Part 27 (1/2)

”Oh, no, not s.h.i.+ftless,” put in Mr. Mason. ”They are just care-free.”

”Humph! All right, then. Care-free. Just too lazy to care for anything at all, if they can get enough to eat, and I suppose that is not hard down here.”

”They are quite all right when you get used to them,” put in Mrs. Mason.

It was nearing dusk when they at last turned back toward the city, and it was then that Walter reminded Nan of her promise to tell him all about the mysterious men who had startled her so.

Nan obeyed, but, strangely enough, felt none of the uneasiness that she had felt on board the boat and in the hotel. There was something about the luxurious comfort of the car and Walter's rea.s.suring presence that made her feel quite safe.

But Walter himself was anything but calm. He glowered fiercely at the road ahead of them and his hands clenched tightly on the wheel.

”It's a rotten shame!” he burst out, when Nan had finished her story.

”If I once get hold of those fellows there won't be enough left of them to identify.”

”But you will help me find Mrs. Bragley's property for her, won't you?”

insisted Nan. ”She said it was at a place called Sunny Slopes.”

”Sunny Slopes, Sunny Slopes,” Walter repeated thoughtfully. ”The name sounds rather familiar to me. I tell you what I'll do,” he said, turning to Nan with sudden decision. ”Dad knows the names of nearly all the places through here. And if this Sunny Slopes is anywhere near Palm Beach we'll drive over in the car. How does that suit you?”

”Oh, fine,” said Nan happily, adding as she gave him a demure glance: ”Only we will drive over in the big car and take the girls along.”

”What's the matter with this car?” asked Walter, turning to look at her.

”I thought you liked it.”

”I love it!” said Nan fervently, adding with a funny little smile that Walter did not understand: ”I think on that particular trip, I would like to go in the big car.”

The morning after their delightful ride about Jacksonville, they took the train for Palm Beach. They found to their disgust that Linda and her party were also on board.

”Goodness! I think Linda must be following us, too,” Bess grumbled to Nan, looking blackly after their schoolmate as she walked haughtily down the car aisle. ”To look at her you would think she owned the world at least. Oh, if I could only prove that it was she who damaged the heating plant up at school, wouldn't it be a wonderful chance to get even with her?”

”I don't see why you should want to waste time getting even with her,”

Nan remarked calmly. ”We have more interesting things to occupy our time.”

”That's all very well for you,” grumbled Bess, still feeling cross and injured by the unexpected appearance of Linda. ”But _I_ haven't any Walter.”

Nan was just about to say something unpleasant when Walter himself hailed them. Grace and Rhoda were with him and all wore smiles to match the morning.

”Come on back,” the boy invited. ”Dad's got chairs for the whole crowd where we can get the finest view. But he said we had better grab 'em quick, because there's no knowing how long they will last in this crowd.”

So the girls followed him to the observation car and would very probably have forgotten all about Linda, had not the girl herself made that impossible.

It was hot, and there were few people in the car, but Linda and one of the ladies in her party walked up and down, looking occasionally out of the windows, as if their energy was inexhaustible.

That would not have been so bad, had not Linda chosen to ignore the girls so pointedly, brus.h.i.+ng past with her head held in the air and a manner which said very plainly, ”Who are those little specks of dust over there? Know them? Why, of course not!” Finally Bess felt as though she could not stand it a moment longer.

”She's doing it on purpose, the horrid thing,” Bess fumed to Nan. ”If she doesn't stop pretty soon, I'll give her a push and topple her over.