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diff --git a/42015.txt b/42015.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1748b14..0000000 --- a/42015.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6434 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Helen in the Editor's Chair, by Ruthe S. -Wheeler - - -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: Helen in the Editor's Chair - - -Author: Ruthe S. Wheeler - - - -Release Date: February 4, 2013 [eBook #42015] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HELEN IN THE EDITOR'S CHAIR*** - - -E-text prepared by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) - - - -HELEN IN THE EDITOR'S CHAIR - -by - -RUTHE S. WHEELER - - - - - - - -The Goldsmith Publishing Company -Chicago - -Copyright, 1932 -The Goldsmith Publishing Company -Made in U. S. A. - - - - -CHAPTER CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. The Weekly Herald. 13 - II. Startling News. 22 - III. In The Editor's Chair. 34 - IV. Through the Storm. 50 - V. Reporting Plus. 62 - VI. A New Week Dawns. 75 - VII. The First Issue. 93 - VIII. Mystery in the Night. 111 - IX. Rescue on Lake Dubar. 124 - X. Behind the Footlights. 139 - XI. New Plans. 160 - XII. Special Assignment. 177 - XIII. Helen's Exclusive Story. 195 - XIV. The Queen's Last Trip. 209 - XV. Success Attends. 225 - - - - -Helen in the Editor's Chair - - - - - CHAPTER I - _The Weekly Herald_ - - -Thursday! - -Press day! - -Helen Blair anxiously watched the clock on the wall of the assembly room. -Five more minutes and school would be dismissed for the day. How those -minutes dragged. She moved her books impatiently. - -Finally the dismissal bell sounded. Helen straightened the books in her -desk and, with the 162 others in the large assembly of the Rolfe High -School, rose and marched down to the cloak room. She was glad that school -was over for, to her, Thursday was the big day of the week. - -Press day! - -What magic lay in those two words. - -By supper time the _Rolfe Herald_ would be in every home in town and, -when families sat down to their evening meal, they would have the paper -beside them. - -Helen's father, Hugh Blair, was the editor and publisher of the _Herald_. -Her brother, Tom, a junior in high school, wrote part of the news and -operated the Linotype, while Helen helped in the office every night after -school and on Saturdays. - -On Thursday her work comprised folding the papers as they came off the -clanking press. Her arms ached long before her task was done, but she -prided herself on the neatness of the stacks of papers that grew as she -worked. - -"Aren't you going to stay for the final sophomore debate tryouts?" asked -Margaret Stevens. Margaret, daughter of the only doctor in Rolfe, lived -across the street from the Blairs. - -"Not this afternoon," smiled Helen, "this is press day." - -"I'd forgotten," laughed Margaret. "All right, hurry along and get your -hands covered with ink." - -"Come over after supper and tell me about the tryouts," said Helen. - -"I will," promised Margaret as she turned to the classroom where the -tryouts were to be held. - -The air was warm and Helen, with her spring coat over her arm, hurried -from the high school building and started down the long hill that led to -the main street. - -Rolfe was a pretty midwestern village tucked away among the hills -bordering Lake Dubar, a long, narrow body of water that attracted summer -visitors from hundreds of miles away. - -The main street, built along a valley that opened out on the lake shore, -was a broad, graveled street, flanked by a miscellaneous collection of -stores and shops. Some of them were of weather-beaten red brick, others -were of frame and a few of them, harking back to pioneer days, had false -fronts. In the afternoon sun, it presented a quiet, friendly scene. - -Helen reached the foot of the school house hill and turned on to the main -street. On the right of the street and just two blocks from the lake -shore stood the one-story frame structure housing the postoffice and her -father's printing plant. The postoffice occupied the front half of the -building and the _Herald_ office was the rear. - -Helen walked down the alleyway between the postoffice and the Temple -furniture store. She heard the noise of the press before she reached the -office and knew that her father had started the afternoon run. - -The _Herald_, an eight page paper, used four pages of ready print and -four pages of home print. Each week's supply of paper was shipped from -Cranston, where four pages filled with prepared news and pictures, were -printed. The other four, carrying local advertisements and news of Rolfe -and vicinity were printed on the aged press in the _Herald_ office. - -Helen hurried up the three steps leading to the editorial office. Its one -unwashed window shut out the sunlight, and the office lay in a -semi-shadow. Unable to see clearly after the brightness of the sunlight, -she did not see her father at his desk when she entered the office. - -"Hello, Dad," she called as she took off her tam and sailed it along the -counter where it finally came to rest against a stack of freshly printed -_Heralds_. - -Her father did not answer and Helen was on the point of going on into the -composing room when she turned toward him. His head still rested on his -arms and he gave no sign of having heard her. - -Concerned over his silence, she hurried to his desk. - -"Dad, Dad!" she cried. "What's the matter! Answer me!" - -Her father's head moved and he looked up at her. His face was pale and -there were dark hollows under his eyes. - -"I'm all right, Helen," he said, but the usual smile was missing. "Just -felt a little faint and came in here to take a few minutes rest. I'll be -all right shortly. You go on and help Tom. I'll be with you in a while." - -"But if you don't feel well, Dad, you'd better go home and rest," -insisted Helen. "You know Tom and I can finish getting out the paper. Now -you run along and don't worry about things at the office." - -She reached for his hat and coat hanging on a hook at one side of the -desk. He remonstrated at the prospect of going home with the work only -half done, but Helen was adamant and her father finally gave in. - -"Perhaps it will be best," he agreed as he walked slowly toward the door. - -Helen watched him descend the steps; then saw him reach the street and -turn toward home. - -She was startled by the expression she had just seen on her father's -face. He had never been particularly robust and now he looked as though -something had come upon him which was crushing his mind and body. -Illness, worry and apprehension had carved lines in his face that -afternoon. - -Helen went into the composing room where the Linotype, the rows of type -cases, the makeup tables, the job press and the newspaper press were -located. At the back end of the room was the large press, moving steadily -back and forth as Tom, perched on a high stool, fed sheets of paper into -one end. From the other came the freshly printed papers of that week's -edition of the _Herald_. - -"Shut off the press," called Helen, shouting to make herself heard above -the noise of the working machinery. - -"What say?" cried Tom. - -"Shut it off," his sister replied. - -Tom scowled as he reached for the clutch to stop the press. He liked -nothing better than running the press and when he had it well under way, -usually printed the whole edition without a stop unless the paper became -clogged or he had to readjust the ink rollers. - -"What's the idea?" he demanded. "I'm trying to get through so I can play -some baseball before dark." - -"Dad's sick," explained Helen, "and I made him go home. Do you know -what's the matter?" - -"Gosh, no," said Tom as he climbed down from his stool. "He wasn't -feeling very well when I came down from school and said he was going in -the office to rest, but I didn't know he felt that badly." - -"Well, he did," replied Helen, "and I'm worried about him." - -"We always take him more or less for granted. He goes on year after year -working in the office, getting enough together to make us all comfortable -and hoping that he can send us to college some day. We help him when we -can, but he plugs away day after day and I've noticed lately that he -hasn't been very perky. Mother has been worried, too. I can tell from the -way she acts when Dad comes home at night. She's always asking him how he -feels and urging him to get to bed early. I tell you, Tom, something's -wrong with Dad and we've got to find out and help him." - -"Let's go get Doctor Stevens right now," said the impetuous Tom, and he -reached to shut off the motor of the press. - -"Not now," said Helen. "If Dad thought we weren't getting the paper out -on time he'd worry all the more. We'll finish the paper and then have -Doctor Stevens come over this evening. We can fix it so he'll just drop -in for a social call." - -"Good idea," said Tom as he climbed back on his stool and threw in the -clutch. - -The press started its steady clanking and Helen picked up a pile of -papers and spread them out on one of the makeup stones. Her father had -printed two of the pages of home news during the morning and these sheets -were stacked in a pile in one corner. She arranged two piles of papers on -the makeup table, one pile which her father had printed and one of papers -which were coming off the press as fast as Tom could keep it rolling. - -Helen put on a heavy, blue-denim apron to protect her school dress and -went to work. With nimble hands she put the sheets of paper together, -folded them with a quick motion and slid the completed paper off the -table and onto a box placed close by for that purpose. - -The press, of unknown vintage, moved slowly and when Helen started at the -same time as Tom she could fold the papers as rapidly as they were -printed. But that day Tom, who had managed to be excused half an hour -early, had too much of a start and when he finished the press run Helen -still had several hundred papers to fold. - -Tom stopped the press, shut off the motor, raised the ink rollers and -then pulled the forms off the press and carried them to the other makeup -table. After washing the ink off the type with a gasoline-soaked rag, he -gathered an armful of papers Helen had folded and carried them into the -editorial office. There he got out the long galleys which held the names -of the subscribers. He inked each galley, placed it in the mailing -machine, and then fed the papers into the mailer. They came out with the -name of a subscriber printed at the top of each paper. - -The young Blairs worked silently, hastening to complete their respective -tasks so they could hurry home. Tom had forgotten his plans to play -baseball and all thought of the outcome of the debate tryouts had left -Helen's mind. There was one thought uppermost in their minds. What was -the matter with their father? - - - - - CHAPTER II - _Startling News_ - - -The last paper folded, Helen removed the heavy apron and washed her hands -at the sink behind the press. When she entered the editorial office Tom -was putting the last of the papers through the mailer. They gathered them -up, placed them in a large sack and carried them into the postoffice. - -"We won't stop to sweep out tonight," said Helen. "Let's lock up and then -see Doctor Stevens on our way home. He's usually in his office at this -time." - -Tom agreed and, after putting away the mailing machine, locked the back -door, closed the windows in the shop and announced that he was ready to -go. - -Helen locked the front door and they walked down main street toward the -white, one-story building which housed the office of Doctor Stevens, the -town's only physician. - -Tom was tall and slender with wavy, brown hair and brown eyes that were -always alive with interest. Helen came scarcely above his shoulder, but -she was five feet two of concentrated energy. She had left her tam at the -office and the afternoon sun touched her blond hair with gold. Her eyes -were the same clear blue as her mother's and the rosy hue in her cheeks -gave hint of her vitality. - -They entered Doctor Stevens' waiting room and found the genial physician -reading a medical journal. - -"Hello, Helen! How are you Tom?" He boomed in his deep voice. - -"We're fine, Doctor Stevens," replied Helen, "but we're worried about -Dad." - -"Why, what's the matter with your father?" asked the doctor, adjusting -his glasses. - -"Dad wasn't feeling very well when I came down from school at -three-thirty," said Tom, "and when I started the afternoon press run, he -went into the office to rest a while. When Helen came in a little after -four, Dad looked pretty rocky and she made him go home." - -"How did he look when you talked with him?" Doctor Stevens asked Helen. - -"Awfully tired and mighty worried," replied Helen. "It was his eyes more -than anything else. He's afraid of something and it has worried him until -he is positively ill." - -"And haven't you any idea what it could be?" asked the doctor. - -"I've been thinking about it ever since Dad went home," said Helen, "and -I don't know of a single thing that would worry him that much." - -"Neither do I," added Tom. - -"What we'd like to have you do," went on Helen, "is to drop in after -supper. Make it look like a little social visit and it will give you a -good excuse to give Dad the once over. We'll be ever so much relieved if -you will." - -"Of course I will," the doctor assured them. "You're probably worrying -about some little thing and the more you think about it, the larger it -grows. Possibly a little touch of stomach trouble. What have you been -trying to cook, lately?" he asked Helen. - -"Couldn't be my cooking," she replied. "I haven't done any for a week and -you know that Mother's good cooking would never make anyone ill." - -"I'll come over about seven-thirty," promised Doctor Stevens, "and don't -you two worry yourselves over this. Your father will be all right in a -day or two." - -Helen and Tom thanked Doctor Stevens and continued on their way home. -They went back past the postoffice and the _Herald_ and down toward the -lake, whose waters reflected the rays of the setting sun in varied hues. - -A block from the lake shore they turned to their right into a tree-shaded -street and climbed a gentle hill. Their home stood on a knoll overlooking -the lake. It was an old-fashioned house that had started out as a three -room cottage. Additions had been made