Part 19 (1/2)

”All right,” agreed Bess soothingly. But it was lucky Nan could not see the twinkle in her eye. ”Have it your own way, Nan. Only stop turning your back to me. It isn't polite. And, oh!” she added, with a little sigh, ”I'm hungry.”

At this sudden and very unromantic change in the subject Nan laughed.

And as laughter and ill-temper never go hand in hand, it was not long before Nan had forgotten all about Walter--almost.

She produced the lunch box, and for once Bess was too ravenously hungry to protest at the ”commonness” of it, and they set to at its delicious contents with a will.

It was eight o'clock when they went into the sleeping car, as they had been unable to secure a berth in Tillbury, and had had to telegraph ahead to have one reserved on a coach which was attached to the train further along the line.

”This is more like it,” said Nan, as they entered the sleeping car.

”I'll be glad enough to go to bed just as soon as we can see no more of the scenery we are pa.s.sing.”

”Who is to take the upper berth, you or I?” demanded her companion.

”Maybe we had better toss up for it,” said Nan.

Just then the girls observed a lady on the opposite side of the aisle telling the colored porter not to fix the upper berth at all, that she and her daughter would both sleep below.

”Let's do that,” suggested Nan.

”By all means,” answered Bess; and so it was settled.

”Lots o' folks don't use dat dar upper berth,” explained the porter as he fixed the lower bed only. ”They leaves it up and dat gives 'em so much more room to stand up an' dress an' undress.”

”It will just suit us,” declared Bess.

Soon the berth was ready and a little later the girls retired.

Being together they had thought to have a good ”talk-fest,” as Bess called it. But alas! both were so tired out that they fell asleep almost before they knew it. And neither woke up until morning, when they were rolling into New York City.

”Gracious; time to get up!” and Nan lost no time in dressing and Bess followed her example.

The first part of their momentous journey had come to an end.

CHAPTER XVI

FUN AND NONSENSE

In her impatience Bess Harley thought she had never known a crowd to move so slowly. Of course all the people on the train were getting out at New York, for the simple reason that the train did not go any farther.

At any other time the girls would have been tremendously pleased about going to New York. But now, with the even more wonderful prospect of Florida looming up, New York appealed to them simply as a means to an end.

”It's that fat man at the end,” hissed Bess in Nan's ear. ”He's holding up the whole procession. What's he talking about, anyway?”

”Sh-h,” whispered Nan. ”He may hear you. Are you sure you have everything, honey?” she added, making a mental count of Bess's belongings to make certain that her careless chum had left nothing behind.

”For goodness' sake, Nan Sherwood, I wonder you don't have a record made of that question and then turn it on every five minutes or so,” said Bess, whose temper was beginning to be ruffled by the delay. ”That's all I hear from morning to night. 'Are you sure you have everything?' I think I'll try it on you and see how you like it.”

”Oh, I'd love it,” cried Nan, with such fervor that Bess looked at her in surprise. ”It's this bag,” explained Nan, looking down at her own handsome suitcase. ”I'm certain it will be stolen or I'll lose it or something before we can get to Florida.”