"QUITE ALL RIGHT"
One amazing thing was happening after another. The girls of Central
High could scarcely keep up with the several happenings. On top of
Laura's statement the platform before the cook-tent heaved mightily,
and a man's head and shoulders appeared.
Lil shrieked again. Even Mrs. Morse stepped back in surprise. The
young man continued to push his way out, and finally climbed to his
feet.
It was the same young man who had appeared on the bank of Bang-up
Creek and saved Short and Long from the farmer's dog. His very good
looking hunting suit was now sadly torn and wrinkled. He was without a
hat. There was a scratch upon his face that had drawn blood, and he
was altogether rather messy looking.
He bowed gravely to Mrs. Morse. "I see," he said, "that this young
lady," and he looked at Laura, "knows who I am. And further
introduction would be unnecessary."
"Ye--yes?" said Mrs. Morse, rather doubtfully.
"I pray that you will not blame Lizzie Bean. She would sacrifice
herself for my safety; but I could hardly allow her to do that, don't
you know? I had an idea that that sheriff would really not come to
this camp, and I could get away again after dark."
Lil had given over any intention of screaming again. She was examining
the scratched face of the strange young man with growing approval.
"Isn't he romantic looking?" she whispered to Nellie.
"Poor fellow," sighed the doctor's daughter. "He _doesn't_ look
wicked, does he?"
"He's a regular heart-breaker when he's dolled up, I bet," giggled
Bobby.
"It's too bad!" murmured the Lockwood twins, in unison.
Thus did the appearance of the young man, Mr. Norman Halliday, tell
upon the covey of frightened girls. Mrs. Morse herself began to
recover from her disturbance of mind. _This_ was no criminal
character, for sure!
Suddenly the sheriff in the tree set up a bellow: "That's the feller I
want! That's him! Don't you let him escape----"
"Why don't you come down and take him?" demanded Bobby, wickedly.
But immediately the Barnacle began leaping under the tree and barking
and Sheriff Larkin climbed higher.
"You see, the police want me," explained the young man, simply.
"We--we should judge so," gasped Mrs. Morse.
"But I really don't want to be arrested. Especially by this sheriff. I
do not want the bank I work for to be put to the expense of paying him
a reward for my apprehension."
This sounded rather odd--from a criminal!
"You see," went on the young man, with a more cheerful smile, "I am
going to return to Albany when my attorney lets me know that I may
safely do so. Had I remained when I was first charged with the crime
of forging names to coupons and bonds, and selling the same for my own
benefit, I could not have disproved the accusation."
"It had been arranged to make me a 'scapegoat'--to railroad me to
jail, in fact. But I have one good friend, at least--my uncle,
Professor Dimp. You all doubtless know him, and know what a really
fine old fellow he is," said the young man, heartily.
"He is paying my lawyer's expenses, and he insisted, too, upon coming
up here into the Big Woods and staying with me. That's why I was
really obliged to rob your larder one night. I dared not appear at any
store to buy food, and I could not let the dear old man go hungry. I
hope the money I left was sufficient to pay for the food?"
"Certainly--certainly," murmured Mrs. Morse, while the girls listened
in wide-eyed amazement.
"The Professor is just a brick," continued Mr. Norman Halliday, "as of
course you all know----"
"You bet we do!" burst out Bobby, her face aflame. "Three cheers for
Old D----That is, for Professor Asa Dimp!"
"Thank you, Miss Hargrew," said the dry voice of the absent-minded old
professor. "I did not know I was so well appreciated by the girls of
Central High."
But Laura showed _her_ appreciation in an entirely unlooked for way.
As the professor walked into the open from the woods, she darted for
him, seized him tightly in her arms, and planted a kiss first on one,
and then on his other unshaven cheek.
"Bless my soul! bless my soul!" gasped Professor Dimp, who had
probably not been kissed before in years.
"You're a perfect old _dear_!" declared Laura, in a low voice. "And I
am never going to be afraid of you again. Your nephew showed that he
had a tender heart when he was kind to Lizzie Bean; and I believe he
gets it honestly--_from you_! _Dear_ Professor Dimp!"
"Ha!" said the old gentleman, drily, yet flushing a little, too, "I
can see very clearly that I shall hereafter have very mediocre
recitations from the girls of Central High. They will no longer fear
me."
At that moment the motorboat that had been skimming across from the
main land, pushed her nose against the shore of the island. One of the
first persons to land was a gentleman with a green bag in his hand who
hurried up the hill to greet the professor and his nephew, the much
disheveled Mr. Halliday.
"The best of news Mr. Halliday--and you, my dear Professor Dimp," this
gentleman said. "The evidence is concluded. The guilty director has
been arrested and the reward for _your_ capture, Mr. Halliday, has
been withdrawn. I have come to take you back to Albany where your name
will be completely cleared of the false accusation."
"Hurrah!" shouted Bobby again, and waving her hand at the dog and the
sheriff on the other side of the hill. "Come away, Barnacle; you may
let the sheriff down out of the tree."
Dear me! It took nearly all day to explain affairs, after all. The
sheriff, and his bloodhounds, and his posse departed unnoticed by the
rejoicing party in the camp of the Central High girls.
The girls and boys made a hero out of Professor Dimp. And he was not a
bad sort after all--as they found out upon closer acquaintance.
"We shall not let Professor Dimp hide his light under a bushel," cried
Laura Belding, otherwise Mother Wit. "Whenever there is anything else
exciting going on for the girls of Central High, he shall be in it."
All the males of the party later piled into the _Bonnie Lass_ to
return to the boys' camp. There the lawyer had left a team with which
he was going to take Norman Halliday out of the Big Woods to the
railway station.
But the professor promised to remain at least another week, as the
guest of the boys. That week was the very jolliest week of all the
vacation at Lake Dunkirk, both for the boys, and for the Girls of
Central High.
THE END
THE JANICE DAY SERIES
By HELEN BEECHER LONG
_12 mo, cloth, illustrated, and colored jacket_
A series of books for girls which have been uniformly successful.
Janice Day is a character that will live long in juvenile fiction.
Every volume is full of inspiration. There is an abundance of humor,
quaint situations, and worth-while effort, and likewise plenty of
plot and mystery.
An ideal series for girls from nine to sixteen.
JANICE DAY, THE YOUNG HOMEMAKER
JANICE DAY AT POKETOWN
THE TESTING OF JANICE DAY
HOW JANICE DAY WON
THE MISSION OF JANICE DAY
THE NAN SHERWOOD SERIES
By Annie Roe Carr
_12 mo, cloth, illustrated, and colored jacket_
In Annie Roe Carr we have found a young woman of wide experience
among girls--in schoolroom, in camp and while traveling. She knows
girls of to-day thoroughly--their likes and dislikes--and knows
that they demand almost as much action as do the boys. And she
knows humor--good, clean fun and plenty of it.
NAN SHERWOOD AT PINE CAMP
or The Old Lumberman's Secret
NAN SHERWOOD AT LAKEVIEW HALL
or The Mystery of the Haunted Boathouse
NAN SHERWOOD'S WINTER HOLIDAYS
or Rescuing the Runaways
NAN SHERWOOD AT ROSE RANCH
or The Old Mexican's Treasure
NAN SHERWOOD AT PALM BEACH
or Strange Adventures Among the Orange Groves