Chapter VIII: A Startling Discovery

All was confusion at the strawberry patch. The two orphan girls, Rose and Nellie Catron, had disappeared the night before, it was said, and not until shortly before the arrival of our friends in the automobiles, was another loss discovered--that of a pair of very valuable diamond earrings, the property of Miss Hanna Schenk, otherwise known among the pickers as "Mrs. Blazes."

So it was that the Chelton young folks, as Jack said, "struck a hornet's nest," for Mrs. Ramsy, somehow, seemed to be of the opinion that Cora could tell, if she would, something about the runaways.

"What could give you that idea, Mrs. Ramsy?" demanded Cora indignantly. "I only saw your nieces while I was here the other day, and I am sure I would have advised them to stay where they were, had they ever mentioned to me their intentions of leaving."

"That's all very well, young lady," growled the woman, "but I noticed how them girls edged up to you, and your friends, and I warn you, if I find that you have helped them off I'll have the law on _you_."

At this the young men came up to the shed where the unpleasant conversation was in progress. Jack, of course, was indignant, and, not only did he oblige Cora to leave the place at once, but, while doing so, he expressed his opinion directly to Mrs. Ramsy as to his personal measure of her character.

The whole affair was rather awkward, and the Robinson girls were obliged to leave the patch once more without their crate of berries.

Just outside the wire fence, and when the girls were about to step into the cars, they were hailed by Andy--the small boy whom Cora had so favored by buying the damaged crate of berries.

"Wait a minute, miss," he called. "I've got something fer you," and, so saying, he stepped up to the _Whirlwind_ and, very cautiously, handed Cora a slip of paper. She took it and read these scrawled lines:

"Miss: We are going away, but we think we will see you again some
day. You will find your crate of berries under the tree where Andy
will show you. They belonged to us and we paid for them.

Rose Catron and Nellie Catron."

Cora looked down at Andy for a further explanation.

"They had to go away, miss," he said; "they couldn't stand it another minute. I will show you where the berries are."

"But how did the girls get the berries? They had no money," argued Cora.

"No, but their Aunt Delia took from them a ring that belonged to their own mother, and they took the crate to get even," declared Andy, his voice and manner showing his high regard for the "getting even" part.

Cora told the girls and boys about the matter, and they decided to go after the berries. Consequently Cora insisted that Andy ride in her car to the old willow tree, somewhat down the road, and as each tenth of a mile was marked in red on the speedometer dial the little fellow's face threatened more and more to catch fire from the auburn curls that fell in joyous affright about his temples.

Jack thought he had never known what it was to really enjoy a ride before, and he whispered to Cora that he very much wished he might take Andy home "for a paper weight, or a watch charm."

"Right over there," directed Andy, after about a mile's ride, "under the big willow."

Turning the car in that direction, Jack drove across a shallow ditch, and was soon under the tree, while the other machines waited on the safer roadway.

Andy scrambled out, and Jack, leaving the wheel, went after him, followed by Cora.

"Here," said the boy, pulling aside a thick clump of berry vines. "Here's the crate."

Sure enough, there was the new crate, filled with berries, safe and untouched.

"Well, I declare!" exclaimed Cora. "I really did not expect to find them."

"Very thoughtful of my Rose-bud," declared Jack, lifting the lid of the box. "What's this?" he went on, picking up a small object. "Something else for Cora, I wonder?"

At that moment, fortunately, Andy was occupied with a particularly attractive branch of red raspberries, and he did not see Jack lift out the article. Cora, so quick to apprehend any possible danger for others, was beside Jack instantly.

"Hush!" she whispered. "Don't tell the rest! It is an empty jewel box--earrings have been in it!"

"You don't mean to say that the--girls have gone off with the old lady's earrings!" exclaimed Jack. "And left the empty box in this crate to get you into trouble!"

"Indeed I do not mean to say anything of the kind," hastily answered Cora. "I have always found that the most suspicious circumstance may turn out to be the most innocent matter, and, in this case, I have not the slightest doubt that we will find my rule to work true. In the meantime," she continued, slipping the little case within her blouse, "I will take care of the--evidence."

It was not without a rather nervous fluttering of her usually reliable nerves, that Cora finally did secrete the jewel box, and in spite of her firm declaration to Jack, she could not just convince herself that it was altogether right for whoever had put the empty earring case in the crate, to have done so without making some sort of explanation.

For a moment she thought of asking little Andy if he could tell her anything of the strange affair, then she quickly concluded to await developments.

"Jack," she said, "we will take the crate of berries in our car. We have more room than the others, and perhaps Andy would like a ride in town with us. He can take a trolley car back."

This pleased the youngster immensely, and so, when the famous crate of berries was at last loaded on the _Whirlwind_, and the word had been given to the others, the party started off on a merry run towards Chelton. On the way Cora had a chance to find out from the boy that the girls, Rose and Nellie, had walked away from their aunt's place after nightfall. Also that he, and some other boys, had helped them carry their things, which, as far as the willow tree, included the crate of berries. Cora also learned that the girls had started out "to see the world," and this last piece of information did not add to her peace of mind concerning the two orphans, who knew so little of this world, and its consequent dangers.

Jack was greatly taken with Andy, and promised to pick him up for a ride every time the _Whirlwind_ came out Squaton way.

"Maybe you could get me a job," said the little fellow, glancing up with unstinted admiration at Cora's handsome brother.

"Believe I could," replied Jack. "Let me see, what is your specialty--what can you do?"

"I am a caddy," replied Andy proudly. "They say I'm just as quick as any of them to trace a ball."

"Well now, that's fine!" declared Jack. "We play golf out Chelton way. Suppose you just take a trolley ride in next Saturday, and we will see what we can do. Here is your car-fare. Be sure not to lose it, for trolley fellows are no respecters of persons."

Meanwhile Bess and Belle were racing with Walter and Ed, and the afternoon was to them a time of that sort of enjoyment that comes unbidden, unplanned, and therefor proof against disappointment. Of course Cora was not by any means miserable, for no companion was to her more her chum than was Jack; then little Andy lent his novel personality to her surroundings, but still the thought that two young girls, Rose and Nellie, had deliberately run away, that they were practically accused of having taken a pair of diamond earrings valued at two hundred and fifty dollars, and that the case in which these stones seemed to have formerly reposed was actually found by Cora in the berry crate--was it any wonder that she did not laugh as lightly as did Bess Robinson? Or that she refused Ed Foster's pressing invitation to go into Snow's for an ice cream drink?

At the drug store Jack stopped the _Whirlwind_ to allow little Andy to board a trolley car back to Squaton, but, as he left, Cora warned him to be very careful what he said about the runaways.

"Oh, don't you never fear, miss," he answered, crowding his negatives to make one good big "no." "Rose and Nellie are my friends, and I know how to stick by 'em."