until it rambled away in several -directions. It boasted no definite style of architecture, but had a -hominess that few houses possess. From the long, open front porch, there -was an unobstructed view down the lake, which stretched away in the -distance, its far reaches hidden in the coming twilight. A speed boat, -being loaded with the afternoon mail for the summer resorts down the -lake, was sputtering at the big pier at the foot of main street. A bundle -of _Heralds_ was placed on the boat and then it whisked away down the -lake, a curving streak of white marking its passage. - -Helen found her mother in the kitchen preparing their evening meal. - -Mrs. Blair, at forty-five, was a handsome woman. Her hair had decided -touches of gray but her face still held the peachbloom of youth and she -looked more like an older sister than a mother. She had been a teacher in -the high school at Rolfe when Hugh Blair had come to edit the country -paper. The teacher and the editor had fallen in love and she had given up -teaching and married him. - -"How's Dad?" Helen asked. - -"He doesn't feel very well," her mother replied and Helen could see lines -of worry around her mother's eyes. - -"Don't worry, Mother," she counselled. "Dad has been working too hard -this year. In two more weeks school will be over and Tom and I can do -most of the work on the paper. You two can plan on a fine trip and a real -rest this summer." - -"I hope so," said Mrs. Blair, "for your father certainly needs a change -of some kind." - -Helen helped her mother with the preparations for supper, setting the -table and carrying the food from the kitchen to the dining room where -broad windows opened out on the porch. - -Tom, who had been upstairs washing the last of the ink from his hands, -entered the kitchen. - -"Supper about ready?" he asked. "I'm mighty hungry tonight." - -"All ready," smiled his mother. "I'll call your father." - -Helen turned on the lights in the dining room and they waited for their -father to come from his bedroom. They could hear low voices for several -minutes and finally Mrs. Blair returned to the dining room. - -"We'll go ahead and eat," she managed to smile. "Your father doesn't feel -like supper right now." - -Tom started to say something, but Helen shook her head and they sat down -and started their evening meal. - -Mrs. Blair, usually gay and interested in the activities of the day, had -little to say, but Helen talked of school and the activities and plans of -the sophomore class. - -"We're going to have a picnic down the lake next Monday," she said. - -"That's nothing," said Tom, who was president of the junior class. "We're -giving the seniors the finest banquet they've ever had." - -Whereupon they fell into a heated argument over the merits of the -sophomores and juniors, a question which had been debated all year -without a definite decision. Sometimes Tom considered himself the victor -while on other occasions Helen had the best of the argument. - -Supper over, Helen helped her mother clear the table and wash the dishes. -It was seven-thirty before they had finished their work in the kitchen -and Mrs. Blair was on her way to her husband's room when Doctor Stevens, -bag in hand, walked in. - -A neighbor for many years, the genial doctor did not stop to knock. - -"Haven't been in for weeks," he said, "so thought I'd drop over and chin -with Hugh for a while." - -"Hugh isn't feeling very well," said Mrs. Blair. "He came home from the -office this afternoon and didn't want anything for supper." - -"Let me have a look at him," said Doctor Stevens. "Suppose his stomach is -out of whack or something like that." - -Tom and Helen, standing in the dining room, watched Doctor Stevens and -their mother go down the hall to their father's bedroom. - -The next half hour was one of the longest in their young lives. Tom tried -to read the continued story in the _Herald_, while Helen fussed at first -one thing and then another. - -The door of their father's room finally opened and Doctor Stevens -summoned them. - -Neither Tom nor Helen would ever forget the scene in their father's -bedroom that night. Their mother, seated at the far side of the bed, -looked at them through tear-dimmed eyes. - -Their father, reclining on the bed, looked taller than ever, and the -lines of pain which Helen had noticed in his face that afternoon had -deepened. His hands were moving nervously and his eyes were bright with -fever. - -"Sit down," said Doctor Stevens as he took a chair beside Hugh Blair's -bed. - -Tom was about to ask his father how he felt, when Doctor Stevens spoke -again. - -"We might as well face this thing together," he said. "I'll tell you now -that it is going to be something of a fight for all of you, but unless -I'm mistaken, the Blairs are all real fighters." - -"What's the matter Doctor Stevens?" Helen's voice was low and strained. - -"Your father must take a thorough rest," he said. "He will have to go to -some southwestern state for a number of months. Perhaps it will only take -six months, but it may be longer." - -"But I can't be away that long," protested Hugh Blair. "I must think of -my family, of the _Herald_." - -"Your family must think of you now," said Doctor Stevens firmly. "That's -why I wanted to talk this over with Tom and Helen." - -"Just what is wrong, Dad?" asked Tom. - -Doctor Stevens answered the question. - -"Lung trouble," he said quietly. "Your father has spent too many years -bent over his desk in that dark cubbyhole of his--too many years without -a vacation. Now he's got to give that up and devote a number of months to -building up his body again." - -Helen felt the blood racing through her body. Her throat went dry and her -head ached. She had realized only that afternoon that her father wasn't -well but she had not been prepared for Doctor Stevens' announcement. - -The doctor was talking again. - -"I blame myself partly," he was telling Hugh Blair. "You worked yourself -into this almost under my eyes, and I never dreamed what was happening. -Too close to you, I guess." - -"When do you think Hugh should start for the southwest?" asked Helen's -mother. - -"Just as soon as we can arrange things," replied Doctor Stevens. "This is -Thursday. I'd like to have him on the way by Saturday night. Every day -counts." - -"That's impossible," protested Hugh Blair, half rising from his bed. "I -don't see how I can possibly afford it. Think of the expense of a trip -down there, of living there. What about the _Herald_? What about my -family?" - -A plan had been forming in Helen's mind from the time Doctor Stevens had -said her father must go to a different climate. - -"Everything will be all right, Dad," she said. "There isn't a reason in -the world why you shouldn't go. Tom and I are capable of running the -_Herald_ and with what you've saved toward our college educations, you -can make the trip and stay as long as you want to." - -"But I couldn't think of using your college money," protested her father, -"even if you and Tom could run the _Herald_." - -"Helen's got the right idea," said Doctor Stevens. "Your health must come -above everything else right now. I'm sure those youngsters can run the -_Herald_. Maybe they'll do an even better job than you," he added with a -twinkle in his eyes. - -"We can run the paper in fine shape, Dad," said Tom. "If you hired -someone from outside to come in and take charge it would eat up all the -profits. If Helen and I run the _Herald_, we'll have every cent we make -for you and mother." - -Mrs. Blair, who had been silent during the discussion, spoke. - -"Hugh," she said, "Tom and Helen are right. I know how you dislike using -their college money, but it is right that you should. I am sure that they -can manage the _Herald_." - -Thus it was arranged that Tom and Helen were to take charge of the -_Herald_. They talked with the superintendent of schools the next day and -he agreed to excuse them from half their classes for the remaining weeks -of school with the provision that they must pass all of their final -examinations. - -Friday and Saturday passed all too quickly. Helen busied herself -collecting the current accounts and Tom spent part of the time at the -office doing job work and the remainder at home helping with the packing. - -Saturday noon Tom went to the bank and withdrew the $1,275 their father -had placed in their college account. The only money left was $112 in the -_Herald_ account, just enough to take care of running expenses of the -paper. - -Hugh Blair owned his home and his paper, was proud of his family and his -host of friends, but of actual worldly wealth he had little. - -Doctor Stevens drove them to the Junction thirty miles away where Hugh -Blair was to take the Southwestern limited. There was little conversation -during the drive. - -The limited was at the junction when they arrived and goodbyes were -brief. - -Hugh Blair said a few words to his wife, who managed to smile through her -tears. Then he turned to Tom and Helen. - -"Take good care of the _Herald_," he told them, as he gave them a goodbye -hug. - -"We will Dad and you take good care of yourself," they called as he -climbed into the Pullman. - -Cries of "boooo-ard," sounded along the train. The porters swung their -footstools up into the vestibules, the whistle sounded two short, sharp -blasts, and the limited rolled away from the station. - -Tom, Helen and their mother stood on the platform until the train -disappeared behind a hill. - -When they turned toward home, Tom and Helen faced the biggest -responsibility of their young lives. It was up to them to continue the -publication of the _Herald_, to supply the money to keep their home going -and to build up a reserve which their father could call upon if he was -forced to use all the money from their college fund. - - - - - CHAPTER III - _In the Editor's Chair_ - - -Sunday morning found Tom and Helen Blair entering a new era in their -lives. While their father sped toward the southwest in quest of renewed -health, they planned how they could develop the _Herald_. - -Their mother was silent through breakfast and several times they saw her -eyes dim with tears. - -"Don't worry, Mother," said Helen. "We'll manage all right and Dad is -going to pull through in fine shape. Why, he'll be back with us by -Christmas time." - -"I wish I could be as optimistic as you are, Helen," said Mrs. Blair. - -"You'll feel better in a few more hours," said Tom. "It's the suddenness -of it all. Now we've got to buckle down and make the _Herald_ keep on -paying dividends." - -Tom and Helen helped their mother clear away the breakfast dishes and -then dressed for Sunday school. Mrs. Blair taught a class of -ten-to-twelve-year-old girls. Tom and Helen were in the upper classes. - -The Methodist church they attended was a red brick structure, the first -brick building built in Rolfe, and it was covered with English ivy that -threatened even to hide the windows. The morning was warm and restful and -they enjoyed the walk from home to church. - -The minister was out of town on his vacation and there were no church -services. After Sunday school the Blairs walked down to the postoffice. -The large mail box which was rented for the _Herald_ was filled with -papers, circulars and letters. - -"We might as well go back to the office and sort this out," said Tom, and -Mrs. Blair and Helen agreed. - -The office was just as Tom and Helen had left it Thursday night for they -had been too busy since then helping with the arrangements for their -father's departure to clean it up. - -The type was still in the forms, papers were scattered on the floor and -dust had gathered on the counter and the desk which had served Hugh Blair -for so many years. - -"I'll open the windows and the back door," said Tom, "and we'll get some -air moving through here. It's pretty stuffy." - -Mrs. Blair sat down in the swivel chair in front of her husband's desk -and Helen pulled up the only other chair in the office, an uncomfortable -straight-backed affair. - -"You're editor now," Mrs. Blair told Helen. "You'd better start in by -sorting the mail." - -"Tom's in charge," replied Helen as her brother returned to the office. - -"Let's not argue," said Tom. "We'll have a business meeting right now. -Mother, you represent Dad, who is the owner. Now you decide who will be -what." - -"What will we need?" smiled Mrs. Blair. - -"We need a business manager first," said Helen. - -"Wrong," interjected Tom. "It's a publisher." - -"Then I say let's make it unanimous and elect mother as publisher," said -Helen. - -"Second the motion," grinned Tom. - -"If there are no objections, the motion is declared passed," said Helen. -"And now Mother, you're the duly elected publisher of the _Rolfe -Herald_." - -"I may turn out to be a hard-boiled boss," said Mrs. Blair, but her smile -belied her words. - -"We're not worrying a whole lot," said Tom. "The next business is -selecting a business manager, a mechanical department, an editor, and a -reporter. Also a couple of general handymen capable of doing any kind of -work on a weekly newspaper." - -"That sounds like a big payroll for a paper as small as the _Herald_," -protested Mrs. Blair. - -"I think you'll be able to get them reasonable," said Tom. - -"In which case," added Helen, "you'd better appoint Tom as business -manager, mechanical department, and handyman." - -"And you might as well name Helen as editor, reporter and first assistant -to the handyman," grinned Tom. - -"I've filled my positions easier than I expected," smiled Mrs. Blair. "As -publisher, I'll stay at home and keep out of your way." - -"Mother, we don't want you to do that," exclaimed Helen. "We want you to -come down and help us whenever you have time." - -"But what could I do?" asked her mother. - -"Lots of things. For instance, jot down all of the personal items you -know about your friends and about all of the club meetings. That would be -a great help to me. Sometimes in the evening maybe you'd even find time -to write them up, for Tom and I are going to be frightfully busy between -going to school and running the _Herald_." - -"I'll tell the town," said Tom. "If you'd handle the society news, -Mother, you could make it a great feature. The _Herald_ has never paid -much attention to the social events in town. Guess Dad was too busy. But -I think the women would appreciate having all of their parties written -up. I could set up a nice head, 'Society News of Rolfe,' and we'd run a -column or