CHAPTER VII
SOMETHING AHEAD
Pearl Harrod was now busily talking with Carrie Poole again; she hadprobably forgotten about Rosa Wildwood for the time being. But Ruthstopped at her seat--the seat directly behind that occupied by the twostrangers.
"You asked about Rosa, Pearl?" said Ruth, speaking loudly enough, shewas sure, for the girl in front to hear.
"Oh, hello! don't spill that water again, Ruthie," laughed Pearl."Yes. I asked if she were coming down to the Cove!"
"Yes. Rosa Wildwood expects to come next week. I am going to find hera boarding place."
Ruth spoke very distinctly, and she kept her eyes fastened upon theback of the strange girl's head. But the latter gave no sign of havingheard--at least, she appeared not to be interested in the name whichhad before so startled her.
"I don't see how the poor girl can afford it," Carrie Poole said, notunkindly. "They say she and her father are very poor."
"Mr. Bob Wildwood works regularly. He doesn't drink any more," Ruthexplained, intentionally speaking so that those in the forward seatcould hear if they wished to listen.
"Rosa is an awfully sweet girl," said Carrie.
"I love that little Southern drawl of hers!" cried Pearl. "She says'Ah reckon so' in just the _cunningest_ way!"
"She is very frail," Ruth continued, clearly. "I was afraid she wouldbreak down before the school term closed. Now it has been arranged forher to stay at Pleasant Cove until she gains strength. Dr. Forsythesays it will do her a world of good."
"We'll give her a good time, all right," declared Pearl. "Wish wecould have her with us----"
"Not at the bungalow," said Ruth. "Nor at the hotel. We want a quietplace for her. I shall find it."
Not a sign did the girl in front give that she heard any of thisconversation. Yet Ruth believed there was a curious intentness in hermanner--she held her head very still as though she were secretlylistening, while apparently giving all her attention to what the trainpassed.
"What does your uncle call his bungalow--where we shall stop?" askedRuth of Pearl.
"Why, the Spoondrift--don't you remember? It's at this end of thecove, near the river, and we have bathing rights on the shore. It's afine place. You'll _love_ it, Ruth Kenway."
"I expect to," said Ruth, seriously. "And you were very kind to ask meto stay two whole weeks with you," and Ruth passed on.
She had intentionally said enough so that, if the strange girl _were_listening, she would learn just where Ruth could be found at PleasantCove.
For the Corner House girl felt that the dark beauty with the Gypsywoman held some keen interest in Rosa Wildwood. Of course--right atthe start--the story of Rosa's lost sister, June, had come into Ruth'smind.
Yet, as the Corner House girl looked at the stranger, she could notsay truthfully that it was Rosa of whom _this_ girl reminded her. Ruthconjured before her mind's eye the fair, delicate beauty of BobWildwood's daughter; the two girls possessed no feature in common--andin complexion they were, of course, diametrically opposed.
This girl was dark enough and savage enough looking to be a Gypsy.Ruth scouted the idea that she might be Juniper Wildwood, who had runaway with a traveling "medicine man" and his wife.
Nevertheless, Ruth believed that the strange girl must know somethingabout the lost June Wildwood. She had been startled when Rosa's namewas mentioned. The Corner House girl was deeply interested in theaffair; but at present she did not want to take anybody into herconfidence about it--not even Agnes.
The girls did not remain quietly in their seats, by any manner ofmeans. First there was a crowd blocking the aisle in one part of thecar, then in another. Agnes was in and out of her seat half a dozentimes between stations. The heat and dust was ignored as the girlsshouted pleasantries back and forth; the air was vibrant withlaughter.
"I'm just as anxious to see the ocean as I can be," declared LucyPoole who, like the Corner House girls, had never been to PleasantCove before.
"Oh, dear me!" scoffed her cousin Carrie. "It's only a big, big pond!Our frog pond at home looks like a piece of the ocean--when it'scalm."
The others laughed and Pearl said: "Guess Lucy wants to see Old Oceanin its might, eh? Big storm, whales, great ships----"
"A sea serpent!" cried Agnes.
