diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | 41558-0.txt | 391 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 41558-0.zip | bin | 115714 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 41558-h.zip | bin | 279292 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 41558-h/41558-h.htm | 414 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 41558.txt | 6630 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 41558.zip | bin | 114685 -> 0 bytes |
6 files changed, 5 insertions, 7430 deletions
diff --git a/41558-0.txt b/41558-0.txt index 6c424d1..30c1c76 100644 --- a/41558-0.txt +++ b/41558-0.txt @@ -1,36 +1,4 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Dorothy Dale's Great Secret, by Margaret Penrose - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Dorothy Dale's Great Secret - -Author: Margaret Penrose - -Release Date: December 5, 2012 [EBook #41558] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOROTHY DALE'S GREAT SECRET *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41558 *** DOROTHY DALE’S GREAT SECRET @@ -6266,359 +6234,4 @@ them far on the road to success. End of Project Gutenberg's Dorothy Dale's Great Secret, by Margaret Penrose -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOROTHY DALE'S GREAT SECRET *** - -***** This file should be named 41558-0.txt or 41558-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/5/5/41558/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41558 *** diff --git a/41558-0.zip b/41558-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index dfdb68e..0000000 --- a/41558-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/41558-h.zip b/41558-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f742c58..0000000 --- a/41558-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/41558-h/41558-h.htm b/41558-h/41558-h.htm index ad9cc7d..9c38ae1 100644 --- a/41558-h/41558-h.htm +++ b/41558-h/41558-h.htm @@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <head> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" /> <!-- terminate if block for class html --> <title>Dorothy Dale’s Great Secret, by Margaret Penrose</title> @@ -117,42 +117,7 @@ margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; max-width:20em; } </style> </head> <body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's Dorothy Dale's Great Secret, by Margaret Penrose - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Dorothy Dale's Great Secret - -Author: Margaret Penrose - -Release Date: December 5, 2012 [EBook #41558] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOROTHY DALE'S GREAT SECRET *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41558 ***</div> <div id="cover" class="img"> <img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="Dorothy Dale’s Great Secret" width="500" height="791" /> @@ -6843,379 +6808,6 @@ far on the road to success.</p> <ul><li>Silently corrected a few typos (but left dialect and nonstandard spelling as is).</li> <li>Rearranged front matter (and moved illustrations) to a more-logical streaming order.</li></ul> - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Dorothy Dale's Great Secret, by Margaret Penrose - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOROTHY DALE'S GREAT SECRET *** - -***** This file should be named 41558-h.htm or 41558-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/5/5/41558/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - -</pre> - +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41558 ***</div> </body> </html> diff --git a/41558.txt b/41558.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 6180370..0000000 --- a/41558.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6630 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Dorothy Dale's Great Secret, by Margaret Penrose - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Dorothy Dale's Great Secret - -Author: Margaret Penrose - -Release Date: December 5, 2012 [EBook #41558] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOROTHY DALE'S GREAT SECRET *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - DOROTHY DALE'S - GREAT SECRET - - - BY - MARGARET PENROSE - - AUTHOR OF "DOROTHY DALE: A GIRL OF TO-DAY," "DOROTHY DALE AT - GLENWOOD SCHOOL," ETC. - - - ILLUSTRATED - - - NEW YORK - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY - - - - - THE DOROTHY DALE SERIES - By Margaret Penrose - - Cloth. Illustrated. - - DOROTHY DALE: A GIRL OF TO-DAY - DOROTHY DALE AT GLENWOOD SCHOOL - DOROTHY DALE'S GREAT SECRET - - (Other Volumes in preparation) - - - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY NEW YORK - - - Copyright, 1909, by - Cupples & Leon Company - - Dorothy Dale's Great Secret - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. An Automobile Ride 1 - II. Tavia Has Plans 17 - III. A Cup of Tea 28 - IV. The Apparition 39 - V. An Untimely Letter 47 - VI. On the Lawn 55 - VII. At Sunset Lake 63 - VIII. A Lively Afternoon 72 - IX. Dorothy and Tavia 79 - X. Leaving Glenwood 88 - XI. A Jolly Home-Coming 96 - XII. Dorothy is Worried 109 - XIII. Little Urania 118 - XIV. The Runaway 129 - XV. A Spell of the "Glumps" 139 - XVI. Dorothy in Buffalo 147 - XVII. At the Play 161 - XVIII. Behind the Scenes 172 - XIX. The Clue 183 - XX. Dorothy and the Manager 195 - XXI. Adrift in a Strange City 205 - XXII. In Dire Distress 211 - XXIII. The Secret--Conclusion 231 - - - - - DOROTHY DALE'S GREAT SECRET - - - - - CHAPTER I - AN AUTOMOBILE RIDE - - -"There is one thing perfectly delightful about boarding schools," -declared Tavia, "when the term closes we can go away, and leave it in -another world. Now, at Dalton, we would have to see the old schoolhouse -every time we went to Daly's for a pound of butter, a loaf of bread--and -oh, yes! I almost forgot! Mom said we could get some bologna. Whew! Don't -your mouth water, Dorothy? We always did get good bologna at Daly's!" - -"Bologna!" echoed Dorothy. "As if the young ladies of Glenwood School -would disgrace their appetites with such vulgar fare!" - -At this she snatched up an empty cracker box, almost devouring its -parifine paper, in hopes of finding a few more crumbs, although Tavia had -poured the last morsels of the wafers down her own throat the night -before this conversation took place. Yes, Tavia had even made a funnel of -the paper and "took" the powdered biscuits as doctors administer headache -remedies. - -"All the same," went on Tavia, "I distinctly remember that you had a -longing for the skin of my sausage, along with the end piece, which you -always claimed for your own share." - -"Oh, please stop!" besought Dorothy, "or I shall have to purloin my hash -from the table to-night and stuff it into--" - -"The armlet of your new, brown kid gloves," finished Tavia. "They're the -very color of a nice, big, red-brown bologna, and I believe the -inspiration is a direct message. 'The Evolution of a Bologna Sausage,' -modern edition, bound in full kid. Mine for the other glove. Watch all -the hash within sight to-night, and we'll ask the girls to our -clam-bake." - -"Dear old Dalton," went on Dorothy with a sigh. "After all there is no -place like home," and she dropped her blond head on her arms, in the -familiar pose Tavia described as "thinky." - -"But home was never like this," declared the other, following up -Dorothy's sentiment with her usual interjection of slang. At the same -moment she made a dart for a tiny bottle of Dorothy's perfume, which was -almost emptied down the front of Tavia's blue dress, before the owner of -the treasure had time to interfere. - -"Oh, that's mean!" exclaimed Dorothy. "Aunt Winnie sent me that by mail. -It was a special kind--" - -"And you know my weakness for specials--real bargains! There!" and Tavia -caught Dorothy up in her arms. "I'll rub it all on your head. Tresses of -sunshine, perfumed with incense!" - -"Please stop!" begged Dorothy. "My hair is all fixed!" - -"Well, it's 'fixest' now. The superlative you know. I do hate your hair -prim. Never knew a girl with heavenly hair who did not want to make a -mattress of it. I have wonderfully enhanced the beauty of your coiffure, -mam'selle, for which I ask to be permitted one kiss!" and at this the two -girls became so entangled in each other's embrace that it would have been -hard to tell whom the blond head belonged to, or who might be the owner -of the bronze ringlets. - -But Dorothy Dale was the blond, and Octavia Travers, "sported" the dark -tresses. "Sported" we say advisedly, for Tavia loved sport better than -she cared for her dinner, while Dorothy, an entirely different type of -girl, admired the things of this world that were good and beautiful, true -and reliable; but at the same time she was no prude, and so enjoyed her -friend's sports, whenever the mischief involved no serious consequences. - -That "Doro" as her chums called Dorothy, and Tavia could be so unlike, -and yet be such friends, was a matter of surprise to all their -acquaintances. But those who have read of the young ladies in the -previous stories of the series, "Dorothy Dale;--A Girl of To-Day," and -"Dorothy Dale at Glenwood School," have had sufficient introduction to -these interesting characters to understand how natural it was for a lily -(our friend Dorothy) to love and encourage a frolicsome wild flower -(Tavia) to cling to the cultured stalk, to keep close to the saving -influence of the lily's heart--so close that no gardener would dare to -tear away that wild flower from the lily's clasp, without running the -risk of cruelly injuring the more tender plant. - -So it was with these two girls. No one could have destroyed their love -and friendship for each other without so displacing their personalities -as to make the matter one of serious consequences. - -Many other girls had coveted Dorothy's love; some had even tried to -obtain it by false stories, or greatly exaggerated accounts of Tavia's -frolics. But Dorothy loved Tavia, and believed in her, so all attempts to -destroy her faith were futile. And it was this faith, when the time came, -that inspired Dorothy Dale to keep the Great Secret. - -Glenwood School was situated amid the mountains of New England, and the -two girls had completed one term there. On the afternoon when this story -opens they were lounging in their own particular room, nineteen by -number, waiting for the recreation bell to send its muffled chimes down -the corridor. - -They were waiting with unusual impatience, for the "hour of freedom" to -come, for they expected visitors in an automobile. - -"Like as not," Tavia broke in suddenly, without offering a single excuse -for the surprising interjection, "the Fire Bird will break down, and we -won't get our ride after all." - -"Cheerful speculation," interposed Dorothy, "but not exactly probable. -The Fire Bird is an auto that never breaks down." - -"What, never?" persisted Tavia, laughing. - -"No, never," declared Dorothy. "Of course all automobiles are subject to -turns, but to really break down--Aunt Winnie would never allow her boys -to run a machine not entirely reliable." - -"O-o-o-oh!" drawled Tavia, in mock surprise. Then the girls settled down -to wait. - -The Fire Bird, was a touring car in which the girls had enjoyed some -noted rides about their home town of Dalton. Dorothy's aunt, Mrs. -Winthrop White, of North Birchland, owned the car, and her two sons, -Edward and Nathaniel (or Ned and Nat, to give them the titles they always -went by) good looking young fellows, were usually in charge of it when -their favorite cousin Dorothy, and her friend Tavia, were the other -passengers. - -It may as well be stated at this time that Nat and Tavia were excellent -friends, and even on a ride that had been termed notorious (on account of -the strange experiences that befell the party while making a tour), Tavia -and Nat had managed to have a good time, and made the best of their -strange adventures. - -It was not surprising then that on this afternoon, while Dorothy and -Tavia waited for another ride in the Fire Bird, their brains should be -busy with speculative thoughts. Tavia was sure Nat would think she had -grown to be a real young lady, and Dorothy was so anxious to see both her -cousins, that she fell to thinking they might have outgrown the jolly, -big-boy relationship, and would come to her stiff and stylish young men. - -The peal of the recreation bell in the outer hall suddenly aroused the -girls, and, at the same moment the "honk-honk" of the Fire Bird's horn -announced the arrival of the long expected boys. - -"There they are!" exclaimed Tavia, quite unnecessarily, for Dorothy was -already making her pearl-tinted veil secure over her yellow head; and -while Tavia was wasting her time, looking out of the window at the auto, -which was surrounded by boys and girls who stood on the path, plainly -admiring the two cousins and the stylish car, Dorothy was quite ready for -the ride. - -"Do come, Tavia!" she called. "The afternoon is short enough!" - -"Com--ing!" shouted her irrepressible companion in high glee, making a -lunge for her own veil, and tossing it over her head as she dashed down -the corridor. - -Dorothy stopped at the office on her way out to tell the principal, Mrs. -Pangborn, that the expected visitors had arrived, and that she and Tavia -were starting for the ride, permission to go having been granted in -advance. - -Outside, just beyond the arch in the broad driveway, the Fire Bird panted -and puffed, as if anxious to take flight again. Ned was at the steering -wheel and as for Nat, he was helping Tavia into the machine "with both -hands" some jealous onlookers declared afterward. However Dorothy's -friend Rose-Mary Markin (known to her chums as Cologne because of her -euphonious first names) insisted differently in the argument that -followed the puffing away of the car. - -It was no small wonder that the coming of the Fire Bird should excite -such comment among the girls at Glenwood school. An automobile ride was -no common happening there, for while many of the parents of the young -ladies owned such machines, Glenwood was far away from home and so were -the autos. - -Edna Black, called Ned Ebony, and regarded as Tavia's most intimate -friend, insisted that Tavia looked like a little brown sparrow, as she -flew off, with the streamers of her brown veil flying like wings. Molly -Richards, nick-named Dick, and always "agin' th' government" like the -foreigner in politics, declared that the girls "were not in it" with the -boys, for, as she expressed it, "girls always do look like animated -rag-bags in an automobile." - -"Boys just put themselves on the seat and stay put," she announced, "but -girls--they seem to float above the car, and they give me the shivers!" - -"All the same," interrupted Cologne, "the damsels manage to hang on." - -"And Dorothy was a picture," ventured Nita Brant, the girl given to -"excessive expletive ejaculations," according to the records of the Nick -Association, the official club of the Juniors. - -So the Fire Bird, with its gay little party, flew over the hills of -Glenwood. Dorothy was agreeably surprised to find her cousins just as -good natured and just as boy-like as they had been when she had last seen -them, and they, in turn, complimented her on her improved appearance. - -"You look younger though you talk older," Ned assured Dorothy, with a -nice regard for the feminine feeling relative to age. - -"And Tavia looks--looks--how?" stammered Nat, with a significant look at -his elder brother. - -"Search me!" replied the other evasively, determined not to be trapped by -Nat into any "expert opinion." - -"Beyond words!" finished Nat, with a glance of unstinted admiration at -his companion. - -"Bad as that?" mocked Tavia. "The girls do call me 'red head' and -'brick-top.' Yes, even 'carroty' is thrown at me when I do anything to -make Ned mad. You know that's the girl," she hurried to add, "the -girl--Edna Black--Ned Ebony for short, you know. She's the jolliest -crowd--" - -"How many of her?" asked Ned, pretending to be ignorant of Tavia's school -vernacular. - -"Legion," was the enthusiastic answer, which elastic comment settled the -question of Edna Black, for the time being, at least. - -The roads through Glenwood wound up and down like thread on a spool. -Scarcely did the Fire Bird find itself on the top of a hill before it -went scooting down to the bottom. Then another would loom up and it had -to be done all over again. - -This succession of steep grades, first tilting up and then down, kept Ned -busy throwing the clutches in and out, taking the hills on the low gear, -then slipping into full speed ahead as a little level place was reached, -and again throwing off the power and drifting down while the brakes -screeched and hummed as if in protest at being made to work so hard. The -two girls, meanwhile, were busy speculating on what would happen if an -"something" should give way, or if the powerful car should suddenly -refuse to obey the various levers, handles, pedals and the maze of things -of which Ned seemed to have perfect command. - -"This reminds me of the Switch-back Railway," remarked Nat, as the -machine suddenly lurched first up, and then down a rocky "bump." - -"Y-y-y-es!" agreed Ned, shouting to be heard above the pounding of the -muffler. "It's quite like a trip on the Scenic Railway--pretty pictures -and all." - -"I hope it isn't dangerous," ventured Dorothy, who had too vivid a -remembrance of the narrow escape on a previous ride, to enjoy the -possibility of a second adventure. - -"No danger at all," Ned hastened to assure her. - -"A long hill at last!" exclaimed Nat, as the big strip of brown earth -uncoiled before them, like so many miles of ribbon dropped from the sky, -with a knot somewhere in the clouds. "A long hill for sure. None of your -dinky little two-for-a-cent kinds this time!" - -"Oh!" gasped Dorothy, involuntarily catching at Ned's arm. "Be careful, -Ned!" - -Ned took a firmer grip on the steering wheel, as he finished throwing out -the gear and shutting off the power, while the spark lever sent out a -shrill sound as he swung it in a segment over the rachet. - -The hill was not only remarkably steep, but consisted of a series of -turns and twists. Down the grade the car plunged in spite of the brakes -that Ned jammed on, with all his force, to prevent a runaway. He was a -little pale, but calm, and with his steady hands on the wheel, clinging -firmly to it in spite of the way it jerked about, as if trying to get -free, he guided the Fire Bird down, the big machine swerving from right -to left, but ever following where the lad directed it. - -As they swung around a turn in the descending road a clump of trees -obstructed the view for a moment. Then the car glided beyond them, -gathering speed every moment, in spite of the brakes. - -"The creek!" yelled Tavia in sudden terror, pointing to where a small, -but deep stream flowed under the road. "There's the creek and the bridge -is broken!" - -The water was spanned by a frail structure, generally out of order and in -a state of uncertain repair. It needed but a glance to show that it was -now in course of being mended, for there was a pile of material near it. -Work, however, had been temporarily suspended. - -Then, there flashed into view a warning signboard announcing that the old -planking of the bridge had been taken up to allow the putting down of -new, and that the bridge was impassable. The four horror-stricken -occupants of the car saw this at a glance. - -"Stop the car!" cried Tavia. - -"Can't!" answered Ned hoarsely. "I've got the emergency brake on, but it -doesn't seem to hold." - -"It's all right," called Nat. "I saw a wagon go over the bridge when we -were on our way to the school this afternoon." - -"But it crossed on some loose, narrow planks!" Tavia gasped. "I saw them -put the boards there yesterday when we were out for our walk! I forgot -all about them! Oh! Stop the car! We can't cross on the planks! We'll all -be killed!" - -Ned leaned forward, pulling with all his strength on the brake handle, as -if to force it a few more notches back and make the steel band grip -tighter the whirring wheels that were screeching out a shrill protest at -the friction. - -"I--I can't do it!" he exclaimed almost in a whisper. - -The Fire Bird was dashing along the steep incline. Ned clung firmly to -the steering wheel, for though there was terrible danger ahead, it was -also close at hand should the auto swerve from the path. His face was -white, and Nat's forced breathing sounded loud in the ears of the -terror-stricken girls. - -The bridge was but a few hundred feet away. The auto skidded along as if -under power, though the gasolene was shut off. - -"There's a plank across the entrance! Maybe that will stop us!" cried -Nat. - -"Never in this world!" replied Ned, in despairing tones. - -Dorothy was sending up wordless prayers, but she did not stir from her -seat, sitting bravely still, and not giving way to useless terror. Nor -did Tavia, once the first shock was over, for she saw how quiet Dorothy -was, and she too, sank back among the cushions, waiting for the crash she -felt would soon come. - -"If some boards are only down!" murmured Ned. "Maybe I can steer--" - -The next instant the Fire Bird had crashed through the obstruction plank. -It splintered it as if it were a clothes pole, and, a moment later, -rumbled out upon the frail, loose planking, laid length-wise across the -floorless bridge, as a path for the repair teams. - -"Oh! Oh!" shrieked the two girls in one breath. - -Nat jumped up from his seat, and, leaning forward, grasped his brother by -the shoulders. - -Then what followed was always a mystery to the four who had an -involuntary part in it. The front wheels took the narrow planks, and -clung there as Ned held the steering circle steady. There was a little -bump as the rear wheels took the same small boards. There was a crashing, -splintering sound and then, before any of those in the car had a chance -to realize it, the Fire Bird had whizzed across the bridge and was -brought to a quick stop on the other side. - -"Whew!" gasped Ned, as he tried to open the paralyzed hands that seemed -grown fast to the steering wheel. - -"Look at that!" cried Nat, as he leaped from the car and pointed back -toward the bridge. "We broke two planks in the very middle, and only the -fast rate we clipped over them saved us from going down!" - -"What an escape!" cried Tavia as she jumped from her seat. - -"Is the car damaged?" asked Dorothy, as she too alighted to stand beside -her chum. - -"Something happened to the radiator when we hit the rail and broke it," -said Ned, as he saw water escaping from the honey-comb reservoir. "But I -guess it won't amount to much. It isn't leaking badly. The idea of the -county having a picture bridge over a river! Why there's a swift current -here, and it's mighty deep. Just look at that black whirlpool near the -eddy. If we'd gone down there what the machine left of us would have been -nicely cooled off at any rate!" - -The two boys were soon busy examining the car, while Dorothy and Tavia -stood in the road. - -"Wasn't it dreadful!" exclaimed Dorothy. "I do believe we ought not to go -auto riding--something happens every time we go out." - -"And to think that I knew about the bridge!" whispered Tavia. "Only -yesterday I saw it and noticed how unsafe it was. Then I forgot all about -it. Oh, Dorothy! If anything had happened it would have been my fault!" - - - - - CHAPTER II - TAVIA HAS PLANS - - -Dorothy threw her arms about Tavia, and, for a few moments the two girls -were locked in each other's embrace. The reaction, following their lucky -escape from almost certain death, had unnerved them. Nor were the two -boys altogether free from a shaky feeling, as they carefully looked over -the car to see if it had suffered any further damage than the leaky -radiator. - -"Think she'll do?" asked Nat. - -"Guess so," replied his brother. "My, but that was as close a call as I -have ever had." - -"Me too. I guess we'd better take a breathing spell before we go on." - -The boys sat down on a grassy bank, and the girls followed their example. -They looked back over the bridge, and at the two broken planks that had -nearly proved their undoing. Through the spaces, where the flooring was -torn up, the black, swirling waters could be seen. - -While the auto party are resting until they have somewhat gotten over the -fright caused by their narrow escape, let me tell something of Dorothy -and her friends. As set forth in the first book of this series, "Dorothy -Dale; A Girl of To-Day," the girl was the daughter of Major Frank Dale, a -veteran of the Civil War. He ran a weekly newspaper, called _The Bugle_ -in Dalton, a small town in New York state. Dorothy's mother had died some -years previous. The girl had two brothers, younger than herself, named -Joe and Roger. - -Dorothy took part in a temperance crusade in Dalton and had much to do in -unraveling the mystery of an unfortunate man given to drink. He left a -small fortune to his daughter, whose whereabouts were unknown, and -Dorothy succeeded in finding her. In her work the girl was much hampered -by a man named Anderson, who sought to do her bodily harm, and who was at -the bottom of the mystery concerning the daughter of the unfortunate man. - -Dorothy proved herself a brave girl, and, with the help of Tavia, who -became her especial chum, did much to aid several persons in Dalton. - -In the second volume, "Dorothy Dale at Glenwood School" there I related -how Dorothy and her father came upon better days. Major Dale fell heir to -quite a sum of money, and could give up the newspaper. - -Dorothy was sent to Glenwood School, where Tavia accompanied her. The two -girls had many exciting times there, and Dorothy was suspected of -something for which she was not to blame, suffering much in consequence -of her desire to shield another girl. There was much fun at the school, -in spite of this, however including a queer walking match and a strange -initiation. - -Dorothy and her father moved to North Birchland, the home of Mrs. -Winthrop White, Mr. Dale's sister. Anderson, the man who had caused -Dorothy so much trouble turned up again, but was eventually sent to jail. - -After the holidays Dorothy and Tavia returned to school, where we find -them at the opening of this story. They had become friends of nearly all -the students, though, as is natural, had made some enemies, as what girl -does not? - -Now the party on the roadside prepared to start off again. - -"I can't forgive myself for not remembering about the dangerous state of -the bridge," went on Tavia, when Ned and Nat had announced that the auto -was fit to continue its journey. - -"Of course it wasn't your fault," said Dorothy. - -"Yes it was," insisted Tavia. "You wouldn't have forgotten it, Doro, -dear!" - -And, to give Dorothy credit, she would not have been so thoughtless. But -she was a different type of girl from Tavia. It was the way she had been -brought up, as much as her own character, that caused this difference. -Good breeding is not a virtue, it is a blessing: hence in considering -such a gift we admire the fortunate possessor, just as we esteem the -beauty of the cultured rose, and, naturally compare it favorably when -placed next to some coarse untrained wild flower. - -So it was with our two friends, Dorothy and Tavia. Dorothy was well bred, -and could always be relied upon, for the good breeding was nicely coupled -with a kindness of heart that composed a charming character. Though -Dorothy had no mother her aunt, Mrs. Winthrop White almost filled that -place in the girl's heart. - -The White family, with whom Dorothy, her father and two brothers had gone -to live, since the advent of the legacy, consisted of Mrs. White and her -two sons, Nat and Ned. Mr. White had died some years ago, while engaged -in a scientific expedition. - -Not having a daughter of her own Dorothy's Aunt Winnie was especially -fond of her pretty niece, and, as the girl could barely remember her own -mother, she lavished her affection on her father's sister. - -Dorothy's affection, love and devotion to her father was of a different -type from that given to any other living creature, not excepting her own -darling brothers, Joe and Roger, and Roger had almost grown up in his -sister's arms, for he had been a tiny baby when his mother was called -away. - -It was in Dalton that Dorothy had met and learned to love Tavia. The -Travers family, of whom Tavia was the most interesting member, lived not -far from the Dale homestead. Tavia had grown up with Dorothy, as her most -intimate friend and companion, and it was Dorothy's love for Tavia that -had wrought miracles for the girl who lacked proper home training, for -her parents were of that class generally designated as improvident. - -Tavia always ignored the saving rules of correct society, and, being -naturally bright, and strangely pretty was, now that she was in her -fifteenth year, in a fair way to be spoiled by those who delighted to -hear her witty nonsense, and who looked upon her frolics as entertaining -in an otherwise stupid old world. - -"Well, shall we go along now?" asked Ned, as he again took his place at -the steering wheel. - -"Yes, but go slow," begged Tavia. "We can go home by a different road. We -have lots of time, before we have to be back to Glenwood School for tea." - -"Slow it is," replied Ned, not at all sorry that he could take it easy -after the strenuous time. Dorothy had many questions to ask her -cousins--all about her father's rheumatism--whether the electric -treatment was doing him as much good as the doctors had promised--how her -brothers were getting on at school--how strange it seemed to have Roger -at school!--and scores of other things. But she always came back to her -father or the boys--to Roger--she could scarcely imagine her baby brother -running home to Aunt Winnie with his book under his arm. - -While Ned and Dorothy were thus busy with family affairs, Nat and Tavia, -seated on the rear seat, were discussing purely personal matters. Nat -told of the tour he and his brother had made from North Birchland, the -trip being undertaken with other members of a club, which was holding a -meet not far from Glenwood School. Tavia found plenty of small -interesting talk to "give and take" with Nat. - -"Dorothy," she asked suddenly, "do you think we could get off all day -to-morrow and take a run out to where the auto meet is being held? It -would be all sorts of fun and--" - -"To-morrow?" echoed Dorothy. "Why you know we have our English exams. and -our geometry to make up. Besides, Mrs. Pangborn would never allow us to -go to a boys' camp." - -"Allow us! Just as if we were in the kindergarten! Let's make up some -excuse and go! Now, Doro, don't look so shocked! Surely you have the -right to go out with your own cousins?" - -"Tavia, don't talk such nonsense!" exclaimed Dorothy severely. "You know -perfectly well we are under the school rules, and that we are in honor -bound not to violate them. As if any sensible girl would risk her good -standing for such an escapade!" - -"What's the 'standing' at Glenwood compared to the 'sitting' in the Fire -Bird?" asked Tavia flippantly. "Besides, just think of all the jolly -fellows we would meet; wouldn't we, Nat?" - -"There's a great collection of wild ducks out there at the auto camp," -Nat answered rather reluctantly, for he plainly saw that Tavia's -surprising proposition had caused Dorothy serious annoyance. - -"Well, I've a mind to go myself. Will you come for me, boys? I could -disappear at class hour, when all the 'tattle-tales' will be sure to be -busy, scheming out of their work. Then I could get back in time to have -my head tied up at lunch hour--head-ache all the morning, you know. -Simplest thing in the world." - -Even the boys scarcely smiled as Tavia unfolded a possible plan to -deceive her teachers, and to dishonor her own name. Her friends were well -accustomed to her pranks and prattle, and usually regarded her nonsense -as mere babble. But, somehow, Tavia, was "growing up," lately, and it -seemed quite time for her to take life more seriously. - -"Tavia," spoke up Dorothy finally, "you came to Glenwood upon my aunt's -recommendation, and under my--" - -"Wing!" broke in Tavia, throwing her arms out toward the slender form of -the girl seated ahead of her in the auto. - -"At any rate," finished Dorothy, "I'm perfectly sure that my cousins will -never take part in any such nonsense." - -"Oh, Mr. Flea, you've bitten me, and you must die!" sang Tavia, making a -series of melo-dramatic gestures, that caused the boys to laugh and even -made Dorothy smile in forgiveness. - -"Thus are my social ambitions nipped in the bud--extinguished in their -first, faint gleaming," went on Tavia, assuming a tone of tragedy. "Well, -my fairy-godmother, Dorothy Dale Glenwood, when that day comes that I am -forced to spurn the lines of the Social Swim, and you find me beyond the -ropes, clinging helplessly to the tail-end of my former prestige, carried -out with the great, surging tide of struggling humanity, then you will -remember that I had attempted a correct debut, and it ended in a splash -of Dale indignation!" - -Somehow Tavia's nonsense had a ring of reality to-day. Perhaps it was the -narrow escape at the bridge that had tinted her pictures with such a -serious tone--she seemed preoccupied, and gave her chatter in words -contradicted by her voice and manner. It was some minutes before any one -spoke. All appeared to be enjoying the "valedictory," and presently -Tavia, promising to "turn over a new leaf," made a grab for a branch of a -tree the auto just then passed under, and swished the foliage she -captured until every leaf showed its silvery under-side against the deep -blue sky. She laughed at her joke. - -"Of course you know," said Ned, as he swung the car into a cross-road -that led to Glenwood, "mother expects you to come to North Birchland, -with Dorothy, this summer, Tavia. We'll try to make you -comfortable--ahem! Nat has a brand new tandem, besides white duck duds to -burn--" - -"Nixy! To wear," corrected his brother. "Mother says white ducks are -economical for man--and beast." - -"Of course you'll come with me, Tavia," said Dorothy, noting instantly -that her chum had not responded to the kind invitation that Nat had -delivered for his mother. - -"Perhaps," replied Tavia, vaguely. - -"Are you going to spend all your time at Dalton?" continued Dorothy, much -puzzled at Tavia's manner. - -"Oh, no indeed," answered Tavia, promptly this time, showing plainly, -that she had other plans than those connected with her home town. - -"I hope you'll come," said Nat aside, in pardonable earnestness, for his -good times, with the "little bronze beauty" of Dalton, were cherished -among his very best memories. Tavia was certainly a jolly girl, and Nat -liked her--why should he not--like her? - -"Oh, I'll be sure to see you," Tavia answered Nat. - -Sure to see him? Yes, but she little dreamed then how very glad she would -be to see him--and what serious happenings were to take place before that -meeting. - - - - - CHAPTER III - A CUP OF TEA - - -"Dorothy," began Tavia that evening, as the two girls sat alone in their -room, enjoying their usual good-night conference, "why couldn't you take -that spin out to the auto meet. It would be no end of good fun." - -"Fun!" echoed Dorothy, surprised that Tavia should again venture to -propose such a thing. "Why, Tavia! Really you shock me!" Then she went to -the little dresser, under pretext of looking for something, but in -reality to gain time--she scarcely knew what to say to her chum, whose -sudden whim was so startling. - -Tavia sat on the box divan, her hands in her lap, and her brown head bent -over, a strange and serious attitude for the girl who was never known to -sit still, even in church; and who had the reputation of being the -jolliest girl at Glenwood. For some moments she appeared to be -unconscious of Dorothy's presence, so absorbed was she in her own -thoughts. Dorothy was now regarding her curiously. What could have turned -Tavia's head? For turned from its usually bright and happy line of -thought it plainly was. - -"What is it, Tavia?" she asked finally, stealing up to the crouched -figure, and placing her arm gently about her chum's neck. - -"Why?" inquired the other, with a sudden start, as if afraid Dorothy -would divine her thoughts. - -"You are worried about something--come tell me what it is!" - -"Worried!" Tavia jumped up, shaking off Dorothy's arm. "Worried! Dorothy -Dale, I believe you're not well! You act morbid--creepy!" - -Dorothy turned away. She was hurt--crushed--that Tavia should spurn her -affection and refuse her confidence. - -"We always told each other everything," and Dorothy almost sighed, as her -words came slowly, and with strange coldness. "I never imagined you would -keep any important secret from me." - -"You silly!" exclaimed Tavia, throwing her arms around Dorothy this time. -"Who said I had a secret? What in the world has put that wild notion into -your yellow head?