A great deal happened at Sunrise Farm before these later occurrences
which so delighted Ruth Fielding. The excitement of the loss of the six
"fresh airs" was not easily forgotten. Whenever any of the orphans was
on the Sunrise premises again, they had a bodyguard of older girls or
boys who kept a bright lookout that nothing unusual happened to them.
As for the twins, Sadie took them in hand with a reformatory spirit that
amazed Willie and Dickie. Those two youngsters were kept at Sunrise Farm
and put in special charge of Sadie. Thus Mr. Steele had the three Raby
orphans under his own eye until he could hear from Canada, and from the
orphanage, and learn all the particulars of the fortune that might be in
store for them.
After a bit Willie and Dickie found the watchfulness of their sister
somewhat irksome.
"Say!" the talkative twin observed, "you ain't got no reason to be so
sharp on us, Sadie Raby. _You_ run away your ownself--didn't she,
Dickie?"
"Yep," agreed the oracular one.
"An' we don't want no gal follerin' us around and tellin' us to 'stop'
all the time--do we, Dickie?"
"Nope."
"We're big boys now," declared Willie, strutting like the young bantam
he was. "There ain't nothin' goin' to hurt us. We're too big----"
"What's that on your finger---- No! the other one?" snapped Sadie, eyeing
Willie sharply.
"Scratch," announced the boy.
"Where'd you get it?"
"I--I cut it on the cat," admitted Willie, with less bombast.
"Humph! you're a big boy--ain't you? Don't even know enough to let the
cat alone--and I hope her claw done you some good. Come here an' let me
borrer Miss Ruth's peroxide bottle and put some on it. Cat's claws is
poison," said Sadie. "You ain't so fit to get along without somebody
watchin' you as ye think, kid. Remember that, now."
"We don't want no gal trailin' after us all the time!" cried Willie,
angrily. "An' we ain't goin' to stand it," and he kicked his bare toe
into the sand to express the emphasis that his voice would not vent.
"Humph!" said Sadie, eyeing him sideways, meanwhile trimming carefully a
stout branch she had broken from the lilac bush. "So you want to be your
own boss, do you, Willie Raby?"
"We _be_ our own boss--ain't we, Dickie?"
For the first time, the echo of Dickie's agreement failed to
materialize. Dickie was eyeing that lilac sprout--and looked from that to
his sister's determined face. He backed away several feet and put his
hands behind him.
"And so you ain't goin' to mind me--nor Miss Ruth--nor Mr. Steele--nor Mr.
Caslon--nor nobody?" proceeded Sadie, more earnestness apparent in each
section of her query.
Her hand reached out suddenly and gripped Willie by the shoulder of his
shirt. He tried to writhe out of her grasp, but his sister's muscles
were hardened, and she was twice as strong as Willie had believed. The
lilac sprout was raised.
"So you're too big to mind anybody, heh?" she queried.
"Yes, we be!" snarled the writhing Willie. "Ain't we, Dickie?"
"No, we're not!" screamed his twin, suddenly, refusing to echo Willie's
declaration. "Don't hit him, Sade! Oh, don't!" and he cast himself upon
his sister and held her tight about the waist. "We--we'll be good," he
sobbed.
"How about it, Willie Raby?" demanded the stern sister, without lowering
the stick. "Are you goin' to mind and be good?"
Willie stared, tried to writhe away, saw it was no use, and capitulated.
"Aw--yes--if _he's_ goin' to cry about it," he grumbled. He said it with
an air intimating that Dickie was, after all, quite a millstone about
his neck and would always be holding him back from deeds of valor which
Willie, himself, knew he could perform.
However, the twins behaved pretty well after that. They remained with
Sadie at Sunrise Farm, for the whole Steele family had become interested
in them.
The inquiries Mr. Steele set afoot resulted, in a short time, in
information of surprising moment to the three Raby orphans. The old
inquiry which had brought the lawyer, Mr. Angus MacDorough, to
Darrowtown three years before, was ferreted out by another lawyer
engaged by Mr. Steele.
It was found that Mr. MacDorough had, soon after his visit to the States
in the matter of the Raby fortune, been stricken ill and, after a long
sickness, had died. His affairs had never been straightened out, and his
business was still in a chaotic state.
