CHAPTER XIX
ODD TALK
"Sorry I couldn't beat you!" called the young man, waving his hand tothe girls in Cora's boat. "You had more speed than I thought."
"Are you sure it was a fair race?" asked Cora, looking at him sharply.Her tone was peculiar.
"A fair race? What do you mean?" he asked, wonderingly. "Do you thinkI should have given myself more of a handicap?"
"Oh, no indeed!" exclaimed Cora, blushing that he should have mistakenher meaning. "You were generous--too generous, I think."
"Oh, that's all right. I'm not complaining. Of course it was a fairrace. The faster boat won."
"I'm glad you think so," spoke Cora, meaningly, as she thought of thepartly-closed throttle.
"Oh, yes indeed. I'm satisfied!" he exclaimed in generous tones. "Butis the dangerous place you spoke of near here?"
"Right ahead," answered Cora, pointing to where the water was swirlingin over some partly-hidden rocks. "Keep well out, and when you roundthe point you'll be at Bayhead."
"I'm greatly obliged to you," was his reply. But Cora did not look athim, nor return his bow. She swung her boat around and started backfor the bungalow. The young man, with a curious glance at her, bentover his motor to make some adjustment. In another instant his craftshot ahead, seemingly at greater speed than it had made at any timeduring the race.
"I don't think much of him," observed Lottie, as she took a morecomfortable position on the cushions.
"Why not?" Belle asked.
"Because he didn't even invite us to a tennis game, to say nothing ofice cream sodas, and there's a place in Bayhead where they have themost delicious chocolate!"
"Lottie!" gasped Marita. "Would you have gone with him?"
"Oh, well," with a shrug of her shoulders, "I don't know as I would,only--he might have asked us."
"No, he wouldn't," said Cora, and the manner in which she spoke causedher chums to look curiously at her.
"What makes you think so?" inquired Bess, merely for the sake ofargument. She had stopped eating sweets--for the time being.
"Because he had a special object in view in asking us to race, andonce that was accomplished he had no further use for us."
"Why, Cora Kimball!" cried Belle. "What makes you say that?"
"Because I think it. You didn't see all that I did."
"What did you see?" asked Bess, eagerly. "Did he have some sort ofweapon? Or do you think he tried to get us over this way, hoping wewould be wrecked on the rocks? Maybe he was a wrecker, Cora. I'veheard that there are some of those terrible people in this section."
"Nonsense!" exclaimed Cora. "I only mean that his boat is a verypowerful one. He did not 'let her out,' as Jack says, to the limit. Hecould easily have beaten us if he had wanted to."
"The idea!" cried Belle. "I don't like that kind of young man."
"Nor I," agreed Cora. "Not because he refused to win when he could,but because of what may be his object. That he had one I'm certain."
The girls turned to look at the other motor boat. It was rounding thepoint to Bayhead now, and seemed to be going at remarkable speed.
"How fast it goes!" exclaimed Lottie.
"Yes, much faster than the _Chelton_," responded Cora. "I told you hewas holding back."
"What could have been his object?" asked Belle.
And that was a question all the girls asked themselves.
"Well, my nerves are better, anyhow," observed Bess, as she threw backthe clustering hair from her face so that the wind might caress hercheeks, now flushed with excitement.
"That's good," spoke Cora.
"The antidote of the race and the excitement of the mystery, as to whythe nice young man didn't want to win, are guaranteed to cure nervesor money refunded," said Lottie with a laugh. "Where are you going,Cora?"
"Back to the bungalow, of course. Mrs. Lewis may be anxious about us.It is nearly lunch time, anyhow."
"Then it is time for us to be anxious about ourselves," said Bess."But I don't believe Mrs. Lewis will worry. You know she went awayright after doing up the breakfast things. She said she was going toconsult some friends, for those she saw last night could not help her,and she may not be back yet. So there's no need to hurry."
"Then I have an idea!" cried Cora. "We have our tea outfit with us,and some crackers. Why not go ashore and have a little picnic? It willcomplete the nerve treatment, perhaps," and she smiled at Bess.
"Good!" cried that girl. "It will be just the thing. Are you sure youhave enough crackers, Cora? If not we could stop at the store on thepoint and get some."
"Oh, there are more than are good for you," was the answer.
Cora changed the course of the boat to send the craft over toward apretty little wooded cove where the girls had often gone ashore forluncheon. They always carried in the boat an alcohol stove, with thenecessary ingredients for tea.
Soon the _Chelton_ was beached at a place where the small waves woulddo her no damage, and the girls were preparing luncheon.
They carried their own fresh water with them, not depending on findinga spring. Condensed milk, sugar and some tins of sweet crackerscompleted the meal, which was served on the grass for a table, papernapkins adding to the luxury of the occasion.
The picnic place was on a spit of land that jutted out into CrystalBay. It could be approached from either side, and on one side therewas some dense shrubbery that hid the water from sight.
It was when Cora and her chums were in the midst of their impromptuluncheon that they heard a boat grate on the beach that was hiddenfrom view by the bushes.
"Someone is coming!" exclaimed Bess.
"Maybe it's the boys," remarked Belle.
"It's about time they followed us," suggested Lottie. "They don't giveus a moment's peace."
"Do you want it?" asked Cora pointedly, for Lottie had been rathertaken up with Jack, of late.
"Oh, I don't know," answered the girl. "Of course the boys are nice,and----"
"'Handsome is as handsome does,'" quoted Belle. "But that doesn'thappen to be the boys."
"How do you know?" asked Bess.
"I just had a glimpse of them through the bushes. It's a strange motorboat--neither the _Dixie_ nor the _Lassie_."
"Who is in her?" asked Cora.
"I can't make out. Listen!"
She raised her hand for silence, but there was no need. The girlsceased chatting at once, and silently followed Cora toward a hedge ofunderbrush, some little distance from where their luncheon was spread.
Then they heard some odd talk--at least it seemed odd until theyunderstood the meaning of it.
"So you had a race with them?" one voice asked.
"Yes," replied another, who had just landed on the spit of the land."I raced 'em, but I didn't beat 'em!"
"Couldn't you?"
"Couldn't I? Say, you know what the _Pickerel_ can do when she'spushed to it. I held back the throttle."
Cora started. Her suspicions were unexpectedly confirmed.
"You can see them from over here," whispered Belle, pulling Cora'ssleeve. Cora moved to where an opening in the bushes afforded aglimpse of the strangers.
She saw three men, and one of them she knew in an instant to be theyoung chap who had raced with her. His boat, too, was on the beach. Itwas from her that the men had come.
"Well, you know how fast the _Chelton_ can go now, that's sure," spokea voice.
"Yes," answered the young man, "I know. We needn't fear her if itcomes to a chase. That's what I wanted to make sure of."
"Then all we have to do is to get the rest of the evidence, and theproperty is ours."
"Yes. We can turn the widow and the daughter out, all right, if we getthe necessary papers. Then we can go ahead and build the dam acrossthe brook."
"That's going to arouse a lot of opposition!" exclaimed the thirdmember of the trio. "It will spoil the park."
"Well, we can't help it. We need the dam for power for our factory,and the people don't really need
the park. We'll do it."
"You mean we'll make Shane do it!" exclaimed the young man who hadraced with Cora.