_Two Prisoners_
Linda's telephone call came early the following morning, and after a
simple breakfast served by the cook, she left in the car which Captain
Magee sent. Not one of the Carter family appeared at the meal, and
there was no message of any kind. Linda, however, attributed this to
Mrs. Carter's illness, and wrote a polite note of thanks to her hostess.
She found three plain-clothes men waiting for her at the police
station, and they joined her in the car which then took them to the
airport. A large cabin plane, capable of accommodating six persons, had
been wheeled out on the runway, awaiting their arrival and two service
men were standing beside it.
"You are sure you can pilot her, Miss?" inquired one of these men,
skeptically.
Linda opened her bag and took out her two licenses--mechanic's and
transport pilot's--and handed them to him.
"A mechanic!" he exclaimed, in amazement. "Gee whiz! Will wonders never
cease? It's the first time I ever laid eyes on a lady-mechanic!"
Linda laughed.
"May I look the plane over before we start?" she asked. "And will you
map out the quickest course to Okefenokee Swamp! I want to get into the
southern part of it--Black Jack Island, if you know where that is."
With a grin the man disappeared to consult some one in the hangar, and
Linda went ahead with the examination.
"There ought to be plenty of room in here to bring back any prisoners
we may get," she said, cheerfully. "I think too, that you had better
send for some food and water, Sergeant--for we can't tell how long we
may be gone."
When she announced herself satisfied with the inspection, she and her
three companions climbed into the cabin while the mechanic fired the
engine. The plane taxied along the runway and rose gracefully into the
air, to the admiration of the three officers, none of whom could fly.
"You're there with the goods, Miss Carlton!" shouted the one named
"Worth," who apparently was in charge of the expedition.
"Don't praise me too soon," returned Linda. "That was child's play. But
wait till it comes to landing on that island in the swamp. There is
only one spot big enough, in a plane like this."
"Well, we got plenty of gas," remarked Worth, cheerfully. "I'm not
afraid. I'm enjoying the flight. It isn't every day that we go up in
the skies on our job."
Linda was enjoying it, too. She flew carefully, watching her map, her
instruments, and the landscape below. They flew over the island where
they had left Susie, and Linda made a mental note of the location, in
case she should be able to pick the girl up on the return trip.
It was difficult to keep her direction, for the swamp, covered as it
was with grasses and trees, seemed like an unbroken, monotonous expanse
from the air, but Linda had succeeded in spotting the little stream
down which the boys had paddled the canoe, and she resolved to follow
that to the place where they had picked her up. After that it ought to
be easy to locate Black Jack Island and the camp of the thieves.
But it was not as simple as she had hoped, even after she had located
the island. Again and again she circled about, looking for a space
large enough to make a landing. Finally she found what must be the edge
of the island, for the water came up unevenly, but this beach appeared
very small. It was one thing to bring the autogiro safely to earth in a
place like this, and another to land a big plane.
When she had selected her spot, she determined to try "fish-tailing."
She glided with considerable speed toward her field; as she approached
it, she swung her airplane from side to side, exposing the flat side of
the plane's body to the air so as to kill the speed.
Her companions, who had no idea what she was doing, looked at Linda in
alarm. Had she lost control of the plane, and were they about to be
dashed to pieces?
But a glance at their pilot's calm, confident expression allayed their
fears. This girl knew what she was doing! They need not be afraid.
Often at the ground school she had been compelled to land on a given
spot--such as a square of canvas; it was no wonder that she now felt
sure of herself. A moment later she came down on the very mark that she
had selected.
"Pretty neat!" exclaimed Worth, in admiration.
Linda turned off the engine and prepared to get out of the plane. But
the Sergeant stopped her.
"You stay in here, Miss Carlton!" he ordered. "This is no place for a
girl."
"But I have to show you where the camp is," she protested.
"Then show us from here! And remember, too, that you are our pilot. If
anything happened to you, we couldn't get out of this swamp."
Linda saw the reasoning in this last argument, and agreed to remain
inside of the cabin until she should be summoned. She sat there
tensely, while the three men advanced cautiously towards the trees at
the center of the island.
They had not gone more than a dozen yards when a shot rang out from
behind a tree, and a bullet whizzed past over their heads. A cry burst
from Linda's lips, then an exclamation of relief at the assurance that
her companions were unhurt.
"So they're still here!" she thought, excitedly, clasping her hands so
tightly together that they grew numb with the pressure. "Oh, if the men
only get them without being shot!"
