, I guess I had a chill," she evaded, glancing at Cora.
"And the mere sight of a couple of strange men startled her," Cora
added. "I have warned her there may be lots of strange men around
Crystal Bay."
"But not the same strange men every time," Lottie put in. This gave a
clue to her fright. The men who had secluded themselves under the
Lonely Willow that morning had appeared again, this time in the
vicinity of the girls' bungalow, now known as the "Motely Mote."