the more jess thought about blackberry island, the surer she was that her happiness depended on a picnic there. the others were inclined to enjoy the present—the salty breeze blowing in their faces, the swift motion of the boat through the green water, and the sense of being quite cut off from the land, though they could see the shore line plainly.
"wouldn't it be funny if we should pick up our own tin box?" giggled jess. "you know, the one we put the messages in when we had our beach party."
"poor ella mooney wrote a message, too," polly sighed. "i guess we never thought then that she would disappear."
"larry, what do you think has happened to her?" asked fred curiously.
of course larry knew captain mooney and his daughter. he knew every one who lived within a twenty-five-mile radius of sunrise beach.
[pg 189]
"what do i think has happened to her?" he repeated. "well, i'll tell you. i think she has been kidnaped—that's what i think. kidnaped and carried off, because her pa is rich and the kidnapers count on getting a mint of money from the captain."
larry was so confident that ella had been kidnaped that the children accepted his theory without further speculation. they spent an hour in glen haven, while larry made his purchases, and on the way home, jess renewed her argument for a picnic.
"it's up to you," larry declared. "if your ma is willing and says the word, i'll take you all over to the island and turn you loose. i can't hang around a whole day, but i'll take you early and come after you when you want to come home."
"let's go," jess urged again. "i want to see blackberry island. mother will let us go, if we all say we want to."
and as soon as they were deposited on their own beach, she insisted that they go up to the cottage and see what the prospects were for a picnic at blackberry island.
"to-morrow would be a good day, because i'm hired for the rest of this week," larry called after them. "if you can't go to-morrow, better put it off for a week."
[pg 190]
now jess, like other girls, had no mind to wait a week for something she wanted very much indeed.
"it may pour rain all next week," she declared. "i'm going to ask if we can go to-morrow."
when the three mothers heard about blackberry island, they were just a bit dubious.
but mr. larue proved an unexpected ally. both mr. williamson and mr. marley were in river bend, but they were expected back that night.
"let the kids have their picnic on blackberry island without any grown-ups to tag along and bother them," said mr. larue. "i know this larry—he is absolutely trustworthy and nothing can happen to them under his care. blackberry island is a pretty place and safe, too. then, with the children out of the way, what is to hinder a motor trip and picnic for the rest of us? i'm not so old that i can't enjoy an all day picnic."
"well," said mrs. marley uncertainly, "if you mean to have two picnics to-morrow, i'd better see to putting the chicken on to cook."
artie gave a joyous whoop and landed on the arm of his mother's chair.
"that means we can go!" he cried, kissing her. "when mother begins to think about the eats, everything is as good as settled."
they all laughed, but they agreed with artie.
[pg 191]
and for the rest of the day meeker cottage was a very busy place indeed. one picnic, you know, is something to get ready for, but two simply doubles the excitement.
"i think we'll fix individual boxes of lunch," said mrs. marley to mrs. larue. "then each will have something to carry, and it seems fairer than if one or two have to carry everything. i'm glad the children are going, because it will take their minds off poor little ella mooney."
meanwhile fred was busy giving advice to artie.
"now, whatever you do," he told him, "don't go publishing all over the place that we are going on a picnic to-morrow. because, if you do, you know what will happen: carrie pepper and mattie helms will invite themselves and joe anderson and albert holmes will come along for good measure."
artie was no more anxious for this calamity to befall their party than fred, and he said so.
"carrie says she would like to find where ella mooney is and get the hundred dollars," announced artie.
"huh, i'd like to find ella mooney and tell her father to keep his hundred dollars," fred declared.
but margy had already confided to polly that[pg 192] she would like to find ella "somewhere 'way off" and take her home and have the reward to put in the bank.
"in place of the money mother wouldn't let me take for finding the diamond ring," margy added.
polly said little, but she thought more about ella than any one, except perhaps her mother, suspected. she knew that ella was quiet and rather timid and had been used to being taken care of all her life. she would, polly thought, be afraid of strangers.
in the afternoon it happened that there was no one to go for the mail except artie. fred and ward had gone to tell larry to meet them at half past eight in the morning with his motor boat and the three girls were busy wrapping sandwiches.
artie liked to go to the post-office, especially when, as in this instance, he had money for an ice-cream soda to cool the end of the long walk.