However, it was found beyond a doubt that Mr. MacDorough had been
engaged to search out the whereabouts of Mrs. Tom Raby and her children
by the administrators of the estate of Mrs. Raby's elderly relative, now
some time deceased.
Nearly two thousand dollars in American money had been left as a legacy
to the Rabys. In time this property was put into Mr. Steele's care to
hold in trust for the three orphans--and it was enough to promise them
all an education and a start in life.
Had it not been so, Mr. and Mrs. Steele would have felt sufficiently in
Sadie's debt, because of her having saved little Bennie Steele from the
hoofs of the Black Douglass, to have made the girl's way--and that of the
twins--plain before them, until they were grown.
How much Ruth Fielding and her chum, Helen, were delighted by all this
can be imagined. Sadie held an almost worshipful attitude toward Ruth;
Ruth had been her first real friend when she ran away from "them
Perkinses."
That Ruth and her chum bore the affairs of the Raby orphans in mind, and
continued to have many other and varied interests, as well as a
multitude of adventures during the summer, will be explained in the next
volume of our series, to be entitled: "Ruth Fielding and the Gypsies;
Or, The Missing Pearl Necklace."
Meanwhile, the visit to Sunrise Farm came to a glorious close. The
belated Fourth of July was celebrated on the evening of the fifth, in a
perfectly "safe and sane" manner by the burning of the wealth of
fireworks that Mr. Steele had supplied.
The days that followed to the end of the stay of the girls of Briarwood
Hall and their brothers, were filled with delightful incidents. Picnics,
fishing parties, tramps over the hills, rides, games on the lawn, and
many other activities occupied the delightful hours at Sunrise Farm.
"This surely is the nicest place I ever was at," Busy Izzy admitted, on
the closing day of the party. "If I have as good a time the rest of the
summer, I won't mind going back to school and suffering for eight months
in the year."
"Hear! hear!" cried Heavy Jennie Stone. "And the eats!"
"And the rides," said Mercy Curtis, the lame girl. "Such beautiful rides
through the hills!"
"And such a fine time watching those fresh airs to see that they didn't
kill themselves," added Tom Cameron, with a grimace.
"Don't say a word against the poor little dears, Tommy," urged his
sister. "Suppose _you_ had to live in an for orphanage all but four
weeks in the year?"
"Tom is only fooling," Ruth said, quietly. "I know him. He enjoyed
seeing the children have a good time, too."
"Oh! if you say so, Miss Fielding," said Tom, laughing and bowing to
her, "it must be so."
The big yellow coach, with the four prancing horses, came around to the
door. Bobbins mounted to the driver's seat and gathered up the ribbons.
The visitors climbed aboard.
Ruth stood up and waved her hand to the rest of the Steele family, and
Sadie and the twins gathered on the porch.
"We've had the finest time ever!" she cried. "We love you all for giving
us such a nice vacation. And we're going to cheer you----"
And cheer they did. At the noise, the leaders sprang forward and the
yellow coach rolled away. Ruth, laughing, sat down suddenly beside her
chum, and Helen hugged her tight.
"We always have a dandy time when we go anywhere with _you_, Ruth," she
declared. "For you always take your 'good times' with you."
And perhaps Helen Cameron had made a very important discovery.
THE END
THE RUTH FIELDING SERIES
By ALICE B. EMERSON
12mo. Illustrated. Jacket in full colors.
Price 50 cents per volume. Postage 10 cents additional.
Ruth Fielding was an orphan and came to live with her miserly uncle. Her
adventures and travels make stories that will hold the interest of every
reader.
Ruth Fielding is a character that will live in juvenile fiction.
