by Carol Norton
CHAPTER XII. A SLEIGH-RIDE PARTY
Promptly at two, Geraldine and Alfred, well bundled in furs, were waitingin the hall when a joyous shouting, ringing of bells and blowing of hornsannounced that the merry sleigh-ride party was coming up the drive.
Alfred threw open the door and gave an answering halloo, then, turning,he assisted Geraldine down the icy steps.
"I wonder where Danny O'Neil is," the Colonel exclaimed. "I told him toput ashes on the icy places, but he has not done so."
The girls graciously welcomed Geraldine and made room for her on thedeep, blanket-covered straw between Doris and Merry.
"This is for you to blow upon," the former maiden said, producing fromher coat pocket a small tassled horn.
For one moment Geraldine hesitated. Then, as the two big white horsesraced along the snowy road with bells jingling, she soon caught thespirit of merriment and found herself tooting upon a horn as gayly as therest of them. Never before had she had such a jolly time, and she wasactually feeling a bit sorry for the city girls who had never been on astraw ride.
The sun was bright, and long before they reached their destination theycould see the ice glistening on Little Bear Lake.
As they drew up at the Inn, to rest the horses a moment before turning upthe seldom traveled East Lake Road, Mr. Wiggin, who lived in that lonelyspot all the year round with only now and then an occasional guest for aweek-end, came out to greet them.
Usually his face beamed when he saw these young people, but today helooked greatly troubled.
"What's up, Mr. Wiggin?" Bob drew rein to inquire. "You look as thoughyou'd seen a ghost."
"Well, I came out to warn you young people you'd better turn back. OldMan Bartlett, who lives a mile up the wood road, was robbed an hour ago.He'd been to town to get five hundred dollars he had in the bank; got aqueer notion that the bank was going to pieces. He had the money in anold bag. Someone must have seen him getting it out of the bank andfollowed him. Anyway, when he reached the wood road, he was held up androbbed."
"Well, with all the unbroken snow there is about here, it will be easyenough to catch the thief," Bob said.
"You're wrong there!" Mr. Wiggin replied. "Several teams have been alongthe lake road since the blizzard, and he could walk in the ruts."
"Was poor old Mr. Bartlett hurt?" Gertrude asked anxiously.
"No, not at all. He was blindfolded and tied to a tree, but he workedhimself loose before long, but the robber was gone. The old man cameright down here and we telephoned to the sheriff. He and his men will bealong most any minute now. There may be some shooting, and so I'd adviseyou boys to take the girls right back to town."
Jack looked anxiously at Merry, who was vigorously shaking her head. "Wearen't afraid, are we, girls?"
"Not with all these boys along to protect us," Peg declared.
Then Doris explained: "We're only going as far as our cabin. Mr. Wiggin;that's not more than a mile from here. We'll be all right."
"That crook is probably headed for Dorchester by this time," one of theboys put in. "We don't want to miss our fun for him."
The innkeeper watched the sleighload of young people until they haddisappeared over a rise on the East Lake Road. Then he shook his headsolemnly and, having entered the inn, he said to his wife: "That's what Icall a foolhardy risk. It might be all right for the young fellows ifthey were alone, but to take a parcel of girls into, nobody knows what, Icall it downright foolishness and maybe worse. Why, if they cornered thathighwayman, he would shoot, of course, and there's no tellin' who hewould hit. Well, not being their guardeen, I couldn't prevent theirgoin', and so they'll have to take their chance."
Meanwhile the two big white horses were slowly ploughing their way alongthe east side of the lake. In some spots the road was quite bare wherethe wind had swept across the fields, but in other places the horsesfloundered through deep snow drifts. The road, which led close to thelake, was hilly and winding, and, as it neared the cabin, it entered adense wood of snow-covered pines.
"Girls, why don't you blow on your horns?" Bob called as he looked back."There's nothing to be afraid of. That highwayman would make straight forDorchester, where he could lose himself in the crowd."
Suddenly Merry called out excitedly: "Bob, stop a minute. Look there.That highwayman must have been riding on a horse. If he was, this iswhere he turned and cut through the pine woods to the old Dorchesterroad."
Jack and several other boys leaped over the side of the sleigh andfollowed the tracks for some distance through the woods where there waslittle snow on the ground.
"Say, boys, I believe Merry's got the right idea," Jack said as heclimbed back to his former place next to Geraldine.
"Glad we saw those tracks," Alfred put in. "Now we know for sure that thehighwayman won't be lurking around the Drexel cabin."
"Sure thing! Let's proceed to forget about him and have a good time," Bobcalled in his cheerful way. "Blow on your horns, girls. Make this silentpine wood ring."
"Ohoo! Isn't it silent, though, and dark, too? Hurry up, Bob. We'll blowhard enough when we get out into the sunshine," Betty Byrd said as shehuddled close to Merry.
Peggy took occasion to say to Doris in a low aside that the boys of the"C. D. C." probably thought they now had a mystery to solve, but theywanted the girls to think that they weren't interested.
"That's what I thought," was the whispered reply. "Wouldn't it be greatif we solved the mystery first?"
"Say, cut out the secret stuff," one boy across from them called; then,taking his companion's horn, he blew a merry blast. The others didlikewise and so noisily they emerged into the sunshine, but some of thegirls glanced back at the silent, somber woods as though fearing that therobber had been there all of the time.
Just in front of them and built close to the lake was a picturesque logcabin.
"Hurray for the Drexel Lodge!" someone called.
"You girls stay in the sleigh," Bob said, "while we boys see if therobber is hiding in the cabin."
Five minutes later the lads reappeared. "He certainly isn't here!" Jackdeclared. "The heavy wooden doors and blinds are all padlocked just asthey were left last fall, and there is no other way of entering, so let'sforget the highwayman and have the good time we planned."
"Jack is right," Bertha said as she leaped from the sleigh. "Doris, youhave the key. Let's open the doors while the boys get wood from the shed.Isn't the ice just great? I can hardly wait to get my skates on, can you,Geraldine?"
The young people were convinced that the highwayman was not in theirneighborhood, and, with fear gone, they resumed their merrymaking. Theblinds were opened, letting in a flood of sunlight. A big dry log wassoon burning on the wide hearth and a fire was started in the kitchenstove.
"Now, girls," Doris announced, "I want you all to go skating with theboys while I prepare our supper."
"Why, won't you be afraid to stay here alone?" Betty Byrd, the timorous,inquired. "I wouldn't do it for worlds."
"No, I'm not afraid," Doris replied. "The house was locked, so why shouldI be?"
"Sure thing. You're safe enough!" Bob declared. "But if you do getfrightened, blow on your horn."
Ten minutes later Doris was alone, or at least she _thought_ she wasalone in the log cabin.
