The Mystery Girl

by Carolyn Wells

  CHAPTER II MISS MYSTERY ARRIVES

  Anyone who has arrived at the railroad station of a New England village,after dark on a very cold winter night, the train late, no one to meethim, and no place engaged for board and lodging, will know the desolationof such a situation.

  New England's small railroad stations are much alike, the crowds thatalight from the trains are much alike, the people waiting on the platformfor the arriving travelers are much alike, but there came into Corinthone night a passenger who was not at all like the fellow passengers onthat belated train. It was a train from New York, due in Corinth atfive-forty, but owing to the extreme cold weather, and various untowardfreezings occasioned thereby, the delays were many and long and the traindrew into the station shortly after seven o'clock.

  Tired, hungry and impatient, the travelers crowded out of the train andstamped through the snow to the vehicles awaiting them, or footed it totheir nearby homes.

  The passenger who was unlike the others stepped down from the carplatform, and holding her small suitcase firmly, crossed the track andentered the station waiting room. She went to the ticket window but foundthere no attendant. Impatiently she tapped her little foot on the oldboard floor but no one appeared.

  "Agent," she called out, rapping with her knuckles on the window shelf,"Agent,--where are you?"

  "Who's there? What d'y' want?" growled a surly voice, and a head appearedat the ticket window.

  "I want somebody to look after me! I'm alone, and I want a porter, and Iwant a conveyance and I want some information."

  "Oh, you do! Well, I can't supply porters nor yet conveyances; butinformation I may be able to give you."

  "Very well then," and a pair of big, dark eyes seemed to pierce his verybrain. "Then tell me where I can find the best accommodations inCorinth."

  The now roused agent looked more interestedly at the inquirer.

  He saw a mere slip of a girl, young, slender, and very alert of manner.Her dark, grave little face was oval, and her eyes had a strange uncannyway of roving quickly about, and coming suddenly back, greatlydisconcerting the stolid ticket agent.

  This agent was not unused to girls,--a college town is often invaded byhordes of smart young women, pretty girls and gay hoydens. Many Junes hehad sold tickets or given information to hundreds of feminine inquirersbut none had ever seemed quite like this one.

  "Best accommodations?" he repeated stupidly.

  "You heard me, then! About when do you propose to reply?"

  Still he gazed at her in silence, running over in his mind the variousboarding houses, and finding none he thought she'd like.

  "There's a rule of the Railroad Company that questions must be answeredthe same day they're asked," she said, witheringly, and picking up hersuitcase she started for the door, feeling that any one she might findwould know more than this dummy.

  "Wait,--oh, I say, miss, wait a minute."

  "I did," she said coolly, proceeding to the door.

  "But,--oh, hold on,--try Old Salt Adams,--you couldn't do better."

  "Where is it?" she deigned to pause a moment, and he replied quickly:

  "He's right outside,--hurry up out,--you can catch him!"

  Here was something she could understand, and she hurried up out, just intime to see an old man with long white beard jump into his sleigh andbegin to tuck fur robes about him.

  "He sprang to his sleigh,--to his team gave a whistle,--" she quoted toherself, and then cried out, "Hey, there, Santa Claus, give me a lift?"

  "You engaged for our house?" the man called back, and as she shook herhead, he gathered up his reins.

  "Can't take any one not engaged," he called back, "Giddap!"

  "Wait,--wait! I command you!" The sharp, clear young voice rang outthrough the cold winter air, and Old Saltonstall Adams paused to listen.

  "Ho, ho," he chuckled, "you command me, do you? Now, I haven't beencommanded for something like fifty years."

  "Oh, don't stop to fuss," the girl exclaimed, angrily. "Don't you see I'mcold, hungry and very uncomfortable? You have a boarding house,--I wantboard,--now, you take me in. Do you hear?"

  "Sure I hear, but, miss, we've only so many rooms and they're alloccupied or engaged."

  "Some are engaged, but as yet unoccupied?" The dark eyes challenged him,and Adams mumbled,--"Well, that's about it."

  "Very well, I will occupy one until the engager comes along. Let me getin. No, I can manage my suitcase myself. You get my trunk,--here's thecheck. Or will you send for that tomorrow?"

  "Why wait? Might's well get it now--if so be you're bound to bide. 'Fraidto wait in the sleigh alone?"

  "I'm afraid of nothing," was the disdainful answer, and the girl pulledthe fur robes up around her as she sat in the middle of the back seat.

