Taking Green to breakfast and listening to his story had occupied more
time than Forrester had allotted for his interview with the detective.
So, after leaving the city behind and entering the smooth and less
frequented roads of the North Shore, he drove his roadster at a pace
that would quickly have brought him into the toils of any local
guardians of the law who might have spied his racing motor. Fortunately,
they were reserving their watchfulness for a later hour of the day and
Forrester kept up his swift pace until familiar landmarks told him that
he was approaching Jasper lane.
He had just placed his hand on the gear lever when a horse and rider
unexpectedly appeared coming out of a narrow side-road a short distance
ahead. Forrester threw out his clutch and shifted his hand to the
emergency brake. So great had been his speed, however, that the car slid
for some distance along the oily roadway and passed directly under the
horse's nose. Both horse and rider were startled. Snorting wildly, the
horse reared on his hind legs with such suddenness that his rider was
thrown to the ground. Forrester jumped from his car and ran back to see
if he could be of any assistance. He discovered then that the rider was
a girl, who had sprung quickly to her feet before he reached her.
"I am sorry," exclaimed Forrester, apologetically, removing his cap.
"Are you hurt?"
"Oh, no," she returned, with a smile, "it was nothing at all."
"It was very careless of me," continued Forrester, "not seeing you
sooner."
"Not at all!" returned the girl. "It was entirely my fault. I should
have remembered that I was approaching the main motor highway and been
more cautious." Her eyes twinkled, as she added, "Just like a woman,
wasn't it?"
"Well," smiled Forrester, hesitatingly, "I wouldn't exactly say that."
"Oh, yes, you would," she asserted. "I know how you men talk about us
behind our backs. You see, I have a brother."
"I would not take what a brother said as a guide to other men's
opinions," suggested Forrester. "Brothers do not always fully appreciate
their sister's charms."
"Am I to consider that as a compliment, or just a piece of information?"
challenged the girl.
"I leave that to your own good judgment," returned Forrester.
The girl flushed slightly. "Would you mind catching my horse?" she
requested.
Forrester glanced around and saw that the horse was ambling along by
himself and already some distance away. Forrester started after the
horse at a run, and thought with deep chagrin that the girl standing
back there in the road was probably laughing at him. To run before a new
acquaintance is never a graceful performance. He had seen a spirit of
mischief lurking in the girl's eyes and he half suspected that her horse
could have been recalled without this display of energy on his part.
Probably it was his punishment for attempting to compliment her on such
short acquaintance. Forrester caught the horse without difficulty, which
convinced him that his supposition regarding the girl's purpose was
correct. He took advantage of the return trip with the horse to study
her carefully and deliberately; partly for his own information and
partly to punish her for sending him after the horse.
He had already noted that her hair was slightly reddish in hue and very
abundant, and that her eyes were brown. He now observed that she was
tall, but not too tall, and slender, but not too slender. She was
attired in a brown linen riding suit, with tan boots, and a white straw
sailor hat. Whether accidentally or by design, the hat was tilted at
just the right angle. That she was athletic and a good horsewoman was
evidenced by her quick recovery from what would have been a very bad
fall for the average woman.
She greeted him with a smile as he neared her.
"My, how you can run!" she exclaimed.
That he had been put on exhibition Forrester was now sure, and his
resentment must have shown in his face, for she added, soothingly, "It
is awfully good of you to take so much trouble for a stranger."
Forrester was distinctly attracted to the girl. She was so different
from girls that he knew. He could not recollect a girl of his
acquaintance who possessed such unquestionable beauty and engaging
personality, combined with a self-reliance that detracted not a jot from
her femininity. Small wonder that he felt a poignant regret that they
were about to part and probably never meet again. Almost unconsciously
his thoughts took the form of words.
"Must we remain strangers?" he asked.
"Perhaps," she answered, placing her foot in the stirrup and vaulting
lightly into the saddle. She smiled down at him and then, with a wave of
her hand, started at a gallop up the road.
Forrester stood a moment watching her retreating figure.
"Perhaps!" he repeated to himself. "How am I to take that? 'Perhaps'
might mean anything--yes, or no, or maybe. Who the deuce can she be?
I'll have to ask Josephine if she knows her."
Going back to his roadster Forrester resumed his journey. It was his
intention to pay a call on the mysterious negress, so just before he
reached the oak he drove his car well up on the side of the road and
alighted. With Green's story in mind he glanced around to see if any
evidences of the detective's adventure remained. Almost in front of the
oak he discovered the battered remains of the spotlight, and in the
gulley across the road he saw a corner of the small storage battery.
This removed any doubt Forrester might have had that Green had actually
been at the oak tree. In fact, it seemed highly probable that Green had
really met with the mishaps he described. If the detective had not been
dreaming or drinking then there were certainly many strange things going
on here and perhaps some real clues to be unearthed.
Forrester stood in front of the oak for some minutes, deliberating. Then
he approached it and plunged his arm into the opening as he had done the
day before. In thinking the matter over it had occurred to him that the
oak might be hollow and someone concealed within it. After feeling
carefully around, however, and digging his fingers once more into the
rotten wood, Forrester was convinced that this hollow in which the
packages of money were placed, and which was little larger than a man's
head, was the only opening in the tree. The rest of the great trunk
appeared to be absolutely solid.
Just as Forrester withdrew his arm from the opening he heard a sound
behind him that resembled several persons walking. He stood erect and
turned swiftly; then paused, staring sheepishly, like a bad boy caught
in the pantry. Before him was the girl on the horse. Her left hand,
which grasped the reins, was resting on the front of the saddle, while
her right hand was buried in the pocket of her coat. Surprised and
disconcerted as he was, Forrester nevertheless noted the easy
nonchalance of her attitude. This time, however, she did not smile but
sat regarding him with the suggestion of a frown on her face.
