“I guess it will,” laughed Hester, and then, for some unknown reason, they both burst into fits of immoderate laughter. Evidently something connected with Fanning’s new enterprise was deemed highly amusing by both of them.
Peggy left without seeing Hester, although from behind a blind in the cottage, the girl watched her closely enough. Gid, whatever his other shortcomings might have been, was a good blacksmith, and the rod was well repaired. Peggy soon had it adjusted, and was about to clamber into the chassis and start home when a shout from the road made her look up. An automobile stood there, and in it were Jess and Jimsy. They hailed her excitedly, and Peggy hastily threw out the switch which she had just adjusted and hastened across the field to them.
She soon saw that Jess was waving a leather pocket case above her head and that her face was flushed and excited.
“My dear Jess, whatever has happened?” she cried, as she came up to the side of the auto.
“Happened!” echoed Jess. “Why, my dear, the most extraordinary, inexplicable thing you ever heard of.”
“In other words, ‘we are up in the air,’” quoth the slangy Jimsy, “even if we don’t own an aeroplane.”
“You see this case,” cried Jess, extending the leather wallet for Peggy’s inspection. “Well, that’s the case that held mamma’s jewels. It was returned most strangely to us this afternoon. We found it on the porch after lunch.
“Oh, Jess! the jewels were in it. I’m so glad.”
“No, girlie, it was empty.”
“Empty!” echoed Peggy, “and nobody knows how it came there?”