"Of course, he was simply foaming at the mouth. He was going to march us home in disgrace, to report us. But Treasure sat right down, and said we would come and report ourselves, but we would not be marched through town in disgrace. Treasure came out like a brick; I was surprised at her."
"What were you doing all the time, Miss Zee?"
"Well," confessed Zee reluctantly, "I was behind Treasure most of the time. And then the other fellow—I wonder who in the world he was?"
"He made me angrier than the Crab did; he thought he was so funny!"
"He was going along, and came in to see the excitement. And he laughed at us—the hateful thing. And when we said we belonged to the manse he laughed more than ever. He was not a farmer, I am sure—he wore a silk shirt, did you notice that, Treasure? We call him the Curious Cat—Curious because he was so funny, and Cat because he laughed. He gave the old Crab some money and said he would assume responsibility for us, and he told us to wait until he telephoned to verify us, or something, and he asked the Crab to pick us some regular flowers to atone for his irreverence in assaulting a manse, as it were, and the Crab really was pretty decent after that. When the Cat went to telephone, I asked who he was, and the Crab rolled up his eyes and said he never laid eyes on him before. And then the Cat came back, and brought us home in his car."
"Where was it?" asked Doris curiously.
"It was in the hickory grove, this side of the tumble-down house—I did hear that some one had bought the place, but I did not believe it. Every one says it is haunted. But of course haunts do not work in the day-time, and the flowers were gorgeous. We got quite chummy with the Corduroy Crab before we left, and asked if we might have a picnic there some time, and he said yes."
"However did you get away out there, anyhow?"
"Oh, the Maples came along in their car and asked if we wanted a ride, and when we got out there and saw how fine the flowers were we said we would get a ride back easy enough."
"Here comes father!"