ON THE DECK OF THE SAN SALVADOR
Mr. Richard Gordon sent several telegrams before the train arrived, and
they were all of importance. One recovered Betty's locket, for, informed
of the circumstances by this telegram, the lawyer in Washington sent his
clerk to Mrs. Staples and showed her in a very few words that she was
coasting very close to the law by keeping the little platinum and diamond
locket.
"So," said Betty to Bobby, "if the lawyer gets it--and Uncle Dick says he
will--I can wear the locket to parties at the school."
"If Mrs. Eustice allows it," said her chum grimly. "You know, she's down
on jewelry. Remember how she got after Ada Nansen and Ruth Gladys Royal
for wearing so much junk?"
"My goodness!" giggled Betty, "what would she say to you if she heard you
use such an expression? Anyway, I am going to show her Uncle Dick's
present and ask her. I know the beautiful diamond earrings Doctor and Mrs.
Guerin sent me can't be worn till I grow up a bit. But my locket is just
right."
It was a noisy crowd that boarded the train; and it continued to be a
noisy crowd to the junction where it broke up. All the young folks would
have been glad to go with Uncle Dick and Ida Bellethorne to New York; but
he sent all but Betty and Bob on to school. They would reach the Shadyside
station soon after daybreak the next morning, and Mr. Gordon had
telegraphed ahead for the school authorities to be on the look-out for
them.
Betty and Bob, with Uncle Dick and the English girl, left the train at the
junction and boarded another for New York City in some confidence of
reaching their destination in good season.
The train, however, was late. It seemed merely to creep along for miles
and miles. Luckily they had secured berths, and while they slept the
delayed train did most of its creeping.
But in the morning they were dismayed to find that they were already two
hours late and that it would be impossible for the train to pick up those
two hours before reaching the Grand Central Terminal in New York City.
"Now, hold your horses, young people!" advised Mr. Gordon. "We are not
beaten yet. The _San Salvador_ does not leave her dock until eleven at the
earliest. It may be several hours later. I have wired to Miss Bellethorne
aboard the ship and in care of the Toscanelli Opera Company as well. I do
not know the hotel at which Miss Bellethorne has been staying."
"But, Uncle Dick!" cried Betty, who seemed to have thought of every chance
that might arise, "suppose Ida's aunt wants to take her along to Brazil?
Her passport----"
"Can be viséd at the British consulate on Whitehall Street in a very few
minutes. I have examined Ida's passport, and there is no reason why there
should be any trouble over it at all. She is a minor, you see, and if her
aunt wishes to assume responsibility for her no effort will be made to
keep her in the country, that is sure."
"Then it all depends upon Ida's aunt," sighed Betty.
"And our reaching the dock in time," amended Uncle Dick. "I would not wish
to interfere with Miss Bellethorne's business engagement in Rio Janeiro;
but I am anxious for her to authorize me, on behalf of her niece, to get
legal matters in train for the recovery of that beautiful mare. I believe
that she belongs--every hair and hoof of her--to our young friend here.
There has been some trickery in the case."
"Oh, Uncle Dick!" shrieked Betty.
"When I went to see that poor little cripple Hunchie Slattery he told me
that the very papers that were given to Mr. Bolter with the horse must
prove Ida's ownership at one time of the mare. There was some kind of a
quit-claim deed signed by her name, and that signature must be a forgery.
"The horse could never have been sold in England, for the Bellethorne
stable was too well known there. The men who grabbed the string of horses
left when Ida's father died are well-to-do, and Mr. Bolter will be able to
get his money back, even if he has already paid the full price agreed upon
for Ida Bellethorne.
"I am convinced," concluded Uncle Dick, "that the girl has something
coming to her. And it may even pay Miss Bellethorne to remain in the
United States instead of going to Rio Janeiro until the matter of the
black mare's ownership is settled beyond any doubt."
When the train finally reached New York, Uncle Dick did not even delay to
try to reach the dock by telephone. He bundled his party into a taxicab
and they were transported to the dock where the _San Salvador_ lay.
A steward seemed to be on the look-out for the party, and addressed Uncle
Dick the moment he alighted from the cab.
