in for Palm Beach. They found to their disgust that Linda and her
party were also on board.

"Goodness! I think Linda must be following us, too," Bess grumbled to
Nan, looking blackly after their schoolmate as she walked haughtily down
the car aisle. "To look at her you would think she owned the world at
least. Oh, if I could only prove that it was she who damaged the heating
plant up at school, wouldn't it be a wonderful chance to get even with
her?"

"I don't see why you should want to waste time getting even with her,"
Nan remarked calmly. "We have more interesting things to occupy our
time."

"That's all very well for you," grumbled Bess, still feeling cross and
injured by the unexpected appearance of Linda. "But _I_ haven't any
Walter."

Nan was just about to say something unpleasant when Walter himself
hailed them. Grace and Rhoda were with him and all wore smiles to match
the morning.

"Come on back," the boy invited. "Dad's got chairs for the whole crowd
where we can get the finest view. But he said we had better grab 'em
quick, because there's no knowing how long they will last in this
crowd."

So the girls followed him to the observation car and would very probably
have forgotten all about Linda, had not the girl herself made that
impossible.

It was hot, and there were few people in the car, but Linda and one of
the ladies in her party walked up and down, looking occasionally out of
the windows, as if their energy was inexhaustible.

That would not have been so bad, had not Linda chosen to ignore the
girls so pointedly, brushing past with her head held in the air and a
manner which said very plainly, "Who are those little specks of dust
over there? Know them? Why, of course not!" Finally Bess felt as though
she could not stand it a moment longer.

"She's doing it on purpose, the horrid thing," Bess fumed to Nan. "If
she doesn't stop pretty soon, I'll give her a push and topple her over.
She'll not look so haughty then, I fancy."

Perhaps it was just as well for all concerned that Linda stopped her
bad-mannered performance shortly after that, for Bess could not have
been restrained much longer. With this annoyance removed, they had
opportunity to enjoy the ride to the full.

Mr. Mason proved a very interesting companion, for he knew the names of
the places they passed and told the girls funny stories about things
that had happened in each one of them until they were tired out from the
laughter.