--bless it!" - -This last expression brought a kiss to the golden ringlets, and, as the -two girls sat there, Dorothy with a far-away look in her eyes that were -clouded with unbidden tears, Tavia with her cheek pressed lovingly -against the blond head, and her own eyes looking into some unknown -future, their pose was like a stage picture--the kind usually presented -when one sister is about to leave a country home, and the other bids her -stay. - -"Aren't we a couple of jays!" broke in Tavia, as soon as she appeared to -realize the melo-dramatic effect. "I declare we ought to travel as 'The -Glum Sisters--Mag and Liz.' There! Wouldn't we make a hit for teary ones? -Weeps are in great demand they say. Smiles are being overworked in the -profresh!" and she strode up to the mirror with a most self-satisfied -glance at her pretty face. - -"Tavia, you are getting awfully big for slang--it seems more like -sneering than joking," exclaimed Dorothy. "And I've been wanting to say -that to you--some of the other girls have noticed it. They say you act -more like a chorus girl than a Glenwood pupil. Of course I don't want to -hurt your feelings, but I thought it would be better for me to tell you -than for you to hear it from some one else." - -"Chorus girl! Thanks! No need to apologize, I assure you. That's from -silly, little Nita Brandt, I suppose? Well, better to act like a chorus -girl than--a fool!" blurted out Tavia with a show of temper. "And any -silly girl, who can not keep things to herself--well, I always thought -Nita was a featherhead and now I know it!" - -"Oh, indeed it was not Nita!" Dorothy hastened to assure her. "It was at -the lawn tea the other day. You were 'acting'; don't you remember? Doing -that funny toe dance you are always trying lately." - -"O-o-o-o-h!" and Tavia made a queer little pout, and a very funny face. -"So they appreciated my maiden effort, eh? I am indeed flattered! Tell -the girls I'm much obliged and I'll see that they get passes for the -initial performance. Tell them, also, to have the bouquets tagged--it's -so annoying to have a great stack of 'Please accepts' to answer, with the -superscriptions 'cut out' so to speak. I know all the girls will send -pansies--they are so sweet, and would make such wicked faces for the -girls who could not conveniently present their own adorable 'phizes'!" - -"What in the world are you talking about?" asked Dorothy, who had been -listening to the outburst with a queer idea that all this stage business -was not mere idle chatter--that there might be a reason for Tavia's -cynicism. - -"Talking about auto rides," quietly answered Tavia, recovering herself -with an effort. "Wasn't that a dandy this afternoon? And to think we -might have missed that 'Horatius at the bridge' business if I had been -silly enough to mention that the planking was gone!" - -"Don't talk of it!" exclaimed Dorothy, shuddering. "I cannot bear to -think of what might have happened. And, Tavia, you must not think I have -adopted the lecture platform for good, but I must say, it was careless of -you not to mention about the bridge--especially as you knew what a hill -led down to it, and how the Fire Bird can cover hills." - -"Of course you know I entirely forgot it, Doro," and now Tavia showed -some remorse at the reprimand. - -"My! There's the bell!" exclaimed Dorothy as a clang sounded down the -corridor. "I had no idea it was so late," and she jumped up to disrobe. -"Quick, or Miss Higley will see our light." - -"Let her," answered Tavia indifferently. "I don't feel very well, and -would just love something warm--say a nice little cup of tea--" - -A tap at the door interrupted her remarks. Dorothy jumped into a large -closet and Tavia calmly opened the portal. - -It was Miss Higley, the second assistant teacher, with rather a -forbidding expression on her wrinkled face, and who, among the girls, -bore a reputation characterized as "sour." - -"Why is this?" she demanded, stepping in and brushing Tavia aside. - -"I was just thinking of calling you," answered Tavia, clapping her hand -to her waist line. "I have such a dreadful--Oh, dear!" and she sat down -without further explanation. - -"Do you need anything?" asked Miss Higley, her tone more kindly. - -"Oh, no; certainly not," sighed Tavia. "I would not trouble you. But if I -might have a sip of tea--that tea you brought Dorothy did her so much -good the other night." - -She paused to allow a proper expression of agony to spread over her face, -and gently rubbed her hand over the region covered by her belt. - -"I suppose you made that tea yourself, didn't you? It was so good, -Dorothy told me." - -That settled it. For any one to praise Miss Higley's brew! So few persons -really do appreciate a good cup of tea. As usual Tavia had "won out." - -"Why of course I'll get you a cup. I have just made a small pot--I felt -rather--rather tired myself. I don't, as a rule, drink tea at night, but -I was not altogether well. Where is Dorothy?" - -"Just slipping on a robe," with a glance at the closet where her chum was -concealed. "I'm afraid I disturbed her," went on Tavia glibly. - -"Well, I'll get the tea," Miss Higley remarked, as she started to leave -the room. "I'll bring the pot here and we can take it together." - -"Quick!" called Tavia to Dorothy as the door closed. "Slip on your robe. -Tea with Higley! Of all the doin's!" and she promptly turned a somersault -on the hitherto unrumpled bed. "Won't the girls howl! I do hope she -brings biscuits. There, get down your box, you precious miser! Just think -of 'crackering' Higley!" - -Dorothy appeared dumfounded. It had all been arranged so quickly--and -there was Miss Higley back again. She carried a tray with a small china -teapot and three blue cups to match. - -"I thought Dorothy might like a cup," she remarked in a sort of -apologetic way. "There now," as Tavia and Dorothy relieved her of the -tray, "it will be pleasant to have a sip together. Of course we would not -do it but for Octavia's illness." (Tavia looked to be in dreadful pain at -that moment.) "But since we have to give her a cup of tea, we may as well -make a virtue of necessity." - -"It is very kind of you, Miss Higley," Dorothy said, rather hesitatingly. -"I'm sure that we--that is I--I mean Tavia--should not have put you to -all this trouble--but of course one can't help being ill," she hastened -to add, for she felt she was rather giving Tavia's secret away. - -"It really is too bad to make all this fuss," the supposed sufferer -interjected. "You went to a lot of trouble for me, Miss Higley, and I -appreciate it very much," and Tavia winked the eye next to Dorothy, but -concealed the sign from the sight of the instructress. Tavia was trying -hard not to laugh, and her repressed emotion shook the tray to the no -small danger of upsetting the teapot, cups and all. - -"I never consider my duty any trouble," answered Miss Higley, seeming to -feel the obligation of being dignified. In fact, it did not occur to her -just then that she was doing a most unprecedented thing--taking tea with -two school girls, and after hours at that! However, she had committed -herself, and now there was no way out. Dorothy presented her package of -chocolate crackers, and Miss Higley took some, while Tavia arranged the -tea tray on the little table. - -Surely the scene was mirth-provoking. Dorothy in her pretty blue robe, -Tavia with her hair loose, collar off and shoes unlaced, and Miss Higley, -prim as ever, in her brown mohair, with the long black cord on her -glasses. There the three sat, sipping tea and "making eyes,"--"too full -for utterance," as Tavia would say. - -"Such lovely tea," Dorothy managed to gulp out at the risk of allowing -her mouth to get loose in a titter, once the tight line of silence was -broken. - -Then, all at once they stopped drinking--some one was coming down the -hall. Miss Higley arose instantly. The gentle tap on the door was -answered by Tavia. - -Mrs. Pangborn! - -"Oh," she apologized, "I did not mean to disturb a little social tea. Do -sit down, Honorah," to Miss Higley. "I'm very glad to see you enjoying -yourself," and Mrs. Pangborn meant what she said. - -"Oh, indeed, I merely came to administer to a sick girl. Octavia was -suddenly taken with cramps." - -Mrs. Pangborn glanced at Tavia. - -"But that cup of tea has made me feel so much better," declared Dorothy's -room-mate, with that kind of truth that mere words make--the kind that -challenges falsehood. - -"I am always glad to see you looking after the girls, Honorah," went on -the principal, "but I am equally glad to see you consider yourself. I'm -sure you have a perfect right to take a cup of tea here. My dear," to -Dorothy, "perhaps you have a sip left?" - -Dorothy found there was another cup of the beverage, still warm in the -little teapot, and this she poured into her own pink and white china cup -for Mrs. Pangborn. - -Miss Higley remained standing, seemingly too abashed to move. - -"Do finish yours," said Tavia, pushing the empty chair toward the -embarrassed teacher. - -But Tavia's mirth showed through her alleged illness, and Miss Higley -began to feel that she had been imposed upon. - -"If you--if you will excuse me," she stammered. - -"Oh, do finish your tea," begged Mrs. Pangborn, and so the severe little -teacher was obliged to sit down again. - -An hour later Tavia was still trying to "untwist her kinks," as she -described her attacks of muffled laughter. - -"Oh, wasn't it gloriotious!" she exclaimed. "To think I couldn't get a -single twinge in my entire system! If I only could put that sort of a -cramp in alcohol, wouldn't it be an heirloom to Glenwood!" - -"Please do stop," pleaded Dorothy, from under her quilt. "The next time -they may bring a doctor and a stomach pump, and if you don't let me go to -sleep I do believe I will call her." - -"You dare to and I'll get something dreadfully contagious, so you will -have to be disinfected and isolated. But Higley the terrible! The abused -little squinty-eyed tattle-tale! Oh, when Mrs. Pangborn said she was glad -to see her enjoying herself! That persecuted saint enjoying herself! -Didn't she look the part?" - -But even such mirth must succumb to slumber when the victim is young and -impressionable, so, with yawns and titters, Tavia finally quieted down to -sleep. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - THE APPARITION - - -It seemed to Dorothy that she had scarcely closed her eyes when she was -startled by someone moving about the room. She sat up straight to make -sure she was not dreaming, and then she saw a white object standing -before the mirror! - -A beam of moonlight glimmered directly across the glass, and Dorothy -could now see that the figure was Tavia. - -Surmising that her companion had merely arisen to get a throat lozenge, -for she had been taking them lately, Dorothy did not speak, expecting -Tavia to return to her bed directly. - -But the girl stood there--so long and so still that Dorothy soon called -to her. - -"What is the matter, Tavia?" she asked. - -"Oh, nothing," returned the other, without looking around. - -"But what are you doing?" - -"Making up," and Dorothy could see her daubing cold cream over her face. - -Still convinced that Tavia was busy with some ordinary toilet operation, -as she had, of late, become very particular about such matters, Dorothy -turned over and closed her eyes. But she could not sleep. Something -uncanny seemed to disturb her every time she appeared to be dropping off -into a doze. - -Finally she sat up again. There was Tavia still before the mirror, -daubing something over her face. - -"Tavia!" called Dorothy sharply. "What in the world are you doing?" - -"Making up," replied Tavia a second time, and without moving from her -original position. - -Making up! Surely she was spreading cold cream and red crayon dust all -over her face! Had she lost her mind? - -For an instant Dorothy stood watching her. But Tavia neither spoke nor -turned her head. - -"Tavia!" she called, taking hold of the hand that held the red chalk. -Dorothy noticed that Tavia's palm and fingers were cold and clammy! And -Tavia's eyes were open, though they seemed sightless. Dorothy was -thoroughly frightened now. Should she call someone? Miss Higley had -charge of that wing of the school, and perhaps would know what to do. But -Dorothy hesitated to make a scene. Tavia was never ill, and if this was -only some queer spell it would not be pleasant to have others know about -it. - -Then, feeling intuitively, that this "making up" should not be made a -public affair, Dorothy determined to get Tavia back into her own bed. - -"Are you ill?" she asked, rubbing her own hand over her companion's -greasy forehead. - -"Ill? No, indeed," Tavia replied, as mechanically as she had spoken -before. Still she smeared on the cold cream and red crayon. - -"Come!" commanded Dorothy, and, to her amazement, the girl immediately -laid down the box of cream and the stick of chalk while Dorothy led her -to the bed and helped her to make herself comfortable on the pillows. - -Then Dorothy quietly went to the dresser and lighted a tiny candle, -carrying it over to Tavia's bedside. - -Peering anxiously into her face she found her room-mate sleeping and -breathing naturally. There was no evidence of illness, and then, for the -first time, it occurred to Dorothy that Tavia had been walking in her -sleep! And making-up in her sleep! - -What could it mean? - -How ghastly that hideous color and the streaks made Tavia's face appear! - -And, as Dorothy sat beside the bed, gazing into that besmeared face, -while the flicker of the little candle played like a tiny lime-light over -the girl's cruelly changed features, a strange fear came into Dorothy's -heart! - -After all, was Tavia going to disappoint her? Would she fail just when -she seemed to have turned the most dangerous corner in her short -career--that of stepping from the freedom of girlhood into the more -dignified realm of young-ladyship? And would she always be just ordinary -Tavia Travers? Always of contradictory impulses, was she never to be -relied upon--never to become a well-bred girl? - -Tavia turned slightly and rubbed her hand across her face. She seemed to -breathe heavily, Dorothy thought, and, as she touched Tavia's painted -cheek she was certain it was feverish. With that promptness of action -that had always characterized Dorothy's work in real emergencies, she -snatched the cold cream from the dresser where Tavia had left it, and, -with deft fingers, quickly rubbed a generous supply over the face on the -pillows. - -Although Tavia was waking now Dorothy was determined, if possible, to -remove all traces of the red paint before Tavia herself should know that -it had been on her cheeks. Briskly, but with a hand gentle and calm, -Dorothy rubbed the cream off on her own linen handkerchief, taking the -red mixture with it. Nothing was now left on Tavia's face but a thin -coating of the cold cream. That could tell no tales. - -Tavia turned to Dorothy and opened her eyes. - -"What--what is the matter?" she asked, like one waking from a strange -dream. - -"Nothing, dear," answered Dorothy. "But I guess you had some night -vision," and she placed the candle, still lighted, on the dresser. - -"Did I call? Did I have the nightmare? Why are you not in bed?" - -"I got up to see if you were all right," answered Dorothy truthfully. "Do -you want anything? Shall I get you a nice cool drink from the ice tank?" - -Tavia was rubbing her face. - -"What's this on my cheeks?" she asked, bringing down her hand, smeared -with cold cream. - -"I thought you were feverish," said Dorothy, "and I put a little cream on -your face--cold cream might be better than nothing, I thought, as we had -no alcohol." - -Tavia did not seem her natural self, and Dorothy, not slow to note the -change in her, was only waiting to see her companion more fully awake, -and so out of danger of being shocked suddenly, before calling for help, -or, at least, for some medicine. - -"My head aches awfully," said the girl on the bed. "I would like a drink -of water--if--if it is not too much trouble." - -A call bell was just at the door and Dorothy touched the gong as she went -out into the hall to get the water. - -She had scarcely returned with the drink when Miss Higley, in gown and -slippers, entered the room. The light had been turned on by this time, -and Tavia could see that the teacher was present, but, whether too sick -or too sleepy to notice, she seemed to take the situation as a matter of -course, and simply drank the water that Dorothy held to her lips, then -sank wearily back on her pillow. - -Miss Higley, without saying a word, picked up the hand that lay on the -coverlet and felt the pulse. Dorothy stood looking anxiously on. - -Tavia really seemed sick, and the tinge of scarlet crayon, that remained -after Dorothy's cold cream wash, added a higher tint to the feverish -flush that now suffused the girl's cheeks. - -"Yes, she has a fever," whispered Miss Higley. "But it is not a very high -one. I will go and get my thermometer. Meanwhile pick up your garments, -Dorothy, so you can take my room, while I stay here the rest of the -night." - -Before Dorothy could answer Miss Higley had tiptoed noiselessly from the -apartment. Dorothy did not like to leave Tavia--surely it was not -anything that might be contagious. But when the teacher returned she -insisted on Dorothy going directly to the room at the end of the hall, -while she took up her post at the bedside of Tavia. - -It seemed so hard to Dorothy to leave her friend there alone with a -comparative stranger. As she reluctantly closed the door on Tavia and -Miss Higley, Dorothy's eyes were filled with tears. What could be the -matter? All the joking had turned into reality in that short time! - -But Tavia was surely not suffering any pain, thought Dorothy, as she -seemed so sleepy and did not even murmur when Miss Higley gave her the -fever medicine. It flashed across Dorothy's mind that it might have been -better to have acquainted Miss Higley with the way Tavia's attack came -on--to tell her of the scene before the mirror--but somehow, Dorothy felt -that she should not be told--that it would be easier for Tavia if her -strange actions were not mentioned to any one--even to Tavia herself. -Dorothy felt the matter would not be a pleasant one to discuss. - -And as no one knew it but Dorothy, she would keep it to herself, unless -some development in Tavia's illness would make it necessary to give the -entire history of the case. - -With a head almost bursting, it seemed, from the stress of the -complication of worry and anxiety, Dorothy finally settled down on Miss -Higley's cretonne couch, while the teacher tried to make herself -comfortable in Dorothy's place, and Tavia Travers lay still and heavy -with a fever, all unconscious of the changes that were going on about -her. - - - - - CHAPTER V - AN UNTIMELY LETTER - - -For three days after that eventful night Tavia was obliged to keep to her -room. She had a fever--from a cold the doctor thought--nothing contagious -he was positive--but, as a precautionary measure Dorothy was given -another room, until the fever should be entirely broken. - -But the two friends were not to be separated much longer, for Tavia had -quite recovered now, and was up and about her room, receiving notes and -flowers from the girls, and recuperating generally. - -"The first good rest I've had in months," Tavia told Dorothy, as they sat -together again on the little window seat, looking out on the tennis -court. - -"I do really believe you look better than you did before you were taken -ill," agreed Dorothy, giving her friend a look of unmistakable -admiration. - -"That's lucky for me," Tavia replied with something that sounded like a -sigh. - -"Why?" asked Dorothy in some surprise. - -"Oh, nothing," was the answer, given rather evasively. "But a girl can't -afford to get scrawny. Fancy yourself slinking down like a cornstalk in -the fall! Why, even the unapproachable Dorothy Dale could not well stand -the slinking process, to say nothing of an ordinary gawk like me going -through it," and Tavia slyly looked into the mirror. She evidently had -some particular reason for being so anxious about her good looks. - -Dorothy had been noticing this peculiarity of Tavia's for some time--she -had been so extreme about her toilet articles--using cold cream to -massage her face daily, then brushing her hair ardently every night, to -say nothing of the steam baths she had been giving her face twice a week. - -All this seemed very strange to Dorothy, but when she laughed at Tavia's -new-found pastimes the latter declared she was going to look nice for the -summer; and that any girl who did not take care of herself externally was -quite as blamable as she who neglected the hidden beauty of heart or -brain. - -And there was no denying that the "grooming" added much to the charms of -Tavia's personality. Her hair was now wonderfully glossy, her cheeks -delicately pink, her arms round and her hands so shapely! All this, -applied to a girl who formerly protested against giving so much as half -an hour daily to her manicure needs! - -Dorothy was anxious to have a serious talk with Tavia, but considered it -too soon after her illness to bring about that conversation, so she only -smiled now as Tavia set all her creams and stuffs in a row, then -stretched herself out "perfectly flat to relax," as the book directions -called for. Fancy Tavia doing a thing like that! - -"When I dare--that is as soon as that old Rip Van Winkle of a doctor lets -me off," said Tavia suddenly, "I'm going to get a set of exercisers for -myself. I don't believe we have half enough muscle work." - -"Why, my dear, one would imagine you were training for the circus ring," -said Dorothy laughing. - -"Hardly," replied the other. "I never was keen on bouncing, and circus -turns all end with a bounce in the net. Those nets make me creepy--a -mattress for mine when on the rebound. Have you been to the post-office?" - -"No, but I'm going. Want any stamps?" - -"No. But if--if you get a letter for me I wish you wouldn't put it into -Mrs. Pangborn's box--I expect a little note from a girl, and I'm sure it -need not be censored, as the rest of the letters are." - -"But the rule," Dorothy reminded her gently. - -"I believe the United States postal laws are of more importance than the -silly, baby rules of Glenwood school," snapped Tavia with unexpected -hauteur, "and it's against the law for one person to open the letters of -another." - -"But Mrs. Pangborn takes the place of our mothers--she is really our -guardian when we enter her school. We agree to the rules before we are -taken in." - -"No, we were 'taken in' when we agreed to the rules," persisted the -other. "Now, as it's your turn to do the post office this week, I think -you might do me a little favor--I assure you the letter I expect is not -from some boy. Other girls can smuggle boys' letters in, and yet I can't -contrive to get a perfectly personal note from a perfectly sensible girl, -without the missive being--passed upon by--google-eyed Higley!" - -"Oh, Tavia! And she was so kind to you when you were sick." - -"Was she? Then she ought to keep it up, and leave my letters alone!" - -"Well," sighed Dorothy rising, "I must go for the mail at any rate." - -"And you won't save my one little letter?" - -"How could I?" Dorothy pleaded. - -"Then if you do get it--see it among the others--couldn't you leave it -there? I will be able to walk down to the post office myself tomorrow." - -"But you couldn't get the mail." - -"Oh, yes I could," and Tavia tossed her head about defiantly. - -Dorothy was certainly in a dilemma. But she was almost due at the -post-office, and could not stay longer to argue, so, clapping on her hat, -she bade Tavia good-bye for a short time. - -"It palls on me," Tavia told herself, as she again approached the glass -and took up the cold cream jar. "Who would ever believe that I would -stoop so low! To deceive my own darling Dorothy! And to make a fool of -myself with this 'mugging' as Nat would say." - -She dropped heavily into a chair. The thought of Dorothy and Nat had a -strange power over the girl--she seemed ashamed to look at her own face -when the memory of her dearest friends brought her back again to the old -time Tavia--the girl free from vanity and true as steel to Dorothy Dale. - -"But the letter," thought Tavia, recovering herself. "If that letter gets -into Mrs. Pangborn's hands!" - -Again she buried her face in her arms. Something seemed to sway her, -first one way, then the other. What had caused her to change so in those -last few short months? Why were her words so hollow now? Her own -"copyrighted" slang no longer considered funny, even by those girls most -devoted to her originality? And why, above all else, had she fallen ill -after that queer dream about making-up with the cold cream and the red -crayon? - -"I'm afraid my mind was not built for secrets," she concluded, "and if I -keep on moping this way I can't say what will happen next." - -Meanwhile Dorothy was making her way back from the village with the -letters including one addressed to Octavia Travers. She had determined -not to make any attempt at giving the note to Tavia without the school -principal's knowledge, for, somehow she feared Tavia's honesty in such -matters, and, although Dorothy felt certain that Tavia would do nothing -she really believed to be wrong, she was afraid her chum might be misled -by some outside influence. - -With a heavy heart Dorothy laid the mail down on Mrs. Pangborn's desk. -That lady was just coming into the office as Dorothy was about to leave. - -"Wait, dear," said Mrs. Pangborn, "until I see if there is any mail for -the girls in your corridor. How is Octavia to-day? I hope she will be -able to go out by Sunday. Here, I guess this is a letter for her." -Dorothy almost turned pale as the principal took up the small blue -envelope. "Just take it to her--perhaps it will cheer her up," and she -handed Dorothy the missive without attempting to open it or question the -postmark. "There, I guess that is all I can give you," and she put the -others in her desk. "Tell Tavia I am anxious to see her out of doors -again, and I hope her letter will have good news for her." - -Dorothy turned away with a smile of thanks, not venturing to say a word. -She held the blue envelope in her hand, as if it was some tainted thing, -for she well knew that the missive was not from home, the postmark -"Rochester" standing out plainly on the stamped corner. - -Tavia saw her coming, and quickly caught sight of the envelope in her -hand. - -"There, you old darling!" she exclaimed, giving Dorothy a vigorous hug. -"I knew you would bring it to me. How you did ever manage it?" - -"Mrs. Pangborn sent it with kind wishes that it might contain good news," -stammered Dorothy. "I made no attempt to get it to you without her -knowledge." - -"She had it? And gave it back to you? Why, Dorothy, if she had--but of -course it would not really have mattered," and Tavia slipped the letter -into her blouse. "I'm awfully obliged. Did you hear from home?" - -"No," answered Dorothy simply, a flush covering her fair face as she saw -Tavia hide the letter. "I'm going out for a few minutes--so you may read -that very important note, Tavia." - - - - - CHAPTER VI - ON THE LAWN - - -"When I was a very small girl," exclaimed Mollie Richards, otherwise -known as Dick, "I used to hope I would die young so I could escape the -tooth-filling process, but here I am, doing these dreadful exams, and I -haven't died yet." - -"Never despair," quoted Rose-Mary. "The worst is yet to come." - -"Cheer up, fellows," lisped little Nita Brandt, "We've been promised a -clam-bake when it's all over." - -"Yes, I fancy it will be all over with me when that clam-bake arrives," -sighed Edna Black. "Since Tavia has 'turned turtle' I don't even have the -fun of sneezing for exercise." - -"It's an ill wind--and so on," ventured Dick. "That was a most abominable -habit of yours--sneezing when you were too lazy to open your mouth to -laugh." - -"But I never would have believed that Tavia would get so--so--" - -"Batty," finished Amy Brooks. "It's slang, but I know of no English word -into which the explicit 'batty' may be translated." - -"And Tavia of all girls," added Ned, ponderingly. - -"But it seems to agree with her," declared Cologne. "Haven't you noticed -her petal complexion?" - -"Too much like the drug store variety," objected Nita. "I like something -more substantial." - -"Sour grapes," fired back Ned, who could always be depended on to take -Tavia's part. "Yours is so perfect--" - -"Oh, I know--freckles," admitted the confused Nita with a pout. "Fair -skins always freckle." - -"Then why don't you close the 'fair' and raffle off," suggested Dick. -"Much easier than sleeping in lemon juice every night." - -"Molly Richards, you're too smart!" snapped the abused one. - -"Not altogether so," replied Dick. "At least this abominable French can't -prove it. I have always believed that the only way to acquire a good -French accent would be to get acute tonsilitis. Then one might choke out -the gutterals beautifully." - -The girls of Glenwood school were supposed to be busy preparing for -examinations. They had congregated in little knots, out of doors, -scattering under the leafing oaks, and the temptation to gossip was -evidently more than mere girls could withstand amid such surroundings. - -"There's Dorothy now," announced Cologne, as the latter turned into the -path. - -"Yes, and there's Tavia," followed Ned, showing keen pleasure as the late -absent one made her appearance on the lawn. - -"Now we will have a chance to study her complex--" lisped Nita with -rather a malicious tone. - -"Suit you better to study your complex--verbs," snapped Ned, while Tavia -and Dorothy came up at that moment. - -Profuse greetings were showered upon Tavia, for the girls were well -pleased to have her back with them, and it must be admitted that every -eye which turned toward her came back in an unanimous vote "beautiful." -Even Nita did not dare cast a dissenting glance--she could not, for -indeed Tavia had improved wonderfully, as we have seen, under the -"grooming." - -Her hazel eyes shown brighter than ever in her clear peach-blow skin, her -hair was not now "too near red" as Nita had been in the habit of -declaring, but a true chestnut brown, and as "glossy as her new tan -shoes," whispered Ned to Cologne. - -Tavia wore her brown gingham dress, and much to the surprise of her -companions, had "her neck turned in." - -"What happened to your collar?" asked Dick, with a merry twinkle in her -eyes. - -"I happened to it," answered Tavia promptly. "No sense in having one's -neck all marked up from collars--going about advertising capital -punishment." - -"Behold the new woman! We will make her president of our peace -conference. But of course we would not expect her to settle her own -'squabs' with Nita. We will have a committee of subs, for that department -of the work," said Cologne as she made room for Dorothy at her side, -being anxious to get a private word with her. Tavia found a place between -Ned and Dick, and soon the others were at least pretending to be at their -books, realizing that too much time had already been wasted on outside -matters. - -The morning typified one of those rare days in June, and the girls on the -lawn were like human spring blossoms--indeed what is more beautiful than -a wholesome, happy young girl? - -She need not be especially beautiful in feature, for health and happiness -make her irresistible to the real student of beauty, and the wonderful -charm of human life seems nowhere to be so perfectly depicted as in the -personality of a young girl. - -"At last," announced Lena Berg, rolling over as the bell for recreation -sounded, ending the period of open-air study usually allowed at this -season. - -Instantly the others were on their feet, and, as quickly had paired off -for their favorite pastime. Ned and Tavia were together, Dorothy was with -Cologne, and the others had selected their companions to suit their -particular fancy. - -"Say, Parson," began Cologne, using the name made for Dorothy from her -initials "D. D.," and placing her arm about Dorothy's waist, "we've got a -great scheme on. We're going swimming!" - -"Swimming!" Dorothy almost screamed. - -"Exactly that," insisted Cologne. "Mrs. Pangborn has given the permission -and we are to go to Squinty Lake to-morrow afternoon." - -"Squinty Lake?" echoed Dorothy in surprise. - -"Well, they call it Sunset, you know, but Ned declares it is 'Squinty' as -no one can look out of the front of her eyes on the shores of it. But -isn't it too giddy--to go swimming so early. And to think that Higley is -the best swimmer of the respected faculty. Now if our dear little Camille -Crane were here--Feathers, you know. But I don't suppose she will be back -to the bench this season. Wasn't it too bad she should break down?" -rattled on Cologne. "But for the swimming! Aren't you perfectly -delighted? You haven't said a single word." - -"Why I haven't had a chance," replied Dorothy laughing. "Of course it is -lovely to think you can go." - -"I can go! Aren't you going?" - -"I don't believe so. Tavia is so fond of swimming, and I am sure she -would not dare go in the water so soon after her fever. So I guess I'll -stay home to keep her company." - -"Oh, you silly!" exclaimed Cologne. "Why should you stay out on her -account?" and, possibly there was a note of jealousy in the girl's tone, -and a hint of it in her manner. "I'm very sure she wouldn't do as much -for you." - -"Indeed she would, Cologne," Dorothy hurried to say. "You have no idea -how kind Tavia can be and has been to me. Why, when I was sick home in -Dalton, she stayed with me night and day." - -"Well, I can't see why you shouldn't go in bathing when you get a chance. -Precious seldom the chance comes at Glenwood." - -"I suppose Mrs. Pangborn has hired the beach," ventured Dorothy. - -"Yes, worse luck. Afraid any one would see our orphan asylum bathing -suits." - -"Indeed, I think those brown suits very pretty," objected Dorothy. "I -thought so when I saw them taken out this spring. Of course I have never -worn one." - -"Of course you haven't," agreed Cologne. "That's why you like 'em, but -you should try to swim dog fashion in one of those knickerbockers. The -skirts are built for hoops, but they seemed to run short of goods on the -bloomers." - -"But it is awfully good of Mrs. Pangborn to provide for bathing when we -will soon be at our own summer quarters for it." - -"Yes, I admitted that much at the start, if you will remember. But, -really, Doro, you had better make up your mind to go in. It's all -nonsense to stay out to keep Tavia company. I'm sure she would rather see -you in the swim." - -"I'll see," answered Dorothy, as they turned back into the path that led -to the Hall. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - AT SUNSET LAKE - - -The day following proved to be one of those exceptionally warm days that -occasionally come at the end of June, with the express purpose, it would -seem, of making life unbearable for those engaged in finishing up a term -at school. All the morning the Glenwood pupils lived on the thoughts of -the promised swim, to come that afternoon. When dismissal hour did -finally drag around little attention was paid to luncheon, all minds and -hearts being set on the jaunt to Sunset Lake. This was a summer resort -not far from the school, and there was a good sandy stretch for bathing. -The season had hardly opened yet, and Mrs. Pangborn was thus able to hire -for that afternoon the exclusive right of the sandy shore for her pupils. - -Dorothy and Tavia were to go, although neither expected to take the lake -bath, for Dorothy was firm in her resolve to stay with Tavia, and so -forego one of her favorite pastimes, for Dorothy Dale was counted an -excellent swimmer. - -In high glee the party started off, under the chaperonage of Miss Higley, -and even those pupils who insisted that she was "a bear" were forced to -admit that, on this occasion, she was "as meek as a lamb." The fact was -that Miss Higley loved swimming, and knew she was expert at the exercise. -So the promised sport was especially welcome to her. - -Along the shady road to the lake Dorothy laughed and chatted as merrily -as did the others, but Tavia was inclined to pout. She had begged to be -allowed to go into the water, declaring that she was entirely recovered -and that the swim would do her good. But Mrs. Pangborn would not consent, -so Tavia was to take what enjoyment she could derive from watching the -others. - -When the Glenwood girls reached Sunset Beach the entrance gate to the -bathing grounds was locked against all outsiders. A row of bathing houses -was placed at the disposal of the young ladies, and there was a matron in -attendance. In fact, the pleasure grounds were turned over entirely to -Mrs. Pangborn's pupils and the presence of the white-aproned attendant -gave the place a look of the utmost propriety. On this occasion, -likewise, the life guard was banished, and, as Dick expressed it, "there -never was a man in sight when the girls in brown took their annual." - -While the others were "making themselves frog-like" in the aforementioned -suits, Dorothy and Tavia established themselves in an old boat on the -shore of the lake. - -It was their first visit to the resort as it was their first summer term -at Glenwood, and the two girls were charmed with the pretty, picturesque -surroundings. - -"Not much like our pond in Dalton," Tavia observed, viewing the placid -lake with its great open expanse of sunlit waters. - -"No, but that was a splendid little pond for swimming," Dorothy reminded -her companion, never relishing any aspersions thrown in the direction of -"dear old Dalton." - -Soon some of the girls appeared on the little boardwalk bordering the -lake, and, in unheard of politeness, waited for Miss Higley to come out -and take the first plunge. That formality being over there was a wild -rush for the water, each one of the girls expecting to have a better time -than any of the others. - -Nita Brandt and Adele Thomas had not yet learned to swim, so these two -were provided with a pair of water-wings to support them, and they -"floundered around like a couple of ferry boats," Tavia declared, as they -made all sorts of vain attempts to strike out like the others. - -Dick and Cologne were soon engaged in a race, from one float to the -other, doing the overhand stroke, and making a fine showing for the first -of the season efforts. - -"You're exceeding the speed limit!" shouted Tavia from the boat, as she -stood up in the stern and viewed the race with unconcealed interest. - -"Get out of the way!" called a dozen voices as the twain with their -water-wings anchored directly in Dick's course. - -But the girls floating on the wings could not get upon their feet for -they were in water about up to their heads. Every effort they made to -touch bottom seemed to send their faces down, while simultaneously two -pair of stockings would shoot up above the surface of the lake. - -Miss Higley instantly realized that Nita and Adele were out too far--that -they were beyond their depth and therefore in danger should the wings -(which were muslin bags blown up) burst or slip from under their arms. -She did not wait to see the result of the race, but struck out for the -now thoroughly frightened girls, who were calling in vain for some one to -help them to shore. - -As Miss Higley reached them, Dick and Cologne, who had not grasped the -situation, came gliding up to the same spot, almost side by side, working -earnestly, each to outdistance the other in reaching the float which was -the goal. - -"Here!" shouted Miss Higley to them. "Stop! Never mind the race! Help get -these two girls in. They're exhausted!" - -The two swimmers veered around to Nita and Adele. Yes, Nita was gasping! -She had evidently swallowed considerable water. And Adele could not -attempt another stroke--her limbs seemed paralyzed. - -Without speaking, thinking to save her breath for the struggle, Cologne -took a position between the badly frightened girls, while Miss Higley and -Dick swung around so that each could grasp an arm, one of Nita and the -other of Adele. In this manner the three swimmers towed to shore those -who had ventured too far on the water-wings. - -For a few minutes there was plenty of excitement at Sunset Beach, -everyone gathering around the rescued ones, suggesting both restoratives -and punishments to close the incident. - -Miss Higley quietly waited for the girls to recover their breaths and -other faculties that had been temporarily suspended during the mishap, -and then asked why they had ventured out so far. - -"We didn't," gulped Nita. "We just stayed perfectly still and we kept -going along." - -"Well," finished Miss Higley, "you must not again get on those wings -without some one at hand to help you, or until you can manage them -better. I'm thankful nothing worse happened." - -So Nita and Adele, much chagrined and more disappointed, were obliged to -spend the remainder of their swimming time with Dorothy and Tavia on the -beach, as wading did not suit them after their attempt at swimming, -unsuccessful as it had proven. - -As the afternoon waned the interest in the water exercise grew keener, -and those who could trust themselves were indulging in all sorts of -"stunts," sliding down an inclined wooden chute, and diving from a spring -board. Miss Higley posted herself near the danger line, realizing that -she must act as guard and look out for the safety of the swimmers. - -Presently some one suggested an endurance trial, and this attracted -almost all the girls away from the chute over toward the stretch of deep -water. - -But Edna Black did not join the racers. She had never before tried -"shooting the chutes" and was infatuated with the sport. Time after time -she climbed the little ladder and as quickly slid down the curved, -inclined plank into the water again. Dorothy and Tavia were watching her -from the shore, calling to her in merry nonsense and joking about her -sliding propensities. - -"Going down!" called Tavia as Edna took one more slide. - -They waited--but she did not come up! - -Miss Higley, too, was watching for the young diver's re-appearance. - -Ten--twenty--she counted, but Edna did not come up. Then, from the very -top of the slide, where she had taken her position some time before to -better watch all the girls, Miss Higley dove into the water after Edna, -cleaving the fifteen feet of distance from the surface like a flash. - -Dorothy and Tavia stood breathless--watching for either Miss Higley or -Edna to come to the top. - -It seemed ages--yes, it was too long to stay under water. What had -happened to Miss Higley? Where was Edna? - -An instant later, Dorothy and Tavia--without exchanging a word--kicked -off their slippers and were in the water! There was no time to call to -the girls farther out. Not a swimmer was near enough to offer help! - -Their light summer clothing seemed to make little difference to these two -country girls, who had learned to swim in Dalton pond, and, in a few -seconds, both had reached the spot where Edna and the teacher had -disappeared. - -Tavia was the first to dive, and, in a few seconds she came up with Edna, -white and unconscious, in her arms. - -"Hold her--while I try--for Miss Higley!" cried Dorothy, as Tavia, -supporting her burden on one arm and grasped the cross bar of the chute -with her other and yelled for help. - -Dorothy was now under water, groping for the other lost one. But she had -to come up for air without bringing Miss Higley. - -Down she went again, taking a long breath and determining to remain under -until she could get a grip on the clothing of the teacher. Now the others -were close at hand to assist Tavia in caring for Edna. Down and down -Dorothy went, the water gurgling in her ears--down and down into the -depths. - -It seemed as if she could not stand the strain and pressure. A trail of -bubbles and a swirl of the surface of the lake marked where she had -disappeared. - -Rose-Mary and Dick were the first to reach Tavia, and they at once took -charge of the unconscious one, floating her to shore between them. Then -others came up to the chute, white, frightened and trembling at the news -Tavia gasped out to them. So alarmed were they that none of them dared -venture to help Dorothy down there in the blackness and silence, at her -grewsome task. - -Tavia, as soon as she had recovered her breath, had started off to assist -Dick and Rose-Mary in bringing Edna to shore, as the task was no light -one for the three swimmers. Then, as she got into shallow water Tavia -turned, suddenly remembering something, and shouted to the girls about -the chute: - -"Go for Dorothy! She is under there, looking for Miss Higley!" - -But, as one or two of the braver girls, feeling the need of action, -prepared to dive, they saw the pale face of Dorothy Dale come to the -surface, and they saw that, in her arms, she held clasped the form of -Miss Higley. But the hand that Dorothy stretched out to grasp the bottom -of the chute, that she might support herself and the inert burden, just -failed to catch hold of the wooden brace, and, amid a swirl of waters -Dorothy went down again, out of sight, with the unconscious teacher. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - A LIVELY AFTERNOON - - -There followed an eternity of suspense for those watching for the -reappearance of Dorothy. The missing of the hold she expected to get on -the board and the effort to keep Miss Higley up, together with the -struggle she had gone through, caused the girl to lose all control of -herself. She had sunk instantly without having any opportunity of using -her free arm to keep herself above water. - -Seeing this Rose-Mary and Molly, who had climbed out on the base of the -chute, jumped into the lake again, making for the spot where they saw -Dorothy go down the second time. - -But before they could reach it they saw Dorothy's head above the surface. -She had come up under the chute, in an open square of water, formed by -the four supporting posts of the affair. Cautiously she reached out and -caught hold of a beam. Then another arm was seen to grasp a projecting -plank! Miss Higley was struggling! - -She was not dead! Not unconscious! - -"Dorothy!" screamed Tavia from shore, as she saw the form of her chum -come to the surface the second time. But Tavia did not see Dorothy wave a -reassuring hand at her as she climbed up on the chute, and helped Miss -Higley support herself across one of the base planks. For Tavia had -fallen unconscious beside Edna, who was only just beginning to show signs -of life under the prompt administrations of Rose-Mary and Dick. - -In all this confusion the white-aproned matron forgot to use her -telephone. But, as she now assisted the other girls in working over Edna, -she directed some of the swimmers, who had come to shore, to look after -Tavia. - -Lena Berg, the quietest girl of Glenwood, rushed into the bathing office -and telephoned to Central to "send doctors." Almost before those working -over Edna and Tavia had realized it, and, almost as soon as the throng of -young ladies had started to assist Miss Higley and Dorothy to shore, an -automobile with two doctors in it stopped at the gate. The physicians -were soon working over Tavia and Edna. - -A few seconds later Rose-Mary and Molly pulled up to shore in an old boat -they had found anchored near the chute, and in the craft, which they -rowed with a broken canoe paddle, were Dorothy and Miss Higley! - -As so often happens that one small accident is responsible for any number -of mishaps, especially where girls or women become panic-stricken, it -seemed now that the rescue of Miss Higley and Dorothy acted like magic to -restore all four victims of the water to their senses, at least, if not -to actual vigor. Tavia and Edna both jumped up as the boat grounded on -the beach, and Miss Higley and Dorothy staggered ashore. - -"Be careful," cautioned one of the physicians, as the teacher was seen to -totter, and almost fall. She was plainly very weak, and, while the -younger doctor looked after Dorothy the other, who was his father, took -Miss Higley into the bathing pavilion office to administer to her there. - -Tavia had only fainted. Indeed she had been scarcely able to swim out to -help Edna, not being entirely recovered from her recent nervous fever. -Edna had swallowed considerable water, but it was fresh, and when she had -been relieved of it, and the usual restoratives applied, she, too, was -herself again. - -Dorothy insisted there was absolutely nothing the matter with her, but it -was plain that such physical efforts as she had been obliged to make in -her rescue of Miss Higley, must at least exhaust a girl of her frail -physique. So young Dr. Morton insisted on her being assisted in a -"thorough rub." Then she was given a warm, stimulating drink, and, soon -after that, Dorothy was able to tell what had happened. - -An hour later all the brown bathing suits had been discarded, Tavia and -Dorothy had been supplied with dry clothing, and all the Glenwood girls -who had come to Sunset Lake sat on the rocky shore back of the sand, -waiting for the hour to arrive when they must start back to the school. -There was no lack of talk to make the time pass quickly. - -Miss Higley seemed the least perturbed of any--she had a way of always -being beyond a mere personal feeling. She never "allowed herself" to -encourage pains or aches; in fact she was one of those strong-minded -women who believe that all the troubles of this life are hatched in the -human brain, and, therefore the proper cure for all ills is the -eradication of the germ producer--sick-thoughts. So, as soon as she felt -her lungs in working order again she "took the defensive" as Tavia -expressed it, and sat up as "straight as a whip," with her glasses at -exactly the proper pitch and the black cord at precisely the accustomed -dangle. - -"Mar-vel-ous!" gasped Dick, aside, giving the long word an inimitable -roll, and, at the same time, bestowing a wondering look on the recently -resuscitated teacher. - -"But do tell us," begged Rose-Mary, "what happened first--of all those -exciting things?" - -"I did," answered Edna Black. "I was shooting the chute to my heart's -content, when, all of a sudden, I stuck somewhere. Then, after trying -everything I knew how to do to get loose, I said my prayers." - -"Next," called Rose-Mary, indicating Tavia. - -"Well, of course," began Tavia, "Dorothy and I were not to go near the -water, but when we saw Edna turn up missing we just kicked off our -slippers and, in the language of the poets, 'got busy.' I found Ned here, -first shot, stuck in between the two corner boards of the chute posts. -She didn't need any coaxing to come up, once I untangled her skirt from a -nail which held it fast, and I brought her up without any unnecessary -explanations." - -"And, in the meantime Miss Higley had gone down," interjected Dorothy. -"That is she went down after Edna first." - -"And came up last," added the teacher, with a significant nod to Dorothy. - -"How did you find Miss Higley, Parson?" Rose-Mary continued to question, -with a view to getting the entire story. - -"I found her in a mud hole, held fast, but able to help herself somewhat. -Then I--I got her up--somehow--." - -"Indeed I was almost unconscious until you dragged my head up to the -air," Miss Higley hastened to say, anxious to give Dorothy her due, for -certainly the rescue was a matter of heroic effort, and Miss Higley, -being heavy, and, at the same time, unable to help herself, gave Dorothy -the most difficult of all the surprising tasks of that eventful -afternoon. - -"But when she sank that time--like a stone," suggested Dick to Dorothy. - -"Oh, I merely missed catching hold of a plank and I had to go down--I -couldn't keep up." - -"Certainly; why not?" put in Nita Brandt, glad to be able to say -something "safe." - -"And you, Lispy," said Lena to Nita. "You and Adele started the epidemic -with your water wings. Next time make it life preservers." - -The girlish spirits, "bottled up" during the period of worry came out -with a resounding "pop" now, and the walk home proved even pleasanter -than the one to the beach. - -"For now," declared Ned, between her jokes, "we are like the man who -laughed at the ugly cow from inside the fence--he found it much funnier -to laugh at the cow from outside the fence." - - - - - CHAPTER IX - DOROTHY AND TAVIA - - -For more than a week after the happenings at Sunset Lake the pupils of -Glenwood School had little time for anything outside of the regular -program of the institution. It was a matter of sleep, eat, exercise, then -study and recite, and then the same schedule was begun all over again the -following day. But this was the end of the term and so much remained to -be done that it was necessary to "keep going" as the girls expressed it, -so that the "last day" would find the records of the year's work up to -the usual high standard. - -"This mental house-cleaning is perfectly terriblocious!" declared Tavia -one morning, showing her aptitude at coining alleged new words, this one -being a "contraction" of terrible and ferocious. - -"But how nice it will be when we are all done," Dorothy reminded her, -taking up her books and papers, to attend the last exercise in -mathematics. - -"Perhaps," sighed Tavia. - -The conversation was ended abruptly by the sound of the bell summoning -the girls to class, and they went back to the "house-cleaning," each -doing her best to finish honorably, in spite of the difference of their -respective motives. - -That evening Dorothy and Tavia went to their room early. Tavia seemed -tired, and Dorothy did not wish to disturb her by coming in later. - -Neither appeared inclined to talk, and, as Tavia went through her -elaborate toilet preparations (the facial massage and all the -accompaniments) Dorothy watched her in silence. - -Strange as it was to believe Tavia so vain, Dorothy had become accustomed -to this nightly process, and now accepted it without comment. Neither had -she ever told Tavia of that night when, in her sleep, she had gone -through the making-up process. - -But school would soon be over--and then-- - -For some time Dorothy had been putting off a talk she desired to have -with Tavia--a talk about their vacation plans. Somehow she dreaded to -undertake the topic that Tavia had been so obviously avoiding. But -to-night Dorothy felt that she must have an understanding--she must know -where her room-mate intended to spend her vacation. - -Dorothy was just about to broach the subject when Tavia suddenly turned -to her with this surprising question: - -"Dorothy, do you think I'm pretty?" - -"Why, of course you are," stammered Dorothy. "You know I have always -thought you--pretty." - -"But I do not mean what you always thought, Doro. I am awfully serious -now. Am I really pretty?" - -"I don't know," replied her chum. "I could not tell what others might -think--but I have always thought you the prettiest kind of a girl--you -know that." - -"But do you think that in--in a crowd I might be considered--attractive? -Are my features good? Do I look--look interesting?" - -This was said with such apparent simplicity that Dorothy almost laughed. -There stood a pretty girl--without question a remarkably pretty girl--of -a most unusual type--and she was begging for a compliment--no, for an -opinion of her personality! - -Dorothy did not answer. She could not possibly say that at that moment -Tavia was a perfect vision, as she stood in her white robe, with her -freshly-brushed hair framing the outline of her sweet, young face. But -the girl before the mirror wanted to know. - -"Dorothy, do tell me," she begged. "What do you think? Am I pretty, or -not?" - -"Tavia," exclaimed Dorothy suddenly, "tell _me_, why do you want to -know?" - -"Why," and Tavia laughed a little to gain time, "I think any girl ought -to know just--what she is like." - -"But all this--this fussing. Why do you do it?" - -"To experiment," and Tavia laughed lightly. "They say one can do wonders -with a little care. I am tired of reading that in the magazines so I -thought I would just try it." She had finished with the glycerine and -rose water now, so the "stuffs" were put away and Tavia sank down with a -"glad-of-it" sigh. - -"Of course," began Dorothy, breaking into the topic of summer vacation, -"you will go home first, before you come to North Birchland. You will -want to see everybody in Dalton--I wish I could go along with you. But I -have no home in Dalton now." - -"Come with me," suggested Tavia. "We have plenty of room." - -"Oh, I was only romancing. Of course I should like to see everybody in -dear old Dalton, but I have to go to daddy and the boys. Isn't it -splendid to have a vacation? It makes school worth while." - -"Yes," replied Tavia, vaguely, preparing to turn out the light. - -"When do you think you will come to North Birchland?" asked Dorothy -directly. - -"I can't tell. I expect to visit Grace Barnum in Buffalo. Her folks are -old friends of mother's. I had a letter from her yesterday, especially -inviting me." - -"Oh, did you?" and Dorothy looked surprised. "I did not hear you speak of -going to Buffalo. I thought you intended to come to Birchland as soon as -you had seen your folks. You know Aunt Winnie expects you. And so do the -boys." - -"Oh, I'll get to the Birches some time during the summer I guess," Tavia -hurried to say, as she noted Dorothy's disappointment. "You can depend -upon it I expect to have some of the fine times--you are not to have a -monopoly of the good things." - -"Then you are going to Dalton first, then to Buffalo, and what time do -you count on getting to Birchland?" persisted Dorothy, determined to -know, if possible, just what Tavia's plans really were. - -"Oh, my dear," and Tavia indulged in a discordant yawn, "do let's go to -sleep. I'm almost dead." - -"But, Tavia, you always make some excuse when I ask you about vacation," -and Dorothy's tone was in no way drowsy--she certainly was not sleepy. - -"And you always ask such unreasonable questions," retorted Tavia. "Just -as if I can tell what may happen between now and--midsummer." - -"Tavia!" exclaimed Dorothy with a sob. "I feel just as if something -dreadful was going to happen. I don't know why but you--you have--changed -so," and the girl buried her head in her pillow and cried as if something -"dreadful" had really happened. - -"Doro, dear," and Tavia clasped the weeping girl in her arms, "what can -be the matter? What have I done? You know I love you better than anyone -in the whole world, and now you accuse me of changing!" - -"But you have changed," insisted Dorothy, sobbing bitterly. "Everybody is -talking about it. And if you knew what a time I have had trying--trying -to stand up for you!" - -"To stand up for me!" repeated Tavia. "What have I done that need provoke -comment? Surely it is my own business if I do not choose to be the school -monkey any longer. Let some of the others turn in and serve on the -giggling committee. I think I have done my share!" - -"Oh, it isn't that," and Dorothy jabbed her handkerchief into her eyes, -"but you are so--so different. You always seem to be thinking of -something else." - -"Something else!" and Tavia tried to laugh. "Surely it is no crime to -be--thoughtful?" - -"Well, I think it is perfectly dreadful for a girl to go and grow -straight up--without any warning." - -"What an old lady I must be," and Tavia looked very severe and dignified. -"But, Doro dear, you need not worry. You surely believe I would never do -anything I really thought wrong." - -"That's just it. You would not think it wrong, but suppose you did -something that turned out to be wrong?" - -Tavia made no answer but the "old lady" look came back into her -face--that serious expression so new to her. She seemed to be looking far -ahead--far away--at some uncertain, remote possibility. - -For several minutes neither girl spoke. They could hear the "miscreants" -who had been out after hours creeping past their door. Every one in -Glenwood should be asleep. The last hall light had just been turned -out--but the girls from Dalton were still thinking. - -Dorothy, usually the one to mend matters, to-night seemed sullen and -resolute. Plainly Tavia was hiding something from her, and while Dorothy -could bear with any amount of mistakes or impulsive little wrongdoings, -she could not put up with a deliberate slight--a premeditated act of -deception. - -Tavia saw that she was bound to hold out--to insist upon a "clearing up," -and, as this did not suit her, for reasons best known to herself, she -attempted to pet Dorothy back to her usual forgiving mood. - -But the storm that had been so long brewing was in no hurry to blow over, -and Dorothy went to bed with swollen eyes and an aching head, while Tavia -only pretended to sleep--she had an important letter to write--an answer -to the one that had come in on the evening mail, and required to be -replied to by return of post. This meant that the missive must be penned -that night and dropped in the post-office the very first thing in the -morning. - -"Dear little Dorothy," Tavia murmured as she looked down on the fair -face, to make sure that the eyes were resting in sleep, "I will never do -anything to disgrace _you_. Only have a little patience and you will -understand it all. But I must--must--" and then she broke off with a -long, long sigh. - - - - - CHAPTER X - LEAVING GLENWOOD - - -But one more day remained of the school term at Glenwood. All the tests -had been concluded, and, as there were to be no formal exercises the -"last day" was given over entirely to packing up, and making ready for -the departure from the institution. - -Dorothy and Tavia were busy with the others. To Dorothy the prospect of -seeing her dear ones so soon, filled every thought of this day's work. -Tavia, too, seemed more like her old self and "jollied the girls" as she -flung things into her trunk with her usual disregard for order. - -"They'll all have to come out again," she replied to Dorothy's -remonstrance, "so what's the use of being particular how they go in?" - -"But your pretty Christmas bag," begged Dorothy. "Do be careful not to -crush that." - -"Oh, indeed there's nothing to crush. I took the ribbons out of it for -the neck and sleeves of my white lawn, and when I extracted them from the -flowered stuff there was nothing left but a perfectly flat piece of -cretonne, with a row of little brass rings on one side. I just ran a bit -of faded ribbon through the rings--and just wait until I show you." - -At this Tavia plunged her hands down into the depths of her trunk and -presently brought up the article in question. - -"There!" she exclaimed, clapping the bag on her head. "Isn't that a -pretty sunbonnet?" - -Dorothy beheld it in amazement. - -"It certainly does look sweet on you," she said, "but what in the world -will you want a fancy sunbonnet for? Surely you will not use it in -Dalton--and in Buffalo--" - -"I think it would make a tremendous hit in Buffalo," declared Tavia, -wheeling around to show off the effect of her thick brown hair beneath -the little row of brass rings that held the ribbon which bound the bit of -flowered stuff to her neck. At the front her face seemed to fit exactly, -and surely nothing could be more becoming than that Christmas bag. - -"Oh, I think it's a shame," faltered Dorothy, "to spoil that beautiful -bag to make a plaything." - -"But we all have to have 'playthings,'" said Tavia, with a strong accent -on the word "play." Then, with one more swing around, like a figure in a -show case, Tavia took off the sunbonnet and went on with her packing. - -"It seems so queer," Dorothy remarked, sliding her tennis racquet down -the side of her trunk, "that we should be going in different directions. -We have always been able to help each other in the packing before." - -"Well, I'd just like to leave half my old truck behind," replied Tavia, -"and I don't know but what I will have to if this trunk won't stretch a -little. It's chock full now, and just look at the commotion on the -floor." - -"I told you," insisted Dorothy, "that you would have to put the things in -differently. Now you will have to take them all out again and roll them -up tight. You can get twice as much in that way." - -"Take them all out!" Tavia almost shrieked. "Never!" And, following this -exclamation the girl jumped into the trunk and proceeded to dance the -"trunk traveler's jig" on the unfortunate collection of baggage. - -"Tavia! Don't!" begged Dorothy. "I'm sure I heard something break." - -"Oh, that was my last summer's hat breaking up its plans for this year. I -put it in the bottom in hopes that it would meet an untimely end, but I -really did not intend to murder it," she joked, stepping out of the -trunk. - -"But at any rate," she went on, as she flung part of the "commotion" off -the floor into the hollow she had succeeded in making for the various -articles, "the poor old thing will take up less room dead than alive, and -there will be no possible danger of my having to wear it for a turn or -two when I get home. Nothing like getting in one's supplies while you're -fresh--before the folks have a chance to get too friendly with you. I've -found that out." - -"But it was a real pretty hat." - -"Well, even pretty hats are not immune from accidents, and you saw -yourself that it was an accident--pure and simple." - -A half hour later all the trunks had been packed, and the two Dalton -girls sat in their little room exchanging confidences and making all -sorts of school-girl promises of writing often, and sending pretty cards, -besides having photographs taken of which to make especially affectionate -remembrances. - -"I'll send you one just as soon as I get to Buffalo," Tavia declared, -holding Dorothy very close, for the latter seemed much inclined to cry as -the hour of parting drew near. - -"But it will be so lonely in North Birchland without you," persisted -Dorothy, with a sob. "I do wish you would give up that trip to Buffalo." - -Tavia assured her chum that it would be impossible as she had promised -Grace Barnum to go to her home to visit her. - -Dorothy finally jumped up and made an effort to pull herself together. -She went over to the dresser and picked up a book. - -"Is this yours?" she began, and then stopped suddenly. It was a gust of -wind that had blown up the thin strip of muslin covering the top of the -dresser and revealed the little red book. It had been concealed there -and, as Dorothy took it up she saw on the cover: - - HOW TO ACT - _The Beginner's Guide._ - -Tavia was at the other end of the room and did not at once see the book -in Dorothy's hand. - -"Did you--do you--want--this?" Dorothy stammered, again holding the -volume out toward Tavia. - -A deep flush instantly came over Tavia's face. Dorothy was watching her -with a look--a look at once pleading and full of sadness. - -Tavia put out her hand for the book. - -"Oh, that funny little leaflet," she tried to say as if it were a joke. -"I suppose I might just as well take it, but it's full of the worst sort -of nonsense. Let me show you--" - -"Oh, no; don't bother," replied Dorothy, rather stiffly. "But that seems -a queer sort of a book to take home from boarding school. Hadn't you -better destroy it, as you say it is all nonsense?" - -The red covers of the pamphlet fluttered in Tavia's hand. The flush on -her cheeks threatened to match the hue of the book and told its own -guilty story. - -"Oh, I might as well take it with me," and Tavia's words sounded rather a -lame excuse. "It will be amusing to read on the train." - -"Oh, Tavia!" Dorothy burst into tears. "Won't you give up--those stage -notions? Do, please!" and she clasped her arms about her chum, weeping -bitterly. - -"Oh, don't! Dorothy don't cry so!" begged Tavia, stroking the yellow -head. "I will give it up--all up! Yes, Dorothy, dear, listen! Look here!" -and at that Dorothy raised her head. - -With her hands free Tavia tore the little red book into shreds and tossed -them into the waste basket. - -"There!" she exclaimed. "I'm through with--through with all of it! I -don't want to know how to act! I'll never try! Dorothy! Dorothy!" and the -miserable girl threw herself upon the bed in a frenzy of grief and -excitement. "Just forgive me for it all--for trying to deceive you. I -have been wretched all through it--and I only want you--and all the -others--just as you used to be. I don't believe in ambition!" She stood -upright. "I'll go home to dear, old Dalton, and stay there until--until I -come to you at North Birchland." - -When the other girls tapped on the door of room nineteen late that -afternoon, to say good-bye, they found two very happy young maidens -waiting for the particular carriage that was to take them to the depot. -Dorothy and Tavia could not be separated. They clung to each other in -spite of all the invitations to "do the rounds" and join in the last and -noisiest fun of the season. Together, very demurely, they called at the -office to say good-bye to the teachers. - -When, at last, the carriage did come for them, Dorothy and Tavia rode off -together--one bound for the train to North Birchland, and the other going -home--home to Dalton, to try to be happy in the little country town where -she and Dorothy Dale had spent such a happy childhood, and where Tavia -would find plenty of time to dream of things scattered far out in another -world, that seemed like the golden fingers of ambition beckoning her on. -To leave Dalton and the common school life--to enter the walks of city -uncertainties--to become part of the great, grinding machine of human -hardships--that machine which is always willing to stop its terrific -speed long enough to gather into its cogs and meshes the life of an -innocent young girl. