Greycliff Wings
[Illustration:
“Listen, girls,” said Pauline, “there’s the plane right over us.”
“The Nighthawk,” said Isabel. “Why, there’s something the matter;
it’s coming down!”
]
GREYCLIFF WINGS
By HARRIET PYNE GROVE
Author of
“Cathalina at Greycliff,” “The Girls of Greycliff,”
“The Greycliff Girls in Camp,” “Greycliff Heroines.”
A. L. BURT COMPANY
Publishers, New York
THE RADIO BOYS SERIES
A SERIES OF STORIES FOR BOYS OF ALL AGES
By GERALD BRECKENRIDGE
The Radio Boys on the Mexican Border
The Radio Boys on Secret Service Duty
The Radio Boys with the Revenue Guards
The Radio Boys Search for the Inca’s Treasure
The Radio Boys Rescue the Lost Alaska Expedition
The Radio Boys Seek the Lost Atlantis
The Radio Boys In Darkest Africa
Copyright, 1923
By A. L. BURT COMPANY
THE RADIO BOYS IN DARKEST AFRICA
Made in “U. S. A.”
CHAPTER I: A SENIOR PICNIC AND WHITE WINGS
Deepest of sapphire skies, freshest of air, most sparkling of lake
waters greeted the senior collegiates, dignified by their position at
the head of the school, on their first picnic of the year. By ones,
twos, threes and more, they added to the company which sought seats upon
the dancing _Greycliff_, freshly painted during the summer, the black
letters of the name showing clearly against a pearl-grey side. The
starry-eyed Eloise Winthrop, her dark locks done up in a new way, looked
prettier than ever, as she stood up and waved wildly to Cathalina Van
Buskirk and Lilian North, who were just climbing into the launch.
“This way, girls!” she called. “Here’s Betty,—and Hilary and Pauline!”
“Cathalina and Lilian are getting to look like sisters,” said Pauline.
“It is more their manner,” said Eloise, “and Lilian dresses more like
Cathalina now that she lives in New York. Their features are not alike.
Lilian’s look like a cameo. How much older she looks with her hair up,
in that way too. Cathalina is still our little dreamer,—isn’t she
lovely!”
“Being engaged had made Lilian seem older,” said Pauline. “I noticed it
last year when she came back after Christmas, even before she wore her
ring. Where _is_ Cathalina’s brother now? Do you know, Hilary?”
“Yes. He and his cousin, Campbell Stuart, and Robert Paget, Philip’s
other chum, have all been sent to a Southern camp to train recruits.
They are lieutenants or something. You know they were at a military
school before they went to the university for their last years.”
“Ah, Hilary Lancaster,—I might have known that you would know all about
it. There’s Helen Paget now. Robert is her cousin, isn’t he?”
“Yes, Miss Tracy,” replied Hilary, pretending to be distant because of
Pauline’s implied reference to Hilary’s interest in Campbell Stuart.
Lilian and Cathalina had stopped to chat a moment with Isabel Hunt and
Virginia Hope, two juniors, who had come down to the beach to see them
off. The sun fell on Lilian’s gold locks and Cathalina’s light brown
ones as they leaned over the side of the boat talking. Neither girl wore
a hat, but each had a silk scarf around her neck to tie over flying hair
if the wind proved too troublesome.
“Why didn’t we have a senior-junior affair, Isabel,” Lilian was saying,
“So you and Virgie could come along?”
“Couldn’t overload the _Greycliff_,” replied Isabel. “Now if it looks
like a storm don’t start back in a hurry,” warned she. “I don’t want to
walk the floor the way I did two years ago on the night of the wreck!”
“No danger, is there, Mickey,” replied Cathalina, looking at the
ubiquitous and efficient Mickey, who was stowing away various
impedimenta in the little cabin of the _Greycliff_. Mickey was still the
chief life-saver and mainstay of Greycliff school in more lines than
one.
