Produced by Al Haines
[Transcriber's note: Extensive research found no evidence
that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
The Merriweather Girls
IN
QUEST OF TREASURE
BY
LIZETTE M. EDHOLM
AUTHOR OF
"THE MERRIWEATHER GIRLS" SERIES
THE GOLDSMITH PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO
COPYRIGHT 1932 BY
LIZETTE M. EDHOLM
Made in U. S. A.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I On Their Way
II A Street Leading to the Capitol
III The Wash-Out
IV The Desert
V A Solitary Explorer
VI Casa Grande
VII The Map of Mystery
VIII Kit's Home Folks
IX Lost Canyon
X The Professor's Job
XI Staking a Claim
XII Double Dealing
XIII The "Orphan Annie" Claim
XIV Treasure Trove
XV A Spy
XVI Missing
XVII Indian Trading
XVIII The Old Chief's Daughter Walks
XIX A Brass Bound Chest
XX "Compliments of Kie Wicks"
In Quest of Treasure
CHAPTER I
_ON THEIR WAY_
The four Merriweather Girls were assembled at the railroad station
where the long string of Pullman coaches stood ready. The girls were
starting on a vacation trip to the southwest.
"What's the matter, now, Joy Evans? Why all the tears?" Bet Baxter,
her blond hair in disarray, caught the girl by the shoulders and gave
her a rough but affectionate shake.
"Oh, let her alone, Bet," laughed Shirley Williams. "That's Joy's
good-bye. She likes to weep when she goes away."
"But why?" insisted Bet, her blue eyes serious for a moment. "We've
been planning on this western trip all winter. We've thought of
nothing but Arizona for months. Tell me why you are crying?"
"Because I feel like it, Bet Baxter," snapped Joy. "It's so thrilling
to be going away for a long trip, and when it comes to the luxury of a
private car, why it's twice as thrilly." Joy choked as a laugh and a
sob got mixed up together. Then making an elaborate but not very
polite grimace at her chum, she disappeared into the car that was to
carry her and her chums westward.
"There, she's herself again," laughed Bet. "That face indicates that
Joy is happy."
Bet was glowing with excitement. It was her first long trip away from
her home in Lynnwood on the Hudson, and the promise of a summer of
adventure in the Arizona mountains was almost too good to be true. Or
so it seemed to the girl.
Her one regret was that her father was not coming with her. From the
observation car she was calling her farewell messages to him as he
stood on the platform of the station. Bet was his only child and the
responsibility of looking after her and trying to make up for the loss
of her mother, was sometimes a heavy burden on Colonel Baxter. There
was an anxious look in his face now, although he knew that his daughter
would be well taken care of by Judge Breckenridge and his wife, who had
invited Bet and her chums to be their guests for the summer.
Anyone but an over-anxious parent would have felt confident that Bet
Baxter could look out for herself under any circumstances. Her
straight young body had poise and assurance of power and she had a
resourcefulness of mind that made her a leader among her friends.
Bet was nearer to real tears than she would have admitted to any one.
Back there was her father, the very best chum she had, and to be going
away where she could not see him every week-end made a strange catch in
her breath.
Shirley realized what Bet was experiencing and stepping to her side,
called gaily to the Colonel.
"Hold that pose, Colonel. I'm going to take a picture of you."
Wherever one saw Shirley, they usually saw a camera for she rarely let
it out of her hands during a trip, and now as the shutter clicked she
said to Bet: "That's the third picture I've taken of him. You'll have
those to look at."
"Thanks, Shirley, that's good of you. And I shouldn't feel so
frightfully homesick for Dad may come out to see us in a few weeks."
"Oh, won't that be great," exclaimed Shirley. "He is just like one of
the boys."
"Doesn't it seem strange not to have the boys here to bid us good-bye.
It's never happened before."
The boys were Bob Evans, Joy's brother, and his chum, Phil Gordon,
favorites with the girls and always included in their activities when
boys were wanted at all. The week before, the girls had waved them
good-bye as they started on an auto trip with Paul Breckenridge.
The girls missed their parting nonsense. It didn't seem like going
away at all, without the boys to keep up the fun.
As the train began to move, Bet smiled bravely back at her father and
waved until a curving road carried them out of sight of the station.
Only then did she answer the insistent calls of the girls inside the
car.
"Bet Baxter, do come here and see this," cried Enid Breckenridge, a
large blond girl whose serious face told of trouble lived through that
had been too heavy for her young shoulders. Her gray-blue eyes were
sad.