  Shortly, old Salt returned with the trunk on his shoulder, and put it inthe front with himself, and they started.

  "Don't try to talk," he called back to her, as the horses began a rapidtrot. "I can't hear you against this wind."

  "I've no intention of talking," the girl replied, but the man couldn'thear her. The wind blew fiercely. It was snowing a little, and the driftssent feathery clouds through the air. The trees, coated with ice from arecent sleet storm, broke off crackling bits of ice as they passed. Thegirl looked about, at first curiously, and then timidly, as if frightenedby what she saw.

  It was not a long ride, and they stopped before a large house, showingcomfortably lighted windows and a broad front door that swung open evenas the girl was getting down from the sleigh.

  "For the land sake!" exclaimed a brisk feminine voice, "this ain't Letty!Who in the earth have you got here?"

  "I don't know," Old Salt Adams replied, truthfully. "Take her along,mother, and give her a night's lodging."

  "But where is Letty? Didn't she come?"

  "Now can't you see she didn't come? Do you s'pose I left her at thestation? Or dumped her out along the road? No--since you will have it,she didn't come. She _didn't_ come!"

  Old Salt drove on toward the barns, and Mrs. Adams bade the girl go intothe house.

  The landlady followed, and as she saw the strange guest she gazed at herin frank curiosity.

  "You want a room, I s'pose," she began. "But, I'm sorry to say we haven'tone vacant--"

  "Oh, I'll take Letty's. She didn't come, you see, so I can take her roomfor tonight."

  "Letty wouldn't like that."

  "But I would. And I'm here and Letty isn't. Shall we go right up?"

  Picking up her small suitcase, the girl started and then stepped back forthe woman to lead the way.

  "Not quite so fast--_if_ you please. What is your name?"

  As the landlady's tone changed to a sterner inflection, the girl likewisegrew dignified.

  "My name is Anita Austin," she said, coldly. "I came here because I wastold it was the best house in Corinth."

  "Where are you from?"

  "New York City."

  "What address?"

  "Plaza Hotel."

  By this time the strange dark eyes had done their work. A steady glancefrom Anita Austin seemed to compel all the world to do her bidding. Atany rate, Mrs. Adams took the suitcase, and without a further wordconducted the stranger upstairs.

  She took her into an attractive bedroom, presumably made ready for theabsent Letty.

  "This will do," Miss Austin said, calmly. "Will you send me up a tray ofsupper? I don't want much, and I prefer not to come down to dinner."

  "Land sake, dinner's over long ago. You want some tea, 'n' bread, 'n'butter, 'n' preserves, 'n' cake?"

  "Yes, thank you, that sounds good. Send it in half an hour."

  To her guest Mrs. Adams showed merely a face of acquiescence, but onceoutside the door, and released from the spell of those eerie eyes, sheremarked to herself, "For the land sake!" with great emphasis.

  "Well, what do you know about that!" Old Salt Adams cried, when, aftershe had started him on his
supper, his wife related the episode.

  "I can't make her out," Mrs. Adams said, thoughtfully. "But I don't likeher. And I won't keep her. Tomorrow, you take her over to Belton's."

  "Just as you say. But I thought her kinda interesting looking. You can'tsay she isn't that."

  "Maybe so, to some folks. Not to me. And Letty'll come tomorrow, so thatgirl'll have to get out of the room."

  Meanwhile "that girl" was eagerly peering out of her window.

  She tried to discern which were the lights of the college buildings, butthrough the still lightly falling snow, she could see but little, andafter a time, she gave up the effort. She drew her head back into theroom just as a tap at the door announced her supper.

  "Thank you," she said to the maid who brought it. "Set it on that stand,please. It looks very nice."

  And then, sitting comfortably in an easy chair, robed in warm dressinggown and slippers, Miss Anita Austin devoted a pleasant half hour to thesimple but thoroughly satisfactory meal.

  This finished, she wrote some letters. Not many, indeed, but few as theywere, the midnight hour struck before she sealed the last envelope andwrote the last address.

  Then, prepared for bed, she again looked from the window, and gazed longinto the night.

  "Corinth," she whispered, "Oh, Corinth, what do you hold for me? Whatfortune or misfortune will you bring me? What fortune or misfortune shallI bring to others? Oh, Justice, Justice, what crimes are committed in thyname!"

