Questioning among the boarders brought no satisfaction, and the Doctor returned home mystified and suspicious.
It was long before Polly saw little Chris again.
CHAPTER XIII
ILGA BARRON
Spring was in Fair Harbor. Tulips and hyacinths flaunted their gay gowns in the city parks, and daffodils laughed in old-fashioned gardens. Flocks of blackbirds, by the suburb roadsides, creaked their joy in the sunshine, and robins caroled love ditties to their mates. Mrs. Jocelyn’s stable, too, told of spring’s coming, for there stood one of the prettiest pairs of ponies that ever trotted before a carriage.
Already Leonora was becoming an experienced little horsewoman, though whenever she drove there was always Philip, Mrs. Jocelyn’s man, riding close behind. Polly had had a dozen drives with David and Jonathan, and Elsie and Brida and the others had not been forgotten.
On a Saturday morning Leonora telephoned early and invited Polly to go to Crab Cove, some six miles away. The day was perfect, blue overhead, green along the waysides, and sunshine all around. The girls were in a merry mood.
“There’s Ilga Barron out in her yard,” remarked Polly, looking ahead.