so every week on one of the inside pages." - -"You're getting me all excited, Tom," said his mother. "Your father said -I never would make a newspaper woman but if you and Helen will have a -little patience with me, I'd really enjoy writing the social items." - -"Have patience with you, Mother?" said Helen. "It's a case of whether -you'll have patience with us." - -"We're going to have to plan our time carefully," said Tom, "for we'll -have to keep up in our school work. I've got it doped out like this. -Superintendent Fowler says Helen and I can go half days and as long as we -cover all of the class work, receive full credit. The first half of the -week is going to be the busiest for me. I'll have to solicit my ads, set -them up, do what job work I have time for and set up the stories Helen -turns out for the paper. I could get in more time in the afternoon than -in the morning so Helen had better plan on taking the mornings on Monday, -Tuesday and Wednesday away from school." - -"It will work out better for her, too," went on Tom. "Many of the big -news events happen over the week-end and she'll be on the job Monday -morning. I'll have every afternoon and evening for my share of the work -and for studying. Then we'll both take Thursday afternoon away from -school and get the paper out. And on Friday, Mother, if you'll come down -and stay at the office, we'll go to school all day. How does that sound?" - -"Seems to me you've thought of everything," agreed Helen. "I like the -idea of doing my editorial work in the mornings the first part of the -week and I'll be able to do some of it after school hours." - -"Then it looks like the _Herald_ staff is about ready to start work on -the next issue," said Tom. "We have a publisher, a business manager and -an editor. What we need now are plenty of ads and lots of news." - -"What would you say, Mother, if Tom and I stayed down at the office a -while and did some cleaning up?" asked Helen. - -"Under the circumstances, I haven't any objections," said their mother. -"There isn't any church service this morning and you certainly can put in -a few hours work here in the office to good advantage. I'll stay and help -you with the dusting and sweeping." - -"You run on home and rest," insisted Helen. "Also, don't forget Sunday -dinner. We'll be home about two or two-thirty, and we'll be hungry by -that time." - -Mrs. Blair picked up the Sunday papers and after warning Tom and Helen -that dinner would be ready promptly at two-thirty, left them in the -office. - -"Well, Mr. Business Manager, what are you going to start on?" asked -Helen. - -"Mr. Editor," replied Tom, "I've got to throw in all the type from last -week's forms. What are you going to do?" - -"The office needs a good cleaning," said Helen. "I'm going to put on my -old apron and spend an hour dusting and mopping. You keep out or you'll -track dirt in while I'm doing it." - -Tom took off the coat of his Sunday suit, rolled up his shirt sleeves and -donned the ink-smeared apron he wore when working in the composing room. -Helen put on the long apron she used when folding papers and they went to -work with their enthusiasm at a high pitch. Their task was not new but so -much now depended on the success of their efforts that they found added -zest in everything they did. - -Helen went through the piles of old papers on her father's desk, throwing -many of them into the large cardboard carton which served as a -wastebasket. When the desk was finally in order, she turned her attention -to the counter. Samples of stationery needed to be placed in order and -she completely rearranged the old-fashioned show case with its display of -job printing which showed what the _Herald_ plant was capable of doing. - -With the desk and counter in shape, Helen picked up all of the papers on -the floor, pulled the now heavily laden cardboard carton into the -composing room, and then secured the mop and a pail of water. The barber -shop, located below the postoffice, kept the building supplied with warm -water, and Helen soon had a good pail of suds. - -Tom stopped his work in the composing room and came in to watch the -scrubbing. - -"First time that floor has been scrubbed in years," he said. - -"I know it," said Helen as she swished her mop into the corners. "Dad was -running the paper and Mother was too busy bringing us up to come down -here and do it for him." - -"He'll never recognize the old place when he comes back," said Tom. - -"We'll brighten it up a little," agreed Helen, as Tom returned to his -task of throwing in the type. - -Helen had the editorial office thoroughly cleaned by one o'clock and sat -down in her father's swivel chair to rest. Tom called in from the back -room. - -"You'd better plan your editorial work for the week," he said. "I want to -run the Linotype every afternoon and you'll have to have copy for me." - -"What do you want first?" said Helen. - -"Better get the editorials ready today," he replied. "They don't have to -be absolutely spot copy. Dad wrote the first column himself and then -clipped a column or a column and a half from nearby papers." - -"I'll get at it right away," said Helen. "The exchanges for last week are -on the desk. After I've gone through them I'll write my own editorials." - -"Better have one about Dad going away," said Tom and there was a queer -catch in his voice. - -Helen did not answer for her eyes filled with a strange mist and her -throat suddenly felt dry and full. - -Their father's departure for the southwest had left a great void in their -home life but Helen knew they would have to make the best of it. She was -determined that their efforts on the _Herald_ be successful. - -Helen turned to the stack of exchanges which were on the desk and opened -the editorial page of the first one. She was a rapid reader and she -scanned paper after paper in quest of editorials which would interest -readers of the _Herald_. When she found one she snipped it out with a -handy pair of scissors and pasted it on a sheet of copy paper. Six or -seven were needed for the _Herald's_ editorial page and it took her half -an hour to get enough. With the clipped editorials pasted and new heads -written on them, Helen turned to the typewriter to write the editorials -for the column which her father was accustomed to fill with his own -comments on current subjects. - -Helen had stacked the copypaper in a neat pile on the desk and she took a -sheet and rolled it into the typewriter. She had taken a commercial -course the first semester and her mastery of the touch system of typing -was to stand her in good stead for her work as editor of the _Herald_. - -For several minutes the young editor of the _Herald_ sat motionless in -front of her typewriter, struggling to find the right words. She knew her -father would want only a few simple sentences about his enforced absence -from his duties as publisher of the paper. - -Then Helen got the idea she wanted and her fingers moved rapidly over the -keys. The leading editorial was finished in a short time. It was only one -paragraph and Helen took it out of the machine and read it carefully. - - "Mr. Hugh Blair, editor and publisher of the _Herald_ for the last - twenty years, has been compelled, by ill health, to leave his work at - Rolfe and go to a drier climate for at least six months. In the - meantime, we ask your cooperation and help in our efforts to carry out - Mr. Blair's ideals in the publication of the _Herald_. - Signed, - - Mrs. Hugh Blair, Helen and Tom Blair." - -After reading the editorial carefully, Helen called to her brother. - -"Come in and see what you think of my lead editorial," she said. - -Tom, his hands grimy with ink from the type he had been throwing into the -cases, came into the editorial office. - -He whistled in amazement at the change Helen had brought about. The -papers were gone from the floor, which had been scrubbed clean, and the -desk and counter were neat and orderly. - -"Looks like a different office," he said. "But wait until I have a chance -to swing a broom and mop in the composing room. And I'm going to fix some -of the makeup tables so they'll be a little handier." - -Helen handed him the editorial and Tom read it thoughtfully. - -"It's mighty short," he said, "but it tells the story." - -"Dad wouldn't want a long sob story," replied Helen. "Here's the clipped -editorials. You can put them on the hook on your Linotype and I'll bring -the others out as soon as I write them." - -Tom returned to the composing room with the handful of editorial copy -Helen had given him and the editor of the _Herald_ resumed her duties. - -She wrote an editorial on the beauty of Rolfe in the spring and another -one on the desirability for a paved road between Rolfe and Gladbrook, the -county seat. In advocating the paved road, Helen pointed to the increased -tourist traffic which would be drawn to Rolfe as soon as a paved road -made Lake Dubar accessible to main highways. - -It was nearly two o'clock when she finished her labor at the typewriter. -She was tired and hungry. One thing sure, being editor of the _Herald_ -would be no easy task. Of that she was convinced. - -"Let's go home for dinner," she called to Tom. - -"Suits me," replied her brother. "I've finished throwing in the last -page. We're all ready to start work on the next issue." - -They took off their aprons and while Helen washed her hands, Tom closed -the windows and locked the back door. He took his turn at the sink and -they locked the front door and started for home. - -"What we need now is a good, big story for our first edition," said Tom. - -"We may have it before nightfall if those clouds get to rolling much -more," said Helen. - -Tom scanned the sky. The sunshine of the May morning had vanished. -Ominous banks of clouds were rolling over the hills which flanked the -western valley of Lake Dubar and the lake itself was lashed by white -caps, spurred by a gusty wind. - -They went down main street, turned off on the side street and climbed the -slope to their home. - -Mrs. Blair was busy putting some heavy pots over flowers she wanted to -protect from the wind. - -"Dinner's all ready," she told them, "and I've asked Margaret Stevens -over. She wants to talk with Helen about the sophomore class picnic -tomorrow." - -"I won't have time to go," said Helen. "We'll be awfully busy working on -the next issue." - -"You're on the class committee, aren't you?" asked Tom. - -"Yes." - -"Then you're going to the picnic. We'll have lots to do on the _Herald_ -but we won't have to give up all of our other activities." - -"Tom is right," said Mrs. Blair. "You must plan on going to the picnic." - -Margaret Stevens came across the street from her home. Margaret was a -decided brunette, a striking contrast to Helen's blondness. - -"We'll go in and eat," said Mrs. Blair. "Then we'll come out and watch -the storm. There is going to be a lot of wind." - -Margaret was jolly and good company and Helen thought her mother wise to -have a guest for dinner. It kept them from thinking too much about their -father's absence. - -There was roast beef and hashed brown potatoes with thick gravy, lettuce -salad, pickled beets, bread and butter, large glasses of rich milk and -lemon pie. - -"I've never tasted a better meal," said Tom between mouthfuls. - -"That's because you've been so busy at the office," smiled his mother. - -"We were moving right along," agreed Tom. "I got the forms all ready for -the next issue and Helen has the editorials done." - -"Won't you need a reporter?" asked Margaret. - -"We may need one but Helen and Mother are going to try and do all the -news writing," said Tom. - -"I mean a reporter who would work for nothing. I'd like to help for I've -always wanted to write." - -"You could be a real help, Margaret," said Helen, "and we'd enjoy having -you help us. Keep your ears open for all of the personal items and tell -Mother about any parties. She's going to write the society news." - -"We're getting quite a staff," smiled Tom. "I'm open for applications of -anyone who wants to work in the mechanical department." - -"That's not as romantic as gathering and writing news," said Margaret. - -"But just as important," insisted Tom. - -The room darkened and a particularly heavy gust of wind shook the house. -From the west came a low rumbling. - -Tom dropped his knife and fork and went to the front porch. - -"Come here, Helen!" he cried. "The storm's breaking. You're going to have -your first big story right now!" - - - - - CHAPTER IV - _Through the Storm_ - - -Tom's cry brought the others from the dinner table to the screened-in -porch which overlooked the lake. He was right. The storm was roaring down -out of the hills in the west in all its fury. - -The black clouds which had been rolling along the horizon when Tom and -Helen had come home were massed in a solid, angry front. Driven by a -whistling wind, they were sweeping down on the lake. An ominous fringe of -yellow wind clouds dashed on ahead and as they reached the porch they saw -the waters of Lake Dubar whiten before the fury of the wind. - -"Looks like a twister," shouted Tom. - -His mother's face whitened and she anxiously scanned the sky. - -Doctor Stevens ran across from his home. - -"Better close all your windows and secure the doors," he warned. "We're -going to get a lot of wind before the rain comes." - -"Tom is afraid of a tornado," said Mrs. Blair. - -"The weather is about right," admitted the doctor. "But we won't worry -until we see the clouds start to swirl. Then we'll run for the storm -cellar under my house." - -Helen and Margaret hurried to help Mrs. Blair close the upstairs windows -while Tom went around to make sure that the screens were secure. He -bolted all doors except the one to the porch and when he returned to join -the others, the tempo of the wind was increasing rapidly. - -The wind suddenly dropped to a whisper and Doctor Stevens watched the -rolling clouds with renewed anxiety. The waters of the lake were calmer -and the dust clouds which the wind had driven over the water cleared -partially. - -"Look!" cried Helen. "There's a motorboat trying to reach one of the -boathouses here!" - -Through the haze of dust which still hung over the lake they could -discern the outline of a boat, laboring to reach the safety of the Rolfe -end of the lake. - -"It's Jim Preston," said Doctor Stevens. "He goes down to the summer -resorts at the far end of the lake every Sunday morning with the mail and -papers." - -"His boat's got a lot of water in it from the way it is riding," added -Tom. "If the storm hits him he'll never make it." - -"Jim should have known better than to have taken a chance when he could -see this mess of weather brewing," snorted the doctor. - -"His wife's sick," put in Mrs. Blair, "and Jim's probably taken an extra -risk to get home as soon as possible." - -"I know," said Doctor Stevens. - -"He's bailing by hand," cried Tom. "That means something has gone wrong -with the water pump on the engine." - -"Can you see what boat he has?" asked Doctor Stevens. - -"It looks like the Flyer," said Helen, who knew the lines of every -motorboat on the lake. - -"That's the poorest wet weather boat Jim has," said Doctor Stevens. -"Every white cap slops over the side. She's fast but a death trap in a -storm. Either the Liberty or the Argosy would eat up weather like this." - -"Jim's been overhauling the engines in his other boats," said Tom, "and -the Flyer is the only thing he has been using this spring." - -"Instead of standing here talking, let's get down to the shore," said -Helen. "Maybe we can get someone to go out and help him." - -Without waiting for the others to reply, Helen started running toward the -lake. She heard a cry behind her and turned to see Tom pointing toward -the hills in the west. - -The wind was whistling again and when she turned to look in the direction -her brother pointed, she stopped suddenly. The black storm clouds were -massing for the main attack and they were rolling together. - -In the seconds that Helen watched, she saw them swirl toward a common -center, heard the deafening rise of the wind and trembled as the clouds, -now formed in a great funnel, started toward the lake. - -"Come back, Helen, come back!" Tom shouted. - -Forcing herself to overcome the storm terror which now gripped her, Helen -looked out over the boiling waters of the lake. - -The wind was whipping into a new frenzy and she could just barely see the -Flyer above the white-capped waves. Jim Preston was making a brave effort -to reach shore and Helen knew that the little group at her own home were -probably the only ones in Rolfe who knew of the boatman's danger. Seconds -counted and ignoring the warning cries from her brother, she hurried on -toward the lake. - -The noise of the oncoming tornado beat on her ears, but she dared not -look toward the west. If she did she knew she would turn and race for the -shelter and security of Doctor Stevens' storm cellar. - -The Flyer was rolling dangerously as Jim Preston made for the shore and -Helen doubted if the boatman would ever make it. - -On and on the sleek craft pushed its way, the waves breaking over its -slender, speedy nose and cascading back into the open cockpit in which -Jim Preston was bailing furiously. The Flyer was nosing deeper into the -waves as it shipped more water. When the ignition wires got wet the motor -would stop and Preston's last chance would be gone. - -Helen felt someone grab her arms. It was Tom. - -"Come back!" he cried. "The tornado will be on us in another five -minutes!" - -"We've got to help Mr. Preston," shouted Helen, and she refused to move. - -"All right, then I stay too," yelled Tom, who kept anxious eyes on the -approaching tornado. - -The Flyer was less than a hundred yards from shore but was settling -deeper and deeper into the water. - -"It's almost shallow enough for him to wade ashore," cried Helen. - -"Wind would sweep him off his feet," replied Tom. - -The speedboat was making slow progress, barely staggering along in its -battle against the wind and waves. - -"He's going to make it!" shouted Helen. - -"I hope so," said Tom, but his words were lost in the wind. - -Fifty yards more and the Flyer would nose into the sandy beach which -marked the Rolfe end of the lake. - -"Come on, Flyer, come on!" cried Helen. - -"The engine's dying," said Tom. "Look, the nose is going under that big -wave." - -With the motor dead, the Flyer lost way and buried its nose under a giant -white-cap. - -"He's jumping out of the boat," added Helen. "It's shallow enough so he -can wade in if he can keep his feet." - -Ignoring the increasing danger of the tornado, they ran across the sandy -beach. - -"Join hands," cried Helen. "We can wade out and pull him the last few -feet." - -Realizing that his sister would go on alone if he did not help her, Tom -locked his hands in hers and they plunged into the shallow water. - -Jim Preston, on the verge of exhaustion, staggered through the waves. - -The Flyer, caught between two large rollers, filled with water and -disappeared less than ten seconds after it had been abandoned. - -The boatman floundered toward them and Tom and Helen found themselves -hard-pressed to keep their own feet, for a strong undertow threatened to -upset them and sweep them out into the lake. - -Preston lunged toward them and they caught him as he fell. - -Tom turned momentarily to watch the approach of the tornado. - -"Hurry!" he cried. "We'll be able to reach Doctor Stevens' storm cellar -if we run." - -"I can't run," gasped Preston. "You youngsters get me to shore. Then save -yourselves." - -"We'll do nothing of the kind," said Helen. - -With their encouragement, Preston made a new effort and they made their -escape from the dangerous waters of the lake. - -Alone, Helen or Tom could have raced up the hill to Doctor Stevens in -less than a minute but with an almost helpless man to drag between them, -they made slow progress. - -"We've got to hurry," warned Tom as the noise of the storm told of its -rapid approach. - -"Go on, go on! Leave me here!" urged Preston. - -But Helen and Tom were deaf to his pleas and they forced him to use the -last of his strength in a desperate race up the hill ahead of the -tornado. - -Doctor Stevens met them half way up the hill and almost carried Preston -the rest of the way. - -"Across the street and into my storm cellar," he told them. - -"Is the tornado going to hit the town?" asked Helen as they hurried -across the street. - -"Can't tell yet," replied Doctor Stevens. - -"There's a common belief that the hills and lake protect us so a tornado -will never strike here," said Tom. - -"We'll soon know about that," said the doctor grimly. - -They got the exhausted boatman to the entrance of the cellar, where Mrs. -Blair was anxiously awaiting their return. - -"Are you all right, Helen?" she asked. - -"A little wet on my lower extremities," replied the young editor of the -_Herald_. "I simply had to go, mother." - -"Of course you did," said Mrs. Blair. "It was dangerous but I'm proud of -you Helen." - -Mrs. Stevens brought out blankets and wrapped them around Jim Preston's -shoulders while Margaret took candles down into the storm cellar. - -The noise of the storm had increased to such an intensity that -conversation was almost impossible. - -Doctor Stevens maintained his watchful vigil, noting every movement of -the tornado. - -The sky was so dark that the daylight had faded into dusk although it was -only a few minutes after three. The whole western sky was filled with -coal-black clouds and out of the center of this ominous mass rushed the -lashing tongue which was destroying everything it touched. - -On and on came the storm, advancing with a deadly relentlessness. A farm -house a little more than a mile away on one of the hills overlooking the -lake exploded as though a charge of dynamite had been set off beneath it. - -"It's terrible, terrible," sobbed Margaret Stevens, who had come out of -the cellar to watch the storm. - -"We're going to get hit," Tom warned them. - -"I've got to get home," said Jim Preston, struggling out of the blankets -which Mrs. Stevens had wrapped around him. "My wife's all alone." - -"Stay here, Jim," commanded Doctor Stevens. "You couldn't get more than -three or four blocks before the storm strikes and your place is clear -across town. Everybody into the cellar," he commanded. - -Mrs. Stevens and Helen's mother went first to light the candles. They -were followed by Margaret and Helen, then Tom and Jim Preston and finally -the doctor, who remained in the doorway on guard. - -"What will this do to the _Herald_?" Helen whispered to Tom. - -Her brother nudged her hard. - -"Don't let Mother hear you," he replied. "There is nothing we can do now -except hope. The _Herald_ building may not be destroyed." - -Helen dropped to the floor and her head bowed in prayer. Their father's -illness had been a blow and to have the _Herald_ plant destroyed by a -tornado would be almost more than they could bear. - -The noise of the tornado was terrific and they felt the earth trembling -at the fury of the storm gods. - -Helen had seen pictures of towns razed by tornadoes but she had never -dreamed that she would be in one herself. - -Suddenly the roar of the storm lessened and Doctor Stevens cautiously -opened the door of the storm cellar. - -"We're safe!" he cried. - -They trooped out of the cellar. The tornado had swung away from Rolfe -without striking the town itself and was lashing its way down the center -of Lake Dubar. - -"It will wear itself out before it reaches the end of the lake," -predicted Jim Preston. - -"I don't believe any houses in town were damaged," said Doctor Stevens. -"A hen house and garage or two may have been unroofed but that will be -about all." - -"How about the farmers back in the hills?" asked Helen. - -"They must have fared pretty badly if they were in the center of the -storm," said the doctor. "I'm going to get my car and start out that way. -Someone may need medical attention." - -"Can I go with you?" asked Helen. "I want to get all the facts about the -storm for my story for the _Herald_." - -"Glad to have you," said the doctor. - -"Count me in," said Margaret Stevens. "I've joined Helen's staff as her -first reporter," she told her father. - -"If you want to go down the lake in the morning and see what happened at -the far end I'll be glad to take you," suggested Jim Preston. "I'm mighty -grateful for what you and Tom did for me and I'll have the Liberty ready -to go by morning." - -"What about the Flyer?" asked Tom. - -"I'll have to fish her out of the lake sometime next week," grinned the -boatman. "I'm lucky even to be here, but I am, thanks to you." - -Doctor Stevens backed his sedan out of the garage and Helen started -toward the car. - -"You can't go looking like that," protested her mother. "Your shoes and -hose are wet and dirty and your dress looks something like a mop." - -"Can't help the looks, mother," smiled Helen. "I'll have to go as I am. -This is my first big news and the story comes first." - - - - - CHAPTER V - _Reporting Plus_ - - -Clouds which followed the terrific wind unleashed their burden and a gray -curtain of rain swept down from the heavens. - -"Get your slickers," Doctor Stevens called to the girls and Helen raced -across the street for her coat and a storm hat. - -"Better put on those heavy, high-topped boots you use for hiking," Tom -advised Helen when they had reached the shelter of their own home. -"You'll probably be gone the rest of the afternoon and you'll need the -boots." - -Helen nodded her agreement and rummaged through the down stairs closet -for the sturdy boots. She dragged them out and untangled the laces. Then -she kicked off her oxfords and started to slide her feet into the boots. -Her mother stopped her. - -"Put on these woolen stockings," she said. "Those light silk ones will -wear through in an hour and your heels will be chafed raw." - -With heavy stockings and boots on, Helen slipped into the slicker which -Tom held for her. She put on her old felt hat just as Doctor Stevens' car -honked. - -"Bye, Mother," she cried. "Don't worry. I'll be all right with the doctor -and Margaret." - -"Get all the news," cautioned Tom as Helen ran through the storm and -climbed into the doctor's sedan. - -Margaret Stevens was also wearing heavy shoes and a slicker while the -doctor had put on knee length rubber boots and a heavy ulster. - -"We'll get plenty of rain before we're back," he told the girls, "and -we'll have to walk where the roads are impassable." - -They stopped down town and Doctor Stevens ran into his office to see if -any calls had been left for him. When he returned his face was grave. - -"What's the matter?" asked Margaret. - -"I called the telephone office," replied her father, "and they said all -the phone wires west of the lake were down but that reports were a number -of farm houses had been destroyed by the tornado." - -"Then you think someone may have been hurt?" asked Helen. - -"I'm afraid so," admitted Doctor Stevens as he shifted gears and the -sedan leaped ahead through the storm. "We'll have to trust to luck that -we'll reach farms where the worst damage occurred." - -The wind was still of nearly gale force and the blasts of rain which -swept the graveled highway rocked the sedan. There was little -conversation as they left Rolfe and headed into the hill country which -marked the western valley of Lake Dubar. - -The road wound through the hills and Doctor Stevens, unable to see more -than fifty feet ahead, drove cautiously. - -"Keep a close watch on each side," he told the girls, "and when you see -any signs of unusual damage let me know." - -They were nearly three miles from Rolfe when Margaret told her father to -stop. - -"There's a lane to our right that is blocked with fallen tree trunks," -she said. - -Doctor Stevens peered through the rain. A mail box leered up at them from -a twisted post. - -"This is Herb Lauer's place," he said. "I'll get out and go up the lane." - -The doctor picked up his medical case and left the motor running so the -heat it generated would keep ignition wires dry. - -One window was left open to guard against the car filling with gas and -the girls followed him into the storm. They picked their way slowly over -the fallen trees which choked the lane. When they finally reached the -farmyard a desolate scene greeted them. - -The tornado, like a playful giant, had picked up the one story frame -house and dashed it against the barn. Both buildings had splintered in a -thousand pieces and only a huddled mass of wreckage remained. -Miraculously, the corn crib had been left almost unharmed and inside the -crib they could see someone moving. - -Doctor Stevens shouted and a few seconds later there came an answering -cry. The girls followed him to the crib and found the family of Herb -Lauer sheltered there. - -"Anyone hurt?" asked Doctor Stevens. - -"Herb's