“Absolutely!” replied Mary Louise. “You’re going to go to high school this fall, I hope, and belong to our crowd of young people. All the boys and girls like you.”
Elsie’s face lighted up with a happy smile.
“And I like them, too—but you and Jane will always come first. Oh, I’m so glad that Jane will believe in me again!”
Ten minutes later the two girls and Mr. Gay were seated in the bus bound for Riverside. Mary Louise held Silky in her arms under her pack when she got in, and the conductor did not even notice him. She was thankful for that, because she was much too tired to walk.
They went straight to the Gays’ home, taking Elsie with them. Mrs. Gay was sitting on the front porch, little thinking that her two adventurers would return so soon. She jumped up in delight when she saw them coming in at the gate.
“And is this Elsie?” she asked as the three tired wanderers ascended the porch steps.
“Yes, Mother, this is Elsie Grant,” replied Mary Louise. “We found her, and we caught the thief too. It was the gypsy fortune teller.”
“Well, of all things!” exclaimed Mrs. Gay. “And had she kidnapped Elsie too?”
“Oh no, Elsie went there voluntarily, because everybody suspected her of the crime, and she was unhappy. But Elsie had no idea the gypsy was the thief, until she heard us accusing her.”
“If I’d only have been a detective like Mary Louise,” the girl remarked admiringly, “I might have guessed. But I’m pretty stupid about things like that. I even ate some of Aunt Mattie’s chicken for my supper last night without ever guessing that the gypsies stole it.”
Mrs. Gay laughed.
“Well, it certainly is nice to have you all back again. We’ll have a fine dinner to celebrate—I’ll send Freckles for ice cream when he comes in.” She stooped over and patted the little dog’s head. “Silky shall have some too. He loves ice cream.”
Mary Louise took Elsie up to her room, and the two girls lay down on the bed to rest after they had removed their dusty clothing and cooled themselves under the shower. At five o’clock Mrs. Gay came in with the news that Jane Patterson was downstairs, asking for her chum.
“Please tell her to come up, Mother,” replied Mary Louise. “I can’t understand why she is being so formal.”
“She knows Elsie is here,” explained Mrs. Gay, “and thought you might not like to be disturbed.”
“Does she know I didn’t steal the money or the necklace?” demanded Elsie eagerly.
“Mary Louise’s father is telling her the story now. Freckles just came in, and he had to hear all about it too. He’s almost as keen to become a detective as Mary Louise is.”
Mrs. Gay returned to the first floor, and in a couple of minutes Jane Patterson dashed into the bedroom. She hugged both Elsie and Mary Louise at once.
“You’re a wonder, Mary Lou!” she cried. “Sherlock Holmes, and Philo Vance, and Spencer Dean haven’t a thing on you for solving mysteries. Why, I bet your father loses his job and they hire you in his place!”
“Now, Jane, be rational!” begged Mary Louise.
The visitor seated herself upon the edge of the bed.
“All right, I’ll try.… What I came over about was to see whether you and Elsie can go with our crowd to that country fair tonight. We’re leaving early after supper, and Mother and Dad are both going along. You can take Freckles too—but not Silky. He might get into a fight with the cows or pigs or something.”
“Don’t insult my dog!” returned Mary Louise solemnly. “Silky never associates with pigs!”
“Okay.… Well, can you go?”
“We’d love to, but don’t you think we ought to take Miss Grant’s money back to her?”
“Not tonight, certainly!” was Jane’s emphatic reply. “Let her worry about it a little longer—it’s good for her.”
“But shouldn’t I go over to see her?” asked Elsie.
“Tomorrow’s time enough for that,” answered Mary Louise. “You can stay all night with me tonight.”
Mrs. Gay heartily approved of the plan, for she felt that both her daughter and Elsie needed a little diversion, and so for the time being the adventure at Dark Cedars was completely forgotten. Early after supper the young people drove off in four cars and enjoyed themselves thoroughly until nearly midnight.
But both Elsie and Mary Louise awakened early the following morning, intent upon tying up the few remaining threads of the mystery at Dark Cedars.
