Mr. Rogers strode to the door, forgetful of his sleeping daughter
overhead, and thundered out his call for James. The servant appeared at
once, but he knew nothing about the safe, and had not been in the office
that morning. Other servants were summoned and put through a rigid
examination. Then Rogers turned to the woman who had answered the door
for Gardley and sent her up to call Rosa.
But the woman returned presently with word that Miss Rosa was not in her
room, and there was no sign that her bed had been slept in during the
night. The woman's face was sullen. She did not like Rosa, but was
afraid of her. This to her was only another of Miss Rosa's pranks, and
very likely her doting father would manage to blame the servants with
the affair.
Mr. Rogers's face grew stern. His eyes flashed angrily as he turned and
strode up the stairs to his daughter's room, but when he came down again
he was holding a note in his trembling hand and his face was ashen
white.
"Read that, Gardley," he said, thrusting the note into Gardley's hands
and motioning at the same time for the servants to go away.
Gardley took the note, yet even as he read he noticed that the paper
was the same as those he carried in his pocket. There was a peculiar
watermark that made it noticeable.
The note was a flippant little affair from Rosa, telling her father she
had gone away to be married and that she would let him know where she
was as soon as they were located. She added that he had forced her to
this step by being so severe with her and not allowing her lover to come
to see her. If he had been reasonable she would have stayed at home and
let him give her a grand wedding; but as it was she had only this way of
seeking her happiness. She added that she knew he would forgive her, and
she hoped he would come to see that her way had been best, and Forsythe
was all that he could desire as a son-in-law.
Gardley uttered an exclamation of dismay as he read, and, looking up,
found the miserable eyes of the stricken father upon him. For the moment
his own alarm concerning Margaret and his perplexity about the letters
was forgotten in the grief of the man who had been his friend.
"When did she go?" asked Gardley, quickly looking up.
"She took supper with me and then went to her room, complaining of a
headache," said the father, his voice showing his utter hopelessness.
"She may have gone early in the evening, perhaps, for we all turned in
about nine o'clock to keep the house quiet on her account."
"Have you any idea which way they went, east or west?" Gardley was the
keen adviser in a crisis now, his every sense on the alert.
The old man shook his head. "It is too late now," he said, still in that
colorless voice. "They will have reached the railroad somewhere. They
will have been married by this time. See, it is after ten o'clock!"
"Yes, if he marries her," said Gardley, fiercely. He had no faith in
Forsythe.
"You think--you don't think he would _dare_!" The old man straightened
up and fairly blazed in his righteous wrath.
"I think he would dare anything if he thought he would not be caught. He
is a coward, of course."
"What can we do?"
"Telegraph to detectives at all points where they would be likely to
arrive and have them shadowed. Come, we will ride to the station at
once; but, first, could I go up in her room and look around? There might
be some clue."
"Certainly," said Rogers, pointing hopelessly up the stairs; "the first
door to the left. But you'll find nothing. I looked everywhere. She
wouldn't have left a clue. While you're up there I'll interview the
servants. Then we'll go."
As he went up-stairs Gardley was wondering whether he ought to tell
Rogers of the circumstance of the two letters. What possible connection
could there be between Margaret Earle's trip to Walpi with the
Brownleighs and Rosa Rogers's elopement? When you come to think of it,
what possible explanation was there for a copy of Mrs. Brownleigh's
letter to blow out of Rosa Rogers's bedroom window? How could it have
got there?
Rosa's room was in beautiful order, the roses nodding in at the window,
the curtain blowing back and forth in the breeze and rippling open the
leaves of a tiny Testament lying on her desk, as if it had been recently
read. There was nothing to show that the owner of the room had taken a
hasty flight. On the desk lay several sheets of note-paper with the
peculiar watermark. These caught his attention, and he took them up and
compared them with the papers in his pocket. It was a strange thing that
that letter which had sent Margaret off into the wilderness with an
unknown Indian should be written on the same kind of paper as this; and
yet, perhaps, it was not so strange, after all. It probably was the only
note-paper to be had in that region, and must all have been purchased at
the same place.
The rippling leaves of the Testament fluttered open at the fly-leaf and
revealed Rosa's name and a date with Mrs. Brownleigh's name written
below, and Gardley took it up, startled again to find Hazel Brownleigh
mixed up with the Rogers. He had not known that they had anything to do
with each other. And yet, of course, they would, being the missionaries
of the region.
The almost empty waste-basket next caught his eye, and here again were
several sheets of paper written over with words and phrases, words which
at once he recognized as part of the letter Mrs. Tanner had given him.
He emptied the waste-basket out on the desk, thinking perhaps there
might be something there that would give a clue to where the elopers had
gone; but there was not much else in it except a little yellowed note
with the signature "Hazel Brownleigh" at the bottom. He glanced through
the brief note, gathered its purport, and then spread it out
deliberately on the desk and compared the writing with the others, a
wild fear clutching at his heart. Yet he could not in any way explain
why he was so uneasy. What possible reason could Rosa Rogers have for
forging a letter to Margaret from Hazel Brownleigh?
