CHAPTER XXXIV. SECRETS
Merry glanced anxiously at Jane when they were alone, Bob having gonewith the children for a hike along the brook.
"Dear," she said, slipping an arm about her friend, "you are regrettinghaving taken my advice, aren't you?"
They were in the bedroom which they shared, removing their tams andsweaters when, to Merry's surprise and grief, Jane threw herself down onthe bed and sobbed as though her heart would break. "Oh, I can't bear thehumiliation of it all! How I wish we could leave for the East today, thisvery minute. While I am here, I may meet Jean Sawyer, and if he looks atme scornfully, as of course he will, I would rather be dead, honestly Iwould!"
Merry indeed regretted that she had asked Jane to send the letter whichwas causing her so much unhappiness. "Try to forget about it, Janey, justfor today," she implored, "while we are celebrating your eighteenthbirthday." Then an inspiration came to her and she asked: "What wouldyour mother have done if she had had a sorrow that would sadden others ifthey knew about it?"
Jane sat up on the side of the bed, and, after glancing at the miniatureon the table near, she turned and looked thoughtfully out of the widewindow and into the sun-shimmering valley. Merry wondered what her replywould be. A moment later she knew, for Jane sprang up and after kissingthe golden-haired girl impulsively, she caught her by the hand, saying:"I'm going out to the brook to wash my face in that clear, cold water,just as Dan and I did the first day that we came. And I'll try to washaway all selfish grievings and to think, if I can, only of the happinessof the guests at my birthday party. That's what my mother would havedone. I am so glad that Dan told me that we can choose a model or anideal and carve our own characters like it and I'm grateful to you forhaving recalled it to me, because, for the moment, I had forgotten." Thegirls took their towels and hand in hand they skipped around to thebrook. Jane knelt by the big boulder and splashed the cold spring waterover her tear-stained eyes. When she looked up her wet cheeks were rosy.And later, when they had gone back to the bedroom to complete theirpreparations for the party, Merry begged Jane to wear a wine-coloreddress which was especially becoming to her. It was of soft, clingingcrepe de chine and had a deep collar of Irish crochet. Then they wentinto the living-room to await the coming of their guest. Merry, whosedainty blue summer dress made her lovely eyes the color of a June sky,sat smiling admiringly at her friend. "Jane," she said, "you arewonderful. But there is just one more touch needed to make you look a bitmore partified. I will get it."
Springing up, Merry went into their bedroom, took from her suitcase a boxwhich contained a beautiful scarlet rose with satin and velvet petals.This she pinned into Jane's soft, dark hair just above her left ear.Standing off to note the effect, Merry declared that her friend wascertainly the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. A short month beforeJane would have considered this praise her just due, but, so greatly hadshe changed, her reply was given in entire sincerity: "I may be the mostbeautiful to you, because you love me, but Meg Heger is really the morebeautiful." Before Merry could reply, there was an excited shoutingwithout. Both girls leaped to the open door. They saw Meg Heger riding onher spotted pony, while Dan on the big brown mare was at her side, butthey were conversing quietly. The halloos came from the brook. Turning tolook in that direction, the girls saw Julie, Bob and Gerald racing towardthem as fast as they could over the rocky way, and it was quite evidentthat they were all very much excited. "I wonder what they have seen?"Jane said.
Before the children and Bob could reach the cabin, Meg and Dan hadclimbed the stairway and had been greeted by the two girls.
The trapper's daughter wore a simply fashioned Scotch plaid gingham dressin which many colors were mingled.
They all turned toward the brook when the three, who were racing towardthem, neared.
"What, ho!" Dan called gayly, and Jane noted that never before had sheseen in her brother's face an expression of such radiant happiness. "Didyou three see a bear? It never will do for us to go back East withouthaving at least sighted a grizzly."
To the surprise of the four who awaited them, the newcomers becamesuddenly embarrassed, and even Bob acted as though he hardly knew what tosay, which was quite unusual in so straightforward and impulsive a lad.
"Dan," he said, "may I speak with you a moment?"
The older boy walked away from the curious group of girls.
"We did not know that Meg Heger had come," Bob began, "and we were justgoing to call out that we had found another place where we would like tolook for the lost box. It's such a queer place, Dan, but it is one thatas yet we have not investigated. Can't we get away from the girlssomehow? Gerald and Julie and I want to show the spot to _you_ at least."
"Why, I presume so," Dan agreed, and after explaining to the three oldergirls that Bob and the youngsters wished to show him something, hefollowed them back along the brook. It was the way that he had gone onthat day when he had first visited the Heger cabin. When they reached thewaterfall which Dan had thought so pretty, they climbed down to the redrock basin into which it fell. Excitedly, Gerald pointed back of thetumbling water.
