THE BROKEN RAIL

Dumb amazement held the girls in suspense for a moment.  Then came a chorus of cries.

“Mollie, you never did that!”

“Forgot our lunch!”

“And we’re so hungry!”

“Oh, Mollie, how could you?”

“You don’t suppose I did it on purpose; do you?” flashed back the guilty one, as she looked at the three pairs of tragic, half-indignant and hopeless eyes fastened on her.

“Of course you didn’t,” returned Betty.  “But, oh, Mollie, is it really gone?  Did you leave it there?”

“Well, I haven’t it with me, none of you have, and I don’t remember picking it up after we slumped down there in the shade.  Consequently I must have left it there.  There’s no other solution.  It’s like one of those queer problems in geometry, or is it algebra, where things that are equal to the same thing are equal to each other,” and she laughed with just the hint of hysteria.

“But what are we to do?” demanded Grace.  “I am so hungry, and I know there were chicken sandwiches, and olives, in that lunch.  Oh, Mollie!”

“Oh, Mollie!” mocked the negligent one.  “If you say that again—­that way—­”

Her temper was rising but, by an effort, she conquered it and smiled.

“I am truly sorry,” she said.  “Girls, I’ll do anything to make up for it.  I’ll run back and get the lunch—­that is, if it is there yet.”

“Don’t you dare say it isn’t!” cried Betty.

“Why can’t we all go back?” suggested Amy.  “Really it won’t delay us so much—­if we walk fast.  And that was a nice place to eat.  There was a lovely spring just across the road.  I noticed it.  We could make tea—­”

“Little comforter!” whispered Betty, putting her arms around the other.  “We will all go back.  The day is so perfect that there’s sure to be a lovely moon, and we can stop somewhere and telephone to your cousin if we find we are going to be delayed.  She has an auto, I believe you said, and she might come and get us.”

“Stop!” commanded Mollie.  “We are a walking club, not a carriage or auto club.  We’ll walk.”

“Then let’s put our principles into practice and start now,” proposed Grace.  “We’ll have a good incentive in the lunch at the end of this tramp.  Come on!”

There was nothing to do but retrace their steps.  True, they might have stopped at some wayside restaurant, but such places were not frequent, and such as there were did not seem very inviting.  And Aunt Sallie had certainly put up a most delectable lunch.

The girls reached the spot where they had stopped for a rest, much sooner than they had deemed it possible.  Perhaps they walked faster than usual.  And, as they came in sight of the quiet little grassy spot, Mollie exclaimed: 

“Oh, girls, I see it.  Just where I so stupidly left it; near that big rock.  Hurry before someone gets there ahead of us!”

They broke into a run, but a moment later Grace cried: