Janet Aldridge

“ Margery and Tommy uttered shrill cries of terror.
The guardian reached for the crotch of the tree, just above her head, and drew herself up. Harriet leaped into the air, catching hold of an overhanging limb. She intended to pull herself free from the ground and out of the reach of the angry bulls.
The limb snapped. Apple tree boughs always are treacherous. Harriet landed on the ground in a heap. A gasp of horror escaped from the lips of the girls in the trees near at hand. ”

“ Neither Jane nor any of her companions had thought of the big headlights on the car, the glint of which had flashed on the foliage of a tree near the gipsy camp just as Jane was swinging into the byway that led down to the Meadow-Brook camp. Perhaps the old gipsy’s keen eyes had caught this flash and read it aright. But this the girls were never to know. Their attention, just now, was attracted by the sound of loud talking. ”

“ For the tenth time the forty-nine blue bottles had been taken down and hung up again. The voices of the girls were so hoarse that they could barely speak aloud, though they were laughing hysterically as they labored with the forty-ninth. They had almost forgotten that they were in danger, forgotten their aching bodies, forgotten that Harriet Burrell was speeding through the darkness in quest of assistance, when a distant but familiar cry 110 reached their ears. ”

“ Sybarina was speaking.
“Behold before you the Star of the East. Behold one who has come out of the East to read the future true. Cross her palm with silver and the Oracle will speak, revealing the past and foretelling the future.”
The Gipsy queen had not led Harriet into the bright light. Instead the girl, in the fainter light at the outer edge of the circle, stood with downcast eyes, hands folded before her. ”

“ I was chased by one at grandfather’s farm two years ago. There is only one way to save yourself from them when they are angry—that is to keep out of their way. I think——”
“Oh, look! Look, girls!” cried Hazel in a tone of suppressed eagerness.
“Oh, thave me! There they come,” moaned Tommy.
“It’s the Tramp Club as I live,” exclaimed Miss Elting. “Girls, we must call to them. It is a humiliating position for us, but we must get out of here. They can at least go for the farmer and ask him to drive the animals off.”
“Oh, Miss Elting, please don’t call to them,” begged Harriet. ”

“ To-day the Gipsy is the only free man who wanders the earth. He pays no tithes, he has no cares.”
“But you have a ruler, a head of all the Gipsies, have you not?” interjected Miss Elting.
“There is the queen of all,” answered the old woman softly. “She now is one hundred years old. She lives in Roumania. Each year are her commands received by all her peoples throughout the world. How, I cannot tell you. It is a secret of the Romanys. We love, we hate, but not as do the Gorgios. But see! The princess has returned. She seeks her friends.”
“You—you mean Miss McCarthy?” questioned Harriet. ”

“ Turning to the Gipsy men she spoke a few sharp words in the Romany tongue. The men nodded, talked among themselves for a moment then turned and strolled off in the direction whence they had come.
“Oh, Sybarina!” cried Harriet disappointedly. “Why didn’t you let me thank them for chasing those tramps away?”
“I, their queen, have commended them. That is sufficient,” returned Sybarina proudly. “They need no thanks for obeying my commands.”
“Then we must thank you doubly,” smiled Harriet, holding out her hand to the old Gipsy. “What would we have done if you had not been near?” ”

“ She kissed the guardian impulsively, than stepping softly, to avoid waking her sleeping companions, she made her way outside the tent. Shading her eyes and gazing about she finally discovered a brown-clad figure sitting on a fence. He evidently was observing the camp, for, when he caught sight of Harriet, he waved his hand.
“I’ll wager that’s Captain Baker,” smiled Harriet, waving back to him. “He is a peculiar young man. We are under great obligations to them all, but those boys think girls are of no account. We are going to clash with them. I know we are.” ”

“ Miss Elting, you aren’t going on, to-night, are you? I simply can’t walk another mile. My feet are so numb that I can’t feel them.”
“I can feel mine. They are ath big ath elephantth,” declared Tommy.
“What do you say, girls? Shall we go on or make camp for the night?” questioned the guardian. “Remember, Jane McCarthy is no doubt waiting with her car for us over in the other valley. She will not know where to go if we do not get in touch with her to-night.”
Grace, Hazel and Margery begged Miss Elting to go no farther. ”

“ The guardian did not permit them to remain on the shelf of rock for a long time, fearing that their muscles might become stiffened. Then the journey was taken up again. So full of enthusiasm and determination were the Meadow-Brook Girls that not one of them offered a word of complaint; but when at two o’clock that afternoon, they emerged from the canyon into the open country, Tommy and Margery were limping a little.
Beyond in the haze of a distant valley lay Meadow-Brook. The girls eager to get to their journey’s end pushed on again. After half an hour’s walking, Miss Elting called a halt. ”