  The next morning Anita appeared in the dining-room at the breakfast hour.

  Mrs. Adams scanned her sharply, and looked a little disapprovingly at theshort, scant skirt and slim, silken legs of her new boarder.

  Anita, her dark eyes scanning her hostess with equal sharpness, seemed toexpress an equal disapproval of the country-cut gingham and huge whiteapron.

  Not at all obtuse, Mrs. Adams sensed this, and her tone was a little moredeferential than she had at first intended to make it.

  "Will you sit here, please, Miss Austin?" she indicated a chair nextherself.

  "No, thank you, I'll sit by my friend," and the girl slipped into avacant chair next Saltonstall Adams.

  Old Salt gave a furtive glance at his wife, and suppressed a chuckle ather surprise.

  "This is Mr. Tyler's place," he said to the usurper, "but I expect he'lllet you have it this once."

  "I mean to have it all the time," and Anita nodded gravely at her host.

  "All the time is this one meal only," crisply put in Mrs. Adams. "I'msorry, Miss Austin, but we can't keep you here. I have no vacant room."

  The entrance of some other people gave Anita a chance to speak in anundertone to Mr. Adams, and she said;

  "You'll let me stay till Letty comes, won't you? I suppose you are bossin your own house."

  As a matter of fact almost any phrase would have described the man betterthan "boss in his own house," but the idea tickled his sense of irony,and he chuckled as he replied, "You bet I am! Here you stay--as long asyou want to."

  "You're my friend, then?" and an appealing glance was shot at him frombeneath long, curling lashes, that proved the complete undoing ofSaltonstall Adams.

  "To the death!" he whispered, in mock dramatic manner.

  Anita gave a shiver. "What a way to put it!" she cried. "I mean to liveforever, sir!"

  "Doubtless," Old Salt returned, placidly. "You're a freak--aren't you?"

  "That isn't a very pretty way of expressing it, but I suppose I am," anda mutinous look passed over the strange little face.

  In repose, the face was oval, serene, and regular of feature. But whenthe girl smiled or spoke or frowned, changes took place, and the mobilecountenance grew soft with laughter or hard with scorn.

  And scorn was plainly visible when, a moment later, Adams introducedRobert Tyler, a fellow boarder, to Miss Austin.

  She gave him first a conventional glance, then, as he dropped into thechair next hers, and said,

  "Only too glad to give up my place to a peach," she turned on him aflashing glance, that, as he expressed it afterward, "wiped him off theface of the earth."

  Nor could he reinstate himself in her good graces. He tried a penitentattitude, bravado, jocularity and indifference, but one and all failed toengage her interest or even attention. She answered his remarks withcalm, curt speeches that left him baffled and uncertain whether he wantedto bow down and worship her, or wring her neck.

  Old Salt Adams took this all in, his amusement giving way to curiosityand then to wonder. Who was this person, who looked like a young, veryyoung girl, yet who had all the mental powers of an experienced woman?What was she and what her calling?

  The other boarders appeared, those nearest Anita were introduced, andmost of them considered her merely a pretty, new guest. Her manners wereirreproachable, her demeanor quiet and graceful, yet as Adams covertlywatched her, he felt as if he were watching an inactive volcano.

  The meal over, he detained her a moment in the dining-room.

  "Why are you here, Miss Austin?" he said, courteously; "what is yourerrand in Corinth?"

  "I am an artist," she said, looking at him with her mysterious intentgaze. "Or, perhaps I should say an art student. I've been told that thereare beautiful bits of winter scenery available for subjects here, and Iwant to sketch. Please, Mr. Adams, let me stay here until Letty comes."

  A sudden twinkle in her eye startled the old man, and he said quickly,"How do you know she isn't coming?"

  That, in turn, surprised Anita, but she only smiled, and replied, "I sawa telegram handed to Mrs. Adams at breakfast--and then she lookedthoughtfully at me, and--oh, well, I just sort of knew it was to sayLetty couldn't come."

  "You witch! You uncanny thing! If I should take you over to Salem, they'dburn you!"

  "I'll ride over on a broomstick some day, and see if they will," shereturned, gleefully.

  And then along came Nemesis, in the person of the landlady.

  "I'm sorry, Miss Austin," she began, but the girl interrupted her.

  "Please, Mrs. Adams," she said, pleadingly, "don't say any thing to makeme sorry, too! Now, you want to say you haven't any room for me--but thatisn't true; so you don't know what to say to get rid of me. But--why doyou want to get rid of me?"