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - A JOLLY HOME-COMING - - -"My! What great big boys! You can't possibly be my little baby brother -Roger. And Joe! Why he is like a real young gentleman in his tennis -suit!" And Dorothy kissed her brothers over and over again, as they rode -from the depot in the pony cart to the home of Aunt Winnie, "The Cedars," -at North Birchland. - -"Oh, I don't know," drawled Joe, in his good-natured way. "You can't -complain. You've been doing some growing on your own account." - -"And you have got awfully pretty," lisped Roger, as he "snuggled" up -closer to his sister. - -"I think you are just as perfectly handsome as any big lady." - -"My, you little flatterbox!" and Dorothy gave him an oldtime squeeze. -"You have learned more than your A, B, Cs. at kindergarten. I received -all your letters but could not answer the last two as we had such an -awful lot of writing to do at the close when examinations came." - -"Did you pass?" asked the younger brother, by way of showing his -understanding of the scholastic season. - -"Oh, yes. I guess Tavia and I did about as well as the others." - -"Why didn't Tavia come?" went on Roger. - -"She is coming, later. You know she had to go home to Dalton first. Oh, -how lovely The Cedars look! And there is daddy on the porch!" - -Dorothy could scarcely remain in the cart as it rumbled along the shady -drive that led to the broad veranda of Mrs. White's handsome summer -residence. Major Dale was waiting to greet his daughter, and Aunt Winnie -came down the steps as the cart drove up. - -"Isn't she big!" exclaimed Roger, as the major folded Dorothy close in -his arms in a most affectionate manner. - -"My dear," whispered Mrs. White, pressing upon Dorothy's cheek a kiss of -welcome. "You _have_ grown!" and the glance that accompanied this simple -remark spoke in more than words Mrs. White's admiration for her pretty -niece, and told Dorothy at once, that her Aunt Winnie was entirely -satisfied with the particular lines that "her growth" had taken on. - -"You all look so well, and I am so glad to be home again at last," said -Dorothy as soon as she had a chance to express her opinion. "It is -perfectly fine here." - -"Here come the boys!" called Joe, who was just turning around on the long -drive, preparatory to taking the cart to the stables, and presently Nat -and Ned came bouncing up the steps. - -Before Dorothy had a chance to protest both cousins were kissing her at -once--Nat declaring he hadn't kissed a girl since he left Dorothy after -the automobile ride at Glenwood, and the while Ned was insisting that his -"little brother" should await his turn and allow the head of the house -the rights of his lawful inheritance. - -Such jolly big boys as were Ned and Nat always have a way of making -things both lively and interesting, especially when a pretty girl cousin -is "up for entertaining" and, for the remainder of the afternoon, they -entirely monopolized Dorothy, while Joe and Roger looked on, satisfied to -hear their sister's voice again. As for the major, he sat there perfectly -content to see all his children about him once more, although it was a -trifle odd to find Dorothy so grown up--almost a young lady. And it was -so short a time ago that she would "climb all over him" when a little -homecoming occurred. How she would fuss with his hair, and complain that -no one had attended to his brushes or kept his neck-ties pressed during -her absence. - -"But children must grow up," said the major with a sigh, "and Dorothy is -a fine girl--a Dale--every inch of her!" - -That Dorothy was indeed growing to be very handsome was a matter that -Mrs. White contemplated with pardonable pride. Dorothy was now her -especial charge; she would enter society under her safe chaperonage. Of -course she would first finish her education; and the aunt hoped that her -niece would not decide to take the higher branches, inasmuch as this -would keep her longer separated from her relatives. There is plenty of -time Mrs. White decided to learn in our own little world without spending -precious time buried in colleges, forming ideas that are sure to conflict -with the regular home life, and perhaps, depriving one's family of the -most precious years of a girl's career--the time between morning and noon -in the life of mortals. - -That evening, while Dorothy was dressing for dinner, her aunt mentioned -the matter to her. - -"Of course, Dorothy dear," she said as she watched the girl arrange her -beautiful hair, "it is all very well to take a college course if you -think you would not be satisfied to live in the home-world always. But -your brothers are growing up, and a sister's influence is of so much -account to growing lads. I hope you will be satisfied to stay home with -us, after you have finished at Glenwood." - -"I'm sure I'm very lonely away from you all," answered Dorothy, "and, as -you say, it is not likely I will ever want to take up a profession. -Therefore I can best finish my education along the lines I will be -required to be most proficient in." - -"That's my own Dorothy," said her aunt. - -It was a merry party that sat down to the bountifully supplied table. -Major Dale was, of course, at the head, and Mrs. White occupied the seat -of honor at the other end, while Dorothy and Ned, then Nat and Joe, with -Roger next his father, made up the family party. - -Roger insisted on knowing just what Dorothy usually had for dinner at -Glenwood, and upon learning how extremely simple the school menu was he -decided at once he would never go to boarding school. - -"When's Tavia coming?" asked Nat, endeavoring to hide his particular -interest in that question by trying, prematurely to swallow an unusually -large mouthful of food. - -"She promised to come in a few weeks," answered Dorothy. "She expects to -visit Buffalo first." - -"Buffalo?" repeated Nat, vaguely. - -"Any objections?" asked Ned pointedly, to tease his younger brother. - -"Well," replied Nat, lamely, "Buffalo is a big city and Tavia -is--is--merely a little girl." - -This remark only made matters worse for Nat, as the others joined in the -"jollying" and he was obliged to admit that he did miss Tavia, and was -very sorry she had decided not to visit Birchland first. - -"I don't blame you, little brother," declared Ned. "Tavia certainly is a -winner, and when it comes to an all-round jolly, -good-natured--er--ah--um--help me out, Dorothy! Any new adjectives at -Glenwood?" - -"Try 'dandy,'" suggested Joe. - -"Oh, great!" put in little Roger, to whom 'dandy' always meant something -great. - -"Thanks! Thanks!" acknowledged Ned. "I think if Lady Tavia stands for all -of that she surely will be well done." - -"Oh, she can stand for more than that," insisted her champion. "She once -confided to me that she 'stood' for a colored baby. It was christened in -the Dalton canal I believe, and no one, in the crowd of spectators, had -the nerve to stand for the little one but Tavia." - -"And did she give him his name?" asked Roger, all at once interested in -the black baby in the canal. - -"She did for a fact," Nat replied. "Yes, Tavia called that coon Moses, -and, if you don't believe it she still has an active interest in the -modern human frog; let me tell you she sent him a goat cart on his last -birthday." - -"Oh, ho!" exclaimed Ned significantly. "So that was the goat cart you -bought down at Tim's, eh? Now, I call that real romantic! Mother, you -must include Mosey when next you invite folks from Dalton." - -"Oh, yes, Aunty, please do," begged Roger, clapping his hands. "I just -love little colored boys. They talk so funny and warble their eyes so." - -"'Warble,'" repeated Nat. "Why not 'scramble'? Scrambled eyes would look -real pretty, I think." - -"Well," retorted Roger, "I watched a coon boy look that way one day and -the--yolk of his eye stuck away up behind the--the cover. Yes it -did--really," for the others were laughing at him. "And I told him it was -a good thing that the looker didn't rub off." - -Everyone agreed with Roger that it was a very good thing that "lookers" -didn't rub off, and so the small talk drifted from "Mose" to more -substantial topics. - -Directly after dinner Dorothy went to the library to sing and play for -the major. She had, of course, improved considerably in her music, and -when the usual favorites were given, including some war songs, besides -"Two Little Boys in Blue" for Roger's special benefit, the boys kept her -busy the remainder of the evening playing college songs, one after the -other, for, as fast as they discovered they did not know one they would -"make a try" at the next. - -"Now they miss Tavia," whispered Mrs. White in an aside to the major. -"She is a genius at funny songs. What she doesn't know she has a faculty -for guessing at with splendid results." - -"Yes indeed. It's a pity she didn't come along with Dorothy. They have -always been inseparable, and I rather miss the little imp myself -tonight," admitted the major. - -But when the singers came to the old classics, "Seeing Nellie Home" Ned -cut "Nellie" out and substituted Tavia's name whereat Nat insisted that -he could not stand any more of the "obsequies," and so broke up the -performance with a heart-rending and ear-splitting discordant yell. - -"Well, you'll feel better after that, old boy," remarked Ned. "It must be -something awful to have a thing like that in your system." - -But Nat was not altogether joking. In fact he had more reason than was -apparent for wishing Tavia was with the little party. Tavia had written -one or two letters to Nat--just friendly notes of course--but the tone of -them caused the youth to think that Tavia Travers when with Dorothy Dale -was one girl, and Tavia Travers with others--the Buffalo people for -example--might be quite a different person. - -"She's like an hour glass," thought Nat, as he stood on the side porch -and tried to laugh at himself for being "spoony." Then he went on: "She's -full of 'sand' all right, but too easily influenced. Now with Dorothy--" - -But at that Nat turned suddenly and went to join the others in the -library. It was nonsense for him to worry about a girl--probably she -would not thank him for his trouble, could she know that he had the -audacity to question her conduct. - -But, in spite of this, thoughts of Tavia persisted in thrusting -themselves upon him. After all, sincerity of purpose is a power that, -once aroused, is not easily cast aside. It is, without question, one of -the greatest factors for good in all this big and complicated system of -endeavor--in reality the tie that binds. - -So that Nat had taken Tavia's affairs "to heart" as he admitted to -himself, when thinking the entire matter over very late that night, and, -from that time on, whether he willed or not, it seemed to him that these -affairs of Tavia's had a queer way of "following him up," although he -little realized that this was the price he would be called upon to pay -for his sincerity of purpose--the live factor that exists in spite of all -obstacles of indifference. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - DOROTHY IS WORRIED - - -Dorothy had been at the Cedars one short, delightful week when again the -question of Tavia and her plans came up for serious consideration. Mrs. -White and her niece sat out on the veranda, with the early summer flowers -perfuming the soft zephyrs that came through the vine-covered lattice, -and they were talking of the absent one--wondering why she did not come -to Birchland and instead went to the city in the summer--to Buffalo when -everybody in the place (except the tourists on the way to Niagara to the -Falls), were leaving for more quiet and recreative surroundings. - -"I'm afraid," said Mrs. White finally, "that Tavia is 'stage-struck.'" - -These words came to Dorothy like a blow--something long dreaded but -materialized at last--in spite of hopes and promises. - -"Oh, Aunt Winnie!" exclaimed Dorothy with a sigh, "you don't really think -Tavia would do anything wrong?" - -"No, that I do not, my dear," promptly answered Mrs. White. "A thing is -not wrong unless we intend to make it so. But Tavia has a queer idea of -right and wrong. You know she has had no home discipline--no training in -character building. She has grown to be as good as she is through the -commonest law of nature--she was born good. But she has not gone beyond -that same law in growing better than she started out to be--that is moral -development, and requires careful culture and prudent discipline." - -"But the stage," whispered Dorothy, as if afraid the very word would -breathe contamination. "Do you think--Tavia would--would ever try to--to -go on a public stage?" - -"On that point I could not now express an opinion," answered the aunt -kindly, noticing how seriously Dorothy had taken her words. "Of course if -she happened to get in with persons interested in that line of work--she -might be tempted to try it." - -"But what could she do? There are no plays now--it is summer time!" - -"The very time, my dear, when small companies try to get a hearing. There -are no good plays to attract persons, and the stay-at-homes need some -amusement." - -This had not occurred to Dorothy before. Her dread of Tavia going on the -stage had been kept within bounds by the thought that there were no plays -given in any of the theatres, for Dorothy knew little about such things, -and had never given a thought to those small companies--the -"barnstormers." - -"Well," she announced with a sigh, "I believe I will have to write to -her. I can not rest and not know just where she is. Somehow I feel as if -my own sister had deserted me--as if she were out among strangers. Oh, -Aunt Winnie, you can not realize how much Tavia has always been to me!" -and Dorothy dropped her head in her hands to hide the expression of -sincere grief that marked her face. - -"Well, child, there is absolutely no need to worry. No doubt Tavia is -snugly home at this moment, with her own, little, old-fashioned -mother--or even out in Buffalo enjoying the visit to her mother's -friends. To sit down and imagine all sorts of horrible things--why, -Dorothy, it is very unlike you!" - -"Perhaps I am silly," Dorothy agreed, smiling brightly as she looked up, -"but you know Tavia has been so odd lately. And then she was sick, you -know." - -Dorothy looked off across the lawn, but she seemed to see nothing. -Perhaps she had a day-vision of her friend far away, but whatever Dorothy -imagined was far from what Tavia was actually engaged in at that moment. - -"Well, come, my dear," said her aunt at length. "The boys are waiting -with the auto. See what a spin through the country will do for tired -nerves. I tell you this winding up of school is always trying--more so -than you can imagine. You are, after all, pretty well tired out, in spite -of your pretty pink cheeks," and she tilted Dorothy's chin up to reach -her own lips, just as Nat swung himself up on the porch and demanded the -immediate presence of his aunt, and cousin, in the Fire Bird that panted -at the door. - -But, somehow, the afternoon was all lost on Dorothy. Those words -"stage-struck" echoed in her ears and she longed to get back to her room -and write to Tavia and then to receive the answer that she might show it -to Aunt Winnie, to prove that Tavia was as reliable as ever--that she -would soon be with them all at North Birchland. - -When, after a spin, that on any other occasion would have been -delightful, Ned alighted at the little village post-office, Dorothy asked -him to bring her out two special delivery stamps. Her cousin inquired -what the rush of mail was for, but she only smiled and tried to hide the -fact that she really had occasion to provide for sending a letter in a -hurry, and receiving its reply as fast as Uncle Sam could bring it. - -They started off again, and a long, exhilarating spin brought them out -upon the direct road to the Cedars. Then, after helping their mother and -Dorothy out, the boys "shooed" the Fire Bird back to its "nest," and made -a dash to witness the last inning of a ball game that had been in -progress all the afternoon on the grounds, just across the broad meadow, -that stretched in front of their home. - -This left Dorothy to herself, for the major had finally listened to -Roger's earnest appeal to take him to the ball game. Joe went with the -boys who carried the bats--as the latter was always sure to be on time. -Then, as Mrs. White would be busy for some time, giving orders for -dinner, Dorothy hurried to her room, and sat down, to think it all out, -before she undertook to put into written words what she wanted to say to -Tavia. - -As Dorothy had said to her aunt the loss of Tavia's companionship was -like missing that of a dear sister, for the two girls had been -inseparable since early childhood. They had always been together, or they -knew they would be apart but for a few days at most. - -But now it was different. Heretofore each time that Dorothy thought she -would have to be obliged to leave Tavia, either to attend school, or take -some new step in life, it so happened that Tavia went along, so that the -chain of companionship that began at Dalton had not yet been broken. - -And, of course, Dorothy's worries might all be unfounded. As Mrs. White -had said, Tavia might be safe at home with her mother. - -So it was to Dalton that Dorothy addressed her letter. She needed to be -particular in wording it, so that no misunderstanding would arise, should -the letter fall into other hands than Tavia's. Dorothy enclosed a special -delivery stamp for a hurried answer, which she begged Tavia to send, and -she put another of the stamps on the envelope of her own missive. - -"There," she said with a sigh of relief as she slipped the little -cream-colored square into her blouse. "I shall just have time to run to -the office with it before dinner. Somehow I feel better already. It -almost seems as if I had been talking to Tavia. I will surely have an -answer by to-morrow night. I do wonder--Oh, I wonder where Tavia is--and -what she is doing just now!" - -It was a pleasant walk to the country post-office, and Dorothy hurried -along in a happier frame of mind than she had enjoyed during all that -day. The small worry that had been smouldering in her heart for some -weeks (ever since the night of Tavia's queer actions in her sleep when -she painted her face with the red crayon) did not need much encouragement -to burst forth into a live flame. - -And that was precisely what happened when Nat also expressed the opinion -that Tavia should have come to North Birchland and that Buffalo was "a -big place for such a small girl." Then, that Dorothy's aunt should state -plainly her fear regarding Tavia's love for the stage,--surely all this -was enough to throw Dorothy into a very fever of anxiety. - -That Dorothy knew of Tavia's strange actions on that one occasion, and -that she alone, was aware of this, added to the anxiety. The book "How to -Act" had betrayed Tavia's secret in clearer terms than even Dorothy would -admit to herself. But if Tavia should run away! And if Dorothy had not -warned the Travers folks in time! - -That evening, after mailing her letter, Dorothy made an excuse to leave -the rest of the family and so remained in her own room. She wanted to be -alone--to think. In fact, she had been so accustomed to those little -solitary thinking spells in Glenwood that the time at the Cedars seemed -to be a trifle too exacting. The boys wanted to be with their sister, and -Mrs. White had so much to talk over (it was so delightful to have a "big -daughter" to converse with), then the major needed Dorothy's counsel in -many small, but important matters, so that, altogether, the girl from -Glenwood found herself busy--just a little too busy, considering the -problem she was trying to solve, which was how to get immediately into -communication with Tavia. - -That night she dreamed of it all, and for three days following the -mailing of her letter she could scarcely think of anything other then why -the expected answer did not arrive. - -Finally, Dorothy felt that she must take some one into her confidence. -All the nervous energy of her young nature had, for days, been so set -upon that one point--to hear from Tavia--that the whole circumstance had -assumed great importance. She could think of nothing else. Every hour -added to her anxiety. She imagined all sorts of dreadful things. Yes, she -must tell somebody of it and thus relieve her mind or she felt she would -be ill. This seemed to her the greatest trouble she had ever encountered. - -It was a delightful summer evening when Dorothy, dressed in her sea-foam -mulle gown, with its dainty silver white trimmings stepped out on the -porch, and had the good fortune to find Nat there alone. It was to her -young cousin that she had made up her mind to confide her worries, and -here he was, as if he was just waiting to help her in this matter of her -own heart and Tavia's. - -"Great Scott! But you startled me!" exclaimed Nat, jumping up from the -hammock. "I do believe, Doro, that I had clean forgotten that you were -with us--no offense--but you see I was sort of dreaming and when you -glided through that window--well--I say, Doro, I thought my dream had -come true!" - -"Nat, could you come for a little walk?" asked Dorothy. "You should not -dream so early, and besides, you should not, at any time, dream of young -girls. You admitted as much, you know. But Nat, I just want a quiet -talk--come out along the road as far as the bridge. I want to make sure -we are entirely alone." - -"Now you don't expect me to move the bridge, do you, Doro? We may be all -alone with the exception of the old stone walls and the planks." - -Tucking Dorothy's arm under his own, Nat led the way down the path, then -out upon the open road, which was now streaked with faint beams of -moonlight, that filtered down through the trees. Nat seemed to feel that -Dorothy wanted to talk of Tavia, for he had not been slow to notice the -growing look of anxiety that had come upon his cousin's face in the last -few days. - -"Heard from Tavia?" he asked in a matter-of-fact way, thinking to help -Dorothy on with her story. - -"No, Nat," she answered, "and that is just what I want to talk about. I -am almost worried to death about her. Whatever do you think it means?" - -"Think what what means? That Tavia has not answered a letter? Why that -doesn't mean anything--at least it didn't last winter, when she would -write me for something she wanted me to get for her, and forget to write -again saying she had received it. I suppose all girls think they should -take their time writing to a fellow, but Tavia was about the limit. So -you have no reason to fret, as she will probably write to you the day she -packs her trunk to come to the Cedars. Then she won't have time to mail -the letter, so, when she gets here, and steams off the uncancelled stamp, -she will calmly hand over the note. Now that's Tavia and her way of being -prompt." - -"But this is different," said Dorothy. "I did not know Tavia wrote to you -last winter." - -"Now don't go to romancing. I believe I did get two letters from Miss -Travers in answer to five I had written to her. It was about that little -colored boy you heard me joking about--some imp Tavia had taken a fancy -to, and she wanted to get him a small express wagon. So she wrote to me, -being aware of my unusual ability in the line of selecting suitable -express wagons for little colored boys." - -"But listen, Nat," exclaimed Dorothy, eagerly, "I wrote to Dalton a week -ago to-day, sent a special delivery stamp for a quick reply, and I -haven't heard a word since." - -"Oh, that's it. You sent a special stamp. That was where you made a big -mistake. Miss Tavia wanted to write to that girl in Buffalo--had been -putting it off as usual--and when she saw your blue stamp it brought her -the inspiration. She wrote to 'Dolly,' if Dolly is her name, used your -stamp, and 'Dolly' answered 'come.' Tavia went. There you are. Now what -do you think of me as a wireless sleuth?" - -"Do you really think Tavia is in Buffalo?" asked Dorothy, endeavoring to -bring her cousin down to a common-sense viewpoint. - -"Sure of it. But, say, Doro. I'll tell you what! I'll just take a fly in -the Fire Bird to-morrow morning, and find out for you for sure. That will -be better than the special delivery boy on his bicycle that never moves. -I'll be back by lunch time." - -"Oh, that will be splendid!" cried Dorothy, giving her cousin's arm a -tight squeeze. "You see I could not trust another letter, and I'm so -anxious to know. Oh, Nat, you are the very best cousin--" - -"Not so bad," interrupted Nat, "when it comes to special messengers. But, -little cousin, you can depend on me. I won't let any one hold up the -automobile mail coach." - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - LITTLE URANIA - - -The soft moonlight was now peeping through the screen of maple leaves -that arched the old stone bridge, as the shifting shadows of early -evening settled down to quiet nightfall. Dorothy and her cousin did not -at once turn their steps toward the Cedars; instead they sat there on the -bridge, enjoying the tranquil summer eve, and talking of what might -happen when all their schooldays would be over and the long "vacation" of -the grown-up world would be theirs to plan for, and theirs to shape into -the rolling ball of destiny. - -Nat declared he would be a physician, as that particular profession had -ever been to him the greatest and noblest--to relieve human suffering. -Dorothy talked of staying home with her brothers and father. They would -need her, she said, and it would not be fair to let Aunt Winnie do so -much for them. - -"But I say, Dorothy," broke in Nat. "This moonlight is all right, isn't -it?" - -Dorothy laughed at his attempt at sentimentality. "It is delightful," she -replied, "if that is what you mean." - -"Yes, that's it--delightful. For real, home-made sentiment apply to Nat -White. By the pound or barrel. Accept no substitute. Good thing I did not -decide to be a writer, eh? The elements represent to me so many kinds of -chemical bodies, put where they belong and each one expected to do its -little part in keeping things going. Now, I know fellows who write about -the moon's face and the sun's effulgence, just as if the poor old sun or -moon had anything to do with the lighting-up process. I never speculate -on things beyond my reach. That sort of thing is too hazy for mine." - -"Now, Nat, you know very well you are just as sentimental as any one -else. Didn't you write some verses--once?" - -"Verses? Oh, yes. But I didn't get mixed with the stars. You will -remember it was Ned who said: - - "'The stars were shining clear and bright - When it rained like time, that fearful night!' - -"I was the only one who stood by Ned when he penned that stanza. It could -rain like time and be a fearful night while the stars were shining--in -China. Oh, yes, that was a great composition, but I didn't happen to win -out." - -The school test of versification, to which both had reference, brought -back pleasant memories, and Dorothy and Nat enjoyed the retrospection. - -"What is that?" asked Dorothy suddenly, as something stirred at the side -of the bridge on the slope that led to the water. - -"Muskrat or a snake," suggested Nat indifferently. - -"No, listen! That sounded like someone falling down the path." - -"A nice soft fall to them then," remarked Nat, without showing signs of -intending to make an investigation. - -"Ask if anyone is there," timidly suggested Dorothy. - -At this Nat jumped up and looked over the culvert. - -"There sure is some one sliding down," he said. "Hi there! Want any -help?" - -"A stone slipped under my foot," came back the answer, and the voice was -unmistakably that of a young girl or a child. - -"Wait a minute," called Nat. "I'll get down there and give you a hand." - -The path to the brook led directly around the bridge, and it took but a -moment for the boy to make his way to the spot whence the voice came. -Dorothy could scarcely distinguish the two figures that kept so close to -the bridge as to be in danger of sliding under the stone arch. - -"There," called Nat. "Get hold of my hand. I have a good grip on a strong -limb, and can pull you up." - -But it required a sturdy arm to hold on to the tree branch and pull the -girl up. Several times Nat lost his footing and slid some distance, but -the street level was finally gained, and the strange girl brought to the -road in safety. - -The moonlight fell across her slim figure, and revealed the outlines of a -very queer little creature indeed. She was dark, with all the -characteristics of the Gypsy marked in her face. - -Dorothy and Nat surveyed her critically. Whatever could a child of her -age be doing all alone there, in that deserted place after nightfall? - -"Thanks," said the girl to Nat, as she rubbed her bare feet on the damp -grass. "I almost fell." - -"Almost?" repeated Nat, "I thought you did fall--you must have hit that -big rock there. I know it for I used to fish from the same place, and -it's not exactly a divan covered with sofa cushions." - -"Yes, I did hit my side on it," admitted the girl, "but it doesn't hurt -much." - -"What is your name?" asked Dorothy, stepping closer to the stranger. - -"Urania. But I'm going to change it. I don't believe in Urania any more." - -"Then you are a Gypsy girl," spoke Nat. "I thought I'd seen you before." - -"Yes, they say I'm a Gypsy girl, but I'm tired of the business and I'm -going away." - -"Where?" asked Dorothy. - -"Any place as long as it's not back to camp. I left it to-night and I'm -never going back to it again--never! never!" and the girl shook her -disheveled head in very positive emphasis. - -"Why?" asked Dorothy. "You're too young to be out alone and at night. You -must be frightened; aren't you?" - -"Frightened?" and the girl laughed derisively. "What is there to be -afraid of? I know all the snakes and toads, besides the birds." - -"Aren't there tramps?" inquired Nat. - -"Perhaps. But it would take a slick tramp to catch me. Gypsy girls know -how to run, if they can't read and write." - -It seemed to Dorothy that this remark was tinged with bitterness; as if -the girl evidently felt the loss of education. - -"But you had better run back to the camp like a good girl," pleaded Nat. -"Come, we'll walk part of the way with you." - -"Back to the camp! You don't know what you're talking about. I've started -out in the world for myself, and could not go back now if I wanted to. -That woman would beat me." - -"What woman?" Nat asked. - -"The one my father married. They call her Melea. She has her own little -girl and doesn't care for Urania." - -"But where will you stay to-night?" inquired Dorothy, now anxious that -the little Gypsy would change her mind, and run back to the camp at the -foot of the hill before it would be too late--before she might be missed -from her usual place. - -"I was going to sleep under the bridge," replied Urania calmly, "but when -I heard you talking I came out. I love to hear pretty words." - -"Poor child," thought Dorothy, "like a little human fawn. And she wants -to start out in the world for herself!" - -"I heard what you said about going to Dalton," Urania said to Nat, as she -tried to hide her embarrassment by fingering her tattered dress, "and I -was wondering if you could let me ride in the back of your automobile. I -want to go to the big city and it's--it's a far walk--isn't it?" - -"It would be a long walk to Dalton," replied Nat in surprise, "but Dalton -isn't a big city. Besides, I could never help you to run away," he -finished. - -"Some boys do," Urania remarked with a pout. "I know people who run away. -They come to Melea to have their fortunes told." - -Nat and Dorothy laughed at this. It seemed queer that persons who would -run away would stop long enough to have their fortunes told by a Gypsy. - -"And couldn't I ride in the back of your automobile?" persisted the girl, -not willing to let so good a chance slip past her too easily. - -"I'm afraid not," declared Nat. "I wouldn't help you to run away in the -first place, and, in the second, I never take any girls out riding, -except my cousin and her friend." - -"Oh, you don't eh?" sneered Urania. "What about the one with the red -hair? Didn't I see you out with her one day when we were camping in the -mountains--near that high-toned school, Glendale or Glenwood or something -like that. And didn't she come to our camp next day to have her fortune -told? Oh, she wanted to start out in the world for herself. You would -help her, of course, but poor Urania--she must die," and the girl threw -herself down upon the grass and buried her head in the long wet spears. - -Dorothy and Nat were too surprised to answer. Surely the girl must refer -to Tavia, but Tavia had never ridden out alone with Nat, not even while -he was at the automobile assembly near Glenwood. And Tavia could scarcely -have gone to the fortune teller's camp. - -"I say I have never taken out any girl without my mother or my cousin -being along," Nat said, sharply, recovering himself. - -"Then it was your girl with another fellow," declared the wily Gypsy, not -willing to be caught in an untruth. She arose from the grass and, seeing -the telling expression on the faces of her listeners, like all of her -cult, she knew she had hit upon a fact of some kind. - -"My girl?" repeated Nat laughingly. - -"Yes," was the quick answer. "She had bright, pretty colored hair, brown -eyes and her initials are O. T. I heard her tell Melea so." - -The initials, O. T., must surely be those of Octavia Travers thought -Dorothy and Nat. But Nat knew better than to press the subject further. -This cunning girl, in spite of her youth, he was sure, would make answers -to suit the questions, and such freedom on the subject of Tavia -(especially, now, when there were enough rumors to investigate), would -simply be inviting trouble. - -But Dorothy was not so wise in her eagerness to hear more. She wanted to -know if her chum had really gone to the Gypsy camp from Glenwood, but she -would not deign to ask if Tavia really went auto riding with some boys -who attended the meet. That would be too mean even to think about! And -besides, thought Dorothy suddenly, Tavia was sick during all the time of -the automobile assembly. - -"I can tell you more if you'll give me money," boldly spoke Urania. "I -know all her fortune. I heard Melea tell her. I was outside the tent and -I heard every word." - -"I thought that was against the practice of the Gypsies," said Nat -severely. - -"Practice!" sneered the girl. "When a pretty girl comes to our camp I -always listen. I like to find out what that kind think about! To see if -they are different from Urania!" - -"Come," said Dorothy to Nat. "We must go. It is getting late." - -"And you don't want to hear about the girl that is going to run away to a -circus?" called the Gypsy as Dorothy and Nat turned away. - -"No, thank you, not to-night," replied Nat. "You'd better run home before -the constable comes along. They put girls in jail for running away from -home." - -"Oh, do they? Then your red-headed friend must be there now," called back -the Gypsy with unconcealed malice. - -"What can she mean?" asked Dorothy, clinging to her cousin's arm as they -hurried along. - -"Oh, don't mind that imp. She is just like all her kind, trying to play -on your sympathies first and then using threats. She was listening to us -talking and picked up all she told us. She got the initials at -Glenwood--likely followed Tavia and asked some other girl what her name -was. I remember now, there was a Gypsy settlement there. That part's true -enough." - -"Perhaps," admitted Dorothy with a sigh. "I know Mrs. Pangborn positively -forbade all the girls to go near the Gypsy camps, but some of the pupils -might have met Urania on the road." - -"That's about it," decided Nat. "But she ought to stick to the game. -She'd make a good player. The idea of waylaying us and pretending to have -fallen down." - -"It's hard to understand that class," admitted Dorothy. "But I hope -she'll not stay out all night. I should be worried if I awoke, and heard -her walking about under the trees near my window." - -"No danger," declared Nat. "I must go and see that the garage is locked. -She might take a notion to turn the Fire Bird into a Pullman sleeper." - -Then, leaving Dorothy on the veranda with his mother, Nat went around to -the little auto shed, fastened the door securely and put the key into his -pocket. