“I know you don’t; but if you’ll just be patient and wait until this evening—after supper—I’ll show you. Let my brother and me and—yes!—one of his chums, come over to your house. We three will be enough. What time does Mrs. Kerrick retire?”
“Why, she usually goes to bed early.”
“Then tell her nothing about our coming. Can we come, Colonel?”
“Why—why—surely! But I don’t understand.”
“You will, sir, when we arrive. I’ll tell you all about it then. We’ll be there about dark,” promised Laura, and she darted away through a side street, running hard, she was so much in earnest and had so much to do in preparation for the performance she had in mind.
CHAPTER XXII—STAGING A THUNDERSTORM
Somewhere Laura Belding had read of this very thing!
But the idea that Dr. Agnew approved of Mrs. Kerrick sleeping where she could hear the patter of rain drops gave incentive to Laura’s thought and set her about following out the idea that had first flashed across her mind.
She found Chet and Lance hard at work cleaning the automobile. That was as much fun for them as it would have been for Laura and Jess to go to a party. Laura took her brother and Lance into her confidence instantly.
At first Chet was inclined to pooh-pooh the idea; but Lance, loyal to Laura, fell in with her plan instantly. And by and by Chet came around, and said he would aid his sister in carrying through what he termed “a crazy idea.”