ding eyes on Jack, "your brother is such a dear for fixing
us up. I guess the _Flyaway_ will be there at the finish."

"Is it very far where you are going--to Sandy Point Cove?" asked Eline.

"Oh, yes," answered Walter, "it's miles and miles, and then more miles.
But we are all going, little girl, so don't worry," and he struck a
stiffly-heroic attitude to show his valor.

"It is a good thing you have a livery-stable-sized garage," remarked Ed
to Cora. "It holds all the cars very nicely."

"Yes, there isn't another in Chelton, except the public ones, so well
arranged," added Walter. "But we might have waited until morning to bring
the machines here."

"No, I thought it was best to have them here the night before we were
to start," explained Cora, who was to assume the leadership of the
prospective trip. "Some of us might have been tempted to go out on a
little spin this evening, and an accident might have occurred that would
delay us."

"Did the _Petrel_ get off safely?" inquired Ed.

"Yes," replied Jack. "It's in a regular motor boat crate that the man said
would stand the journey. I saw it put in the freight car myself, and well
braced. It will be there waiting for us when we get to the Cove."

"I hope it runs," murmured Walter.

"Don't be a pessimist--or is it an optimist? I never can tell which from
what," spoke Belle. "I mean don't be one who's always looking on the dark
side. Look for the silver lining of the clouds."

"Say, it's clouding up all right," declared Jack, as he glanced from the
window.

A distant rumble was heard at that moment.

"That's thunder!" exclaimed Belle, "and we have no umbrellas." She glanced
at her sister and Eline.

"Better have it rain to-night than to-morrow, when we want to start," said
Cora, philosophically.

"Sit by me, Belle," pleaded Jack. "I won't let the bad thunder hurt you."

"We'll all sit by each other!" proposed Walter.

This was a signal for a general change of places, each boy pretending to
protect a girl.

"Now don't let's get off the track," went on Cora, when quiet had been
restored. "Are you all sure that you want to go directly to the Cove,
and don't care for a little side trip before reaching there? Of course
it's going to be fine at the shore, and there's enough variety so that
each one can find something she or he likes--rocks, ocean, sandy beach,
a lighthouse----"

"Where they do light housekeeping?" asked Ed, softly.

"Please don't," Cora