Margaret Penrose

“ The road led cross-cut through a lot. There were trees in the very heart of this big meadow, and when Cora reached a clump of birches she was suddenly startled to see an old woman shuffling after her. Cora stopped instantly. It was broad daylight, so she had no thought of fear.
"What do you want?" she demanded of the woman, whom she saw was an old gypsy.
"I—want—you, young lady!" almost hissed the woman. "Do not get Salvo into trouble!" and she raised a black and withered hand in warning, "or trouble shall be upon your head!"
"Salvo!"
"Tony Salvo! Liza has spoken!" ”

“ Belle returned the charge with a contemptuous glance.
"I mean, of course, I should love him as a friend of humanity," she answered.
"Cats and dogs!" exclaimed Betty.
"A friend of dumb animals is always a friend of humans," insisted Belle.
Dr. Robbins smiled. Her cure was already working, and, while her story was correct, the recital of it had done more for those girls than had any other attempted cure of their melancholy.
"Well, I cannot agree with you that one fond of animals—that is excessively fond—is always very fond of mankind," she said. ”

“ Cora was trembling. She remembered the voice, although she was too deeply under the effects of the chloroform when in the wagon to recall more of this woman.
"I only came to warn you," said the woman.
"You are always warning," and Helka laughed. "I am afraid, Mother Hull, that we will begin to doubt your warnings. This young girl makes an admirable gypsy, yet you warned me so much before she came."
The woman stooped over and whispered into Helka's ear. "And I warn you now," she said, "that if she gets away I will not save you from Sam. You will marry him." ”

“ Looking across the water, the movement of the swimming youth could be seen, where the moonlight reflected on the waves.
"Oh, I am so frightened!" exclaimed Belle. "I felt that something would happen!"
"Something always does happen when it is expected," Cora told her, "but let us hope it will be nothing worse than what we already are conscious of. It was splendid of Walter to go, and I am sure he will return safely."
"He's a first-rate swimmer," declared Ed, looking anxiously at the little rippling motion that marked Walter's progress. "He can easily go a mile." ”

“ I should think that would be safer."
"No, it is very hard to bury one. Somehow they find the dead more difficult to hide than they do the living. I guess the good spirits take care of the dead."
"And we must take care of ourselves! Well, that may be. At any rate,
I am glad I did not die. Oh, Helka, if you only could know my brother
Jack. He is the noblest boy! And our girls! You know, we are called
the motor girls, don't you?"
"And you all own automobiles! I have never been in an automobile in my life," sighed Helka.
"But you are going to ride in mine—in the Whirlwind! ”

“ The Whirlwind skimmed along the avenue, first down to the post office and later fetched up at the garage. Bess and Jack, with Belle, followed, and as the little party glided along through the sea-side town, many admiring glances were cast in their direction.
"If Nettie does not come," remarked Ed, "are you sure, Cora, you won't be the least bit afraid alone at the cottage?"
"Why, no. There is a telephone wire over to the hotel, and, besides, I'm going to cock the little ivory pistol before I go to bed. A sneak thief always runs at the very sound of a pistol." ”

“ To-morrow I will get Lena to go to town for me, and perhaps we may be able to arrange something."
"And you will not write to your David?"
"Don't you think that dangerous?"
"The very safest thing, for he is a man, and how could they injure him?"
"And so handsome and so strong! He is like some grand old prince—his hair is like corn-silk and his eyes are like the blue sky," and Helka, as she reclined, with her chin in her hands, upon her couch, almost forgot that Cora was with her. ”

“ She is so nervous!"
"I'm glad the boys are here," finished Cora.
"Oh, I'm always glad when they are here," confessed Bess, stepping up beside Cora, as the two waited for Belle and the young men to come up the gravel walk.
"Hello, there!" saluted Jack. "More haunted house?"
"No, only more haunts," replied Cora. "Guess he didn't like the style of the house."
"Oh, you girls are too fussy," said Ed. "Seems to me if I were a young lady, and saw a young chap hanging under my window, I'd be sort of flattered."
"We prefer the hanging done in the open," exclaimed Bess. ”

“ It was the first time Cora had been out in the hall, and she looked around in wonderment. It was dark and dirty, so different from Helka's apartment. Lena led the way. There were three flights of stairs.
"You girls do not do too much sweeping," complained the queen, as she lifted her skirts. "I should think you would have had Christine brush down these steps."
"I told her to, but Mother Hull sent her for berries," explained Lena.
They passed along, and finally reached the outer door. The fresh air blew upon them.
"Oh!" exclaimed Cora. "Isn't it good to be in the open air?" ”

“ Who knows anything about such persons or their doings?"
"Again I'll agree, if it makes you feel better," replied Cora. "But, you see, mother has been away so much, and Jack is always at college, so that I am rather educated in this sort of thing," and as she glanced at her watch on the dresser the other girls could not help admiring her prudent courage.
"What time is it?" asked Nettie.
"The mystic hour—when we are supposed to be farthest from earth," replied Cora. "Just two."
"There is no use in trying to sleep any more," said Bess. "We might better get up and dress." ”

“ Two ordinary-looking men were working on the grounds. The place seemed just like any other country house that might be old and somewhat neglected, but there was not the slightest evidence of it being an abode of crime or of gypsies.
"This way, Cora," said Helka. "There is a splendid path through the woods this way. I love to gather the tinted leaves there."
As they turned the men also turned and made their work fit in exactly to the way the girls were going.
"Our guard," whispered Helka. "They will not speak to us, but they never take their eyes off us. I don't mind them, but I hate the dogs. ”

