CHAPTER XXVII
AGAINST THE LAW
Two hours later Cora almost fell into the arms of her brother--sooverstrained were her nerves after the exciting ride.
"Oh, Jack," she exclaimed, "I had the awfullest time! It is very wellto be a girl and imitate boys in the matter of risking; but I say,Jack, it is always risky."
"Well, I am glad you have found that out, little girl," answered thebrother, putting her comfortably down in the big armchair. "What's theparticular risk now? No more stolen girls?"
"Oh, that was your part," she said, laughing. "And, by the way, I hearyou are quite a successful kidnaper."
"Not so bad. But you should have seen the time we had to get Wren tothe sanitarium. She didn't want to leave here, and had a mortal fearof a hospital. But how are you?" and he looked into her flushed face."I declare it seems moons since I've seen you."
"And all the other planets since I saw you, Jack. I wonder will I everhave the courage to tell you all about it?"
"Wouldn't the courage just naturally come on my side? I would have tolisten--"
"Oh, no. You don't have to--"
"There you go! Home ten minutes and picking a fight--"
"Jack Kimball!"
"Cora Kimball!"
Then they both laughed. It was jolly even to play at quarreling, andbe real brother and sister again.
"Well, I have so little time, Jack, I must be serious. You know wehave to get back to Breakwater to-night. We are to fetch you, and Edand Walter and Clip--"
"Oh, you don't say! In a suit case or a la hamper? Ed is literallycut up about all the girls being out of town at once. He would fit inthe shirt box, I fancy. But Wallie--he seems to have expanded. Idoubt if you could manage him--"
"Oh, you ridiculous boy! Come on. Run after me while I get throughthe house. I must see dear old Margaret. How is she treating you?"
"First-rate, for Margaret. She only starved me out of the midnightrations twice--"
"You should not eat after ten, Jack. But come along. I must look overthe place, and talk at the same time," and with that intention Corastarted on her tour of home inspection, while Jack made all the noisehe possibly could make (which was not a little), running through thehouse after her.
Margaret, of course, knew what the tumult was about. She alwaysdeclared that boys went to college to learn how to make unearthlynoises.
Cora found little out of place. Margaret was an old and trustedservant, and, in the absence of her mistress, could always be dependedupon to look after the "children."
"And now I must go and get the folks together," remarked Cora. "Can youcome, Jack?"
"And help you pick up the humans? Well, guess I may as well, as I amto be in the collection. But what is it all about?"
In a girl's way Cora told of the plans for the auto fete, and of Dr.Bennet wishing to have the Chelton boys meet his student friends.
"First rate!" responded Jack, when Cora paused for breath. "I ratherfancy the idea of going after some of the girls. I cannot help butagree with Ed that all the girls should not leave town at once--youshould take turns."
"But how about Clip? The others imagine that she makes up for quite anumber--with you and Walter."
"There you go again, picking a fight," and he laughed honestly. "Now,Cora, Clip is just Clip, no more and not one whit less, but she hasbeen so busy--oh, so tremendously busy!" He was getting into his motortogs, and Cora was already equipped for her ride about Chelton. "Say,sis," he added, "did I tell you I have my suspicions about the loss ofWren's book? Did she describe to you the pair who last signed thecontract?"
"No," answered Cora, now fully interested.
"Well, she told me it was a fellow with bent shoulders, and a girl withred hair. Now, who does that fit?"
Cora thought for a moment. Then her face showed quicker than her wordsthat she guessed who might answer those descriptions.
"Sid Wilcox and Ida Giles!" she exclaimed. "But what motive could theyhave?"
"Sid Wilcox and Rob Roland are termed the Heavenly Twins, they are sooften together. Now, Rob Roland has been the paragraph and the period,so to speak, in this story," said Jack meaningly.
"But why should Ida stoop to such a thing?"
"Didn't you run over her dining-car one day early this summer?" Jackreminded her. "Or was it Bess? No matter just who, it was one of themotor girls. And, besides, you did not ask her to go on the run."
"If I thought Ida Giles knew anything about that book I would godirectly to her house and demand an explanation," said Cora, flushing."Ida is too apt to be influenced by Sid Wilcox. I thought she had seenenough of the consequences of such folly."
"Oh, Ida is ambitious in that line," replied the cool, deliberate Jack.
"Well, let us start," suggested Cora. "I have quite some ground tocover. Dr. Bennet has agreed to find and fetch Clip."
"Has, eh? Smart fellow, Doc Bennet! I tried all afternoon yesterdayto locate the lithersome Clip. Took a coy little jaunt of two milesafoot--some one said she had a friend out Bentley way, but I did notlocate her. Hope Doc has better luck."
