CHAPTER XXII
TARTS AND LADY FINGERS
No one would believe her. They all came out of the water as Nancyarrived at the beach, and declined positively, to go in.
"I'm too--flustered," she insisted. "My head is swimming now and itdoesn't matter about my heels."
"But Nancy," protested Marion Mason, one of the Upper Crust Hill girls,"how could you have heard anybody or anything in that open field? Nobushes nor trees big enough to hide behind, just there."
"It was the cat," insisted Christine Berg, a friend of Marion's. "Thereare queer cats--always have been--around the old stone house. First, thecat meaowed, just to entice you," said Christine, wringing out the scantskirt of her black satin bathing suit. "And then, when she got you overthere, she did the rest," finished the very blonde girl with the lovelyhazel eyes.
"Sort of ventriloquist," added Isabel. "Well, at any rate, Nan, you havehad a thrill. Vera, wouldn't that constitute a thrill, don't you think?"
"I'll tell you what _I_ think," chimed in Ruth. "I think we had betterhurry to dress or we shall be late for our lesson, and mine iscream-puffs today. Our family can eat cream-puffs until the puff--" Butthe girls, running up to the little bath houses, deprived Ruth of heraudience, and also of the necessity of finishing her simile.
Nancy sat on the little board-walk edge of the row of houses, while thegirls dressed. Ruth finished first and joined her there.
"Really, Nan?" she quizzed, in an under tone.
"Most certainly--really," replied Nancy, seriously. "Do you suppose Iwould make that up for fun?"
"No, I don't. It isn't your brand of fun. But it's mighty curious. Doyou suppose we should all go up there right now, and go over every inchof the place--"
"Oh, no. We must go back to Manny and be good cooks," Nancy answered."Besides Ruth, she has my check and I'm anxious to see if it is stillthere, not just a dream check you know," she smiled understandingly atRuth.
Rather towsled from their bath, and the lack of time and tools for hairarrangements, the party of girls presently started off to take theirdomestic science lesson. Along the way they met and hailed a number offriends, for at bathing hour the lake drew folks from all parts of thevillage and its suburbs, but there was no time for tarrying as MissManners insisted upon promptness, and no one willingly ever disregardedher rule.
It was a merry little group that, all aproned and capped, listened firstto Miss Manners explanation of rules and reasons, and then theythemselves undertook the practical art of applying this knowledge.
But Nancy could not forget her experience. It had been so weird, sowild, in fact, to hear those noises coming from nowhere.
Ruth was beating the eggs light as air for her cherished cream puffs;Isabel was carefully creaming an equally dainty concoction in hermiddle-sized yellow bowl, and the other girls were being similarly andas practically engaged, when a shadow, a large manly shadow, darkenedthe glass that formed the upper part of the store door.
"A visitor!" exclaimed Marion, smoothing her cap at the risk of spoilingher batter.
Miss Manners stepped to the door to answer the knock.
"Mr. Sanders!" the girls whispered one to another, as they saw MissManners greet the caller.
"Maybe he's going to inspect--" Christine began, but was stopped by MissManners speaking.
"Girls," she said, in her best teacher voice, "Mr. Sanders has called tosee if we can fill an order for him."
"An order!" chorused the surprised pupils.
"Yes," spoke up the one man among them. "The fact is, young ladies, I'mgiving a little party up at Waterfall House, and I felt convinced thatmy attractions would be greatly increased if I could procure some--someconfections from this famous little class," he said.
Miss Manners was all but protesting. That her class could be called"famous" seemed to her rather too extravagant a statement.
"Yes, indeed," went on the caller, while it must be admitted some of thegirls were stifling giggles. "My daughter is coming up, and she thinksher college excels in this sort of thing." His sweeping gesture seemedto include everything, even the girls. "And I would be mighty glad toshow her what we can do in our little Long Leigh."
Followed suggestions and questions, so heaped up that the mere wordingof all the excitement amounted to little compared with its generaleffect. Finally, Mr. Sanders and Miss Manners went into a secretsession, to outline the order, and the girls, who were supposed to go onwith the lesson, in reality went on with the fun.