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - THE RUNAWAY - - -Dorothy was not sure whether she dreamed it, or really heard sounds -stirring under the trees. She had been thinking of the Gypsy girl, and -Tavia, as she fell asleep, and when she suddenly awoke in the middle of -the night, there seemed to be some one moving about just under the window -of her room. It was so quiet that even faint sounds could be heard, and -Dorothy lay there listening for some time, after being aroused. Presently -something banged--like a blind being slammed back. There was no breath of -wind--surely someone must have opened the shutter! - -The moonlight came in through the casement and illuminated the room -enough for her to see to get up and reach her door. It was but a step to -the boys' apartment. She would call them, she decided, but was most -anxious not to disturb her father or aunt. - -Strange to say when Dorothy had slipped on her dressing gown and slippers -and knocked at the door of the boys' room, she found them both awake, for -they had answered her light tap at once. A moment later they were in the -corridor, attired in their big bath robes. - -"I'm sure I heard a footstep at the side porch," whispered Dorothy. - -"So did I," answered Ned. "I've been awake for a long time, listening." - -"Perhaps you had better go down," suggested Dorothy nervously. "It might -be a tramp." - -"Tramp nothing," declared Nat boldly, as he made his way softly to the -front door. "I'll bet it's our friend Urania. I was sure she would call -this evening." - -Without the slightest fear the brothers opened the door, and searched -about for a possible intruder. They even looked under the lilac bush at -Dorothy's window, but no midnight prowlers were discovered. - -Dorothy bravely stood at the front door, waiting to call for more help in -case the boys should need assistance, but they finally returned from -their hunt more disgusted than alarmed. Dorothy was entirely satisfied -now that no one was about the place. - -"I call that mean," grumbled Nat. "I was all primed for an adventure." - -"You should be careful what sort of acquaintances you pick up after -dark," cautioned Ned. "Your little Urania may turn out troublesome if you -cross her. Gypsies have a way of making people 'pony up' with the money, -you know." - -"Don't wake the folks," cautioned Dorothy, leading the way back to the -sleeping rooms. "I'm not a bit afraid now." - -"Well, if she comes back again, ask her in," spoke Nat in a hoarse -whisper. "I think Urania needs a talking to." - -Dorothy fell asleep again, after listening for some time, and was not -disturbed any further that night, until the bright sun shining into her -windows, called her to get up to begin another day. - -As they had planned, Nat was to start early for Dalton. He could easily -make some excuse for his solitary trip--say that he wanted to see some -friends who were off camping, or that he wanted to go fishing. He -mentioned these two objects vaguely as he started off. - -Dorothy warned him not to let an inkling of her fears concerning Tavia -reach the ears of any one in Dalton, but there was no need for this, as -Nat was as anxious as was his cousin to keep the matter secret between -them. - -"It's an easy thing to start gossip in a place like Dalton," he whispered -to Dorothy as he threw in the clutch to send the auto on its way, "and -you can depend upon me to give them another 'think' if they're looking -for news." - -As the Fire Bird swung out along the path Nat turned to wave a reassuring -good-bye to Dorothy who stood on the porch watching him spin away. - -The morning which had begun so bright and pleasant now took on a gloomy -aspect for Dorothy. How could she wait for Nat's return? And what would -he find out concerning Tavia and her plans? Suppose she should really be -in Buffalo? That would not necessarily mean that she had gone away--she -might be visiting her friend, Grace Barnum. - -It seemed impossible for Dorothy to become interested in anything save -Nat and his mission. She tried to sew, but soon laid aside the dainty -little work basket Aunt Winnie had provided for the summer hours on the -porch. Then Ned invited her to go bicycling, and she had to make some -excuse for refusing the invitation. Even writing some letters for the -major did not distract her, and she could think of nothing but Nat and -his trip to Dalton. - -But, somehow, the morning wore on, and it was almost time for Nat to -return, as Dorothy knew in his swift car he could make the journey in -record time over the good roads. - -"But I'm sure something will delay him," said Dorothy to herself. "I feel -as if something will surely happen!" - -And a well-grounded fear it was for, meanwhile, something was happening -to Nat--something quite unexpected. - -Having reached, in due time, Dalton and the little cottage where the -Travers family dwelt, Nat steered the machine up in front of the door. -Then he remembered he had to tighten the bolt of the clutch pedal, and -decided to do it before making his inquiries, as it was important that -the pedal be tight. He turned back to the machine, from which he had -jumped, to get his wrench from the tool box under the rear seat. He -unbuttoned the leather curtain that reached down to the floor of the -tonneau, and was feeling about for the wrench when he started back in -surprise. - -There, under the seat, stretched out so as to be concealed while the -curtain was down, was Urania, the Gypsy girl! The confined space made her -hump up like an angry cat, and her dark face peered sharply into Nat's -from under the leather flap. - -For a moment Nat could not find words to speak to the girl, who remained -in her hiding place, grinning out at him with a mocking look on her elfin -face. - -"Hello!" she exclaimed presently. "I had a lovely ride." - -"Get out of there instantly," exclaimed Nat, in angry tones. "How in the -world did you ever get in there?" - -"Oh, easy enough. You locked the door, but you left the shed window open -last night, and I crawled in. I was almost a goner, though, when you and -your brother came out on the porch looking for spooks. I was just trying -your hammock then. That's a softer cradle than this stuffy place." - -"I guess I'd better hand you over to a constable," went on Nat, realizing -what it might mean to try to drag the girl from her hiding place just -then. - -"Oh, don't trouble yourself," was the cool answer. "I believe I've had -enough of riding, and I'd like to stretch out a bit." - -By this time the Travers family had become aware of the presence of the -Fire Bird at their door, and Mrs. Travers, impressed with the -distinction, had stepped back quickly to her room to tidy herself up a -bit. This gave Nat a few moments longer to think of what he had best do -with the Gypsy girl. - -"Here," he said to her, rather fiercely, "you just stay under that seat -until I'm ready to take you to a place of safety. Now, if you dare to -move while I'm in this house I'll--I'll have you arrested," and with that -Nat fastened down the curtain securely, with a catch that snapped on the -outside and was incapable, as he supposed, of being opened from the -inside. - -He walked up the path to the front door and, after a few seconds, his -knock was answered by Mrs. Travers. With unlimited protestations of -welcome she showed Nat in, and offered him a seat in the far corner of -the room, some distance from the front windows. He felt that he had -better keep his eye on the machine, because of his concealed passenger, -so, after a moment's hesitation, he took a chair near the front of the -apartment, remarking, as he did so, what a pretty view there was from the -window. - -"What brings you to Dalton?" asked Mrs. Travers. - -"I was--er--just passing through, and I thought I'd stop to -inquire--about the family. Dorothy would like to know," said Nat. - -"Oh, we're about as well as usual," said Tavia's mother. - -"How's Tavia? Is she home?" asked Nat quickly, feeling that this was as -good an opening as he could desire. - -"No, and I'm very sorry, for she'd be delighted to see you. She went to -Buffalo just after coming from school. We scarcely had a good look at -her. I wanted her to stay home for a week, but she was so set on going -that she started off bag and baggage, and I'm sure I can't say when she -will be home. Of course she's with friends," the mother hastened to add, -seeing the look of surprise that flashed over Ned's face in spite of his -effort at self-control. - -"My cousin, Dorothy, wrote to her," Nat hastened to say, to cover his -confusion, "and, not receiving an answer, thought it likely that she -might be ill, or away." - -"Tavia's father forwarded the letter to her," said Mrs. Travers. "She -should have answered it by this time. We have only had one souvenir card -from her since she went away, but it was a real pretty one; I'd like to -show it to you, but I guess I've mislaid it. I can't think where I put -it." - -"Never mind. I suppose it takes some time for a letter to travel when -it's been forwarded from one place to another. I dare say Dorothy will -soon hear from her. I'm glad all the family are well. Major Dale is -always glad to hear news of the Dalton folks." - -"And indeed we all miss the major," spoke Mrs. Travers with a show of -feeling. "Not to say we don't miss the entire family, for the boys were -fine little fellows, and, as for Dorothy--" - -The intended tribute to Dorothy ended with a little catch in Mrs. -Travers's voice, for she was very fond of her daughter's companion, and -sometimes showed her feelings with a touch of sentimentality. - -Then, as Nat was really in a hurry (for he could not stop thinking of -Urania under the seat) he made his excuses as quickly and as politely as -the circumstances would allow, and was soon out of the house. He lost no -time in cranking up and, in a few minutes, was chug-chugging at top speed -down the country road. - -He had made up his mind to take the Gypsy girl back to North Birchland, -and was vaguely wondering, as he dashed along, why she did not knock on -the seat and demand to be let out of her uncomfortable quarters. - -"I think I'll stop and just take a look at her. She may be crying," the -lad remarked to himself, and, bringing the machine to a halt alongside -the road, he stepped out. - -He assumed a determined look before unfastening the curtain, for he was -bound not to let his sympathies run away with him in dealing with the -unruly girl. He shoved back the catch and raised the leather flap. - -Urania was gone! - -"Well, I'll be jiggered!" cried Nat aloud, so great was his astonishment -at the second surprise the Gypsy had given him. "If she isn't a dandy! -How in the world did she slip out without me seeing her?" - -But Nat had forgotten the few moments when he sat on the sofa at the rear -side of Mrs. Travers's parlor, some distance from the front windows, and -it was in those few moments that Urania had managed to undo the catch, in -spite of its supposed security, and slip out of the Fire Bird. Swiftly, -as no girl but a Gypsy can run, she had fled down the street, across the -Dalton bridge, and into the deep woods beyond, where she would have time -to plan out the remainder of her day's travels. - -"Well, she's gone--good riddance," thought Nat, as he started up the -machine once more, and turned, at a swift speed, into the turnpike -leading to North Birchland. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - A SPELL OF THE "GLUMPS" - - -Whizzing along the road Nat tried to decide how it would be best to break -the disappointing news to Dorothy. Of his escapade with Urania he had -fully determined not to say a word. Dorothy had enough girls to worry -about, he argued, and if she heard of this one she would form a searching -expedition, and set out at once to hunt the Gypsy who, Nat thought, was -like a human squirrel and able to take care of herself. - -The return trip seemed shorter than that which took Nat out to Dalton, -and as the Fire Bird swung into the Cedars' entrance somewhat later than -the youth expected to get back, Dorothy was at the gate awaiting to hear -news of Tavia. - -"Buffalo," announced Nat sententiously, as Dorothy came up beside the car -which jerked to a stop amid a screeching of the brake. "She went there -some time ago. She's at Grace Barnum's. Wait. I have the address." - -Without delaying to put the machine up, Nat produced a slip of paper upon -which he had written, at Mrs. Travers's direction, the street and number -of Miss Barnum's residence. He handed it to Dorothy. - -"Do you think it's all right?" asked Dorothy, looking at the directions. - -"'Course it is. Everybody in Dalton is as chipper as possible. You're the -only one who's worrying. Now, if I were you, I'd just let up, Doro. -You'll be down sick if you don't." - -"Perhaps I am foolish. And I have given you a lot of trouble," spoke up -the girl a little sadly. - -"Trouble? Nothing!" exclaimed Nat. "I just like the lark. When you want -any more sleuthing done apply at headquarters. I'm the gum-shoe man for -this section," and at that he turned his attention to the Fire Bird, -while Dorothy walked thoughtfully back to the house. - -Poor Dorothy! An instinctive foreboding of danger had taken possession of -her now, and, try as she did to dispel it, an unmistakable voice seemed -to call out to her: - -"Find Tavia! She needs you, Dorothy Dale!" - -"Perhaps," thought Dorothy, "she has run away and is really with some -circus troupe, as the Gypsy girl said. Or perhaps she is at some watering -place, taking part in a play--" - -This last possibility was the one that Dorothy dreaded most to dwell -upon. Tavia must have loved the stage, else why did she constantly do the -things she did at school, so like a little actress, and so like a girl -"stage-struck," as Aunt Winnie called it? - -These and similar fancies floated through Dorothy's brain hour after -hour, in spite of whatever diversion presented itself for her amusement. - -The afternoon, following Nat's trip to Dalton, Dorothy, with her -brothers, Roger and Joe, went to gather pond lilies near the waterfall. -It was a delightful day, and the sun glistened on the quiet sheet of the -mill pond, making liquid diamonds. The lilies, of which there was an -abundance, looked like carved wax that had frozen the sun's gold in each -heart. But, somehow, Dorothy, could not work up her usual enthusiasm in -gathering the blossoms. - -It was delightful to dip her hands into the cool stream and surely to -hear little Roger prattle was an inspiration, but all the while Dorothy -was thinking of crowded Buffalo, and wondering what a certain girl might -be doing there on that summer afternoon. - -In the evening Major Dale and Mrs. White, taking Dorothy with them, went -for a drive along the broad boulevard that was the pride of that -exclusive summer place--North Birchland. Dorothy tried bravely to rouse -herself from her gloomy reveries but, in spite of her efforts, Mrs. White -complained that her niece was not like her usual self--"Perhaps not -feeling well," she ventured. - -"I'm 'glumpy' ever since I left Glenwood," admitted Dorothy. "Not because -I want to be, nor that I am not having a most delightful time, but I -simply have the 'glumps.' At Glenwood they prescribe extra work for an -attack like this," and the girl laughed at her own diagnosis. - -"You certainly should dispel the 'glumps,'" said Mrs. White. "I can't -imagine what could produce an attack here at the Cedars, with all your -own folks around you, Dorothy, dear. I do believe you are lonely for -those impossible girls. What do you say to paying some of them a little -visit, just to break in on your holiday?" - -"Really, aunty," protested Dorothy, "I am perfectly content. What sort of -girl would I be to want to run away and leave you all after being away so -long at school? No, indeed, I'll stay right here at the beautiful Cedars, -and I'll try to be a better girl--to get rid at once of my spell of the -'glumps' as we used to call them at Glenwood." - -"But girls are girls," insisted her aunt, "and you have no control, my -dear, over such sentiment as I imagine you are afflicted with at present. -Just plan out a little trip somewhere and, I'll vouch for it, the visit -to some giggling Dolly Varden of a girl will do you no end of good. And -then, too, you may invite her back here with you." - -Mrs. White divined too well the reason for Dorothy's "blue spell." She -could see perfectly how much her niece missed the light-hearted Tavia, -and in advising her to take a little trip Mrs. White was sure Dorothy -would choose to go where her chum might be. - -In this she was right, but concerning what Dorothy might do to reach -Tavia Mrs. White had no idea. She merely suggested a "little trip -somewhere," believing Dorothy would find Tavia, either in Dalton, or -visiting some girl friend, as Dorothy had told her Tavia intended doing. -But circumstances conspired to give Dorothy the very opportunity she -longed for--she would go somewhere--anywhere--to look for her -"sister-friend"--the girl who had been to her more than friend and almost -a sister. - -Ned and Nat had planned a trip to Buffalo at the beginning of their -vacation. They were to meet a number of their chums there, and do some -exploring in the neighborhood of Niagara Falls. They were to make the -journey in the Fire Bird, and when Mrs. White suggested a trip for -Dorothy it was the run to Buffalo, in the automobile, that immediately -came into the girl's mind. - -"If I only could go with the boys," she pondered. "But what excuse would -I have?" - -All the next day she turned the subject over in her mind. Then something -very remarkable happened. Persons who believe in thought controlling -matter would not call the incident out of the ordinary perhaps, but, be -that as it may, when Dorothy strolled down to the post-office, having a -slender hope of a letter from Tavia, she did find a letter in the box--a -letter from Rose-Mary Markin, stating that she, and her mother, were -going to Buffalo and Niagara Falls for a few days, and, as Buffalo was -only about a day's trip from North Birchland, perhaps Dorothy could take -a "run" to Buffalo, and spend a few days with them. - -Dorothy's head thumped when she read the letter. The very thing of all -others she would have wished for, had she been as wise as the unknown -fate that worked it out for her, without any action on her own part! - -She felt light enough now to "fly" over the road back to the Cedars, to -show the invitation to Mrs. White. The boys were to leave for Buffalo the -next day, so there was little time to be lost, should Major Dale and Mrs. -White think it best for Dorothy to make the trip. How the girl trembled -while waiting for the decision. What if she should be disappointed? It -was a long ride in the auto--but with her cousins-- - -Mrs. White read Rose-Mary's little note a second time while Dorothy stood -there waiting. The aunt noticed how delicately Rose-Mary indicated her -own mother's anxiety to meet Dorothy, and then with what a nicety the -whole matter was referred to Major Dale and Dorothy's aunt. This -carefully written note, neither stilted nor indifferent in its tone, -convinced Mrs. White at once that the writer was exactly the girl Dorothy -had described her to be--her very best friend at Glenwood--excepting only -Tavia. - -"Well, I don't see why you can't go with the boys," spoke her aunt -finally. "They are always careful, and if you leave here, as they intend -to do, at sunrise (that will be an experience for you) you should get -into Buffalo in time for the evening dinner. I'll just sound the major," -giving Dorothy a loving embrace. "Not that a mere man, even be he Major -Dale, can hold out against two such Sampson-like wills as ours." - -From that moment, until the time of her stepping into the Fire Bird next -morning, and waving a good-bye to the little party that stood on the -porch to see them off, it all seemed like the strangest, subtlest dream -to Dorothy. She was going to find Tavia--going herself to look for her, -and find out for herself all the questions that, for weeks, had been -eating away her happiness with dreaded uncertainties. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - DOROTHY IN BUFFALO - - -"And now," remarked Ned after they had skimmed along for awhile, "I -suppose, Dorothy, you can't deny me the long-looked for opportunity of -meeting the sweetest girl in Glenwood (according to you) -Cologne--Rose-Mary Markin, to be exact." - -"Oh, I know you will like her, Ned. She certainly is a very sweet girl," -replied Dorothy. - -"The very thing for me. I have been looking for that brand for some time. -And now, O Edward, prepare thyself!" - -"Mind your wheel!" cried Nat, for Ned had raised his right hand in the -air to give emphasis to his dramatic utterance and came close to a large -stone. "Save that for later." - -Dorothy was as bright and animated as possible during the trip and -chatted with the boys about the Glenwood girls, giving a full share of -praise to Cologne. After all, Dorothy reflected, Ned was a young man, -handsome, and, in many ways, desirable, and it would be nice if he were -to take the two girls around Buffalo. But this thought was overshadowed -by another--If Tavia were only with them. What good times they might -have! Tavia and Nat always got along so well together. Each seemed to be -an inspiration of mirth to the other. - -But Tavia! - -Nat seemed quiet, and even serious as they speeded along the lonely -country roads. His brother was not slow to notice the unusual look of -concern and attempted to "jolly" it away. - -"Cheer up, Nat," he said. "The worst is yet to come," and he made a wry -face. "You know we expect to find your little friend somewhere out this -way. I really wouldn't want a corner on happiness. I do feel, somehow, -that Cologne will be my fate, but that is no reason why you and Doro -shouldn't hitch on to the band wagon. Let me see, Doro, you say she has -brown eyes and blue hair--" - -"Ned! You must not make fun of Cologne--" - -"Fun of her! As soon bite my own tongue. I said it sideways by mistake. -It should have read blue eyes and brown hair. Wasn't that it?" - -"Yes, that's more like it," admitted Dorothy. "And she has the most -adorable little mouth--" - -"Oh, here, Nat! Get hold of this wheel. I really must have a chance to -think that over. Say it again, Dorothy, please," and the lad went through -a series of queer antics, that seem so very funny when the right boy -attempts to be funny, but so very flat when one tries to either describe -them or imitate the original. - -"And isn't there a brother in this visit to Buffalo?" asked Nat drolly. - -In spite of herself the color flew to Dorothy's cheeks. Of course -Rose-Mary had a brother, two years older than herself. But Dorothy had -never met him, although Rose-Mary talked so much at school of Jack, that -Dorothy almost felt acquainted with the youth. But now she would -certainly meet the family for they were all together at the Buffalo -hotel. - -"Oh, yes," chimed in Ned. "Isn't there a brother?" - -"Yes," answered Dorothy. "I believe there is." - -"Now I call that real jolly," went on Ned. "Just one apiece--if Nat finds -Tavia, of course." - -A few hours later the Fire Bird swung up to the portico of a leading -Buffalo hotel, and, scarcely had the puffing machine come to a stop than -a girl in lavender, with blue eyes and brown hair, had Dorothy in her -arms. - -"Oh, you dear, old sweetheart!" exclaimed Rose-Mary, as she embraced -Dorothy with that effusion of delight peculiar to schoolgirls and babies, -as Nat remarked in a whisper to Ned. - -"And you were so good to think of me," Dorothy tried to say, from the -midst of the embrace. - -"Think of you! As if I ever forgot you for one single moment!" Then -Rose-Mary turned to the two boys in the auto and paused. - -"These are my cousins," began Dorothy. "This is Mr. Edward White and the -other one,"--with a little laugh,--"is his brother Nathaniel." - -The boys bowed and made what were probably intended for complimentary -acknowledgments of the introduction, but which were mere murmurs. -Rose-Mary, however with the usual advantage of girls over boys in such -matters, showed no embarrassment. - -"There is one real nice thing about Dorothy," spoke Nat when he had, in a -measure recovered his composure. "She always makes Ned my brother. That -counts." - -The girls laughed merrily and then a tall young man, the "very image of -Rose-Mary only taller," according to Dorothy, stepped down to the curb. - -"Jack!" called Rose-Mary. "Come here instanter and get acquainted with -Dorothy." - -Jack looked at the group. His eyes plainly said "only with Dorothy?" - -"Oh, help yourself! Help yourself!" cried Ned, laughing at the confusion -Cologne's speech had caused. "We will be 'among those present' if you -like." - -"Now you know very well what I mean!" and Rose-Mary shot a challenging -look at Ned. "I want you all to be the very best of friends--" - -"Thanks, thanks!" exclaimed Nat, as he and his brother bowed in mock -deference. "We promise, I assure. We'll do our best." - -"Oh, boys are all just alike," stammered Dorothy's host. "A pack of -teases! Come along Dorothy. Mother is waiting to welcome you. Jack, -perhaps you will tell Dorothy's cousins what to do with their machine. I -guess you know how to get acquainted with them without any more -introductions." - -This last was said with a defiant look at Ned, who returned it with just -the suspicion of a smile. In effect his look said: - -"Miss Lavender, you have met a boy who may be like other boys, but he is -particularly himself--Ned White--and he just loves to tease girls--like -you!" - -Rose-Mary was leading Dorothy up the broad steps to the hotel entrance. -She turned to see what the boys were doing. - -"Well I declare!" she exclaimed. "There they've all gone for a ride! I'm -sure they'll have a jolly time. What nice boys your cousins are. Oh, I'm -so glad you could come!" - -The hotel veranda was thronged with persons enjoying the approach of -twilight, for the auto party had not made a hurried trip, having stopped -for lunch on the way. It seemed to Dorothy that the chairs were mostly -filled with stout ladies with blond hair. She had never before seen so -many blonds in one group. - -Rose-Mary led the way into the parlor and escorted Dorothy up to a -smiling, pretty woman, with such beautiful white hair--the kind that goes -with brown eyes and seems to add to their sparkle. - -"Mother, dear, this is Dorothy," said Rose-Mary. "She must be tired after -her long, dusty ride. Shall we go upstairs?" - -"I'm so glad to meet you, my dear," declared Mrs. Markin, warmly. -"Daughter talks so much about you. Yes, Rosie, do take Dorothy upstairs -and let her refresh herself. It must be a very long ride from North -Birchland." - -"But I'm not the least tired," protested the visitor. "So don't go -upstairs, if you were enjoying the air." - -"Air indeed!" echoed Rose-Mary, slipping her arm through Dorothy's. -"Mother, will you come?" - -"No, dear," replied Mrs. Markin. "I'll let you have Dorothy all to -yourself for awhile. I just know how many things you will want to talk -about. Later, after dinner, I'll claim you both. But I'm going to improve -this time to write a few belated letters. The desk is clear so I can do -them down here." - -Rose-Mary left Dorothy while she made a place for her mother at the -little private desk in the ladies' sitting room, then the two girls took -the elevator, in the broad hall, and soon Dorothy found herself in a cozy -room, with a dainty white bed, and pretty flouncings--Rose-Mary's -apartment of course, which she had surrendered to her guest for the -visit, while Cologne would share her mother's room. - -"Now make yourself comfortable," began Rose-Mary, assisting Dorothy to -lay aside her auto wraps. "Perhaps you want to wash. Here are the -things," and she pulled open a little door, disclosing a bathroom. - -"Isn't it charming here," Dorothy said as she at once began to make -herself presentable for dinner. "I have a blue dress in my bag," -indicating one the porter had brought up. - -"Drag it out," commanded her companion. "You must wear blue. I have told -Jack how heavenly you look in blue." - -"And I have whispered to Ned how angelic you look in--lavender," -interrupted Dorothy, not to be outdone in bestowing compliments. "Isn't -Ned a lovely--boy!" - -"Very saucy, I should say," and Cologne laughed mischievously. "But I'll -try to be nice to him on your account." - -"And I hope I'll not say anything to hurt Jack's feelings," spoke -Dorothy, still keeping in with her friend's humor. - -"Couldn't! He hasn't any," declared Rose-Mary. "He drives me frantic when -I really want to make him mad." - -"But you do look lovely in that lavender gown," insisted Dorothy, with -unmistakable admiration. "I believe you have grown prettier--" - -"Comparative degrees, eh?" and she made a queer little face. "Now, Doro -dear, you must say I've grown positively handsome. I will never be -content with the little, insignificant comparative degree in a suite of -rooms like these. Aren't they really scrumptious? You know dad couldn't -come, and he was so anxious that we would be comfortable, that the dear -old darling just wired for good rooms, and that's how we got these. -They're good, aren't they?" - -Dorothy looked out of the broad window, down at the big city stretched -before her view. She could not help thinking of Tavia, although she -thought it best not to speak of her to Rose-Mary--just yet at least. -Cologne was busy hanging up the things she had pulled out of Dorothy's -bag. - -"How long can you stay?" she asked, shaking out Dorothy's light blue -linen frock. - -"Well, it was the queerest thing! Aunt Winnie got it into her head that I -needed some of the girls, and she proposed a little trip for me, just as -your letter came. It seemed providential." - -"Providential? That's what I call dead lucky, girlie. You can't expect a -real proper providence to get mixed up in all our little scrapes. And, to -be honest, I'm just dying for a real genuine scrape. The kind Tavia used -to 'hand out' to us at Glenwood." - -Dorothy smiled but did not reply. Somehow the idea of Tavia still being -kept busy "handing out scrapes" struck her as somewhat significant. - -Presently the boys returned, which fact was made known by a shrill -whistle over the private telephone in the apartment, and Jack's voice -following with a command for "Rosie" to come down. - -The girls found the three boys and Mrs. Markin waiting for them, Ned and -Nat having declined Jack's invitation to take dinner with him at the -hotel. They said they had to be off to meet the youths with whom they had -arranged to stop while in Buffalo. - -Dorothy wanted so much to ask Nat to take her to look for Tavia. She felt -she would not sleep until she found the house of Tavia's friend, Grace -Barnum, but she was too uncertain of Tavia's whereabouts to say openly -that she wanted to go to the address that Nat had brought her from Mrs. -Travers. - -The Fire Bird had been left in quarters provided by the boys of the "Get -There" club, members of which were to be Ned's and Nat's guests, and the -two Birchland youths were thus free to walk about the big city that -evening. Perhaps Dorothy might also go for a walk, with Rose-Mary and -Jack. - -But, Dorothy, as she reflected on this possibility, realized that it -would not afford her an opportunity of getting to Grace Barnum's. It -would not do for the entire party to go there, Dorothy felt, as she could -never allow any one to suspect her anxiety concerning Tavia. Only Nat was -in the secret so far, and even he was not made fully aware of all it -involved and of its depth--he did not know why Dorothy was so anxious--or -that she had any other than a foolish schoolgirl whim urging her on. - -So, in spite of all the surroundings and excitement, incident to life in -a big hotel with its many strange phases, Dorothy kept turning the -question over and over in her mind. How should she go about her search -for Tavia? Just as she expected the party planned to go out that first -evening of her visit to "look over the town." All were going except Mrs. -Markin, and she consented to let the young folks enjoy themselves without -her chaperonage, on account of the circumstances and the number who were -going. - -Ned and Nat both essayed to look after Rose-Mary, and this added to the -merry-making, since, when one lad would attempt some courtesy the other -would immediately undertake to outdo him. Dorothy found Jack Markin -splendid company, and this, she told herself, could not be otherwise, -since he was brother to Cologne. - -At a pretty palm-festooned ice-cream parlor they met a friend of the -Markin family, Alma Mason, who was also a visitor in Buffalo. She was -bright and interesting, chatting pleasantly on many subjects, until, to -Dorothy's surprise, she asked abruptly: - -"Do you happen to know a Grace Barnum?" - -"No," Dorothy answered, as she felt her face burning with excitement. "I -do not know her personally, but she is a friend of a chum of mine." - -"The pretty girl, with the golden-brown hair? Oh, I have met her," Alma -went on, taking Dorothy's look to signify the correctness of the guess -that the "pretty girl with the brown hair" was Dorothy's friend. "Isn't -she splendid? Grace was just wild over her--she was so jolly and funny." - -That Miss Mason used the past tense Dorothy instantly noticed. Nat was -also listening with interest, and he observed the same thing. - -"Is she not with Miss Barnum now?" Dorothy found courage to inquire -finally. - -"No, I think not. I think Grace said she had gone to Rochester. She has, -I believe, a friend in that city." - -Dorothy was startled at the news that Tavia had left Buffalo. Her heart -sank, but she tried to conceal her feelings. Tavia in Rochester! The girl -in Rochester was she who had once written Tavia concerning the stage and -its attractions. And Tavia possibly was with her, after she had promised -to have no further correspondence with that press agent! - -The remainder of the evening was like a blank page to Dorothy. She heard -and saw what was going on around her, but her heart and her attention was -not with the merry little party from the hotel. Jack Markin would have -accused her of being dull had he not determined to meet more than half -way his sister's estimate of Dorothy Dale. Then too, he reasoned as an -excuse for her obvious low spirits, she must be tired after the long, -dusty auto run. - -The evening passed quickly (to all but Dorothy) amid a variety of -entertainments, and when the boys from North Birchland said good-night in -the hotel office and Rose-Mary had taken Dorothy to her room, it was -quite late. - -It was a relief, however, Dorothy had to admit to herself at least, and -in her heart she was grateful to Mrs. Markin when that lady cautioned the -two girls against further talking, and urged Dorothy to go to bed. For -Dorothy wanted to be alone and think. She wanted to plan. How should she -proceed now? If Tavia was not with Grace Barnum-- - -But of this she must first make certain, and to do so she would ask Nat -to take her to Miss Barnum's house the first thing next morning. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - AT THE PLAY - - -But little light was thrown on the disappearance of Tavia through any -information Dorothy could obtain from Grace Barnum. In fact that young -lady was quite as puzzled as was Dorothy, and when told that Tavia was -not to be found at home a few days previous (this being within the time -when Tavia had left Buffalo ostensibly for her residence in Dalton), Miss -Barnum wanted to communicate immediately with the missing girl's parents. - -Nat, with kind consideration, had declined to step inside when Dorothy -called at the Barnum home. He thought he might better give the two young -ladies a chance to discuss the situation alone, and so, under pretense of -strolling through the little park opposite the house, left Grace and -Dorothy together. - -It took the girls but a moment to arrive at the same point of interest. -Grace showed keenest anxiety when Dorothy inquired for Tavia, for she had -fears of her own--since her friend's visit. - -"I must write at once," she insisted. "What would Mrs. Travers think of -me if anything happened to Tavia?" - -"But I have already begun a letter," stated Dorothy, truthfully enough, -"so perhaps I had better make the inquiry. You know how excitable Mrs. -Travers is. Perhaps I could write without causing her any alarm, whereas -she would surely expect you to know whether or not Tavia was home. I -haven't the slightest doubt but that she is home--now," Dorothy hastened -to add. "I am expecting her at North Birchland any day." - -This had the effect of putting Grace at her ease. Of course, she -reflected, Tavia might even be at the Cedars now, as her mother had given -her permission to go about almost as she wished, and she had expected to -pay a number of visits to friends, no special time being set for them. -This Grace knew for she had seen a letter to that effect from Mrs. -Travers to Tavia. - -"You see," said Dorothy, rising to go, "they have always given Tavia so -much her own way. She has been--well, sort of superior to the others at -home. That, I think, is a real mistake, for a girl is expected to know -more of the world and its ways than is consistent with her actual -experience." - -"Exactly," admitted Grace. "That is what I thought once when Tavia acted -so--well so self-reliant. I do hope she is safe at home. You will let me -know, won't you Dorothy? I may call you that, mayn't I? I feel as if I -had known you for a long time, as Tavia has talked so much about you." - -So the two girls parted, and Dorothy's heart seemed to grow heavier at -each new turn in her quest for the missing one. - -"Why should Tavia act so?" she asked herself over and over again, as she -walked along with Nat who tried to cheer her up. - -"If you don't stop worrying, Doro," he counseled as he noted the look of -anxiety on her face, "you'll be a sick girl 'way out here in Buffalo." - -"I'm going to be excused from the party to-night," she answered. "I -really have a headache, and I must have time to write some letters." - -"Great headache cure--letter writing. But I suppose you'll not rest until -you sift this matter to the very bottom. And, to be honest, Doro, I can't -say I blame you. I'd give a whole lot, right now, to know where the wily -Tavia tarries." - -As discreetly as she could, Dorothy wrote the letter to Mrs. Travers to -ask the mooted question. She did not say she had been to Grace Barnum's, -but simply inquired for Tavia's address. On an early mail the next day (a -remarkable thing for Mrs. Travers to answer a letter so promptly) came -the reply that Tavia was at the Barnums! There was some other news of -Dalton in the epistle, but that concerning Tavia, which her mother had -apparently set down as a matter of fact, stood out prominently from all -the rest. - -In spite of her fears, when the letter presented the actual fact that -Tavia was not at home, and, as Dorothy knew she was not at Grace's, it -came like a shock to the girl already in a highly nervous state because -of what she had gone through. Hoping against hope she had clung to the -slim possibility that some explanation might come from Dalton, but now -even this was shattered. - -One thing Dorothy quickly decided upon. She must have another talk with -Alma Mason, and she must be careful not to excite suspicion as to the -real purpose of the conversation. - -Realizing at once that she must now move cautiously in the matter, for -the slightest intimation that Tavia was away from home and friends, -without either the latter or relatives having a clue to her whereabouts, -would be sure to ruin Tavia's reputation, Dorothy now determined that -even Nat should not know of her plans for continuing the search. - -How hopeless Dorothy felt all alone in such a work! But find Tavia she -must, and to find her very soon she felt was imperative, for, even in -Buffalo, with her friends, Dorothy could see the dangers of a large city -to an unprotected and unsuspecting young girl. - -But the boys were going back to North Birchland the next day! How could -Dorothy act in time to get to Rochester? For to Rochester she felt that -she now must go. Everything pointed to the fact that Tavia was either -there, or that there a clue to her whereabouts could be obtained. - -On taking her morning walk alone, for Rose-Mary was a little indisposed, -after the party of the evening previous, Dorothy met Miss Mason. It was -not difficult to renew the conversation concerning Tavia. Bit by bit Alma -told of Tavia's infatuation for the stage, until Dorothy became more than -ever convinced that it was in theatrical surroundings that the missing -girl would be found. - -Mrs. Markin had planned a little theatre party for Rose-Mary and some of -her Buffalo friends that afternoon. The play was one especially -interesting to young girls--a drama built on lines, showing how one -ambitious girl succeeded in the world with nothing but a kind heart and a -worthy purpose to start with. It abounded in scenes of rural home life, -wholesome and picturesque, and one of the features, most conspicuous in -the advertising on the billboards was that of the character Katherine, -the heroine, holding a neighborhood meeting in a cornfield, among the -laborers during the noon hour. The girl appeared in the posters perched -upon a water barrel and from that pulpit in the open she, as the daughter -of a blind chair caner, won hearts to happiness with the gospel of -brotherly love--the new religion of the poor and the oppressed. - -While Rose-Mary and Alma enthused over the prospect of a particularly -pleasant afternoon, Dorothy seemed nervous, and it was with some -misgivings that she finally agreed to attend the party that was really -arranged for her special entertainment. The boys, Ned, Nat and Jack were -going, of course, and to make the affair complete Rose-Mary had also -invited Grace Barnum. - -Grace was a particularly bright girl, the sort that cares more for books -than pretty clothes, and who had the temerity to wear her hair parted -directly in the middle in the very wildest of pompadour days. Not that -Grace lacked beauty, for she was of the classic type that seems to defy -nationality to such an extent, that it might be a matter of most -uncertain guess to say to what country her ancestors had belonged. - -This "neutrality" was a source of constant delight to Grace, for each new -friend would undertake to assign her to a different country, and so she -felt quite like the "real thing in Cosmopolitan types" as she expressed -it. The fact, however, might have been accounted for by the incident of -Grace having been born under missionary skies in China. Her mother was an -American blond, her father a dark foreigner of French and Spanish -ancestry and, with all this there was in the Barnum family a distinct -strain, of Puritan stock, from which the name Barnum came. Grace, being -distinctly different from other girls, no doubt attracted Tavia to her, -and now, when received among Tavia's friends she was welcomed with marked -attention that at once established a bond of friendship between her and -the other girls. - -The boys, naturally, were not slow to "discover her" so that, altogether, -the little matinee party, when it had reached the theatre, was a very -merry throng of young people. Mrs. Markin acted as chaperone and, five -minutes before the time set for the play to begin Dorothy and her friends -sat staring at the green fire-proof curtain from a roomy box. Dorothy was -like one in a dream. - -All about her the others were eagerly waiting, looking the while at the -programmes, but Dorothy sat there with the pink leaflet lying unheeded in -her lap. - -"How much that picture of Katherine resembles Tavia," was the thought -that disturbed her. "The same hair--the same eyes--what if it should be -she?" - -The curtain was swaying to and fro as those behind it brushed past in -their preparations for the presentation of "Katherine, the Chair Caner's -Daughter." - -Dorothy's heart beat wildly when she fancied Tavia amid such -scenes--Tavia the open-hearted girl, the little Dalton "wild flower" as -Dorothy liked to call her. Surely no stage heroine could be more heroic -than she had always been in her role of shedding happiness on all who -came within her sphere of life. - -Suddenly Rose-Mary turned to Nat and remarked: - -"How Tavia would enjoy this." She looked around on the gay scene as the -theatre was filling up. "What a pity we could not bring her with us for -the good time." - -Dorothy felt her face flush as Nat made some irrelevant reply. Jack -turned directly to Dorothy and, noting her inattention to the programme -opened his to point out some of the items of interest. - -But still Dorothy stared nervously at the big asbestos curtain and made -feeble efforts to answer her companion's questions. Even Mrs. Markin -observed Dorothy's rather queer manner, and she, too, showed concern that -her daughter's guest should be ill at ease. - -"Aren't you well, dear?" she asked quietly. - -Dorothy fumbled with a lace flounce on her sleeve. - -"Yes," she answered, "but there is so much to see and think about." She -felt as if she were apologizing. "I am not accustomed to city theatres," -she added. - -Then the orchestra broke into the opening number, and presently a flash -of light across the curtain told that the players were ready to begin. - -The introductory scenes were rather of an amateur order--a poor country -home--the blind chair caner at work, and his more or less amusing -customers. One flashily-dressed woman wanted him to put a rush bottom in -a chair that had belonged to her grandmother, but absolutely refused to -pay even the very low price the caner asked for the work. She wanted it -as cheaply as though rush bottoms could be made by machinery. He was poor -and needed work but he could not accept her terms. - -The woman in a red silk gown, with a bewildering shower of veils floating -about her, did not gain any applause for her part in the play. Dorothy -noted that even on the stage undesirable persons do not please, and that -the assumed character is taken into account as well as their acting. - -It was when the blind man sat alone at his door step, with his sightless -eyes raised pitifully to the inviting sunset, that the pretty Katherine -came skipping into view across the footlights. - -Instinctively Nat reached out and, without being observed grasped -Dorothy's hand. "How like Tavia!" he mused, while Dorothy actually seemed -to stop breathing. From that moment to the very end of the play Nat and -Dorothy shared the same thought--it might be Tavia. The others had each -remarked the resemblance, but, being more interested in the drama than in -the whereabouts of Dorothy's chum (whom they had no occasion to worry -about for they did not know the circumstances,) they merely dwelt on it -as a passing thought--they were interested in what happened to the chair -caner's daughter. - -At last every member of the company found some excuse to get on the -stage, and then the end was reached, and the curtain went down while the -throng hurried out, seemingly indifferent to the desire of the actors to -show themselves again as the curtain shot up for a final display of the -last scene. - -The Markin party was to go to a restaurant for ice-cream, and so hurried -from the box. Dorothy drifted along with them for a few moments, and then -again that one thought came to her, overwhelming her. - -"What if that should really be Tavia?" - -She had but a moment to act, then, when the crowd pressed closer and -there was difficulty in walking because of the blockade, Dorothy slipped -back, stepped out of her place, and was at once swallowed up in a sea of -persons. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - BEHIND THE SCENES - - -For a moment Dorothy felt as if she must make her way back after her -friends--it was so terrifying to find herself in such a press--but a -glance at the wavering canvas that now hid from the public the company of -players and helpers, inspired her with new courage. She would go behind -the scenes and see if that girl was Tavia! - -In a short time the theatre was emptied, save for the ushers and the boys -who dashed in and out among the rows of seats, picking up the scattered -programmes, and making the place ready for the evening performance. One -of the ushers, seeing Dorothy, walked over to her. - -"Waiting for anybody?" he asked mechanically, without glancing up at her, -but indicating that he was ready to turn up the seat before which she was -standing. - -"Yes," replied Dorothy. - -"In the company?" he inquired next. - -"Yes. The young lady who played Katherine." - -"This way," the young man exclaimed snappily, but in no unpleasant tone. -He led the way along the row of seats, down an isle and through a very -narrow door that seemed to be made of black oil cloth. - -Dorothy had no time to think of what was going to happen. It had all come -about so quickly--she hardly knew how to proceed now--what name to ask -for--or whether or not to give her own in case it was demanded. She -wondered what the actress would think of her if Katherine did not turn -out to be Tavia. - -"You mean Miss Riceman," the usher went on as he closed the narrow door. -"This way, please," and, the next moment, Dorothy found herself behind -the scenes in a big city theatre. - -The place was a maze of doors and passageways. Wires and ropes were in a -seeming tangle overhead and all about were big wooden frames covered with -painted canvas--scenes and flies that slid in and out at the two sides of -a stage, and make up a very important part of a theatrical company's -outfit. - -These immense canvases seemed to be all over, and every time Dorothy -tried to walk toward a door indicated by her guide, who had suddenly -disappeared, she found she was in front of or behind some depiction of a -building, or the side of a house or a street. Mechanics were busy all -about her. - -Suddenly a girl thrust her head from one of the many doors and shouted to -an unseen person: - -"Nellie! Nellie, dear! I'm ready for that ice-cream soda. Get into your -street togs quick or you'll be having soup instead--" - -"Nellie! Nellie!" came in a chorus from all sides, though the owners of -the voices remained hidden, and then there rang out through the big space -a spontaneous burst of a line from the chorus of the old song: - - "I was seeing Nellie home. I was seeing Nellie home. - It was from Aunt Dinah's quilting party, I was seeing Nellie home." - -"Ha! Ha! How's that, Nellie?" inquired a deep bass voice. - -Dorothy stood for a moment, not knowing what to do. This was better than -the play, she thought, as she vaguely wondered what sort of life must be -led behind the scenes. Then the thought of her position sent a chill over -her. She must seek out the performer who went by the name of Miss -Riceman, and then-- - -By this time a number of the characters appeared from their dressing -rooms, and Dorothy stepped up to a girl with an enormous hat on her head, -and a pair of very small shoes in her hand. As the girl sank gracefully -down on an upturned box to adjust her ties, and, incidentally, to get a -breath of air after the atmosphere of the stuffy dressing room, Dorothy -asked timidly: - -"Can you tell me where Miss Riceman's dressing room is?" - -"That first door to the left," answered the girl, tilting her big hat -back far enough to allow a glimpse of her questioner. - -Dorothy stepped up to the door. Surely Tavia could not be there! -Dorothy's heart beat furiously. She was trembling so she could hardly -knock, but managed to give a faint tap. - -"Who?" called a girlish voice. - -"Miss Dale," answered Dorothy mechanically, feeling as if she would -almost be willing to give up her search for Tavia if she could be well -out of the place. There was a moment's wait and then the door swung open. - -"Come in," invited the girl from within the little room. "Oh, you're -Miss--let me see--I'm afraid I've forgotten your name--you're from the -_Leader_, aren't you?" - -"No," replied Dorothy, breathing easier, now that she found herself alone -with a girl--a simple human being just like any other girl. "I am looking -for--for a friend," she went on, stammeringly, "and I thought perhaps you -could tell me--" - -"You poor child," interrupted Miss Riceman whose toilet was so -unceremoniously interrupted "just come in and sit down on this trunk. -Then let me get you something. You actually look ill." - -"I'm just--just a little fri--frightened," Dorothy gasped, for indeed she -was now feeling queer and dizzy, and it was all getting black before her -eyes. - -"Nettie!" called the actress, "get me some cold water and call to the -girls in the 'Lair' and see if they have made coffee. Hurry now," to the -woman who helped the actresses dress. Then she offered Dorothy a bottle -of smelling salts. "Take a whiff of that," she said kindly. "The woman -will be back soon with some ice water. I'm sorry you're not well. Was it -the smell from the gas lights? I don't see why they make us poor -actresses put up with them, when they have electric light in front. It's -abominable! And the smoke from the powder they use to make the lightning! -It fairly chokes me," and she blew aside a curling wreath of vapor that -sifted in through the door. A moment later the woman handed in a pitcher -of water and a glass. "No coffee?" in answer to some message. "Well, all -right." - -The actress flew over to a box that served as a dresser and poured out a -glass of water for Dorothy. As she did so Dorothy had a chance to look at -Katherine, whom she imagined might be Tavia. There was not the slightest -resemblance now that the actress had her "make-up" off. How could a -little paint, powder and the glare from the footlights perform such a -miracle, thought Dorothy. This girl was as different from Tavia as -Dorothy was herself. And yet she did look so like her-- - -"Here's a nice drink of water," spoke Miss Riceman. - -"Now please don't let me bother you so," pleaded Dorothy, sitting up -determinedly and trying to look as if nothing was the matter. But she -sipped the water gladly. "I'm quite well now, thank you, Miss Riceman, -and I'll not detain you a moment longer from your dressing." - -"Nonsense, child, sit still. You won't bother me the least bit. I'll go -right on. Now tell me who it is you're looking for?" - -Dorothy watched the actress toss aside a mass of brown hair that was so -like Tavia's. Then she saw a string pulled and--the wig came off. The -real, naturally blond hair of Miss Riceman fell in a shower over her -shoulders. - -Turning to Dorothy the performer instantly realized that the scene was -new to her visitor and, with that strange, subtle instinct which seems to -characterize the artistic professional woman, she at once relieved the -situation by remarking: - -"Do you know we never feel like removing our 'make-up' before the -reporters. Even women representatives of the press (and of course we -never admit any others to our dressing rooms) have such a funny way of -describing things that I should be mortally afraid of taking off my wig -before one. I thought you were Miss--Oh, what's her name--I never can -think of it--from the _Leader_. I expected her to call. But, do you know -that women reporters are just the dearest set of rascals in the world? -They simply can't help being funny when it's a joke on you. Now, whom did -you say you were looking for? I do rattle on so!" - -All this, of course, was giving Dorothy time--and she needed it badly, -for her story was by no means ready for a "dress rehearsal." - -But there was something so self-assuring about the actress--she was not -in the least coarse or loud-spoken--she was, on the contrary, the very -embodiment of politeness. Dorothy felt she could talk freely with her -about Tavia. - -"I am looking for a young girl named Octavia Travers," began Dorothy -bravely, "and I thought possibly she might be with this company." - -"Was she with this company previously? I don't seem to recall the name." - -"Oh, I don't know that she is with any company," Dorothy hastened to add, -feeling how foolish it must seem to be looking for a girl in a theatrical -troupe when one had no more assurance that she might be with such a -company than that she might be working in a department store. - -"Haven't you her address?" asked Miss Riceman, as she stood before the -glass, daubing on some cold cream to remove the last of the "make-up" -from her face. - -"No," answered Dorothy miserably enough. "I only wish I had." - -The actress with the cream jar turned around in time to see the tears -coming into Dorothy's eyes. Miss Riceman dropped the jar down on her -improvised dresser and came over to where her visitor sat on the trunk. - -"Tell me all about it," she said kindly, sitting down beside Dorothy. -"Perhaps I can help you. She is not your sister, is she?" - -"No," was the answer, and then began a confidence of which Dorothy had -scarcely believed herself capable. She told how Tavia was as much to her -as a sister could be, and how she feared her chum had taken to the stage -on account of her peculiarities while at school. Then Dorothy described -Tavia's appearance--how pretty she was--what beautiful hair she had. - -"And her eyes," Dorothy almost cried, "I have never seen eyes like -Tavia's. They are as soft a brown as the inside of a chestnut burr." - -"Exactly!" chimed in Miss Riceman. "I would not be surprised but that I -saw that very girl the other day. It was in the manager's office. She -came alone and she looked--well--I knew at once that she was a total -stranger to the business. And when the manager asked how old she was (for -they have to be particular about age you know) I think she said -seventeen, but I knew she was not quite as old as that." - -Dorothy clasped her hands in a strained gesture. How she wanted to find -Tavia, yet how she feared to discover her in this way! - -"That might be her," she faltered thoughtfully. - -"If it was, she is with a company playing on the same circuit we do," -went on Miss Riceman. "Let me see," and she consulted a slip of paper -pinned to the wall. "Yes, they follow us in some towns. It was the 'Lady -Rossmore's Secret' company that the girl I am speaking about applied to, -and I'm sure she was engaged, for I was interested in her appearance, and -later I asked some one about her. Now the thing for you to do is to come -to the manager's office here to-morrow afternoon, between five and six. -He has control of several companies, including the one I'm with and the -L. R. S. as we call it for short, the 'Lady Rossmore's Secret' I mean. -Just ask him for your friend's address--or, better still, just ask where -the company is playing and she'll be sure to be with it. He might not pay -much attention to you if he thought you were looking for some one in -particular and hadn't any clue to her whereabouts." - -"I'll do it," said Dorothy determinedly, as she arose to go. - -"Now don't leave here until you are positive you feel all right," -cautioned Miss Riceman. "I'm sure I'm very glad to have met you and I -hope I have been able to help you. I'm sorry I can't tell you where the -Rossmore company is, but I haven't made a memoranda of the complete -booking as I sometimes do. I thought I had it on a slip of paper but I -find I haven't." - -"Oh, I'm sure you've helped me a lot," exclaimed Dorothy, hardly able to -put her gratitude into words, but the busy little actress looked entirely -satisfied with her visitor's thanks as she showed Dorothy the way out of -the stage door. She smiled cheerily at her as she waved her hand in -good-bye and then she went back behind the scenes again, to her dressing -room to resume the removal of the "make-up" from her face. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - THE CLUE - - -Outside the door Dorothy again felt that girlish inclination to collapse. -What excuse could she make to her friends for her delay? How would she -get back to them? Perhaps they were looking all over the city for her and -they might have even notified the police of her absence. - -All the novelty of the theatre that had, for the past half hour, put a -world between Dorothy and those outside of the stage dressing rooms, was -now dispelled. What would she say or do when she met Rose-Mary? How could -she now conceal her worry and anxiety? How was she to continue her search -for Tavia? - -The stage door opened into a dismal, narrow alley. Here Dorothy found -herself in the midst of a scurrying crowd of working people, for several -large factories had just shut down. The girl stood for a moment and -looked helplessly about her. Presently she felt an arm on her shoulder -and started in alarm. - -"Dorothy!" exclaimed a voice, and she turned to see Nat standing beside -her. - -"Oh, Nat! I'm so glad!" - -"So am I. Just step along this way. I knew you hadn't come out the front -way so I came here." - -Dorothy pressed her shoulder against her cousin in a helpless, imploring -sort of way. He seemed to know what the action meant for instantly he had -ready to recite, a most plausible explanation of her disappearance. - -"You got left behind and were frightened," he asked and answered in same -breath. "I knew it--I told 'em all so. Then some of the ushers took you -back and let you out of the stage door. Silly, to get alarmed over a -little thing like that. But I couldn't talk to Mrs. Markin--she was -almost in hysterics. We'd better hurry back to relieve her suspense." - -"I should not have delayed talking, but really I was so--so frightened," -ventured Dorothy. - -"Cert you were. Well, you just let me tell the story. It will save lots -of trouble, but of course the girls will have to know all about the -people you met--behind the scenes." - -Was ever there such a blessed boy as Nat? Here he had nicely explained -all Dorothy's troubles and in the simplest manner possible. How splendid -boy cousins are, thought Dorothy. They have such a power of sympathy for -girls--better than brothers--if girls would only allow them to exercise -it--in a cousinly way. - -Or did Nat know of Dorothy's deliberate visit to the little actress who -had played Katherine? Perhaps some one had told him his cousin was in the -dressing room and he had just waited for her to appear at the stage door. -Dorothy was sure Nat would save her from making any troublesome -explanations, and when he asked her, in the most matter-of-fact way if -she happened to meet the girl with the brown hair who looked so much like -Tavia, she had no hesitation in telling him that she was Miss Riceman, -and that she was a most charming young lady. - -"She doesn't look a bit like Tavia--close by," added Dorothy, remembering -the scene in the dressing room. "She is as refined and polite as -possible. She showed me the way out." - -After telling that much of her adventure to Nat, Dorothy was well -prepared to repeat the story to the others, without fear of disclosing -the real object of her visit behind the scenes. - -When Mrs. Markin was finally assured of Dorothy's safety, and had -actually listened with interest to her recital of the trip into -stageland, and her encounters there, the matter was regarded as an -incident fraught with untold curious bits of "real live adventure." Girls -do delight in investigating and exploring the unusual quite as much as -boys do, although the latter are prone to attribute that faculty to -themselves as something patented. - -So it happens that when a girl does actually have an experience she and -her companions know how to appreciate the novelty. That was how it turned -out with Dorothy and her friends. Rose-Mary and Alma couldn't hear enough -of "behind the scenes" and Alma ventured to ask Dorothy to take them in -through the stage door to make a second call on Miss Riceman, when she -might introduce her friends to a real actress. - -But Dorothy tried to appease their curiosity as best she could, telling -over and over again how she got lost in the crowd, how the usher accosted -her, and led her to the stage, and then how she got confused in her -effort to find the "right door" (which was all true enough) and how it -was then that Miss Riceman came out and invited Dorothy in. Then she -related how she became faint and told of the water being brought, and so -on, until the very closing of the stage door after her when she found -herself in the alley with Nat at her side. - -But now Dorothy was about to enter upon a delicate and what might prove -to be a difficult adventure. She had to go to the manager's office the -next afternoon, but beyond that point, she dared not trust herself to -think or plan. When night came, and all seemed to be asleep Dorothy, in -her room in the big hotel, had a chance to look the situation squarely in -the face. - -"One thought I must keep before me," she told herself. "I am bound to -find Tavia and save her. To do this I will have to take great risks, and -perhaps be very much misunderstood, but I must do it. Her risk is even -greater than mine and if I appear to deceive people--even dear, good, -thoughtful Nat,--I must do so to continue my search." - -Then the girl, with aching head, planned how she could get away to see -the theatrical manager the next day. She would not pretend to have any -plans made for going out, and then, just before the hour Miss Riceman had -told her the manager's office would be open, she would announce that she -wanted to get some souvenirs of Buffalo to take home with her. This, she -decided, would give her an opportunity to hurry away alone. - -But, oh, how she dreaded to face that manager! If it were only a woman -who was in charge of the office, but a man! And she had heard vague -stories of how dreadfully rude some managers were to persons who bothered -them. There were so many questions she would have to ask--enough to put -any manager into bad humor she thought--and perhaps there would be young -girls there like Tavia looking for engagements--they would overhear what -she had to say. Oh, it was dreadful, the more she thought of it! - -Dorothy buried her head deeper into the pillow and tried to sleep. She -felt that she must get some rest or she would not be able to carry on the -work that demanded so much of her strength, her brains and her courage. -She needed them all now to follow up the clue of Tavia's whereabouts -given by Miss Riceman. - -It was almost morning when Dorothy fell into an unquiet sleep, and it was -glaring daylight, with the sun streaming into her window, when she awoke. -Rose-Mary was moving about the room on tip-toe after some things, feeling -the necessity of allowing Dorothy all possible rest, as she had appeared -so exhausted after her experience of the previous day. - -"I'm so sorry you are going away to-morrow," spoke Rose-Mary, seeing that -Dorothy was awake. "This is the last day we will have together for some -time. I have enjoyed your visit so much." - -"I'm afraid I've been rather stupid," apologized Dorothy, feeling as if -she must make some excuse for her seeming indifference to Rose-Mary's -entertainment. "But, Cologne dear, I can never tell you how grateful I am -for this chance to see Buffalo. It seems as if I had really entered a new -world since I came into this big city." - -"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed everything, dear," said Rose-Mary. "But you -must rest to-day and not go sight-seeing any more. You will need to be -fresh for your auto trip to-morrow morning." - -"Oh, yes, I'll rest to-day," replied Dorothy, as she slipped into her -dressing-gown and approached the dresser. There she found a dainty array -of remembrances Cologne had selected for her to take home. This was a -surprise and it told Dorothy more plainly than words could, that -Rose-Mary loved her, and so loved to make her happy. - -There were some exquisite bits of undecorated china for Dorothy to add to -her collection of hand-painted pieces, there was a "darling" little -traveling mirror from Mrs. Markin, and Jack, who would not be left out in -spite of his sister's protestations that a strange young man could not -give a young lady a present even if it was a sort of souvenir of Buffalo, -had made Rose-Mary place on the table with the other tokens a cute little -pocket camera. He secretly hoped his sister would just hint to Dorothy -that he had selected it. - -Such an array quite overpowered Dorothy and she threw her arms about -Rose-Mary's neck and cried as if her heart would break. - -She calmed down after a while, but even when she and Rose-Mary were -dressed the two had little spells of weeping at the thought of parting. -Jack peeped in at the door, but when he saw his sister and Dorothy in an -embrace, with tears in their eyes, he hurried away, muttering something -about "fool girls crying when they're happy," and he "guessed he wouldn't -hang around to spoil their fun, if that was what they called a merry -time." - -So the two girls were left to themselves to exchange confidences and talk -over their fall meeting at Glenwood when school should begin again. - -Time managed to slip around quickly that day, and, when afternoon came, -Dorothy began to get nervous about her prospective visit to the manager's -office. It would surely seem rude to leave Rose-Mary alone, but nothing -must deter her from carrying out her plan--no, not even the displeasure -of her friends, and this was no small matter to Dorothy when she faced -it--she who made such firm friendships when she did make them, and who -was always an example of good breeding and politeness. - -When her valise had been packed, so that the entire evening might be left -for pleasure, and Nat and Ned had appeared from their quarters to make -final arrangements about coming for Dorothy directly after breakfast, she -glanced at her watch and found it lacked just half an hour of five -o'clock! The boys were engaged in an argument with Rose-Mary, as to the -relative beauty of Boston and New York, Ned holding that a Battery and a -Bowery made New York the winner. - -Suddenly Dorothy jumped up from the porch chair where she had been -sitting. - -"I believe I'll just run down town to get some more souvenir postal -cards," she said bravely, as she started to leave the veranda. She had -her purse in her hand, and there was no need to wear a hat. - -"Why?" asked Cologne in natural surprise. "I thought you had plenty." - -Nat saw the flush of color that came into Dorothy's cheeks. - -"And I'm with you!" he declared, getting up from his place and assisting -his cousin down the steps. "So long," he called back. "Do the best you -can, Ned. I'll be back directly. Just want to make sure that Doro doesn't -fall by the wayside again," and at that the two cousins bolted off -laughing, Dorothy having recovered her composure when she saw how quickly -Nat came to her relief. Ned and Rose-Mary were taken so by surprise at -the sudden move that they seemed dazed, and the look on their faces at -the bolt of the two only made the departing ones more merry. - -"Nat," said Dorothy as they turned the corner, "I really wanted to go to -some place--" - -"Go ahead then," he answered, "only, Doro, you know Ned and I are -responsible for you and you had best tell me about it. You know I won't -interfere--only to be sure it's all right." - -"Nat, you are such a good cousin," began Dorothy. - -"Good?" echoed Nat. "Why, you don't say so? Make a note of that and tell -the others--they would never believe me. There, did you see that streak -of sunshine stick to my brow? It was a halo, sure thing. But, I say, what -are you going to do, anyhow?" - -"To look for Tavia," replied Dorothy miserably. - -"Thought so. But where is the looking to be done this time?" - -"I thought I would inquire at the office of the theatre. They might -happen to know something." - -"All right, come along. I'll wait outside. Theatre people, especially -managers and those in the office, are usually very busy and won't keep -you long." - -This was said with all possible kindness, but, somehow, it gave Dorothy a -cold chill. She was so afraid of facing the manager. Oh, if she only -could let Nat go in with her! But that would not be fair to Tavia, whose -secret, if she ever discovered it, she determined to keep inviolate. She -must do it alone, and do it secretly to save Tavia from the possible -consequences of her folly, should it turn out that she really was with a -company "on the road." - -One more block and Nat and Dorothy were in front of the theatre where -they had attended the play the day before. They stood before the great -open lobby, empty now save for a few workmen who were busy with mops -scrubbing the tiled marble floor. Nat took Dorothy's arm. - -"There's the office of the manager, right over there," he said, -indicating a small door that bore no mark to distinguish it from many -others that opened from the foyer. "I'll wait here for you. Now, don't be -afraid to push yourself up front if there's a crowd waiting for him. We -haven't any too much time." - -With all the courage that Dorothy could summon to her aid she walked up -to the little door, opened it and stepped inside a little ante-room. She -was in the manager's office, and the presence of several other persons, -who turned to stare at her did not serve to put her at her ease. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - DOROTHY AND THE MANAGER - - -Dorothy sank into a chair near the door. Two or three important-looking -women were moving about restlessly, awaiting their turn to pass beyond -the portal guarded by a stout youth, and face the manager in his private -rooms. Others, younger and more timid, sat quite still in their chairs, -as did Dorothy, and the girl could imagine that they were silently -praying for success in the prospective interview with one who might -decide their fate. Dorothy seemed beyond thinking consistently about her -own circumstances; she just sat there and waited. The youth at the door -of the private office looked at her sharply. Doubtless he was wondering -whether she had an appointment, or whether she was one to be allowed to -enter out of her turn because of some "pull." - -It seemed to Dorothy that the very place rang with an appeal for place, -for position--for opportunity, although not a word was spoken. But the -look on the faces of those waiting spoke louder than words. - -Finally a girl in a red hat went in and came out so quickly that the -others looked at her curiously. She murmured something that showed she -had been treated with scant ceremony. Then a very stout woman, wearing an -enormous veil brushed past Dorothy. She was not escorted in by the boy, -but dashed past him as the girl in red came out. Then, when the woman -with the excess of avoirdupois came out, the boy stepped up to Dorothy. - -"Your turn," he said kindly. Then it occurred to Dorothy that every one -so far had been kind to her. Were these people, that others had spoken of -so slightingly, not all respectful and polite to any one who seemed to -merit such consideration? She felt that they were not half as black as -they had been painted. - -The next moment the anxious girl was in the private office of the -manager. It was a small room, but not gloomy in spite of the fact that it -was in the midst of a darkened theatre. A fine rug was on the floor and -there were a few well-chosen pictures on the walls, the electric lights -showing them off to advantage. - -While the manager, who sat in a big revolving chair, looked over some -papers on his desk before turning to Dorothy, she had an opportunity to -see that there hung before him what were evidently family photographs. -One was of a little girl and another of a youth. Surely, she thought, a -man who had time to look at his children's pictures during business hours -could not be so very harsh because his time was taken up by a girl. - -"Well?" asked the manager suddenly as he wheeled around in his chair, -wiping his glasses carefully but not seeming to look at Dorothy. - -She caught her breath with a gasp. The moment had come. Her heart was -beating painfully. - -"I--I came to--to ask if you--if you have on your books the name of a -young lady--Miss Octavia Travers?" she managed to stammer out. "A young -lady with the 'Lady Rossmore's Secret' company, I believe." - -"Travers," repeated the manager thoughtfully, "Travers? Seems to me I -have. Is she your sister?" - -"Not exactly, but I have always regarded her as such--we have been very -close friends all our lives." - -"Not a very long time at that," remarked the manager with a smile. "But -what is it you want to know about her?" - -"To get her address." - -"Let me see, I'll look it up--but if she is such a close friend of yours -why didn't she send you her address? She knew where she was going to be," -and he spoke pointedly. - -Tears welled into Dorothy's eyes, and she felt that she could not trust -herself to speak. The manager looked critically at her. Then he laid -aside the book he had picked up to consult. - -"Run away?" he asked. - -Dorothy nodded. - -"Well, don't feel so badly about it, my girl. We'll see if we can't find -her for you. But first you had better tell me the story. It will help -greatly. You see when we engage a girl and she happens to prove -satisfactory we have no excuse for dismissing her unless she might be -under age--and then her parents--of course--" - -"But I must keep the entire matter from her parents," interrupted -Dorothy. "I must find Tavia myself and I know when I do she will listen -to me and it will be all right again." - -Dorothy was visibly trembling. The manager folded his arms and looked at -her thoughtfully. - -"You're quite a young girl to undertake this," he said finally. "But I -like your spirit, and I'm going to help you. I tell you, my child, the -stage is no place for a young person who has had no experience with the -ways of the world. I never encourage a young girl to go on the stage. -There are plenty of older characters whom we can get and then there is -less danger. But this girl you are looking for--was she about your -height?" - -"Yes, with very brown hair," replied Dorothy. "And such lovely light -brown eyes." - -"Let me see," and he consulted the book again. Dorothy waited anxiously, -as he turned page after page. Then he stopped. "Yes, here it is," he -said. "Christina Travers. That must be the girl. They rarely give the -name just right." - -"Yes, she might say Christina," admitted Dorothy. "The girls at school -called her 'Chris' for short." - -"Well, she is with the 'L. R. S.' company--I beg your pardon, I mean the -'Lady Rossmore's Secret' company. We get in the habit of abbreviating it. -It's a light thing we put on for a filler. I'm afraid it isn't doing any -too well, which, however, may make it easier for you to induce your -friend to give it up." - -"Oh, I hope I can!" and Dorothy left her seat and came to stand beside -the manager's desk. She had lost nearly all her fear and nervousness now. - -"They play in Rochester to-night," went on the manager consulting his -list. "Then they go to Rockdale--" - -"Only one night in Rochester?" asked Dorothy, showing some surprise and -disappointment. - -"Well, one night of that I fancy will be enough for any place," was the -manager's laughing reply. "However, they may stay over to-morrow. But -Rockdale is only a few miles from there. You could easily catch them at -Rockdale. Is there anything more I can do for you?" - -"No, thank you," and Dorothy turned away. - -"If I can now, or later, just let me know," went on the manager. Then he -wished her good-bye and turned back to his desk. - -Dorothy's cheeks were flushed when she stepped up to Nat in the lobby -where he was watching the men putting in place the photographs of the -next week's performers. He seemed to have forgotten all about his cousin. - -"Oh, is that you?" he asked, and he looked like some one suddenly -awakened from a dream. "I do believe if I stood here much longer I'd be -put into a frame by mistake. How did you make out?" - -"You mustn't ask," answered Dorothy pleasantly. "You see I can't quite -report on it yet." - -"Oh, very well. I was only wondering--" - -"But you mustn't wonder. You agreed to act as my escort and so you must -be content with that. I can only tell you that I am perfectly satisfied -with the interview I had." - -"Which means that our little friend Tavia is not with any company. Well, -I'm glad of it. I always did give her credit for having better sense. But -you see, Doro, you are such a romancer that you sometimes make stories -out of dreams. But I must say you do look ten years younger. That manager -must have been a nice fellow." - -"He was," answered Dorothy, glad that Nat, as usual, had jumped to a -conclusion and decided the matter of the interview for himself, leaving -her free to go on without contradicting or making any explanations. It -was so much better under the circumstances, she thought, that not even -Nat should know the truth. - -But just how she was going to carry out the remainder of her task -secretly she could not quite determine. However, she had now become -accustomed to doing each part as it presented itself, without planning -further into the future, and, in that manner, she hoped to be able to -proceed until the last link in the chain of her search had been -completed. - -"We must get the souvenir cards," Nat reminded her, as they came to a -store with the pretty-pictured varieties in the window. "I'll just buy a -pack of mixed ones--it will save time." - -But Dorothy was not thinking of souvenir cards. Thoughts came to her of -the play at Rochester, with Tavia as one of the characters--Tavia who -must be timid amid her new and unaccustomed surroundings in spite of her -apparent recklessness--yes, Tavia would be much frightened at what she -had done, Dorothy was sure of it, when the girl, so far away from home -and friends found herself before a critical audience in a theatre. - -"If I could only reach her before another night," Dorothy thought, "but -how can it be managed?" - -The boys would start for home to-morrow, and of course Dorothy would have -to go with them. Something would surely happen--_must_ surely happen -before then to help her, Dorothy thought, with a confidence which great -emergencies sometimes inspire. - -"Now I suppose," remarked Nat, as he made his way out of the post-card -store, "if you were to send one of these particularly bright red ones to -Tavia at Dalton she would send one back on the next mail, wishing you a -merry Christmas, for all your trouble. What do you suppose she would say -if she knew of the merry chase that had been going on after her, and all -the places you have been looking for her? And all the while she was as -safe as little Bo-peep." - -"But I don't intend to send her any cards until she writes me first," -answered Dorothy. "She owes me an apology for not writing to me." - -"Same here," said Nat. "I'll treat her the same way. The saucy little -thing," he added facetiously, "not to answer our nice long letters. She -ought to be slapped." - -Dorothy laughed at her cousin's good humor. It was better that he should -take this view of the case than that he should suspect the real facts. -Dorothy glanced at some of the cards as they hurried along back to the -hotel. - -"Now there's one," pointed out Nat, "that would just suit the -circumstances. A girl doing a song and a smile--that's the 'turn' Tavia -has been doing to you, Doro. We must save that one for her." - -"Yes," answered Dorothy abstractedly, taking the card in her hand. It was -the picture of a girl in chorus costume, and was enscribed with an -appropriate verse. - -"Don't you see," explained Nat, "they've got everything down to a -post-card basis now. That one is intended to be used in place of making a -party call when a gentleman has blown a girl to a theatrical good time. -She just sends this card back and that suffices for formal thanks. - -"Of course it might not just suit our set," he conceded, "but for those -in the post-card clientele it's a cinch, as the poet says. I tell you -after a while we will be able to carry on all our business correspondence -with picture postals and not be under the necessity of writing a word. -Great scheme, Nat (patting himself on the left shoulder with his right -hand), get a patent on your new post-card." - -They had now reached the hotel. The veranda was deserted as the hour for -dinner was almost at hand and the guests were dressing. Nat left Dorothy -at the elevator, with a warning to be ready early in the morning. Then he -hurried to where he and Ned were staying. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - ADRIFT IN A STRANGE CITY - - -In spite of Dorothy's courage, and her efforts to keep each of her -troubles apart, that she might meet and cope with them singly, the time -had now come when she found herself sorely puzzled. - -How would she be able to reach Rochester--to leave her cousins and -proceed alone in her search for Tavia? - -The morning of departure dawned bright and clear, conditions most -necessary for a pleasant automobile trip, and when the Markin family -waved an affectionate adieu, the Fire Bird puffed away from in front of -the hotel, Rose-Mary throwing innumerable kisses to Dorothy. Suddenly, as -they swung into the street, Dorothy turned to Ned and asked: - -"Ned, could you let me go part of the way home, by train? I did not want -to mention it at the hotel as Mrs. Markin would be sure to worry, but I -would so like to return by rail. You could just leave me at the depot and -then--you might stop for me at--did you say you were going through -Rochester on your way back?" - -Ned and Nat gazed at their cousin in surprise. What could she mean to ask -to leave them and go to North Birchland alone? - -"I know you think it strange," she hastened to add, "but really you know, -I am able to travel alone that short distance. You know I came from -Glenwood alone." - -"Oh, yes, I know," replied Nat, "but this time mother put you in our -charge and these are big cities around here." - -"But if the auto makes you feel ill," put in Nat, "of course no one could -object to you going by train." - -"I would so much rather," declared Dorothy, taking advantage of Nat's -ready excuse for her. "I have found that there is a train at -eight-thirty. Then, if you pass through Rochester, you could meet me -there. I can go to some young women's club and wait if I do not meet you -exactly on time at the station." - -This was a brave stroke, and Dorothy felt that she would not be equal to -further argument should the boys offer much more opposition. - -"You mean for us to leave you here at the Buffalo depot?" asked Ned in a -dazed sort of way. - -"Yes, I have plenty of money with me, and I know perfectly well how to -travel alone." - -"But you may have to change cars, and suppose you were to be left alone -in Rochester in case we had a breakdown and couldn't pick you up?" - -"It wouldn't be any worse staying in Rochester than it would in some -place near where you happened to have the accident. I hope you don't have -any. But I have told you what I would do in case you didn't call for me. -I'd stay at some girls' club. There are plenty of them in Rochester I've -read." - -"Well," admitted Ned. "I suppose you ought to know what you want to do." - -"There's the station," exclaimed Nat. "What time did you say the train -left?" - -"Eight-thirty," replied Dorothy. "We have plenty of time." - -But when she realized that she was to be left alone, to go in a train to -that strange, big city, she felt as if she must cry out against the -circumstances that forced her to all this trouble. Why should she deceive -her two kind cousins, and desert them to take that risky journey alone? -And she did believe her prospective trip dangerous in spite of her -assertions to the contrary. It was very different to making the journey -to Glenwood when she had had Tavia with her. - -Besides, going into the New England mountains was along a quiet way, -while this trip--she dared not trust herself to think further. She must -decide at once, and she must go--alone to look for Tavia. - -"I'll get you a Pullman ticket," Ned said rather gloomily, as the auto -dashed up to the station, "but I do wish, Doro, that you would come on -with us. Of course, in the parlor car you will be quite safe, and can -rest better than in the Fire Bird. I'll see the porter and have him look -after you." - -"Thank you, Ned," Dorothy managed to reply, and, but for his haste to -make arrangements for her comfort, the youth would have seen tears in his -cousin's eyes, and noticed that her hands trembled as Nat helped her out -of the machine to the station platform. - -"I think, after all, it will be better for you to go straight on to North -Birchland," she said, trying to make her voice sound easy and natural, -but conscious that her tones were rather unsteady. She was now putting -into operation the second part of her plan. "It might be risky to attempt -to pick me up in Rochester. I might miss you or you might miss me, -whereas if we both follow out our route separately we will be sure to get -to the Cedars in safety and without any delay." - -"Well, since you have decided to desert us, and travel by train, leaving -the poor old Fire Bird to struggle along as best it can without a lady -passenger, perhaps it will be best," Nat agreed, in a dazed sort of way. -He seemed for a time quite unlike Nat White--quite different from the -youth who was always ready to take up the weak end of an argument and -carry it to the strongest point of conclusion. Here he was letting his -favorite cousin start away alone on a train to a strange big city, when -she had been entrusted to his care. - -"Here you are, Doro," called Ned, coming from the depot where he had -hurried as soon as the auto stopped. "Take this," and he thrust some -bills into her hands, as well as her tickets. "And do, above everything -else, be careful. I've seen the porter, and tipped him so he will look -after you. Now, you'd better get in and we'll leave you, as we want to -make good time. Good-bye," and he stooped to kiss the pale-faced girl who -was now too overcome with emotion to trust her own voice. - -Nat put his arm affectionately around her and he, too, gave her a -farewell kiss. They walked with her to the waiting train, and then the -porter, in his blue uniform, adorned with numerous brass buttons, helped -her aboard the car "Seneca." - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - IN DIRE DISTRESS - - -Dorothy had traveled in parlor cars before but had never ridden in a -sleeper, which was the style of coach she now found herself in. The train -was a through one from the west and, as the regular parlor cars were full -Ned had to get a ticket in the sleeper which, by day, is much the same as -a parlor car. - -As the porter set her valise down and arranged a seat for her near the -ladies' retiring room Dorothy's heart beat fast, and, though the -surroundings were new and novel to her she took no interest in them. But -as the train whistled off, and the other passengers began moving about, -Dorothy lifted her head and glanced around. - -For a moment she felt that some mistake had been made. Surely this was no -train for ladies, for not a woman was in sight, instead the entire car -seemed filled with men in various stages of incomplete toilets. Some were -adjusting their neckties as they walked through the aisle, others were -fastening shoe laces, and a few buckling their belts or slipping on their -coats. - -Then she noticed, for the first time, that the car was a sleeper, for the -interior was so dark because of the train shed when she entered that she -could not tell what it was. She saw the berths on both sides, with heavy -curtains lining the aisle. Only one or two beds had been shut up and -turned into seats like the one she was occupying. - -Dorothy was annoyed. Was she to make her lonely trip in company with a -car full of men? She had expected, when she planned her journey, that -there would be other girls and ladies in the coach in which she was to -travel, and that she might appeal to them in case of need. But a whole -car full of men! - -She looked about for the little electric call button, and, finding it in -the casement at the side of the window, pressed it vigorously. It was -some time before the porter responded as, all along his route, the -omnipresent men claimed his attention for various services. But finally -he reached the end of the car where the girl in the blue sailor suit sat -up very prim and stiff, waiting for him. - -"Is this--er--a ladies' car?" she asked timidly. - -"A ladies' car? Oh, yes, miss. This is all right. This is the car for -Rochester." - -"But I--never was in a car like--like this before," Dorothy objected, -glancing about at the men who were still struggling in the aisles with -various refractory articles of clothing. - -For a moment the porter seemed puzzled. Then, all at once, he understood -Dorothy's objection. - -"Oh, them's only the gentlemen gettin' ready to leave, miss. They'll all -be out soon, and you'll have more room. Anything I can do for you, miss?" - -"No," and Dorothy just checked herself from adding "thank you," which she -felt would not be quite proper, and would show that she was unused to the -attention of a porter. Then the colored attendant made his way down the -aisle, while the only girl in the car held her face close against the -window pane and fell to thinking of the task that lay before her. - -She was not now troubled about the car and the occupants. If it was all -right, and she would be brought safely to Rochester in it, that was all -she had to consider. Of course it would have been less lonely to have had -the usual day coach passengers with her, but she thought Ned must have -selected this car and she felt he knew best. Then, too, the porter had -said the men were rapidly leaving their berths and as soon as they did so -the colored man made the folding beds into broad velvet seats, similar to -the one occupied by Dorothy. - -When these seats had replaced the hanging curtains, and the comfortable -places were occupied by the men who had been so lately sleeping, even -though there were no women among them, Dorothy recovered from her first -shock of embarrassment. The passengers all appeared to be gentlemen and -not one of them seemed to even glance in her direction, though they must -have realized how strange it was for a pretty girl to be the lone female -passenger. - -When the spasm of brushing clothes into which the porter threw himself, -was finally over, which operation Dorothy could not help watching for it -was done with such dispatch, and when the men had gone to the dining car -for breakfast or become engrossed in their newspapers, she tried to map -out her day's programme. - -"I will get off at Rochester," she told herself, "and then I'll inquire -for the Criterion Theatre." She looked at the slip of paper which she -carried so carefully in the little brown leather wrist bag. "Then," she -went on, "if the company has left Rochester I will go to Rockdale. But if -it should get dark!" she cried in a low wail of terror. "If it should get -dark and I should be all alone in a strange city!" - -Then came the thought of the folks at home and how they would worry if -night came on and she did not reach them. Was ever a girl so situated? - -All sorts of dangers flashed before her mind, and now, though too late, -she realized sharply how unfit a young girl is to cope with a big, -strange world, how little the world cares for a girl's tender feelings, -and how cold and heartless it is when she tries to make her way through -the city streets alone, yet crowded on every side by a throng of other -human beings. - -"But Tavia had to go through it," concluded Dorothy, "and I must not be -less brave than was she." - -The train was somewhat delayed on the run from Buffalo to Rochester, so -it was almost noon when Dorothy reached the latter city. - -On a slip of paper she had the directions of the theatre she wished to -visit, and at the ticket station learned where the building was located. -Then off she started, with never a look at the shop windows filled with -wonderful displays of all kinds. She soon found the amusement resort, and -stepping into the lobby, approached the ticket window and asked timidly: - -"Can you tell me where the 'Lady Rossmore's Secret' company is playing -to-night?" - -The man looked at her sharply. Then he smiled so ironically that -Dorothy's heart gave a painful thump, and a great lump came into her -throat. - -"'Lady Rossmore's Secret' company," he repeated, with the most prolonged -and distracting drawl. "I guess there isn't any. It's down and out. -Didn't play to a house here last night big enough to pay the gas bills." - -"But the members of the company?" asked Dorothy with a choke in her -voice. - -"Hum! How should I know?" he asked with a sneer. "In jail, maybe, for not -paying their board bills." - -For a moment Dorothy felt that she must cry out and tell him that the -matter was very vital to her--that she must find a young and friendless -girl who was a member of the company; but she realized what sort of a man -he was and her better judgment asserted itself. - -"But are there any members of the company in this city?" she persisted -bravely, trying to keep up her courage, so as to get a clue as to the -whereabouts of Tavia. - -"In this city?" he repeated with the same distracting drawl. "Well, no. -They managed to get out of here before the sheriff could attach their -baggage and the scenery, which he was ready to do. They certainly were as -poor a company as we ever had in this theatre. It was awful. Oh, no, they -didn't dare stay here." - -"Then where did they go?" - -"Rockdale was their next booked place, but maybe they didn't dare go -there, for fear some word had been sent on ahead," the ticket seller -sneered. - -"How can I get to Rockdale?" asked the girl, trying to keep back her -tears. - -"Get there on a train, of course," and the man turned back to the paper -he had been reading when Dorothy came in. Perhaps he was angry because -she had not purchased a ticket to the current attraction. - -"If you would be--be kind enough to direct me," pleaded Dorothy. "I am a -stranger here, and I must find a--a young girl who is with that company." - -Something in her voice and manner seemed to touch the rather indifferent -man, for he straightened up in his tall chair and looked squarely and -more kindly at Dorothy. - -"Oh, that's it, is it? I didn't know. I have a lot of silly girls always -asking about traveling companies after they've left here, and I thought -you might be one of them. Now you're talking. Yes, of course, certainly. -If you've got to find anybody connected with that company you'd better be -quick about it, for I should think there wouldn't be much left of 'em by -this time. I heard they had quite a time of it getting their trunks away -from here. Held up for board, you know. But of course they're used to -that sort of thing." - -Dorothy took hold of the brass rail in front of her as she turned away -from the window. She felt as if she could hardly stand any more of the -man's veiled insinuations. But it might not be true--surely it could not -be true--it was only his cruel, teasing way. Tavia could not be in such -distress. - -"How can I get there?" Dorothy repeated. - -"If you want to get to Rockdale," the ticket seller answered after a -pause, "you can take the train at twelve forty-five." - -"Thank you," murmured Dorothy, turning dizzily toward the street to make -her way to the station she had so recently left. How she managed to reach -the place she never knew. The great buildings along the way seemed about -to topple over on her head. Her temples were throbbing and her eyes shot -out streaks of flashing light. Her knees trembled under her. If only she -had time to get something to eat! But she must not miss that train. It -might be the last one that day. - -Through the crowd of waiting persons she made her way to the ticket -office and purchased the slip of cardboard that entitled her to a ride. -She learned that the train was late and that she would have to wait ten -minutes. Grateful for that respite Dorothy turned to the little lunch -counter to get a sandwich, and some coffee. But, before she had reached -the end of the big depot where refreshments were sold, she suddenly -stopped--some one had grabbed her skirt. - -Turning quickly Dorothy beheld a crouching, cringing figure, almost -crawling so as to hide herself in the crowd. - -"Girl!" cried Dorothy, trying to shake off the grasp on her skirt. "Let -me go! What do you want?" - -"Don't you know me?" whispered the miserable creature. "Look again--don't -you know--Urania, the Gypsy girl?" - -Then beneath the rags and the appearance of age that seemed, in so short -a time to have hidden the identity of this young girl, Dorothy did -recognize Urania. How wretched--how forlorn she was; and even in danger -of arrest if she was seen begging in the depot. - -"Don't turn away from me, Miss!" pleaded the unfortunate Gypsy girl. -"Please help me!" - -She stretched out to Dorothy a dirty, trembling hand. The gate to the -Rockdale train had been thrown open, and Dorothy felt that the time was -almost up. - -"You should go home," she said, dropping a coin into the outstretched -palm. - -"Yes, yes, I want to go home," cried the girl, and Dorothy was afraid her -voice would attract attention in the crowd. But the passengers were too -busy rushing for their trains to heed anything else. "I want to go home," -pleaded Urania. "You should take me home,--it was your fine cousin--the -boy with the taffy-colored hair--that brought me here!" - -"What!" cried Dorothy. "How dare you say such a thing?" - -"Ask him, then, if it isn't so. And ask him if he wasn't in this very -station an hour ago, looking for some one--that red-headed girl, likely." - -"Do you mean to say you saw my cousin here to-day?" gasped Dorothy. -"Come; tell me the truth and you shall go home--I'll take you home -myself--only tell me the truth." - -"Yes, I'll do it," answered the girl. "Well, him and his brother came in -here an hour ago. They asked the man at the window if he had seen a young -girl with a brown hand bag. I stood near to listen, but kept out of -sight. Then they dashed off again before I could ask them for a penny, or -throw it up to that dandy that it was the ride he gave me in the auto -that brought me to this." - -"Don't talk so!" exclaimed Dorothy, much shocked. "Do you want to go back -to the camp where your people are?" She was too dumfounded at the news to -argue with the wild creature. - -"Yes, oh, yes, back to the camp!" and Urania's eyes flashed. "They'll -take me back. Even Melea would not turn me out now for I am sick and -sorrowful." - -It needed but a glance to see that in this, at least, the girl spoke -truthfully. - -"Come," ordered Dorothy, "I'll take care of you. But first I must get -something to eat. We have a few minutes." - -Without heeding the attention she attracted by almost dragging the beggar -girl up to the lunch counter, Dorothy made her way there and ordered -coffee and sandwiches for both. She hurriedly disposed of her own share, -being only a little behind Urania, who ate as though famished. Then, -hastily procuring another ticket, she bolted through the door, followed -by the Gypsy, who seemed to take it all as a matter of course. - -The ride was, for the most part, a silent one. Dorothy was busy with her -thoughts, and the Gypsy girl was almost afraid to speak. - -"But you will see me to my home--to the camp?" she pleaded once. - -"Yes," answered Dorothy. "But you must have patience--I have something -more important to attend to first." - -"I can wait," answered the little Gypsy. - -The Rockdale station was a brick structure, with a modest waiting-room -for women passengers at the far end. It was there that Dorothy took -Urania as they left the train which steamed away into the distance. The -room was without a single occupant, a matter of rejoicing to Dorothy, as -she had already experienced considerable difficulty in passing with -Urania through the ordinary marts of travel. - -"Now you stay here," she told the Gypsy girl, "and I'll go out and get -you something. You must be sure to stay in this corner, and eat carefully -so as not to make crumbs. If the station agent should speak to you while -I'm gone, just tell him you are waiting for--for a lady, who told you not -to leave this room until she returned." - -Willingly enough Urania sank down on a corner of the bench, and tried to -smile her thanks at Dorothy. But Dorothy was too excited to notice the -feeble effort. She hurried to a little store opposite the station, bought -some crackers and cakes, and after putting the package into the Gypsy's -hands, with another word of caution, was off again, this time to find the -Lyceum Theatre. - -It seemed to Dorothy that any place must be easy to find in a small town, -and when she was directed to the theatre by a man on the street, she was -not surprised to find that it was but a few blocks from the depot. - -Hurrying along, she reached a big hall, for the Lyceum, in spite of its -name, was nothing but a big country hall, with the additional attraction -of iron fire escapes. She knocked at the big broad wooden door, but soon -discovered that the place was