The Phantom Town Mystery

by Carol Norton

  CHAPTER XX INTRODUCING AN AIR SCOUT

  As they were nearing Gleeson, Dick leaned forward and called, "Jerry,Dora and I were wondering if we ought to tell old Silas Harvey that wehave found Little Bodil's trunk?"

  Not until the small car had climbed the last ascending stretch of road tothe tableland and had stopped in front of the ancient corner store did hereceive a reply. Then, jumping out, Jerry said in a low voice, "Mary andI have been talking it over and we reckon that we'd better wait awhilebefore telling." Then to the girl on the front seat, "Shall I get yourmail?"

  "And mine! And mine!" a chorus from the rumble.

  There were letters and papers but one that especially pleased the girls.

  "Another bulgy-budget from Polly and Patsy," Dora exulted.

  "They're our two best friends back East at Sunnybank-on-the-Hudson whereI live." This she explained to Dick as the little car started to rattleup the hill road through the deserted ghost town.

  "I can tell you the rest," Dick recited. "Polly is fat and jolly and eatschocolates by the box. Patsy is clever, red-headed and a boy-hater. HaveI got it right? Anyway I'm sure that's what you said the first time youtold me about them. Oh, yes--all together you call yourselves 'TheQuadralettes.'"

  "Righto. Go to the head of the class. Although you did draw one minus.Patsy is no longer a boy-hater. She's met her conqueror. Or at least sotheir last letter reported. I'm wild to get home so that we may readthis." Then leaning forward, she called through the opening in the oldtop which covered the front seat, "Jerry, can't you boys stay awhile? I'dlike to share this letter with you and Dick."

  "Oh, yes, please do," Mary seconded brightly. "I'm sure it isn't time yetto milk that cow." This was teasingly added, remembering what Jerry hadsaid soon after the noon hour.

  "You don't have to plead, Little Sister," Jerry smiled down into theeager, upturned face that looked so fair to him; "if it was time to milkthe cow, I reckon I'd let the calf do it. We only need milk enough forthe family and this morning Bossie was extra generous."

  When the Moore house was reached, Mary, anxious to see her dad, hurriedindoors and went directly to his room. He had just awakened from his napand looked so much better that Mary exclaimed gladly, "Dad, you'll besitting out on the porch next week. I'm just ever so sure that you will."Then, to the nurse who had entered, "Oh, Mrs. Farley, isn't Dadwonderfully improved? Don't you think he'll be well enough to go backEast with me in October when school opens?"

  "I'm sure of it!" the kind woman replied, then, dismissing the girl, sheadded, "It's time for the alcohol rub, dearie. Come back at four and youmay read to your dad until supper time."

  "Oh, I surely will." For a long moment Mary's rosebud cheek pressed thethin wan one she so loved, then she slipped away.

  Dick had spoken with his mother a brief moment when Mary had first gonein and she had been pleased to see the deepening tan on his face. The boyhad not told her of his recent narrow escape, as Jerry had called it whenthe Gila Monster had set its cruel jaws on his coat sleeve. Brave as hewas, Dick could not recall the terror of that moment without experiencingit all over again. He was sure he would have nightmares about it for along time to come.

  When Dora tripped down from upstairs where she had been to tidy up, shefound Dick waiting for her in the lower hall.

  "Where are the two Erries?" she asked, then laughed as he lookedmystified. "Mary and Jerry. Of course if it were spelled Merry, it wouldbe better."

  "In the kitchen," Dick replied. "I was told to guide you thence."

  They heard spoons rattling in glasses. "Oh, good!" Dora exclaimed. "Thatsounds like a nice, cool drink."

  Nor was she wrong. There at the table in the shady corner of the kitchenstood Mary mixing fruit juices she had poured from cans which Jerry hadopened.

  "Yum! Yum!" Dora exclaimed in high appreciation. "What is better thanpineapple and strawberry juice and cold water from the spring cellar?"

  "Sounds good to me," Dick said, smacking his lips with anticipatoryrelish.

  Mary called over her shoulder, "Dora, fetch some of Carmelita's cookiesnaps." Then, as she placed the four tall glasses around the table, sheadded, "Sit wherever you want to. When the party is over, we'll read theletter." The refreshment lived up to its name and tasted even better thanit looked. Dick, being on the outside, cleared away the things and Doraopened the letter.