"Look-it, Dan!" he fairly shouted. "See that little cave opening inthere! Doesn't it look to you as if it had been made with a pickaxe? Bobthinks it does."
Dan looked through the transparent sheet of hurrying water and smilinglyshook his head as he replied:
"I don't suppose that a human being has ever been through that crevice,and, moreover, I don't quite see how we can investigate, do you, Bob?"
Dan, noting the disappointed expression on his small brother's face,turned toward the older boy.
"We sort of had it figured out that Gerald could stand back of thewaterfall and then he could see better whether that is just a crevice inthe rocks or the mouth of a cave."
The youngest boy looked up eagerly. "You know, Dan, I fetched along mybathing suit. Mayn't I go back to the cabin and put it on? Mayn't I,Dan?"
"Why, of course, if you wish, but perhaps you had better say nothing tothe girls about it. I do not like to have Meg know that we are searchingfor that box, since there is no real likelihood of our finding it."
Luckily the girls were not in sight, and so no questions were asked ofthe small boy, who dived into his own room, donned his bathing suit andraced away, without having been seen. Dan held the younger boy's hand ina tight clasp as Gerald went down into the clear, cold pool.
"Now, hold your breath and step up on that ledge back of the waterfall,"the older brother advised.
Julie watched wide-eyed, almost frightened.
"Oh, Danny," she suddenly exclaimed, "couldn't there be somethingterrible hiding in that crack?"
But before Dan could assure her that it was not likely, Gerald had leapedback into the rock basin, crying: "It's a cave in there! Oh, boy! Shall Igo in it, Dan; shall I?"
"Not alone!" The older boy was almost sorry that the crevice had beenfound. "Bob," he said, turning to the lad who stood meditatively lookingat the waterfall, "I don't believe that it would be wise to permit Geraldto go into that cave. He might suddenly drop into a pit filled withwater. Let's give it up, shall we, and go back to the girls?"
It was plain to see that Bob was disappointed, but his reply was: "Ofcourse, Gerald ought not to go into that cave, if it is one. I had nointention of permitting him to do more than see if it really is anopening. I also have a bathing suit and a flashlight. I never will besatisfied unless I investigate, but of course I will not take a stepinside unless it is solid rock."
Against his better judgment, Dan said, "Well, go ahead, Bob, if you wantto."
The girls had evidently sauntered away from the cabin, for Bob did notsee them when he went there to don his bathing suit. He rejoined theothers in a very short time. Having been an athlete in college, he swunghimself down and back of the waterfall without aid. Then flashing thelight into the crevice, he sang out: "There's a solid floor, all right,Dan, but I think Gerald had better not
come."
For a long five minutes the group on the outside waited, listening withever-increasing anxiety. Dan thought that he would be sincerely glad whenthis foolhardy adventure was over. At last he called:
"Bob, haven't you investigated enough? Come on out!"
But there was no reply. Another five minutes elapsed and Dan was justabout to have Gerald again climb back of the waterfall to look throughthe crevice, when Bob appeared, carrying a pickaxe and a shovel, rustedand dirt encrusted.
"What do you say to that?" he exulted, as he plunged through the fall andwaded out of the red rock pool.
Dan was amazed. "Bob," he exclaimed, "you were right about one thing atleast. The cave was made with a pick. Was it large?"
"No; that is, not wide. It is a narrow tunnel which stops abruptly. Ifound these tools at the very end."
Dan lifted his shovel and looked at the handle. Then he examined it moreclosely. Picking up a stone, he knocked away the dirt with which it wascrusted. A name was carved in the handle. Letter by letter was decipheredand Dan wrote each in his small notebook. When they had reached the last,Bob asked: "Is it a message telling where the box is?"
"No," Dan replied, "merely the name and address of the owner of theshovel and pick, I judge. A French name, Giguette. Yes, that is it, FrancGiguette."
"But there is more to it, Danny." Gerald was trying to see the pad."What's the rest?"
"Where the miner lived, I suppose," Dan told him. "Cabin 10, I think itis."
Bob leaped around wild with joy. "Talk about a clue! Why, that's thenumber of the cabin at Crazy Creek where this miner lived. Can't we goright over and hunt for it, Dan? Do you suppose that the girls would careif Gerald and I go? We aren't at all necessary to the birthday party. Youand Julie are."
"Of course, you may do as you wish," Dan acquiesced. "It's a long way tothe camp, though."
"Not if we can ride," Gerry put in. "You and Meg came down on the horses.Where are they?"
"Back at the Heger cabin by this time," the older brother replied. "Megturned her pony's head up the mountain road and said, 'Go home, Pal,' andthe brown mare seemed to be quite content to follow. Perhaps you willovertake them."
