CHAPTER XII
GENTLEMEN OF THE ROAD.
California at last!
To most of the girls, who had never been farther west than Wyoming, this state, with its renowned climate and its beautiful scenery, appeared even lovelier than they had pictured it. The mountains and canyons, the wonderful Yosemite Valley with its tall trees; the great stretches of smooth road, seemed like heaven after the desert. For a time the travellers forgot their losses, their anxiety, and even their rewards in their admiration of the country.
It was Marjorie who first brought their thoughts back to the practical side of life.
“Girls, how many of you would be willing to keep on going for a couple of hours after supper? It doesn’t get dark for a good while, and since we haven’t any camp to pitch, we might as well make use of every minute. We can’t afford to waste any time, you know!”
“That’s a splendid idea!” cried Ethel. “Only one thing I beg—let’s be sure to get the car into a garage for the night!”
“Maybe we better insure it,” suggested Lily. “For if this one were stolen, we would be left.”
“We wouldn’t be left,” returned Ethel. “Because we’d manage to get there somehow, even if we had to hike!”
“But then we wouldn’t earn our automobiles!”