But she spoke too late. Ceally had already drawn the heavy bolt back and the door swung aside.
There rushed into the room two men—or to be strictly truthful, two boys.
They looked first at Mollie and Grace, then at Ruth and Bab. Without a word they dropped into two chairs.
“Oh, oh, oh!” they shouted. “Did you ever see anything in the world so funny? Ralph, look at Ruth!” cried Hugh.
“Ralph Ewing and Hugh Post, where did you come from?” demanded four girls’ voices together. “We took you for highwaymen.”
Bab set down her shotgun and Ruth her rifle. Both girls began pulling off their masculine disguises.
“Don’t take off those terrifying garments, Bab!” cried Ralph Ewing. “You, Ruth, should have your picture taken in that hat.”
By this time, Miss Stuart, fully dressed, with her pompadour neatly arranged appeared at the door. Highwaymen or no highwaymen, Miss Sallie had no intention of appearing before strange men without being properly dressed. Now she was mistress of herself and of the situation.
Both Huge Post and Ralph Ewing stopped laughing when they saw Miss Sallie’s face. She did not appear overpleased to see her two young friends, whose doings were fully described in the preceding volume. “The Automobile Girls at Newport.”
“Where did you come from?” she asked politely, but without enthusiasm. “And why did you knock on our door at this time of the evening, without informing us who you were?”