A Stranger at Green Falls
“Big doings to-day, Amy!” announced Linda, cheerfully, as Ralph
Clavering departed. “Come on—get ready!”
“What?” demanded the girl, excitedly. “You haven’t heard from anybody
who—wants—me?”
Her eagerness was pathetic, and Linda stooped over and kissed her.
“No, there is no news as yet. But we are going to try to make some. I’m
going to take your picture and give it to the newspapers.”
“Oh, I see!” Plainly, Amy was disappointed. “Do you really think it’s
any use, Linda? If there were anybody to claim me, wouldn’t they have
come three days ago?”
“I don’t know—not necessarily. Suppose they didn’t read the newspapers?”
“If they didn’t then, why should they now?” asked Amy, with keen logic.
“Well, their friends might tell them. Besides, only our pictures—Dot’s
and mine—were in before, and now we’re putting in yours. And we’re
having it announced over the radio.”
“What is a radio?” inquired Amy.
“Come inside and I’ll show you. But wait, first let me get these
snapshots of you. Stand over there, and look pretty!”
The girl smiled and did as she was told. To her knowledge she had never
seen a picture taken before.
“It’s funny,” remarked Linda, as she took out her roll of films from the
camera, “that you remember how to read. You didn’t have any trouble
understanding that story, did you?”
“Some,” confessed the girl. “There were lots of things I hadn’t heard
of. But I don’t think it’s my memory, Linda—I think I just never did
hear of those things.”
“You must have lived in the country,” concluded the other. “Somewhere
around where we picked you up. I think maybe the best idea of all would
be to try to fly back to that spot, and hunt for a house. We’ll do that
next week, if Aunt Emily is willing.”
“Next week! Linda, I feel as if I had no right to stay on and on here——”
“Of course, you have. And you’re going to have a wonderful time to-day.
Aunt Emily is taking you into town to buy you some clothes.”
“But I can’t pay for them!”
“You’re not supposed to. They’re presents. Like Christmas presents.
You’ve heard of them, I suppose?”
“Yes! Yes!” cried Amy, excitedly. “You hang up your
stocking—and—and—sometimes there are cookies——”
Linda’s eyes shone.
“You have a memory, Amy! You have! Think some more!”
“I can’t,” sighed the girl. “That’s all.”
“But something did come back! Run along and get ready now, for Aunt
Emily’s waiting—and I must answer that telephone.”
The caller proved to be Harriman Smith, and Linda immediately told him
of her plans for the day, inviting him to go with her to Grand Rapids.
Harry replied that he could be at the bungalow in five minutes, and he
was punctual to the dot. He did not tell Linda that the Hulberts’ cars
were both out, and that he had run the whole distance.
“I sure am a lucky guy,” he said to Linda, as he got into the roadster
beside her; “to get ahead of Ralph Clavering like this.”
“Oh, Ralph’s busy planning the treasure hunt,” she replied. “And that
reminds me, Harry, if I am allowed to take part in it, will you go as my
passenger?”
“I’d be thrilled!” he cried enthusiastically. “But why do you say ‘if,’
Linda? Surely after you flew the Atlantic Ocean alone, your Aunt Emily
couldn’t object to a trifle like a treasure hunt?”
“I know; it doesn’t seem logical. But don’t forget that I flew to Paris
before I had all those disasters in the Okefenokee. She’s more timid
than ever now. And besides, I guess she doesn’t like the idea of the
hunt—all those planes going to the same place, with the danger of
collisions. And some of the flyers are only beginners.”
“Who are planning to enter?”
“I haven’t heard definitely. But, of course, Ralph and Dot and I will
all enter. And there are Tom Hulbert, and Madge Keen’s husband, and
Frank Lawlor. That’s six, at least. I don’t know whether there’ll be any
strangers or not. It’s just a Green Falls affair, but I suppose anybody
that Mr. Clavering knew could get in all right. I’m going to be
dreadfully disappointed if I can’t enter.”
“You don’t really think there’s much chance?”
“I’ll tell you what I’m counting on, Harry; that Daddy will come home,
and he’ll tell Aunt Emily to let me go. You know he’s the best sport
that ever was; he isn’t afraid of taking a few risks.”
“And he has a lot of confidence in your flying,” added Harry. “That is
the trouble with your aunt, I believe. If she had ever gone up with you,
and had seen for herself what a marvelous pilot you are, she’d feel
differently.”
“Thanks, Harry,” said Linda, pleased at the compliment, for when
Harriman Smith said anything, he meant it. He was not given to idle
praise. “I do so wish I could get her to go.”
There were so many things to talk about—Linda’s summer adventure and her
new autogiro; Harry’s college course and the job he was holding on the
side, that they reached Grand Rapids before they knew it. Harry insisted
that they have the pictures developed while they ate their lunch, and
wait until afterwards to visit the newspapers.
It was with great difficulty that Linda convinced the city editors that
they should publish Amy’s pictures instead of her own. But at last she
succeeded, and added a description of the man who had been the cause of
the accident. Harry visited a broadcasting station at the same time,
that the news might be given out over the radio. By three o’clock they
were ready to start back to Green Falls.
