This was the cry that went up in the middle of one of the dances. Tom had slipped off into a side room, and Nellie had followed. Now both of the young folks were missing.
"They are going out the back way!" cried Dick.
"Everybody watch the stairs and the doors!" exclaimed Sam. "We mustn't let them get away from us!"
There was a general scramble, commingled with shrieks of laughter as the young folks did their best to locate the missing couple. Then of a sudden came a wild toot from an automobile horn.
"There they are!"
"Come on, everybody!"
There followed a wild scramble from the house to the lane leading to the roadway. In the lane was an automobile belonging to the Cedarville garage, and run by a chauffeur. On the back seat were Tom and Nellie, waving their hands gaily.
"Good-bye, everybody! Sorry we have to leave you so soon!" yelled Tom.
"We'll be back some day! Good-bye!" added Nellie.
"After them! After them!" yelled Dick and Sam; and then all of the young folks hurried up the lane, pelting those in the automobile with rice and old shoes.