“I do!” cried Judy. “Why, it’s a darling little cottage! I’m sure Aunt Mattie would love it—if the rent isn’t too high.”
“All rents are sky high in this area,” Beverly Chester warned. “I’ll bet they’re asking a small fortune for the place. Probably that’s why it’s vacant.”
“Anyway, it will do no harm to inquire,” Judy said. As the station wagon halted for a moment, she jotted down the name of the real estate agent, who offered the cottage for rent.
Twenty minutes later the girls were in Milburn, standing at the door of the Timothy F. Krumm Realty Co. office.
Mr. Krumm was busy making entries in a book, but he laid aside his pen as the Scouts approached his cluttered desk. He was a baldish, middle-aged man with a nervous habit of moistening his lips.
Judy introduced the group, and mentioned her interest in the cottage which was for rent. Timidly, she inquired the rental price.
“Let’s not talk about price,” Mr. Krumm said briskly. “First, I want you to see Calico Cottage. Five beautiful rooms, including kitchen, fully equipped, and a tiled bath with hot and cold running water. A collosal bargain! And you’ll not find another cottage vacant within six miles of Morning Glory Lake.”
Judy glanced uneasily at Miss Ward and remained silent. She very much feared that “the bargain” would be offered at a price too steep for Aunt Mattie’s modest pocketbook.
“Well, I don’t know,” she began doubtfully. “My aunt isn’t prepared to pay a very high rental—”
“Give that detail no thought,” Mr. Krumm insisted. “I’ll run you up there in my car. If you like the cottage—and you’ll be crazy about it—we can come to terms.”