The Motor Girls on Crystal Bay; or, The Secret of the Red Oar

by Margaret Penrose

  CHAPTER VI

  THE "CHELTON"

  "Oh, isn't it exciting?" cried Marita, who had managed to have Jackhelp her over the dunes on the way to the dock.

  "You're right!" replied Jack, surveying her "nautical" outfit."Couldn't beat it."

  "Silly! I mean going for the cruise."

  "Oh, I thought you meant that rig you're wearing. It is most becoming,but I hope it won't get wet."

  "Oh, the water won't hurt it. I got it on that account. I think thegirls' maroon sweaters look dandy--they can be seen for such adistance."

  "Yes, I suppose togs have something to do with a good time, although Imust say Cora doesn't seem to give much time to hers. Look at Maritain white. She looks like a French doll."

  "Oh, she is the cutest thing!" replied Lottie, in her gushing way."But Cora is simply stunning! Just see how she stands out in thecrowd."

  Lottie and Jack strolled through the moss-padded path that led to thewhite sands of Tangle Turn, talking in this vein as they went. It wasindeed a merry crowd, and well worth noticing, as was evinced by thenumber of curious spectators already assembled on the dock to whichthe _Chelton_ was tied.

  "Who's the man?" asked Jack, espying a striking figure in the throng.

  "Oh, that's Uncle Denny; don't you know him? He is the dearest----"

  "Now, Lottie, I can see his bald head under his cap at this distancewithout marine glasses, and it's a rule of the club that 'dears' havespecial advantages in the matter of healthy heads of hair. But, ofcourse, if you wish to call him 'dear'----"

  "Jack, you are the greatest tease," she pouted.

  Bess, Belle and Cora had already reached the motor boat. Denny wasproudly "looking her over," pipe in mouth and hands in pockets. Thegirls were bustling about, all enthusiasm, while the boys, assuming anair of importance, found many points to investigate.

  "Now take seats," called Cora, "we are ready to push off. Lottie,don't lean overboard."

  "Oh, I am watching the cutest little fish. See, Bess," she exclaimed.

  Ed was on the dock with the rope loose from the cleat. Cora was at thesteering wheel, while Denny insisted on turning the fly wheel, as thatseemed about the most difficult thing to do. The gasoline was turnedon, Jack attending to that, and as Denny gave the fly wheel a vigorousturn, Ed pushed off and jumped into the boat. The "push" sent the_Chelton_ out in the water, but the motor failed to do its duty. AgainDenny tried, but still no response. As this is not unusual with anymotor, whether new or old, all hands waited patiently.

  "Oh, there's the _Dixie_!" called Lottie, jumping up and waving to anapproaching boat.

  At that instant the _Chelton_ started with a jerk, and there was achorus of screams.

  "Lottie's overboard!" cried the girls.

  "Overboard!" repeated the boys.

  "Quick!" begged Cora. "She may sink!"

  To bring the boat to a sudden stop was not an easy matter, and therewere some moments of suspense before the _Chelton_ passed safely tothe other side of the spot where Lottie was struggling.

  The water was not so deep but that she was able to scramble to herfeet, but the wash of the boat forced her to work violently to keepher head above water.

  "The rope!" called Cora, who had dashed from her position at thesteering wheel to the side of the boat where the mooring rope had beendropped. In the excitement, of course, all crowded to one side of thesmall craft, which caused it to careen alarmingly.

  "There! There!" shouted Ed. "Lottie, grab the rope!"

  "Oh, I can't," came the rather weak and shaky reply. "I can't reachit."

  By this time the _Dixie_, the innocent cause of the accident, wasalongside. Drayton Ward, the wealthy young fellow who could boast of amotor boat that would have aroused comment even at Newport, leanedover the side and grasped the arm of the girl in the water. The restwas a simple matter, for soon Lottie was assisted over the rail of the_Dixie_, and was in the finest boat on Crystal Bay.

  "What do you think of that?" gasped Bess into Cora's ear.

  "Clever!" replied Cora, simply.

  "But the togs?" queried Jack, to whom the accident had seemedsomething of a joke.

  "What a pity," returned Belle, "and she did look so sweet!"

  All this time the drenched girl was being most carefully looked afterby the gallant captain of the _Dixie_. He was seeing to it that shedid not suffer from a chill, for a big coat had been wrapped aroundher and her pretty white cap that had merrily floated off was nowreplaced by one marked "Dixie." Altogether, for a mere Summer dip,Lottie was having a magnificent time, as Ed took pains to observe.