1. RUTH FIELDING OF THE RED MILL
2. RUTH FIELDING AT BRIARWOOD HALL
3. RUTH FIELDING AT SNOW CAMP
4. RUTH FIELDING AT LIGHTHOUSE POINT
5. RUTH FIELDING AT SILVER RANCH
6. RUTH FIELDING ON CLIFF ISLAND
7. RUTH FIELDING AT SUNRISE FARM
8. RUTH FIELDING AND THE GYPSIES
9. RUTH FIELDING IN MOVING PICTURES
10. RUTH FIELDING DOWN IN DIXIE
11. RUTH FIELDING AT COLLEGE
12. RUTH FIELDING IN THE SADDLE
13. RUTH FIELDING IN THE RED CROSS
14. RUTH FIELDING AT THE WAR FRONT
15. RUTH FIELDING HOMEWARD BOUND
16. RUTH FIELDING DOWN EAST
17. RUTH FIELDING IN THE GREAT NORTHWEST
18. RUTH FIELDING ON THE ST. LAWRENCE
19. RUTH FIELDING TREASURE HUNTING
20. RUTH FIELDING IN THE FAR NORTH
21. RUTH FIELDING AT GOLDEN PASS
22. RUTH FIELDING IN ALASKA
23. RUTH FIELDING AND HER GREAT SCENARIO
24. RUTH FIELDING AT CAMERON HALL
25. RUTH FIELDING CLEARING HER NAME
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers NEW YORK
THE BARTON BOOKS FOR GIRLS
By MAY HOLLIS BARTON
12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. With colored jacket.
Price 50 cents per volume.
Postage 10 cents additional.
May Hollis Barton is a new writer for girls who is bound to win instant
popularity. Her style is somewhat of a reminder of that of Louisa M.
Alcott, but thoroughly up-to-date in plot and action. Clean tales that
all the girls will enjoy reading.
1. THE GIRL FROM THE COUNTRY or Laura Mayford's City Experiences
2. THREE GIRL CHUMS AT LAUREL HALL or The Mystery of the School by the
Lake
3. NELL GRAYSON'S RANCHING DAYS or A City Girl in the Great West
4. FOUR LITTLE WOMEN OF ROXBY or The Queer Old Lady Who Lost Her Way
5. PLAIN JANE AND PRETTY BETTY or The Girl Who Won Out
6. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE or The Old Bachelor's Ward
7. HAZEL HOOD'S STRANGE DISCOVERY or The Old Scientist's Treasure Box
8. TWO GIRLS AND A MYSTERY or The Old House in the Glen
9. THE GIRLS OF LIGHTHOUSE ISLAND or The Strange Sea Chest
10. KATE MARTIN'S PROBLEM or Facing the Wide World
Send for Our Free Illustrated Catalogue
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers NEW YORK
THE BETTY GORDON SERIES
By ALICE B. EMERSON
12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in full colors.
Price per volume, 65 cents, postpaid
1. BETTY GORDON AT BRAMBLE FARM or The Mystery of a Nobody
At twelve Betty is left an orphan.
2. BETTY GORDON IN WASHINGTON or Strange Adventures in a Great City
Betty goes to the National Capitol to find her uncle and has several
unusual adventures.
3. BETTY GORDON IN THE LAND OF OIL or The Farm That Was Worth a Fortune
From Washington the scene is shifted to the great oil fields of our
country. A splendid picture of the oil field operations of to-day.
4. BETTY GORDON AT BOARDING SCHOOL or The Treasure of Indian Chasm
Seeking treasures of Indian Chasm makes interesting reading.
5. BETTY GORDON AT MOUNTAIN CAMP or The Mystery of Ida Bellethorne
At Mountain Camp Betty found herself in the midst of a mystery.
6. BETTY GORDON AT OCEAN PARK or School Chums on the Boardwalk
A glorious outing that Betty and her chums never forgot.
7. BETTY GORDON AND HER SCHOOL CHUMS or Bringing the Rebels to Terms
Rebellious students, disliked teachers and mysterious robberies.
8. BETTY GORDON AT RAINBOW RANCH or Cowboy Joe's Secret
Betty and her chums have a grand time in the saddle.
9. BETTY GORDON IN MEXICAN WILDS or The Secret of the Mountains
Betty receives a fake telegram and finds both Bob and herself held for
ransom in a mountain cave.
10. BETTY GORDON AND THE LOST PEARLS or A Mystery of The Seaside
Betty and her chums go to the ocean shore for a vacation and Betty
becomes involved in the disappearance of a string of pearls.
11. BETTY GORDON ON THE CAMPUS or The Secret of the Trunk Room
An up-to-date college story with a strange mystery that is bound to
fascinate any girl reader.