injured his arm," said Mrs. Lauer, who was holding their two -young children close to her. - -"Think it's broken, Doc," said the farmer. - -"Broken is right," said Doctor Stevens as he examined the injury. "I'll -fix up a temporary splint and in the morning you can come down and have -it redressed." - -The doctor worked quickly and when he was ready to put on the splint had -Margaret and Helen help him. In twenty minutes the arm had been dressed -and put in a sling. - -"We'll send help out as soon as we can," said Doctor Stevens as they -turned to go. - -Helen had used the time to good advantage, making a survey of the damage -done to the farm buildings and learning that they were fully protected by -insurance. Mrs. Lauer, between attempts to quiet the crying of the -children, had given Helen an eye-witness account of the storm and how -they had taken refuge in the corn crib just before the house was swirled -from its foundations. - -Back in the car, the trio continued their relief trip. The rain abated -and a little after four o'clock the sun broke through the clouds. Ditches -along the road ran bankful with water and streams they crossed tore at -the embankments which confined them. - -"The worst is over," said Doctor Stevens, "and we can be mighty thankful -no one has been killed." - -Fifteen minutes later they reached another farm which had felt the -effects of the storm. The house had been unroofed but the family had -taken refuge in the storm cellar. No one had been injured, except for a -few bruises and minor scratches. - -At dusk they were fifteen miles west of Rolfe and had failed to find -anyone with serious injury. - -"We've about reached the limit of the storm area," said Doctor Stevens. -"We'll turn now and start back for Rolfe on the Windham road." - -Their route back led them over a winding road and before they left the -main graveled highway Doctor Stevens put chains on his car. They ploughed -into the mud, which sloshed up on the sides of the machine and splattered -against the windshield until they had to stop and clean the glass. - -Half way back to Rolfe they were stopped by a lantern waving in the road. - -Doctor Stevens leaned out the window. - -"What's the matter?" he asked. - -A farmer stepped out of the night into the rays of the lights of the car. - -"We need help," he cried. "The storm destroyed our house and one of my -boys was pretty badly hurt. We've got to get him to a doctor." - -"I'm Doctor Stevens of Rolfe," said Margaret's father as he picked up his -case and opened the door. - -"We need you doctor," said the farmer. - -Helen and Margaret followed them down the road and into a grassy lane. - -Lights were flickering ahead and when they reached a cattle shed they -found a wood fire burning. Around the blaze were the members of the -farmer's family and at one side of the fire was the blanket-swathed form -of a boy of ten or eleven. - -"One of the timbers from the house struck him while he was running for -the storm cave," explained the farmer. "He just crumpled up and hasn't -spoken to us since. It's as though he was asleep." - -Doctor Stevens examined the boy. - -"He got a pretty nasty rap on the head," he said. "What he needs is a -good bed, some warm clothes and hot food. We'll put him in my car and -take him back to Rolfe. He'll be all right in two or three days." - -The doctor looked about him. - -"This is the Rigg Jensen place, isn't it?" he asked. - -"I'm Rigg Jensen," said the farmer. "You fixed me up about ten years ago -when my shotgun went off and took off one of my little toes." - -"I remember that," said Doctor Stevens. "Now, if you'll help me carry the -lad, we'll get him down to the car." - -"Hadn't I better go?" asked Mrs. Jensen. "Eddie may be scared if he wakes -up and sees only strangers." - -"Good idea," said Doctor Stevens, as they picked up the boy and started -for the car. - -Helen went ahead, carrying the lantern and lighting the way for the men. -They made the boy comfortable in the back seat and his mother got in -beside him. - -"Better come along," Doctor Stevens told the father. - -"Not tonight," was the reply. "Mother is with Eddie and I know he'll be -all right now. I've got to take the lantern and see what happened to the -livestock and what we've got left." - -There was no complaint in his voice, only a matter-of-factness which -indicated that the storm could not have been prevented and now that it -was all over he was going to make the best of it. - -Half an hour later they reached the gravel highway and sped into Rolfe. -Doctor Stevens drove directly to his office and several men on the street -helped him carry Eddie Jensen inside. - -"You'd better run along home," he told the girls, "and get something to -eat." - -When Helen reached home, Tom was waiting on the porch. - -"Get a story?" he asked. - -The young editor of the _Herald_ nodded. - -"Anyone hurt?" Tom insisted. - -"No one seriously injured," replied Helen, "but a lot of farm buildings -were destroyed." - -"I've been checking up on the damage down the lake," said Tom, "that new -summer resort on the east shore got the worst of it. The phone office -finally got through and they estimate the damage at the resort at about -$50,000." - -"Doctor Stevens believes the damage along the west half of the valley -will amount to almost a $100,000," said Helen. - -"That's a real story," enthused Tom. "It's big enough to telephone to the -state bureau of the Associated Press at Cranston. They'll be glad to pay -us for sending it to them." - -"You telephone," said Helen. "I'd be scared to death and wouldn't be able -to give them all the facts." - -"You're the editor," replied Tom. "It's your story and you ought to do -the phoning. Jot down some notes while I get a connection to Cranston." - -Tom went into the house to put in the long distance call just as Helen's -mother hurried across from the Stevens home. - -"Are you all right, dear?" her mother asked. - -"Not even wet," replied Helen. "The coat and boots protected me even in -the heaviest rain. Tom's just gone inside to call the Associated Press at -Cranston and I'm going to tell them about the storm." - -"Hurry up there," came Tom's voice from inside the house. "The Cranston -operator has just answered." - -"And I haven't had time to think what I'll say," added Helen, half to -herself. - -Without stopping to take off her cumbersome raincoat, she hurried to the -telephone stand in the dining room and Tom turned the instrument over to -her. - -"All ready," he said. - -Helen picked up the telephone and heard a voice at the other end of the -wire saying, "This is the state bureau of the Associated Press at -Cranston. Who's calling?" - -Mustering up her courage, Helen replied, "this is Helen Blair, editor of -the _Rolfe Herald_. We've had a tornado near here this afternoon and I -thought you'd want the facts." - -"Glad to have them," came the peppy voice back over the wire. "Let's go." - -Helen forgot her early misgivings and briefly and concisely told her -story about the storm, giving estimates of damage and the names of the -injured. In three minutes she was through. - -"Fine story," said the Associated Press man at Cranston. "We'll mail you -a check the first of the month. And say, you'd better write to us. We can -use a live, wide-awake correspondent in your town." - -"Thanks, I will," replied Helen as she hung up the receiver. - -"What did he say?" asked Tom. - -"He told me to write them; that they could use a correspondent at Rolfe." - -"That's great," exclaimed Tom. "One more way in which we can increase our -income and it means that some day you may be able to get a job with the -Associated Press." - -"That will have to come later," said Helen's mother, "when school days -are over." - -"Sure, I know," said Tom, "but creating a good impression won't hurt -anything." - -Mrs. Blair had a hot supper waiting, hamburger cakes, baking powder -biscuits with honey, and tea, and they all sat down to the table for a -belated evening meal. - -Helen related the events of her trip with Doctor Stevens and Tom grew -enthusiastic again over the story. - -"It's the biggest news the _Herald_ has had in years. If we were putting -out a daily we'd be working on an extra now. Maybe the _Herald_ will be a -daily some day." - -"Rolfe will have to grow a lot," smiled his mother. - -"I guess you're right," agreed Tom. - -Tom and Helen helped their mother clear away the supper dishes and after -that Helen went into the front room and cleared the Sunday papers off the -library table. She found some copypaper and a pencil in the drawer and -sat down to work on her story of the storm. - -The excitement of the storm and the ensuing events had carried her along, -oblivious of the fatigue which had increased with the passing hours. But -when she picked up her pencil and tried to write, her eyes dimmed and her -head nodded. She snuggled her head in her arms to rest for just a minute, -she told herself. The next thing she knew Tom was shaking her shoulders. - -"Ten o'clock," he said, "and time for all editors to be in bed." - -Helen tried to rub the sleep from her eyes and Tom laughed uproariously -at her efforts. - -"It's no use," he said. "You're all tired out. You can write your story -in the morning. To bed you go." - -"Have I been asleep all evening?" Helen asked her mother. - -"Yes, dear," was the reply, "and I think Tom's right. Run along to bed -and you'll feel more like working on your story in the morning." - -Goodnights were said and Helen, only half awake, went to her room, thus -ending the most exciting day in her young life. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - _A New Week Dawns_ - - -Monday morning dawned clear and bright. There were no traces in the sky -of the storm which on the previous day had devastated so many farms west -of Rolfe. The air was warm with a fragrance and sweetness that only a -small town knows in springtime. - -Helen exchanged greetings with half a dozen people as she hurried down -the street to start her first day at the office as editor of the -_Herald_. - -Grant Hughes, the postmaster, was busy sweeping out his office but he -stopped his work and called to Helen as she turned down the alley-way -which led to the _Herald_ office. - -"Starting in bright and early, aren't you?" - -"Have to," smiled Helen, "for Tom and I have only half days in which to -put out the paper and do the job work." - -"I know, I know," mused the old postmaster, "but you're chips off the old -block. You'll make good." - -"Thanks, Mr. Hughes," said Helen. "Your believing in us is going to -help." - -She hastened on the few steps to the office and opened the doors and -windows for the rooms were close and stuffy after being closed overnight. -The young editor of the _Herald_ paused to look around the composing -room. Tom had certainly done a good job cleaning up the day before. The -four steel forms which would hold the type for the week's edition were in -place, ready for the news she would write and the ads which it would be -Tom's work to solicit. The Linotype seemed to be watching her in a very -superior but friendly manner and even the old press was polished and -cleaned as never before. - -Helen returned to the editorial office, rolled a sheet of copypaper into -her typewriter, and sat down to write the story of the storm. She might -have to change certain parts of the story about the condition of the -injured later in the week but she could get the main part of it written -while it was still fresh in her memory. - -Hugh Blair had always made a point of writing his news stories in simple -English and he had drilled Helen and Tom in his belief that the simpler a -story is written the more widely it will be read. He had no time for the -multitudes of adjectives which many country editors insist upon using, -although he felt that strong, colorful words had their place in news -stories. - -With her father's beliefs on news writing almost second nature, Helen -started her story. It was simple and dramatic, as dramatic as the sudden -descent of the storm on the valley. Her fingers moved rapidly over the -keyboard and the story seemed to write itself. She finished one page and -rolled another into the machine, hardly pausing in her rapid typing. - -Page after page she wrote until she finally leaned back in her swivel -chair, tired from the strain of her steady work. - -She picked up the half dozen pages of typed copy. This was her first big -story and she wanted it to read well, to be something of which her father -would be proud when he read the copy of the paper they would send him. -She went over the story carefully, changing a word here, another there. -Occasionally she operated on some of her sentences, paring down the -longer ones and speeding up the tempo of the story. It was nine-thirty -before she was satisfied that she had done the best she could and she -stuck the story on the copy spindle, ready for Tom when he wanted to -translate it into type on the Linotype. - -Helen slid another sheet of copypaper into her typewriter and headed it -"PERSONALS." Farther down the page she wrote four items about out-of-town -people who were visiting in Rolfe. She had just finished her personals -when she heard the whistle of the morning train. - -The nine forty-five in the morning and the seven-fifteen in the evening -were the only trains through Rolfe on the branch line of the A. and T. -railroad. The nine forty-five was the upbound train to Cranston, the -state capital. It reached Cranston about one o'clock, turned around there -and started back a little after three, passing through Rolfe on its down -trip early in the evening, its over-night terminal being Gladbrook, the -county seat. - -Helen picked up a pencil and pad of paper, snapped the lock on the front -door and ran for the depot two blocks away. The daily trains were always -good for a few personals. She meant to leave the office earlier but had -lost track of the time, so intense had been her interest in writing her -story of the storm. - -The nine forty-five was still half a mile below town and puffing up the -grade to the station when Helen reached the platform. She spoke to the -agent and the express man and hurried into the waiting room. Two women -she recognized were picking up their suit cases when she entered. Helen -explained her mission and they told her where they were going. She jotted -down the notes quickly for the train was rumbling into town. The local -ground to a