CHAPTER V--THE GIRL IN LOWER FIVE
Tom and his father had visited his sister and Ruth at Ardmore; the youngfellow was no stranger to the girls whom Ruth had invited to join theparty bound for Freezeout Camp. Of course, Jennie Stone knew Helen'sblack-eyed twin from old times when they were children.
"Dear me, how you've grown, Tommy!" observed the plump girl, looking Tomover with approval.
"For the first time since I've known you, Jennie, I cannot return thecompliment," Tom said seriously.
"Gee!" sighed the erstwhile fat girl, ecstatically, "am I not glad!"
That next day all arrived. Ruth and Helen were the last, they reachingthe hotel just before bedtime. But Tom was forever wandering through thefoyer and parlors to spy a certain hat and figure that he was sure heshould know again. He was tempted to tell Helen and her chums about thechauffeur and the strange young lady while they were all enjoying a latesupper.
"However, a man alone, with such a number of girls, has to be mightycareful," so Tom told himself, "that they don't get something on him.They'd rig me to death, and I guess Tommy had better keep his tonguebetween his teeth."
The train on which the party had obtained reservations left thePennsylvania Station at ten o'clock in the forenoon. Half an hour beforethat time Tom came down to the hotel entrance ahead of the girls andinstructed the starter to bespeak two taxicabs.
As Tom stepped out of the wide open door he saw the motor-car with themonogram on the door, the same chauffeur driving, and the girl with the"stunning" hat in the tonneau. The car was just moving away from thedoor and it was but a fleeting glimpse Tom obtained of it and itsoccupants. They did not even glance at him.
"Guess I was fooling myself after all," he muttered. "At any rate, Ifancy they aren't so greatly interested. They're not following us,that's sure."
The girls came hurrying down, with Miss Cullam in tow, all carryingtheir hand baggage. Trunks had gone on ahead, although Ruth had warnedthem all that, once off the train at Yucca, only the most necessaryarticles of apparel could be packed into the mountain range.
"Remember, we are dependent upon burros for the transportation of ourluggage; and there are only just about so many of the cunning littlethings in all Arizona. We can't transport too large a wardrobe."
"Are the burros as cunning as they say they are?" asked Trix Davenport.
"All of that," said Tom. "And great singers."
"Sing? Now you are spoofing!" declared the coxswain of Ardmore'sfreshman eight.
"All right. You wait and see. You know what they call 'em out there?Mountain canaries. Wait till you hear a love-lorn burro singing to hismate. Oh, my!"
"The idea!" ejaculated Miss Cullam. "What does the boy mean by'love-lorn'?"
It was a hilarious party that alighted from the taxicabs in the stationand made its way to the proper part of the trainshed. The sleeping carwas a luxurious one, and when the train pulled out and dived into thetunnel under the Hudson ("just like a woodchuck into its hole," Trixsaid) they were comfortably established in their seats.
Tom had secured three full sections for the girls. Miss Cullam had LowerTwo while Tom himself had Upper Five. There was some slight discussionover this latter section, for the berth under Tom had been reserved fora lady.
"Well, that's all right," said Tom philosophically. "If she can standit, _I_ can. Let the conductor fight it out with her."
"Perhaps she will want you to sleep out on the observation platform,Tommy," said Jennie Stone, wickedly. "To be gallant you'd do it, ofcourse?"
"Of course," said Tom, stoutly. "Far be it from me to add to the burdenon the mind of any female person. It strikes me that they are mostly introuble about something all the time."
"Oh, oh!" cried Helen. "Villain! Is that the way I've brought you up?"
Tom grinned at his sister wickedly. "Somehow your hand must have slippedwhen you were molding me, Sis. What d'you think?"
When the time came to retire, however, there was no objection made bythe lady who had reserved Lower Five. Of course, in these sleeping carsthe upper and lower berths were so arranged that they were entirelyseparate. But in the morning Tom chanced to be coming from his berthjust as the lady started down the corridor for the dressing room.
"My!" thought Tom. "That's some pretty girl. Who----"
Then he caught a glimpse of her face, just as she turned it hastily fromhim. He had seen it once before--just as a certain motor-car was drawingaway from the front of the Delorphion Hotel.
"No use talking," he thought. "I've got to take somebody into myconfidence about this girl. To keep such a mystery to myself is likelyto affect my brain. Humph! I'll tell Ruth. She can keep a secret--if shewants to," and he went off whistling to the men's lavatory at the otherend of the car.
Later he found Ruth on the observation platform. They were alone therefor some time and Tom took her into his confidence.
"Don't tell Helen, now," he urged. "She'll only rig me. And I'm bound tohave a bad enough time with all you girls, as it is."
