Lilian Garis

“ This was Jack. She smiled the twisted little quirk that pinched from the corners of her mouth, and her gray eyes showed some worth while glints in spite of the doctor’s prescriptions.
“But a canoe is a safe floater, after all,” insisted the modest Gloria. “You might even——”
“Have gone over the falls, and landed right side up with care. Hardly. However, I knew you were there, I almost knew you were coming, that is, I could feel rescue, and who, other than Gloria, would have come, so promptly?” ”

“ Who gave Gloria the necklace?
Jack, suspected at first, was, according to Mrs. Corday’s story, entirely eliminated. Yet no other girl seemed a plausible possibility. Could Jack have so deceived her stepmother? Would her dislike for the circus lead her to ignore the hidden gems that the old Arab, chief of the troupe, had trailed from his own country?
“That old Turk,” said Mrs. Corday, as if she had been following Gloria’s thoughts, “made a dash to get the jewel box one night, and only for the quick work of a couple of Jap jugglers he would have got it. ”

“ She was pretty but her skin betrayed traces of the applied arts, while her really wonderful violet eyes worked like magnetos. All this attracted Trixy. Any one so totally different offered her a working problem, something to find out, to analyze and, mayhap, to conquer.
The September evening was quickening into shadows when the students turned back to the broad verandahs and cozy porch corners.
“Hear that?” Pat asked Gloria. “That’s Jack Corday. She never stops talking and never says a sensible thing. Flashy,” criticised the jolly one. “Just notice her get up. But she’s a dear.” ”

“ When Trixy returned, Gloria was already aglow in her rose colored gown.
“Lovely!” pronounced the admiring Trixy. “If we don’t make an impression to-night it won’t be the fault of clothes. Just look at this. Isn’t it stunning?”
“Perfectly. Trix, you have such a modish way about you——”
“Oh, I don’t know. You are no dowdy yourself. You always look to me like Molly Dawn, or Betty Bangle, or some other quaint character, bound to smile and look darling.” An affectionate little squeeze illustrated this compliment, and presently both girls were being introduced to their fellow students. ”

“ You see, my dad does some writing although he is in business.”
“I suppose one must inherit that sort of thing,” replied Mary wistfully.
“Every one has her own talent,” said Gloria hopefully. “If you don’t like writing you may like——”
“Nursing. I did love to nurse little Jack. But then, you see, my own dear mother—only lately died.” Mary turned away, biting her lip.
Instantly Gloria’s irritation gave way to sympathy. To lose a mother! And perhaps one who was a real companion! ”

“ Miss Taylor was not much more than a school girl herself.
“The berries!” cheered Pat. “Come along,91 Glo, and continue the hunt. If Jack is in Altmount we’ll find her! Let exams take care of themselves for a while,” and she dragged the willing Gloria along, out through the heavy doors, down the deserted path making straight for the gym.
“If she’s around she’ll surely be walking a ceiling or resting up on double flips. She’s the queerest girl. Hard work is her idea of loafing.”
All this increased Gloria’s suspicion. It sounded too much like circus ability to be anything else. ”

“ Gloria had gathered up the splints of glass and skillfully dropped them into the marshmallow box Mary held to receive them.
“You’re a dear,” murmured the pale girl. “But I shouldn’t have let you do it.”
“You couldn’t have stopped me,” retorted Gloria. “Don’t you know how stubborn I am? When I take a notion——”
“Come along,” interrupted Trixy in an undertone. “Going to hike, Mary?”
54 “I’m afraid not——”
“Oh, do,” begged Gloria. “There’s nothing like it for nerves, and you have a headache, haven’t you?” ”

“ She picked up an end of the material and found it heavy with spangles. Then she noticed an envelope pinned to an edge. Scrutinizing this she found the word “Precious” written across it, also “with care,” was plainly inscribed upon the little square. Realizing now that the trunk was not hers, Gloria attempted to replace the glittering stuff, but as she did so something red and sparkling fell from the envelope into her hand.
“Gems!” she exclaimed, gazing spellbound at the deep red glow that seemed to absorb all the light about it. ”

“ Gloria asked. They were on the second landing and now safe from possible interruptions.
“The Steppy, you know. She surely is a queer one. You just ought to hear her pass remarks, about one o’clock A. M. in the lower hall with the mezzanine floor lined with listening ladies! What the girls don’t guess isn’t worth considering. Guessing is their one strong line. But I like Jack, you know, Gloria, and I’m not catty enough to join in the slaughter.”
“I can’t see why girls are so—so snobbish,” returned Gloria. ”