“ I’ll kick you if you do,” was her parting admonition as she began running up the ladder. Rather to the amazement of her companions, Grace made the climb to the haymow without the least difficulty. Only once did her foot slip from a rung of the ladder. Grace recovered it with no more than a smothered little exclamation.
“You next, Miss Elting,” nodded Harriet.
“I will wait until you get up. I wish to look after the packs first. What would we do were we to lose them? We shouldn’t have a thing to eat for breakfast, and goodness knows when we will reach a store to purchase food.” ”

“ The Romany has a long memory, princess. Come, pretty ladies, come to the camp of the Gipsy. It is not good that you should stay the night here. To-morrow night, yes, but not this night.”
“What do you say, girls?” questioned Miss Elting.
“Spend a night in a Gipsy camp?” asked Harriet.
“Yes.”
“I think that would be fine.”
“But, Sybarina, what of our own camp? Will not the men return and rob us?”
“I have told you. Sybarina’s people will be on guard. You need have no fear. And when the princess with the fair hair returns, she shall be led to the Gipsy camp. Come.” ”

“ Strap your blanket rolls over your shoulders. You know it is quite a climb to your bedrooms.”
“Up there is where we sleep,” Harriet informed them. The top of the mow was not discernible from the barn floor now.
“What! Away up there?” demanded Margery. “How do we get up?” 22
“We shall have to climb the ladder,” answered Miss Elting.
Margery groaned.
“I’m glad it’s dark. If it were daylight I know I should fall,” declared Hazel. “Let me go first. I don’t want to stand here and think about what is before me. If I stop to think I’ll never have the courage to climb.” ”

“ Now I’m going in bathing. I am so covered with dust and grime that I’m ashamed of myself. Come, girls, aren’t you going in with me?”
“What! Go into that ice cold water?” demanded Margery. “No, thank you. I’ll heat some water and take my bath in the tent.”
“I will go in with you, Harriet,” offered Hazel.
“So will I,” added the guardian. “Come, let’s get ready before the air gets colder. Tommy already has had her bath.” ”

“ The deed is done. There is only one way in which the wrong can be righted.”
“How can these boys square themselves with the girls?” questioned George eagerly.
“I will consult the Oracle.” The Gipsy girl stood with head bent as though in deep thought. Then she said solemnly: “If the wicked boys will go to those whom they have so cruelly wronged and ask pardon for their unmanly behavior perhaps forgiveness may be theirs.”
“I—I guess I’d better,” returned George earnestly. At this juncture a smothered giggle from the darkened Gipsy wagon came near breaking up the seance. ”

“ It was a bright but unfamiliar scene to the Meadow-Brook Girls.
Tommy and Margery were a trifle apprehensive.
“Where are we going to thleep?” questioned Tommy cautiously.
“I don’t know, dear,” returned Miss Elting. “Sybarina will provide a place when the time comes. We have our own blankets. I think we may sleep out of doors if we wish to do so. But we have a long evening before us yet. It is your opportunity to learn something of the life and habits of the Gipsies.” ”

“ The camp was some little distance from where the Meadow-Brook tent was pitched. A note for Jane was pinned to the tent flap on the same spot where she had pinned hers; then the party set out through the darkness. Not a man of the tribe was to be seen. The guardian asked no questions. She knew that Sybarina’s word was law and that keen eyes were upon the Meadow-Brook camp, that no marauders would be permitted to enter there that night. ”

“ To add to the excitement a second man entered the barn at this juncture. But instead of climbing up after the other man he took the opposite ladder up which the woman had gone a few moments before. The man on the girls’ side was rapidly nearing the top. Harriet lay trembling, hoping there would be no more lightning. Suddenly a brilliant flash lighted up the barn from end to end. It revealed the man clinging to the ladder, his head on a level with the top of the mow, glancing over it keenly, searchingly. Harriet’s left hand stole toward Miss Elting who lay within easy reach. ”

“ She had no fear of being recognized, for no one there ever had seen her before.
“Isn’t she a typical Gipsy, though?” chuckled Jane, gazing admiringly at Harriet.
“Unless one knew she were not, one couldn’t tell the difference,” answered Miss Elting. “Just look at that girl for whom the queen is telling a fortune. See how eagerly she drinks in every word. Every word is true to her. She believes it all.”
“So does Sybarina,” replied Hazel. 210
“Yes, I think she does. Do you know, Jane, she told us when you arrived at the tent. ”

