Nancy Clue Mysteries 2 - The Case of the Good-for-Nothing Girlfriend Read Free

to pack any toiletry items!" Cherry exclaimed dramatically. "I had to borrow hair pins and cold cream from my aunt all weekend. But it all worked out and we had a delightful time. Now, see?"

----
CHAPTER 3
----
OOPS!

    Nancy looked puzzled, but Cherry's story had done the trick. She was no longer crying. This time she accepted Cherry's handkerchief gratefully, mopped her face, and ran a hand through her tangled hair.
    At Cherry's urging, Nancy took her compact from her purse and applied a fresh dusting of powder to her pert but now shiny nose. Light pink lipstick completed her look. She then brushed her tangled titian hair until it shone.
    "Feeling better?" Cherry asked.
    Nancy admitted that she did feel much improved.
    "A girl must always look her best and be prepared for the worst," Cherry said cheerfully.
    Nancy smiled wanly but said nothing. Cherry could tell her mind was miles away. Sixteen-hundred eighty-six miles, to be exact.
    They sat for a while on a big boulder in quiet contemplation before Nancy uttered a big sigh and stood up. "I guess if we're ever going to get out of here I should take a look at that darn automobile and see what can be done," she said resolutely, sounding once again like the sensible girl with whom Cherry had fallen truly and deeply in love.
    "How brave she is," Cherry thought, her heart leaping with joy when she realized that Nancy must have abandoned her plans to fly home. "I'll bet we'll be out of here in a jiffy! We'll be speeding through the majestic mountain state of Wyoming before you know it! ",she bubbled.
    Cherry felt a thrill when she imagined how exciting the sightseeing would be as they traveled through the picturesque and colorful state, with its many recreational pleasures. Nancy looked unconvinced, so, as they walked back to the car, Cherry kept up a chirpy chatter, hoping to cheer up her cynical chum. "We can have supper in nearby Pocatello while the car's being fixed. After all, we do have to eat in order to keep our strength up," she added.
    "A nice dry martini would sure hit the spot right now," Nancy admitted, sounding a bit calmer.
    Was it Cherry's imagination, or was Nancy sounding almost cheerful? Cherry smiled. Who else would have thought of having a cocktail but Nancy? Golly, she was so sophisticated, she always knew the right thing to do!
    "I'll bet Midge knows a lot about cars," Cherry guessed as they walked back to the convertible. "I'll bet she'll get us out of here in no time at all."
    She had to smile when she thought of their tall, strong traveling companion, Midge Fontaine, the only girl among them with the upper body strength necessary to get the car moving if it wouldn't start on its own. Cherry had met the muscular Midge during her recent adventure in San Francisco. Although Midge, a handsome girl with a take-charge attitude and a tendency to tease, and Cherry, a small-town girl with a bubbly, eager-to-please nature and a habit of blushing at the slightest provocation, were as different as two girls could be, they had become fast friends during their recent adventure.
    A case of mistaken identity had brought the two unlikely chums together. Dark-haired Cherry and Midge's longtime girlfriend, the lovely Velma Pierce, bore an uncanny resemblance to one another, resulting in a scary mix-up that had put the vivacious Velma in grave danger! Luckily, Cherry and Midge had been able to save her and had become good friends in the process.
    "Only, Velma's more stylish than I am," thought Cherry, who frankly felt like Velma's drab little sister in comparison with the older, more glamorous girl.
    Cherry, a sweet, simple girl from a small farming town, had to admit she was more at home in a plain, starched white nurse's uniform or the simple, cotton frocks she favored, than in the revealing get-ups Velma wore with such aplomb. "Plus Velma is always impeccably groomed, while I'm usually slightly mussed and my curls are all asunder!
    "Who would have guessed that their