CHAPTER VII
IN THE MOTELY MOTE
"Do you young ladies realize that we have the cares of housekeeping onour shoulders?" asked Cora, from a mass of boxes and bags, not tomention trunks, in the alleged living room of the Mote.
"Oh, let us forget it--do," begged Bess. "I always hate the summertimewhen it brings dishes and things."
"It's good for you," affirmed Marita. Bess did know that hard work isconsidered "good" for stout persons.
"Maybe, but it is not pleasant," Bess answered, flinging herself uponthe improvised couch, a matter of hammocks and blankets, still bearingbaggage checks and tie-ropes.
"But our housekeeper has given notice," announced Cora. "And I don'twonder. Not one has been on time for a single meal since we arrived.But I must say, I wish she had stayed until the stuff was allunpacked. It's dreadful on the hands," and she looked at hersruefully.
"Why not ask the boys to help?" asked Lottie, who was doing her bestto press her damp clothes by stretching the most important of themover Belle's trunk, and holding them there with two suitcases. "If Ihad not gotten these things wet I should have been glad to unpack, butif I leave them this way over night I shall never be able to wear themagain."
"If you knew the boys as well as we do," Bess put in, "you would knowwhat their help means. They would insist upon trying on every articleof clothing they unpacked; wouldn't they Cora?"
"Something like that, Bess, if they did unpack at all. But, seriously,if you will give me a little help to drag these empty trunks to theporch, I will tell you of a plan I have evolved. Of course we cannotremain this way without a chaperone."
"Isn't it perfectly silly?" complained Belle. "As if we were not allcapable of taking care of ourselves."
"Oh, I don't know about that," objected Cora. "I have noticed that incase of emergency, when some strange man happens to poke his nose inat the window, we are all rather glad to acknowledge we are merebabes."
"And also when we meet them under willow trees," Marita reminded theboastful ones. "I am sure I agree with Cora that we need a chaperone,and perhaps a policeman or two."
The girls paused in dragging the baggage toward the front door.
"Just the same," Marita went on, "Lottie was frightened to-day and sheonly heard a strange man say, 'They call them the motor girls.' As ifthat was anything terrifying."
"But it was the way they said it," Lottie protested. "They just peeredat us--and----"
"Now, Lottie," said Cora, "you have an idea that everyone who looks atus 'peers' at us. For my part I was rather flattered by theirattention. You see the fame of the motor girls is spreading. But letme now make my proposition," and she settled down on the rug that wasintended to cover the floor--some time.
"Let her 'prop'!" cried Belle.
"Well, you know our little friend, Freda, has lost some property; thatis, her mother and herself have lost a certain claim to it. Thislittle colony around here is fairly bristling with the prosperityimplanted in it by such thrifty men as was Freda's grandfather, but inspite of that, strangers come in, make a big fuss about riparianrights, and government laws, and property claims and, in so doing,pretend to discover a flaw in a title that for years has beenconsidered perfectly clear." She paused, for Bess had opened her mouthtwice, and this time Cora wanted to hear what she had to say.
"We heard some women talking about that to-day," said Bess, "and theysaid it was a shame to take a homestead from Mrs. Lewis. They were notwhispering their opinions, either."
"So it is a shame," Cora said, "and if we can, in any way, help to getthe truth established, we will surely have a good reason to rememberthis holiday."
"How?" queried Marita. "We don't understand anything about land, anddeeds, and lawyers."
At this everyone but Marita laughed. She was not acquainted with thedaring deeds of the motor girls, as that was what they had undertakenand accomplished in the past.
"You see, Marita dear," Cora explained, "because we seem such harmlessbabies we are able to get information that others, considered moredangerous, might not have access to. Now, let me continue. There aremen around here, members of some sort of a land company, who aretrying to get hold of certain papers. We don't know whether they existor not, but in our own quiet, girlish way----"
Here she was interrupted with a burst of mocking laughter. "Your quietgirlish way," repeated Belle. "Why, Cora, I do believe if you thoughtyou could get the better of that land company you would take the_Chelton_, and go--pirating! Wouldn't it be great to go out on a darknight, steam up the bay, watch for other boats, listen to thesmugglers----"
"Oh, Belle," put in Lottie, "that's not the way in books. We wouldhave to go out and get kidnapped, and then, when in the cave, we wouldhear the plot of the men who were going to steal the old homestead."
"Hurrah!" cried her hearers.
"Lottie for captain of the kidnapped," suggested Cora. "Now, Lottie,when it gets good and dark you are to go out under the biggest tree onthe place and await your captors."