“ CHAPTER XI THE RESULT OF A BLAZE "That was plucky, Cora."
"What, Ed?"
"You running into Waterbury with a man who might have died in your car."
"Then he would have died in your arms."
"But I thought girls were so queer about things of that sort. When one dies in a house, for instance, a girl never likes the room——"
"But you would have had to keep your arms. Ed, I think the pluck was all on your side. But I do hope Jim has a chance. He seems an awfully frail little fellow." ”

“ Breathlessly they stood there—waiting, wondering and watching.
"I'm going to call," said Bess, at the same moment shouting, "Walter!" at the top of her voice.
"C-o-m-ing!" came the reply, and this time it was an open question whether Bess hugged Ed or Jack.
"Now we will be all right," breathed Belle. "Oh, I shall never want to see a motor boat again! The Flyaway is good enough for me."
"Yes, I fancy a motor on the earth myself," Cora agreed, "but, of course, a little experience like this adds to our general knowledge. I hope Walter is all right." ”

“ Would the trees never stop rustling, and would the steps below never cease their shuffling?
"I have said that this was to be my night of music," whispered Helka.
"The night of the full moon always is. So we must have music!"
A long line of automobiles had rumbled along the narrow road. Not a horn sounded, not one of the cars gave any warning. It was night in the White Mountains, and besides the party from the Tip-Top, who had been searching from late that afternoon, there were also, on Mr. Rand's orders, two officers in a runabout.
"Which way?" called the boys from their car. ”

“ It was fun to take the bus ride, and no one was more pleased at the prospect than was Mr. Rand.
"Nothing like sitting down square," he declared. "Why young folks always want to walk themselves into the grave is more than I pretend to understand."
"My, but that old gypsy woman did frighten me," said Belle to Hazel. "I never saw such a look as she gave Cora! I honestly thought she was going to drop. Maybe she——"
"Blew powder into her eyes. The same thought came to me," replied Hazel. "Well, I hope we won't see any more gypsies until we get within police precincts. ”

“ Shouts from the searchers occasionally reached the ears of those within the wagon, and once Mr. Rand on his donkey might have seen them but for the trickery of the driver, who pulled his horses into some shadowy bushes and waited for the searchers to pass.
The young gypsy woman peered down into Cora's face.
"She's pretty," she said, with some sympathy.
"Well, by the time she's out perhaps she won't be so pretty," sneered the older woman. "I swore revenge for Salvo, and I'll have it."
"Oh, you and Salvo! Seems to me a man ought to be able——"
"You cat! Do you want to go back to the cave?" ”

“ I would be afraid if I ran away that old Mother Hull's face would kill me in my sleep. She is a dreadful woman."
"But that is superstitious. No dream can kill. I wish that was all that held me here," and Cora sighed deeply.
"But you have promised not to try to escape while you are in my charge," Helka reminded her. "And surely you will keep that promise!" There was alarm in her voice. Helka had not told Cora all of her fears. ”

“ I did think something else would happen to prevent us from getting off," said Bess, as she and Belle, with Cora, actually started out to get the autos ready for the tour to the Berkshires. "And to think that Miss Robbins can go with us!"
"I'm sure she will be a lot better than a nervous person like dear mamma," said Belle. "Not but what we would love to have mamma go, but she does not enjoy our kind of motoring."
"It does seem fortunate that Miss Robbins wanted to go," added Cora.
"I like her; she is the ideal type of business woman." ”

“ You leave me nothing to say for my fair-eyed friends. They have eyes, every one of them. Here are Betty's," and she grasped a sprig of a wonderful blue blossom. "And here are dear, darling Belle's," picking up a spray of myrtle in bloom, "and here are the brown eyes of Bess," at which remark the eyes of Cora Kimball could hardly look at the late, brown daisy, because of a mist of tears.
"All girls!" exclaimed Helka wonderingly.
"Oh, I know some boys," replied Cora, running along and noting that the men with the dogs were close by. "Jack is dark. ”

“ Bess tried to be brave, but to lose Cora! Then she recalled the face at the window.
Hazel and Betty waited for nothing, but took up a lantern and started out to search. If she had fallen down some place! Oh, if they could only make her hear them!
"Here, porter," called Mr. Rand, when he had heard all the details that could be given, "get me a donkey—a good, lively donkey. I can manage one of the little beasts better than I can a horse. I used to ride one in Egypt. I'll go over the hills if it is midnight."
"Oh, don't, Mr. Rand," begged Jack. ”

“ Betty said she knew a very dark and dangerous pass, where she had lost her bracelet. Belle wanted to go by the river road, so that when it was actually left to Bess to decide, as she was next in authority to Cora in the Motor Girls' Club, she spoke for the way through the woods, straight up into a rough and shaggy pass.
"They would never dream of an automobile getting up there," she declared, "and if she is in hiding they have taken her far away from the good roads."
Wonderful for Bess! Wonderful, indeed, is the instinct of love! ”

“ The boys went inside and attended to the very last of the preparations, while Cora, too, insisted upon looking over her machine before starting off.
"You'll have a fine trip," remarked the man at the garage. "I think the run through the Berkshires one of the best there is. Fine roads and nice people along the way."
"Well, we need both," answered Miss Robbins. "I don't know so much about roads, but people—we always need them."
"All aboard," cried Ed, as finally they all did get into the cars, and, as usual, the Whirlwind led. Next came the Flyaway, then the two runabouts with the young men. ”