VICTORY
"Is SHE asleep?" asked Cora, as Lena poked her head in the door again.
"Yes, and she will not wake. You may go!"
"One more little song," begged Helka. "I may never play my lute again."
"Why, Lena could bring it," suggested Cora. "It is not much to carry;
and your box, I will take that."
Helka ran her fingers over the strings.
"Sing," she said, and Cora sang.
"His voice is calling sweet and low!
'Babbette! Pierro!'
He rows across, he takes her hand,
And then they sail away!"
"Yes," interrupted Helka, "he will come, and he will take my hand. Let
us go!"
"There! There!" screamed Bess. "That was Cora's voice!"
"And that was Lillian's lute! Did I not give it to her?" insisted the
strange young man, Leland.
"Then our lost ones are together," said Jack. "I am going!"
"Wait! Wait!" begged the detectives. "The dogs in there would tear
you to pieces!"
"They must eat my hot lead first," said Jack grimly, drawing his
revolver.
"No, wait," implored Mr. Rand. "A false move now may spoil it all."
Every man, young and old, in the party took out his revolver and had it
in readiness. Then, in a solid line, they deliberately walked up to
the old house--through the path lined with boxwood over the little
flower garden.
"Yes, there is a light. See it near the roof?"
The girls were almost on the heels of the men. They could not be
induced to remain in the lane.
"What is that?"
"A woman's voice," said Officer Brown. "She is calling the dogs!"
But no dogs came. Instead, a girl, Lena, confronted them.
"What do you want?" she demanded rather rudely.
"You," said the younger officer--Graham by name--and as he spoke he
seized her arm.
"I am only Lena. I have done nothing. Let me go. Help! help!"
shrieked the girl.
This aroused the old woman. She flung open the door and stood with
lantern in hand.
"Lena! Lena," she shrieked. "The dogs! Where are the dogs?"
But Lena did not answer.
"Sam! Jack! Tipo! Where are you all? What does this mean?"
The searchers stood for a moment considering what was best to do. As
they did so something came dangling down--the rope from the window near
the roof!
"Cora!"
She fell into the very arms of Bess.
Another moment and a second form slid down in that same mysterious way.
It was Helka! And Leland was there to grasp her.
"Lillian!" he murmured.
"Oh, David! Am I--are we safe!"
The door had slammed shut and the old woman was gone.
"Is this the girl we are after?" exclaimed the officer in astonishment.
"None other," declared Mr. Rand. "And I say, boys, just pick these
girls up and carry them. That will be no task for you."
Cora was weeping on Jack's shoulder, Helka was folded in Leland's arms.
To her he was David.
"What happened?" asked Betty.
"Don't leave Lena," begged Cora. "She must come with us!"
"Simply get everybody down on the road," suggested Mr. Rand, "then we
may be able to tell Lena from Cora and all the rest."
How different it was going back over that path! How merrily the girls
prattled, and how excited were the men!
It was Cora! Cora! Cora!
And it was Helka! My friend Helka!
Then Lillian. And David! Even Lena!
It was well the automobiles had a few spare seats, for there were now
four new passengers to be taken back to the Tip-Top.
"Belle!" said Cora, when she could get her voice, "however did you
venture out here?"
"Now, Cora," and Belle protested feebly, "I have been very ill, since
you left; and you know I would have gone anywhere to help find you.
Anywhere in the world!"
Cora kissed her fondly. Nothing and no one could resist teasing Belle.
"Of course you would! But who has Lena?"
"She is with the Rands," replied Bess, "but we claimed you. Oh, Cora
Kimball!"
As only girls know how to show affection, this sort was now fairly
showered upon the rescued girl.
"It almost seemed worth while to have been lost," Cora managed to say.
"When shall we hear all about it?" asked Belle.
"Not to-night," objected the twin sister. "It is enough to know that
we have Cora."
The automobiles were rumbling on. Every mile post took them farther
from the gypsies, and nearer the hotel.
"Hey there!" called Mr. Rand. "You boys keep a tight hold!"
"Aye, aye, sir!" shouted back Walter. "Seems to me Mr. Rand is getting
very gay," he remarked to Betty.
"He simply means," said the dutiful daughter, "that you must look
carefully after the girls. They might be after us--the gypsies, I mean.
"Oh," said Walter, in that way that Walter had.