The Automobile Girls at Newport Part 10

Ten or twelve people came running down the hall. The hotel proprietor and several servants made for the fire escape. Grace and Mollie, clad in kimonos, had joined Ruth in the hall, and were shaking with terror.

Neither of them had spoken a word, but Grace silently handed Ruth her bath robe.

They turned and the three girls followed the rescuers, who were hastening toward Aunt Sallie's room. That elderly woman had already risen, struck a light and was in her kimono.

Barbara was leaning against a chair, white as a sheet, but unhurt!

"O Bab!" said Ruth, flying toward her, forgetting everything else in her relief, "I thought you were killed!"

"I thought so, too," nodded Barbara, calmly smiling, as she reached for one of the blankets and wrapped herself in its folds, "but I wasn't.

When the burglar raised the end of his pistol to strike me, I knew what was coming and ducked. He struck the side of the chair, and I tumbled over under it."

The hotel proprietor came into the room carrying a chamois bag.

"Madam," he asked, "is this your property? I found it outside here.

Evidently the man dropped it in trying to make his escape. I cannot understand what has happened. The hotel is securely locked. The fire escape goes down into a closed court. The man could not have made his way down five stories, without being seen when we reached the window. It is incredible!"

By this time the halls were swarming with frightened visitors.

Grace had gone out to speak to them, and came in holding the burglar's coat in her hand. "How curious!" she said, handing the garment to the proprietor. "This is a gentleman's coat. I can tell by the lining and the whole appearance of it. It was not worn by a common thief!"

"Ruth, my child, and Barbara," said Aunt Sallie, when everyone had left their apartments, "I shall never forgive you!"

"Why not, Aunt Sallie?" both girls exclaimed, at once.

"Because, my dears, you didn't just scream and let the wretch escape at once. In my day girls would never have behaved as you did!"

"But, Aunt Sallie," protested Ruth, "the jewels and money are both safe, and neither Barbara nor I am hurt. I don't see how we could have done any better, even in your day."

"Kiss me," said Aunt Sallie, "and go back to bed at once. It is nearly morning."

When Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright drew up in front of the New Haven hotel, at a little after two o'clock next day, they found Miss Sallie and the four girls surrounded by a circle of college boys. With them stood a policeman.

"What has happened?" said Mrs. Cartwright in astonishment, jumping out of her car, as Donald Cartwright, Hugh Post and Ralph Ewing came down to meet her. "Are those my girls, to whom I am to introduce you to-day?"

"Goodness!" demanded Hugh. "Did you think we would wait twelve hours for an introduction! Do come and hear all that has happened."

Miss Stuart, looking a good deal shaken by her adventures, came forward to meet Mrs. Cartwright. "Listen!" she said dramatically, for Barbara was talking to the policeman.

"No, we would neither of us know him, because neither my friend nor I ever saw him before. It was dark and he was masked. But he was slight-not a big, rough kind of man-and his hands were soft, but strong as steel. I don't believe," she leaned over and whispered, "he could have been a servant, or an ordinary burglar."

"We have discovered, miss, that no entrance was made from the outside.

Any guests who left the hotel this morning will be followed and examined. The chief will report to you later," the policeman said, with a low bow to Miss Sallie.

"Well, is this the way you see a nice, quiet, old college town?" Mrs.

Cartwright inquired. "I suppose you mean to take the next train for home."

"No such thing!" retorted Ruth, smiling, and looking as bright and fresh as ever. "We don't mind a few weeny adventures, do we, Aunt Sallie?"

Miss Sallie held up her hands in horror. "Weeny adventures! What shall we expect next! However, I've promised the girls to go on. I think we need the trip, now, more than ever, and I want to ask Mr. Cartwright to keep the matter as quiet as possible. I do not wish my brother to know."

"Do please come on," said Hugh Post, turning to Ruth. "We are going," he explained, "out to the athletic grounds in our motor cars. The girls came to see the university, and we haven't shown them a blooming thing."

"We are going to the dance to-night, just the same," announced Mollie to Mrs. Cartwright. "Aunt Sallie is to rest this afternoon, so she will be equal to it. We wouldn't miss it for anything."

Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright joined the party, and, in a few minutes, the two motor cars had covered the two miles between the college campus and the thirty acres Yale devotes to college sports. The visitors saw the athletic grounds thoroughly; here the football champions of the world had been trained, and there was the baseball diamond.