  The languid scrawl which so fitted Polly's indolent personality was firstin evidence, "Dear Absent Ones," Dora read aloud--

  "Greetings from Camp Winnichook in the Adirondacks--(so cool that we haveto wear our sweater coats)--to the sizzling sands of desert Arizona."

  Then Patsy's quick, jerky penmanship interrupted. "Crickets, just readingthat made me wipe my freckled brow. Ain't it awful? Those reddish browndots that were so piquant on my pert pug nose have soared to my brow,spread to my ears, and dived to my chin. But, even with my beauty thusblemished, H. H. thinks I'm--"

  Big sprawling words cut in with, "It must be a case of love them andleave them then, for his winged lordship is about to fly away." There wasa blot of ink at that point as though there had been a struggle over thepen. Evidently Patsy had won, as her small scratchy penmanship followed."Since H. H. is _my_ friend, I consider it my sacred right to reveal all.Harry Hulbert, surely you remember all about him and his perfectly spiffysilver plane, which honestly looks like a big seagull. Oh, misery! I'mgetting all tangled up. What I'm trying to say is that we had told youthat he's studying to be a pilot and that when he got his papers, he wasto fly West and be an air scout. Well, he's had 'em and he's done gone!The whole object of this epistle is to introduce you to Harry before hedrops down upon you. Heavens, I hope he won't do it literally. Wouldn'tit be awful to have an airplane crash through your roof?"

  Dora paused and looked glowingly across at Mary. "This flying Apollo iscoming to Gleeson, I judge."

  Mary replied, "I'm terribly disappointed. Of course I knew it _couldn't_happen, but I _did_ wish, if _he_ came, he could bring Patsy and Pollyalong with him."

  Jerry asked, "What's this flying seagull going to do when he gets here?"

  "He's going to be attached to the border patrol," Mary replied. "Whenthere's been a holdup, of a train or a stage, I suppose, Harry Hulbert isto fly over that region and watch for the escaping bandits."

  "Jolly!" Dick ejaculated. "That sounds like a great kind of an adventureto me. Jerry, let's welcome him like a long lost brother; then, at least,he'll take us up in his Seagull."

  Before the cowboy could reply Dora had continued reading, "Polly has toldyou that I'm goofy about H. H. but don't you believe a word of it. Ipicked him out for _you_, Mary, so take him and be grateful."

  Dora wanted to look up at Jerry, but was afraid it would be too pointed,so she turned a page and exclaimed with interest, "Aha, _here_ we havehim in person. The Seagull's photograph no less."

  It was an amusing snapshot. Under it was written, "Patsy Ordelleintroducing Harry Hulbert to Mary Moore and Dora Bellman--also the ship."

  A pert, pretty girl with windblown hair and laughing eyes was pointingtoward the youth at her side, who, dressed in flying togs, stood by hisship. He was making a bow, evidently to acknowledge the introduction, andso his face was not fully revealed. This was remedied by another snapshotof the boy alone standing with one hand on his graceful silver plane.Although not good looking, really, he had a fine, sensitive face, wasslenderly built and had keen alert eyes.

  "Now I'll turn the mike over to Polly," the pert handwriting ended. Thelanguid scrawl took up the tale.

  "Guess I was wrong about Pat's being dippy about the silver aviator. He'sbeen gone two days and she's been canoeing with 'The Poet' from'Crow's-Nest-Camp' up in the hills from dawn till dark and even bymoonlight. For a once-was boy-hater, she's going some.

  "Well, say hello to Harry for us. He really is a decent kid. Write us theminute he lands. Wish I'd thought to send you a batch of fudge I'd made.Nuts are ju
st crowded in it. Oh, well, up so near the sun it wouldprobably have melted. Tra-la for now.

  From Poll and Pat."

  Mary looked thoughtfully at, Jerry. "If Harry Hulbert left the Atlanticcoast two days before this letter started, he must be in Arizona by now."

  "I reckon so. A mail pilot makes it in less than three days."

  Dora thought, "Poor Jerry, I 'reckon' _he_ didn't like that part about H.H. being donated to his Mary, but he isn't going to say so, not Jerry!"

  A small clock on the kitchen shelf back of the big stove made four littletingling noises. Mary sprang up. Holding out her hand to the cowboy, shesaid, "Stay for supper if you think the calf can milk the cow. I'm goingto read to Dad for an hour. Then I'll be back again."