The Motor Girls on Crystal Bay or, The Secret of the Red Oar   By: Margaret Penrose

Or The Secret of the Red Oar

By MARGARET PENROSE

Copyright, 1914, by Cupples & Leon Company

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE I. A Worried Girl 1 II. Freda'S Story 15 III. Crystal Bay 26 IV. The Red Oar 36 V. Two Men 47 VI. The "Chelton" 55 VII. In The Motely Mote 67 VIII. Frights Or Fancies 76 IX. A Merry Time 83 X. Too Much Joy 93 XI. The Rescue 102 XII. The Calm 109 XIII. Suspicion 120 XIV. An Angry Druggist 129 XV. An Alarm 141 XVI. A Bad Case Of Nerves 156 XVII. A Little Race 164 XVIII. More Suspicions 171 XIX. Odd Talk 176 XX. The Night Plot 184 XXI. The Breakdown 196 XXII. At The Cabin 202 XXIII. Unexpected Help 208 XXIV. Denny'S Soliloquy 214 XXV. The Plotters Arrive 220 XXVI. Cora'S Brave Resolve 227 XXVII. The Red Oar Again 235 XXVIII. The Discovery Conclusion 241

THE MOTOR GIRLS ON CRYSTAL BAY

CHAPTER I

A WORRIED GIRL

Four girls sat on four chairs, in four different corners of the room. They sat on the chairs because they were really too tired to stand longer, and the reason for the occupancy of the corners of the apartment was self evident. There was no other available space. For the center of the chamber was littered to overflowing with trunks, suitcases and valises, in various stages of being packed, and from them overflowed a variety of garments and other accessories of a journey.

"Oh, dear!" sighed Cora Kimball, as she gazed helplessly about, "will we ever be finished, Bess?"

"I don't know," was the equally discouraging reply. "It doesn't seem so; does it?"

"I'm sure I can't get another thing in my suitcase," spoke the smallest girl of all, who seemed to shrink back rather timidly into her corner, as though she feared she might be put into a trunk by mistake.

"Oh, Marita! You simply must get more in your suitcase!" exclaimed Cora, starting up. "Why, your trunk won't begin to hold all the rest of your things unless you crowd more into the case."

"The only trouble, Cora," sighed Marita, "is that the sides and top aren't made of rubber."

"There's an idea!" cried a plump girl, in the corner nearest the piano. "A rubber suitcase! What a boon it would be for week ends, when one starts off with a Spartan resolution to take only one extra gown, and ends up with slipping two party dresses and the 'fixings' into one's trunk. Oh, for a rubber suitcase!"

"What's the sense in sighing after the impossible?" asked the girl opposite the plump one. "Why don't you finish packing, Bess?"

"Why don't you?" and the plump one rather glared at her more frail questioner.

"Now, sisters!" cautioned Cora, as she gazed at the Robinson twins, "don't get on one another's nerves. Let's have another try at it. I'm sure if we go at it with some sort of system we'll be able to get all the things in. And really we must hurry!" she exclaimed, looking at the clock on the mantel, which pointed to the hour of four. "I promised to have all the baggage ready for the man at five. That only gives us an hour "

"Cora Kimball!"

"Only an hour!"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

Thus the three girls exclaimed in startled tones as they fairly leaped from their chairs in their respective corners, and caught up various garments.