“The weather’s goin’ to be foine,” replied Mickey, without much
enthusiasm, for he was used to the ways of girls. “And oime goin’ meself
this trip.”
“Thanks, Mickey. An awful load is off my mind. Goodbye, girls, have a
good time.”
“Sit here, Cathalina and Lilian, do!” invited Juliet Howe and Helen
Paget, as the girls passed them, and pointed to two seats near.
“Yes, do,” seconded Diane Percy, moving along to make room.
“Aren’t you nice—” said Cathalina patting Diane’s red cheeks lightly as
she edged her way on, “but the girls are saving seats for us, you see.
How does it happen that you are not with your room-mates?” she
continued, looking at Juliet and Helen.
“O, we thought that Pauline and Eloise needed a rest,” said Juliet, with
a laugh. “We still speak to each other, however.”
There had been some changes in the matter of room-mates, but the
personnel of “Lakeview Suite,” so long the headquarters of Hilary
Lancaster, Betty Barnes, Cathalina Van Buskirk and Lilian North, was
unchanged. The neighboring suite, occupied by Juliet and Pauline, Eloise
and Helen, had also earned a name, but the girls were as yet uncertain
what to call it, though as Pauline said it was high time they called it
something before their last year at Greycliff should be over. When they
were making out their schedules of study for the year, Eloise had
suggested that it be called the “Labor Union,” but that name was
scornfully rejected as not inspirational enough. As Helen was now
president of the Psyche Club, Cathalina had suggested that the suite be
called the Olympic Portal, or O. P., and while the girls had also
rejected this name, she and Betty sometimes referred to the suite as the
“O. P.”
Cathalina and Lilian finally settled themselves, Cathalina by Betty,
still her room-mate, and Lilian by Eloise, for Lilian had brought her
guitar and hastened to get it out of its case. Eloise was already
strumming upon her ukulele, and rose to look around for anyone else who
had one. But the other girls had either forgotten their instruments or
had not wanted to bother with them.
“Start ’em off, Hilary,” said Lilian to her room-mate. “I can’t lead and
play too, and neither can Eloise.”
Hilary obediently started the Greycliff songs and some of the war songs
so popular then, for the girls never started anywhere upon the water
without singing. “The Long, Long Trail,” “Tipperary,” and “Keep the Home
Fires Burning,” followed in due order after the Greycliff songs, and
Eloise and Lilian sang “I May Be Gone For a Long, Long Time,” which
Lilian had brought with her from New York. It was comparatively new to
the girls, but one after the other joined, as the catchy tune was
supplemented by the chords and “plunks” of guitar and ukulele. Lilian
was in a gay humor, for she had just received a bright letter from Phil,
who complained that he supposed he would be kept training in this
country till the end of the war, but told of many funny experiences, and
the fact that he might be in America for some time to come was of much
relief to both Lilian and Cathalina.
“Why, where are you _going_, Mickey?” asked one of the girls in
surprise, as she saw that they were going out in the open lake far
beyond where they usually turned toward the famous old “Island.” This
could now be seen at their left in the distance.
“Oi have a surprise fur ye,” said Mickey, turning the wheel a little.
“Wait a minute an’ ye can see a little flag on the shore. The trustees
has bought a new playground for ye, where there ain’t no rocks.”
Great surprise and pleasure was evident on the faces of all the girls
who could hear what Mickey said, and the word was passed around to the
others. They all watched with interest, while the boat chugged on,
several miles further on, and then turned nearer shore, toward a sandy
beach and a new dock. As they approached, several gulls which had been
perching there spread their wings and flew away. “Oh,” exclaimed Lilian,
“this ought to be called ‘White Wings.’ Look at the terns fishing out
there!”
“It does seem to be a regular feeding place for the birds,” said Hilary
with great interest. “Of course, the wings are not all white, really,”
she added.
“But they look so,” insisted Lilian. “Have they named the place,
Mickey?”
