"By all means cultivate the great," replied Cora. "But here come the others. Ask them."
"Striking again, Cora. All right. If Porter wants to take Bess to the games——"
"He's welcome. I have already promised Ed."
It was an hour after the strange-man scare, and the Robinson girls had finally been convinced that there were no miscreants lurking anywhere about the place. The excitement had made Bess prettier in the deep, red flush that overspread her face, and Belle, the pale, dainty blonde, had actually taken on a tint herself. Cora had the color that comes and stays, and only her deep brown eyes seemed brighter after the hunt had been declared "off."
"If mother were only home," sighed Belle.
"Thank goodness, she is not," put in Bess. "Bad enough to hunt burglars without consoling mamma."
"Are you girls going to stay alone to-night?" asked Ed suddenly.
"Oh, no, indeed! We expect Nettie back from the city. Never was there a girl like Nettie for scaring away scares," replied Bess.
"But suppose she does not come?" spoke Jack. "Don't you think it might be well——"
"To hire a special officer? No, thank you," answered Cora. "We are not the least bit afraid. Besides, we have a gun."