THE CARRIER PIGEON
There came a day in mid-April that will always be remembered by the
dwellers in Valhalla. Herz had walked home from school with Douglas,
and contrary to his custom, had come in when they reached the house. He
was in a strange, fierce humor and it seemed to Douglas as though his
near-sighted eyes were boring holes in her. She could not keep her mind
and talk off the war and whenever war was mentioned he became very glum.
"Now that we are at war, will you not enlist?" she asked. "If you are a
true American, I do not see how you can help it."
"My eyes would debar me. Near-sighted men can't always serve where they
would like to," he answered rather bitterly. "You see good in no one but
a soldier."
"Why, not at all!" blushed Douglas. "Of course, when my country is at
war I want our young men to be willing to fight. Being a girl is all
that keeps me here. You might work in a munition factory and help that
way."
"Ah, I should like that! Would you think more of me if I could help your
country in some way?"
"Your country, too!"
Herz had come so close to her as they stood in the middle of the quaint
old living-room that Douglas felt a desire to run away. She welcomed
the sight of Helen running across the lawn from the direction of
Grantly.
"Guess!" panted Helen, bursting in on them. "I have seen James Hanks! He
was sneaking out of the kitchen at Grantly. Had been in to see Tempy, I
reckon. The man is crazy about her. Miss Louise saw him, too, and has
'phoned Mr. Sutton. I fancy he is on the way over here now with those
western cousins of his. Funny men, aren't they? Miss Ella says she never
heard of either Mr. or Mrs. Sutton's having any western kin, and she has
known them and all their people for pretty near a century. I believe
they are detectives myself, trying to find those runaway darkies."
While Helen was giving out this information, Herz stood as though he had
turned to stone. His face was white with a red spot on each high cheek
bone.
"Where is your carrier pigeon?" he asked Douglas abruptly.
"The cage hangs on the porch."
He drew from his pocket a small note-book and wrote rapidly in it.
Tearing out the sheet, he strode to the porch, and with a small rubber
band he quickly attached the note to the foot of the docile bird that he
had grabbed from the cage without even a "by your leave."
"What are you doing?" demanded Douglas. Was the man crazy?
"Stop!" cried Helen. "Count de Lestis gave that bird to my sister."
"Yes, and she was to send him a message. This is the message. It is as
he would have it, I am sure. You remember he told you he would rather
someone would seek him than search him. He shall have his choice."
He carried the pigeon out on the lawn and freed it. The clever bird rose
in a spiral flight and then started straight towards Weston and its
mate. Without a word, Herz left the girls and started towards Weston,
too, taking a line almost as straight as the one the pigeon had chosen.
"Is he crazy, Douglas?"
"I think he is something worse. I believe he is afraid of detectives."
The count and his confederate got away,--although they were captured
later on in North Carolina. The faithful red car carried them off
rapidly. De Lestis was waiting for his one time secretary at the cross
roads by Paradise.
"Did you destroy the papers and maps?" gasped that gentleman as he
sprang into the car.
"How could I when your call was so urgent? I brought all the money,
though. Those fools will never find the wireless. They have no
imagination. And I have the grey paint to put my darling here in her
uniform."
That night, after having speeded for hours, the two men drew the little
red car into the woods where they painted her a dingy grey. The count
had purchased the paint only the day before at the country store.
"In case of an emergency!" he had told Herz.
Little did he dream that one of the visitors at Mr. Sutton's found out
before night that he had bought the paint, and that when messages were
sent in every direction to look out for two German spies, information
was also given that they would be in a red car that had more than likely
been painted grey.
When Weston was thoroughly searched, many things besides the wireless
station were brought to light. One of the detectives brought to Douglas
a letter addressed in Lewis Somerville's writing.
"Where did you find it?" blushed Douglas.
"In the count's desk! I am sorry to have to tell you that it was my duty
to read it before giving it to you."
It was the letter Lewis had written from the Mexican border and no
wonder Douglas blushed. He had made most violent love to her in this
letter and had also spoken quite openly of the situation in Mexico from
a soldier's standpoint.
"Nothing is too small for them!" cried Douglas.
"But what an escape we have made!" exclaimed Helen. "I bet you that man
has made love to every one of us except Lucy."
"He had better not say anything sweet to me," said that young lady. "Mag
and I never could abide him."
"Well, I liked him a whole lot," sighed Nan. "He appreciated poetry so
thoroughly."
There were three young men who were secretly glad when the count and
Herz were caught: Dr. Wright, Lewis Somerville and Billy Sutton. They
did not wish to be ungenerous, but it _was_ hard to have your especial
girl monopolized on every occasion.
The Misses Grant never could be made to understand that their precious
count was a spy. "He was a charming gentleman and we want to hear
nothing unkind about him," they actually agreed.
Mrs. Carter insisted it was all the doings of that common Herz, who did
not know how to conduct himself in a ballroom and who held his fork so
awkwardly at the table. And Mr. Carter, true to his professional
instinct, declared he had had his doubts about de Lestis from the moment
he sacrificed his roof line to the pigeon house.
But whatever the opinion held by the various members of the Carter
family, all agreed that the surprising summer at Valhalla was one
long to be remembered. Fascinating as had been its mysteries, its
uncertainties, its new friendships and responsibilities however, not one
of the family was sorry to return to Richmond. There, as fall advanced
into winter, new doors of opportunity were opened and old associations
renewed. Once more there were numbered among the city's happily busy
people "The Carter Girls of Carter House."
THE END
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Transcriber's Note
In this text-version italics has been indicated with _italics_ and
bold with =bold=. Small capitals has been changed to all capitals.
A few obvious printer's errors have been corrected. Otherwise the
original has been preserved, including inconsistencies in spelling,
hyphenation or accentuation.