Jack said this in a way that opposed his words to their own meaning.He evidently meant he hoped Dr. Bennet would not have better luck.
"I am so anxious about the report on Wren," commented Cora, as theyfinally started off in Jack's runabout. "It will mean so much to hermother, and to her, of course."
"Well, if Clip has had any influence, I should say Wren would turn outan artist's model, physically. Clip has just about lived with thechild since you went away. Of course, we had Miss Brown, and if sheisn't Brown by nature as well as by name. I wouldn't say so. I nevergot one single smile to cut across her map."
"Shall we look for Ed first?" and Cora could not control a mostprovoking flush that threatened her cheeks.
"Just as you say, lady. But I have not told you--let the last momentbe the hardest. Ed has taken to the ram. He is training the ram.Can't get him away from the ram. Mary's little lamb is a 'buckingbronco' to it."
"Oh, I have been wondering about that," said Cora. "I thought I was towear the ram's fleece as a sort of real baby-lamb coat next winter."
"Nothing of the sort, girl. Ed's ramifications are the talk of thetown. He is to give an exhibition at college when we get back. Aclear case of the lamb and Mary's school days."
"Well, where shall we hope to find him?" and she glanced at her watch."I must find some one soon."
"Come along. I'll hunt him up. He is likely at this very momentgiving Minus his morning ablutions. He called the ram Minus becausethe animal takes away so much of his time. Joke, eh?"
Jack directed his machine toward the same little creek that figured inmy first story of the motor girls, when Ed rescued them from a sorryplight, the Whirlwind having run into a mudhole.
"Now, I'll bet we find him by the brookside with Minus chewing daisiesand, incidentally, Ed's stray clothing," declared Jack.
Along the way people appeared surprised to see Cora, and theirgreetings were a mixture of query and astonishment.
"There's Ida!" suddenly exclaimed Jack. "Don't let on you see her. Idon't want to stop here to talk to her."
"Why?" asked Cora curiously.
"Because in about one minute you will see her trailer, the insufferableSid, and I am not in Sid's humor.
"I would like to speak with Ida," objected Cora. "I really wanted toask her something."
"Save it," commanded the ungovernable brother. "A thing like that getsbetter with time."
So they passed along, Cora having to be content with a bow and a smileto Ida Giles, who returned both promptly.
"Jack," said Cora, when they were also up to the hill behind which theyhoped to find the idler by the brook, "do you know I think I have anactual clue to Wren's table. An antique man out Breakwater way has anorder for one. I am watching that order."
"That's easy. When you know that Reed has been in and out of the place
for some days. That's the best of being a girl. You can trace aroundafter the most important clues and no one would ever suspect you ofknowing what you are after. Now, I rather think when the fete is'pulled off,' if I may use the term," and he laughed his apology, "thenthere will be some doin's. I just want to see rocky Rob rumpled."
"Let us not delay talking long with Ed," proposed Cora, "for I must beat Hazel's at one--I am so anxious about Paul."
"About Paul? Why, he's all right. He's out and has been to theoffice," was the brother's surprising answer. "Didn't you hear aboutMr. Robinson wanting to send him away for his health? Robinson hastaken a great fancy to Paul. The stolen document business is also neara climax. I had a fine time trying to keep Clip's name out of thepaper, the day they had the hearing about Wren. You see, I--the greatfirst person--ran into the courtroom just as the judge was dismissingthe absurd case set up against Mrs. Salvey. Of course, that wasnothing more or less than a trick to get information for the otherside. Well, Mr. Robinson was hurrying to court and he has passed hisrunning days creditably, I believe when he met me. I took up his runat a moment's notice, reached the courtroom, waved my hands wildly inthe air--"
"Oh, Jack!" interrupted Cora; "don't be so absurd. You know I am justdying to hear what happened."
"Then don't die until you do hear," and he slowed up at the hill. "Thefact is, I just caught the whole City News force red-handed with agreat story about Clip. The reporters had called her the modern Clara,and all that, but I got it away from them. I know one of the best ofthem, and he agreed, so they all had to. It was a good little story,for the lawyers were matched against a motor girl. That made itinteresting from a newspaper viewpoint. Hello! Didn't I tell you?Say, there, Mr. Foster! Chain up the ram, Ed. We want to approach."
Just as they rounded the hill, Ed could plainly be seen as Jack hadforetold--idling by the brook with the ram in the same picture, but ata polite distance from its owner.
"I thought Walter wanted the ram," remarked Cora as they neared thespot where Ed was "getting himself together."
"Oh, he did. But do you remember what the man said about having to puthis overcoat on to feed that animal? Well, he wouldn't even stand forWalter, with or without the ulster. He tried his best raincoat andall, but the ram just went for him. But look how he purrs aroundEd--tame as a kitten."
