CHAPTER XIII
PLEASURE DRAWS NEAR
As she looked, a flush stole over Billie's face and she tried hastily tohide the chocolate in the pocket of her suit before the girls could seeit.
She would have succeeded if Vi had not accidentally touched her elbow atthat moment, knocking the package of chocolate from her hand and into theaisle of the car where it lay, face up, accusingly.
Billie stretched out an eager hand for it, but Laura was just before her.
"Aha!" she cried triumphantly, waving the little brown rectangle aloft."Candy! Where'd you get it, Billie Bradley?" She turned swiftly uponBillie, whose face was the color of a particularly gorgeous beet. Vi andConnie looked on delightedly.
"Goodness! anybody would think it was a crime to have candy," criedBillie indignantly. "You give it to me, Laura, or----" She made a grabfor her property, but Laura snatched it back out of her reach.
"No, you don't," she said, putting her hands behind her determinedly."Not till you tell us where you got it."
"Well I'm not going to," said Billie crossly. "It's none of yourbusiness." And she turned away and looked steadily out of the window.
"Give it back to her, Laura," begged Vi. "It isn't fair to tease her so."
"Well then, she shouldn't tease so beautifully," Laura retorted, as,relenting, she slipped Teddy's gift back into Billie's pocket.
At that moment they were startled by a fearful racket--a sound as if allthe South Sea pirates that had ever been born had gathered together andwere all quarreling at once.
There was a great craning of necks as startled passengers tried to seewhat it was all about and the girls fairly jumped from their seats--forthe racket sounded in their very ears.
Across the aisle from them there was a parrot--a great green and redparrot that at that moment was hanging by its claws to the roof of itscage and was still emitting the raucous squawks that sounded like thetalking of a hundred pirates all rolled into one.
An elderly woman who looked as if she might be a spinster of the typegenerally known as "old maid" was doing her best to silence the birdwhile she fished wildly in her bag for something.
She found what she was looking for--a heavy black cloth, and, with a sighof relief, flung it across the cage. Immediately the parrot's uproarsubsided to a muttering and a moment later stopped altogether.
Passengers who had craned their necks dropped back in their seatschuckling, picked up magazines or papers or whatever they had beenreading where they had left off, and peace settled over the car again.For all save the girls, that is.
For the elderly woman--who most certainly _was_ an old maid--had beenterribly embarrassed over the bird's outbreak and began explaining to thegirls how she happened to have it in her possession, what troubles shehad already had with it, how glad she would be when she delivered thebird to her brother, who was its rightful owner, and so on until thegirls became desperate enough to throw things at her.
"Isn't there some way we can stop her!" whispered Vi in Connie's ear,while Billie and Laura were listening to the woman's chatter with forcedsmiles and polite "yeses and nos." "If I have to listen to that voiceanother minute I'll scream--I know I shall."
"The only way to stop her that I can think of," Connie whispered back,"would be to take the cover off the parrot's cage. He would drown outmost anybody."
This kept up practically all morning with the owner of the parrot talkingon tirelessly and the girls trying to listen politely until lunch timecame.
Thankfully they made their way through the swaying train to the diningcar and sat themselves gratefully down at a little table set for four.
"Thank goodness we've escaped," sighed Billie, as her eyes wanderedeagerly down the bill of fare, for Billie was very hungry. "What will youhave, girls? I could eat everything on the card without stopping tobreathe."
When they returned to their car after lunch they found to their reliefthat the talkative old woman was gathering up her things as if about tochange cars at the junction--which was the next stop.
She did get out at the junction, parrot and all, and the girls fairlyhugged each other in their delight.
"Poor old thing," said Billie as the train swung out from the station andthe parrot cage disappeared. "I wonder," she added after a moment, "ifI'll ever get like that."
"You!" scoffed Vi, with a fond glance at Billie's lovely face. "Yes, youlook a lot like an old maid."
"And didn't Teddy give her candy this morning?" added Laura, with awicked glance at Billie, who said not a word, but stared steadily out ofthe window.
They bought magazines and tried to read them, but finally gave up theattempt. What was the use of reading about other people's adventures whena far more thrilling one was in store for them at Lighthouse Island?
Billie said something like this, but Connie shook her head doubtfully.
"I don't know how we're going to have any adventures," she said. "Thereisn't so very much to do besides swimming and rowing in Uncle Tom'srowboat----"
"Goodness, isn't that enough?" said Billie, turning on her. "Why, justbeing at the seashore is an adventure. Just think, I've never in my lifebeen inside a really truly lighthouse. It's going to be just wonderful,Connie."
"And aren't the boys coming in their motor boat, too?" added Vi eagerly."Why, they will probably take us for a sail around the point andeverything. Connie, how can you say we're not going to have anyadventures?"
Connie laughed.
"All right," she said. "Don't shoot. I'll take it all back. And there'sUncle Tom's clam chowder," she added. "People come from all over just totaste it."
"What time is it, Laura?" asked Billie, turning from the window suddenlyand tapping nervously on the window sill. "It won't take us very muchlonger to get there, will it?"
"Only three hours," answered Laura, consulting her wrist watch.
"Only three hours!" groaned Billie. "And I thought we were nearly there."
There was silence for a little while after that while the girls took uptheir magazines again and turned the pages listlessly. At the end ofanother half hour they gave up the attempt entirely and leaned theirheads wearily against the backs of the seats, fixing their eyes upon theever-changing scenery that fled past them.
"Are we going to form our Detective Club?" asked Connie suddenly out ofthe silence.
The girls stared at her a minute as if she had roused them out of sleep.
"For goodness sake, what made you think of that now?" asked Laura alittle peevishly. "I'm so tired I don't want to form clubs or anythingelse. All I want is to get out somewhere where I can stretch my legs, getsome supper, and go to bed. I'm dead."
"You're making lots of noise for a dead one," chuckled Billie, and Lauramade a face at her.
"But no one's answered my question," broke in Connie plaintively. "Ithought you girls loved mysteries and things."
"Well, who says we don't?" cried Laura. "Just show me a good live mysteryand I'll forget I'm all tied up in knots and everything."
"Just listen to her!" exclaimed Connie indignantly. "Do you mean to sayyou've forgotten that we have a mystery already?"
"Oh--that," said Laura slowly, while a light began to dawn. "Yes, I didforget about it; we've been so busy getting ready and everything."
"Well, I haven't forgotten about it," said Billie, sitting up suddenly,while her cheeks began to glow pink. "And the more I think about it, thefunnier it seems to me."
"What?" asked Vi.
"Oh, everything," answered Billie, getting more excited as she spoke."Hugo Billings in the first place. And then finding Miss Arbuckle's albumin the woods. And the children. Girls, I'm just sure they aremysteries--and real ones, too."