A BOLD RESOLVE
Seeing their precious papers, or the receptacle that was said to
contain them, in the hands of the detective, Cora and Laurel both
drew back. They could not now demand them, was the thought that
flashed to the mind of each, and yet to leave them in possession of
the officers, was the very worst thing that could have happened, for
there was always the danger of the old story coming up and then the
risk to Mr. Starr, after all his years of evading the law!
"They have no right to them," Jack said under his breath.
"Hush!" Cora whispered, "they are going the other way!"
The two men were talking. Suddenly one of them said loudly enough
for the listeners to hear:
"It might be dynamite. Not for me! Here goes!" and he carefully
set the can down under a bush.
"Yes," said the other man. "You are right. Those two fellows were
up to most anything. We will get Mulligan. He could smell
dynamite," and with that they turned, took a new path toward the
shore, and were soon sailing off in their boat.
For a few moments neither of the three, who were standing there
watching, spoke. Then Cora's face brightened.
"They are ours, Laurel's," she said, "and we have a right to take
them."
"But the law is queer on such points," Jack argued. "I have known
men to be put in jail for what they call interfering with an officer
when the officer could not do just what he wanted to with some
spunky citizen. I should not like to touch the can of red paint."
"But my father," said Laurel, in the most pleading of tones. "Think
what it means! How we have suffered; and now, when this is at our
very hands!"
"But suppose it were something other than the papers," cautioned
Jack. "Those men had a pretty bad reputation."
"I will take all the risks," declared Cora, and before Jack could
detain her she ran to the bush, pushed it aside, and grasped the
can.
Jack hurried to take it from her. "Let me have it, Cora; if there
is a risk it must be mine."
"All right, Jack dear," she replied, "I am sure there is nothing in
it heavier than papers. Wouldn't you think those men could have
guessed that?"
"Perhaps they did not want to," said Jack. "You can never tell what
they want or mean. They have a system even the country fellows, and
it covers a multitude of failures." He shook the can, put it to his
ear, rolled it a few feet, picked it up again and laughed. "Mr.
Mulligan won't find this can," he said, "Somehow it is attractive,
and I am anxious as you girls to see what is in it. If we get in
trouble for taking it--well, we'll see," and he led the way down to
the Petrel.
On the water they passed the police boat, but the can of "red
paint," was snugly resting under Laurel's skirts in the bottom of
the boat.
"Will you tell your father at once, Laurel?" Cora asked.
"If he is well enough. Oh, I can scarcely wait. Coral, what
wonderful good luck you brought to us," and she reached out her hand
to press Cora's.
"Don't be too sure," cautioned the other, "it is not all cleared up
yet."
"But I feel sure," she insisted. "Brentano was too clever to do
anything half way."
"He certainly was a star," Jack admitted. "But I hope he will not
insist upon keeping up the correspondence with Cora. He might give
us the hoo-doo."
They were soon at their dock. The Peter Pan was tied, there, and
that meant that Paul Hastings was at the bungalow. Jack thought
instantly of Paul's employer, the banker, whose name Mr. Starr had
mentioned. It did seem now that things were shaping themselves to
tell all the story.
"Who is the stranger?" Cora asked, noticing a man in a dressing robe
sitting on the little rustic porch.
"I--wonder--" Jack said.
"It's father," almost screamed Laurel, "and he has had his hair cut
and his beard taken off! Doesn't he look lovely!"
"It can't be," Cora said hesitatingly. "That man is so young!"
"He's my dear father, just the same," declared the delighted girl,
hurrying from the boat up to the bungalow.
The man did not turn his head to greet her, but she was not to be
deceived by his little ruse. "What a surprise!" she exclaimed. "I
scarcely knew you."
"But you did know me," he replied, with a happy smile. "I feel
years and years younger, my dear."
"Indeed you look it," Cora said. "I wonder how you ever hid such
good looks."
The nurse was fetching the beef tea, Paul took the cup from her
hand. Jack made a wry face at Laurel, indicating that they would
have to watch Paul and the pretty new nurse. Then he took the chair
nearest Mr. Starr. The can of "red paint" had been safely hidden in
a locker of the Petrel.
"Your friend has been telling me the wonders of his fast boat,"
began Mr. Starr to Jack, speaking of Paul.