“ Never knew how much I depended upon Jack for amusement,” her voice trailed off. “Poor old Jack! I wonder where she is and—why?”
65 Gloria had not raised her head and therefore could not see the swift change that swept over Mary’s pale face. Trixy again intervened.
“If we organize what is to be our object?” she asked.
“Fun,” snapped Pat.
“Of what sort?” persisted Trixy.
“Oh, every kind. We can’t exactly effect riots in this retreat,” mocked Pat, “but we might get up some highly interesting rows. There’s nothing like a real, tip-top scrap to set the feathers flying.” ”

“ A messenger boy had come late in the night with a telegram for Jack, and now, today, the day after the night alarm, Jack was gone!
“Some one sick or a sudden death?” hazarded Gloria. It was about time for a class and the conversation was necessarily snatchy.
“Jack doesn’t seem to have folks, at least, no one comes to see her,” explained the entertaining Pat, catching her blue barrette in a clump of hair much beyond its capacity.
“We’ll miss her,” spoke up Trixy. “I like Jack; she’s a positive cure for the blues.”
“Isn’t she? Jack is a lark, even if she does dress like—a fire sale.” ”

“ Many strings of beads were significantly fingered and admired, but without provoking a tell-tale flush of admission, and as often as the opportunity could be made, Gloria or Trixy talked about foreign stones, especially dark ones with little light streaks running through. But at the end of a week both girls were forced to admit “no progress.”
“Tell you what we’ll do,” proposed Gloria. “Just let’s forget it. Put it away and wait. Some day the culprit will betray herself. Then, if we are not parties to some dark plot that includes hiding the queen’s jools, we’ll be lucky kids.” ”

“ Corday. She insisted upon coming after all. Miss Taylor, who has great faith in your resourcefulness, has suggested that you meet the train, and perhaps in some magical way you could turn her back. If she comes up here we shall certainly have a difficult time in keeping her away from little Jack. She may even question our motives.” Miss Alton allowed a very human frown to gather upon her benign brow. “But what ever happens she cannot see Jack. She always excites her.”
“I’ll do anything I can, of course, Miss Alton,” said Gloria, each word sounding to her like a blast at the belated essay. ”

“ She now stood before Trixy making foolish faces.
“Ugh!” she exclaimed, brushing her hands to shed the imagined pollution, “now it’s all over. And we’ve lost trace of the Pirate’s Daughter.”
“There’s no telling,” presaged Trixy. “She may remember you in her will.”
“And again she may not. Well, may all our ill health go with it, as dear old Jane would say. Trixy, when do we go out to see our anxious friends?” (This meant the home folks.)
“I dunno. But let’s stick it out for a while and then, when we do take a little trip to Sandford, we won’t feel like a couple of hookey kids. ”

“ Don’t you believe some folks are naturally lucky?” she asked Mrs. Corday.
Gloria smiled incredulously. She didn’t believe193 it, that was evident. But she was more mystified than ever about the giver of the necklace and the owner of the trunk, for there was no doubt of it, she who owned the trunk had given the necklace in reward for the finding of the big red stone. And all this had come about from that simple incident of Gloria’s first mistake. And even Maggie, the voluble, had innocently contributed, for it was she who found “the bead” and left it carefully upon Gloria’s pin tray. ”

“ The string of beads reminded Gloria of the mistaken trunk.
“Is she a—stranger?” she asked Pat.
“Somewhat. That is, she comes and goes. I wonder Miss Alton admits her. Jack never settles down to anything serious. She makes me think of a big butterfly.” ”

“ And we are going to give you a real necklace to remember us by,” she said slyly.
“I love dark gray mossy beads,” insisted Gloria, so they both agreed to compromise.
“Now, girls,” interrupted the momentarily quieted Steppy. “I must go down to the office and talk things over with those teachers. I hope they won’t think I’m going to be bossed this time. I’m counting on a big party for you, Jack. Just get a pad and pencil and scribble off a list.”
“And she’s the girl you call Steppy!” accused Gloria, when the door bang died out. “You don’t know a real lady when you meet her,” she smiled at Jack. ”

“ The black eyes threw out threatening gleams and vouched promptly for the girl’s loyalty to a friend in need.
“Yes, it is hard for Jack to manage that sort of person. I would rather do most anything than try to cover up relatives’ shortcomings. They always crop out and spoil everything at the critical time,” said Trixy.
“Yes.” Gloria paused reflectively. Her father was a gentleman, always, Aunt Harriet, Hazel’s mother was old fashioned but naturally polite, even Jane, though no relative and really only a nurse, was instinctively considerate. ”

“ You little wild oriole, with your black head and new sweater!” laughed Trixy. “I’m afraid you really do need the Altmount discipline. You have been such a free little creature all your life.” Trixy looked absently out the window over the wavering trees, some already leafless, others gorgeously colorful. She was remembering Gloria Doane at her seaside, Barbend home, and again recalling the heroic Gloria, who a few months ago, had fought her way out of a flooded house, where with the little boy, Marty, she had become imprisoned. ”