SADDENED HEARTS
"I am afraid she is dead."
"Jack, you must not give up so easily. The detectives have faith in
the steamship story." Ed was speaking.
"No, Cora would not be induced, under any circumstance, to take a
Portland boat, and she could not have been taken away unconscious."
"Girls before this have been led away with fake tales of a sick mother,
and all that," said Ed feebly, "but I must agree with you--Cora was too
level-headed."
"And Belle is really very ill."
"Mr. Rand has sent for a nurse. Belle feels as if she must die if Cora
is not found soon. She is extremely sensitive."
"Yes, the girls loved Cora."
His voice broke and he turned his head away. The two young men were
seated on the big piazza of the Tip-Top. It was just a week since the
disappearance of Cora, and, of course, Mrs. Kimball had been notified
by cable. She would return to America by the first steamer, but would
not reach New York for some days yet. In the meantime Mr. Rand, who
had turned out to be such a good friend in need, had advised Mrs.
Kimball to wait a few days more before starting. He hoped and felt
sure that some news of the girl would have been discovered by that time.
"Walter 'phoned from Lenox," went on Ed, after a pause. "He had no
real information, and the young girl at the sanitarium is not Cora."
"I was afraid it was a useless journey. Well, let us see if we can do
anything for the girls," and Jack arose languidly from the bench.
"Misery likes company."
They went up to the suite of rooms occupied by the young ladies. Hazel
met them in the hall.
"Whom do you think is coming to nurse Belle? Miss Robbins!"
"What?" exclaimed both in one breath.
"Yes, Mr. Rand insisted that she is the proper person, and it seems
there is some reasonable explanation for her conduct. At any rate, it
is well we will have some one we know. Oh, dear, Belle is so
hysterical!" and Hazel herself was almost in tears.
"When is Miss Robbins coming?" asked Jack.
"Mr. Rand 'phoned, and she said she would come up at once. Then he
sent his car out from his own garage for her."
"What would we have done without Mr. Rand?"
"Come in and speak to Belle," said Hazel. "She feels better when she
has talked with you, Jack. Of course, you come also, Ed," she hurried
to add, seeing him draw back.
The young men entered the room, where Belle, pale as a drooping white
rose, lay on a couch under the window. She smiled and extended her
hand.
"I am so glad you have come! Is there any news?"
"Walter is running down a sanitarium clew," said Jack evasively. "I
feel certain Cora is ill somewhere."
"Where has he gone?"
"To Lenox. We had a description from a sanitarium there. But, Belle,
you must brace up. We can't afford to lose two girls."
She smiled, and did try to look brighter, but the shock to her nerves
had been very severe. "Did you hear that Miss Robbins is coming?" she
asked.
"Yes, and I think she is the very one we need," replied Ed. "She may
even be able to help us in our search."
"She is wonderfully clever, and it seems she did not mean to desert us
at all. There is some sort of story back of her attention to the
wounded ones at Restover," said Bess, who had been sitting at a little
desk, busy with some mail.
A hall boy tapped at the door and announced that some one wished to see
Mr. Kimball.
"Come along, Ed," said Jack. "You represent us."
In the hotel office they met two detectives sent by Mr. Rand. They
explained that they would have to have a picture of Cora to use in the
press, for the purpose of getting help from the public by any possible
identification.
At first Jack objected, but Ed showed him that this move was necessary.
So it was, with other matters, very painful for the young man to
arrange with the strangers, where his sister's private life was
concerned. Jack soon disposed of his part of the interview. He
declared that Cora had no gentleman friends other than his own
companions; also that she had never had any romantic notions about the
stage or such sensational matters. In seeking all the information they
could possibly obtain, that might assist in getting at a clew, the
detectives, of course, were obliged to ask these and other questions.
"Has all the wood been searched?" asked Jack.
"Every part, even the caves," replied the detective. "We visited
several bands of gypsies, but could not hold them--they cleared
themselves."
"But the gypsies had threatened her," insisted Jack. "Could any have
left the country by way of Boston?"
"Impossible. We have had all New York and New England roads carefully
watched."
"And there are no old huts anywhere? It has always seemed to me that
these huts one finds in every woods might make safe hiding places for
criminals," said Jack.
"Well, we are still at it, and will report to you every day," said the
elder man. "We have put our best men on the case, and have the hearty
coöperation of all the newspaper men. They know how to follow up
clews."
"Of course," agreed Jack. "There was nothing in the Chelton rumor. I
knew that was only a bit of sensationalism."
"There was something in it," contradicted the detective, "but the
trouble was we could not get further than the old gypsy woman's threat.
She had told your sister to beware of interfering with that jailed
fellow, Salvo. I believed there was some connection between her
disappearance and that case, but, after talking to every one who knew
anything about the gypsy band, we had to drop that clew for a time.
There are no more of the tribe anywhere in the county, as far as we can
learn."
"And they have not been around here since the day they moved away, when
we were travelling over the mountains," went on Jack. "Of course you
have, as you say, taken care of all the ends, but the arrest of that
fellow seems the most reasonable motive."
"Had Miss Kimball any girl enemies? Any who might like to--well, would
it be possible for them to induce her to go away, on some pretext, so
that she might be detained?" asked the other detective.
Jack and Ed exchanged glances. There was a girl, an Ida Giles, of
whom, in the other books of this series, we were obliged to record some
very unpleasant things. She was an enemy of Cora's. But the
detective's idea was absurd. Ida Giles would have no part in any such
conspiracy.
"No girl would do anything like that," declared Jack emphatically. The
sleuths of the law arose to go.
"Thank you for your close attention," said Ed. "We certainly have
fallen among friends in our trouble. The fact that I left her
alone----"
"Now, Ed, please stop that," interrupted Jack. "We have told you that
it didn't matter whom she was with, the thing would have happened just
the same. Any one would have fallen a victim to the false message."
Again for the detectives' information the strange man who called Ed
into the hotel office was described. But of what avail was that? He
was easier to hide than was Cora, and both were safely hidden, it
seemed.
Finally, having exhausted their skill in the way of obtaining clews,
the officers left, while the two young men, alone once more, were
struggling to pull themselves together, that the girls might still have
hope that there was a possibility of some favorable news.
"It looks bad," almost sobbed Jack, for the interview with the officers
had all but confirmed his worst fears, that of throwing more suspicion
upon the Gypsy tribe.
Ed was silent. He did not like to think of Cora in the clutch of those
unscrupulous persons. The thought was like a knife to him. Jack saw
his chum's new alarm and tried to brighten up.
The door suddenly opened. Both young men started.
A young woman entered the office.
"Mr. Kimball, Mr. Foster!" she exclaimed, as the boys looked at her in
surprise. "I am so sorry!"
It was Miss Robbins.
"We are very glad to see you," said Jack. "We need all sorts of
doctors. Belle is very ill, and the others are not far from it."
"And Cora?" she asked anxiously.
"No news," said Jack, as cheerfully as he could.
"Listen. I must tell you while I have a chance--before I see the
girls. The man I stayed over to nurse is my brother!"