CHAPTER XX
AT THE MAHOGANY SHOP
It was Duncan Bennet who suggested the auto meet. The town ofBreakwater had never gone beyond the annual dog show, and thisprogressive young man confided to his cousin Daisy that on a certainday next week he expected several of his friends from out of town, whowere sure to come in autos, and:
"Why not tell them to 'slick up' their machines, and you girls could dothe same? Then, oh, then!" he exclaimed, "we could run a realup-to-date auto meet. I can round up fifteen machines at least. Andthe girls! Why, the fame of the motor girls will then be assured. Youwill actually have to appoint a press agent."
The cousins were strolling through the splendid gardens of BennetBlade, as Duncan called the long, narrow strip of family property that,for years, had been famous for its splendid gardens, not flower beds,but patches of things to eat.
"I think it would be perfectly splendid," declared Daisy, her eyes fullof admiration for her good-looking cousin. "And I know the girls willlike it."
That settled it. Duncan Bennet went straight to his room, scribbledoff a number of notes, threw himself astride his horse Mercury (calledIvy for short), and was on his way to the post-office before Daisy hadtime to stop the exclamation gaps in the girls' faces with the correctanswers to their varied questions.
Some days lay between the proposition and the fete, and this time wasto be spent on the road, as the girls had yet some miles to coverbefore they would turn back toward Chelton.
There was a visit to be made at a ruins in Clayton; this was anunderlined note of Ray's on the itinerary. Then Maud wanted so much tosee a real watering place in full swing. This was put down asEbbinflow, and would take up at least an entire afternoon. Tillie had acraze for antiques, and there was a noted shop only twenty miles fromBreakwater. So when Cora facetiously suggested that the party startout from a given point, go their separate ways and get back to Cheltonfor the auto meet, the girls realized that they would have to "boildown their plans" to fit the time allotted for the tour.
The trip to the Clayton ruins occupied a whole day. The girls startedearly and took their lunch, which Bess said would be eaten in acrumbling, moss-covered and ivy-entwined tower. The ruins fully cameup to expectations, and the girls, leaving their machines at theroadside, began their explorations.
"Isn't it just perfect!" exclaimed Ray. "I wish I had my sketch bookalong."
"She wants to outdo Washington Irving," called Cora, poising on atottering stone.
"Look out!" suddenly called Bess. "That stone, Cora--"
A scream from Cora interrupted her, for the stone began to roll over,and Cora only saved herself by a little jump, while the piece ofmasonry toppled down upon a pile of bricks and mortar.
"My! That was a narrow escape!" gasped Maud. "You might have sprainedyour ankle."
"Which would have been all the more romantic," added Cora, smilingfaintly. "It would have been material for Ray's sketchbook."
"Never, Cora!" cried Ray. "But come on. Let's go to some lessdangerous part of this ruin. You know they say this was once a church,but was made into a sort of castle by an eccentric individual--"
"Who did dark and bloody deeds and whose spirit now haunts the place,"interrupted Maud.
"Oh, don't!" begged Ray. "It's not quite as bad as that, but I heardsome one say that on certain dark nights that--"
"Stop it!" commanded Cora. "My nerves are all right, but I'm stillshaky from that stone. Let's see if--"
"Oh!" cried Bess suddenly. "There's something there, girls," and, withdramatic gesture, she pointed to a pile of leaves in one corner."Something moved there, I'm sure of it!"
They looked, and all started as the leaves actually did move.
"Come on!" cried Ray. They gathered up their skirts and were hurryingfrom the old room into which they had penetrated when the leavesrustled still more, and from them came a tiny snake. There was achorus of screams and Cora found herself alone in the ruined chamber.She was pale but resolute as she followed her companions sedately.
"Weren't you awfully frightened?" asked Ray as Cora joined them.
"No indeed," she answered. "I prefer a live and seeable snake to somehaunting, unseeable rumor that only appears on dark nights. But let'sget out into the sunlight and admire the ruins from a betterperspective. Besides it's getting near lunch time."