The officers' pistols replied rapidly to the shot from the thieves,
in such quick succession that Linda could almost imagine that she was
in an actual war zone. But the volley lasted only a moment, for the
thieves were short of bullets since "Slats'" disappearance, and before
anyone was hurt, "Beefy" and "Jake" surrendered to Sergeant Worth.
Watching the whole proceeding from the window of the plane, Linda drew
a deep sigh of relief. Then suddenly she remembered the third member
of the gang--the man nick-named "Doc." Where was he? Hiding in the
background, waiting to shoot them all down when they were off guard?
Cautiously, therefore, Linda leaned out of the side of the plane and
called to Sergeant Worth to come back to her. Leaving the two thieves
in charge of the other men, who instantly handcuffed them, Worth
returned to the airplane, smiling over his easy victory.
With his assistance Linda jumped out of the cabin and whispered her
warning into his ear. The man scowled in disappointment.
"This fellow may be waiting for you, Miss Carlton," he said. "You stay
right here--behind the plane, while I go find out where he is."
Linda did as she was told, expecting every moment to hear renewed
shooting.
"Where's your other man?" she heard Worth shout, as he approached the
prisoners.
"Gone!" snarled Jake. "Two of 'em sneaked off. Double-crossed us, and
took the kale!"
"Money? What money?" demanded Worth, instantly, hoping to surprise the
man into a confession.
"Nothin'. None of your business," muttered Jake, seeing that he had
made a mistake by saying too much.
"You needn't try to hide anything," remarked the officer,
contemptuously. "We know all about the bank robbery--and other jobs,
too--that you fellows can account for. You'll serve plenty of time!"
Impatient at the delay, Linda felt that she had to be at the scene of
action, to hear what had happened to the "Doc," who evidently was not
on the island. She ran forward, just in time to hear Jake's explanation.
"One fellow made off with the girl in the plane yesterday morning," he
said. "The other guy must have beat it later on in the day--while us
two was still asleep. Took the boat and the cash. We ain't got nothin'
here of any value--outside of food.... Huh! Why, if there ain't Linda
herself!"
Angry as she was at this insolent manner of addressing her, Linda could
not help smiling at the man's consternation. But she was terribly
disappointed to learn that the money was gone. That meant that they had
failed to accomplish the main purpose with which she had set out--to
restore to the innocent bank depositors the savings which they had lost
through no fault of their own.
"Perhaps the money's over on the island in the ocean," she suggested
hopefully. "I had to help bury some boxes of jewels there while I
was a prisoner--and those may still be there, too. Shall we fly over
immediately, Sergeant Worth?"
"You know the way?" the latter inquired, in surprise. His admiration
for this plucky girl was growing every minute.
"Oh, yes, I think so. We can make these men direct us if I forget. They
are sure to know."
After a hasty search of Black Jack Island was completed--to make sure
that the third man was not still in hiding--the party returned to the
airplane, and Linda made ready to take off once more. This was an
exceedingly difficult feat, with a large plane, but the experienced
aviatrix calculated everything before she made the attempt, and the
airplane left the ground at the exact time that she had planned.
She directed it eastward now, out over the Georgia coast, on to the
Atlantic. She remembered the course perfectly, spotting the identical
island without any help from the prisoners, and landed on the wide
barren beach without any difficulty.
Once they were out of the plane she recalled even the hiding-place,
where "Slats" had placed the jewels, and she led the way through the
underbrush. Unrolling the stone, and pushing the sand aside at her
direction, the detectives brought out the three tin boxes which Linda
herself had been forced to help conceal.
Opening them up right there by twisting the locks, the officers gazed
at their contents in speechless amazement. Two diamond necklaces, a
string of real pearls, innumerable rings and pins and watches. And a
bracelet of priceless emeralds!
"Whew!" exclaimed Sergeant Worth, the perspiration running down his
face.
"The Van Tyn diamonds!" declared one of the detectives. "And these
pearls solve the mystery of that robbery at the Kenworthy estate!"
"Yeah. And that big jewelry store in Atlanta!" added another,
breathlessly. "Say, does this uncover a lot of money? I'll tell the
world!"
"It'll mean a nice little reward for Miss Carlton," remarked Sergeant
Worth, with a smile.
Linda shook her head.
"No, I don't want it," she said. "If there is any reward, it can be
divided among you men. You faced the guns!"
"But Miss Carlton----"
Linda held up her hand. "I mean it," she said. "If you can't use it
yourselves, perhaps your wives--or your children can."