"Of course--if there is such a thing," admitted Lucy. "A sea serpentmust be an awfully interesting sight."
"There aren't any more," said Pearl. "Father Neptune's all out ofstock."
"I guess the sea serpent is something like the _snakes_ alcoholicvictims think they see," proposed Carrie.
"Oh, no," proclaimed Agnes. "Here's what I read about the sea serpent:
"'The old sea serpent used to rave And fiercely roam about; He hit a prohibition wave, And that's what knocked him out.'"
"'Perils of the Deep!'" laughed Ruth. "But even if we don't seeserpents in the ocean, I expect we'll have plenty of adventures downthere at the shore."
Which prophecy was strangely fulfilled.
The train reached Bloomingsburg about one o'clock, and was immediatelyshifted to the single-tracked branch line that connected that smallcity with Pleasant Cove. The speed of the train after leavingBloomingsburg was not great, for it was often held up for trainscoming from the shore to pass.
The adult passengers grew impatient and wearied. There were manycomplaints, and the babies began to fret and cry. But our friends inthe last coach remained in a jolly and--for the most part--kindlymood.
Trix Severn had taken her crowd into a forward coach. Her fatherowning one of the big hotels at the Cove, the railroad company hadpresented him with a sheaf of chair coupons. So, as Pearl Harrodlaughingly said, "Trix's party was as swell as a wet sponge."
"I don't suppose any of that crowd at the Overlook House will talk to_us_," said Pearl. "Just the same, I guess I can show you girls a goodtime at Spoondrift. Uncle always lets us do just as we like. He's the_dearest_ man."
The train rattled on and on. The alternate pine forests and swamplands seemed interminable. Now and then they went through a cut, therailroad bisecting a hickory ridge.
But soon there was a change in the air. When the cinders and dust didnot sift into the windows, there was a smell of salt marsh. The airseemed suddenly cleaner. At one station where they stopped, a saltcreek came in, and there was a dock, and boats, and barrels of clamsand fish piled on the platform ready for the next up-train.
"Regular maritime smell----whew!" sighed Carrie Poole, holding hernose delicately.
"Oh! The _whole_ of Pleasant Cove doesn't smell like this, does it?"demanded her cousin.
"Only the old part of it--the old village."
"Well! that's lucky," said Lucy. "If this odor prevailed I should saythe place ought to be called _Un_-pleasant Cove."
"How far are we from the jumping-off place?" demanded Agnes. "I'd liketo get out and run."
Pearl stooped to look out under one of the drawn shades. "Why!" shesaid, "there are only two more stops before we reach the Cove station.It's a winding way the railroad follows. But if we got off about hereand went right through those woods yonder, we'd reach the Spoondriftbungalow in an hour. I've walked over here to Jumpertown many a time."
"Jumpertown?"
"Yes. That's what they called it before the real estate speculatorsgave it the fancy name of 'Ridgedale Station.'"
At that moment the train suddenly slowed down. The brakes grated uponthe wheels and everybody clung to the seats for support. One of thebrakemen ran through from the front and the girls clamored to know thecause of the stoppage.
"Bridge down up front," said the railroad employee. "Tide rose lastnight and loosened the supports. We've got to wait."
"Oh, dear me!" was the general wail. When they could get hold of theconductor the girls demanded to know the length of time they would bedelayed.
"Can't tell you, young ladies," declared the man of the punch."There's a repair gang at work on it now."
"An hour?" demanded
Pearl Harrod.
"Oh, longer than that," the conductor assured her.
"But what shall we do? We want to get to the bungalow and air thebedclothes, and all that, before dark," she cried.
"Guess you'll have to walk, then," said the conductor, laughing, andwent away.
"That's just what we'll do," Pearl said to her friends. "Can thechildren walk three miles, Ruth?"
"Surely they can!" Agnes cried. "If they can't, we'll carry them."
Ruth was doubtful of the wisdom of the move, but her opinion was notasked.
"Come on! let's get out quietly. We'll fool all these other folks,"said Pearl. "We'll get to Pleasant Cove long before they do."