It was more reassuring out of doors, they all admitted, and afteradmiring the picturesque remains of what might have been either achurch or fort as far as appearances now went, they got the hampersfrom the cars and feasted. Then, sitting in the shade, they discussedmany things until lengthening shadows warned them that it was time togo.
"Now for a jolly day to-morrow," remarked Maud as they neared theirstopping place that night. "If only we have good weather."
She had her desire. Never was weather more perfect, never were bettercountry roads discovered and never could there have been a more jollyparty of girls.
Maud was enchanted with Ebbinflow. She declared the watering place wasa perfect fairyland, but some of her companions hinted that it was thestyle of the gowns that attracted her. Still they spent the best partof a day there, enjoying the bathing and coming back in the cool of theevening much refreshed.
"Now, Bess, it's your choice for our destination to-morrow," announcedCora at a little luncheon just before retiring time. "But please don'tchoose ruins or a watering place."
"The woods for mine," announced Bess. "I heard of a lovely grove abouttwenty-five miles from here--"
"Twenty-five miles to find an ordinary grove," said Maud.
"Oh, but it's not an ordinary one," declared Bess. "It is quiteextraordinary."
A delightful fancy dress ball was given that evening at the girls'club, where our friends stopped, and this made a pleasant break in thetour and a welcome relief from spark plugs, carburetors and thecranking of motors, much as the girls had come to care for their cars.
Two days more were spent in visiting well-known places of interest, andon one trip Maud and Bess, who managed to slip away from theircompanions, went through several old farmhouses in search of the table.Once they had hopes that they were on the track, as an elderly womandeclared she had just what they were looking for, but it proved to befar from it, though she was anxious to sell it to them.
"Oh, dear, I hoped we could find it," said Bess as they came out.
Next morning Tillie declared it was her turn to say where the tripshould be, and she picked out an exclusive antique shop, about twentymiles from Breakwater, in which direction the cars were soon speeding.
"I'll get a warming pan if there is one in the place," announcedTillie, whose love for the old copper pan with the long and awkwardhandle was almost a joke with her friends.
"Well, I do hope if you can't get a pan that you'll not load us up withlead pipe and such stuff," said Cora with a laugh. "I remember verywell that last day at school when you came back from Beverly. My, whata sight you were! What did you ever do with the junk?"
"Indeed, it was not junk," objected Tillie, "but a lot of the veryhandsomest glass knobs and brass candlesticks, and my samovar."
"You surely did not carry a samovar!" exclaimed Maud.
"Indeed I did," replied the little German, "else I should not havegotten it in the morning. I know those antique men. They are like athermometer--go up and down with simple possibilities."
Ray was as pretty as ever, Maude just as sweet and Daisy just asgentle, while Cora and Gertrude had added new summer tints to theircoloring. Adele and Tillie were still bubbling over with enthusiasm,the twins were exceptionally happy, the morning mail having broughtgood news--so that all were "fine and fit" when they started on theride to the antique shop.
The day was of that sort that comes in between summer and fall, whenone time period borrows from the other with the result of making anabsolutely perfect "blend."
Ray had changed places with Belle Robinson, so that Belle was in theWhirlwind and Ra
y in the Flyaway, and when the procession was moving itattracted the usual public attention.
But the motor girls were now accustomed to being stared at; in fact,they would have missed the attention had they been deprived of it, forit was something to have a run with all girls--and such attractivegirls.
"What if we should find the table at the antique shop!" suddenly saidBelle to Ray. "Somehow I have a feeling--"
"Let me right out of your machine, Bess Robinson," joked Ray. "I havehad all I want of 'feelings' since we started on this trip. I ratherthink the one where the goat or sheep or whatever it was did the actual'feeling' was about the 'utmost,' as Clip would say. Poor Clip! Iwonder what she is about just now."
"About as frisky as ever, I'll wager," said Belle. "I never couldunderstand that girl."