Bet was about to speak to Enid when the other chum, a tall dark-eyed
girl, grabbed her by the hand and dragged her across the room.
"Look at this, Bet!" Kit Patten exclaimed. "You're missing everything!"
But Bet stood stock still and gazed about her in surprise. This was
not a bit like an ordinary train. It gave the impression of a very
homey living room in a small house, with its shaded reading lamps and
the easy chairs that invited one to their soft depths.
"Isn't it wonderful?" breathed Bet with a happy sigh. "I'd love to sit
right there and watch the scenery go by."
But that was only the impulse of a moment. There were too many things
to see in this marvelous train. And Kit was demanding her attention
from one side and Enid Breckenridge from the other.
Kit won, and opening a door, displayed a small bedroom beautifully
arranged and furnished.
"Isn't it just too lovely for anything?" asked Kit as she heard Bet's
gasp of astonishment.
"I didn't know trains were ever fixed up this way," Bet was taking in
all the delightful details of the room. "I always thought it was a
lower berth if you were lucky and an upper one if you were out of luck.
Why this is just like a lovely little playhouse. Who will sleep here?"
"This is for mother," said Enid. "She gets the best room."
"Of course she does," assented Bet. "But where do _we_ get put away
for the night?"
"In here!" Kit suddenly opened a door and at Bet's look of surprise
she went on: "You didn't know there was a door there, did you? It's
almost like magic."
And magic it seemed to the girls as they wandered from one thing to
another. The electrical appliances in the dressing room!
"Why, girls, we don't know what half of them are for," laughed Bet.
"We'll have to have a maid to show us how to get dressed here." And as
Kit spoke a trim little colored maid appeared as if she had heard a
call.
"Is everything all right?" she asked looking at Enid.
Bet had always taken the lead and was chief spokesman. She was about
to answer when she remembered that Enid was hostess. "Here's where
I'll have to take second place," thought Bet. But in her heart she was
glad to see Enid in the position of hostess. Her life had been full of
tragedy. Stolen from her wealthy parents, she had not known a home or
friends until the previous year when she had been rescued by the chums
on Campers' Trail.
The car in which the girls were travelling belonged to Enid's father,
and the girl was glad to show her friends around the place.
"Here's one compartment with two beds, and opposite is one with three
beds," said Enid. "How will we divide up?"
"As usual, I guess, you and Kit and I in one and Shirley and Joy in the
other."
When the maid had left, Enid laughingly pushed Kit into a chair in
front of the dressing table. "Sit still now, while I curl your hair!"
she directed.
The other girls joined the laugh, for Kit's hair was a mass of dark
ringlets that clung close to her head. Bet Baxter, with her straight,
blond hair always envied Kit those curls, while her own unruly locks
were flying out at all angles.
"But do come and see what I discovered," said Enid at last, pulling Bet
by the sleeve. "It's a darling little dining room! Why it's--it's..."
And Enid stopped because in all her experience she could find nothing
to compare with the tiny room which glittered with crystal and silver.
"I do believe that lunch is getting ready," said Joy Evans. "And let
me tell you, it can't come too soon to suit me. I'm starved."
"As usual," laughed Shirley. "You're always hungry, Joy. And it's so
nice you can eat _everything_! And still you're thin!" Shirley was
inclined to plumpness and had to choose her food more carefully than
the others.
As they turned toward the salon once more, Bet dropped into an easy
chair and picked up a book.
"Oh, Bet, don't get interested in a story yet! You'll have heaps of
time to read before we get to Arizona. Come on, let's see if we can
peek into the kitchen. To my way of thinking, that's the most
important room on the train," laughed Joy.
"That's what we'd expect you to think, Joy," teased Shirley.
Enid rose and motioned the girls to follow her toward the kitchen
compartment, then gave a shrug of disgust as she noticed a sign on the
door, "Private."
"Why, the idea," pouted Bet Baxter. "Right on our own car, too! I
don't think we ought to stand for it." Then a spirit of mischief
overcame Bet. She tiptoed toward the door and shoved it open, bouncing
into the room without even looking. The girls watched to see what
would happen.
Plenty happened, for at that moment Sam Wilkins, the huge colored cook,
was bringing in a large tray of ice water. There was a loud crash.
Two glasses fell to the floor, and the man himself almost lost his
balance.