Bob caught hold of Gerald's hand as he said: "We'll have to hustle, oldman, if we get back before dark."
Gerry glanced at Julie to see if she were terribly disappointed, but thesmall girl smiled, though a bit waveringly. Dan, noting this, spoke forher: "Julie and I will stay at the cabin. It would hardly do for us allto leave Jane on her birthday."
These two sauntered slowly along the brook, and before they reached thecabin they saw Bob and Gerald, fully clothed, starting to run up themountain road.
Dan had little expectation that they would find the box of which the oldIndian had told Meg, but he knew that Bob would not be able to enjoy thequiet party when be might be out following a clue.
The girls were seated on the rustic front porch when Dan and Julieappeared. Jane smiled a greeting to them, then asked: "Do tell us whathas happened to Bob and Gerry. They dashed in and out again, nor wouldthey stop when we called to ask where they were going?"
"Boys will be boys," was Dan's evasive answer as he sank down on theporch step and smiled up at Meg. Then he heard his questioning thoughtasking: "Is it possible that Meg's real name is Giguette?"
The five who remained at the cabin that afternoon found it difficult toconverse idly, for the thoughts of each kept returning to a subject ofgreat interest to that individual. Meg's good friend Teacher Bellows hadtold her that as soon as her examinations were completed he wouldaccompany her and Pa Heger to a distant valley in the mountains where hehad heard that the Ute tribe was then dwelling. They believed the findingof the box to be impossible since all through the years the old Indianhad searched for it.
Merry, who had slipped her ring back into its case before any of herfriends, except Jane, had seen it, was wondering when would be the besttime to put it on her finger and announce to them all that she was tobecome the wife of Jean's brother. She had wanted to wait until JeanWilloughby should be with them, but when that would be, she could notconjecture.
Dan and Julie were very much excited over the discovery of the pick andshovel, and the lad could see by the small girl's manner that she wasfinding the secret almost more than she could keep. Every now and then,in childish fashion, Julie would look over at her brother, hump hershoulders and put a finger on her lips. Jane noted this, but was toomiserably unhappy to wonder about little girl secrets. But she was beingtrue to her resolve. She was ever keeping the memory of her mother inthought, and trying to be interested in what her companions were saying.
It was indeed a long afternoon, tense with suppressed excitement. Atfive-thirty, when the boys had not returned, Dan began to regret that hehad granted the permission, for, of course, Gerry would not have gone toCrazy Creek Camp if his older brother had thought it unwise, and Bob, inall probability, would not have gone alone.
Jane, after glancing at her wrist watch, sprang up, announcing withevident gaiety: "Merry and I have a supper planned."
Then, turning to the younger girl, she invited: "Julie, dear, wouldn'tyou like to set the table and make it look real partified?"
"Oh, goodie!" The small girl was glad to be asked to accompany the oldertwo and away she skipped. Meg and Dan were left alone, for their offersof assistance had been refused.
"Suppose we climb to Bald Rock and watch the sunset," Dan suggested. Thegirl, smiling up at him, arose at once. As soon as they had started toclimb along the singing brook, Meg looked at her companion inquiringly."Dan," she said, "won't you share your secret with me?"
"Perhaps," the lad countered, "if you will share yours with me." A merry,rippling laugh, as silvery as the song of the brook they were following,was the girl's first response. Then, "We must be mind readers," she toldhim.
Dan glanced down into the dusky uplifted face and in his eyes there wasan expression almost of adoration. "Meg," he said, "doesn't that aloneprove that we are perfect comrades? We can sense each other's unspokenthought." Then, with greater seriousness: "I have hesitated about tellingyou, and moreover you have been in Scarsburg during the past week, but itis your right to know. Bob and Gerald and I have been searching for thebox of which the dying Indian told you."
"Why, Dan," the girl's surprise was unmistakable, "it is but wastingtime. If the old Ute could not find it, surely it is not findable. Thereis a simpler way to learn of my parentage, and one which Pa Heger,Teacher Bellows and I are planning to undertake." Then she told of thejourney into the mountains upon which they expected to start when herexaminations were completed. While Meg talked, she realized that Dan hadstill more to tell, and so she asked: "Where did you boys search, and didyou find anything at all?"
"Yes, Meg, we did unearth something and that is why Bob and Gerry hurriedaway in so mysterious a fashion." Then the lad told about thedirt-crusted shovel and pick and of the carved name.
"Giguette!" the girl repeated as though she were searching her memory forsomething forgotten. Then lifting a radiant face, she exclaimed: "DanAbbott, that is my name. I was only a little thing, less than three, whensomeone taught me to lisp that my name was 'Lalie Giguette' when anyoneasked. Until now, I had completely forgotten."
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