A NARROW ESCAPE
Cora, greatly relieved now that things had been explained to the rest of
the household, went upstairs to find that the other girls were up and
nearly dressed.
Nina presented a very different picture from that of the night before. No
one looking at her would think that she was different from any other girl
who might be staying as a guest at Kill Kare. In a pretty white dress
that Belle lent her, she looked charming.
She was naturally diffident and nervous at the prospect of meeting Aunt
Betty and the boys. But their good breeding and kindness of heart
smoothed over all difficulties. They laughed and jested at the table as
usual, including her at times in the conversation, but taking care not to
make her feel conspicuous. By the time the meal was over, they had
succeeded very materially in putting her at ease.
For the benefit of the servants, it was given out that Nina was a friend
who had arrived rather late the night before, and might stay at Kill Kare
for some time.
"Let's hope that Joel doesn't get wise," remarked Jack, when he was alone
with his chums. "I can imagine the old boy throwing a fit if he learns
that we're harboring anybody connected with the gypsies. He loves them as
much as a miser loves a tax collector."
"I don't think he'll catch on," replied Walter; "but if he does we'll
tell him that our keeping her here is making the gypsies sore. That'll
square things with him."
"I think it would be a good thing for one of us to run over to the gypsy
camp to-day, to see if that Higby is hanging around," suggested Paul. "We
might get a line on where he's staying and how long he's likely to be in
the neighborhood. And then, too, we might be able to see whether Nina's
absence has raised much of a stir in the camp."
"I'd like to get my hands on that Higby's throat," growled Jack. "Of all
the unspeakable cads, he's the limit."
"He sure is," agreed Paul. "But we'll have to put on the soft pedal if we
hope to find out anything. I'll try to strike up an acquaintance with
him, ask him for a match, or something like that. He's a shallow rascal,
and it ought to be easy to worm something out of him."
"All right, Mr. Detective," laughed Jack. "Suppose you take that part of
the work on you. In the meantime, I'll write a letter to Tom Willis, an
old college pal of mine and Walter's, who lives in Roxbury, and ask him
to make some discreet inquiries about that matter of the theft. Tom's a
good old scout and he'll be glad to do anything he can for us. I want to
find out whether a warrant was actually issued for the girl. If it
wasn't, the girl is all right, and Higby can't make good on his threats.
If it was, we'll have to get a lawyer, and try to have it quashed."
"How are you going to find out whether a warrant was issued for her, if
you don't know her name?" asked Walter.
"That's so," replied Jack, a little dashed. "I'll go and have a talk with
Cora. Maybe she can get the girl to tell her."
As a result of his hurried conference, Cora spoke to Nina.
"Jack wants to look up that old matter at Roxbury, Nina, and he can't do
it unless he knows the date and also your name," she explained. "We don't
want to pry, but you can see yourself that we can't do much if we go
groping round in the dark."
"It happened a year ago last May," replied Nina, "and the name to look
for is Helen Holman. It isn't my real name, but it was one that I chose
to take when I was afraid my uncle would be hunting for me."
"And you don't feel quite ready yet to tell me your real name?" inquired
Cora kindly.
"Please don't ask me yet," pleaded Nina. "When once I know that there's
no danger of disgracing it, I'll be glad to tell you."
Cora did not press her, but returned to Jack with the information he
wanted.
"Thank you, sis," he said. "By the way, are you girls planning to use
your car to-day? If not, Paul would like to drive over to the gypsy camp
in it. Walter and I want to take my car over to the garage in town to-day
to have a few repairs made. These roads have played the mischief with the
tires. Besides, I want to lay in a stock of gasoline. I noticed this
morning it was running low."
"We won't want to use my car to-day, and Paul's perfectly welcome to it,"
replied his sister. "And if you're going over to Milford I wish you'd
bring back some things we're short of for the spread. You know that comes
off to-morrow night. I'll give you a list of the things we want."
"Sure thing," replied Jack.
But an hour later, when he and Walter drove off, his mind was so full of
the measures he meant to take in behalf of Nina that he forgot all about
Cora's list.
She herself did not remember it until Jack had been gone for an hour or
more. And by that time Paul had driven off in her car to the gypsy camp.
"Oh, pshaw!" exclaimed Cora in deep vexation, "how could I have been so
careless? We just can't get along without those things."
"Just for a lark let's go over to Milford ourselves," suggested Bess.
"And walk?" asked her sister.
"Why not?" said Bess. "I haven't done as much walking as I ought to
lately, and it's a great thing to help me reduce. Besides, I don't
believe it is more than four miles, and it's a splendid day for walking."
"We might follow the railroad through the cut," said Cora. "That takes
off some of the distance. Come ahead, girls, and let's do it. We'll
probably get there before the repairs are finished on the car, and we'll
give the boys a surprise party."
Belle agreed after a little more urging, and the girls put on their hats
and sallied forth, leaving Nina in charge of Aunt Betty, with strict
injunctions not to show herself at any of the windows.
At a distance of a mile and a half from Kill Kare ran a single track,
narrow-gauge railroad that served a number of tiny towns scattered
through that region. It was a leisurely, go-as-you-please affair, and, as
a railroad, was considerable of a joke. The rolling stock consisted of a
couple of locomotives that had seen better days and a string of
dilapidated cars that had been discarded on other roads. Time schedules
were honored in the breach rather than in the observance, and one or two
trains a day each way wheezed along at their own sweet will.
But it served as a short cut to Milford, and the girls chose to go by way
of it on that account, and also because it ran through a sort of gorge
that cut off the hot rays of the sun.
But if it was delightful overhead, as much could not be said for the
walking underfoot. The ties were split and irregular, and the slag that
lay between them was trying to the feet.
"I feel sorry for any stranded actors who ever have to walk these ties,"
complained Belle.
"I think it's smoother on the outside of the track than where you're
walking," suggested Cora. "Suppose you try it."
There was a switch in the track just at that point, and as Belle tried to
step over the rail as Cora had suggested, her foot slipped and was caught
in the frog.
She would have fallen to her knees if Cora had not caught and steadied
her.
"Did you hurt yourself?" asked Bess.
"Only scraped my ankle a little," answered her sister. "But I may have
ruined a perfectly good shoe."
She tried to pull her foot from the frog, but found that she could not.
"Pull a little harder," urged Cora.
Belle tried again, but with no success.
"The sole seems to be caught in a spike or something," she explained.
Bess gave a little scream.
"Oh, hurry, hurry," she cried. "Suppose a train should come along!"
And just at that instant they heard a long shrill whistle from up the
track.