"It would mean heaven to me," murmured one of the detectives--a quiet
man, who had scarcely spoken during the entire flight. "My child needs
an operation----"
"Then it's settled," concluded Linda. Suddenly she glanced timidly at
Sergeant Worth, almost as if she were about to ask a favor. "Could we
eat, Sergeant?" she asked. "I'm so hungry."
"Why of course!" replied the latter. "I'm sorry, I'd forgotten all
about lunch--but it must be way past noon. Griggs," he added to one of
his men, "you go and unload that basket."
It was an oddly assorted group that sat down to that picnic lunch on
the beach--the two thieves, the three police officers, and the slender,
fair-haired girl in her linen flying suit. Linda could not help smiling
to herself as she thought of what Jackson Carter's horror would be at
her association with people like these. Yet how foolish he was! One
look at Sergeant Worth's face, kindly as it was, assured her that she
was well protected with him at her side.
She wished that she might stop at Soldiers' Camp Island on the return
trip, but it was out of her way, and already the plane was loaded to
its capacity. So she mapped her return trip in a straight line back
to the city of Jacksonville. Late that afternoon she landed at the
airport, where the group separated, the detectives and the prisoners
taking one taxi to the police station, Linda taking another to a hotel.
It was only when she was quietly in her own room, with her bag
unpacked, that she realized how tired she was. What a strain she had
been through! How she longed for relaxation of some kind! If only she
had Louise with her--or somebody else from Spring City!
She rested for an hour before dinner, but the thought of eating
alone was not pleasant, with only a newspaper for her companion. She
brightened, however, when the idea came to her to call her Aunt Emily
on the long-distance wire. It would mean a great deal to hear that
dear, familiar voice.
She did not have time after dinner to put in the call immediately,
for just as she was leaving the dining-room, she was herself summoned
to the telephone. Who could it be, she wondered. Nothing interesting,
probably, for none of her friends knew where to get her. No doubt it
was Captain Magee, congratulating her on the success of the afternoon.
To her surprise, it was Jackson Carter who said, "Hello!
"Can I drive in to the hotel to see you, Ann?" he asked.
"How is your mother, Mr. Carter?" she inquired, instead of answering
his question.
"She's all right."
"Am I to meet her?"
The young man coughed in embarrassment. He would have liked to have
kept the truth from her, but he could not lie to a girl like Linda
Carlton, any more than he could lie to his mother.
"I guess I better tell you, Ann--mother's old-fashioned--and--she
doesn't approve of you. She says I may not invite you out here again.
I'm awfully sorry--I've tried to make her understand-----"
"Please don't bother," interrupted Linda, coolly. "Perhaps it is better
that an acquaintance like ours end as casually as it started....
Good-by, Mr. Carter. And thank you again for rescuing me."
"Ann! Ann! I can't let you go out of my life----"
But she had quietly replaced the receiver.
The tears came to her eyes, but she told herself that she was foolish.
She would probably have to get used to things like this, if she meant
to do a man's work in the world. It was worth it. Oh, the glorious
feeling of power which she had experienced that morning when she
stepped into that huge plane, and knew that she could control its
flight! The satisfaction of conquering difficulties, solving problems,
being of use to others as she had been today! Yes, it was worth all the
snubs of every society woman in the United States!
For a moment she sat beside the telephone, waiting to get control
of herself, when she suddenly heard a beloved voice behind her. Two
voices--three voices--then two pairs of arms around her neck! Dot
Crowley's and Louise Mackay's--and Ted was standing behind them!
"Oh!" she gasped, squeezing both girls at once. "Am I dreaming? It's
too good to be true!"
"Are you O.K., darling?" demanded Louise, kissing her chum again and
again. "When we read about your long flight south, and then heard
nothing of you for three days, we got worried. So we managed to hop
off."
"You angels!" cried Linda. "Oh, I might have known you would! When
everything looked blackest----"
"You mean about being lost in the Okefenokee Swamp?"
"Worse than that.... Let me call Aunt Emily, while you get a room, and
I'll tell you the whole story after that.... But first tell me how long
you can stay."
"Ted and I can only stay till tomorrow morning," replied Louise, "so
long as you are all right. But Dot'll keep you company--she thought you
might be lonely----"
"That isn't half of it!" interrupted Linda. "I was so lonely tonight
that I couldn't eat. I just felt sick. Worse, far worse than my flight
to France, because that was over quickly, and this just seemed to
stretch out interminably."
"Now do call your Aunt," urged Dot. "She must be dying to hear from
you--and we'll have you all evening. By the way, I'm rooming with you?"
"Nowhere else in the world!" exclaimed Linda, giving the girl an extra
hug in her joy. "Room 420--and I'll be there in a minute!"