GLORIOUS NEWS
Beatrice’s prediction that the night’s disaster would hasten by several
days the beginning of a prolonged Easter vacation proved accurate. The
day following the fire was a busy one for all who had suffered from
the dire calamity. At a meeting held in the chapel at two o’clock on
the following afternoon, Miss Osgood announced that a six weeks’ leave
of absence would be granted the pupils of Yardley. Those who were
sufficiently provided with clothing and funds to go to their homes
at once were requested to repair to her office immediately after the
meeting. Those who were not were requested to meet her there at four
o’clock to discuss ways and means.
As it happened, the Wayfarers were not only ready to go home, but
wildly impatient to go. Early that morning they had driven to Alden in
Patsy’s car to purchase the few things needful for the journey. Luckily
for them they had been fully dressed when the fire alarm had sounded.
Beatrice, Mabel and Eleanor had wisely donned hats and coats before
leaving their rooms. Patsy had put on her fur coat when she had gone
out to mail a letter. She was therefore minus a hat only. An hour’s
shopping in the village provided the four girls with handkerchiefs,
gloves and the few other articles which they required.
Four o’clock that afternoon saw them at the railway station at Alden,
waiting for the four-thirty west-bound train which would land them in
Morton shortly after ten o’clock that evening. Patsy had already sent
her aunt a lengthy telegram, informing Miss Carroll of the fire and
that the four girls would arrive in Morton that night.
Though the journey home was not a long one, it seemed interminable to
the travelers. Patsy was burning to impart the glorious news to her
aunt. She was very sure that Aunt Martha would reconsider her decision
not to go to Palm Beach as soon as she had been informed of the new
turn in the girls’ affairs.
“Morton at last!” sighed Mabel thankfully, when at five minutes to
ten that evening the scattered lights of the city’s suburbs began to
spring up in the darkness. “Our train is exactly on time.”
“I hope Auntie will meet us,” Patsy said. “Maybe your mother will
be there, too, Perry children; and yours, Bee. I told Auntie in my
telegram to send them word. I guess they’ll be there, all right enough.”
“It seems queer not to have any luggage, doesn’t it?” remarked Eleanor.
The four girls had now begun putting on their coats, preparatory to
leaving the train, which was gradually slowing down as it neared the
station.
“We’re lucky to be here ourselves,” returned Bee seriously. “If that
fire had started at dead of night it would have been a good deal worse
for us.”
When the train pulled into the station, however, the Wayfarers were
doomed to disappointment. No friendly faces greeted their sight as they
stepped from the train.
“Auntie didn’t get my telegram! I just know she didn’t!” Patsy cried
out disappointedly. “If she’s read about the fire in the evening
papers, I can imagine how worried she must be by this time. It’s
probably the fault of the operator at Alden. He looked like a sleepy
old stupid. We’d better take a taxi, children. The sooner we get home
the better it will be for our worried folks.”
Hailing a taxicab the Wayfarers were soon driving through the quiet
streets of the little city toward the beautiful suburb in which they
lived. Beatrice was the first to alight in front of the Forbes’
unpretentious home. Promising to run over to see Patsy the first thing
the next morning, she said “good night” and hurried up the walk.
“Coming in, girls?” asked Patsy as the taxicab finally stopped in front
of the high, ornamental iron fence which enclosed the beautiful grounds
of the Carroll estate.
“Not to-night. We must hustle into our own house and surprise Mother,”
returned Eleanor.
“Good-night, then. See you in the morning. I’ll pay the driver.”
Patsy hopped nimbly out of the taxicab, handed the driver his fare with
an additional coin for good measure, then swung open the big gate and
raced up the driveway to the house.
Three sharp, successive rings of the electric bell had a potent effect
upon a stately, white-haired matron who sat in the living room, making
a half-hearted attempt to read. Miss Martha Carroll sprang to her feet
as the sound fell upon her ears and started for the hall at a most
undignified pace. There was but one person who rang the Carrolls’ bell
in that fashion.
Long before the maid had time to reach the door Miss Martha had opened
it and thrown her arms about the merry-faced, auburn-haired girl on the
threshold.
“Patsy Carroll, you bad child!” she exclaimed as she gathered her niece
closer to her. “Why didn’t you telegraph me that you were all right and
coming home?”
“But I did, Auntie,” protested Patsy, as she energetically hugged her
relieved relative. “I telegraphed this morning. I knew you hadn’t
received the telegram the minute I got into the station. In it I asked
you to meet me.”
