CHAPTER XI
MOTORING OUTFITS
For days following the loss of the money and the finding of theempty pocketbook every possible clue was followed up, both by thepolice of New City and Chelton, and by many detectives, who werelured on by the offered reward of five hundred dollars.
Nor were suspicious tongues idle. If Cora was not openly accused,it was because she had a brother who would vigorously defend her.Nor did the Robinson girls altogether escape, though it wasgenerally hinted, in the case of all the young ladies, that theymight have hidden the money "just for fun," and when they saw whatexcitement it caused they were afraid to return it.
"As if that was a joke," said Cora, when she heard this version.
Of course, the boys who took part in the race had to answer numerousquestions for the police, but at the end of a week, which was anunpleasant one for all concerned, the detectives were as far off thetrack as ever. Sid and Ida had their share of the "third degree" ofpolice questioning in a mild form, and though Sid was at firstindignant and refused to answer questions, he finally gave in. Therewas an unofficial verdict of "not guilty" in the case of all, andEd's little fortune seemed likely never to be found.
When, about two weeks after the loss, Cora took a hundred-dollarbill to the bank to get it changed, and the teller looked at itrather longer than seemed necessary, Jack, who was with his sister,asked:
"What's the matter? Isn't that good?" He betrayed some feeling,for the finger of suspicion seemed pointing at his family from everyperson he met.
"Why--I hope it's good," was the smiling answer. "If it isn't Ihave lost faith in the government printing office."
"My grandmother gave it to me for my birthday," explained Cora. "Ihaven't had time to spend it since getting my auto. No one everquestioned a bill of hers before."
"Neither have I questioned it," declared the teller. "I was merelymaking a note of the number. We have instructions to take amemorandum of all bills of large denomination. I was merely doingthat."
"Since when was that rule in effect?" asked Jack.
"Since the Foster robbery."
Jack started. Then he remembered that in Ed's wallet were bills oflarge denomination.
"Suspicion even here," he muttered to Cora as they went out.
"Hush, Jack, dear," she said softly. "Some folks will hear you."
"Well, I don't care if they do. It's fierce--the way people believethat you--and I--had a hand in that robbery."
"Never mind," replied his sister. "Oh," she added quickly, "thereare the Robinson girls outside," and she hurried down the banksteps. The two sisters were walking slowly along, and from a certainair about Bess it was evident that she had something important totell Cora.
"Any news of the--robbery?" Bess asked Jack.
"Not that I know of," he answered rather gloomily. "The trouble isthat so many of those who might be able to throw additional light onit are away. Sid has gone--no one seems to know where--Ida is awayvisiting, and we haven't been able to find that old farmer that gothis team in the way of the race. Ed remembers passing him on theroad, and he spoke to him, but even that wouldn't account for howthe wallet got in Cora's car."
"No," said Elizabeth with a sigh. "But where are you going, Cora?"
"Around to Madam Julia's. I went in the bank to get grandmother'shundred-dollar bill broken, so I could pay for my things at madam's.I suppose they are done by this time. Won't you girls come with me?"
"Yes," added Jack, "and speaking of hundred dollar bills, what doyou suppose that bank teller did? He--"
"Jack, dear," spoke Cora softly, and her brother subsided.
"Do come," she urged the twins: "It will be such fun to see me tryon my motor togs."
"Wait until we tell you something!" burst out Belle. "We have--"
"A surprise for you," interrupted Bess.
"A brand-new--" started in Belle.
"Motor car," finished Bess triumphantly.
"That is, we're going to get it," added her sister.
"Father has promised it to us;" supplemented Bess.
"Oh, isn't that splendid!" exclaimed Cora. "I'm so glad! This is asurprise. Now we'll all be motor girls."
"Yes," added Belle; "and mother said we could go this afternoon andselect some motor things for ourselves at madam's. Isn't that justtoo sweet of her?"
"Lovely!" cried Cora, giving the twins a little hug in turn.
"Here, quit that in public. Want to make a fellow jealous?"demanded Jack.
"Oh--you--" began Belle with an arch look at Cora's brother.
"Now we're going to take a preliminary look at things with you,Cora," said Bess. "I'm just dying to get a certain bonnet that I sawin the window."
"Toot-toot! Farewell!" cried Jack, as he puffed in imitation of anauto and turned up the street.