“No, m’am, not as I know of,” replied Mickey.
“I’ll write it up, then, for the _Greycliff Star_,” said Lilian who, as
chief editor this year was always looking for “copy,”—“and call it
‘White Wings,’ and perhaps the name will stick to it.”
Carefully the _Greycliff_ was docked and the girls helped carry the
lunch ashore, hurrying toward a pretty little summer house which Mickey
pointed out to them. It stood back among the trees and was screened,
with a floor and picnic tables.
“Hurrah!” exclaimed Betty, “no mosquitoes or bugs at our meals.
Blessings on the Greycliff trustees!”
“Let’s ask Miss Perin about it,” suggested Hilary. “She did not look the
least bit surprised when Mickey was telling about it, and has probably
heard all about it at faculty meeting.”
“All right,” replied Betty,—“isn’t it the funniest thing not to have
Miss West for chaperone? We always used to ask for her. I had the shock
of my life not to find her here.”
“Our dear ‘Patty’ is getting married about now, I suppose,” said Hilary.
“Dr. Norris, I mean Lieutenant Norris, was to have leave of absence and
they were to be married this week. But Patty is coming back here as soon
as he leaves for France.”
“When will that be?”
“Nobody knows.”
“There is Miss Perin now. Ask her, Hilary.”
The girls joined their young chaperone, who was taking Miss West’s
place, with English and Latin classes, at Greycliff.
“Yes,” Miss Perin replied, in answer to Hilary’s question, “this is a
farm which was willed to Greycliff and they came into possession of it
this past summer. The beach was so fine that they decided to make a new
picnic place for the girls of the school, and they rented the farm to a
man who is supposed to keep an eye on this part of the grounds as well.
They say that they were able to secure a real scientific farmer to run
the place because he wanted to experiment with a hydroplane here. He has
one or two helpers that are very good and the trustees got him for a
very reasonable price to furnish certain things to the school. It gives
him a convenient market, too.”
The girls scattered about the beautiful place to see what was there. The
“picnic grounds” proper were out upon a point or peninsula where the
little screened house had been erected, with a small boat house and
another building which proved to be an ice house. Easy enough was it to
get a supply of ice to last over the summer. Grounds stretched out to
left and right toward the lake, and on the right hand was a little bay,
an ideal place for the experiments with hydroplanes. Another small dock
was here.
Leaving the picnic point behind, the girls crossed a little road to the
farm proper, where the usual farm-house and other buildings were
located. There seemed to have been an old log house as the original
home. This stood back upon a rise of ground, while some distance to the
side and front of it was a modern farm-house, a large barn and silo
still further over. Back of the bay were open fields. A vineyard of
well-trained grape-vines was on a slope and stretched for quite a
distance. A big orchard and a pretty stretch of woodland attracted the
bird lovers, who ran up the slope to investigate.
Betty and Cathalina were together. Although Lilian loved Cathalina
dearly, and for Phil’s sake now as well as her own, still Hilary, her
room-mate, was her chief confidante whenever they were within reach of
each other. And Hilary had visited Lilian during the summer, enjoying a
little of the time with her own as yet undeclared lover, Campbell
Stuart, cousin to Cathalina and Philip Van Buskirk. It was plain to all
what Campbell thought of Hilary, but he thought that she should be free
until after the war. Lilian and Philip, on the other hand, were openly
engaged, and by common consent were permitted to enjoy each other’s
society in the few days they had together. The Norths had moved further
out, for the judge felt too cramped in the apartment to which they had
first moved when they went to New York.
Both Lilian and Hilary were lingering near the bay to discuss matters
pertaining to their future, while Cathalina suggested to Betty that they
go through the rows of vines to reach the woods. They did so, but paused
to listen to a wren song. “That’s a Bewick wren, Cathalina,” said Betty.
“Take the glass and see if you can find him.”
Betty handed the glass to Cathalina, and turning, saw a man who was
tying up one of the vines and had turned to look at her. Betty caught a
flashing look of recognition and then the man’s back was quickly turned.
