CHAPTER X
THE GIRLS HELP OUT
Darrington Drew and Burd Alling arrived at Roselawn in the morning, and as soon as they heard of Mark’s accident they got out the Drew’s second car and drove over to Stratfordtown.
“And they never even suggested our going,” Amy said, with a pout. “Brothers are so impolite.”
“Burd isn’t your brother, dear,” said Jessie, laughing.
“But he feels he can treat me just as though he were. After all, Jess, Mark Stratford is a whole lot nicer to us. He acts as though we were grown up.”
“You seem to be taking a leaf from Belle Ringold’s book,” said her chum scornfully. “I do not want to be treated as though I were twenty-five. No, indeed.”
“I don’t believe even Belle wants to be considered twenty-five,” giggled Amy.
When the boys came back from Stratfordtown they reported Mark as having almost recovered from his fall in the aeroplane.
“You can’t kill that bird with an ax,” declared Alling, in his cheerfully slangy way. “He has been through more trouble than a hen with twenty-four ducklings. He’s fallen down from the sky, and been shot out of a car over a cliff, and shot down by Fritzes, and shot up by highwaymen, and——”
“You’ve a fine imagination,” interrupted Amy scornfully. “We saw Mark fall, and he wasn’t any better looking when he landed than any other unfortunate victim.”
“Say,” Darry said, “what do you suppose became of that watch of his?”
Jessie and Amy looked at each other and the former slightly shook her head. So Amy was apparently as unsuspicious as the boys themselves.
“If he came down the way he said he did, a bird might have picked it out of his pocket and he wouldn’t know about it,” declared Burd. “Huh! Think of bothering your head about a watch when you’ve just smashed a perfectly good airplane all to bits.”
“I guess he thinks more of his grandmother’s gift than he did of the plane,” said Jessie. “But Amy and I have looked all around and we can’t find the watch.”
“By the way,” demanded Darry, “what’s this Mark was telling us about a program to be given out by radio telephony at the Stratfordtown station? He says you girls are running it.”
“Oh!” gasped Amy. “I wish we were.”
But Jessie saw the twinkle in Darry’s eye. “We hope to have a part in it, Darry,” she said. “But mother and the other ladies of the hospital fund committee are in charge.”
“Gee!” drawled Burd Alling. “Are you two girls really going to do something on a radio program? Then why not Darry and me? Darry could do a clog and I know I could turn handsprings.”
At this the girls joined the boys in hilarious laughter. But it was a fact that the two collegians would have been glad to enter into the radio affair to help the charitable cause if there had been anything they could do.
When they came back from a run into New Melford later in the evening Darry and Burd approached the moonlit veranda of the Norwood house in a rather despondent state. At least they appeared despondent.
“What is the matter with you two boys?” Amy demanded. “Did you smash the machine, or something?”
“It’s something,” confessed Burd. “We’ve been roped, tied, and branded. And it is all Darry’s fault.”
“Not so!” exclaimed the other youth quickly. “You fell as quick as I did.”
“What sort of trouble have you got into?” Darry’s sister asked. “Have we girls got to get you out of it?”
“By gracious; I wish you could,” groaned out Darry.
“Tell us the worst,” said Jessie. “Out with it.”
“It’s that Ringold girl,” said Darry bitterly.
At that Burd burst into a great shout of laughter and held to his sides while he weaved back and forth on the veranda step. Darry aimed a blow at him that the amused fellow dodged.
“I tell you it is Darry’s fault,” Burd choked. “Too polite! You know how well he has been brought up.”
“Aw, you go fish!” growled out Darry. “You can’t escape from that girl once she gets her hooks into you.”
“But what is it all about?” Jessie asked composedly. “Have you boys no firmness at all?” she went on mockingly. “Must you become the slave of every girl you meet? I did hope that Amy and I had trained you better.”
At that Amy went off in what Burd called a “spasm.”
“Tell you what,” Darry said hurriedly, “those girls are going to have some sort of a shindig down the lake—at Carter’s old place—to-morrow night. The moon is about full. Going in canoes and launches. We couldn’t get away from Belle and from Sally Moon till we’d promised to meet ’em down there. Box lunch. You know the kind of a kid time it will be,” and Darry’s disgust sent his sister and Burd almost into hysterics. The latter declared:
“Don’t ring me in on the matter of not getting away from them without a promise. I didn’t have the wheel of the car. If I had you’d have seen me duck them in a hurry.”
“Yes—you—would!” scoffed Darry. “Anyhow, we’re roped. We’ll go down there and those girls will get mushy over us. Huh!”
“Huh!” repeated his chum, but still with a twinkle in his eye.
“I like that!” scoffed Amy. “‘Get mushy’ over you two fellows! What is your opinion of yourselves, anyway?”
“Oh, come now, Amy, what would you do without ‘big brother’ to help you out of scrapes?” And Darry grinned at his sister.
“It is a sad case, boys,” Jessie admitted. “But perhaps we may be able to help you out.”
“You help me out of this thing, Jess Norwood, and I will be your friend for life,” Darry declared earnestly.
“Seems to me,” put in Amy roguishly, “I have heard a similar promise made before. Aren’t we forever helping you boys out of scrapes?”
“You ought to be proud to do it,” declared Burd Alling, chuckling.
“Whether we are proud to do it or not,” continued Jessie, giggling, “we know our duty.”
“Sure! ‘You seen your duty and you done it,’” declared the irrepressible Burd.
“I have an idea that may help you, Darry,” Jessie continued complacently.
“Shoot!” urged Darry. “Don’t keep us on tenterhooks. This is serious, I tell you. Belle Ringold said she’d meet me at Carter’s, and she’d have a hatbox of lunch.”
“Shoebox,” put in Burd sepulchrally. “That’s what the Moon said to me.”
“At a box party you don’t actually have to accept the invitation of the first girl who tells you about it,” Jessie said demurely. “You might get out your launch, Darry, and Amy and I will be able to find lunch enough for four people. Besides, we know Burd’s capacity and taste——”
“Oh! Oh!” groaned Burd. “A foul blow, that.”
“That’s a bully good idea,” Darry declared. “I’d a whole lot rather have you kids along than Belle Ringold and the Moon girl.”
Jessie and Amy looked at each other, and both shook their heads. Secretly Darry’s cheerful assumption of the childishness of his sister and his sister’s chum hurt the latter’s pride more than it did Amy’s. But Jessie appeared to accept it quite as Darry’s sister did.
“Thanks for them kind words, Sir Galahad,” murmured Amy. “Who ever said you were the pink of politeness, Darrington Drew?”
“Oh, well,” said Darry carelessly. “You know what I mean.”