tier 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."

"The dearest little revolver," went on Bess. "Father got it specially
for mamma, and she won't even look at it, so it's mine."

"Yes, and you most scared Nettie to death with it," interrupted the
twin sister. "What do you think, boys? Nettie wouldn't touch the
thing, and actually took a dustpan and a brush and scooped the weapon
up from under Bess's pillow. Wasn't that dangerous?"

"And dumped it in the bureau drawer," added Cora, with a laugh.
"Better let me take charge of that, Bess. I won't take chances with
Nettie scooping it up while I'm here."

"Very well, Cora. You may take charge of it. Father suggested it was
not a bad thing to have along when we take lonely runs. But, of
course, I should never dare to fire it even to scare a tramp."

"Say, are you girls going to stay here all summer?" asked Walter. "I
thought you had planned for a tour somewhere."

"We have. We are going to tour in our cars through New England,"
answered Cora. "First, we are going to the Berkshires, then we may go
to the White Mountains. Of course, we are not going to let our cars
get rusty around here."

"No, indeed," put in Bess. "We are only waiting to arrange about our
chaperon. Isn't it dreadful to be a girl, and have to be toted around
under some maternal wing?"

"Well, no. I shouldn't exactly think it dreadful to be a girl," and
Jack made a funny face; "that is, a real nice twin girl, with rosy eyes
and blue cheeks----"

"Jack!"

"But I was just going to say," went on that young man, "that the toting
around might be inconvenient--at times."

"Couldn't a fellow or two do the toting?" asked Walter the innocent.