The girls scattered about the beautiful place to see what was there. The “picnic grounds” proper were out upon a point or peninsula where the little screened house had been erected, with a small boat house and another building which proved to be an ice house. Easy enough was it to get a supply of ice to last over the summer. Grounds stretched out to left and right toward the lake, and on the right hand was a little bay, an ideal place for the experiments with hydroplanes. Another small dock was here.
Leaving the picnic point behind, the girls crossed a little road to the farm proper, where the usual farm-house and other buildings were located. There seemed to have been an old log house as the original home. This stood back upon a rise of ground, while some distance to the side and front of it was a modern farm-house, a large barn and silo still further over. Back of the bay were open fields. A vineyard of well-trained grape-vines was on a slope and stretched for quite a distance. A big orchard and a pretty stretch of woodland attracted the bird lovers, who ran up the slope to investigate.
Betty and Cathalina were together. Although Lilian loved Cathalina dearly, and for Phil’s sake now as well as her own, still Hilary, her room-mate, was her chief confidante whenever they were within reach of each other. And Hilary had visited Lilian during the summer, enjoying a little of the time with her own as yet undeclared lover, Campbell Stuart, cousin to Cathalina and Philip Van Buskirk. It was plain to all what Campbell thought of Hilary, but he thought that she should be free until after the war. Lilian and Philip, on the other hand, were openly engaged, and by common consent were permitted to enjoy each other’s society in the few days they had together. The Norths had moved further out, for the judge felt too cramped in the apartment to which they had first moved when they went to New York.
Both Lilian and Hilary were lingering near the bay to discuss matters pertaining to their future, while Cathalina suggested to Betty that they go through the rows of vines to reach the woods. They did so, but paused to listen to a wren song. “That’s a Bewick wren, Cathalina,” said Betty. “Take the glass and see if you can find him.”
Betty handed the glass to Cathalina, and turning, saw a man who was tying up one of the vines and had turned to look at her. Betty caught a flashing look of recognition and then the man’s back was quickly turned. Betty was instinctively on guard, and in even tones continued her low conversation with Cathalina. “Do you get it, Cathalina?”
“Yes, Betty. You look now. It is on that low bush. See?”
The girls satisfied themselves in regard to the wren and went on up the slope toward the old log house, on whose step they sat down to look over the whole place with their field glass, for they had decided that one was enough to bring on a picnic.
Betty glanced around to see if any one was within hearing. “I’ve something to tell you,” she said. “Did you notice the man that was tying up the vines as we came along?”
“Why, yes, I believe I did see somebody, one of the hands, I suppose.”
“Yes, and he gave me the funniest look and hurried to turn his back on us. Now where have I seen those flashing eyes before? I certainly haven’t any acquaintances like that!”