Send for Our Free Illustrated Catalogue
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers NEW YORK
BILLIE BRADLEY SERIES
By JANET D. WHEELER
12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in full colors.
Price per volume, 65 cents, postpaid
1. BILLIE BRADLEY AND HER INHERITANCE or The Queer Homestead at Cherry
Corners
Billie Bradley fell heir to an old homestead that was unoccupied and
located far away in a lonely section of the country. How Billie went
there, accompanied by some of her chums, and what queer things happened,
go to make up a story no girl will want to miss.
2. BILLIE BRADLEY AT THREE-TOWERS HALL or Leading a Needed Rebellion
Three-Towers Hall was a boarding school for girls. For a short time
after Billie arrived there all went well. But then the head of the
school had to go on a long journey and she left the girls in charge of
two teachers, sisters, who believed in severe discipline and in very,
very plain food and little of it--and then there was a row!
3. BILLIE BRADLEY ON LIGHTHOUSE ISLAND or The Mystery of the Wreck
One of Billie's friends owned a summer bungalow on Lighthouse Island,
near the coast. The school girls made up a party and visited the Island.
There was a storm and a wreck, and three little children were washed
ashore.
4. BILLIE BRADLEY AND HER CLASSMATES or The Secret of the Locked Tower
Billie and her chums come to the rescue of several little children who
had broken through the ice. There is the mystery of a lost invention,
and also the dreaded mystery of the locked school tower.
5. BILLIE BRADLEY AT TWIN LAKES or Jolly Schoolgirls Afloat and Ashore
A tale of outdoor adventure in which Billie and her chums have a great
variety of adventures. They visit an artists' colony and there fall in
with a strange girl living with an old boatman who abuses her
constantly.
6. BILLIE BRADLEY AT TREASURE COVE or The Old Sailor's Secret
A lively story of school girl doings. How Billie heard of the treasure
and how she and her chums went in quest of the same is told in a
peculiarly absorbing manner.
Send for Our Free Illustrated Catalogue
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers NEW YORK
THE LINGER-NOT SERIES
By AGNES MILLER
12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in full colors.
Price per volume, 50 cents. Postage 10 cents additional.
This new series of girls' books is in a new style of story writing. The
interest is in knowing the girls and seeing them solve the problems that
develop their character. Incidentally, a great deal of historical
information is imparted.
1. THE LINGER-NOTS AND THE MYSTERY HOUSE or The Story of Nine
Adventurous Girls
How the Linger-Not girls met and formed their club seems commonplace,
but this writer makes it fascinating, and how they made their club serve
a great purpose continues the interest to the end, and introduces a new
type of girlhood.
2. THE LINGER-NOTS AND THE VALLEY FEUD or the Great West Point Chain
The Linger-Not girls had no thought of becoming mixed up with feuds or
mysteries, but their habit of being useful soon entangled them in some
surprising adventures that turned out happily for all, and made the
valley better because of their visit.
3. THE LINGER-NOTS AND THEIR GOLDEN QUEST or The Log of the Ocean
Monarch
For a club of girls to become involved in a mystery leading back into
the times of the California gold-rush, seems unnatural until the reader
sees how it happened, and how the girls helped one of their friends to
come into her rightful name and inheritance, forms a fine story.
4. THE LINGER-NOTS AND THE WHISPERING CHARM or The Secret from Old
Alaska
Whether engrossed in thrilling adventures in the Far North or occupied
with quiet home duties, the Linger-Not girls could work unitedly to
solve a colorful mystery in a way that interpreted American freedom to a
sad young stranger, and brought happiness to her and to themselves.
Send for Our Free Illustrated Catalogue
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers NEW YORK
THE GIRL SCOUT SERIES
By LILIAN GARIS
12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in full colors.
Price per volume, 50 cents. Postage 10 cents additional.
The highest ideals of girlhood as advocated by the foremost
organizations of America form the background for these stories and while
unobtrusive there is a message in every volume.
1. THE GIRL SCOUT PIONEERS or Winning the First B. C.
A story of the True Tred Troop in a Pennsylvania town. Two runaway
girls, who want to see the city, are reclaimed through troop influence.
The story is correct in scout detail.