“I never received it. Of course it will be delivered _to-morrow_,”
emphasized Miss Martha disgustedly. “I sent one to you directly after I
read the account of the fire in the evening paper. My nerves have been
keyed up to a high pitch, waiting for a reply to it.”
“Poor, dear Auntie,” cooed Patsy. “It’s a shame. Never mind. I’m home
now, so everything’s lovely again. Let’s go into the living room and
I’ll tell you all about the fire and how I happened to come home
to-night. Bee and Mab and Nellie came home with me. They’ll be over to
see you in the morning.”
“Are you hungry, Patsy?” was her aunt’s solicitous question as the two
walked slowly into the living room, arms twined about each other’s
waists.
“No, Auntie. We had dinner on the train. I’m just crazy to talk. I’ve
some glorious news to tell you. Let’s sit on the davenport and have a
grand old talking bee.”
“To know you are safe is sufficiently good news,” tenderly rejoiced
Miss Martha. “Really, Patricia, I am still trembling from the shock I
received when I opened the newspaper and saw the headline, ‘Fire Sweeps
Away Dormitory at Yardley.’”
“Well, it didn’t sweep me away,” laughed Patsy, snuggling into the
circle of her aunt’s arm. The two had now seated themselves on the big
leather davenport. “Part of the dormitory is still there. We lost all
our stuff except the clothing we were wearing when the fire broke out.”
“What started it?” questioned Miss Martha rather severely. “The paper
didn’t state the cause. A dormitory like the one at Yardley ought to
be fireproof. I am sorry that I did not visit Yardley before allowing
you to enter the school. I should certainly never countenance your
living in a place that in any way looked like a fire-trap.”
“The fire started in the basement. The regular janitor was sick and
a new one took his place. They say it was through his carelessness
that it started. He was seen to go into the basement smoking a pipe.
Something he’d been forbidden to do. Of course, no one can be really
sure that it was his fault, though. I was the one who gave the alarm.”
Patsy went on to recount the incidents of the eventful night.
“Not a single girl acted scared or panicky,” she proudly boasted. “We’d
had fire drill so often that we knew just what to do when the fire
really came. But I haven’t told you the glorious news yet. We’re going
to have _six_ weeks’ vacation. Just think of it, Aunt Martha! Isn’t
that perfectly gorgeous? Now we can go to Palm Beach, can’t we?”
“So that is the glorious news,” commented Miss Carroll.
For an instant she silently surveyed Patsy, a half-smile touching her
firm lips.
“What is it, Auntie?”
Patsy was not slow to read peculiar significance in both tone and
smile. Something unusual was in the wind.
“Would you care very much if we didn’t go to Palm Beach?” was Miss
Martha’s enigmatic question.
“Of course I should,” Patsy cried out, her bright face clouding over.
“You’re not going to say that we can’t! You mustn’t! I’ve set my heart
on the Florida trip. All the way home I’ve been planning for it.”
“I received a letter from your father this morning,” pursued Miss
Carroll, ignoring Patsy’s protest. “I also received another from Miss
Osgood in which she refused my request for the extra week of vacation.
I had written your father several days ago regarding the making of
arrangements for us to go to Palm Beach. You can read for yourself what
he has to say.”
Rising, Miss Martha went over to a small mahogany writing desk. Opening
it she took a letter from one of the pigeon holes.
“Here is Robert’s letter,” she said. Handing it to her niece she
reseated herself beside the latter.
Very eagerly Patsy took it from its envelope and read:
“DEAR MARTHA:
“Your letter came to me this morning and I would be quick to
reserve rooms for yourself and the girls at one of the Palm
Beach hotels, except that I have a better plan. How would you
like to spend three weeks in a real southern mansion? There is
such a house on the estate I recently bought.
“It is a curiously beautiful house, built after the Spanish
style of architecture, with an inner court and many balconies.
The agent from whom I purchased it informs me that it was
formerly the property of an elderly Spaniard, Manuel de Fereda.
After his death, several months ago, the property descended to
his granddaughter, who was anxious to sell it.
“It is completely furnished, much in the fashion of houses I
saw when in Mexico. The girls will rave over it and I am very
anxious that they shall spend their holiday in it. It is not
many miles from Palm Beach and I have found a good Indian guide
who will take us on the Everglades expedition which Patsy has
set her mind on making.
“Of course, if you prefer Palm Beach for the girls, then so
be it. If you come to Las Golondrinas (The Swallows), that is
the name of the old house, you will not need to bring so many
trunks, as you will see very little of society, except when you
make an occasional trip to the Beach. I can secure a good car
for your use while here which Patsy can drive to her heart’s
content.