"Hello there! Anybody home?"
"The boys!" gasped Belle. "Now what about having wasted our time? Comein!"
"Nice of you to ask us," groaned Jack. "Say, we are dead and buried,and the will is now being read. Somebody broke into our larder andstole the grub. Have you any to put out at interest?"
"Stole your eatables!" exclaimed Marita.
"Well, you could scarcely call it that," replied Jack, espying anundamaged orange on the window sill, and making a lunge for it. "Wedid intend to eat the stuff, but it was just plain grub--noteatables."
"Jack, haven't you boys had your supper?" asked Cora.
"We are on a diet," explained Jack. "Wallie had the crackers, Ednabbed the dried beef--he's the biggest and needs the most, youknow--and I got the pickles. Then we followed directions, and eachdrank three sips of pure spring water. But the trouble arose when Draycame in. He said he was to have milk--doctor's orders. We didn't haveany but 'pretense' milk, so Dray is now out looking for a cow."
Just then the sound of approaching footsteps was heard.
"They come!" announced Jack. "I was merely the herald. Have you madeout the menu, Cora dear?"
"Do you mean to say we have to feed--all you boys?" demanded Bess.
"Feed us? No, we can eat with spoons. Just lead us to the eats.Really, it is serious with Dray. He has already gone dead white. Comein, fellows. We are expecting you. The girls are just getting out thebest linen!"
Dray, Walter and Ed entered, and like Jack, showed signs of starvation.They literally fell into the most convenient spot available as theyreached the room.
"Good evening, ladies," panted Dray. "We are delighted to accept yourkind invitation to dine with you. Pray pardon the togs. I feel like aregular 'toff,' don't you know, but my studs are for the moment lost.And what is a frock without the studs!"
"Well, if this isn't the very utmost," said Cora, laughing at theboys' predicament. "Do you mean to say that you are really hungry?"
"Shall we demonstrate?" asked Ed. "Do you allow us? Belle, get out thechronometer and a hunk of something. If you don't soon you will have acase of homicide on your hands."
Finally believing that the boys were hungry, the girls proceeded toempty the ice box on the back porch. They did not find any too muchfood there, for the sudden departure of their housekeeper thatafternoon had left the girls themselves almost stranded. But, beinggirls, they managed the living end a little better than the boys did.
The boys, it seemed, had laid in a stock of canned stuff, in the usualhit-and-miss way, but some other campers found the "cave" where thefood had been hidden. It was out of the question either to take or getice, so the next best thing considered was the digging of a big holein a very damp place. Into this the boys had sunk a nice, clean,galvanized tub, and in it the victuals had been placed. On top was acover, made of boards and oil cloth, and over this was placed the limbfrom a tree, this last to detract attention.
"Now, wouldn't you think," said Jac
k, as he fortified himself with asandwich, "that any decent chap would know that we belonged to theunion? We are going to form a housewives' league at dawn to-morrow,and then we will find the culprits. They will be offering us our owngrub at exorbitant rates."
"Bright little Jackie," commented Bess, who was devouring cheese andmacaroons. "When you find the culprits you will have a perfectly goodmovie act in your camp. It will be entitled 'The Fate of the KidGrubber.'"
While the boys were thus engaged in the delightful task of keeping offstarvation, the girls were anxious to hear what was the propositionCora had offered to lay before them.
"That's just the way," grumbled Belle; "we never can get at theinteresting things!"
"I am going to tell the boys this minute," threatened Marita. "Wenotice, Belle, that you brought out that lemon pie that was hidden.Looks as if you found the boys rather interesting."
"Now you know exactly what I mean," insisted Belle. "Cora said we hadto have a chaperone and we all agreed. Instead, we have a crowd ofnoisy boys."
"When you boys have finished," Cora remarked, "we would like to clearup the debris. Also, we have a sad announcement to make. We have lostour housekeeper!"
"Good!" almost shouted Ed. "I apply at once. I can give everyqualification, even to a civil service examination. Cora, I nevertasted such food before----"
"Mutiny!" yelled Jack, making a spring at Ed, which ended in such amixup that the girls fled to the kitchen.
"We really cannot stay alone here to-night," Cora said.
But the boys had come to their feet again, and evidently to terms.Jack was hugging Walter and Dray was smoothing Ed's black hair.
"Will the boys go and leave us?" asked the timid Marita.
"Of course they will, and that right now," declared Cora. "We have notime to spare to get someone else to stay with us, however. Bess, doyou want to come with me? I am going out for our new companion."