Mary Louise had been hoping, ever since she found Elsie, that the girl would be invited to live at the home of Mrs. Grace Grant—if her aunt Mattie would agree to contribute something towards her support. With this plan in her mind, she turned Elsie over to Jane to entertain for the morning, and she herself went directly to the Grants’ home in Riverside. She was fortunate in catching John Grant before he left for business, for she believed him to be an ally.
He and his mother were seated at the breakfast table when she arrived. The maid brought her right into the dining room.
“Good-morning, Mrs. Grant—and Mr. Grant,” she began brightly. “I must apologize for this early call, but I have great news. We caught the thief!”
John Grant, who had risen at Mary Louise’s entrance, stepped forward excitedly.
“Not really?” he demanded. “Do you mean Elsie?”
“No, Mr. Grant, Elsie is not a thief. It was the gypsy fortune teller.” And Mary Louise went on to explain the story of the necklace as the woman had told it to her. She concluded with the finding of Elsie.
“The poor child has been perfectly miserable all the time she lived with her aunt Mattie,” she said. “So I wondered—if I can make Miss Grant pay something towards her support—whether she couldn’t live here. She needs someone like you, Mrs. Grant, to be a mother to her.”
The old lady’s kind heart was touched.
“Of course she can live here!” she exclaimed, “whether Mattie contributes towards her support or not. We’ll manage somehow. Don’t you think we can, John?”
“I have thought so all along,” replied her son. “Elsie should go to high school, like other normal young girls.”
Mary Louise seized the hands of both people at once. She was wild with joy at the success of her plan.
“I’m going straight to the hospital now,” she said, picking up the heavy tin box which she had laid on a small table in the dining room, “to see what kind of bargain I can drive with Miss Grant!”
John laughed. “You have the gold?” he asked.
“Yes. But I’m not going to give it to her till she makes me some sort of promise.”
“Let me drive you over,” he suggested. “That box must be heavy.”
“It has five hundred dollars in gold in it,” returned Mary Louise. “I counted it, to make sure. Probably Miss Grant will offer me ten dollars as a reward.”
“I can believe that,” agreed Mrs. Grant. “She certainly is stingy. Poor little Elsie!”
Five minutes later John Grant left Mary Louise at the entrance to the hospital, and the girl carried her heavy box up to the patient’s room. But it was carefully wrapped and tied, so that Miss Grant had no idea what it contained.
The old lady was looking much brighter this morning. She smiled pleasantly as her young friend entered.
“Mary Louise!” she exclaimed. “Any news?”
“Lots of news,” replied the girl, seating herself in the chair beside the bed. “Do you feel equal to hearing it?”
“I certainly do. Have you found my money?”
“I want to tell you the story straight from the beginning. But before I do that, I want to assure you that Elsie is innocent. We found the real thief, and we also found Elsie. She ran away because she was unhappy.”
Miss Grant’s eyes sparkled with eagerness. “Never mind about Elsie now. Tell me who stole my money.”
“One of the gypsies,” replied Mary Louise. “I can give it to you if you’ll promise to donate some of it for Elsie’s suppo
rt. Mrs. Grace Grant wants her to live with them, but you know how poor she is now.”
“All right, all right, I’ll give you fifty dollars if you get it all back for me! Where is it?”
“I’ll tell you in a minute.” Mary Louise couldn’t help enjoying teasing the miserly woman in retaliation for the way she had treated Elsie. “But it isn’t a case of giving fifty dollars now. It’s rather that you pay Mrs. Grant something—say twenty dollars a month—as your share towards Elsie’s support.”
Miss Grant groaned.
“For how long?” she demanded.
“Till Elsie finishes high school.”
“That’s a lot of money.… Still, I wouldn’t have to have the child around. And she does irritate me.… Yes, I’ll agree. Where is my money?”
Mary Louise unwrapped her box and put it down upon the white bed. Miss Grant reached for it as a child might grab at his Christmas stocking. She opened it and immediately began to count the gold pieces.
“It’s all here!” she cried exultantly.
Mary Louise nodded. “Shall I tell you the story now—about the necklace?” she inquired.