stop and Helen went to the platform to see if anyone had -arrived from the county seat. - -One passenger descended, a tall, austere-looking man whose appearance was -not in the least inviting but Helen wanted every news item she could get -so she approached him, with some misgiving. - -"I'm the editor for the _Rolfe Herald_," she explained, "and I'd like to -have an item about your visit here." - -"You're what?" exclaimed the stranger. - -"I'm the editor of the local paper," repeated Helen, "and I'd like a -story about your visit in town." - -"You're pretty young for an editor," persisted the stranger, with a smile -that decidedly changed his appearance and made him look much less -formidable. - -"I'm substituting for my father," said Helen. - -"That quite explains things," agreed the stranger. "I'm Charles King of -Cranston, state superintendent of schools, and I'm making a few -inspections around the state. If you'd like, I'll see you again before I -leave and tell you what I think of your school system here." - -"I'm sure you'll thoroughly approve," said Helen. "Mr. Fowler, the -superintendent, is very progressive and has fine discipline." - -"I'll tell him he has a good booster in the editor," smiled Mr. King. -"Now, if you'll be good enough to direct me to the school I'll see that -you get a good story out of my visit here." - -Helen supplied the necessary directions and the state superintendent left -the depot. - -The nine forty-five, with its combination mail and baggage car and two -day coaches, whistled out and Helen returned to the _Herald_ office. - -She found a farmer from the east side of the valley waiting for her. - -"I'd like to get some sale bills printed," he said, "and I'll need about -five hundred quarter page bills. How much will they cost?" - -Helen opened the booklet with job prices listed and gave the farmer a -quotation on the job. - -"Sounds fair enough," he said. "At least it's a dollar less than last -year." - -"Paper doesn't cost quite as much," explained Helen, "and we're passing -the saving on to you. Be sure and tell your neighbors about our -reasonable printing prices." - -"I'll do that," promised the farmer. "I'll bring in the copy Tuesday and -get the bills Friday morning." - -"My brother will have them ready for you," said Helen, "but if you want -to get the most out of your sale, why not run your bill as an ad in the -_Herald_. On a combination like that we can give you a special price. You -can have a quarter page ad in the paper plus 500 bills at only a little -more than the cost of the ad in the paper. It's the cost of setting up -the ad that counts for once it is set up we can run off the bills at very -little extra cost." - -"How much circulation do you have?" - -"Eight hundred and seventy-five," said Helen. "Three hundred papers go in -town and the rest out on the country routes." She consulted her price -book and quoted the price for the combination ad and bills. - -"I'll take it," agreed the farmer, who appeared to be a keen business -man. - -"Tell you what," he went on. "If you'd work out some kind of a tieup with -the farm bureau at Gladbrook and carry a page with special farm news you -could get a lot of advertising from farmers. If you do, don't use -'canned' news sent out by agricultural schools. Get the county agent to -write a column a week and then get the rest of it from farmers around -here. Have items about what they are doing, how many hogs they are -feeding, how much they get for their cattle, when they market them and -news of their club activities." - -"Sounds like a fine idea," said Helen, "but we'll have to go a little -slowly at first. My brother and I are trying to run the paper while Dad -is away recovering his health and until we get everything going smoothly -we can't attempt very many new things." - -"You keep it in mind," said the farmer, "for I tell you, we people on the -farms like to see news about ourselves in the paper and it would mean -more business for you. Well, I've got to be going. I'll bring my copy in -tomorrow." - -"We'll be expecting it," said Helen. "Thanks for the business." - -She went around to the postoffice and returned with a handful of letters. -Most of them were circulars but one of them was a card from her father. -She read it with such eagerness that her hands trembled. It had been -written while the train was speeding through southwestern Kansas and her -father said that he was not as tired from the train trip as he had -expected. By the time they received the card, he added, he would be at -Rubio, Arizona, where he was to make his home until he was well enough to -return to the more rigorous climate of the north. - -Helen telephoned her mother at once and read the message on the card. - -"I'm going to write to Dad and tell him all about the storm and how happy -we are that everything is going well for him," said Helen. - -"I'll write this afternoon," said her mother, "and we'll put the letters -in one envelope and get them off on the evening mail. Perhaps Tom will -find time to add a note." - -Helen sat down at the desk, found several sheets of office stationery and -a pen, and started her letter to her father. She was half way through -when Jim Preston entered. - -"Good morning, Miss Blair," he said. "I've got the _Liberty_ ready to go -if you'd like to run down the lake and see how much damage the twister -caused at the summer resorts." - -"Thanks," replied Helen, "I'll be with you right away." She put her -letter aside and closed the office. Five minutes later they were at the -main pier on the lakeshore. - -The _Liberty_, a sturdy, 28-foot cruiser, was moored to the pier. The -light oak hood covering the engine shone brightly in the morning sun and -Helen could see that Jim Preston had waxed it recently. The hood extended -for about fourteen feet back from the bow of the boat, completely -enclosing the 60 horsepower engine which drove the craft. The steering -wheel and ignition switches were mounted on a dash and behind this were -four benches with leather covered cork cushions which could be used as -life preservers. - -The boatman stepped into the _Liberty_ and pressed the starter. There was -the whirr of gears and the muffled explosions from the underwater exhaust -as the engine started. The _Liberty_ quivered at its moorings, anxious to -be away and cutting through the tiny whitecaps which danced in the -sunshine. - -Helen bent down and loosened the half hitches on the ropes which held the -boat. Jim Preston steadied it while she stepped in and took her place on -the front seat beside him. - -The boatman shoved the clutch ahead, the tone of the motor deepened and -they moved slowly away from the pier. With quickening pace, they sped out -into the lake, slapping through the white caps faster and faster until -tiny flashes of spray stung Helen's face. - -"How long will it take us to reach Crescent Beach?" asked Helen for she -knew the boatman made his first stop at the new resort at the far end of -the lake. - -"It's nine miles," replied Jim Preston. "If I open her up we'll be down -there in fifteen or sixteen minutes. Want to make time?" - -"Not particularly," replied Helen, "but I enjoy a fast ride." - -"Here goes," smiled Preston and he shoved the throttle forward. - -The powerful motor responded to the increased fuel and the _Liberty_ -shook herself and leaped ahead, cutting a v-shaped swath down the center -of the lake. Solid sheets of spray flew out on each side of the boat and -Preston put up spray boards to keep them from being drenched. - -Helen turned around and looked back at Rolfe, nestling serenely along the -north end of the lake. It was a quiet, restful scene, the white houses -showing through the verdant green of the new leaves. She could see her -own home and thought she glimpsed her mother working in the garden at the -rear. - -Then the picture faded as they sped down the lake and Helen gave herself -up to complete enjoyment of the boat trip. - -There were few signs along the shore of the storm. After veering away -from Rolfe it had evidently gone directly down the lake until it reached -the summer resorts. - -In less than ten minutes Rolfe had disappeared and the far end of the -lake was in view. Preston slowed the _Liberty_ somewhat and swung across -the lake to the left toward Crescent Beach, the new resort which several -wealthy men from the state capital were promoting. - -They slid around a rocky promontory and into view of the resort. -Boathouses dipped crazily into the water and the large bath-house, the -most modern on the lake, had been crushed while the toboggan slide had -been flipped upside down by the capricious wind. - -The big pier had collapsed and Preston nosed the _Liberty_ carefully -in-shore until the bow grated on the fresh, clean sand of the beach. - -Kirk Foster, the young manager of the resort, was directing a crew of men -who were cleaning up the debris. - -The boatman introduced Helen to the manager and he willingly gave her all -the details about the damage. The large, new hotel had escaped unharmed -and the private cottages, some of which were nicer than the homes in -Rolfe, had suffered only minor damage. - -"The damage to the bathhouse, about $35,000, was the heaviest," said the -manager, "but don't forget to say in your story that we'll have things -fixed up in about two weeks, and everything is insured." - -"I won't," promised Helen, "and when you have any news be sure and let me -know." - -"We cater to a pretty ritzy crowd," replied the manager, "and we ought to -have some famous people here during the summer. I'll tip you off whenever -I think there is a likely story." - -Jim Preston left the mail for the resort and they returned to the -Liberty, backed out carefully, and headed across the lake for Sandy -Point, a resort which had been on the lake for more years than Helen -could remember. - -Sandy Point was popular with the townspeople and farmers and was known -for its wonderful bathing beach. Lake Dubar was shallow there and it was -safe for almost anyone to enjoy the bathing at Sandy Point. - -The old resort was not nearly as pretentious as Crescent Beach for its -bathhouses, cottages and hotel were weather beaten and vine-covered. Art -Provost, the manager, was waiting for the morning mail when the Liberty -churned up to the pier. - -"Storm missed you," said the boatman. - -"And right glad I am that it did," replied Provost. "I thought we were -goners when I saw it coming down the lake but it swung over east and took -its spite out on Crescent Beach. Been over there yet?" - -"Stopped on the way down," replied Jim Preston. "They suffered a good bit -of damage but will have it cleaned up in a couple or three days." - -"Glad to hear that," said Provost, "that young manager, Foster, is a fine -fellow." - -Helen inquired for news about the resort and was told that it would be -another week, about the first of June, before the season would be under -way. - -They left Sandy Point and headed up the lake, this time at a leisurely -twenty miles an hour. Helen enjoyed every minute of the trip, drinking in -the quiet beauty of the lake, its peaceful hills and the charm of the -farms with their cattle browsing contentedly in the pastures. - -It was noon when they docked at Rolfe and Helen, after thanking the -boatman, went home instead of returning to the office. - -Tom had come from school and lunch was on the table. Helen told her -brother of the sale of the quarter page ad for the paper and the 500 -bills. - -"That's fine," said Tom, "but you must have looked on the wrong page in -the cost book." - -"Didn't I ask enough?" - -"You were short about fifty cents," grinned Tom, "but we'll make a profit -on the job, especially since you got him to run it as an ad in the -paper." - -"What are you going to do this afternoon?" Mrs. Blair asked Tom. - -"I'll make the rounds of the stores and see what business I can line up -for the paper," said the business manager of the _Herald_. "Then there -are a couple of jobs of letterheads I'll have to get out of the way and -by the time I get them printed the metal in the Linotype will be hot and -I can set up Helen's editorials and whatever other copy she got ready -this morning." - -"The storm story runs six pages," said Helen, "and when I add a few -paragraphs about the summer resorts, it will take another page. Is it too -long?" - -"Not if it is well written." - -"You'll have to judge that for yourself." - -"I walked home with Marg Stevens," said Tom, "and she said to tell you -the sophomore picnic planned for this afternoon has been postponed until -Friday. A lot of the boys from the country have to go home early and help -clean up the storm damage." - -"Suits me just as well," said Helen, "for we'll have the paper off the -press Thursday and I'll be ready for a picnic Friday." - -Tom went to the office after lunch and Helen walked to school with -Margaret. Just before the assembly was called to order, one of the -teachers came down to Helen's desk and told her she was wanted in the -superintendent's office. When Helen reached the office she found -Superintendent Fowler and Mr. King, the state superintendent of schools, -waiting for her. The state superintendent greeted her cordially and told -Superintendent Fowler how Helen had met him at the train. - -"I promised to give her a story about my visit," he explained, "and I -thought this would be a good time." - -Superintendent Fowler nodded his agreement and the state school leader -continued. - -"I hope you'll consider it good news," he told Helen, "when I say that -the Rolfe school has been judged the finest in the state for towns under -one thousand inhabitants." - -"It certainly is news," said Helen. "Mr. Fowler has worked hard in the -two years he has been here and the _Herald_ will be glad to have this -story." - -"I thought you would," said Mr. King, and he told Helen in detail of the -improvement which had been made in the local school in the last two years -and how much attention it was attracting throughout the state. - -"You really ought to have a school page in the local paper," he told -Helen in concluding. - -"Perhaps we will next fall," replied the young editor of the _Herald_. -"By that time Tom and I should be veterans in the newspaper game and able -to add another page of news to the _Herald_." - -"We'll talk it over next August when I come back to get things in shape -for the opening of the fall term," said Superintendent Fowler. "I'm -heartily in favor of one if Tom and Helen can spare the time and the -space it will require." - -Helen returned to the assembly with the handful of notes she had jotted -down while Mr. King talked. Her American History class had gone to its -classroom and she picked up her textbook and walked down the assembly, -inquiring eyes following her, wondering why she had been called into the -superintendent's office. They'd have to read the _Herald_ to find out -that story. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - _The First Issue_ - - -At the close of school Helen met Margaret Stevens in the hall outside the -assembly room. - -"What is my first assignment going to be?" asked Helen's reporting staff. - -"I think it would be a good idea if you went to the teachers and got all -the school news," Helen suggested. "It is almost the end of the year and -most of the classes are planning parties and programs of various kinds." - -"I'll do it right away," promised Margaret and she hurried off on her -first newspaper assignment. - -Helen smiled at her friend's enthusiasm and she hoped that it wouldn't -wear off for Margaret was clever, knew a great many people and could be a -real help if she made up her mind to gather news. In return, all Helen -could offer would be the experience and the closer friendship which their -constant association would mean. - -The young editor of the _Herald_ walked down the street alone, for most -of the students had left the building while she had been talking with -Margaret. - -When she reached the _Herald_ office she heard the steady hum of the -electric motor of the Linotype and the clack of its long arm as Tom sent -the lines of matrices into the mould to come out in the form of shiny, -hot lead slugs--new type for their first edition of the _Herald_. - -Tom rose from his chair before the Linotype keyboard and came into the -editorial office. - -"That's a fine story on the storm," he told Helen. "It's so interesting I -can't make any time getting it into type; keep stopping to read your -descriptions again." - -"I've got another good story," Helen replied, and she told her brother -all about the visit of the state superintendent of schools and of his -praise for the local school. - -"What a front page we'll have to send to Dad," chuckled Tom. "And to -match your good news stories, I made the rounds of the stores the first -thing this afternoon and got the ads lined up. I couldn't get the copy -for all of them but I know just how much space each store will take. -We'll have a 'pay dirt' issue this week with a little more than 250 -inches of ads and at 25 cents a column inch that means better than $60 -worth of business. Not bad for a starter, eh?" - -"Won't that crowd the inside pages?" - -"A little," Tom conceded, "but we've got to make every cent we can. I've -been doing a little figuring on our expenses and how much business we -ought to have. We think of the _Herald_ as an eight page paper. That's -true, but four of the pages are printed at Cranston by the Globe Printing -Company with our serial story, pictures of news of the world, fashion and -menu suggestions and world news in general on them. We seldom if ever put -ads on our front page and that leaves only three pages for which we can -sell ads and on which we must earn enough to pay expenses, keep the -family going and build up a surplus to take care of Dad when he needs -more money. Those three six column pages have 360 column inches, 120 to -each page, and at our rate of 25 cents an inch for advertising we've got -to sell a lot to make the grade." - -"I hadn't figured it out like that," Helen admitted, "but of course -you're right. Can't we expand the paper some way to get more business? -Only this morning the farmer that came in to see about the sale bills -said he wished we would run a farm page and the school superintendent -would like to have a school page next fall." - -"The farm page," Tom said, "would undoubtedly bring us more business and -the first time I have a half day to spare I'll take the old car and go -down to Gladbrook and see the county agent. - -"Maybe I can get some job work from the offices at the courthouse," he -added hopefully. - -The telephone rang and Helen answered the call. It was from a woman who -had out-of-town guests and the young editor jotted the names down on a -pad of paper. That done she turned to her typewriter and wrote the item, -for with her half days to work she had to write her stories as soon as -she had them. - -Margaret bounced in with a handful of notes. - -"I've got half a dozen school stories," she exclaimed. "Almost every -teacher had something for me and they're anxious to see their school news -in the paper." - -"I thought they would be," Helen smiled. "Can you run a typewriter?" - -"I'm a total stranger," Margaret confessed. "I'll do a lot better if I -scribble my stories in longhand, if Tom thinks he can read my scrawls." - -"I'll try," came the reply from the composing room, "but I absolutely -refuse to stand on my head to do it." - -"They're not that bad," laughed Margaret, "and I'll try to do especially -well for you." - -Helen provided her first assistant with copypaper and Margaret sat down -at the desk to write her stories. The editor of the _Herald_ then devoted -her attention to writing up the notes she had taken in her talk with the -state superintendent of schools. It was a story that she found slow to -write for she wanted no mistakes in it. - -The afternoon was melting in a soft May twilight when Tom snapped the -switch on the Linotype and came into the editorial office. - -"Almost six o'clock," he said, "and time for us to head for home and -supper." - -Margaret, who had been at the desk writing for more than an hour, -straightened her cramped back. - -"Ouch!" she exclaimed. "I never thought reporting could be such work and -yet so much fun. I'm getting the biggest thrill out of my stories." - -"That's about all the pay you will get," grinned Tom. - -They closed the office and started home together. They had hardly gone a -block when Helen stopped suddenly. - -"Give me the office key, Tom," she said. "I started a letter to Dad this -morning and it got sidetracked when someone came in. I'm going back and -get it. I can finish it at home and mail it on the seven-fifteen when I -come down to meet the train." - -"I'll get it for you," said Tom and started on the run for the office. He -got her half-finished letter, and rejoined Helen and Margaret, who had -walked slowly. - -"I'll add a few lines to your letter," Tom said. "Dad will be glad to -know we've lined up a lot of ads for our first issue." - -Doctor Stevens came out of his office and joined them in their walk home. - -"How are all the storm victims?" asked Helen. - -"Getting along fine," said the doctor. "I can't understand why there -weren't more serious injuries. The storm was terrific." - -"Perhaps it is because most of them heard it coming and sought shelter in -the strongest buildings or took refuge in cellars," suggested Tom. - -"I suppose that's the explanation." - -"I'll finish my school stories tomorrow afternoon," promised Margaret as -she turned toward her home. - -The twilight hour was the one that Helen liked best of all the busy hours -of her day. From the porch she could look down at the long, deep-blue -stretch of water that was Lake Dubar while a liquid-gold sun settled into -the western hills. Purple shadows in the little valleys bordering the -lake, lights gleaming from farm house windows on far away hills, the -mellow chime of a freight train whistling for a crossing and over all a -pervading calmness that overcame any feeling of fatigue and brought only -a feeling of rest and quiet to Helen. It was hard to believe that a -little more than 24 hours before this peaceful scene had been threatened -with total destruction by the fury of the elements. - -Helen's mother called and the _Herald_ editor went into the dining room. -Tom, his hands scrubbed clean of printer's ink, was at the table when -Helen took her place. - -Mrs. Blair bowed her head in silent prayer and Tom and Helen did -likewise. - -"Didn't I see you working in the garden this morning when I went down the -lake with Jim Preston?" Helen asked her mother. - -"Probably. I'm planning a larger garden than ever. We can cut down on our -grocery bills if we raise more things at home." - -"Don't try to do too much," Tom warned, "for we're depending on you as -the boss of this outfit now. I'll help you with the garden every chance I -get." - -"I know you will," his mother replied, "but I thoroughly enjoy working -outdoors. If you'll take care of the potato patch, I'll be able to do the -rest and still find time to write a few social items for the paper." - -"Did you get any today?" Helen asked. - -"Nearly half a dozen. The Methodist Ladies Aid is planning a spring -festival, an afternoon of quilting and a chicken dinner in the evening -with everyone invited." - -"And what a feed they put out," added Tom. "I'll have to see their -officers and get an ad for the paper." - -Supper over and the dishes washed, dried and put away, Helen turned her -attention to finishing the letter to her father. Tom also sat down to -write a note and when they had finished Mrs. Blair put their letters in -the envelope with her own, sealed it and gave it to Helen. - -Margaret Stevens stuck her head in the door. - -"Going up to school for the sophomore-junior debate?" she asked. - -"I've got to meet the seven-fifteen first," Helen replied. "I'll meet you -at school about seven-thirty." - -"Wait a minute, Marg," said Tom. "I guess I'll go along and see just how -badly the sophomores are beaten. Of course you know you kids haven't got -a chance." - -"Be careful, Tom," Helen warned. "Margaret is captain of our debate -team." - -"Oh, that's all right," chuckled Tom. "No offense." - -"It will be an offense, though," smiled Margaret, "and the juniors will -be on the receiving end of our verbal attack." - -"Look out for a counter attack," Tom grinned. - -"We'll be home early, mother," said Helen as they left the house. - -"I hope the sophomores win," her mother said. "Tom and his juniors are -too sure of themselves." - -The seven-fifteen coughed its way into town, showering the few people on -the platform with cinders. Helen ran to the mail car and dropped her -letter into the mail slot. - -Mr. King, the state superintendent of instruction, was the only passenger -leaving but there were several Rolfe people getting off the train. She -got their names and stopped to talk a minute or two with the agent. - -"I'll have some news for next week's paper," he told her, but refused to -say another word about the promised story and Helen went on to the high -school. - -The assembly was well filled with students and a scattering of parents -whose children were taking part in the inter-class debate. The senior -debaters had already eliminated the freshmen and the winner of the -sophomore-junior debate would meet the seniors for the championship of -the school. - -Helen looked around for a seat and was surprised to see her mother beside -Mrs. Stevens. - -"I didn't know you planned to come," Helen said. - -"I didn't," smiled her mother, "but just after you left Mrs. Stevens ran -over and I decided to come with her." - -The debate was on the question of whether the state should adopt a paving -program which would reach every county. The sophomores supported the -affirmative and the juniors the negative. The question was of vital -interest for it was to come to a vote in July and, if approved, Rolfe -would get a place on the scenic highway which would run along the western -border of the state, through the beautiful lake country. It would mean an -increased tourist trade and more business for Rolfe. - -Margaret had marshalled her facts into impressive arguments and the -weight of the evidence was with her team but the juniors threw up a smoke -screen of ridicule to hide their weaker facts and Helen felt her heart -sinking as the debate progressed. Margaret made the final rebuttal for -the sophomores and gave a masterful argument in favor of the paved road -program but the last junior speaker came back with a few humorous remarks -that could easily confuse the judges into mistaking brilliant humor for -facts. - -The debate closed and the judges handed their slips with their decisions -to Superintendent Fowler. Every eye in the assembly watched the -superintendent as he unfolded the slips and jotted down the results. He -stood up behind his desk. - -"The judges vote two to one in favor of the sophomores," he announced. - -There was a burst of applause and students and parents crowded around the -victorious team to congratulate it. When it was all over, Mrs. Blair, -Mrs. Stevens, Margaret, Helen and Tom started home together. - -"And we didn't have a chance," Margaret chided Tom. - -"I still think we have the best team," insisted Tom. "The judges got a -little confused." - -"If they were confused, Tom," his mother said, "it was by the juniors. -Your team didn't have the facts; they resorted to humor and ridicule. I -think it is a fine victory for the sophomores." - -Tuesday morning Helen looked over the stories Margaret had written the -afternoon before and wrote a long story about the sophomore-junior -debate, stressing the arguments in favor of the paving program which the -sophomores had brought out. She was thoroughly in agreement and meant to -devote space in the _Herald_, both editorially and from a news -standpoint, to furthering the passage of the good roads program. - -The farmer who had called the day before came in with his copy for the ad -and sale bills. - -"I've talked over the farm page idea with my brother," Helen told him, -"and we'll get one started just as soon as he can find the time to go to -Gladbrook and see the county agent." - -"I'm glad to hear that," replied the farmer, "and I'll pass the word -around to our neighbors. Also, if you had a column of news each week from -the courthouse it would help your paper. A lot of farmers take one of the -Gladbrook papers just for that reason. They want courthouse news and -can't get it in the _Herald_." - -"We'll see about that, too," promised Helen. - -She had almost forgotten that she was to write to the state bureau of the -Associated Press and apply for the job as correspondent for Rolfe and the -nearby vicinity. She wrote one letter, was dissatisfied, tore it up and -wrote a second and then a third before she was ready