She handed Cora a soiled and crumpled telegram blank. Upon it was made out, in message form, these words:
"Can place your friend at twenty-five week. Answer at once."
BENEDICT.
Cora pondered for a moment. "Who could have sent Jones such a message?" she asked.
"Sent it?" repeated Kate. "He sends his own messages. He can copy any handwriting. I heard him say the trick worked," she finished.
The truth flashed into Cora's mind. That man somehow knew the Blakes. He was pretending to place little vain Mabel with some theatrical company. When he left the Casino it was to show her the bogus message. And Jack must have been somewhere around within hearing distance. Surely things were getting complicated and mysterious in the summer colony. But Cora had her ring back, and for the rest she felt certain that the "ghost" of Fern Island, also the wild looking girl of whom they had gotten a glimpse, were in some way being wronged by Jim Peters and his associate, the handwriting expert.
CHAPTER XI
THE RACES
"Of course we will enter," declared Cora. "I know my boat and I think it is as good as any little motor craft on the water."
"But suppose we should get stuck away out in the lake," objected
Bess. "Then what would we do?"
The girls and boys were talking together a few days after Cora had helped mysterious Kate to get away, and had entered the water contest.