It was slightly confusing to introduce so many at once, but Mr. Williamson managed it, and then the little girl's father put his arm around her and said something that surprised them all.
"I am Captain Mooney," he said simply, "and this is my daughter, Ella. And I hope we may see you this summer, for we drive to Sunrise Beach almost daily."
The mothers were anxious to reach the shore and get settled before it should be dark, so with a few more words, chiefly between Ella and the children, the two cars went on. They wound in and out, over a perfectly kept road and between handsome shrubbery, and soon came to the road that would take them straight to the beach.
"Hasn't Ella Mooney any brothers or sisters?" Jess asked, as soon as they had left the father and daughter.
"No. And her mother is dead," said Mr. Williamson soberly. "So, in spite of all her money, she is a lonely little girl."
"I suppose she has a pony," Artie mused.
"And all the dresses she wants." This from Margy.
"And she can go traveling and see California," said Polly.
"I wouldn't mind running that tractor," Fred declared.