Not satisfied with merely the day with Linda, Harry tried to date her
for the evening.
“Will you go to the tennis matches with me after dinner?” he asked. “At
the Club, I mean. You’re not in them by any chance?”
“Oh, no, I’m not nearly good enough. I was beaten early in the
tournament. But Dot Crowley’s in the finals, and so is Jim Valier.”
“They always were good. Well, how about it, Linda? I’ll get a taxi, if
Tom doesn’t offer me his car. They’ll probably go over in Kit’s.”
“Thank you, Harry, but I think I better not make any plans until I see
what Aunt Emily and Amy are doing. I left them last night—and I want to
be with them to-night. So you go with Tom and Kit, and if I can, I’ll
see you there.”
“And promise me at least two dances?”
“Oh, certainly,” she agreed.
Fifteen minutes later she parked her car in the garage behind the
bungalow, and ran in to see what success Amy and her aunt had had. The
girl was dressed in everything new from head to foot; her hair, too, had
been cut and waved becomingly. She was dancing around the living room in
excited happiness. All her cares were forgotten for the time being, in
the joy her new clothing afforded her.
“Don’t I look wonderful, Linda?” she cried. “Like a different girl? Miss
Carlton has been a real fairy godmother!”
“You certainly do, Amy! Oh, Aunt Emily always knows just the right
things to buy!”
The young girl’s eyes suddenly grew wistful, and she frowned. “I think,
Linda, that I must have been very poor, because I am sure I never had
clothes like this before.”
“Your clothes were different, dear,” Linda admitted. “But you may not
have been poor. Perhaps it was only because you lived far out in the
country—away from the stores. And maybe your mother didn’t know how to
sew, or was an invalid——”
“I don’t believe I have a mother,” replied Amy. “You couldn’t forget a
mother—like—like your Aunt Emily. No, I feel sure my mother is dead.”
“Well, we’ll soon solve it all,” Linda reassured her, and proceeded to
recount to her what she and Harry had accomplished that afternoon.
“Would you like to go to the Club to the tennis matches after dinner,
Amy?” she asked.
“What kind of matches?” The girl looked inquiringly at an ash tray on
the table.
“Not that kind of matches!” laughed Linda, following her gaze. “You know
what tennis is, don’t you?”
Amy shook her head, and Linda explained as best she could.
But though the girl knew nothing about the game, she was eager to go to
the Club, so that she could display her new clothing. Miss Carlton
arranged for an early dinner, and they all decided to drive over in
Linda’s roadster.
Green Falls was a small resort, and Linda and her aunt knew practically
everyone there. As they seated themselves on the wide veranda which
overlooked the tournament court, they nodded and smiled to the other
spectators on all sides. Dot Crowley came out of the Clubhouse, and
stopped to ask Linda to wish her luck, for she was playing against Sarah
Wheeler in the girls’ finals.
As she left them to take her place on the court, Lt. Hulbert came over
to the Carltons, bringing a stranger with him. The visitor was an
exceedingly attractive man of perhaps thirty-five, perfectly dressed,
obviously a person of wealth and distinction. Linda thought he might be
an ambassador, or perhaps a doctor or lawyer.
“Linda,” said Tom Hulbert, “I want to present a gentleman who is very
anxious to meet you, who has heard of your wonderful exploits, and who
is something of a flyer himself. Miss Carlton, let me introduce Lord
Dudley, of England.”
Linda blushingly held out her hand, and Tom proceeded to introduce the
titled foreigner to Miss Carlton. Not knowing Amy, he did not include
her, but he noticed that the man was looking at her.
“I hear your praises sung wherever I go, Miss Carlton,” Lord Dudley
said, with an engaging smile. “Not only in your own country, but in
England, France,—even Germany. You are a very famous person.”
“It is very kind of you to say that,” replied Linda, embarrassed as
usual at the praise. “But tell me about your own flying. Have you your
plane here?”
“No, it’s being repaired—I left it in England. I drove up here in a
hired motor.”
“It’s too bad you haven’t your plane,” said Linda. “For we are to have a
treasure hunt by airplane on Saturday.” She glanced shyly at her aunt,
who was frowning. “But you can use one of Mr. Clavering’s——”
The tennis matches were to begin immediately, for Dot and Sarah were
shaking hands with formality, and the umpire was mounting his stand. So
Tom drew his friend away to the seats which Kitty was saving for them.
“I’ve seen that man before!” cried Amy, excitedly.
“Where? When?” demanded Linda, hopefully. Was another memory coming
back?
“I don’t know.”
“But if he had known you, he would have said something,” remarked Miss
Carlton. “I was going to introduce you, dear, but I didn’t get a
chance.”
“Oh, that’s all right!”
“He looks like Ronald Colman,” remarked Linda, after some thought. “Yes,
that’s it. You’ve seen him in the movies, Amy.”
“What are movies?” asked the girl, to Linda’s and Miss Carlton’s
amazement.
There was no time to explain, for the tennis match had begun, and Linda
was anxious not to miss a single play. But all the while she was
thinking of the titled Englishman whom she had just met; later in the
evening, when the dancing began, she unconsciously searched the room for
him. But he had evidently left early, for she did not see him again.