"Do you know," began Cora as soon as her brother was safely out ofsight, "speaking of that robbery, I have been thinking lately howstrange it was that Ida, Mary and Sid should have been talking soseriously behind my car when I happened to look around and see them.Mary's face flushed, and Ida immediately walked away."
"Is that so?" demanded Bess.
"Yes, and I have been puzzling over it for some time."
"I overheard some of the things they said," declared Belle. "Ithink Sid was trying to get Mary and Ida to promise to go out for aride with him that evening. Ida refused, and Mary--well, I didn'thear just what she said--but it wasn't no, I'm sure."
"But they all three looked so--so guilty," went on Cora. "It wasexactly as if they didn't want to be discovered."
"Maybe Sid was ashamed to be seen asking Mary to go for a ride. Youknow, he's reported to be well off, and Mary--well, she's a dear,sweet little girl, but she works for a living, and you know what afellow like Sid thinks of working girls."
"I thought I heard Sid saying something about hiring a machine totake them out in," went on Belle.
"Well, maybe we'll get a chance to ask Mary about it when we get tomadam's," said Cora. "She'll be sent in to help us try on ourthings."
They were soon in front of the shop with the big' glass front--theonly real, big glass front in Chelton--and behind the plate wasdisplayed a single hat--a creation--as Madam Julia described it.Madam Julia was very exclusive.
The door-boy, a dapper little colored chap, in an exceedinglytight-fitting suit of blue, with innumerable brass buttons on it, indouble rows in front, in triple rows behind, and in single rows onsleeves, opened the portal for the young ladies, bowing low as hedid so.
"I guess this is Mary coming now," said Cora in a low voice as sheheard some one approaching from behind the silken draperies thatseparated part of the shop.
But the three customers looked up in surprise when a strange younggirl appeared through the parted curtains.
"Miss Kimball," said Cora, announcing her own name, for she had anappointment.
"Oh, yes," was the girl's answer. "I will tell madam."
"Where is Mary?" whispered Bess.
"That accounts for the sign I saw," spoke Cora, telling her chums ofthe notice that an apprentice was wanted. "Mary must have beendischarged. Madam would never keep two--in Chelton."
Madam Julia, as she was always called, entered with a swish ofskirts and leaving a trail of French instructions behind her in thework-room--instructions to her employees as to the trimming on this"effect" and the reshaping of that "creation."
"Ah, yes, Mees Kimball," she began. "I am all inreadiness--but--pardon--zat Marie--she haf left me--in suchhastiness--I am all at what you call ze ocean--how you express it?"
With a pretty little motion of her hands she looked appealingly atCora.
"You mean all at sea, madam."
"Ah, yes! At sea! How comprehensive! Ze sea is always troubled,and so am I. Zat Marie she left me so suddenness--I know not whereare all my things--I depend so much on her--"
"Has Miss Downs left?" Cora could not refrain from asking.
"Ha! Yes! Zat
is eet. Precisely. So quickly she go away an' leafme. She does not think much about it, perhaps, but I am too busy tobe so annoyed. Just some relation not well--indisposition,maybe--well--voila! she is gone--it was not so in my time that agirl must leaf her trade and depart with such quickness--run away.Louise! Louse! Come instantly and for me find zat motor chapeau forMademoiselle Kimball."
Her voice rose to a shrill call.
"Quick!" she called, and then came a string of French. "I must notbe kept waiting--eet was already packed--"
Louise, who had replaced Mary Downs, found the bonnet Cora hadordered, and handed it to her mistress. Cora took her place before amirror, and madam began patting the motor cap hood affectionatelyover the girl's black tresses.
"It will suit you to perfection!" exclaimed the French woman. "Youhave ze hair beautiful. Zere!" She brushed the hood down over Cora'sears. "Zat is ze way. Do not wear a motor hood as if it was a tiara!Zat is of a hatefulness! Such bad taste! Voila--what is it zat youAmericans say?--ze fitness of zings. Yes, zat is what I mean."
The hood certainly looked well on Cora. Bess and Belle nodded theirapproval. It was of the old-fashioned Shaker type, of delicatepongee silk, and showed off to advantage Cora's black, wavy fair, asit fell softly about her temples.
"Es eet not becoming?" demanded madam, and then she became profusein her native tongue. "Zat--what you call Shaker--eet is zeprettiest--so chic--voila!" and once more she patted it on Cora'shead.