2. THE GIRL SCOUTS AT BELLAIRE or Maid Mary's Awakening
The story of a timid little maid who is afraid to take part in other
girls' activities, while working nobly alone for high ideals. How she
was discovered by the Bellaire Troop and came into her own as "Maid
Mary" makes a fascinating story.
3. THE GIRL SCOUTS AT SEA CREST or the Wig Wag Rescue
Luna Land, a little island by the sea, is wrapt in a mysterious
seclusion, and Kitty Scuttle, a grotesque figure, succeeds in keeping
all others at bay until the Girl Scouts come.
4. THE GIRL SCOUTS AT CAMP COMALONG or Peg of Tamarack Hills
The girls of Bobolink Troop spend their summer on the shores of Lake
Hocomo. Their discovery of Peg, the mysterious rider, and the clearing
up of her remarkable adventures afford a vigorous plot.
5. THE GIRL SCOUTS AT ROCKY LEDGE or Nora's Real Vacation
Nora Blair is the pampered daughter of a frivolous mother. Her dislike
for the rugged life of Girl Scouts is eventually changed to
appreciation, when the rescue of little Lucia, a woodland waif, becomes
a problem for the girls to solve.
Send for Our Free Illustrated Catalogue
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers NEW YORK
THE RADIO GIRLS SERIES
By MARGARET PENROSE
12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in full colors.
Price per volume, 65 cents, postpaid.
A new and up-to-date series, taking in the activities of several bright
girls who become interested in radio. The stories tell of thrilling
exploits, outdoor life and the great part the Radio plays in the
adventures of the girls and in solving their mysteries. Fascinating
books that girls of all ages will want to read.
1. THE RADIO GIRLS OF ROSELAWN or A Strange Message from the Air
Showing how Jessie Norwood and her chums became interested in
radiophoning, how they gave a concert for a worthy local charity, and
how they received a sudden and unexpected call for help out of the air.
A girl wanted as witness in a celebrated law case disappears, and the
radio girls go to the rescue.
2. THE RADIO GIRLS ON THE PROGRAM or Singing and Reciting at the Sending
Station
When listening in on a thrilling recitation or a superb concert number
who of us has not longed to "look behind the scenes" to see how it was
done? The girls had made the acquaintance of a sending station manager
and in this volume are permitted to get on the program, much to their
delight. A tale full of action and fun.
3. The RADIO GIRLS ON STATION ISLAND or The Wireless from the Steam
Yacht
In this volume the girls travel to the seashore and put in a vacation on
an island where is located a big radio sending station. The big brother
of one of the girls owns a steam yacht and while out with a pleasure
party those on the island receive word by radio that the yacht is on
fire. A tale thrilling to the last page.
4. THE RADIO GIRLS AT FOREST LODGE or The Strange Hut in the Swamp
The Radio Girls spend several weeks on the shores of a beautiful lake
and with their radio get news of a great forest fire. It also aids them
in rounding up some undesirable folks who occupy the strange hut in the
swamp.
Send for Our Free Illustrated Catalogue
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers NEW YORK
THE RUBY AND RUTHY SERIES
By MINNIE E. PAULL
12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume, 65 cents, postpaid.
Four bright and entertaining stories told in Mrs. Paull's happiest
manner are among the best stories ever written for young girls, and
cannot fail to interest any between the ages of eight and fifteen years.
RUBY AND RUTHY
Ruby and Ruthie were not old enough to go to school, but they certainly
were lively enough to have many exciting adventures, that taught many
useful lessons needed to be learned by little girls.
RUBY'S UPS AND DOWNS
There were troubles enough for a dozen grown-ups, but Ruby got ahead of
them all, and, in spite of them, became a favorite in the lively times
at school.
RUBY AT SCHOOL
Ruby had many surprises when she went to the impossible place she heard
called a boarding school, but every experience helped to make her a
stronger-minded girl.
RUBY'S VACATION
This volume shows how a little girl improves by having varieties of
experience both happy and unhappy, provided she thinks, and is able to
use her good sense. Ruby lives and learns.
Send for Our Free Illustrated Catalogue
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers NEW YORK
End of Project Gutenberg's Ruth Fielding At Sunrise Farm, by Alice B. Emerson