ing," spoke Jack.

"You're not going to stay up until morning, Jack!" cried Cora.

"No, that was only a joke," he explained. "I mean I'm going to have a new
tire put on the _Get There_--have it re-tired you see. Get the idea? It
was a joke."

"A tired one," yawned Ed. "Come on to bed."

"Say, if we try to get off any more smart sayings we'll all have the
nightmare," suggested Walter.

"And it's no fun to make a tour on one of those creatures instead of in
an auto," put in Norton.

The young travelers were soon on their way to that part of the hotel set
aside for them. Mrs. Fordam had seen to it that the girls got the most
comfortable rooms. The boys were not so particular.

"We'll try and get started by nine o'clock," suggested Cora, as she bade
her brother good-night.

"That's too early," he protested. "Why, we'd have to get up and have
breakfast at seven. Make it ten, Sis, and that will give me time to have
that tire looked after. Otherwise I may be holding you back all along
the route."

"All right," Cora assented. "We'll make it ten."

"Say, old man, who was she?" asked Walter, as he and Jack strolled along
the corridor together. "Tell a fellow; can't you? I won't give you away
if you were stringing the girls."

"I wasn't stringing them!" declared Jack. "It all happened just as I've
said."

"But who was she?"

"A mystery of the road," put in Ed.

"Pretty?" Norton wanted to know, quickly.

"Pretty--pretty," echoed Jack. "Really all she told us was that she had
been working in an office, had become tired of it and was traveling about
as a sort of vacation."

"Did she look as though that might be the case?" asked Walter.

"Eminently so, my august cross-questioner," answered Jack. "And that's
all I'm going to say. I'm dead tired. See you later," and he went to his
room.

"Who do you suppose that girl could have been?" asked Bess of Cora a
little later, as they were putting up their hair for the night.

"I haven't the least idea."

"Why, how queer. I thought you did have!" and Bess looked at Cora in
rather a searching manner.

"No. Why should I?"

"Oh, I haven't any special reason for saying so, and yet--oh, well, it
doesn't make any difference I suppose, but----"

"Bess Robinson, just what do you mean?" and Cora's eyes lost their
slumberous inclination as she faced her chum.

"Why, Cora dear, nothing at all," and Bess spoke very sweetly. "Only,
from the way you spoke to Jack, and the way