"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.
"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."