Sam's usual smile faded. "Ain't you seen that sign, nohow?" he
demanded pointing a long, black finger at the word "Private."
"Why how stupid of me!" Bet tried to look innocent. "Was that there
_all_ the time? Imagine me not seeing it!" There was remorse in her
voice but a merry twinkle in her eyes that did not escape Sam.
"Maybe you can't read yet," he said, frowning.
Bet bestowed on him one of her compelling smiles. "I'm very sorry,"
she said with her sweetest accent. "I'll promise never to come in here
again--that is unless you want me to see your darling kitchen. I know
I'd just love it."
Sam's white teeth showed in a broad smile. After that, he was willing
to do anything for Bet Baxter. He ushered her into his kitchen as if
she were a queen.
When Bet came back triumphantly to the drawing room a few minutes
later, Enid greeted her with a shake of her head:
"You certainly have a way with you, Bet Baxter. No one can resist you,
no one!"
"What about Edith Whalen?" Bet reminded her.
"Oh, that girl!" said Enid contemptuously.
"Every rule has to have one exception. She doesn't count at all."
"Speaking of Edith, I wonder where she is this summer?" asked Kit.
"Why spoil a perfectly good day by speaking of Edith at all. She's
just nothing in my young life. She belongs to the dim and distant
past. A summer of real happiness is before us!" exclaimed Bet.
"Huh! That's just what you said last year when we went to Campers'
Trail, and see what happened! Edith was there and managed to make our
lives miserable for a month and more," Joy reminded her with shrug of
her dainty shoulders.
"Well, there is one thing sure, girls," laughed Kit Patten. "She will
not be in Lost Canyon. So you are safe in planning on a happy summer."
"Now if we can only persuade Bet not to find any problems to solve, we
will have a heavenly time." Shirley had been working hard during the
winter. She was the level headed, business girl. She was always ready
for a good time, but if she were asked to choose, it would be a quiet
one with no great excitement. But Shirley always took things as they
came and enjoyed herself.
Joy Evans was different. Her impatience often made her miss the good
time that was right at hand. Now she was looking forward to her
vacation in the Arizona mountains on Judge Breckenridge's ranch.
"Oh, I'm so glad we're off. I can hardly wait until I see the cowboys.
I think they must be marvelous!"
"Joy, do try to use a little bit of sense. There's nothing remarkable
about a cowboy," Kit Patten, the mountain girl, replied. For Kit had
lived most of her life in Arizona at the head of Lost Canyon, and as
luck would have it, only about half a mile from the ranch belonging to
Judge Breckenridge.
Kit had been away from her home for two years and at present was all
excited about seeing her father and mother.
"What are you looking forward to, Enid?" asked Shirley. "Joy wants to
see the cowboys, I want to rest and Kit wants to see Dad and Ma Patten."
"I want to see what my western home is like. It's so good to have a
home, girls," Enid replied, and the girls gave her a tender smile,
remembering the experiences on Campers' Trail.
"And I suppose Bet wants some wild adventure," teased Joy. "Problems
to solve, great deeds to be done!"
"Oh, I'm not so sure. Maybe I'll be a cowgirl and learn to ride like
Kit, and rope a steer like her friend, Seedy Saunders. There are heaps
of things I'd like to do. I'd like to meet a western bad man that you
read about."
"If you want that, Bet, you'll have to go to the movies. Western bad
men are a thing of the past," Kit answered decidedly. "In the early
days, Lost Canyon was a wild place but now it's the most peaceful spot
in the world."
"Just my luck!" pouted Bet. "I did want to catch a western bad man,
single handed, and turn him over to justice."
The girls laughed. They were each looking forward to something
different, some particular plan or desire of her own, as far apart as
they could possibly be, yet these five girls had bound themselves
together, one for all and all for one.
Two summers ago, Bet Baxter, Joy Evans and Shirley Williams had first
met Kit Patten, the homesick western girl. They had formed a little
club that took its name from Colonel Baxter's estate, Merriweather
Manor, a delightful old mansion on the Hudson with its romantic story
of Revolutionary days when Lady Betty Merriweather reigned in its
stately rooms. Her story inspired the girls to find adventure in life
and to be true to their highest ideals.
In the story The Merriweather Girls and The Mystery of the Queen's Fan,
these four girls solved the problem of the stolen fan. They had tense
moments when it seemed as if they had failed, but they held on and won
out.
