“Wall, now, like as not,” the good man replied, as he bustled into the small ticket office. The girls, with tightly clasped hands, waited breathlessly. Would it be a message from Malcolm?
At last Mr. Wells peered smilingly at them, over his glasses. “Tain’t nothin’ unusual,” he said. “Tain’t nothin’ unusual,” he said. “Train’s late. That’s all, but it may make up time on the down grade. It usually does.”
The girls sank back on the hard bench truly disappointed.
“Here comes the train!” little Wells sang out ten minutes later as he raced toward them. The roaring noise in the tunnel proved the truth of his statement even before the long train drawn by two engines emerged into the sunlight.
The girls ran forward and eagerly scanned each coach.
“There she is! There’s my Babs!” Megsy sang out as she saw her friend’s face beaming through one of the windows. A moment later, when the train had come to a standstill, Barbara leaped to the platform, dropped suitcase and umbrella, and gave Megsy a good, hard, schoolgirl hug. Then she whirled about and held out both hands to Virginia as she bubbled, “I’m not going to wait to be introduced for I know you well and love you right this very minute.” Then putting an arm about each she exclaimed happily, “I wonder if you dear cow-girls have any idea how excited and delighted I am to be here.”
“We are just as excited, and I do believe even more delighted,” Margaret declared. “We hardly know what to say or do.”
“Well, first of all, please, lead me to a cafeteria,” Babs implored. “A—a which?” Virginia inquired, truly puzzled, for the western girl had never before heard of such a place.
How Margaret laughed! “Babs,” she said, “if you can find one on our desert, we will gladly pay for whatever you wish to order.”
Barbara looked about, her eyes glowing. “Oh! Oh!” she exclaimed. “I’m glad—glad that there isn’t one around. I’ve been just longing to get away from civilization, and so, the wilder it is out here, the better I shall like it.” They were starting toward the car, when kind Mrs. Wells hailed them from her kitchen door. “Virgie!” she called, “wouldn’t you girls like a few of my sugar cookies? They’re just fresh from the bakin’.”