Suddenly Rogers stood behind him looking over his shoulder. "What is it,
Gardley? What have you found? Any clue?"
"No clue," said Gardley, uneasily, "but something strange I cannot
understand. I don't suppose it can possibly have anything to do with
your daughter, and yet it seems almost uncanny. This morning I stopped
at the Tanners' to let Miss Earle know I had returned, and was told she
had gone yesterday with a couple of Indians as guide to meet the
Brownleighs at Keams or somewhere near there, and take a trip with them
to Walpi to see the Hopi Indians. Mrs. Tanner gave me this letter from
Mrs. Brownleigh, which Miss Earle had left behind. But when I reached
here and was waiting for you some papers blew out of your daughter's
window. When I picked them up I was startled to find that one of them
was an exact copy of the letter I had in my pocket. See! Here they are!
I don't suppose there is anything to it, but in spite of me I am a
trifle uneasy about Miss Earle. I just can't understand how that copy of
the letter came to be here."
Rogers was leaning over, looking at the papers. "What's this?" he asked,
picking up the note that came with the Testament. He read each paper
carefully, took in the little Testament with its fluttering fly-leaf
and inscription, studied the pages of words and alphabet, then suddenly
turned away and groaned, hiding his face in his hands.
"What is it?" asked Gardley, awed with the awful sorrow in the strong
man's attitude.
"My poor baby!" groaned the father. "My poor little baby girl! I've
always been afraid of that fatal gift of hers. Gardley, she could copy
any handwriting in the world perfectly. She could write my name so it
could not be told from my own signature. She's evidently written that
letter. Why, I don't know, unless she wanted to get Miss Earle out of
the way so it would be easier for her to carry out her plans."
"It can't be!" said Gardley, shaking his head. "I can't see what her
object would be. Besides, where would she find the Indians? Mrs. Tanner
saw the Indians. They came to the school after her with the letter, and
waited for her. Mrs. Tanner saw them ride off together."
"There were a couple of strange Indians here yesterday, begging
something to eat," said Rogers, settling down on a chair and resting his
head against the desk as if he had suddenly lost the strength to stand.
"This won't do!" said Gardley. "We've got to get down to the
telegraph-office, you and I. Now try to brace up. Are the horses ready?
Then we'll go right away."
"You better question the servants about those Indians first," said
Rogers; and Gardley, as he hurried down the stairs, heard groan after
groan from Rosa's room, where her father lingered in agony.
Gardley got all the information he could about the Indians, and then the
two men started away on a gallop to the station. As they passed the
Tanner house Gardley drew rein to call to Bud, who hurried out joyfully
to greet his friend, his face lighting with pleasure.
"Bill, get on your horse in double-quick time and beat it out to camp
for me, will you?" said Gardley, as he reached down and gripped Bud's
rough young paw. "Tell Jasper Kemp to come back with you and meet me at
the station as quick as he can. Tell him to have the men where he can
signal them. We may have to hustle out on a long hunt; and, Bill, keep
your head steady and get back yourself right away. Perhaps I'll want you
to help me. I'm a little anxious about Miss Earle, but you needn't tell
anybody that but old Jasper. Tell him to hurry for all he's worth."
Bud, with his eyes large with loyalty and trouble, nodded
understandingly, returned the grip of the young man's hand with a clumsy
squeeze, and sprang away to get his horse and do Gardley's bidding.
Gardley knew he would ride as for his life, now that he knew Margaret's
safety was at stake.
Then Gardley rode on to the station and was indefatigable for two hours
hunting out addresses, writing telegrams, and calling up long-distance
telephones.
When all had been done that was possible Rogers turned a haggard face to
the young man. "I've been thinking, Gardley, that rash little girl of
mine may have got Miss Earle into some kind of a dangerous position.
You ought to look after her. What can we do?"
"I'm going to, sir," said Gardley, "just as soon as I've done everything
I can for you. I've already sent for Jasper Kemp, and we'll make a plan
between us and find out if Miss Earle is all right. Can you spare Jasper
or will you need him?"
"By all means! Take all the men you need. I sha'n't rest easy till I
know Miss Earle is safe."
He sank down on a truck that stood on the station platform, his
shoulders slumping, his whole attitude as of one who was fatally
stricken. It came over Gardley how suddenly old he looked, and haggard
and gray! What a thing for the selfish child to have done to her father!
Poor, silly child, whose fate with Forsythe would in all probability be
anything but enviable!
But there was no time for sorrowful reflections. Jasper Kemp, stern,
alert, anxious, came riding furiously down the street, Bud keeping even
pace with him.