"Putting it in or taking it out?" she inquired, lightly.
"I--I--don't know what you mean," stammered Forrester.
She slightly raised her eyebrows. "I presume, if I were to ask you the
question, you would tell me you did not know that oak has a bad
reputation."
By this time Forrester had recovered his poise, and his newly acquired
detective instinct asserted itself. The girl was evidently regarding him
with something approaching suspicion, and it aroused in him an answering
feeling of distrust. In these surroundings his mind was working rapidly.
He recalled the young lady of Joshua's story, and the woman of the night
in Green's recital.
"Has it?" asked Forrester, innocently, after a pause.
The girl regarded him keenly for a moment before she spoke.
"For a man who knows so little about it," she said, sarcastically, "you
seem to have been in a great hurry to get here."
"I don't see why you should suppose this to be my original destination,"
returned Forrester. "Possibly the large size of this tree attracted my
attention in passing."
"Perhaps," she said, and both smiled as they recalled the last time that
word was spoken. Then she added, "But you have not _passed_ yet. Your
car is still some distance back on the road. Think of a better one."
"Tell me," exclaimed Forrester, "do you live near here?"
Her face hardened as she replied, "That is an unnecessary question at
this time. I might even say that it savors of an evasion."
"I beg your pardon," said Forrester, stiffly.
Again the girl sat silently regarding him and Forrester met her eyes
with a steady look. He surmised that she was appraising him and her next
question confirmed his thought.
"Are you a victim?" she inquired.
"My dear young lady," returned Forrester, "about all we do is to ask
each other questions. Sometimes _I_ don't get an answer."
"I accept the reproof and apologize," she said, and smiled. "I live just
a little way up this road."
"And I am--unfortunately--a victim," admitted Forrester.
"Now we're quits," laughed the girl. "Let's begin again."
"If this tree has a bad reputation," said Forrester, "I am curious to
know why a girl, alone, takes a doubtful chance by talking to a strange
man in its shadow."
The girl partly withdrew her right hand from her coat pocket.
"I'm not quite alone," she answered, and Forrester saw that she held a
small automatic in her hand. "This has been covering you ever since I
rode up."
"Certainly I shall now feel it incumbent upon me to answer all
questions," smiled Forrester.
"All right," she retorted, quickly, "what is your name?"
"Forrester."
"_Robert_ Forrester?"
"Yes, how did you guess?"
A wicked little smile stole over the girl's face. "You are the last
person I should expect to see here," she declared.
"Why?" queried Forrester.
"I understood you were scared to death," she returned.
"That damned reporter again!" burst out Forrester, clenching his hands.
"Wait until I get within reach of him!"
"My, how savage you are!" exclaimed the girl, with mock severity. But
Forrester saw that her eyes twinkled.
"You will pardon my strong language," he said, "but this is not the
first time that article has made me look foolish."
"Oh, then you're not _really_ frightened?" she inquired, her eyes still
flashing with humor.
Forrester opened his mouth as if to speak, but words failed him, and the
girl threw back her head and laughed.
"Mr. Forrester," she said, at length, leaning down toward him, "you
asked me a little while ago if we must remain strangers. I can now
answer your question definitely. If you will come over to the house for
a minute I will give you a letter of introduction, which I have,
addressed to your mother. I had intended to deliver it in person, but
after arriving here I found you were still in town."
Forrester was thunderstruck, and therefore speechless for a moment. This
was too good to be true.
"My name is Sturtevant," the girl continued. Then added, with one of her
mischievous smiles, "_Miss_ Sturtevant."
"I shall be very glad, indeed, to deliver your letter, Miss Sturtevant,"
said Forrester. "Or if you prefer to wait until Saturday, you can
deliver it in person as you first intended to do. We move out to
'Woodmere' on Saturday."
Forrester had no sooner said this than he could have kicked himself. He
had wanted to have a look at the place she occupied and he might now be
throwing away the opportunity. When he recalled the negro's words, it
had seemed as if the girl lived alone. If she did, it would be both odd
and suspicious under the circumstances. Forrester was anxious to
ascertain this fact definitely, and he was pleased when the girl
disregarded his suggestion.
"If you don't mind," she said, "I should like to have you come over to
the house now and get the letter."
"I shall be delighted," returned Forrester, this time without
qualification. "If it is only a short distance I will walk."
"It is a very short distance," informed the girl. "It would be hardly
worth while starting up your car." Then she added, "Especially if you
plan to return here."
Forrester glanced up at her quickly, but she was already turning her
horse back to the road and he did not meet her eye. Whether or not she
had some object in what she said, or was simply poking fun at him, he
could not tell.
Miss Sturtevant kept her horse down to an easy walk and Forrester found
no difficulty in maintaining his place at her side. She made no further
reference to the tree and its evil repute, so Forrester did not again
bring up the subject, leading their light chatter instead into comments
upon the surrounding country.
The Bradbury house, which Forrester now knew had been taken by Miss
Sturtevant, stood only a short distance back from the road, and as they
turned into the gate Forrester could see an elderly woman on the porch.
A few minutes later she was introduced to him as Mrs. Morris, and during
the short talk he had with her, while Miss Sturtevant was getting her
letter, he gathered that she was a paid companion to the girl. Miss
Sturtevant quickly returned with the letter for his mother, and after a
few brief words, which included an invitation to Forrester to come
again, they parted.
At the gate Forrester met the big negro, Joshua.
"Hello, Joshua," he greeted the negro.
"Howdy-do, suh."
"Any new stories about that haunted tree, Joshua?"
"No, _suh_! Mah Missey done say Ah talk too much." And the negro hurried
on.
Forrester wondered as he returned along the road toward the tree.