"I am not going to trust him, though," decided Cora. "One experiencewith Mr. Minus is enough for me. Shout to Ed to come over. I musthurry."
Cora's invitation to go to Breakwater came almost as a shock, Eddeclared, but coming from Cora he would accept. Consequently hehurried the ram to its quarters, and, agreeing to look up Walter, thegirl was left to pay her visit to Hazel.
"We fellows will start from here about daybreak," Jack decided, "and wewill reach Breakwater about ten o'clock. That's the time Doc Bennetgave me for the official gun to go off."
It happened that Ed knew the young doctor slightly, so that he tookJack's urgent "appeal" as coming from the actual host.
"I told you he would be glad to join the Motor Girls' Club," remarkedJack, while Ed was exchanging civilities with Cora. "He's just beenpining around here like a lost--"
"Now, Jack, be square," interrupted the handsome young man, whom Corathought had actually grown handsomer in the days since she had lastseen him. "I never pine. I growl--just plain growl."
"You take me over to Hazel's, Jack?" asked Cora. "Then you may goalong and help look for Walter. I must meet Dr. Bennet at two-thirty.And then, I wonder, will we be able to get back to Breakwater by six."
She was thinking of her experience coming out to Chelton; also she kepton the lookout for Mr. Reed. He had hinted that there were interestingthings developing in Chelton just then. He had said openly that hisinterest and Cora's were mutual. Would he again molest her?
With this thought she determined not to get too far away from Jack.She would have him call at the Hastings' house for her.
And the Roland, Reed & Company lawyers knew that Cora Kimball was aleader among the motor girls the club that had avowed its purpose offinding the book, as well as the table.
All this was complicated and involved, but to the shrewd lawyers, Coraknew the working out of the details was merely a matter of opportunity.
Having failed to prove Wren a subject for some "shut-in" institution,these same lawyers were now engaged on another scheme, that of tryingto show that the child was detained against her will, and was actuallyin the possession of Cora Kimball.
Jack had told Cora all this, trying to make it a matter of smallimportance, and laughing at Rob Roland's initial performance, as Jackput it; but Cora felt that it was no laughing matter, and that at leastthe happiness of two persons--Mrs. Salvey and her delicate littledaughter--was involved.
Cora and Jack were on the road, and Jack had cranked up. Ed, havingmade the ram secure in the field, was about to walk to his ownlodgings. Suddenly a flash of red swept across the streak of brownhighway. Cora recognized it instantly as Dr. Bennet's car.
He was coming at such a pace that in drawing up the gears and brakes ofhis machine protested with unpleasant, grinding sounds.
Dr. Bennet seemed flushed and excited. He began, without anypreliminaries, to tell Cora that she must get into his car, and hurryback to Breakwater.
"I have been on the wildest hunt," he said, smiling an acknowledgmentto Cora's introduction to Ed, and bowing to Jack, whom he had metearlier in the day. "I have been all over Chelton, but of course didnot expect to locate you out here."
Duncan Bennet possessed that manner which is at once persuasive and atthe same time courteous combination of the doctor and the man.
"You see," he continued, "I happened to overhear that you are to besubpoenaed in that Robinson patent case. In fact, I heard Reed say hewould have you in an hour, so I determined to beat him back home--getyou over the State line before he can serve the papers. Now, you hadbest jump right in. Clip is waiting for us at Wiltons'. We will pickher up and then fly."
"Oh!" gasped Cora, seizing at Jack's arm. "I am not going to run away.I will stay right at home--with my brother." Cora was as near cryingas any young lady with the reputation of strength of character mightsafely venture. But Jack knew more of the case than he had confided toher, and he instantly agreed with Dr. Bennet.
"Run along, sis," he advised, with the jollity that makes a brave boyever a girl's hero. "I'll be after you with the others, and it will beno end of fun. Clip's going, and I'll try to have Paul and Hazeljoin--if Paul is fit. Then with Ed and Walter-- Say, we will have thetime of our young lives! Get in with Dr. Bennet, and I'll turn backand stop in front of the ice cream place. Of course, Reed or Rolandwill come along that way, and of course you will be inside eatingfrapped subpoenas."
Cora was now climbing in beside Dr. Bennet.
"And that is why that horrid man tried to get me to ride in town withhim!" cried Cora. "He wanted to make me take those papers--"
"Certainly," interrupted Duncan. "But we have fooled him thus far. Besure to come to the show, boys," this to Ed and Jack. "My crowd will beout there to-night, but I suppose we will not see the Chelton thronguntil to-morrow. Excuse haste--and a bad pen," he added, laughing,while Tom gave a signal on the horn. "This is the time we make a runagainst the law."
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