“Maybe she intends to meet someone.”
“Lou, that’s probably what she is going to do!” Penny exclaimed. “Let’s follow her and find out.”
“What about supper?”
“Who cares for food?” Penny demanded. “If Dad comes home he can rustle a little for himself. It’s more important that we follow Mrs. Deline.”
“Okay,” Louise agreed, “only I’m in no mood to walk very far. Remember, we’ve had one wild chase today.”
Leaving the water bucket behind the bushes, the girls set out in pursuit of Mrs. Deline. Not without admiration they acknowledged that the widow was a better trail climber than they. Though the hamper she carried evidently was heavy, she fairly skimmed up the rough trail. Penny and Louise fell farther and farther behind.
“She’s heading for the cabin all right,” Penny puffed. “Of course she intends to meet someone. Otherwise, she’d have had her picnic on the beach or some place closer to the hotel.”
A clearing opened up through a gap in the trees. Mrs. Deline paused as she came within view of the rustic log cabin and gazed carefully about. The girls saw her look at her wrist watch.
“She has an appointment with someone,” Penny declared.
Mrs. Deline walked to the door of the cabin and tested it to make certain that it was unlocked. She did not go inside. Instead, she set down the hamper and gazed slowly about the clearing. Louise and Penny, at the fringe of woods, saw her start as she looked directly toward them.