squirrel, for she had rather that same timid appearance, and she nearly
always dressed in tan or brown, to match her complexion.

"Sometimes," she murmured.

"Chicago----" began Jack in rather judicial tones.

"You let Chicago alone!" advised Walter. "I'm looking after Eline. I won't
let them hurt you," and he moved closer to her. She seemed to shrink,
whereat the others laughed.

They walked about for a little while, strolling out to the Kimball
garage--a rebuilt stable, where three fine machines now stood, two of them
having brought the visitors. Then when they had acquired the necessary
breath of air, they went back into the house.

Eline matched herself up to a Chippendale chair, while Belle, always fond
of plenty of room, found it on a divan. Bess had secured one of those
Roman chairs curved up at both ends, seemingly intended to prevent anyone
from sitting anywhere but in the exact center. She assumed a graceful
pose--everything Bess did had that attribute.

"My! it is certainly getting warmer!" complained Walter. "Maybe we should
have stayed out."

"We can talk better in here," was Cora's opinion. "We'll need all the
breeze that we can get on high gear if this keeps up," said Ed, with a
sigh.

"Oh, but the dust!" exclaimed Bess. "I know I'll simply choke, and----"

"Chew gum!" broke in Cora. "That absorbs the dust."

"Couldn't we chew chocolates as well?" asked Belle. "I would rather
swallow half the dust of the roads from here to Sandy Point Cove and
have my throat macadamized, than chew gum."

"We'll allow you to make yours chocolate," conceded Jack, "though
chocolates do not allow space for----"

"Gab," put in Norton Randolf, who seldom said anything really nice to
the girls. Yet he always managed to interest them with his drawl and
indifference. "We ought to get out something that would stop the talk
when we get to a close turn," he proceeded. "I'm always afraid some one
will release the emergency brake on a down grade, with a rude remark."

"He's real bright!" chuckled Ed. "I don't think!"

"Now, please, let's get down to business," suggested Cora, crisply. "The
time passes so quickly, and we have a lot of matters to arrange. Bess, I
put an extra wrench in your tool-box. I remembered your ability in losing
those handy little articles."

"Thanks," drawled Bess. "But why stop at a wrench? Why not duplicate
all the fixings? What I don't lose Belle does. But then," and she turned
mocking, plea