“I’ll go to the Corners right after breakfast and get the wire. Maybe I can find someone to drive me home again, so I won’t have to carry the awkward roll,” said Janet eagerly.
Norma was too busy with her flowers to join the other girls after breakfast, and Natalie said she saw some weeds growing up in her garden beds so she would have to get after them. Janet and Belle and Frances, therefore, started for the store, planning to help carry the roll of wire back home.
Mrs. James assisted Rachel with the housework as it was cleaning-day, and so everyone was engaged when an automobile stopped in front of the house.
Norma Evaston was carefully patting down the soil about a geranium plant when a shadow fell across it. She glanced up, and started in surprise when she saw Mr. Lowden smiling down at her.
“Good-morning, Norma. I thought to find Frances here, too, so I crept up the walk to surprise her,” said he.
“Oh, how did you get here? There isn’t a train until eleven,” returned Norma wonderingly.
“We came in the machine. Mrs. Lowden and I are going to leave it here for you to use this summer, so we thought it best to drive out and go back later by the train.”
“Why, Mr. Lowden! Frans only mailed that letter last night! How could you have received it already and driven here?” Norma puckered her brow as she tried to figure out what time the letter could have arrived in the city that morning, if it left Greenville at six o’clock.
“What letter?” It was now Mr. Lowden’s turn to be surprised.
“Oh, didn’t you know Frances wanted the car to use all summer as an investment?” asked Norma innocently.