"i'll get my soda first," decided artie, when he reached the town.
as luck would have it, two people were ahead of him at the soda fountain in the drug store. carrie pepper and mattie helms were discussing the merits of vanilla or chocolate ice-cream when[pg 193] in marched artie and climbed up on one of the high stools before he recognized them.
"hello, artie!" carrie greeted him, and artie was so afraid that she would begin and ask him questions that he said "hello" as briefly as possible and ordered his soda.
carrie wanted to know how "all the folks were," and artie answered her as though he had not a minute to spare.
but he was no match for carrie pepper, who was very observant. she guessed at once, from artie's manner, that he was trying to conceal something.
"you haven't heard from ella mooney, have you?" she asked abruptly.
artie shook his head.
"if polly is going to be at home to-morrow, tell her mattie and i will come over," carrie said placidly.
this was dreadful and artie floundered.
"she—she won't be at home," he stammered. "that is, i don't think she will be."
"well, jess or margy will do," carrie returned. "i want to ask them something."
"they won't be home, either," said artie. "nobody will be at home to-morrow."
"won't your mother?" mattie inquired curiously.
[pg 194]
artie shook his head.
"are you going some place?" prodded carrie.
"we're going on a picnic," poor artie announced, swallowing an extremely cold spoonful of ice-cream before he was ready. "we're going to blackberry island."
carrie merely said, "oh," but he was sure she was thinking this information over. in a panic he slipped down from his seat and almost ran for the door. he dashed into the post-office, got the mail, and ran most of the way home.
"where's polly?" he demanded of his mother excitedly.
he found her out in the barn, hunting the lid of the vacuum bottle which ward remembered leaving in the car.
"polly, what do you think?" artie cried unhappily, and then he told her of the meeting with carrie.
polly comforted him by saying that she was sure he would not have told carrie if he could have helped it.
"but just the same, she and mattie can't go on our picnic," artie's sister declared firmly. "there isn't room enough in the boat and they'll spoil our fun. i must think up some way to make them stay at home."
[pg 195]
artie was sure his sister could be trusted to think up a way, and he felt better immediately.
"you didn't tell her what time we were going to leave, did you?" said polly, when she had thought for a few moments.
no, luckily, that was one question artie had not been asked.
"then i know what we can do," returned polly. "come on and we'll find the rest and tell them."
there was a hurried and whispered conference out on the porch and an admonition from polly, "remember no one is to say a word, except margy to me," and then the picnic preparations went ahead with a rush.
perhaps the older folks were a little surprised that evening after supper to see carrie and mattie come up the path. but the riddle club members were not surprised.
"we thought we'd come over for a little while," said carrie blandly. "it is such a lovely evening, don't you want to take a walk on the beach?"
it was on the tip of jess's tongue to say she was tired and that they expected to get up early in the morning, but she stopped in time. margy spoke of the next day.
"i don't believe i'll go," she drawled lazily. "i'm tired from working so hard to-day, getting ready for to-morrow. i want to get to bed early."
[pg 196]
carrie said nothing, but she exchanged a glance with mattie.
"you won't forget to call me, will you, polly?" went on margy clearly.
"no, i won't forget," polly promised. "what time shall i call you?"
margy appeared to be thinking. fred pinched artie gently as a reminder to keep still.
"oh, if we don't leave till half past nine, i guess seven o'clock would be early enough," margy decided.
polly and jess went for a walk with carrie and mattie, and not a word was said about picnics. margy asked particularly, when her chums came back.
"but just the same, if carrie pepper gets down to the wharf at half past nine to-morrow morning, she won't find us," said jess.
"maybe she doesn't intend to go," polly murmured dubiously.
and from the boys' room overhead came a derisive snort. they had been listening with the door open into the hall.