Betty was instinctively on guard, and in even tones continued her low
conversation with Cathalina. “Do you get it, Cathalina?”
“Yes, Betty. _You_ look now. It is on that low bush. See?”
The girls satisfied themselves in regard to the wren and went on up the
slope toward the old log house, on whose step they sat down to look over
the whole place with their field glass, for they had decided that one
was enough to bring on a picnic.
Betty glanced around to see if any one was within hearing. “I’ve
something to tell you,” she said. “Did you notice the man that was tying
up the vines as we came along?”
“Why, yes, I believe I did see somebody, one of the hands, I suppose.”
“Yes, and he gave me the funniest look and hurried to turn his back on
us. Now where have I seen those flashing eyes before? I certainly
haven’t any acquaintances like that!”
“You have had some queer experiences, Bettina, for a timid little lady
like yourself. Think of your friend Captain Holley.”
“I have it, Cathalina. Your suggestion fits. This is one of the men in
that boat, way back in our second year at Greycliff, there at that place
where afterwards Isabel and I heard somebody in the cave, you know, and
then saw Captain Holley come out, and the men carried away the box. You
remember that we went there once with Patty last year, but didn’t see
anything and were afraid to investigate much.”
“Oh yes. You and Isabel told Dr. Norris or somebody about it, but I
guess nobody thought much about it.”
“Everybody had too much to do. Do you suppose Captain Holley is still at
the military school? He’s an ‘enemy alien’ now.”
“Yes, he is there. Louise is back, you know, and I heard her say that
her brother was coming over to dinner with her Sunday. Louise is a lot
nicer to the girls than she used to be, and I heard her say that she was
very unhappy to think that her country and her adopted country were at
war.”
“Oh, well, let’s not think about them!”
“I suppose this man is some one who lives around here. But it is funny
that he did not want you to look at him. It looks as if there were
something out of the way going on, that time at the cave.”
“It does indeed! Isn’t there a pretty view from here? There come Hilary
and Lil. Let’s go on to the woods. The birds are in the fall migration
now, perhaps we’ll find something different. Think of it, Cathalina,
only one more beautiful spring here! Do you suppose we’ll like it as
well at college?”
“It will be different. I don’t believe any place could be to us what
dear old Greycliff has been. I can’t realize yet that we are seniors.
Wouldn’t it be fine if they would add the two more years of a college
course?”
“They don’t want that kind of a school here. Have you any idea where you
will go?”
“Yes, in New York, but whether I get right into Columbia or not I don’t
know. Perhaps I’ll just take what I want. But mother wants me there. She
pretty nearly kept me at home this time. It is hard on her, you know,
with Philip away at camp. But Aunt Katherine was strong for having me
finish up this course here, and Father said, ‘Your Aunt Knickerbocker’s
idea of sending Cathalina to Greycliff worked out pretty well’!”
“He usually calls her that, doesn’t he?”
“Yes. Then Aunt Katherine reminded Mother that she would be head over
heels—she didn’t say that—in war work, and Mother is on about forty
committees more or less, so it was decided.”
“How about little Cathalina? Didn’t she have any voice in the matter?”
“Yes indeed. But I thought if Mother really needed me I would stay
without a word. I’ve been so upset in plans myself, as all of us have
been, and I thought I’d like to be where I’d see Phil if he is sent over
very soon. But they are to telegraph, and Lilian and I will go on. And
say, Betty, the last letter I had from Captain Van Horne said that it
will not be very long until the Rainbow Division goes over.”
“Is he with that?”
“Yes.”
“Does he write often?”
“Oh, no, not so very often,—not like Lilian and Phil, or Hilary and
Campbell. By the way, what was it you told me about Donald Hilton? I’ve
been on such a rush ever since we began school that I have a lot of
confused impressions about different things.”
“Donald joined the marines! I never was so surprised.”
