nd joined Jack,
who had gone away from the booth.

CHAPTER X

REUNITED

"Who was she?"

It was Cora who demanded this when, an hour or so later, Jack and Ed had
been reunited to their party in the Mansion House at Fairport.

"Who was she?" and Cora looked appealingly at her brother, who smiled in
a tantalizing fashion.

"We told you everything," remarked Ed. "Over the wire, you know."

"It's very easy to tell things--over the wire," remarked Belle, with a
laugh. "One doesn't have to--blush, you know."

"And if one does, even the central operator can't see it," spoke Bess.
"Oh, you boys have given us a big scare!"

"Scare? How?" demanded Jack, with a look at his sister. "We couldn't help
getting on the wrong road."

"Perhaps not, Jack," said Mrs. Fordam, gently. "But Cora was quite
worried, and has been telephoning to police stations all along the route
to see if she could get any word about you and Ed."

"Did you?" asked Ed, quickly.

"There was one report of an auto accident," spoke Cora, "and I was so
frightened, Jack, until I heard that it was a big car, and then I knew
it couldn't be yours. But did it all happen as you've told?"

"Exactly," exclaimed Jack.

"Girl and all?" Walter wanted to know.

"The girl _most_ of all," answered Ed. "How about it, Jack old man?"

"I'm with you. She----"

"Stop!" commanded Cora. "We don't want you to incriminate yourselves any
more than you have to. Besides it's getting late, and we must get some
rest to be ready for an early start to-morrow morning.

"But I have been quite worried, Jack, and I couldn't get much satisfaction
by telephoning. However, you're here now, and we will forgive you. Did you
have supper?"

"We had--dinner," answered Ed, with a tantalizing smile. "It was a good
one, too. Then we got on the right road and made pretty good time over
here."

The little party of young people was in the hotel parlor. As Cora had
said, it was getting late, the hands of the clock approaching the midnight
hour, and they all had had rather a strenuous time that day.

Jack and Ed had left their car in the garage with the others.

"Me for the downy feathers!" exclaimed Jack, with a yawn. "You look
sleepy, too, Eline."

"I'm not, even a little bit, really," and she smiled brightly.

"They keep late hours--in Chicago," remarked Belle, with a laugh.

"I really think we had better retire," said Mrs. Fordam.

"That's what I'm going to do--in the morn