A Face Dishonored
It was only natural that Madge and Cara, sharing their delightful secret,
should seek each other’s company, somewhat to the exclusion of other
friends. They did not mean to be aloof, but always there were many
private matters which they wished to discuss. In school they passed a
great many notes and one of these, which read: “Did you get the spade?”
was accidentally intercepted by Enid Burnett who thought it intended for
her. The message caused her considerable wonderment. At recess she
managed to corner Madge.
“What on earth are you two up to?” she demanded suspiciously. “Have you
gone in for gardening?”
“Oh, in a way,” Madge evaded.
Until they had a real story to relate, she and Cara preferred to keep the
other members of Skull and Crossbones in the dark concerning their
activities. To tell their friends immediately might subject them to an
unmerciful teasing. Nevertheless, Enid and Jane were not to be hoodwinked
so easily. They guessed that they were being excluded from some secret,
and as school was dismissed, stationed themselves at the front door ready
to waylay their friends.
Madge and Cara had been anticipating such a move, and quietly slipped out
the back way.
“A secret isn’t a secret if too many are in on it,” Madge defended their
action. “We can tell them later on, but for a few days let’s keep it to
ourselves.”
Cara had hidden the spade in the high weeds of a vacant lot not far from
the Swenster mansion. They rescued it and proceeded to their destination,
not at all disturbed by the curious stares focused upon them by persons
they met on the street.
After securing permission from Miss Swenster, they went immediately to
the garden. They took turns digging, investigating all the filled holes
near the fountain and sundial. Finding nothing, they carefully replaced
all soil turned up.
“Well, you can’t make me think that man was digging just for the
exercise,” Madge fretted.
“Perhaps he found what he was after,” Cara suggested pessimistically. “In
that case we’re only wasting our time.”
Miss Swenster presently came out to watch the girls.
“Such ambition!” she marveled. “When you have finished, I want you to
come inside and have some of the chocolate cake I baked this afternoon.”
After another fifteen minutes had elapsed, the girls decided they were
doing entirely too much damage to the garden, and abandoned their project
for the day. After such backbreaking work it was pleasant to sit in the
comfortable living room, sipping hot chocolate and nibbling at Miss
Swenster’s delicious cake.
“Nearly all the work is done now except that I must pack small articles
in boxes,” their hostess told them. “The dishes must be sorted too.” She
sighed. “It hurts to see everything go but I do hope the auction will be
well attended.”
Madge and Cara eagerly offered to help with the packing, and after a
polite protest, Miss Swenster agreed that they might. It was too late to
work that afternoon but they promised to appear early Saturday morning.
The two intervening days passed slowly. At nine o’clock on the morning of
the third, the girls presented themselves again at the mansion. They
found Miss Swenster sorting out old photographs.
“It’s very trying to decide which ones I must throw away,” she told them.
“I’d like to save them all but I can’t.”
The girls expressed interest in the photographs and Miss Swenster showed
them the picture of her mother, and of Florence Swenster. In looking at
the youthful, sweet faces of the two sisters, it was difficult for Madge
and Cara to realize that they could ever have been jealous rivals. They
rapidly ran through the other photos, laughing at ridiculous poses or
dresses that were amazingly old fashioned.
After they had finished looking at pictures, they set to work packing
dishes. It gave them a genuine thrill to handle the choice pieces of
porcelain and china.
“I haven’t done anything to the study yet,” Miss Swenster told them a
little later. “I must get at that room as soon as we finish the dishes.”
Presently she went upstairs on an errand. Before she returned, the girls
packed the last dish. The study door was open and after waiting a few
minutes they decided to see what must be done there.
They saw that the walls were lined with books which required packing.
Coverings had not been removed from the furniture.
“Look!” Madge exclaimed suddenly.
Cara turned to see her chum regarding an object above the old secretary.
It was a picture, and most strangely, its face was turned toward the
wall!
“What do you make of that?” Madge whispered. “The other pictures aren’t
this way.”
“Let’s see what it is!”
“Perhaps we shouldn’t.”
However, the temptation was too great. Cara turned the picture over. A
handsome young boy with round, full cheeks, twinkling eyes and a cropped
head of golden curly hair, gazed down from the frame.
“Who can it be?” Cara murmured.
Before Madge could reply, they heard footsteps on the stairway. A moment
later, Miss Swenster entered the study.
“All through with the dishes?” she asked cheerfully. “My, but you are
fast—” Her voice trailed off and her entire body seemed to stiffen. She
had noticed the picture on the wall.
She murmured something which the girls did not catch. Crossing the room,
she removed the picture from its hook, and carried it from the study. The
girls heard her mounting the stairs.
For a moment they were too dumbfounded to speak. Then Madge exclaimed:
“That’s what we get for our ill bred curiosity! We’ve offended her
terribly. It must have been her son.”
Cara nodded miserably.
“The only thing we can do is to apologize.”
They spent an unhappy fifteen minutes waiting for Miss Swenster to
return. Madge was on the verge of suggesting that it might be better for
them to leave, when she appeared. She smiled brightly as if nothing had
happened, but they could see she had been crying.
“We’re terribly sorry,” Madge began contritely. “We didn’t mean to be
prying. It was simply inexcusable of us to touch the picture.”
“I understand. It was nothing you did that affected me. Please, if you
don’t mind, let’s not mention it again.”
Miss Swenster was especially nice to the girls after that but the
incident could not be forgotten in an instant. She made no further
mention of cleaning the study and Madge and Cara carefully avoided the
subject. They could tell that Miss Swenster was still upset. A half hour
later they made an excuse for leaving.
“Do come again,” she urged. “I know I’ve been very inhospitable. If you
don’t come back I’ll feel that I’ve driven you away.”
The girls were rather silent as they walked thoughtfully along the
street. It was as if a measure of Miss Swenster’s unhappiness had fallen
upon their shoulders.
“I feel so sorry for her,” Madge said after a time. “She’s made an idol
of that boy. And he’s brought her nothing but unhappiness.”
Cara glanced quickly at her friend.
“Do you know that for sure?”
Madge nodded.
“Yes, I intended to tell you the first thing today, but it slipped my
mind. I found out through Uncle George what her son had done to disgrace
the family. And when you hear the story, you’ll not blame Miss Swenster
for turning his face to the wall!”