“Why, did he know anything about the navy?”
“Not a thing, but it seems he always has been crazy about ships and
things. You must read some of his letters,—they are so interesting.”
“I’d love to, if you don’t mind.”
“Oh, I always tell you anything flattering that he says in them anyway.
Do you ever hear from Bob Paget, or Lawrence Haverhill?”
“Yes, both boys have written since I came here. Lawrence is in a
different camp, it seems, and is sorry not to be with the other boys.”
“That was such a lovely house-party that we had last year, just a year
ago, after camp.”
“The next one will probably be for Lil’s wedding, after the war.”
“_Lil’s_ wedding?—and you Phil’s sister!”
“Yes, the wedding is chiefly the bride’s, I guess. I wish I had another
brother or cousin for you, Betty, though the future Admiral Hilton
wouldn’t thank me for that, I suppose. But to have you ’way off in
Chicago!”
“Don’t you think that we are going ahead just a little too fast,
Cathalina?”
“I guess we are, especially if the war lasts for years and years!”
“Donald says it can’t after he and the other boys from Grant Academy get
over there! He is always joking that way.”
“I wonder where the farm ends,” said Cathalina, looking through the
woods which seemed to stretch endlessly along the bluff above the shore.
“We’d better not go too far. I don’t see Hilary and Lilian now. Let’s go
back. That looks like another shack or cabin ahead of us. Perhaps it
belongs to some other farm.”
The girls retraced their steps, finding other girls strolling about, and
joining some of them to go where some fine stock was grazing. Betty
leaned over a fence to snap some pictures of the cattle. “Nice old
bossies,” she said. “I guess this place is where that grand cream we’re
having now comes from. Come on, let’s get the farmer to pose for us with
some of the horses, or the family, if they, want to.”
“There isn’t any family there yet, but the tenants live back in that
little bit of a house. See?” Eloise was pointing as she spoke. “And it’s
no use to ask the farmer. Some of the girls did, and he acted as if he
were mad about it. I don’t believe he likes to have the girls come here.
Listen! That’s the dinner bell. Doesn’t it make you think of
Merry-meeting Camp?”
“Where do we have our lunch?—O, yes, of course, in the little summer
house they made on purpose. Say, Eloise, wouldn’t it be fun to snap the
farmer when he wasn’t looking? Where is he?” Betty was looking all
around to find the new farmer of whom she had had a glimpse as they went
up to the wood. “He’s such a straight, fine-looking man that he would
make a good picture for our memory books, if we could get him with a
good background of the woods and lake, or the vineyard, or some of the
pretty surroundings here.”
“He doesn’t look as if hard work had broken him down, does he?” said
Diane.
“No, he doesn’t,” said Betty. “I tell you, some of you girls stop and
talk to him, and I’ll get behind some bushes or something and watch for
a good chance to snap him. There he is now, bringing out that handsome
black horse from the barn. Come on.”
The black horse was restive, and Betty, hurrying on, caught an excellent
picture of both horse and man, while the farmer was too busy with the
horse to observe anything else. When he did observe her and her camera
he took pains to keep his face turned away.
“Funny folks around here,” remarked Betty to Cathalina. “One man does
not want to be seen at all, and another can’t bear to have his picture
taken and doesn’t like girls much, I guess. Now I must get a picture of
the beach and some of the birds, if Lilian is going to call the place
White Wings. I wonder if they won’t let the seniors name it. I suppose
that shed or something down there is where the hydroplane is. Wouldn’t
it be wonderful if we could get that, too. Perhaps we can when it’s
finished.”
“And name it White Wings, too,” suggested Eloise.
“Some of the girls started to peek in a while ago, and the crossest man,
worse than the farmer, told them that they weren’t to come around there
at all.”