"Well," objected Bess, "it would be hard to understand any one who isonly in Chelton two months at summer. If you were at school all yearand came home for new clothes, I fancy I would scarcely understand myown twin sister."
"Strange," went on Ray, "that boys always so well understand a girl ofthat type. Now I do not mean that in sarcasm," she hurried to add,noting the impression her remark had made, "but I have always noticedthat the girls whom girls think queer boys think just right."
"Pure contrariness," declared Bess. "I don't suppose a boy like JackKimball thinks more of a girl just because she keeps her homesurroundings so mysteriously secret."
As usual, Bess had blundered. She never could speak of Jack Kimballand Clip Thayer without "showing her teeth," as Belle expressed it.
The machines were running along with remarkable smoothness. TheFlyaway seemed to be singing with the Whirlwind, while Daisy's car hadceased to grunt, thanks to the efforts of the workman at her aunt'splace.
"What will the antique man think of three autos stopping at his door?"inquired Adele of Cora.
"Think? Why, it will be the best advertisement he ever had. Likely hewill pay us to come again," replied Cora.
The street upon which "the mahogany shop" was situated was narrow anddingy enough--the sort of place usually chosen to add to the "old andodd" effect of the things in the dusty window.
The proprietor was outside on a feeble-looking sofa. As Corapredicted, he evidently was honored with the trio of cars that pulledup to the narrow sidewalk. Tillie, with the air of a connoisseur,stepped into the shop before the little man with the ragged whiskershad time to recover from his surprise.
"Have you a warming pan?" she inquired straightaway, whereat, as wasexpected, the man produced almost every other imaginable sort of oldpiece save, of course, that asked for.
But Tillie liked to look at all the stuff, and was already running therisk of blood poison, as Cora whispered to Gertrude, with her delvinginto green brasses and dirty coppers.
With the same thought uppermost in their minds, Bess, Belle and Corawere soon busy examining the old furniture. There were many curiousand really valuable pieces among the collection, for this man's shopwas famous for many a mile.
"Tables!" whispered Belle. "Did you ever think there were so manykinds?"
Cora approached the owner. "Have you an inlaid table--a card table orone that could be used for one? I would fancy something in unpolishedwood."
"I know just what you mean," answered the man, "and I expect to haveone in a few days. In fact, I already have an order for one--withanchors and oars inlaid."
Cora did not start. She winked at Bess, who was always apt to "bubbleover."
"Anchors?" repeated Cora. "Set in on the sides, I suppose? Well, thatwould be odd. But where can you get such a piece as that?"
Cora did not mean to ask outright where the piece might be obtained;what she meant was: "That will surely be a difficult thing to find."
"Oh, there is one--some place," replied the man, little dreaming what atumult his words were creating in the brains of the anxious motorgirls. "And when I get an order I always get the article. I shall havea warming pan for this young lady by to-morrow noon."
"Then suppose I order a table, like the one with the oars and anchors?"ventured Cora. "Could I get that?"
"Oh, no, miss," and he shook his head with importance. "You do notunderstand the trade. That would be a duplicate, and in furniture weguarantee to give you an original--I can only get one seaman's cardtable, and that is ordered."
Cora smiled and walked off a little to gain time, and to think. Hermanner told the girls plainly not to mention the matter. She would actas wisely as she was capable of doing. She overhauled some blue platesand selected a pair of "Baronials."
The man went into ecstasies, describing "every crack in the dishes,"Maud said to Daisy, but Cora bought the plates, and paid him his pricewithout question.
Adele and Tillie had piled up quite a heap of brass and copper, and,unlike Cora, they argued some about the cost, but finally compromised,and put the entire heap into an old Chinese basket which the man "threwin."
"Then I cannot get a table," said Cora, purposely displaying a roll ofbills which she was replacing in her purse.
"Not exactly that kind," answered the man. "But something very muchhandsomer, I assure you. If you will call in a day or two I will showyou something unmatched in all the country. A house has just sold out,and I have bought all the mahogany."