A SCHEME AND WHAT CAME OF IT.
We will now have to take our readers away from the Winnebagos and their
affairs for a few moments and admit them into the private office of Mr.
Rumford Thurston. Mr. Thurston, dealer in stocks and bonds and promoter
of investments, was closeted with his business associate and intimate
friend, Mr. Nathan Scovill. An earnest discussion was in progress, the
theme of which was apparently drawn from a paper which was spread out on
the desk between them.
"I tell you, it's the chance of a lifetime," said Mr. Scovill. "We can
clean up a cool half million on it before the public wakes up, and when
they do we can take a trip to Hawaii or Manila for our health until the
business is forgotten. You put in ten thousand now and you'll be on easy
street for the rest of your life."
"But I tell you, I haven't the ten thousand to put in," answered Mr.
Thurston crossly. "I haven't one thousand. That last deal finished me."
"Borrow some," said Mr. Scovill impatiently.
"Can't get any more credit," said Mr. Thurston gloomily. "The office
furniture is attached already."
Mr. Scovill scowled. Then he went carefully over the ground again,
dwelling on the ease of making money without working for it by the
simple method of swindling the public, and enlarging on the joys of life
as a rich man. "Think, man," he said in conclusion, "think what you're
missing!"
Mr. Thurston leaned his head on his hands and thought of what he was
missing, and he also thought of something else. A peculiar calculating
expression appeared in his eyes and around the corners of his mouth.
"There is some money to be had," he said slowly, "if I can get hold of
it."
"Where?" asked Mr. Scovill eagerly. "If it's to be had you may rest
assured we'll get hold of it by hook or crook."
"You remember John Rogers?" asked Mr. Thurston. Mr. Scovill nodded.
"When he died he left his daughters a fortune in stocks," continued Mr.
Thurston.
"Yes?" inquired Mr. Scovill encouragingly.
"Well," said Mr. Thurston, with a glitter in his eye, "I was appointed
guardian of those two girls."
Mr. Scovill whistled. "Meaning to say------" he began.
"That I have the managing of their property until they come of age,"
finished Mr. Thurston.
"Our fortune's made," said Mr. Scovill, shaking him by the hand.
"The only thing is," said Mr. Thurston, scratching his head
reflectively, "that the oldest girl comes of age in June, and there
might be an awkward inquiry just at the wrong time. We can't afford to
have any investigations begun inside of the next six months if we expect
to carry through the other scheme. Any breath of scandal would wreck our
prospects."
Mr. Scovill's face fell. He saw only too clearly the truth of the
other's words. But where Mr. Thurston came to a halt in front of a dead
wall, Scovill's scheming mind saw the loophole. "But just suppose," he
said slowly, "that there shouldn't be any investigation when the oldest
girl comes of age? Suppose she should never put in a claim for her
property?"
"What do you mean?" asked Mr. Thurston.
"Something like this," said Mr. Scovill. "If she were to be kept shut up
somewhere for a year or so until you have had time to make your fortune,
it would be too late to hurt you with a disclosure after that. Where
nobody asks questions there is no need of answering."
Thurston saw the point, but he didn't see how it was going to be done.
It was Scovill who thought out the whole scheme. He had a large piece of
land far outside the city limits on the lake front. There was an
unoccupied house on the property. Here the girl could be kept locked up
on the pretext that she was insane, with a certain woman he knew as
keeper, a deaf-mute. He shared a secret with her and could use this
knowledge to force her to serve him. The whole thing was very simple.
"But how are we going to keep the one locked up away from the other?"
asked Mr. Thurston. "Her sister would have the whole country searching
for her."
"Then take them both," said Mr. Scovill promptly. "That'll make matters
simpler yet. You say they have no relatives and are now away in school?
Nothing could be easier. We'll build a room they can't get out of once
they're in, and when it's finished you invite them to your house for a
visit. They'll think they're coming to see you, but it's out there to
that house they'll go and they'll not come back in a hurry. In the
meantime you get hold of those stocks and bonds, sell them and put the
money in this venture and come out a rich man. When you're ready to
clear out of the country you can let the girls out, and they won't be
any worse off than when they went in--except that they won't have a
cent."