"Imagine!" chuckled Eleanor Dixon, "getting an order for fancy cakes!I'm going to make kisses--"
"Lady fingers would be more appropriate," Isabel remarked sagely,"although, El, I have heard Miss Manners say, your biscuitsare--splendid."
"Tarts!" whispered Christine, shaking her long handled spoon, and makinga comical face.
"Mac-a-roons!" came from Dorothy's corner.
But Mr. Sanders was now preparing to leave, and Miss Manners wasconducting him to the door, her face alight with the pleasantexcitement. As the caller walked past Nancy he said to her in anundertone:
"Can I speak to you, just a minute, Nancy?"
Without answering Nancy followed him outside to the porch.
"I'm coming up to see your mother this evening," he said, when theirvoices were beyond reach of the others. "I've been expecting to for sometime, but now I _must_. Will you tell her, please? And be sure to be onhand yourself, you and Ted, for I'm about ready to disclose the longpromised secret," he finished, his eyes twinkling merrily as he spoke.
"Oh, all right, certainly," faltered Nancy, not quite sure just what shewas saying.
"Yes," continued Mr. Sanders, "the summer, is going fast and I'm gladthings have shaped themselves before we were, any of us, forced toseparate." He was patting his brown hands together gleefully.
"Would you mind if Isabel and Ruth came over? They're my best friendsand you can trust them," ventured Nancy, surprised at herself for doingso.
"Certainly, by all means, have them come," replied Mr. Sanders. "I seeyou anticipate a surprise, and you are generous enough to want to shareit with your friends. That's the spirit I like to see. Tonight it willbe a sort of private performance," he smiled as he said this, "butto-morrow night at the hotel I'm going to tell all who come. That's whatI want your cakes for," he finished, moving down the low steps. "We'regoing to have a celebration and--well, I'll see you this evening," hepromised, hurrying off like a happy school boy.
There was little work done in the cooking lesson after that. Everybodywas so excited at the prospect of filling a real order, that the entireclass immediately set to planning just how it was to be filled.
It was Christine, however, who had what Ruth called "the inspiration."After the class was dismissed she got the girls together, out of MissManner's hearing, and made her suggestion.
"Let's all come early," she began, "_very_ early. We'll do our verybest, of course, we can make wonderful cakes."
"_You_ can," corrected Nancy.
"So can you, Nan," Christine took time to say, "I'd like to see any onemake a better sponge cake--"
"Oh, sponge cake," scoffed Nancy.
"The very thing most needed to go with ice cream," Christine hurried tosay. "But listen--"
"We are," said Ruth.
"We will take whatever money we get for the entire order, (we donate thematerials, of course,) and with the money we'll buy a gift for--Manny!"said Christine.
"Hurrah!" came a hushed hail, for there was danger of the plans beingoverheard.
However, Christine's idea was enthusiastically received, and there wasno possible doubt of the entire plan being successfully carried out.
Ruth remained with Nancy and so did Isabel, so that she readily found anopportunity to tell them of Mr. Sander's message. They were as usual,putting things away, Miss Manners being obliged to leave early to give aprivate lesson to an invalid girl.
"And we are actually going t
o hear the secret," gasped Nancy. "Girls,you don't know how excited I am--"
"You don't know how _crazy_ I am," added Ruth.
"And how _wild_ I am," put in Isabel. "Think we should have a doctorwithin call? Will it be overwhelming?" she joked.
"Better have a policeman," suggested Ruth. "He may disclose some gems,or other valuables."
"Here comes Ted," Nancy interrupted, "and I know by his walk that he'sworried."
Ted strode in, Nero close beside him, and as Nancy had intimated he didact worried.
"What's the matter, Ted?" Ruth asked first.
"Matter? I've got to hide this dog. Folks want to take him away from me.Say he's theirs," Ted's words fairly hissed his indignation.
"Who says so?" demanded Nancy belligerently.
"A man who came up to the old stone house," answered Ted. "But Nero wasLou Peter's dog and Lou gave him to me, and not all the money there is,is going to get my dog away from me."
Ted's voice was not very positive, and the girls, all three, assistedhim in coaxing Nero out to the small door under the back porch, where hewas finally made a prisoner, with several plates of food set before himto lighten the misery.
It surely would be disastrous for Ted to lose his dog.