JEAN SAWYER'S SECRET
Jane, going to the deserted ranch house, threw herself down on her bed
and sobbed heart-brokenly. She did not hear the tap on the door, nor was
she conscious that Merry had entered until she heard her voice: "Jane,
dear, have I done anything to hurt you, to make you unhappy?" The
tenderness in the tone of her best friend was unmistakable. All at once
Jane felt ashamed of herself. Holding out a fevered hand, she said:
"Indeed not, dear girl. It isn't your fault at all. Any boy would like
you better than me. You are so sweet and unselfish and lovable." Merry's
eyes widened, for she was indeed perplexed, "Jane, I don't understand,"
she said. "What boy likes me better than he does you?" Then, slowly a
light dawned. Taking both hot hands in her own, she cried, her blue eyes
glowing, "Oh, Jane, dearest Jane, _did_ you think that Jean Sawyer cared
for me? Did you think for one moment that I, knowing how much you liked
him, would even want him to care for me? Indeed not, Janey! But now that
I think about it, I realize that you might misunderstand. Dear, it's a
long story. Let's go out on the veranda in the moonlight. There is no one
around. They all went up the foothill trail and will be gone for an
hour."
Jane permitted herself to be led to a vine-sheltered corner of the
veranda, where they sat close together in a hammock swing. Merry piled
the soft cushions behind her friend, whose flushed face assured her that
the head was really aching. Jane sighed as she sank back among them, but
it was a sigh of relief. How wrong it had been to doubt for one moment
the loyalty of this, her very best friend. But Merry was beginning the
story. "Dear," she said, placing a cool hand on the hot one near her,
"when you first introduced me to Jean Sawyer, did you notice that my
brother Bob drew me away to whisper something to me before I could
acknowledge the introduction?"
Jane nodded, both curious and interested. "Why did Bob do that? I
wondered at the time." Merry continued: "I was just about to exclaim,
'Why, Jean Sawyer Willoughby, so this is where you disappeared to when
you left home last February!' but I did not, for Bob gave me no time.
What he whispered was, 'Don't let on you know Jean. He wants his identity
kept in the dark. He is using his mother's maiden name. Get the cue?'
"Of course I got it, but as soon as I could I asked Jean to go for a
canter with me that I might tell him how heart-broken his family was
because he had disappeared as he did." Jane was no longer reclining among
the cushions. She sat up, listening intently.
"You and Bob know Jean's family?"
"Yes, indeed, both his father and older brother Ken. We met them every
summer on the coast of Maine, where our parents had cottages next to each
other."
"Jean told me of that cottage where he went that summer, alone with his
mother," Jane said. "I mean the summer she died."
"Poor boy! He never was happy in his home life after that," Merry
replied. "Ken, his brother, is a commissioned officer on one of the war
boats. He had little shore leave and that left Jean and his father quite
alone in their big house in New York. They never had been congenial in
their interests, but the final break came when the father entered into
some oil deal which Jean considered dishonorable. He told his father
exactly how he felt about it. He said that he refused to inherit money
that was taken from the poor who had invested their savings in the
wildcat scheme, believing the firm to be honest. Of course his father was
angry, and Jean, refusing to take one penny of what he called 'tainted'
money, left home to make his own way in the world.
"The father did not seem to care at first, for he had always loved Ken
more than he did Jean, but when Ken came home on a leave he took Jean's
part, and also denounced his father's dishonorable business methods."
Jane was sitting very erect and her breath came hard. At last she
interrupted. "Merry," she said in a voice she could hardly recognize as
her own, "Jean's father, Mr. Willoughby, was my father's partner." Then
she burst into unexpected tears. "Jean was nobler than I! Oh, Merry, I
never can be his friend again. I am not worthy of him. I want you to be
his best friend. You are so good. I am sure that in his heart of hearts
he must love you." Merry leaned over and kissed her friend tenderly. "I
hope Jean does love me," she said simply. "He is to be my brother, for I
am engaged to Ken Willoughby. His three years in the navy are nearly
over. Ken is coming home for good on September first."
Jane's heart was filled with conflicting emotions. She was indeed happy
when she heard the wonderful secret which Merry assured her she would
have told her at once but Ken had wanted her to wait until he had given
her the ring which he had bought for her in Paris. "But I just had to
tell you, dear girl, when I realized that my friendship with Jean might
lead you to believe that we cared for each other." Then, slipping an arm
affectionately about her companion, Merry continued: "And now there is
just one thing for which I am going to wish until it comes true, and that
is that you and Jean may care for each other in the way Ken and I care.
Then, Jane, I will be your sister. Think what that would mean, for we
would share all of the joy that the future holds."
But Jane, tears brimming her eyes, said sadly: "That can never be! If
Jean knew the truth; if he knew that I wanted father to cheat those poor
people who had trusted him, he would scorn me, even as I now scorn
myself. I never knew father's partners except by name. We lived so very
far apart and Dad always wanted to just rest when he reached our village
home, and so, even when I was with him, which was seldom, we had no
social life." Then, turning with a startled expression, Jane inquired,
"Oh, do you suppose that Jean knows? Do you suppose he recognized our
name as being the same as his father's partner?"
Merry replied thoughtfully: "There are a good many Abbotts in the world,
dear, and just at first Jean did not suspect that your father was the one
who had withdrawn from the firm, and who, by so doing, had incurred the
hatred and wrath of Mr. Willoughby, but, when I happened to mention why
your father had lost everything, as Dan had told him, Jean's face
brightened. 'I am glad,' he said, 'that the father of Jane had the
courage to do the honorable thing.' I noticed at the time that he said
'the father of Jane' and not of Dan. That means, dear, that you are often
in his thoughts."
But Jane had again burst into tears, and rising, she hurried to her own
room and begged Merry, who had followed her with tender solicitude, to
leave her alone. "I never, never can be Jean's friend again, but don't
tell him how dishonorable I have been, Merry. Promise me that you will
not tell him."
"Of course I will not tell, but, oh, Jane, you are over-imaginative
tonight. I am sure that you never wished your father to rob the poor that
you might have luxury. But there, please don't answer me, dear. You are
all worn out and your poor head is throbbing cruelly. Let me help you
undress. Tomorrow morning when you awake you will see everything in a
different light."
But Merry was wrong. Because of Jane, the young people did not start at
sunrise as they had planned, but delayed until after Mr. and Mrs. Starr
had been driven away to the Redfords station. Mr. Packard accompanied
them. Bob was pleased indeed that he and his sister were to remain in the
Rockies for another fortnight, and Merry was glad to be with Jane, who,
more than ever, seemed to need her friendship.
When the young people were gathered at the corral, preparing to start,
Jean glanced across at Jane and noting how pale and weary she looked, he
strode over to her, saying: "Aren't you afraid the ride will be too hard
for you? Suppose we let the others start now, if Meg feels that she must
get home. You and I could follow them more leisurely, starting later,
when you are rested."
There was a sad expression in the dark eyes that were lifted to his, but
the girl's reply was: "Thank you, Jean, I would rather go now, with the
others." Merry felt Jane's clasp tighten about her hand, and well knew
that she was suffering cruelly, and that it was a mental, not a physical
torture.
Jean assisted both of the girls to mount and then the string of horses
started toward the mountain trail, for Bob was eager to visit the old
deserted Crazy Creek mine. Jean Sawyer glanced often at the pale,
beautiful face of the girl who seemed purposely to avoid him.