Dee Tucker followed Page to the kitchen to see if she could be of any assistance in making the coffee. She felt keenly sorry for the Carters on account of this storm. Not being connected with them in any way, the grumblers had not hesitated to criticize the whole thing in Dee's presence when they got wet and scared. Dee had done all in her power to soften their judgment, but there were several who did not hesitate to blame the Carter girls because of their wetting. Nothing is so catching as criticism and it spreads like wildfire with the genus boarder. She told Page of her fears. "We'll have to put a stop to it. You get Tillie Wingo and you and she soft soap the men who are grouching, and then get Zebedee to go after the females. He can make them believe they only dreamed it stormed." CHAPTER VIII THE DAMAGE DONE Jeffry Tucker and his daughter Caroline, otherwise known as Dee, were surely the most tactful human beings in the world. They could almost always gain any goal by tact. They set out now to make the grouchy week-enders dry up and cheer up, and in half an hour after the storm was over they had attained their object. Page overheard Mr. Tucker pacifying a very disconsolate maiden lady whose hair had come out of curl and whose rosy cheeks had run off--not far, however--only to her jaws. "This is a most outrageous way to treat boarders!" she exclaimed. "The idea of having no proper shelter for them--charging an enormous price, too! I certainly intend to leave tomorrow and I will stop some friends of mine who were planning to come up next week. Isn't it strange how these places are overrated? Anyhow, I'll not give it a good name but will get out the first thing in the morning." "Oh, don't do that," begged the wily Zebedee. "I had planned to get you to take a walk with me tomorrow evening. The moon will be gorgeous and there are some wonderful spots around here--romantic spots." "Well, of course I wouldn't think of going if it clears up." "It has already cleared up! Just look at the moon! I almost think we might take a walk now, but it might be very muddy. Let's fox trot instead." "'Done, for a ducat!'" laughed Page to herself, as Mr. Tucker and the much mollified week-ender danced off together. "I am afraid poor Zebedee will have his whole holiday taken up showing the moon to wet hens." What Mr. Tucker accomplished with the females, Tillie and Dee did likewise to the males. Tillie exercised all her fascinations on some hallroom boys, while Dee went in for some old bachelors who loved their ease and comfort and did not at all relish the idea of wet sheets on soggy cots. "Here is some hot coffee!" she said, with a very winning smile. "Two lumps, or one?" "None for me, miss," from a terrible old grouch who had been particularly loud in his praise of Nature before Nature had shown what she really could do. "I don't expect to sleep a wink as it is. I am perfectly sure the beds will be damp."