Bit by bit the plan was perfected. Mr. Thurston took a sudden interest
in his orphan wards to the extent of writing to the school where they
were attending and asking when it closed for the summer. When he was
informed that school closed the last week in May, he invited the two
girls, Genevieve and Antoinette Rogers, to spend the first weeks of
their vacation at his home. He had not seen either of them since they
were little children. They graciously accepted the invitation.
But on the day they were to arrive, Mr. Thurston found that some private
business of his very urgently required his presence in another city, and
left Mr. Scovill to see to the landing of the birds in the trap. Mr.
Scovill met the unsuspecting girls at the train, explaining with many
expressions of regret the enforced absence of their guardian, took them
to dinner in a fine hotel and showed them the sights of the town with
all the cordiality of a sincere friend of their host, who was doing his
best to make up for his not being there. He won their hearts completely.
They were simple girls who had been brought up in a strict church
school, and the sights and sounds of the large city were all wonderful
to them.
Now, thanks to Mr. Scovill's activities, the trap was all set. The tower
was built with its room at the top without any door and its barred
window, and the deaf-mute was installed on the place and given
instructions to act as guard to two girls who were mentally unbalanced.
Furnishing the room in violet was the last touch of his cunning brain,
because he knew the depressing effect it would have on the inmates. He
gave strict orders to the keeper to remove any sign of a bright color,
as this might cause them to become violent.
Mr. Scovill had left directions for his automobile to be at a certain
place at half-past four to convey them to the house in the country. Now,
for reasons of his own, Mr. Scovill did not wish to be the last one seen
in the company of the two girls in case his plans should go wrong and
some one would start an inquiry for them. Therefore, he gave his driver
private instructions to drive like the wind with two girls who should be
placed in the car, and under no condition to let them out of the car.
Accordingly, when they were all a little weary of sight-seeing he
steered them gently toward the corner of ----th Avenue and L---- Street,
where the car was to wait for them. Half a block off he saw that it was
in place. So, pulling out his watch and suddenly remembering that he had
an important engagement for that very minute, he courteously took his
leave and pointed out the car they were to get into, telling them that
it was Mr. Thurston's and would take them to his home. "You can't miss
it, girls," he said, pointing with his finger. "It's that bright blue
one with the basket-work streamer." Antoinette and Genevieve thanked him
kindly for showing them such a good time and entered the car he had
indicated. Mr. Scovill withdrew into a doorway and watched them. In a
few moments the driver appeared, saw the two girls in the machine,
touched his hat to them, and taking his place behind the wheel, drove
rapidly off in the opposite direction. Mr. Scovill rubbed his hands
together as he watched the car disappear. It was a way he had when his
plans were turning out nicely. Forty-five minutes later his driver
called up from the country house to say that he had brought the girls
out in safety. Mr. Scovill smiled blandly. So far everything had played
into his hands. When Mr. Thurston returned the following day he
announced the fact to him that the birds were safe in the trap. Then he
left town for a protracted stay. Mr. Thurston made one trip out to the
house to behold the thing for himself. Riding up in the elevator, he saw
the girls standing by the barred window of their prison. When they lit
the light he descended in haste so as not to be seen by them. Then he
also left town for a while.
The Winnebagos, who were all in time for the Limited except Nyoda and
Gladys, boarded the car without them and amused themselves during the
ride by thinking up ways to tease the tardy ones when they should arrive
on the next car. Pretty Mrs. Bates met them at the car stop with the
news that Nyoda and Gladys were coming out in the automobile, and when
they thought it was time for them to arrive they all lined up in the
road where the drive turned off, and were ready to sing a funny song
which Migwan had made up about not getting there on time. The blue car
came in sight and the girls ranged themselves straight across the road
so it could not pass until the entire song had been sung. With mouths
open ready to sing they stopped in astonishment. The two girls in the
tonneau were strangers. They smiled bashfully at the row of maidens with
the bright red ties.
Mrs. Bates stepped forward. "Whom have you brought us, John?" she asked.
"Why, you said there'd be two girls in the car when I came out,"
answered the driver; "and there were."
"Oh, is there any mistake?" asked one of the strange girls. "Our names
are Genevieve and Antoinette Rogers. We've come up from Seaville to
visit our guardian, Mr. Thurston. He couldn't meet us and another
gentleman pointed out his automobile and said the driver would take us
out to Mr. Thurston's country place, and we got in, and he brought us
here."