  Esther Adams looked at the girl and that look was her undoing.

  Such a pathetic face, such pleading eyes, such a wistful curved mouth,the landlady couldn't resist, and against her will, against her betterjudgment, she said, "Well, then, stay, you poor little thing. But youmust tell me more about yourself. I don't know who you are."

  "I don't know, myself," the strange girl returned. "Do we, any of us knowwho we are? We go through this world, strangers to each other--don't we?And also, strangers to ourselves." Her eyes took on a faraway, mysticallook. "If I find out who I am, I'll let you know."

  Then a dazzling smile broke over her face, they heard a musical ripple oflaughter, and she was gone.

  They heard her steps, as she ran upstairs to her room, and the twoAdamses looked at each other.

  "Daffy," said Mrs. Adams. "A little touched, poor child. I believe shehas run away from home or from her keepers. We'll hear the truth soon.They'll be looking for her."

  "Perhaps," said her husband, doubtfully. "But that isn't the way I sizeher up. She's nobody's fool, that girl. Wish you'd seen her give BobTyler his comeuppance!"

  "What'd she say?"

  "'Twasn't what she said, so much as the look she gave him! He almost wentthrough the floor. Well, she says she's a painter of scenery andlandscapes. Let her stay a few days, till I size her up."

  "You size her up!" returned his wife, with good-natured contempt. "If shesmiles on you or gives you a bit of taffy-talk, you'll size her up for anangel! I'm not so sure she isn't quite the opposite!"

  Meanwhile the subject of their discussion was arraying herself for awalk. Equipped with storm boots and fur coat, she set out to inspectCorinth. A jaunty fur cap, with one long, red quill feather gave herstill more
the appearance of an elf or gnome, and many of the Adams houseboarders watched the little figure as she set forth to brave the icystreets.

  Apparently she had no fixed plan of procedure, for at each corner, shelooked about, and chose her course at random. The snow had ceased duringthe night, and it was very cold, with a clear sunshiny frostiness in theair that made the olive cheeks red and glowing.

  Reaching a bridge, she paused and stood looking over the slight railinginto the frozen ravine below.

  Long she stood, until passers-by began to stare at her. She was unawareof this, absorbed in her thoughts and oblivious to all about her.

  Pinckney Payne, coming along, saw her, and, as he would have expressedit, fell for her at once.

  "Don't do it, sister!" he said, pausing beside her. "Don't end your younglife on this glorious day! Suicide is a mess, at best. Take my advice andcut it out!"

  She turned, ready to freeze him with a glance more icy even than thelandscape, but his frank, roguish smile disarmed her.

  "Freshman?" she said, patronizingly, but it didn't abash him.

  "Yep. Pinckney Payne, if you must know. Commonly called Pinky."

  "I don't wonder," and she noticed his red cheeks. "Well, now that you'reproperly introduced, tell me some of the buildings. What's that one?"

  "Dormitories. And that," pointing, "is the church."

  "Really! And that beautiful colonnade one?"

  "That's Doctor Waring's home. Him as is going to be next Prexy."

  "And that? And that?"

  He replied to all her questions, and kept his eyes fastened on herbewitching face. Never had Pinky seen a girl just like this. She lookedso young, so merry, and yet her restless, roving eyes seemed full ofhidden fire and tempestuous excitement.

  "Where you from?" he said, abruptly. "Where you staying?"

  "At Mrs. Adams," she returned, "is it a good house?"

  "Best in town. Awful hard to get into. Always full up. Relative of hers?"

  "No, just a boarder. I chanced to get a room some one else engaged andcouldn't use."

  "You're lucky. Met Bob Tyler?"

  "Yes."

  "You don't like him! I see that. Met Gordon Lockwood?"

  "No; who's he?"

  "He's Doctor Waring's secretary, but he's mighty worthwhile on his ownaccount. I say, may I come to see you?"

  "Thank you, no. I'm not receiving callers--yet."

  "Well, you will be soon--because I'm coming. I say my aunt lives nextdoor to Adams'. May I bring her to call on you?"

  "Not yet, please. I'm not settled."

  "Soon's you say the word, then. My aunt is Mrs. Bates, and she's a love.She's going to marry Doctor Waring--so you see we're the right sort ofpeople."

  "There are no right sort of people," said the girl, and, turning, shewalked away.