CHAPTER II

STRIKE OF THE "LEADING LADY"

"Exactly what did you mean, Cora?"

"You know perfectly well, Jack."

"No, really, I did not know what you--bumped into. Did you hurt your
nose?"

"Not the least bit, my dear brother. And the real bump--the fact, you
know--was that I just discovered how much these two little girls depend
upon me. Bess said I was never the least bit afraid----"

"And are you?"

"Perhaps. At any rate, I didn't like the looks of that man, Jack. I
don't intend the girls shall know it, but I was just the least bit
afraid to come in the house. Who do you suppose he might be?"

"Why, Cora!" and Jack looked his surprise. "What's up? Are you going
to strike?"

"Don't you believe me, Jack, that I was afraid?"

"It is not like you. But I suppose there was something----"

"Well, Jack, even a leading lady may get tired. I am going to try to
do a little less of the leading."

"Angry with the girls?"

"Why, bless you, no. Why should I be? Aren't they the
dearest--babies. But you boys----"

"Oh, mad at us! Cora Kimball!" and her brother threatened to injure
his beauty on the matting rug. "If I had only the least idea that you
didn't like us, I would have packed the whole crowd off to the
bungalow."

"Still you insist upon misunderstanding me. Well, I may as well give
up, Jack. Let us talk about something else."

"I might make another mistake. But I would like to tell you what some
of the boys said about the dance last night. They were just raving
about you. Did you like Porter?"

"The boy with a smile? Yes, I did. I don't know when I saw a young
man so real. You know, Jack, with all due respect to boys hovering
around twenty, they usually display too much--hover."

"Chumpy, you mean."

"If the word were a little less--aspirated. Girls might say--crude."

"Real nice of the girls. But Porter asked me if I'd bring him around."

"Why not? Bess had a splendid time with him."

"But he spoke of you, Cora. And he's a great fellow at college."

"By all means cultivate the great," replied Cora. "But here come the
others. Ask them."

"Striking again, Cora. All right. If Porter wants to take Bess to the
games----"

"He's welcome. I have already promised Ed."

It was an hour after the strange-man scare, and the Robinson girls had
finally been convinced that there were no miscreants lurking anywhere
about the place. The excitement had made Bess pret