"Mr. Gordon, sir? Yes, sir. Madam Bellethorne has received your wire and
is waiting for you. I have arranged for you all to be passed through the
inspection line. The steamship, sir, is delayed and will not sail until
next tide."
"And that is a mighty good thing for us," declared Mr. Gordon to his
charges.
His business card helped get them past the inspectors. It is not easy to
board a ship nowadays to bid good-bye to a sailing friend. But in ten
minutes or so they stood before the great singer.
She was a tall and handsome woman. Betty at first glance saw that Ida, the
niece, would very likely grow into a very close resemblance to Madam
Bellethorne.
The woman looked swiftly from Betty to Ida and made no mistake in her
identification of her brother's daughter. Ida was crying just a little,
but when she realized how close and kindly was her aunt's embrace she
shook the drops out of her eyes and smiled.
"Father wanted I should find you, Aunt Ida," she said. "He wrote a letter
to you and I have it. I think it was the principal thing he thought of
during his last illness--his misunderstanding with you."
"My fault as much as his," Madam Bellethorne said sadly. "We were both
proud and high-tempered. But no more of this now. Something in this
gentleman's long telegram to me----"
She bowed to Mr. Gordon. He quickly stated the matter of the black mare's
ownership to the singer.
"If you will come to the British consulate where Ida's passport must be
viséd, and sign there a paper empowering me to act in your behalf, you
assuming the guardianship of Ida, I can start lawyers on the trail of this
swindle."
Miss Bellethorne was a woman of prompt decision and of a business mind,
and immediately agreed. She likewise saw that her niece had made powerful
friends during the weeks she had been in America and she was content to
allow Mr. Gordon to do the girl this kindness.
It was a busy time; but the delay in the sailing of the _San Salvador_
made it possible for everything necessary to be accomplished. Uncle Dick
and Betty and Bob accompanied the Bellethornes aboard the ship again and
had luncheon with them. Ida cried when she parted with Betty; but it would
be only for the winter. When the opera company returned to New York it was
already planned that the younger Ida Bellethorne should join the friends
of her own age she had so recently made at Shadyside School.
It was an astonishing sight for Betty and Bob to see the great ship
worried out of her dock by the fussy little tugs. It was growing dark by
that time and the great steamship was brilliantly lighted. They watched
until she was in midstream and was headed down the harbor under her own
steam.
"There! It's over!" sighed Betty. "I feel as if a great load had been
lifted from my mind. Dear me, Bob! do you suppose we can ever again have
so much excitement crowded into a few hours?"
As Betty was no seeress and could not see into the future she of course
did not dream that in a very few weeks, and in very different
surroundings, she would experience adventures quite as interesting as any
which had already come into her life. These will be published in the next
volume of this series, entitled: "Betty Gordon at Ocean Park; or, Gay
Doings on the Boardwalk."
Bob shook his head at Betty's last observation. "Does seem as though we
manage to get hooked up to lots of strange folks and strange happenings.
Certain metals attract lightning, Betty, and I think you attract
adventures. What do you say, Uncle Dick?"
Mr. Gordon only laughed. "I say that you young folks had better have
supper and a long night's rest. I shall not let you go on to school until
to-morrow. For once you will be a day late; but I will chance explaining
the circumstances to your instructors."
They got into the taxicab again and bowled away up town. The lights came
up like rows of fireflies in the cross streets. When they struck into the
foot of Fifth Avenue at the Washington Arch the globes on that
thoroughfare were all alight. It was late enough for the traffic to have
thinned out and their driver could travel at good speed save when the red
lights flashed up on the traffic towers.
"Isn't this wonderful?" said Betty. "Libbie is always enthusing about
pretty views and fairylike landscapes. What would she and Timothy say to
this?"
"Something silly, I bet," grumbled Bob. "Cricky! but I'm hungry," proving
by this speech that he had a soul at this moment very little above mundane
things.
Uncle Dick chuckled in his corner of the car, and made no comment. And
Betty said nothing further just then. The brilliant lights of the avenue
were shining full in her face, but her thoughts were far away, with Ida
Bellethorne on that ocean-going steamer bound for South America. What a
wonderful winter of adventures it had been!
"And the best of it is, it all came out right in the end," murmured the
girl softly to herself.