A COUPLE OF FREAKS

Leonore, an older sister of the vivacious Grace, very willingly picked up the trio, and presently they were contrasting the ocean air as breathed at a speed rate along the ocean front, to the same air as gathered “by hand” from a stationary position.

“It’s like drinking air,” commented Cleo. “This is surely liquid air if there is any such commodity.”

“I want to stop at Borden’s for a paper,” said their driver, Leonore. “Grace, will you kindly hop out and get it?”

The opportunity of inspecting the big pavilion which was just opened that day for the season, was eagerly grasped by all three girls, who promptly decided there were many and various things they all needed; all of which might be bought at Borden’s, so they hopped out with conspicuous alacrity.

“Isn’t this splendid!” enthused Grace, almost dancing across the well polished floor. “We will be sure to want a lot of ice cream this summer.”

Over in a corner a queer looking girl was counting and recounting a lot of small change. First she would finger it from one hand to the other, almost counting aloud; then she would drop each coin on the table and its ring counted aloud for her. This attracted the attention of the Girl Scouts, who without speaking of it, were all watching the process with interest.

“Wealth,” whispered Louise, “and newly acquired, I guess.”

“Going to treat the world,” said Cleo under her breath. “Too bad they are all out of balloons.”

The girl had finally decided to spend one pile of the coins she had heaped before her, and the other she brushed into a little muslin bag, tied it with a black string and then stuck it carefully into the neck of her blouse. As if conscious she was being watched she shuffled awkwardly, then made her way to the end of the counter, where the one-time penny candies were sold.

“There!” exclaimed Cleo, when the girl was well out of hearing. “She is surely a queer character and worth watching. How do you suppose she ever came by that famous collection of modern coins.”

“Why, she earned them, I should say,” guessed Louise. “That’s the sort of girl always available for a mind-the-baby job.”

As the girl waited to make her purchase she kept turning, very boldly, to stare at the scouts, who were vainly trying to hide their interest in the queer character. Evidently she had no misgivings concerning her interest in them.

First she would shrug her shoulders, then tilt up her broken straw hat, kick the heel of one “sneak” against the other, until finally the clerk spoke sharply to bring her attention to the point of buying candy.

It took her some time longer to make her selection and again in counting out her money she made quite an unnecessary display. A spill of the coins brought an ill-concealed titter from Cleo and Grace, and this the girl so sharply resented that Louise edged her chums to the other side of the room for safety.

“Fierce!” commented Grace. “Think she bites?”

“Might,” replied Cleo under her breath.

Louise was ordering stamps, and her friends pretended to examine the alluring display of new post-cards.

“Oh, my!” whispered Grace. “What is this we have come upon? Please look over in that far corner!”

They followed the direction indicated and saw there a very tall, awkward boy, pouring over a badly worn book, and making notes on a slip of yellow paper. He wore glasses, and possessed that queerly undefinable personality, usually ascribed to the gawky boy, or he who is different from others.

“Look!” begged Louise grasping the arms of Grace and Cleo. “He has the same kind of paper we found in the bottle!”

“Our fire-bug!” breathed Cleo, edging away in mock alarm. “Behold his avenger!” and she held aloft a pretty yellow lolly-pop lately chosen from the candy case.

The boy never noticed those about him, but literally poured over his book and dug notes out with a stubby pencil.

Meanwhile the girl with the bag of coins had procured her confections, and was now counting her change. As she passed the girls she looked boldly at them and actually stuck out her tongue!

Grace roared laughing. The outburst caused the boy in the corner to drop his pencil and stare.

Then Cleo laughed; Louise joined her, and all three bolted for the door.

“Oh, I thought I’d choke,” gurgled Cleo. “Did you ever see such circus folks?”

“But the boy with the yellow paper may be writing us another letter,” hazarded Grace. “We should have gone up boldly and confronted him.”

“I was more interested in slip-shod Letty,” said Louise. “She looked real daggers, and what about her threat? She almost shook her fist at us.”

“Oh, she’ll be sure to love us, that’s certain,” commented Cleo, “but I don’t see why we should let her act so bold. We ran as if we were afraid of her.”

“We were afraid of ourselves thought we were going to get into a fit of laughing,” admitted Grace.

“Come on,” urged Louise. “Leonore will be out of patience.”

“I thought you were going to buy the store out,” said the waiting girl, impatiently pressing the self starter button and the car rumbled off.

“No danger,” replied Grace. “But we saw the funniest folks,” and she proceeded to tell of their near-encounter with the girl they named Letty, and then mentioned the glimpse they had of the queer, studious boy.

“A couple of freaks,” said Leonore, as the car picked up speed. “There are plenty of them around here, and you little girl scouts better watch out. Some one may find you off your guard,” she finished good-naturedly.

When the girls settled down they exchanged opinions on the morning’s experience. No little country coin collector could open fire on them that way, without paying some penalty. Not if they knew it.

“And think of her sticking her tongue out,” exclaimed Grace. “Of all the rude tricks!”

“I do believe she would have punched me if she had dared,” remarked Cleo.

“Well, she had better wait just wait,” said Louise with a threat in her voice. “We are sure to meet Letty again and then just wait!”

“And the boy with the yellow paper,” Cleo reminded her chums. “What about him?”

“There’s plenty of yellow paper,” replied Grace, “but of course he might be our fire-bug. He looked sort of unconscious.”

“Didn’t notice you looking at him, that was queer,” teased Louise.

“Oh, I think I saw your gray eyes rolling over in his corner,” fired back Grace.

“Not even the entire volley brought him to his senses,” put in Cleo, “for I must admit I was looking over his way myself.”

“Well, here we are. Thanks for the lift, Leonore,” said Louise as the car stopped in front of the glistening white cottage, one of the show places of Sea Crest.

“Oh, how fine!” exclaimed Cleo. “Like Crystal Palace, so white and shiny.”

And then began the third lap in their inspection of the summer cottages.