"Poor boy," Ruth said, commiseratingly. "You _are_ in for a bad time,aren't you? What about this strange and mysterious female in LowerFive?"
But as he related the details of the mystery, about the chauffeur andall, Ruth grew rather grave.
"As we go through to the dining car for breakfast let us see if we canestablish her identity," she told him. "Never mind saying anything tothe other girls about it. Just point her out to me."
"Say! I'm not likely to spread the matter broadcast," retorted Tom."Only I _am_ curious."
So was Ruth. But she bided her time and sharply scrutinized every femalefigure she saw in the cars as they trooped through to breakfast. Shewaited for Tom to point out this "mysterious lady;" but the girl ofLower Five did not appear.
The train was rushing across the prairies in mid-forenoon when Tom camesuddenly to Ruth and gave her a look that she knew meant "Follow me."When she got up Jennie drawled:
"Now, see here, Ruthie! What's going on between that perfectly splendidbrother of Cameron's and you? Are you trying to make the rest of usgirls jealous?"
"Perhaps," Ruth replied, smiling, then hurried with her chum's brotherinto the next car.
"Oh!" exclaimed Ruth suddenly, and she stopped by the door.
"Know her?" asked Tom, with curiosity.
Ruth nodded and hastily turned away so that the girl might not see thatshe was observed.
"Well, now!" cried Tom. "Tip me off. Explain--elucidate--make clear. I'mas puzzled as I can be."
"So am I, Tommy," Ruth told him. "I haven't the least idea _why_ thatgirl should be interested in our affairs. And I'm not sure that she_is_."
"Who is she?" he demanded.
"She goes to college with us. Not in our class, you understand. I amsure none of our party had an idea Edie Phelps was going West thisvacation."
"Huh!" said Tom suspiciously. "What's up your sleeve, Ruth?"
"My arm!" she cried, and ran back to the other girls and Miss Cullam,laughing at him.
Edith's presence on this train was puzzling.
"That was a man's handwriting on the envelope Helen and I picked upaddressed to Edith," Ruth told herself. "Some man has been writing toher from that Mohave County town. Who? And what for?"
"Not that it is really any of my business," she concluded.
She did not take Helen into her confidence in the matter. Let the othergirls see Edith Phelps if they chanced to; she determined to stir up no"hurrah" over the sophomore.
Besides, it was not at all sure that Edith was going to Arizona. Herpresence upon this train did not prove that her journey West had anyconnection with the letter Edith had received from Yucca.
"Why so serious, honey?" asked Helen a little later, pinching her chum'sarm.
"This is a serious world, my dear," quoth Ruth, "and we are growingolder every minute."
"What novel ideas you do have," gibed her chum, big-eyed. But she shookher a little, too. "There you go, Ruthie Fielding! Always h
aving somesecret from your owniest own chum."
"How do you know I have a secret?" smiled Ruth.
"Because of the two little lines that grow deeper in your forehead whenyou are puzzled or troubled," Helen told her, rather wickedly. "Suresign you'll be married twice, honey."
"Don't suggest such horrid possibilities," gasped the girl of the RedMill in mock horror. "Married twice, indeed! And I thought we had bothgiven up all intention of being wedded even the _first_ time?"
This chaff was all right to throw in Helen's eyes; but all the time Ruthexpected one of the party to discover the presence of Edith Phelps onthe train. She felt that with such discovery there would come anexplosion of some kind; and she shrank from having any trouble with thesophomore.
Of course, with Miss Cullam present, Edith was not likely to display herspleen quite so openly as she sometimes did when alone with the otherArdmore girls. But Ruth knew Helen would be so curious to know whatEdith's presence meant that "the fat would all be in the fire."
It was really amazing that Edith was not discovered before they reachedChicago. After that her reservation was in another car. Then on thefifth night of their journey came something that quite put the sophomoreout of Ruth Fielding's mind, and out of Tom Cameron's as well.
They had changed trains and were on the trans-continental line when thestartling incident happened. The porter had already begun arranging theberths when the train suddenly came to a jarring stop.
"What is the matter?" asked Miss Cullam of the porter. She already hadher hair in "curlers" and was longing for bed.
"I done s'pect we broke in two, Ma'am," said the darkey, rolling hiseyes. "Das' jes' wot it seems to me," and he darted out of the car.
There was a long wait; then some confusion arose outside the train. Tomcame in from the rear. "Here's a pretty kettle of fish," he said.
"What is it, Tommy?" demanded his sister.
"The train broke in two and the front end got over a bridge here, and,being on a down grade, the engineer could not bring his engine to a stopat once. And now the bridge is afire. Come on out, girls. You might aswell see the show."