  "Oh, I can't go with you now!" called Lottie. "Mr. Ward has kindlyoffered to take me home."

  There was a pause after that remark. If Lottie went back to thebungalow it seemed only reasonable that someone should go with her.But who? Everyone wanted to take the trip on the _Chelton_.

  "Let us take you up to the point," called Cora, "and we can wait foryou to change and come back. Our trip would be spoiled with one of theparty missing."

  "Let's shift," suggested Drayton, with a gracious smile at Cora. "Mineis probably the faster boat. You get in here with us, Miss Cora, andwe will run up and down the bay while your friends are working off theoil smoke. That's a neat little boat you have, a perfect littlemodel," he finished, coming as close as possible to the _Chelton_.

  "Yours is all right, too, Dray," replied Jack, "but it looks too goodto be true. Doesn't shoot up on land for a change, does it? I haveheard of _Dixies_ doing that stunt."

  "Oh, dear!" exclaimed Lottie. "I am freezing to death. I guess I'll gochange my dress."

  "Good idea," agreed Cora, who was ready to leave her boat and go backto the bungalow with Lottie. "Come on," and she jumped to the dock towhich her boat had drifted. "I'll run along with you."

  "Nice way to treat a fellow," complained Drayton. "Well, fellows, I'llrace you while we are waiting for the ladies to return. What do yousay, Jack?"

  "I'm willing, as long as Cora has finally condescended to let me touchthe wheel. Everybody sit down this time."

  Without a word all hands, keen for a race as soon as one wassuggested, took seats, and the two boats veered out into the bay and"lined up" for the start. Denny was the proudest engineer imaginable,and constantly looked over the fine mechanism.

  "Ready!" shouted Ed, and at the word both throttles were thrown wideopen and the boats shot up the bay, emitting clouds of smoke fromtheir newly oiled works, and "chugging" so rapidly that the soundswere drowned in a roar. It was a pretty sight, for in the girls' boata line of colored sweaters and waving caps lent life to the gray ofthe waters, while Drayton, in his glistening, highly-polished _Dixie_,only needed the glint that the sun lent to complete the pictureafforded by his fine craft.

  "Oh, isn't this glorious!" exclaimed Marita. "I thought I should befrightened, but this is--lovely."

  "Frightened!" repeated Belle. "I used to be so afraid of the water Icouldn't see anything but the bottom every time I came out; but now Ijust love it."

  "Hey there, Dray!" shouted Ed. "You're out of the course. Get in fromshore!"

  "He's keeping his eye on those girls on the beach," laughed Walter."Those are the lassies who have the white canoe." So saying he wavedhis own cap and a flutter of handkerchiefs from the beach came back inrecognition.

  "Turn at the island," ordered Denny.

  Here a white flag fluttered, the stake left from some recent sailingraces. Gracefully the _Chelton_ rounded the stake first. Drayton hadlost time in running too close to shore. Only a minute later the_Dixie_ swayed after the _Chelton_, then the final stretch was takenup in earnest. Spectators on the bank might wave now, but themotorists had no eyes for them. A slight miss in the _Chelton's_explosion brought Denny and Ed to their feet--there should be no breakin the rhythm of that chug.

  "She's all right," Ed called to the old sailor, "only too much oil."

  Denny shook his head lest a word might interfere with the boat'smotion. Dray stood up and did
something that caused the bow of hisboat to shoot up, while the stern seemed to bury itself in the waves.

  "His is a racer," Walter told Bess, who was as intent as any of thewatchers on the result of the trial of speed.

  "Maybe ours will turn out to be a winner," Bess responded. "We keeppretty close."

  Jack never took his hand off the steering wheel, Denny was watchingthe engine, and the others were peering down the straight courseahead.

  "Oh, I'm getting all wet," exclaimed Marita, for the spray was dashingin on all sides.

  "Get down in the bottom," advised Walter, "we can't slacken up now. Orgo in the cabin if you like and close the ports."

  This was a signal for all three girls to slip down to the floor of theboat and while they lost the good view afforded from the seats, theyevidently enjoyed the change, and craned their necks to see over thesides.

  "Of course Dray will win," complained Belle. "We couldn't expect tobeat the _Dixie_."

