“Wait! I’ll set the table,” cried Jane, dashing to the car and unlocking the luggage trunk at the rear. From under the rear seat she took a board, which she laid across the rear compartment. Over this she spread a white cloth and on it began placing a cold luncheon that was sufficiently appetizing in looks to excite the poorest appetite. Tommy eyed it longingly.
“Get in, girls,” commanded Jane. They made a rush for the car. “I have a can of milk in the locker, if the jolting of this old wagon hasn’t soured it. You see, I drove rather fast this morning. I wanted to find you. I didn’t know what had become of you. Yes; the milk is all right.”
There in Jane’s car by the side of the road they ate their luncheon, giving no heed to the curious glances of passers-by.
“Did the farmer really tell you about that calf?” questioned Jane, when the girls had nearly finished their meal.
“Yes. It was in his barn we slept until it caught fire,” explained the guardian. “He then took us to his home and he and his wife were perfectly lovely to us. I wish you had been with us. He is a quaint character.”
“If he is anything like his calf, he must be,” observed Crazy Jane. “It didn’t know enough to get out of the road when it saw an automobile coming at forty-five miles an hour. Where are you going from here?”
“We must consult the map. Are there any good camping places beyond here, or were you going so fast you couldn’t see?”
“I never drive so fast that I can’t see,” reproved Jane. “Yes. I know of a place, and it’s a fine place for a camp too. It’s called the Willow Ponds. It is just far enough back from the road, and there isn’t a house in sight.”
“How far is it from here?” asked Hazel.
“Five miles.”