“Yes, yes. I had forgotten the necklace. Where is it?”
“I’m afraid you won’t get that, Miss Grant, because it never really belonged to your father.” And Mary Louise went on to relate the gypsy’s story.
Still fingering the gold, the old lady listened intently.
“Yes, that sounds right to me,” she agreed, as the story ended. “I am thankful that the necklace is back with its rightful owner. That would please my mother. Maybe now Dark Cedars will be a more peaceful place to live.”
“I believe it will be,” concluded Mary Louise as she rose to go. “Here is your key, Miss Grant—and—good-bye!”
“Wait, Mary Louise! I want to give you forty dollars—in gold. You can give ten to Jane, as I promised her, but I think you deserve thirty. You’re a good, clever girl!”
Mary Louise shook her head.
“No, thank you, Miss Grant. What I did, I did because of my love and sympathy for Elsie. If you will treat her fairly, that is all the reward I want.”
The old lady gazed at the girl in amazement at her refusal. But she saw that she meant what she said; perhaps Mary Louise’s generosity put her to shame.
“I will, Mary Louise,” she promised solemnly. “I will indeed.”
So, well satisfied with the happy solution of the mystery at Dark Cedars, Mary Louise hurried back to tell Elsie Grant the good news about her new home and the four happy years at high school which were in store for her.
THE MYSTERY OF THE FIRES, by Edith Lavell
CHARACTERS
MARY LOUISE GAY a girl detective.
JANE PATTERSON her chum.
MR. GAY, MRS. GAY her parents.
JOSEPH (FRECKLES) GAY her brother.
Silky her dog.
David McCall a young insurance agent,
visiting Shady Nook.
Her boy-friends:
MAX MILLER
NORMAN WILDER
Residents of Shady Nook
THE REEDS 2 adults and 5 young people.
THE HUNTERS mother and son.
THE PARTRIDGES four adults.
MR. AND MRS. FLICK owners of the inn.
THE ROBINSONS 2 adults and 2 boys.
THE SMITHS 2 adults and 3children.
MR. AND MRS. DITMAR a young married couple.
THE ADAMS a farmer with 3 grown
children.
MR. AND MRS. FRAZIER owners of the Royal Hotel.
EBERHARDT a village storekeeper.
CHAPTER I
The Burnt Bungalow
“For the whole month?”
Jane Patterson’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as she repeated the invitation her chum had just extended.
“Yes,” replied Mary Louise Gay. “You see, we never could invite you before, because the bungalow is so small, and there’s just room enough for our own family. But Dad will be out West all of August. He doesn’t expect to be back until Labor Day.”
“On a case?” inquired Jane, for Mr. Gay was a detective on the police force.
Mary Louise nodded.
“Yes. An important one. I almost wish I could go with him—it sounds so thrilling.”
“Didn’t you have enough excitement and mystery at Dark Cedars?” demanded Jane.
“I never have enough,” returned the other girl.
“Well, please don’t dig up anything to spoil our vacation at Shady Nook. Still, I don’t really suppose you could if you tried. The very name implies peace.”
“It is a peaceful spot,” agreed Mary Louise. “Not a bit like a big summer resort. Just the mountains and the woods and the lovely Hudson River. Only half a dozen bungalows, so that everybody knows everybody else. It’s all so friendly and nice.”
“Then I shan’t need any fancy clothes—like dance dresses?” Jane’s tone held a faint note of disappointment. She loved outdoor sports, but she was equally fond of parties.
“You better take a couple along,” replied the other girl. “Across the river from Shady Nook there’s a big modern hotel where we often go for dinners and dances. Everybody wears their best clothes there. But most of the time we eat at Flicks’ Inn. It’s just a bigger bungalow, where they have a dining room for the Shady Nook people and a few boarders. Very nice and informal.”
Jane jumped up and started down the steps, across the lawn that separated the Gays’ house from the Pattersons’.
“I must go tell Mother all about it,” she explained, “and begin to get my clothing ready. What time do we start?”
“Seven o’clock tomorrow morning. Rain or shine.”
