“We’ll be all right,” Terry interrupted. “I’m sure none of us could sleep a wink if we didn’t at least do everything possible to find out what has happened to Dimitri.”
“Well——” Mrs. Landry was weakening. “If you dress warmly and promise to be back before dark, I guess you may go. But drive carefully, and don’t do anything foolish.” The vague warning meant more than the words which conveyed it.
They were not long in getting ready after receiving that permission. In a surprisingly short time the little car was bouncing up the road with the three girls huddled together in it bound for the village.
“Where shall we go first?” asked Sim as they neared town.
“We can get some gas and sort of ask Reilly,” Terry suggested. “He’s always friendly and sees everything.”
“Of course, that’s what we’ll do first,” Arden agreed.
But when they had jokingly asked the Chief how his tenant was getting along, he replied crisply:
“I should think you’d know about that. I haven’t seen him in more’n a week. Takes more’n two cats t’ make a coop of chickens,” he added. Mr. Reilly’s proverbs were sometimes queer. “Nope, ain’t seen him.”
“You haven’t!” Terry droned.
More than a week! Disheartened, they tried to smile at the obliging Reilly, but the attempt was by no means a success.