“ Miss Elting suddenly found her arms gripped from behind. She struggled with all her strength. So did Harriet. Hazel screamed as she felt her own arms pinioned.
“Herd the other two in the tent, then git all the swag you can find,” commanded the spokesman breathlessly, for he was having his hands full helping his assistant to hold Miss Elting and the two girls. One grasped Tommy and Margery by their arms, and fairly dragging them over, flung them into the tent. “Get the stuff! Never mind those two. They’re too scared to bother. It’s these that we’ve got to look out for,” he directed. ”

“ That’s a big word,” exclaimed Dill.
“Neither party is to ride, you know,” spoke up George, eyeing them suspiciously.
“Certainly not,” answered Harriet. “We shouldn’t do such a dishonest thing.”
“I beg your pardon. Of course not. You girls have a car and, perhaps, you might think it amusing to work a trick on us.”
“Our Meadow-Brook Girls aren’t that kind, Mr. Baker,” interposed Miss Elting severely.
“Ride? You couldn’t drag them into the car,” declared Jane.
“By the way, young men, have you seen anything of two Italians and a bear?” asked Miss Elting. ”

“ Harriet did so, but only to prevent being thrown off the car. She had little desire to participate in the drive that she well knew would be an exciting one. Miss Elting was shouting to Jane to come back. Jane did not or would not hear. Uttering a shrill little cry of triumph she drove the car ahead at a perilous rate of speed. Over the rough field the automobile lurched and careened imperiling the safety of its occupants and threatening momentarily to upset and wreck the car. ”

“ Captain Baker and his friends strode angrily from the camp. They did not so much as look back. Perhaps the boys were really not so angry as they pretended to be.
“It’s too bad. I didn’t think they would take it that way,” cried Harriet. “I surely thought they would be able to take a joke. Well, what’s done can’t be undone. There’s nothing more to be done except to go on and try to win the race.”
Jane had disappeared. Where she had gone the girls did not know. ”

“ Tommy pulled desperately drawing the rail towards her, but sinking deeper and deeper into the mud until she was nearly up to her armpits. The little lisping girl took fresh alarm. She began to cry, “Thave me!”
“Don’t be frightened. Here’s another rail!” encouraged the youth. “We’ve got to build up a bridge. Those limbs and saplings you have out there will make an excellent foundation. Hurry them up here, Dill! The young ladies will grow impatient and refuse to wait for us longer.”
The girls declined to laugh at this pleasantry. ”

“ Gipsies are queer folks. They’re too mysterious to suit me. I’ve got all I want of them. They know too much,” declared the captain. “Why, they can read one’s thoughts.”
In the meantime, Harriet gleefully watched the departure of the boys from the camp. There was laughter in her eyes. She turned to the wagon where her companions were now giving expression to uncontrolled merriment. Few visitors remained in the camp, and these were some distance away.
“Well, I think I have evened up matters with that young man,” declared Harriet. “What do you say, girls?” ”

“ Miss Elting and Hazel sprang up, scattering the tin dishes far and wide as they ran to Harriet’s assistance, when three other men stepped into view from the far side of the tent.
“If you folks will hand out your valuables, and make no racket about it, we won’t hurt you,” announced one of the newcomers. “What we want is a little help, that’s all. We’re poor fellows in distress. We ain’t the kind that rob women. We ask for assistance.” ”

“ The old woman seized Harriet’s hand and gazed deeply into it by the light of the burning barn. As she gazed she swayed her body from side to side with quick, nervous movements.
“Ah! Sybarina sees that which pleases her,” 43 crooned the old woman. “She sees a noble girl whom the fires from the skies cannot frighten. And she sees more. She sees wealth and happiness and a great future for her who fears not the fire from above. Sybarina gives you her blessing.”
A heavy hand was laid on the old woman’s shoulder.
“Here, you Gipsy woman. Were you sleeping in that barn?” ”

“ Half an hour later she heard them coming. Tommy’s chatter sounded louder than the conversation of all the rest of the party. Twilight had settled over the interior of the barn by the time the girls came trooping in.
“Br-r-r-r! This place looks spooky,” cried Margery. “We aren’t going to stay in here all night, are we, Miss Elting?”
“Yes, Margery. You are not afraid of the dark, are you?”
“No-o-o. But——”
“There is nothing to alarm you. As we are all rather tired, I propose that we go upstairs and get to bed at once. I am sorry we shall not be able to get our baths this evening. ”