"This is Bates Villa," said Mrs. Bates. "You undoubtedly got into our
car by mistake."
"I'm sorry this is not the right place," said Antoinette in a tone of
frank regret. "I was so glad when I saw all you girls and thought you
were to be our friends."
"You will be very welcome guests until your guardian comes for you,"
said Mrs. Bates in her gracious way.
The Winnebagos were much amused to think that Gladys and Nyoda had
missed their chance to ride out in the automobile, and added another
verse to the song to be sung when they should arrive on the next
Limited. Mrs. Bates found Mr. Thurston's name in the telephone book and
called his residence, but could get no answer. Now, Mr. Scovill had
introduced himself to Genevieve and Antoinette as "Mr. Adams." They did
not know his initials and attempts to get him on the wire were futile.
The girls all went down to the car-track when it was time for the next
Limited. A regular fusilade of jests and jibes were prepared for Nyoda
and Gladys. The Limited appeared and thundered by without stopping. "Not
on this one?" said the girls. "What on earth could have happened?"
"Here comes another car," said Hinpoha; "they're running a
double-header. Nyoda and Gladys must be on this one." The second car
whizzed by with a deafening clatter and a cloud of dust.
"Maybe they're not coming," said one of the girls, and disappointment
was visible on every face. This jolly party would not be complete
without their beloved Guardian and Gladys. Mrs. Bates telephoned to the
Evans's house in town, but there was nobody home. She tried the house
where Nyoda lived, but got no satisfaction, for the landlady merely said
that Miss Kent had not been home since leaving for school in the
morning. The evening passed off as merrily as possible and the girls
rose the next morning feeling sure that Nyoda and Gladys would be out on
the first car. But the day passed with no sign of them. They telephoned
to the Evans's again and this time they got Mrs. Evans.
"Gladys hasn't arrived there?" she asked in a frightened voice. "She
wasn't at home last night. Where can she be?" Wonder gave way to anxiety
on all sides and there was no more thought of fun.
"They must be out at Mr. Thurston's, of course," suggested Antoinette
Rogers. Renewed efforts were made to get into communication with Mr.
Thurston, but in vain. No answer came from the number which was opposite
his name in the telephone book. Genevieve and Antoinette were highly
embarrassed at being obliged to stay with strangers, and were not a
little mystified over the non-appearance of their guardian.
The days passed in frightful suspense for the parents and friends of the
missing girls. The aid of the police was called in, but they could find
no clue. Early on the morning of the fourth day Mrs. Evans was called to
the phone and was overjoyed to hear Gladys's voice on the wire. She and
Nyoda were at a house on the lake shore and would be home soon. There
was a happy home-coming that morning. Nyoda and Gladys told the almost
unbelievable tale of their imprisonment and escape from the tower. After
lying exhausted on the beach for a time, they had walked until they came
to a house where they were warmed and lent dry clothes, for they had
lost their bundles in the waves.
"And that's what would have become of us," said Antoinette Rogers with a
shudder, when Nyoda and Gladys had finished their story, "if we had not
made a mistake and gotten into the wrong automobile."
The police were informed of the matter and as soon as Mr. Thurston
returned to his place of business he was arrested and charged with the
conspiracy to abduct and forcibly detain his two wards. At first he
denied any knowledge of the affair, but the proof was overwhelming.
Nyoda accompanied a delegation of police and witnesses in a motor boat
to the foot of the tower and showed them the bent-out bars and the very
place where they had jumped into the water, and later they raided the
house from the land side. The deaf mute was nowhere to be found. She had
fled when she discovered that her charges had escaped and was never
heard of again. They ascended in the elevator but were unable to find
the contrivance which opened the door into the room, so cunningly was it
devised, and had to be content with looking through the grill-work into
the lavender room.
The Rogers girls, who were taken away from the guardianship of Mr.
Thurston, went to stay with friends in Cincinnati. Mr. Thurston was left
to pay the penalty of his villainy alone, for Mr. Scovill had made good
his escape before the plot was disclosed.
Thus Nyoda and Gladys all unknowingly were the cause of a great crime
being averted, and were regarded as heroines forevermore by the
Winnebagos and their friends.