  "We might," encouraged Bess. "Cora said this boat had remarkable speedfor its size."

  "Gee, whiz!" shouted Walter, "look at that spray deluge Dray!"

  "And she's missing," added Ed, for the sounds from the _Dixie_ weredistinctly out of time.

  Suddenly Dray's boat slowed down, and the _Chelton_ shot so far aheadthat it was plain something had happened to the _Dixie_.

  Jack stood up and looked back. "Something is wrong," he said. "We hadbetter not get too far ahead. Dray is fussing with the carbureter."

  The race was over. The girls stood up from their hiding place and Jackturned the boat about. By this time Dray had turned off the gasolineand the _Dixie_ merely heaved up and down on the swells.

  "What's the matter, Dray?" called Walter. "Something given way?"

  "I don't know," answered Dray, "she simply won't 'mote.'"

  "Let me take a look at her," suggested Denny, ever eager for a newadventure.

  "Oh, there are Cora and Lottie!" exclaimed Belle. "Can't we go in forthem, and look after Dray's boat afterward?"

  "That would be a nice way to treat a ship in distress," said Denny,"but excuse me," and he showed regret at his remark. "I shouldn't bethinkin' of a lad when the young girls are needin' help."

  "Oh, the girls are all right," Jack assured the old seaman; "but say,Dray," he called, "what's the matter, anyhow?"

  "Just give me a line and tow me in, then we will hold a post mortem,"replied Dray, good humoredly. "I don't fancy taking her apart outhere."

  "Good!" exclaimed Marita, "then we can go for Cora and Lottie."

  Promptly the brand new rope of the _Chelton_ was tossed to thedisabled boat and fastened, then the two boats started for shore.

  Cora and Lottie were waiting. The latter had shed her wet "garments ofvanity," as Belle described them, for a simple brown linen frock.

  "What happened?" called Cora, as the boats neared shore.

  "Mis-happened," answered Dray. "It was just fate. We couldn't expectto beat the motor girls."

  "Nice of you," acknowledged Cora, "but I am sorry if there is anythingwrong with your beautiful boat."

  "It's the boat and not the boy," remarked Ed. "Well, we'll do as muchfor you some day, Cora. Wait until we get our little _Lassie_ out.She, being a mere girl, may have a show."

  "What's the matter, Lottie?" asked Bess, as they landed and the girlsnoted that Lottie was remarkably quiet, and even a trifle pale.

  "Not a thing," Cora hurriedly answered, while she crushed her fingerson Lottie's arm. "We were detained at the bungalow, that's all. We'lltell you all about it later on."

  The girls gathered around Cora and Lottie at this remark. But Cora, bysome mysterious signal system, had warned Lottie not to say anything,and she soon joined the boys, who had already boarded the _Dixie_ tooverhaul her.

  They looked at the engine, at the spark plugs, at the cylinder, butCora, who happened to have more room at the point where the carbureterwas situated, suddenly exclaimed:

  "I've got it! Water in the carbureter!"

  "Right-o!" confirmed Dray, in another moment. "The spray mixed withthe gas--dashed over into the air in-take valve. Moral, go slow, forwater sometimes is fatal, even in a good cause!"

  "Shame to spoil the race," said Ed; "we were just warming up."

  "It's all right," commented Denny, "and a good lesson. I never knewmyself that too much speed would do the like of that. Well, I must beoff doin' some chores. I've been a-galavantin' most of the day, andthe fishes of Crystal Bay are not educated to come up to me door yet.Thank you for the sport. It was fine," he concluded, genially.

  "Indeed you must come along again," Cora urged. "This was only ababy-trial. We will want to be going out on the deep soon; then youmust come along."

  "Thank you, very kindly," Denny called, as he started off. "The deepis a bad place for young 'uns, I can tell you. Better stick aroundshore."

  "Tell us what is the matter, Lottie," demanded Bess, for Lottie hadnot yet recovered her self-possession.

  "Oh, I guess I had a chill," she evaded, glancing at Cora.

  "And the mere sight of a couple of strange men startled her," Coraadded. "I have warned her there may be lots of strange men aroundCrystal Bay."

  "But not the same strange men every time," Lottie put in. This gave aclue to her fright. The men who had secluded themselves under theLonely Willow that morning had appeared again, this time in thevicinity of the girls' bungalow, now known as the "Motely Mote."