"Ralph's the crack oarsman of the lot," said Donald Cartwright; "but-great Scott! We can't show these girls anything, after the way they tackled the burglar last night."

"We'll get up a regatta in your honor, if you'll come again next year, Miss Thurston," said Ralph.

Barbara only laughed at him. "Look out," she warned. "I may make you keep your promise."

"Barbara," said Mollie that night, as they were getting ready for the dance which was to take place in the Old Alumni Hall, "are you sure you feel well enough for the ball to-night?"

"Nonsense, child, why shouldn't I? I feel as fine as a fiddle. It isn't doing things that uses one up, even tackling a burglar; it is thinking about them. Ruth and I didn't have any time to think about our burglar."

"Well," said Mollie, a little wistfully, smoothing the folds of her muslin dress, "I don't believe I am as anxious to go to the dance as I thought I was. Does this dress look _very_ shabby? I wouldn't go, now, only it seems kind of hateful of me to refuse Mrs. Cartwright's invitation."

"Now, Molliekins," Barbara answered quite seriously, "it's your dress, isn't it? Of course, I have thought about mine, too. These are just simple muslins that we have worn before; but, when we left home, we neither of us dreamed we would go to a party in them. Let's just make the best of things. Anyhow, I've made up my mind to one thing, and I wish you would, too. You and I must not worry about being poor while we are on this trip. Let us not pretend that we are rich, because everybody we meet seems to be. Ruth knows we are poor, knows about our little cottage and not keeping a servant, and she doesn't mind. I don't believe really nice people care whether young girls are rich or poor, if they happen to like them. I don't mean to preach." Barbara put her arm around Mollie and waltzed her around the room. "Let us pretend we are both Cinderellas before the arrival of the fairy G.o.dmother."

Mollie didn't answer; but she tucked some pink roses in her belt. "It doesn't really matter about me, anyway," she decided. "I can't expect these grown-up boys to dance with me. I will just stay by Miss Sallie."

"All right, little Miss Wall-flower," laughed Bab, as she pinned on a knot of blue that Ralph Ewing had asked her to wear, as a tribute to the Yale colors.

It was Mollie, after all, who was the belle of the party. Perhaps this was because the other girls whispered to their partners that Mollie was afraid n.o.body would dance with her; or, perhaps, because she was the youngest, and the best dancer among them all.

"I am going to take this little lady under my special protection at Newport," Mrs. Cartwright said to Miss Stuart, late that evening. "I don't mean my 'b.u.t.terfly girl' to be losing her beauty sleep."

Mollie looked at her "lovely lady" with eyes as blue as myrtle blossoms.

Mrs. Cartwright was so exquisite, so young and so wealthy, she seemed to Mollie to have stepped out of a book.

Miss Sallie was vainly trying to collect her four charges all at once, in order to take them home.

"Aunt Sallie," Hugh Post said roguishly, as that lady made a last determined stand, and gathered her girls together, "you know, from your experience yesterday, that Miss Ruth can't handle a motor car, even though she can tackle a burglar. So we are going to follow you in my automobile to-morrow and see that you get to New London all right."

"Oh, no, you're not," protested Ruth. "This I will have you know is an automobile girls' excursion and nary a man allowed."

"This one time, kindly permit us to follow you at a respectful distance, won't you?" Hugh urged. "It's only a short trip to New London. To tell you the truth, the governor's yacht is over there and I hope to be able to persuade you to go aboard. It is not disrespectful of me, Miss Stuart, to speak so of my father; he was once governor of the state, and he rather likes to be reminded of it. Mother has a number of friends on board the yacht, and we shall be cruising up to Newport in a few days. I think it would be jolly for father and mother to know you."

CHAPTER X-ENTER GLADYS AND MR. TOWNSEND

"Why, Gladys Le Baron, this is a surprise!" gayly said Grace Carter next afternoon, when the two parties of girls and men had left their automobiles and had come aboard Governor Post's yacht, the "Penguin,"

that lay just outside the New London harbor.

Grace was awaiting her turn to be introduced to her host and hostess, when she spied Gladys, in a pale blue flannel suit and a cream felt hat, strolling down the deck, looking very much at home.