“I imagine it upsets them to have us all over the place like this,” said
Cathalina, “but they’ll get used to it, unless they make a rule that
picnic parties have to keep to the picnic ground. But the girls were
told not to break off any of the fruit or do anything ‘destructive’ and
I don’t think any of the senior girls would. My, Diane, do you see that
wonderful basket of grapes that man is carrying across the road for us!”
“Who wouldn’t be a senior girl at Greycliff Farm?” inquired Eloise of
the squirrels or birds or anybody who happened to be listening, as they
hurried to the little summer house.
“Really, this is the best part of the place for us,” said Hilary. “There
isn’t a better beach anywhere along than this, and about two or three
o’clock we can have a fine swim. Have you noticed the swings and seats
in that grassy spot under those old trees?—over in that direction. I’m
going to get out my knitting as soon as lunch is over and go there to
rest my bones.”
“I didn’t bring my knitting,” said Betty, “but have a good story, one
that I bought to read on the train, but didn’t read it there, nor have I
had any time since. If you like I can read aloud a while. I move that we
offer resolutions of thanks to whoever got up all these things.”
“Miss Randolph thought it up, I imagine,” said Lilian. “She hasn’t liked
the Island very well, though I suppose they will go there sometimes
still.”
“The Island is very romantic,” said Helen Paget, in her pretty Southern
way. “There is the cave, you know, and the rocks, and the place where
the water rushes through. I’m glad we had it.”
“Speaking of caves,” said Diane, “you girls never took me to that one
you told such wonderful tales about last year. Didn’t you and Isabel,
Betty, explore one the year that I wasn’t at Greycliff?”
“We didn’t exactly explore it,” replied Betty. “We must go there before
it gets cold. As senior girls, we ought to be able to get permission to
go beyond the place where the breakwater is.”
“In boats?”
“O, no; just around the cliffs toward Greycliff Heights, you know, where
all those big rocks are. But I want to have a lot of the girls along.”
Fruit and rich cream were the chief contributions of the farm to the
lunch of the seniors. Sandwiches and other good things had been brought
from the school. After the lunch, the girls really rested for some time.
Senior days are strenuous at times, with many activities and the home
stretch of studies, and a day of freedom from lessons is welcomed.
The sun was warm when the girls splashed in the cool waters, swimming
out as far as Mickey permitted, or diving from the new diving board.
It was not until the girls were gathering up their different belongings,
as the _Greycliff_ approached the school dock, that Betty missed her
camera. “I thought you had it, Cathalina,” she said. “Didn’t you tell me
that you would look after it?”
“Yes, I did, but when I went to the place you said you left it, it
wasn’t there, and I thought you had taken it after all. You were on the
boat first, you know.”
After all the girls were out of the _Greycliff_, the two girls searched
the boat, in the hope that some one had seen the camera and brought it,
but no camera was there.
“It’s the funniest thing, Cathalina,” said Betty, as they walked up
toward the Hall. “I put it right with Lilian’s guitar and Eloise’s
ukulele when I said I’d help Miss Perin carry some of her things to the
boat, and it wasn’t five minutes after that when you went to get it.”
“Yes, I told you I would, when you passed Hilary and me and said if one
of us would bring your camera you wouldn’t have to come back. Then when
I went into the summer house to get it, there wasn’t a thing in the
whole place but the guitar and the uke. I even looked into the little
cupboards. So I thought that you must have found you could carry it and
had gone back after it, or told somebody else to get it. I was jabbering
to the girls and didn’t notice what you did or I might have seen you go
straight on and get on the _Greycliff_. It’s a perfect shame!”
“Well, it isn’t your fault, Cathalina. I’m real sorry, because I had
some such pretty pictures of the place. I got one gull just spreading
his wings to fly, and I thought that perhaps Lilian might have a cut
made of that for the _Greycliff Star_, if she is going to write up
‘White Wings.’”
“We’ll advertise for the camera, but I can’t think of a senior girl who
would take it for a joke or on purpose.”
“Yes, I’ll have a little notice read and tell about the pictures, and it
may turn up.”