“Let me know at once what you think of my plan. If you decide
immediately to take it up, wire me and I will be on the lookout
for you. I believe you will enjoy this little adventure as much
as I shall. I know now what Patsy will say. As the girls are
to have only three weeks’ vacation, better arrange to start as
soon as possible.
“Affectionately,
“ROBERT.”
“Aunt Martha, the Wayfarers are the luckiest girls in the whole world,”
was Patsy’s solemn assertion as she looked up from the letter. “First
they go through a fire and come out as safely as can be. Next they get
six weeks’ vacation. After that, Daddy plays good fairy, and finds
them a wonderful palace in the land of flowers. All they have to do
is to hurry up and take possession. _When_ are we going to start for
Florida?”
“As soon as we can make ready,” was the prompt reply. “Since your
father seems very anxious for us to take this trip, I feel that we
ought not disappoint him. I dare say we may find this old house he
describes somewhat interesting.”
This calm statement filled Patsy with inward amusement. She knew it to
be an indirect admission that her aunt was as anxious as she to carry
out the plan her father had made for them.
“We won’t need a lot of new gowns,” argued Patsy. “We all have evening
frocks and plenty of wash dresses from last summer. We can wear our
corduroy suits and high boots to tramp around in. We ought to have some
of those Palm Beach hats the stores are showing, and new white shoes,
and a few other things. It isn’t as if we were going to stay at a large
hotel. We’ll be away from society and living outdoors most of the
time. This is Friday. I think we ought to start south not later than
next Wednesday morning. We can’t afford to use up more than one of our
precious weeks in getting ready and going down to Las--Las----What’s
the name of our new home?”
Patsy hastily consulted her father’s letter.
“Las Gol-on-drinas,” she pronounced slowly. “I suppose that’s not
the way to pronounce it. I’ll have to ask Mab about it. She’s taking
Spanish this year. It’s very necessary to know how to say the name of
our new southern home,” she added with a chuckle. “Won’t the girls be
surprised when they hear about this splendid plan of Father’s? Have you
spoken to Mrs. Perry about it yet, Auntie?”
“No, my dear. You must remember that I received Miss Osgood’s letter,
refusing my request at the same time that I received your father’s
letter. They arrived in the first mail this morning. I intended writing
Robert this evening, explaining that it would be impossible for us
to go to Florida. Then I read about the fire in the paper and it
completely upset my nerves. I will call on the Perrys to-morrow morning
to talk things over. We must also call on Mrs. Forbes.”
“Bee isn’t sure that her mother will let her accept another trip from
us,” confided Patsy. “That’s the only thing I worried about after I
knew we were to have the six weeks’ vacation. She said she was sure
her mother wouldn’t feel right about letting us pay her expenses at a
fashionable resort like Palm Beach. But it’s all different now. Mrs.
Forbes can’t very well refuse to let Bee accept an invitation to a
house party, can she? You must make her see it in that light, Aunt
Martha, or she won’t let Bee go with us. She’s awfully proud, you know.
We simply must have Bee along. I wouldn’t care much about the trip if
she had to stay at home.”
“Beatrice will go with us,” assured Miss Martha in a tone that
indicated the intention to have her own way in the matter. Patsy knew
from long experience that her dignified aunt was a person not to be
easily overruled, and rejoiced accordingly.
“I told Bee that I knew you could fix things beautifully with her
mother,” she declared happily. “We’re going to have a wonderful time in
that quaint old house. Wouldn’t it be great if it were haunted, or had
some kind of a mystery about it? I’ve read lots of queer stories about
those old southern mansions.”
“Now, Patsy,” Miss Martha made an attempt at looking extremely severe,
“once and for all you may put such foolish notions out of your head.
That affair of the missing will at Wilderness Lodge was, of course,
quite remarkable. Nevertheless, it was very annoying in many respects.”
Miss Martha had not forgotten her enforced hike over hill and dale on
the memorable afternoon when John, the rascally chauffeur, had set her
down in an unfamiliar territory and left her to return to the Lodge as
best she might.
“We are going down South for recreation. Bear that in mind,” she
continued. “The majority of these tales about haunted houses down there
originate with the negroes, who are very ignorant and superstitious.
There is no such thing as a _haunted_ house. I have never yet met a
person who had actually _seen_ a ghost. Undoubtedly we shall hear a
number of such silly tales while we are in Florida. I am told that the
natives are very fond of relating such yarns. You girls may listen to
them if you like, but you must not take them seriously. You are not apt
ever again to run into another mystery like that of Wilderness Lodge.”