"Yes. This is the young man who is employed by Brendon Breslin,"
Jack replied.
"Employed by Brendon Breslin!" exclaimed Mr. Starr. "Is Mr. Breslin
around here?"
"Gone to the city to-day," replied Paul, "but I take him home every
night in the Peter Pan. That's what he wants the best boat on the
lake for."
"He always believed me, and never wanted me to go away," Mr. Starr
said. "And now if I could see him--"
"I don't see why you cannot," put in Jack. "He often rides by here,
doesn't he Paul?"
"He thinks this the prettiest end of the lake," Paul replied. "But
if you ever knew him and he was your friend I am sure he would be
only too glad to make a special trip to see you, for he boasts he
never forgets an old friend," Paul said.
"That's him--that's Brendon," exclaimed Mr. Starr, moving uneasily
in his chair. "I feel I must be dreaming."
There was a general pause--for realization. Everyone felt indeed it
was like a dream, and almost beyond human power to grasp. Mr. Starr
swept his hand over his forehead.
"Laurel," he called, "I wonder if I couldn't take a ride in the
Peter Pan. Ask the nurse, please--?"
"Oh, no," objected that young lady. "It would not be wise for you
to take another boat ride to-day. We will ask the doctor about it
tomorrow."
"Don't be impatient, father," pleaded Laurel. "You must not forget
how weak your head has been."
"All right, child. But I want it cleared up," he murmured. "I feel
there is no safety for me until I'm vindicated."
"Come on, Jack," whispered Cora. "We must open that can."
Paul was leaving. Cora and Jack walked to the dock with him. He
assured them both that Mr. Breslin would call very soon, and also
promised to be on hand on the following Wednesday evening when the
girls and boys were planning to have a celebration.
"They will never know but that it is really paint," Cora remarked,
as she and Jack walked boldly up the path with the precious tin can.
"Just take it around to the back, and be careful opening it."
"Dynamite?" asked Jack with a smile.
"No, but you might damage something," she replied.
"No worry about damaging myself?" he persisted. "Well, Cora, I hope
it contains--some jewels. Wouldn't that be nice?"
There was no chance for further conversation. Cora went to the
porch while her brother carried out her instructions. Presently she
made some excuse, and left Laurel alone, talking with her father.
She found Jack sitting on the wash bench with the can opened and in
his hands.
"Didn't go off?" she asked, peering into the tin.
"Not a go," replied Jack, "but look! What did I tell you! There's
an envelope marked for Laurel, and feel! Are they not stones?
Diamonds or pearls?"
"You romancer!" exclaimed Cora, as she felt the bulky envelope. "I
admit they do feel like stones, but they may be merely corals. But
oh, Jack! Do let me see!"
"Lets call Laurel," he suggested. "We cannot read any of those
papers. They are for her, or her father, to open."
"Oh, of course," and Cora looked rebuked. "I had no idea of reading
anything, but I thought we should make sure of what was in the can
before we got Laurel excited over it," and she slipped around the
side of the bungalow to beckon to Laurel.
The girl's face turned white when she saw why she was wanted. "I am
so afraid of disappointment," she murmured with a sigh.
"Well, there's something in here," Jack told her. "Look at this,"
and he handed her the heavy envelope.
She read her name--then she tore open the paper. A necklace fell
out on her lap!
"Mother's!" she exclaimed, pressing the golden chain to her lips
reverently. "Darling mother's!"
"And the stones are amethysts!" Cora exclaimed as Laurel held up the
gems.
"Yes, it was father's wedding present to mother," Laurel told them.
"Oh, I scarcely know how to tell him all this."
"Tony was a pretty decent robber after all," remarked Jack. "He
kept them for you, at any rate."
"Yes, poor man. Perhaps, as he said, his one temptation was to do
clever things with a pen. Let us look over the papers."
"Perhaps your father had best see you do that," Jack suggested.
"Oh no. I think I had better know first," Laurel insisted. "Let me
open this," and she carefully broke a large red seal on a packet of
documents yellow with age.
Paper after paper she took out. Finally what she was looking for
she found. It was a check that had been cashed and cancelled! It
bore the marks also of "forgery!"
"That's it," she exclaimed. "That is the ten thousand dollar
check!"