locked up and, evidently, deserted. She -made a number of inquiries of boys she saw nearby, but all the -information she could elicit from the urchins amounted to nothing more -than laughter and "guying" to the effect that the company had come to -grief in its attempt to give Rockdale folks a hint as to what Lady -Rossmore's "Secret" was. It appeared that the company had arrived in -town, but had at once gotten into legal difficulties because of some -trouble back in Rochester. - -"But where are the members of the company?" Dorothy asked of one boy who -was larger than his companions, and who had not been so ready to make fun -of the unfortunates. - -"Some's gone back home I guess, that is if they has homes--some's hanging -'round the hotel, where their trunks was attached as soon as the baggage -man brought 'em in--some's sitting around on the benches in the green. -Guess none of 'em had any dinner to-day, for them hotel people is as mean -as dirt." - -"Where is the hotel?" - -"That's the hotel, over there," answered the boy, pointing to a building -on the opposite corner. "Mansion House, they call it, though I never -could see much of a mansion about that old barn." - -The afternoon was wearing away and Dorothy felt that she must make all -possible haste if she was to get back to North Birchland that night, as -she knew she must for her own sake. So, thanking the boy she hurried over -to the hotel, and, after making some inquiries of a number of loungers on -the broad, low veranda, was directed to the office. - -She asked some questions regarding the whereabouts of members of the -theatrical company, but the man at the dingy old desk was inclined to -make inquiries himself, rather than answer Dorothy's. He wanted to know -if she had called to settle up for any of the "guys" and if not he -demanded to know if she took him for a bureau of information or a public -phonograph, and he grinned delightfully at his feeble wit. - -"I don't keep tabs on every barn-storming theatrical company," he growled -out. "Much as I kin do to look after their baggage and see they don't -skin me--that's my game in a case like this." - -Dorothy pleaded with him to give her any information he might have as to -the whereabouts of any girl or woman member of the company, but he was -ugly, evidently because of the loss of some money or patronage in -connection with the theatrical fiasco, and would not give so much as an -encouraging word. - -Dorothy looked about but could see no one who seemed to be an actor or -actress. She had learned in a measure to know the type. Fairly sick and -disheartened she turned away. How could she give up now, when she felt -that Tavia must be almost within hearing of her voice? How loudly her -heart cried out! Surely some kind fate would bear that cry to Tavia's ear -and bring her to her friend Dorothy--for now Dorothy felt that she could -hardly go many steps farther in her weary search. - -She heard a train steam into the station and go on without making a stop. - -"Oh," thought Dorothy, "if we could only get a train back again soon! But -I can not give her up! I must--must find her wherever she is!" - -Exhausted and discouraged, she sank down by the roadside at a grassy spot -where the street turned into a country park. She felt that she must -cry--she would feel better when she had cried--out there alone--away from -the cruel persons--away from the seemingly cruel fate that was so -relentlessly urging her on beyond her strength--beyond the actual power -of human endurance. Was there ever so wretched a girl as was Dorothy Dale -at that moment? Yes, she would indulge in a good cry--she knew it would -relieve her nerves--and then she could go on. - -The rough boys, playing nearby saw the girl sitting beside the road and, -whether out of kindness or curiosity they hastened over to the place and -stood looking down at Dorothy in respectful silence. - -"Did they do anyt'ing to youse?" asked a little fellow with a ring of -vengeance in his small, shrill voice. "Dem hotel guys is too fresh, an' -me fader is goin'--he's goin' t' do somet'ing to dem if dey don't look -out." - -"Dat's right," spoke up another. "His fader is de sheriff an' he's goin' -t' 'rest 'em, if dey don't pay der own bills, fer all der talk of holdin' -de show trunks." - -Dorothy raised her head. Surely these boys were trying to comfort her in -their own rough but earnest way. Perhaps they could help her look for -Tavia. - -"Do any of you know where the girls of this company are now?" she asked -of the boys collectively. "I am searching for a girl with brown hair--" - -She stopped abruptly, realizing how useless it would be to give these -boys a description of Tavia. - -"I sawr a girl wit a big kind of a hat and a little satchel, an' I know -she was wit de show," volunteered a red-haired urchin. "I was right -alongside of her when she bought five cents' wort' of cakes at Rooney's, -an' after dat I seen her sittin' on a bench in de green." - -"Honest?" asked an older boy severely, turning to the one who had given -the information. "No kiddin' now, Signal, or we'll blow out your red -light," this reference being to the boy's brilliant hair. "We want t' -help dis gurl t' find de young lady, don't we fellers?" - -"Sure," came in a ready chorus. - -"I did see her," protested Signal, rubbing his hand over his fiery locks -and rumpling them up until they looked like a brush heap ablaze. "I sawr -her less 'n hour ago." - -"Where?" asked Dorothy, eagerly. - -"On a bench in de green." And the lad pointed out the direction to -Dorothy. - -She followed the road to the end and there, stretching out before her was -an open common, or the green, as the boys called it. In the centre was a -little park, where a pretty fountain sent a spray of sparkling water high -into the air. Arranged about it were benches, under shady bowers formed -by overhanging bushes, and there were clumps of shrubbery that separated -the seats, and concealed them. - -Dorothy walked straight to the fountain. She sank down on a bench where -she could watch the spurting water and listen to the cool tinkle as it -fell into the basin. The sun shone through the spray, making a small -rainbow. - -It looked like a sign of hope, but she was too discouraged and dispirited -to place much faith in it. She wanted to see Tavia; yet where was she? -Here was the park the boys had spoken of, but there was no sign of the -missing girl. - -Dorothy felt she could not stay there long. After a few minutes' rest she -arose to make a circuit of the little park, hoping she might have -overlooked some spot where Tavia might be. As she crossed back of a clump -of shrubbery she saw the skirt of a girl's dress showing on the border of -a little side path. It riveted her attention. She turned down the path. - -There sat a girl--a most forlorn looking girl--her head buried in her -arms that rested on the back of a bench. Dorothy could see her shoulders -heaving under the stress of heavy sobs. - -She started! She held her breath! It looked like--yet could it be -her--was it--she feared to ask herself the question. - -The girl on the bench raised her tear-stained face. She looked full at -Dorothy. - -"Tavia!" screamed Dorothy, springing forward. - -"Dorothy!" echoed Tavia. - -There was a rush, and the next instant Dorothy Dale held Tavia clasped -close in her arms, while she murmured, over and over again: - -"Tavia! Dear Tavia! I have found you at last! Oh, I am so glad!" - -Tavia could only sob. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - THE SECRET--CONCLUSION - - -It was some moments before either girl was able to speak after that first -burst of emotion and surprise. But Dorothy was too happy to remain long -in tears--even tears of joy that for the moment had overcome her. - -Tavia was pale, and her eyes were red from much weeping. Her unhappy -plight was apparent at a glance, and this was incentive enough to cause -Dorothy to again clasp her in her arms and hug her tighter than ever. She -had forgotten her own physical weakness now that she had found Tavia, and -she felt that she must hasten to get her dear friend into a state of mind -that might help her to forget the sad experiences she had passed through. - -"Tavia! Tavia, dear," whispered Dorothy, as the girl fell again to -weeping, "do look up and forget it all--for my sake, do. I have searched -so long for you, but now I have found you. Come with me and we'll be just -the same as we always were." - -"Oh, how can I?" cried the miserable girl. "Who will look at me now? How -can I ever face the folks again? Oh, Dorothy, let me go away forever! I -can not bear the disgrace!" and she moaned pitifully in her bitter -anguish. - -"But, Tavia, you really meant nothing wrong," said Dorothy taking the -trembling hands in her own which were scarcely less agitated. - -"No, I never meant to do wrong," spoke Tavia, lifting her head with her -old, proud bearing. "I broke my promise to you--I listened to that girl -in Rochester--she gave me a letter to a theatrical manager in Buffalo. I -only wanted to make a name for myself--to gratify my ambition--I wanted -to earn money to get back to school--you know we had no more--" - -"You poor darling!" whispered Dorothy. "Was that it? Don't worry so. No -one will ever know. I have not told even Nat, and we will keep it a -secret between us forever. Do come with me, dear," as Tavia appeared to -look brighter. "I must get to North Birchland to-night--Oh, if you ever -knew the time I had getting away from the boys!" And she went on -hurriedly for several minutes. - -"And did you come all the way alone, Dorothy Dale? You have saved me in -spite of myself!" declared Tavia, almost tragically. "Yes, I will go -back. I can look them all in the face, for I only tried to work and I did -not mean to deceive any one longer than would be necessary for me to get -a start. But now, Dorothy, I have had enough of it. Where do you want me -to go?" - -"So it wasn't as nice as you thought it would be?" asked Dorothy, anxious -to hear some of Tavia's experiences. - -"Nice?" There was no concealing the disgust in Tavia's voice. "It was -awful, Dorothy! It was a regular barn-storming company! Playing one-night -stands! We never had good houses. They said it was because it was the -summer season, but I guess it was because the play was so poor. We did -not get all our salaries and half the time didn't have enough to eat. -Then the show 'busted'!" - -"Did you have a good--part I believe they call it?" - -"A good part? Say, Doro," and Tavia actually seemed her old self again. -"I had an idea I was to be Lady Rossmore, or at least one of the family." - -"Weren't you?" - -"I should say not! I was Lucy, the parlor maid, and the only time I was -on the stage was when I was dusting the make-believe furniture. And as -for my lines--well, I had a very heavy and strong thinking part." - -"Oh, Tavia!" - -"That's my theatrical experience," answered Tavia. "Oh, Doro, I'm very -miserable," she wailed again. - -"Never mind, dear. Dry your eyes now, you're all right. I'm--Oh, I'm so -happy that I have found you again. Come back to the station with me. I -have some one else to bring home, too. Urania, the Gypsy girl--you -remember her at Glenwood, I guess--she has been trying to see the world -and she caught too big a glimpse of it. Poor girl, she is quite sick and -miserable." - -Then, as they hurried from the park, Dorothy told Tavia of the trouble -she had to get Urania on the train. A happy thought came to Tavia, and, -with a bright smile she said: - -"I have it! In this little hand bag--all the baggage I have left by the -way--I have a very quiet suit. I used it in the play, for sometimes I had -to take two or three parts if one of the other girls was ill, but they -never amounted to much--the parts I mean. We can put this suit on -Urania." - -Being thus able to help some one else worse off than herself seemed to do -Tavia good for her kind heart always prompted her to acts of this sort. -It was a step back into the old life. - -At the station they found Urania all excitement. - -"The young men were here!" she exclaimed to Dorothy, "and they have gone -off to look for you. I didn't dare speak to them, but I peeked out and I -heard the station man tell them where he had seen you go to, and they -flew off again in their dust-wagon like mad. Oh, Miss, I wish they had -found you, and they looked so tired and hardly spoke like I've always -heard 'em, so polite and nice." - -"Ned and Nat here in Rockdale!" exclaimed Dorothy, overjoyed at the news. -"Here, Urania, you go in that little room and put these things on you'll -find in this bag," and she handed the Gypsy Tavia's little valise. - -"I'll help her," volunteered Tavia, glad to be of service to Dorothy. - -"Now remember, Tavia," said Dorothy in a low tone, "whoever we meet now -I'm to do all the talking. This is my big secret and you must let me take -care of it. Have you any baggage--Oh, I forgot, all the baggage of the -company is held for debts, I believe." - -"Not mine," replied Tavia promptly. "All I have is in my valise. It was -so small they let me keep it. They only wanted trunks and I didn't have -any. I travel light." - -"Well, hurry now and get Urania ready," said Dorothy. She walked over -toward the door of the ladies' waiting room. Suddenly she fancied she -heard--yes--sure enough that was the toot of the Fire Bird's horn! - -"Oh, Tavia!" she called. "Here they come! Hurry! Hurry Urania! Tavia! We -must all be out there together when they come up." - -At that the automobile swept up to the station in a cloud of dust. Out on -the platform hurried Dorothy, Tavia and Urania, the latter smiling -broadly in her new outfit. - -"Well, I give up!" exclaimed Nat, the first to alight from the panting -car. "If you haven't given us a merry chase, Dorothy! We got worried -after you left us and we traced you from place to place. Thought sure -we'd lost you here. Oh, it was a merry chase." - -"Glad it was merry," exclaimed Tavia, forgetting that Dorothy was to do -all the talking. - -"Yes, I should say it was," put in Ned, "and she skipped off to meet you -without giving us a hint--" - -"Now, Ned, don't be cross," said Dorothy sweetly. "See what a large party -you have to take home. And you must not scold the girls, for we have as -much right as you boys have to take little trips together." - -The boys were too well pleased to argue or be angry. In fact, they had -had a very miserable time of it since Dorothy "escaped," as they called -it. Now, they wanted nothing better than to get into the machine with the -girls and make all speed for home. - -"Have you room for Urania?" asked Dorothy. "Can she stand up between the -seats?" - -"Why, of course," assented Ned. "Plenty of room. Get aboard everybody." - -"Let me get under the seat," protested the Gypsy girl. "That was the way -I came out." - -"So it was!" said Nat. "I'd almost forgotten about you, young lady. She's -the girl," he went on, turning to the others, "who stole a ride with me -the day I went into Dalton, Dorothy. She actually rode under the back -seat where she'd hidden in the night. She made the noise we thought was a -burglar, you know. She gave me the slip, though, when I went to take her -back, so now she must ride in the open, where I can keep my eye on her." - -"Oh, Urania! You said--" began Dorothy, thinking of what the Gypsy girl -had said about Nat taking her away. - -"Oh, please don't be hard on me," pleaded Urania. "I was so miserable I -didn't know what I was saying. It's true, just as he says, and it's all -my fault. I ran away. He didn't take me." - -Dorothy climbed in beside Ned. Tavia was in her usual seat with Nat. Then -Urania squatted down, in true Gypsy fashion, on the floor of the car at -their feet. - -"I guess we'll just about make it after all," commented Ned, as he turned -on the power more fully and threw in the clutch. "We're due home about -seven, but we'll have to speed it up a bit to do it. Lucky it's nearly -level all the way." - -"And when we do get home," put in Nat, "you girls will just have to own -up and tell the whole story. No serial for ours. We want it complete in -one number." - -"Indeed, we'll do nothing of the sort!" exclaimed Dorothy. "We're not -going to tell you a single word. We'll get home about on time, according -to agreement, and you have no reason to find a single bit of fault. Tavia -will come to North Birchland just as she promised to early in the season. -She's been too busy to come before," and Dorothy smiled. "And if we do -have our own affairs to talk about you must not expect to know -everything. Girls have to have secrets, or they wouldn't be girls, and we -have now got ours." - -"Yes," agreed Tavia in a low voice with a loving look at her chum, "It's -Dorothy's great secret and I guess I'll help her keep it." - -And here, as they are speeding toward North Birchland, we will take leave -of Dorothy, Tavia and the boys for a while. Dorothy kept the secret, as -did Tavia, and no one ever knew the real meaning of Tavia's absence, nor -why Dorothy was so anxious to find her. The theatrical venture was never -disclosed, thanks to Dorothy's tact and abilities, for she showed that -she could manage some things even better than could her cousins. - -"Well, it was a glorious trip to Buffalo after all," was Nat's comment, -as they neared North Birchland. - -"So it was," agreed Dorothy. Then she fell to wondering if she would ever -again have so many adventures. Little did she dream of what the future -held in store, as will be related in another story, which I shall call, -"Dorothy Dale and Her Chums." - -"Running some, aren't we?" said Ned, as the Fire Bird whizzed over the -country road. - -"I--I don't mind it," faltered Tavia. Then she turned to whisper to -Dorothy. "I am so thankful to leave the--that behind!" - -Dorothy only smiled, but that smile showed that she understood perfectly. - - - THE END. - - - - - The Dorothy Dale Series - - - By MARGARET PENROSE - Author of "The Motor Girls Series" - 12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 75 cents, postpaid. - -Dorothy Dale is the daughter of an old Civil War veteran who is running a -weekly newspaper in a small Eastern town. Her sunny disposition, her -fun-loving ways and her trials and triumphs make clean, interesting and -fascinating reading. The Dorothy Dale Series is one of the most popular -series of books for girls ever published. - - - Dorothy Dale: a Girl of To-day - Dorothy Dale at Glenwood School - Dorothy Dale's Great Secret - Dorothy Dale and Her Chums - Dorothy Dale's Queer Holidays - Dorothy Dale's Camping Days - Dorothy Dale's School Rivals - Dorothy Dale in the City - Dorothy Dale's Promise - Dorothy Dale in the West - Dorothy Dale's Strange Discovery - Dorothy Dale's Engagement - - - CUPPLES & LEON CO., Publishers, NEW YORK - - - - - The Motor Girls Series - - - By MARGARET PENROSE - Author of the highly successful "Dorothy Dale Series" - 12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 75 cents, postpaid. - -Since the enormous success of our "Motor Boys Series," by Clarence Young, -we have been asked to get out a similar series for girls. No one is -better equipped to furnish these tales than Mrs. Penrose, who, besides -being an able writer, is an expert automobilist. - - - The Motor Girls - _or A Mystery of the Road_ - The Motor Girls on a Tour - _or Keeping a Strange Promise_ - The Motor Girls at Lookout Beach - _or In Quest of the Runaways_ - The Motor Girls Through New England - _or Held by the Gypsies_ - The Motor Girls on Cedar Lake - _or The Hermit of Fern Island_ - The Motor Girls on the Coast - _or The Waif from the Sea_ - The Motor Girls on Crystal Bay - _or The Secret of the Red Oar_ - The Motor Girls on Waters Blue - _or The Strange Cruise of the Tartar_ - The Motor Girls at Camp Surprise - _or The Cave in the Mountain_ - The Motor Girls in the Mountains - _or The Gypsy Girl's Secret_ - - - CUPPLES & LEON CO., Publishers, NEW YORK - - - - - THE KHAKI GIRLS SERIES - - - By EDNA BROOKS - - _12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in full colors. - Price per volume, 50 cents, postpaid._ - -_When Uncle Sam sent forth the ringing call, "I need you!" it was not -alone his strong young sons who responded. All over the United States -capable American girls stood ready to offer their services to their -country. How two young girls donned the khaki and made good in the Motor -Corps, an organization for women developed by the Great War, forms a -series of stories of signal novelty and vivid interest and action._ - - - THE KHAKI GIRLS OF THE MOTOR CORPS - _or Finding Their Place in the Big War_ - -Joan Mason, an enthusiastic motor girl, and Valerie Warde, a society -debutante, meet at an automobile show. Next day they go together to the -Motor Corps headquarters and in due time are accepted and become members -of the Corps, in the service of the United States. The two girl drivers -find motoring for Uncle Sam a most exciting business. Incidentally they -are instrumental in rendering valuable service to the United States -government by discovering and running down a secret organization of its -enemies. - - - THE KHAKI GIRLS BEHIND THE LINES - _or Driving with the Ambulance Corps_ - -As a result of their splendid work in the Motor Corps, the Khaki Girls -receive the honor of an opportunity to drive with the Ambulance Corps in -France. After a most eventful and hazardous crossing of the Atlantic, -they arrive in France and are assigned to a station behind the lines. -Constantly within range of enemy shrapnel, out in all kinds of weather, -tearing over shell-torn roads and dodging Boche patrols, all go to make -up the day's work, and bring them many exciting adventures. - - - _Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue._ - - - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - - THE JANE ALLEN COLLEGE SERIES - - - By EDITH BANCROFT - - _12mo. Illustrated. Beautiful cloth binding, stamped in gold with - cover inlay and jacket in colors._ - - _Price Per Volume $1.25 Net._ - -_This series is a decided departure from the stories usually written of -life in the modern college for young women. They contain a deep and -fascinating theme, which has to do with the inner struggle for growth. An -authoritative account of the life of the college girl as it is lived -today._ - - - JANE ALLEN OF THE SUB TEAM - -When Jane Allen left her beautiful Western home in Montana, sorely -against her will, to go East, there to become a freshman at Wellington -College, she was sure that she could never learn to endure the -restrictions of college life. But she did and the account of Jane's first -year at Wellington is well worth reading. - - - JANE ALLEN: RIGHT GUARD (_New_) - -Jane Allen becomes a sophomore at Wellington College, but she has to face -a severe trial that requires all her courage and character. The meaning -of true soul-nobility is brought out in the development of the trying -experience. The result is a triumph for being faithful to an ideal. - - - _Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue._ - - - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - - THE PATSY CARROLL SERIES - - - By GRACE GORDON - - _12mo. Illustrated. Beautiful cloth binding, stamped in gold with - cover inlay and jacket in colors._ - - _Price Per Volume $1.25 Net._ - -_This fascinating series is permeated with the vibrant atmosphere of the -great outdoors. The vacations spent by Patsy Carroll and her chums, the -girl Wayfarers, in the north, east, south and west of the wonderland of -our country, comprise a succession of tales unsurpassed in plot and -action._ - - - PATSY CARROLL AT WILDERNESS LODGE - -Patsy Carroll succeeds in coaxing her father to lease one of the -luxurious camps at Lake Placid, in the Adirondack Mountains, for the -summer. Once established at Wilderness Lodge, the Wayfarers, as they have -decided to call themselves, find they are the center of a mystery which -revolves about a missing will. How the girls solve the mystery makes a -splendid story. - - - PATSY CARROLL UNDER SOUTHERN SKIES (_New_) - -Patsy Carroll and her three chums spend their Easter vacation in an old -mansion in Florida, where an exciting mystery develops, which is solved -by a very curious acrostic found by Patsy, and which leads to very -exciting and satisfactory results, making a capital story. - - - _Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue._ - - - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - - THE RUTH FIELDING SERIES - - - By ALICE B. EMERSON - - _12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 50 cents, postpaid._ - -Ruth Fielding was an orphan and came to live with her miserly uncle. Her -adventures and travels make stories that will hold the interest of every -reader. - - - RUTH FIELDING OF THE RED MILL - _or Jasper Parloe's Secret_ - RUTH FIELDING AT BRIARWOOD HALL - _or Solving the Campus Mystery_ - RUTH FIELDING AT SNOW CAMP - _or Lost in the Backwoods_ - RUTH FIELDING AT LIGHTHOUSE POINT - _or Nita, the Girl Castaway_ - RUTH FIELDING AT SILVER RANCH - _or Schoolgirls Among the Cowboys_ - RUTH FIELDING ON CLIFF ISLAND - _or The Old Hunter's Treasure Box_ - RUTH FIELDING AT SUNRISE FARM - _or What Became of the Raby Orphans_ - RUTH FIELDING AND THE GYPSIES - _or The Missing Pearl Necklace_ - RUTH FIELDING IN MOVING PICTURES - _or Helping the Dormitory Fund_ - RUTH FIELDING DOWN IN DIXIE - _or Great Days in the Land of Cotton_ - RUTH FIELDING AT COLLEGE - _or The Missing Examination Papers_ - RUTH FIELDING IN THE SADDLE - _or College Girls in the Land of Gold_ - RUTH FIELDING IN THE RED CROSS (_New_) - _or Doing Her Bit for Uncle Sam_ - RUTH FIELDING AT THE WAR FRONT (_New_) - _or The Hunt for a Lost Soldier_ - - - _Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue._ - - - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - - THE KHAKI BOYS SERIES - - - By CAPT. GORDON BATES - - _12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in full color._ - - _Price per volume, 50 cents, postpaid._ - -_All who love the experiences and adventures of our American boys, -fighting for the freedom of democracy in the world, will be delighted -with these vivid and true-to-life stories of the camp and field in the -great war._ - - - THE KHAKI BOYS AT CAMP STERLING - _or Training for the Big Fight in France_ - -Two zealous young patriots volunteer and begin their military training. -On the train going to camp they meet two rookies with whom they become -chums. Together they get into a baffling camp mystery that develops into -an extraordinary spy-plot. They defeat the enemies of their country and -incidentally help one another to promotion both in friendship and -service. - - - THE KHAKI BOYS ON THE WAY - _or Doing Their Bit on Sea and Land_ - -Our soldier boys having completed their training at Camp Sterling are -transferred to a Southern cantonment from which they are finally sent -aboard a troop-ship for France. On the trip their ship is sunk by a -U-boat and their adventures are realistic descriptions of the tragedies -of the sea. - - - THE KHAKI BOYS AT THE FRONT - _or Shoulder to Shoulder in the Trenches_ - -The Khaki Boys reach France, and, after some intensive training in sound -of the battle front, are sent into the trenches. In the raids across -No-Man's land, they have numerous tragic adventures that show what great -work is being performed by our soldiers. It shows what makes heroes. - - - _Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue._ - - - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - - THE MOTOR BOYS SERIES - - - By CLARENCE YOUNG - - _12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 75c, postpaid._ - - - The Motor Boys - _or Chums Through Thick and Thin_ - The Motor Boys Overland - _or A Long Trip for Fun and Fortune_ - The Motor Boys In Mexico - _or The Secret of The Buried City_ - The Motor Boys Across the Plains - _or The Hermit of Lost Lake_ - The Motor Boys Afloat - _or The Cruise of the Dartaway_ - The Motor Boys on the Atlantic - _or The Mystery of the Lighthouse_ - The Motor Boys In Strange Waters - _or Lost in a Floating Forest_ - The Motor Boys on the Pacific - _or The Young Derelict Hunters_ - The Motor Boys In the Clouds - _or A Trip for Fame and Fortune_ - The Motor Boys Over the Rockies - _or A Mystery of the Air_ - The Motor Boys Over the Ocean - _or A Marvelous Rescue in Mid-Air_ - The Motor Boys on the Wing - _or Seeking the Airship Treasure_ - The Motor Boys After a Fortune - _or The Hut on Snake Island_ - The Motor Boys on the Border - _or Sixty Nuggets of Gold_ - The Motor Boys Under the Sea - _or From Airship to Submarine_ - The Motor Boys on Road and River - _or Racing to Save a Life_ - - - - - THE MOTOR BOYS SECOND SERIES - - - By CLARENCE YOUNG - - - Ned, Bob and Jerry at Boxwood Hall - _or The Motor Boys as Freshmen_ - Ned, Bob and Jerry on a Ranch - _or The Motor Boys Among the Cowboys_ - Ned, Bob and Jerry at College (_New_) - _or The Motor Boys and Their Rivals_ - - - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - - THE BASEBALL JOE SERIES - - - By LESTER CHADWICK - - _12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 75 cents, postpaid._ - - - BASEBALL JOE OF THE SILVER STARS - _or The Rivals of Riverside_ - - -Joe is an everyday country boy who loves to play baseball and -particularly to pitch. - - - BASEBALL JOE ON THE SCHOOL NINE - _or Pitching for the Blue Banner_ - - -Joe's great ambition was to go to boarding school and play on the school -team. - - - BASEBALL JOE AT YALE - _or Pitching for the College Championship_ - - -Joe goes to Yale University. In his second year he becomes a varsity -pitcher and pitches in several big games. - - - BASEBALL JOE IN THE CENTRAL LEAGUE - _or Making Good as a Professional Pitcher_ - - -In this volume the scene of action is shifted from Yale college to a -baseball league of our central states. - - - BASEBALL JOE IN THE BIG LEAGUE - _or A Young Pitcher's Hardest Struggles_ - - -From the Central League Joe is drafted into the St. Louis Nationals. A -corking baseball story all fans will enjoy. - - - BASEBALL JOE ON THE GIANTS - _or Making Good as a Twirler in the Metropolis_ - - -How Joe was traded to the Giants and became their mainstay in the box -makes an interesting baseball story. - - - BASEBALL JOE IN THE WORLD SERIES - _or Pitching for the Championship_ - - -The rivalry was of course of the keenest, and what Joe did to win the -series is told in a manner to thrill the most jaded reader. - - - BASEBALL JOE AROUND THE WORLD (_New_) - _or Pitching on a Grand Tour_ - - -The Giants and the All-Americans tour the world, playing in many foreign -countries. - - - _Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue_. - - - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - - THE BOYS' OUTING LIBRARY - - - _12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in full color. - Price, per volume, 50 cents, postpaid._ - - - THE SADDLE BOYS SERIES - By CAPT. JAMES CARSON - - - The Saddle Boys of the Rockies - The Saddle Boys in the Grand Canyon - The Saddle Boys on the Plains - The Saddle Boys at Circle Ranch - The Saddle Boys on Mexican Trails - - - THE DAVE DASHAWAY SERIES - By ROY ROCKWOOD - - - Dave Dashaway the Young Aviator - Dave Dashaway and His Hydroplane - Dave Dashaway and His Giant Airship - Dave Dashaway Around the World - Dave Dashaway: Air Champion - - - THE SPEEDWELL BOYS SERIES - By ROY ROCKWOOD - - - The Speedwell Boys on Motorcycles - The Speedwell Boys and Their Racing Auto - The Speedwell Boys and Their Power Launch - The Speedwell Boys in a Submarine - The Speedwell Boys and Their Ice Racer - - - THE TOM FAIRFIELD SERIES - By ALLEN CHAPMAN - - - Tom Fairfield's School Days - Tom Fairfield at Sea - Tom Fairfield in Camp - Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck - Tom Fairfield's Hunting Trip - - - THE FRED FENTON ATHLETIC SERIES - By ALLEN CHAPMAN - - - Fred Fenton the Pitcher - Fred Fenton in the Line - Fred Fenton on the Crew - Fred Fenton on the Track - Fred Fenton: Marathon Runner - - - _Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue_. - - - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - - THE CURLYTOPS SERIES - - - By HOWARD R. GARIS - Author of the famous "Bedtime Animal Stories" - - _12mo. Cloth. Beautifully Illustrated. Jacket in full color. - Price per volume, 50 cents, net_ - -Splendid stories for the little girls and boys, told by one who is a past -master in the art of entertaining young people. - - - THE CURLYTOPS AT CHERRY FARM - _or Vacation Days in the Country_ - - -A tale of happy vacation days on a farm. The Curlytops have many exciting -adventures. - - - THE CURLYTOPS ON STAR ISLAND - _or Camping out with Grandpa_ - - -The Curlytops were delighted when grandpa took them to camp on Star -Island. There they had great fun and also helped to solve a real mystery. - - - THE CURLYTOPS SNOWED IN - _or Grand Fun with Skates and Sleds_ - - -Winter was a jolly time for the Curlytops, with their skates and sleds, -but when later they were snowed in they found many new ways to enjoy -themselves. - - - THE CURLYTOPS AT UNCLE FRANK'S RANCH - _or Little Folks on Pony Back_ - - -Out West on their uncle's ranch they have a wonderful time among the -cowboys and on pony back. - - - _Send For Our Free Illustrated Catalogue._ - - - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York - - - - - THE - HARRY HARDING SERIES - - - By ALFRED RAYMOND - - _12mo. Cloth. Handsomely Illustrated. Beautiful jackets - printed in colors. 75 Cents Per Volume, Postpaid._ - -The trials and triumphs of Harry Harding and Teddy Burke, two wide-awake -boys who make a humble beginning on the messenger force of a great -department store, with the firm resolve to become successful business -men, form a series of narratives calculated to please the alert, -progressive boys of today. - - - HARRY HARDING--_Messenger "45"_ - -When Harry Harding bravely decided to leave school in order to help his -mother in the fight against poverty, he took his first long step towards -successful manhood. How Harry chanced to meet mischievous, red-haired -Teddy Burke who preferred work to school, how Teddy and Harry became -messengers in Martin Brothers' Department store and what happened to them -there, is a story that never flags in interest. - - - HARRY HARDING'S YEAR OF PROMISE - -After a blissful two weeks' vacation, spent together, Harry Harding and -Teddy Burke again take up their work in Martin Brothers' store. Their -"year of promise" brings them many new experiences, pleasant and -unpleasant, but more determined than ever to reach the goal they have set -for themselves, they pass courageously and hopefully over the rough -places, meeting with many surprises and exciting incidents which advance -them far on the road to success. - - - _Send for Our Free Illustrated Catalogue_ - - - CUPPLES & LEON CO. Publishers New York - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Silently corrected a few typos (but left dialect and nonstandard - spelling as is). - ---Rearranged front matter (and moved illustrations) to a more-logical - streaming order. - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Dorothy Dale's Great Secret, by Margaret Penrose - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOROTHY DALE'S GREAT SECRET *** - -***** This file should be named 41558.txt or 41558.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/5/5/41558/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dave Morgan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/41558.zip b/41558.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 861090e..0000000 --- a/41558.zip +++ /dev/null |