CHAPTER XIX
A LITTLE LOST GIRL
"What are you doing here? Who are you? How long have you been here? IsMrs. Black in there?"
These questions were fairly shot at the girls, who stood in ratherembarrassed silence on the porch. The sun was now breaking through theclouds in warm splendor, and they took this for a good omen.
"Well, why don't you answer?" demanded the rather aggressive woman. "Ican't see what you are doing here!"
She stuck her umbrella in the soft earth along the graveled walk.
"We--we came in to shut the windows," said Amy, gently.
A change came over the woman's face. She frowned--she smiled. She turnedabout and looked toward the nearest house. Then she spoke.
"Do you mean to tell me," she demanded, "that after I called her on thetelephone, Martha Black didn't come over, shut my windows, lock up myhouse, and feed the cat? Didn't she?"
"We don't know. I'm afraid we don't know Mrs. Black," answered Betty. Shewas getting control of herself now. The aggressive woman had ratherstartled her at first.
"She lives down there," and the owner of the deserted house pointedtoward the nearest residence.
"No one is here but us," said Betty. "We closed the windows, and we fedthe cat. We also fed ourselves, but we left the money to pay for it.Shall I get it?"
The woman stared at her blankly.
"I--I'm afraid I don't understand," she returned, weakly.
"I'll explain," said Betty, and she did, telling how they had come infor shelter from the storm, how they had found the windows open, howthey had closed up the place and had eaten and slept in it. Now theywere going away.
"Well if that doesn't beat all!" cried the woman, in wonder.
"We couldn't understand how no one was at home," went on Betty.
"Well, it's easy enough explained," said the woman. "I'm Mrs. KateRobertson. Yesterday afternoon I got a telephone message from Kirkville,saying my husband, who works in the plaster mill there, was hurt. Ofcourse that flustered me. Hiram Boggs brought the message. Of course youdon't know him."
"No," answered Betty, as Mrs. Robertson paused for breath.
"Well, I was flustered, of course, naturally," went on the large lady. "Ijust rushed out as I was, got into Hiram Bogg's rig--he drives goodhorses, I will say that for him--I got in with him, just as I was, thoughI will say I had all my housework done and was thinking what to get forsupper. I got in with Hiram, and made him drive me to the depot. I knew Ijust had time to get the three-thirty-seven train. And I got it. And mewith only such things as I could grab up," she added, with a glance ather attire, which, though old fashioned, was neat.
"On my way to the station," she resumed, "I stopped at the drug store,telephoned to Martha Black, and asked her to run over and close up myhouse, for it looked like a storm."
"It did rain," put in Mollie.
"I should say it did. And Martha never closed my house?" It was adirect question.
"No, we did," said Betty. "Probably she forgot it."
"I'll have to see. Well, anyhow, when I got to my husband I found hewasn't much hurt after all. Still I stayed over night with him, as therewasn't a train back. And when I saw you girls on my porch I couldn'tthink what had happened. Are you a Votes for Women crowd?"
"No," said Betty. "We're a walking club."
"No politics?"
"None whatever."
"All right. Now, then, I'll see why Martha didn't come over. I can'tunderstand."
"Perhaps this is she now," said Betty, as another woman was seen comingup the walk.
"It is," said Mrs. Robertson. "That's Martha Black."
The two met. There was much talk, of which the girls caught some, andthen the explanation came. Mrs. Black had started to come over to Mrs.Robertson's house to close the windows as she saw the rain, but, pausingto attend to some household duties, she was a little late. Then shelooked over and saw the sashes shut down, and thought that Mrs. Robertsonhad come back to attend to them herself. As the storm kept up, she didnot have a chance to call, and only on seeing Mrs. Robertson arrive didshe suspect anything wrong. Meanwhile the girls had been in charge, butMrs. Black was not aware of it.
"Well, I must say I thank you," said Mrs. Robertson, to Betty and herchums. "And as for me taking your money, I'd never dream of it! Won't youstay to dinner?"
"We must be off," replied Betty, and soon, after more talk andexplanations, and the return of the money left by the girls in the hall,the travelers were on their way once more.
"Well, I must say, they were neat and clean," observed Mrs. Robertson, asshe went through her house. "Real nice girls."
But Betty and her chums did not hear this compliment. They went on tovisit the sister of Grace, who was not greatly alarmed at their delay,though she was amused at the narrative of their experience. They remainedthere over night, and the next day went on to Simpson's Corners, wherethey were the guests of Betty's uncle. This was a typical countrysettlement, and the girls only remained one night. Their next stoppingplace was to be Flatbush, where Mollie's aunt lived.
The weather was fine now, after the storm, and the roads pleasant throughthe country. The grass was greener than ever, the trees fully in leaf,and there were many birds to be heard singing.
Save for minor adventures, such as getting on the wrong road once ortwice, and meeting a herd of cattle, which did them no harm, nothing ofmoment occurred to the girls on their trip toward Flatbush.
They had stopped for lunch in the little village of Mooretown, eating atthe roadside, under some great oak trees, and making chocolate instead oftea for a change. Then came a rest period before they went forward again.
They were within two miles of their destination, going along a peacefulcountry road, arched with shady trees, and running parallel for adistance with a little river, when Betty paused and called:
"Hark! Listen! Someone is crying!"
"Gracious, I hope it isn't the twins!" exclaimed Mollie.
"Out here? Never!" said Grace.
The crying increased, and then they all saw a little girl sitting on astone under a tree, sobbing as if her heart would break. Betty hurried upto the tot.
"What is the matter?" she asked, pillowing the tousled yellow headon her arm.
"I--I'se losted!" sobbed the little girl "P'ease take me home!I'se losted!"