The next year a new member was added to their club. In The
Merriweather Girls, On Campers' Trail, they found Enid, then known as
Tilly, The Waif of the Woods. The girls with quick thinking, daring
and devotion were able to discover the girl's parents, and as a proof
of their gratitude, Judge Breckenridge and his wife had invited them on
this lovely vacation trip to Arizona.
Suddenly the train gave a little jerk and Bet looked up quickly to see
Enid Breckenridge staring at her. Each knew that the other had been
looking back for a moment and being thankful that they had met and were
now journeying together for a summer of happiness.
At that moment Sam's grinning face appeared at the door with the
announcement that lunch was ready. Enid jumped to her feet and
hastened to help her invalid mother to the table. Years of anxiety and
worry over her daughter's disappearance had broken her health.
Strength was coming back slowly and it was hoped that a summer in the
southwest would complete her recovery.
With the judge on one side and Enid on the other, the frail invalid
walked the few feet to the table. Her face was aglow with happiness.
Virginia Breckenridge was still young and the white hair only
emphasized the youthful lines of her face. She did not appear much
older than the group of girls who surrounded her at the table.
"Isn't this wonderful!" cried Bet in her enthusiastic way, waving her
hand toward the passing landscape. "I could keep on like this forever."
"So could I," laughed Joy. "But when do we get to Washington?"
"Not until four o'clock! Why all the hurry?" Shirley was enjoying her
day of travel. When the train stopped at stations she was all ready
with her camera in case some interesting bit presented itself. Shirley
was in her glory. Colonel Baxter's parting gift to her had been a new
camera and plenty of films, so Shirley felt that she could take
pictures to her heart's content.
"We've got a good cook," whispered Joy across the table to her hostess.
"I don't know what he calls this mixture, but it's wonderful!" Joy's
face was expressive and Sam noticed her approval of his lunch so during
the remainder of the trip it was to Joy he turned if he wanted to make
sure that any dish was appreciated.
And while the girls did not find the time dragging, they were ready and
waiting when the train pulled into the station at Washington. They
were shunted about for a few minutes and finally stopped on a side
track where the car would remain while they were in the Capital.
As Bet emerged from the station she gave a little scream of delight.
"There it is, girls!" she cried. "The dome of the Capitol! At last my
eyes have really seen it!"
"Wait a minute till I get a picture of it," said Shirley. "I might not
get such a good view again."
"That view isn't worth taking," interrupted Mrs. Breckenridge. "You'd
better wait. That dome is visible from all parts of the city. It's
wasting a film to take it here."
"Oh, girls, I can hardly wait until I see everything. The
Congressional Library, the....."
"The place where the money is made! That's what I want to see. I hope
they'll be making thousand dollar bills. I think that would be fun,"
sang out Joy as the Judge helped her into the taxi.
When they reached the hotel steps, Shirley was thankful that she had
not wasted her film on the other view of the Capitol. In the haze of
the late afternoon, the dome looked like a huge bubble.
"There's your picture, Shirley," gasped Bet. "And see, the street in
front of us leads right up to the Capitol."
The girls followed the Judge rather unwillingly into the hotel. They
were anxious not to miss any of the sights of the city and it seemed a
waste of time to go indoors.
"Come on Bet, don't be so slow," called Kit from the doorway.
"This is so nice I'd like to look at it forever," she said with a sigh.
The girls laughed for Bet was always wishing things to last forever.
Mrs. Breckenridge had not stood the trip as well as they had expected.
She seemed completely tired out and Enid refused to leave her.
"You go along and have a good time," Enid proposed to the girls, but
without their friend they felt they could not enjoy anything, so a
short walk was all they saw of Washington that evening.
They retired early, for even youth gets weary with excitement and new
scenes. The girls were glad to get into bed.
"We'll have a hard day ahead of us tomorrow, if we want to see
everything we plan on seeing," said Bet as she snuggled down.
Within half an hour they were all asleep.
When Bet opened her eyes it was daylight and she felt ready for the
strenuous day ahead. She scrambled out of bed, gave Kit a shake and
then ran across the hall to see if Shirley and Joy were up.
Shirley was still sleeping. But Joy was not there.
"Why, she's up and dressed! Her clothes are gone!" exclaimed Bet in
vexed tones. "I think she might have wakened us."
Dressing quickly they went down stairs to find Joy.
The lounging rooms and halls and the foyer were empty at this hour. No
one had seen Joy or knew anything about her.
She had simply disappeared.