Left alone, Mary Louise opened the screen door and went into her own house. Her father, with his suitcase on the floor beside him, was saying good-bye to her mother and to his young son Joseph, whom everybody called “Freckles.”
Mr. Gay put his hand upon his daughter’s shoulder and said to his wife:
“I am counting on Mary Louise to take care of you, dear. After the way she mastered that situation at Dark Cedars, I feel that she is capable of almost anything. Far above and beyond most girls of sixteen!”
“She is!” agreed Mrs. Gay proudly. “But I am not expecting any trouble at Shady Nook. I’m more worried about what may happen to you before you catch those criminals!”
“I’ll be all right,” her husband assured her. “Wire for me if you need me—and I’ll come back by airplane.”
Mrs. Gay nodded, little thinking that she would have to follow his advice before the month was over.
As soon as he was gone, the other three members of the family returned to the business of packing. Silky, Mary Louise’s little brown spaniel, trotted around after them, sniffing at everything and looking serious and important, as if he were doing most of the work.
“I’m thankful your father left us the car,” remarked Mrs. Gay, as the suitcases and packages were piled up near the back door. “We’ll need it.”
“Shady Nook is so far from the Junction,” added Mary Louise. “Yes, we’re lucky. And isn’t it nice I have my license, so you won’t have to drive all the way?”
“It certainly is,” agreed her mother. “You’ve always been a big help to me, Mary Louise. And so have you, Freckles,” she added to the boy.
At last everything was finished, in time to allow them all a good sleep before their trip. Shady Nook was almost a day’s journey from Riverside, if they took it in a leisurely manner, driving slowly enough to enjoy the beautiful Hudson River, and stopping at noon at some pleasant inn to eat lunch and rest.
Jane was on hand early, helping the Gays to stack the luggage in the back seat and on the rack provided at the rear of the car.
“Don’t forget to leave a corner for Silky!” Freckles reminded the girls, “He can’t be left behind!”
“As if I could forget him!” returned his sister, picking up the little spaniel and giving him a hug. “Di
dn’t he save our lives that night we rode in Harry Grant’s car?”
Jane shuddered; she could never forget the horror of that dark night or the terror she had experienced when the tramp commanded, “Hands up!” Good old Silky, biting a piece out of the thug’s leg while the girls made their escape!
“Who’s driving first?” she asked, as the last bundle was stored away.
“I am,” answered Mary Louise. “You and Silky in front with me, and Mother and Freckles in back. We’ll shift places after lunch.”
It was a lovely clear day, not so hot as it often is in August, and the whole party was in the gayest of spirits. Mary Louise loved to drive, and she did it well. She would not have minded if she had been kept at the wheel all day.
Nevertheless, after their pleasant lunch at a quaint little tea room on the roadside, she was perfectly willing to exchange places with her mother and enjoy the better opportunity to look at the scenery.
Jane, however, was more interested in Shady Nook than in the country through which they were passing. She asked innumerable questions.
“How many bungalows did you say there are, Mary Lou?” she inquired.
“There were six last year, counting Flicks’ Inn. But I understand that there were two new ones put up this spring.”
“And are there plenty of young people?”
“Not so many at the cottages, but it doesn’t matter, because we have just as much fun with the middle-aged people. Everybody swims and paddles and dances and plays tennis. Besides, there are always extra young people boarding at Flicks’ for shorter vacations. And sometimes we meet the people at the Royal Hotel.”
“Is that where they hold the dances?” inquired Jane. “When we wear our flossy dresses?”
“Yes. That’s the place. Across the river from Shady Nook.”
“Tell me some of the people’s names,” urged Jane.
“Well, next door to us—only it really isn’t next door, because there’s quite a little woods between—is the loveliest cottage at Shady Nook. It was built by a man named Hunter, who was very rich. He bought all the land around there on our side of the river and sold it to people he knew and liked. But he died last year, so only his wife and son came back this summer.”
“A son?” repeated Jane, rolling her eyes. “Not a babe in arms, I hope!”
The Girl Detective Megapack: 25 Classic Mystery Novels for Girls Page 16