Cora was very well pleased with it. Then the mask was brought out.This was a simple affair--Cora only wanted such things as werepractical. The mask, which had been specially designed to suit thegirl, was nothing more than a piece of veiling, with the goggles setin. The veil was secured to the hood by a simple shirr string ofelastic.
Madam slipped it over Cora's face.
"Zere!" the milliner exclaimed.
"Lovely!" declared Bess.
"Very beautiful!" added Belle.
Louise, the little girl helper, gave a wonder look of admiration.Louise had well-trained eyes.
"Would you know me?" asked Cora with a little laugh.
"Never!" replied Bess. "Won't it be splendid? Suppose we all getthings alike? Then we can travel--incog!"
"Oh, jolly!" cried Belle. "Just fancy Walter asking me to havesoda, and he thinking I'm some one else!"
Cora laughed merrily at Belle's joke. Walter's preference for Corawas no secret.
"How about my cloak?" asked Cora.
"Not quite ready," replied madam. "You see, zat naughty Marie,leaving me so--"
"Did you say some of her relatives were ill?" ventured Bess.
"I believe so. Some aunt, away in some far place. Marie is gone toher."
Louise took the mask and hood from Cora and flitted away with thembeyond the silk curtains. There was to be a stitch taken here, and alittle, tacking up was needed there. The veil was to be a bitcloser, the milliner explained.
Next Madam Julia turned to the twins.
"My friends wish to see about some motor things, also," remarkedCora. "What would you think of having them all alike--for usthere?"
This brought on such a discussion, madam talking more in French thanEnglish, and Belle was kept busy translating for her sister.
The madam preferred giving the young ladies such hoods and cloaks aswould best suit their complexions. Bess should have a brownone--just running to the shade of her hair, but not quite reachingit, and Belle needed a dark blue--for only a true blond can weardark blue and not look old in it.
So madam explained. But the twins would not decide, after all,until their mother could be consulted, so the order was notdefinitely placed.
When they were about to leave, and madam had vanished behind thesilken draperies, Bess turned to one of the hat sticks, upon whichrested a most conspicuous piece of headgear.
"Oh, look at that!" she exclaimed. "Isn't it awful?"
"It certainly is ridiculous!" chimed in Belle, taking the motorhood, for such it was, off the support and holding it up forinspection.
"That's certainly what madam calls a 'creation,'" said Cora.
"Who in the world would ever wear that?" asked Bess with a laugh.
"I expected to," unexpectedly replied a voice behind them. Thethree girls turned quickly to confront Ida Giles. She had come in soquietly that they had not heard her. Cora, Belle and Bess lookeddumfounded.
"And perhaps in the future," went on Ida in icy tones, "it would bejust as well to leave another person's hat alone."
"I beg your pardon," Cora managed to say, "We--er--we werejust--interested in motor hoods."
"And making fun of mine!" snapped Ida.
Louise had entered to attend to the new customer. Ida turned toher:
"I wish to see Madam Julia!" she exclaimed. Outside Bess burst intoher full, hearty laugh.
Then the three motor girls made their escape.
"I thought I would choke in there!" she exclaimed.
"Lucky for you that Ida didn't take a hand in, helping you out inthe choking process," remarked Cora. "She looked as if she wouldlike to have done it."
"But what in the world do you suppose she wants with a motor hood?"asked Belle.
"To ride with Sid, of course," answered Cora.
"But his machine is out of order, and he as much as said that hedidn't intend to get it fixed right away," persisted Belle.
"Maybe he's going to get a new one," ventured Cora.
"I don't see how he can," replied Belie. "I heard father say he wasdreadfully in debt. His folks had some dealings with father, Ibelieve, about advancing him some money that is to come to him whenhe is a certain age, but it won't be for some time yet. They had tohave some to pay his debts."
"You ought not to repeat that, Belle," cautioned Bess. "You knowfather would be displeased if he knew you had spoken of his privateaffairs."
"Well, I'm sure it will go no further--with Cora," retorted Belle."I wouldn't mention it to any one else."
"Of course, I'll not repeat it," promised Cora. "But what do youthink about Mary leaving so suddenly?"
"I don't know what to think," replied Bess. "It looks odd, to saythe least. What reason would she have for leaving town so-well,mysteriously, to put it mildly?"
"Of course, it may be a mere coincidence," went on Cora, "but inconnection with her talk with Ida and Sid--well, I have oftennoticed that matters conspire to `look strange' whenever there is achance of making complications."