MYSTERY UPON MYSTERY
Cora, healthy though she was, did not sleep well that night. Jack
did not return to the hall, and had left word with the doorkeeper
that he could not get back in time to see his sister but would run
up from his bungalow early the next morning. It was early now, and
next morning, but Jack had not kept his word.
No one but Cora and Hazel had any idea that this might mean anything
important.
"It was so strange, the way that man acted," said Hazel to Cora, as
the two made their way to the spring for fresh water. "First he
watched you, then when Mabel Blake appeared he kept his eye on her.
And such eyes! I believe he could hypnotize any one."
"I hope he did not hypnotize Mabel," replied Cora.
"Or Jack," added Hazel.
"No fear of the latter," declared the sister. "Jack is too
level-headed to take any cue in that direction."
"That's just the way I feel about Paul," spoke Hazel. "Isn't it
lovely to have such splendid brothers?"
"Nothing could be more satisfactory," declared Cora, "unless it
would be having a sister besides. I have often wondered what I
should have done if I had not had such splendid girl friends. Do
you feel as if a sister would have made your life more complete?"
"I have never thought of it," said Hazel.
"But Cora! Look at that woman!"
Almost creeping through the tall grass the form of a woman could be
distinguished. She had evidently come from a boat that was lying
along shore--a rowboat. Seeing the girls, the woman stood up.
"It's Kate Simpson!" exclaimed Cora, "and she seems to be looking
for our camp!"
"Miss!" called the woman, her voice shaking. "Wait, wait for poor
Kate! Oh! I'm droppin' down!"
"What is it, Kate?" asked Cora kindly. "You seem exhausted."
"Oh, indeed I am that," replied the woman, brushing the straggling
hair from her forehead. "I am all but dead!"
"What has happened?" asked Cora further.
"I can't tell you here. They might find me, and they'd know the
boat."
"We can hide the boat in the bushes, and you may come up to the
camp," suggested Cora. "That boat is not hard to lift."
"If you only could, but I'm too done up to help," faltered the
woman.
Cora and Hazel easily shifted the light canoe up into the deep
grass. Kate got on her feet again, and, following the girls, all
made their way to a spot entirely closed in with heavy hemlock
trees.
"We may talk here," suggested Cora. "This is what we call our
annex--the annex to our camp."
"It's better than the shack I've been living in," murmured the
woman. "I'm done with that. Here," and she slipped her hand in her
dress, carefully taking from a patched place in her skirt a small
article. "This is yours--I know it!"
"My ring!"
Cora's eyes sparkled akin to the gem at which she was gazing. Hazel
looked on dumbfounded.
"Yes, it's your ring, but don't ask me how I got it," said Kate,
"though I'm pretty sure you can guess."
"I knew who had it, and I felt I would get it back," Cora replied,
"but I never dreamed how I might recover it. Mother gave it to me
on my last birthday."
"Well I'll tell you this much, miss," and Kate Simpson glanced
furtively around her, to make sure that no one might be approaching.
"If there ever was two bigger villains than Jim Peters and Tony
whatever-his-other-name-is-if-he's-got one, then I never heard tell
of them. They're up to some new trick every day and another new one
every night. But the worst--"
She seemed afraid to go on. Evidently even a woman so used to
hardship as this one could be frightened.
"The worst?" asked Cora.
"Is the one that goes on at Fern Island," almost whispered the
strange creature.
"Goes on?" exclaimed Hazel, who had hitherto been silent, too
interested to interrupt.
"Yes, miss, it goes on, and it will go on I'm afraid while them
villains live."
There was a shout from the camp. The others were looking for Hazel
and Cora. The familiar yodel was sent back, then Cora told Hazel:
"You run over, Hazel, and do something to interest them, while I
take Kate up the back way. I want to get her some of those things
the last maid left, and I want to refresh her a little."
"But I couldn't wait, dear," sighed Kate. "If I don't get a train
or boat away from this place soon, they'll be sure to catch me."
"But you have done nothing wrong! Why shouldn't you go or come as
you want to?" asked Cora.
"I can't tell you, miss, but them men seem to have some power and I
want to get away from it. Where might I find a train or a boat?"
"If you have to go, I'll take you to the landing in my motor boat,"
replied Cora. "It has a canopy and you will not be seen on the
water."
"If you could. I'd be very thankful. You see I'm not much used to
the water, and rowing over from the shack nearly did me up."
"But I want to give you something for getting me my ring," insisted
Cora. "It is quite valuable, you know."
"I heard them say so, and now that the other girl is gone I'll tell
you this much. Never you go over to that shack again," and the
woman raised a warning finger. "It was a good thing you met me
instead of Jim Peters the day you did go over. They'll be like
tigers when they find I've got the ring. It was last night that
gave me the chance. They had been out very late, and Tony didn't
have any letters to copy so he fell asleep and--and I slipped away
with it. I slept a bit under a tree, but indeed I was glad to see
daylight."
"And you have been out all night? You must not think of taking a
journey without first having something to eat. If you are afraid to
come up to camp I'll have something put in the boat for you,"
declared Cora. "But let me ask you, did you overhear anything about
a girl named Miss Blake? I saw Jones leave a hall where she was
singing last night, and I suspect he met her as she went out. My
brother followed, but I have not seen him since. He stops at the
boys' camp," Cora explained.
"Blake? So that was the pretty girl who sang. Well, she had better
be careful that she doesn't join the ghosts at Fern Island," said
the woman, mysteriously.
"I know the girl. She's from my home place. And that is why my
brother went to see that nothing happened to her," Cora said.
"Well, you are good people, one can see that," declared Kate. "But
wait. I can't read much, but I picked this up to wrap the ring in."
She handed Cora a soiled and crumpled telegram blank. Upon it was
made out, in message form, these words:
"Can place your friend at twenty-five week. Answer at once."
BENEDICT.
Cora pondered for a moment. "Who could have sent Jones such a
message?" she asked.
"Sent it?" repeated Kate. "He sends his own messages. He can copy
any handwriting. I heard him say the trick worked," she finished.
The truth flashed into Cora's mind. That man somehow knew the
Blakes. He was pretending to place little vain Mabel with some
theatrical company. When he left the Casino it was to show her the
bogus message. And Jack must have been somewhere around within
hearing distance. Surely things were getting complicated and
mysterious in the summer colony. But Cora had her ring back, and
for the rest she felt certain that the "ghost" of Fern Island, also
the wild looking girl of whom they had gotten a glimpse, were in
some way being wronged by Jim Peters and his associate, the
handwriting expert.