The Adventure Girls in the Air — Themes and Context

should be plunged suddenly into their midst! Things like that very seldom happened in the little coastal town.

Marchton was a small but busy little town in Maine, bordering the rocky coast, and with its share of the traditional Maine woods.

The Adventure Girls had been raised, each one, in this sheltered spot; however, they were in no way behind the times. Readers of The Adventure Girls at the K Bar O Ranch are already familiar with the girls’ desire for adventure and love of the open road. All were in their last year at the Marchton High School and looking forward eagerly to the day when they would enter college.

One by one the young people went into their homes as they left the beach and walked home in the glowing sunset until only Gale and Bruce were left. The boy and girl lived across the street from one another and it was not until they came to the swinging, whitewashed gate of Gale’s yard that they parted.

Gale ran up the back stairs to her bedroom where she discarded the bathing suit for a trim sports outfit. With her English text book under one arm she descended to the porch to study until time for dinner. English at any time was a problem upon which Gale found it hard to concentrate, but this afternoon it was even more difficult than usual. The brown, laughing face of the airplane pilot kept interfering with the printed page.

All through dinner Gale kept thinking about him. She knew there was no food to be had on the island and she decided to take him some. After dinner, with the expressed opinion of going to the early show at the movies, Gale left home, but her destination was the grocery store. Not the one her Mother usually patronized because it might come to her Mother’s ears what she was doing. It wasn’t that her parents would not understand—nor forbid her to go, it wasn’t that—but the pilot had said to tell no one. If he wanted to be a secret, so he should be. Her parents would, perhaps, never say a word against what she was doing. On the other hand they might not like it at all. Gale hated explanations and questions. When she had an impulse she liked to carry it through. Of course, she decided guiltily, she would tell her Mother tomorrow—then her parents could share the secret with her, but for to-night the pilot would be her own secret.

Her chosen foodstuffs secure in a big brown bag Gale went down to the beach. She had often used Bruce’s motor boat and she knew he would not object to her doing so now. She climbed aboard and deposited her bundle on the cushioned seat while she started the motor.

The stretch of water was black with white-tipped gentle waves as she headed the boat away from the shore toward Cloudy Island.

Gale had run the motor boat on this short jaunt often before but never had she experienced the thrill of adventure and excitement that was prevailing tonight. The prow of the boat cut through the water and flung a fine spray over the girl.

The island was dark, but the moonlight flung the trees and the little lodge into sharp relief against the sky. A light gleamed faintly through the window of the lodge and there Gale went.

There was no electricity on the island so the lodge was illuminated solely by the light from the fire in the fireplace and a small oil lantern which stood on the little table in solitary state.

A brief glance told her that the room was empty. Abruptly her bundle slid to the table and she sat down while she tried to grasp the fact that the pilot was gone. There had been something mysterious about him. He had tricked them and disappeared at the first opportunity! But how had he left the island? The motor boat had not been here. His airplane was out of commission. They had left no means of escape for him.

Suddenly she thought of the canoe housed in the little adjoining shed. Of course! It would be easy for him to get away in that. No trouble at all, for the bay had been as smooth as glass.

Unnecessarily she went out, taking the lantern with her, to the shed. There she stared in amazement. The canoe was safely installed as it had been yesterday. The pilot had not touched it. Then how—he couldn’t have swum to the mainland!