to mail it. As Tom -had said, it would be one way of increasing their income and at the same -time might help her to secure a job later. - -Margaret finished her school stories after school that afternoon and -Helen visited all of the stores down town in search of personals. Several -fishermen had been fined for illegal fishing and she got that story from -the justice of the peace. She called on the ministers and got their -church notices. - -Wednesday was their big day and Helen worked hard all morning writing her -personals. The main news stories about the storm, the visit of the state -superintendent and the high school debate were already in type and Tom -had finished setting most of the ads. - -When Helen came down after school Tom called her into the composing room. -He had the ads for the two inside pages placed in the forms. One of the -pages they devoted to the editorials and the other they filled with -personal items about the comings and goings of local people. - -The ads were placed well in the pages and when Tom finished putting in -the type he stood back and looked at his handiwork. - -"I call that mighty good makeup," he said. "Pyramiding the ads on the -left side of the page makes them look better and then we always have news -on the right-hand side." - -Helen agreed that the pages were well made up and Tom locked the type -into the steel forms, picked up one of the pages and carried it to the -press. The other page was put on and locked into place. - -Tom washed his hands and climbed up to take his place on the press. The -paper for that issue of the _Herald_ had come down from Cranston the day -before with four pages, two and three and six and seven already printed. -Pages four and five, filled with local news and ads, were on the press. -Tom would get them printed in the next two hours and on Thursday -afternoon would make up and print page one and page eight. - -He smoothed the stack of paper on the feeding board, put a little -glycerine on his fingers so he could pick up each sheet and feed it into -the press, and then threw on the switch. The motor hummed. Tom fed one -sheet into the press and pushed in the clutch. The press shook itself out -of its week-long slumber, groaned in protest at the thought of printing -another week's issue, but at the continued urging of the powerful motor, -clanked into motion. - -"See how the ink looks," Tom called and Helen seized the first few -papers. Her brother stopped the press and climbed down to look over the -pages for possible corrections. - -"Looks all right," he conceded as he scanned the cleanly printed page. - -"Wonder how Dad will like our new editorial head and the three column box -head I set for your personals?" - -"He'll like them," Helen said. "The only reason he didn't do things like -that was because he didn't have the strength." - -Tom nodded, wiped a tear from his eyes, and went back to feeding the -press. Helen kept the papers stacked neatly as they came out and it was -nearly six o'clock before Tom finished the first run. - -"We'll go home and get something to eat," he said, "and then come back. -I've got some more copy to set on the Linotype and you write your last -minute stories. Maybe we'll have time to make up part of the front page -before we go home tonight. I'd like to have you here and we'll write the -heads together and see how they look." - -"Are you going to head all of the front page stories?" asked Helen. - -"If I have time," Tom replied. "It improves the looks of the paper; makes -it look newsy and alive." - -Supper was waiting for them when they reached home and Tom handed his -mother a copy of the two inside pages they had just printed. - -"It looks fine," enthused Mrs. Blair, "and the ads are so well arranged -and attractive. Tom, you've certainly worked hard, and, Helen, I don't -see where you got so many personals." - -"We're going to use your column of social news on page eight," Tom went -on. "It's on the last run and in that way we can be sure of getting in -all of your news." - -"I have three more items," said his mother. "They're all written and -ready to be set up." - -"We're going back for a while after supper," said Helen, "but I don't -think it will take us over a couple of hours to finish, do you, Tom?" - -"About nine-thirty," replied Tom, who was devoting himself -whole-heartedly to a large baked potato. - -When they returned to the office Helen finished the last of her items in -half an hour. By eight-thirty Tom had all of the news in type and had -made the necessary corrections from the proofs which Helen had read. - -"We need a head for the storm story," he said. "A three line, three -column 30 point one ought to be about right. You jot one down on a sheet -of paper and I'll try and make it fit." - -Helen worked several minutes on a headline. "This is the best I can do," -she said: - - "TORNADO CAUSES $150,000 DAMAGE - NEAR ROLFE SUNDAY; MISSES TOWN - BUT STRIKES RESORT ALONG LAKE" - -"Sounds fine," Tom said. "Now I'll see how it fits." He set up the -headline and Helen wrote a two column one for the story of the Rolfe -school being the best for its size in the state. - -Tom put the headlines on the front page and placed the stories under -them. Shorter stories, some of them written by Margaret, filled up the -page and they turned their attention to page eight, the last one to be -made up. - -Their mother's social items led the page, followed by the church notices -and the last of Helen's personals. - -"We've got about ten inches too much type," said Tom. "See if some of the -personals can't be left out and run next week." - -Helen culled out six items that could be left out and Tom finished making -up the page. Tomorrow he would print the last two pages and Helen would -assemble the papers and fold them. Their first issue of the _Herald_ was -ready for the press. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - _Mystery in the Night_ - - -Helen and Tom hurried home from school Thursday noon, ate a hasty lunch -and then went on to the _Herald_ office to finish their task of putting -out their first issue of the paper. - -Helen stopped at the postoffice for the mail and Tom went on to unlock -the office, put the pages on the press and start printing the last run. - -In the mail Helen found a letter postmarked Rubio, Arizona, and in her -Father's familiar handwriting. She ran into the _Herald_ office and on -into the composing room where Tom was locking the last page on the old -flat-bed press. - -"Tom," she cried, "here's a letter from Dad!" - -"Open it," he replied. "Let's see what he has to say." - -Helen was about to tear open the envelope when she paused. - -"No," she decided. "Mother ought to be the one to read it first. I'll -call her and tell her it's here. She'll want to come down and get it." - -"You're right," agreed Tom as he climbed up on the press. He turned on -the motor and threw in the clutch. The old machine clanked back and -forth, gathering momentum for the final run of the week. - -Helen eagerly scanned the front page as it came off the press. It was -heavy with fresh ink but she thrilled at the makeup on page one. There -were her stories, the one about the tornado and the other about the high -standing of the local school. Tom's heads looked fine. The paper was -bright and newsy--easy to read. She hoped her Dad would be pleased. - -With the final run on the press it was Helen's task to assemble and fold -the papers. She donned a heavy apron, piled the papers on one of the -makeup tables and placed a chair beside her. With arms moving -methodically, she started to work, folding the papers and sliding them -off the table onto the chair. - -Tom had just got the press running smoothly when there was a grinding -crash followed by the groaning of the electric motor. - -Helen turned quickly. Something might have happened to Tom. He might have -slipped off his stool and fallen into the machinery of the press. - -But Tom was all right. He reached for the switch and shut off the power. - -"What happened?" gasped Helen, her face still white from the shock. - -"Breakdown," grunted Tom disgustedly. "This antique has been ready for -the junk pile for years but Dad never felt he could afford to get a new -one or even a good second-hand one." - -"What will we do?" asked Helen anxiously. "We've got to get the paper -out." - -"I'll run down to the garage and get Milt Pearsall to come over. He's a -fine mechanic and Dad has called on him before when things have gone -wrong with the press." - -Tom hastened out and Helen resumed her task of folding the few papers -which had been printed before the breakdown. Everything had been going so -smoothly until this trouble. Now they might be delayed hours if the -trouble was anything serious. - -She heard someone call from the office. It was her mother and she -hastened out of the composing room. - -"Here's the letter," she said, pulling it out of a pocket in her dress. -"We knew you'd be anxious to hear." - -"Why didn't you open it and then telephone me?" her mother asked. - -"We could have done that," Helen admitted, "but we thought you'd like to -be the first to open and read it." - -"You're so thoughtful," murmured her mother. With hands that trembled in -spite of her effort to be calm, she opened the letter and unfolded the -single page it contained. Helen waited, tense, until her mother had -finished. - -"How's Dad?" she asked. - -"His letter is very cheerful," replied Mrs. Blair, handing it to Helen. -"Naturally he is tired but he says the climate is invigorating and he -expects to feel better soon." - -"Of course he will," agreed Helen. - -"Where's Tom?" - -"The press broke down and he went to the garage to get Milt Pearsall." - -"I hope it's nothing serious," said her mother. "Is there something I can -do?" - -"If you've got the time to spare, I'd like to have you look over our -first issue. Here's a copy." - -Helen's mother scanned the paper with keen, critical eyes. - -"It looks wonderful to me," she exclaimed. "I like the heads on the front -page and you've so many good stories. Tom did splendidly on the ads. How -proud your father will be when he gets a copy." - -"I thought perhaps you'd like to write his address on a wrapper and we'll -put it in the mail tonight when the other papers go out," said Helen. - -Mrs. Blair nodded and addressed the wrapper Helen supplied. - -"If you're sure there's nothing I can do at the office," she said, "I'll -go on to the kensington at Mrs. Henderson's." - -"Don't forget to pick up all the news you can at the party," cautioned -Helen. - -"I won't," promised her mother. - -Helen had just finished folding the papers when Tom returned with Milt -Pearsall. - -The mechanic was a large, heavy-set man with a mop of unruly hair, eyes -that twinkled a merry blue, and lips that constantly smiled. - -"Hello, Editor," he boomed. "Press broke again, Tom says. Huh, expected -it to happen most anytime. Well, let's see what's the matter." - -He eased his bulk down under the press, dug into his tool kit for a -flashlight and wormed his way into the machinery. - -"Get me the long wrench," he directed Tom. - -The request complied with, there followed a number of thumps and whacks -of steel against steel, a groan as Pearsall bumped his head in the -crowded quarters, and finally a grunt of satisfaction. - -The mechanic crawled from under the press, a smudge of ink across his -forehead. He wiped his hands thoughtfully. - -"Some day," he ventured, "that old press is going to fall apart and I -won't be able to tease it back again." - -"What was the trouble?" asked Tom. - -"Cross bar slipped out of place and dropped down so it caught and held -the bed of the press from moving. Good thing you shut off the power or -you might have snapped that rod. Then we'd have been out of luck until I -could have made a new one." - -"How much will it be?" Tom asked. - -The big mechanic grinned. - -"Oh, that's all right, Tom," he chuckled. "Just forget to send me a bill -for my subscription. That's the way your Dad and I did." - -"Thanks a lot for helping us out," said Tom, "and I'll see that you don't -get a subscription dun." - -Tom climbed back to his place on the press, turned on the power and eased -the clutch in gently. Helen watched anxiously, afraid that they might -have another breakdown but the old machine clanked along steadily and she -picked up the mounting pile of papers and returned to her task of -folding. - -Paper after paper she assembled, folded and slid onto the pile on the -chair. When the chair overflowed with papers she stopped and carried them -into the editorial office and piled them on the floor. - -Tom finished his press run and went into the editorial office to get out -their old hand mailer and start running the papers through to stamp the -names and addresses on each one. - -After an hour of steady folding Helen's arms ached so severely she -stopped working and went into the editorial office. - -"Getting tired?" Tom asked. - -She nodded. - -"You run the mailer for a while and I'll fold papers," said her brother. -"That will give you a rest." - -Helen agreed and they switched work. She clicked the papers through the -mailer at a steady pace. - -"Papers ready?" called the postmaster from his office in the front half -of the _Herald_ building. - -"The city list is stamped and ready," replied Helen. "I'll bring them in -right away." - -"Never mind," said Mr. Hughes, "I'll save you a trip." - -"Matter of fact," continued the postmaster when he entered the office, "I -wanted to see what kind of an issue you two kids got out." - -Helen handed him an unstamped paper and he sat down in the one vacant -chair. She valued the old postmaster's friendship highly and awaited his -comment with unusual interest. - -"One of the best issues of the _Herald_ I've ever seen," he enthused when -he had finished looking over the paper. "Your stories have got all your -Dad's 'get up and go' and these headlines are something new for the -_Herald_. Believe I like 'em." - -"Some people may not," said Helen, "so we'll appreciate all of the -boosting you do." - -"I'll do plenty," he chuckled as he picked up an armful of papers and -returned to the postoffice. - -Margaret Stevens bustled in after school in time to help carry the last -of the papers to the postoffice and she insisted on sweeping out the -editorial office. - -"You're just 'white' tired," she scolded Helen. "Sit down and I'll swing -this broom a few times." - -"I am a little tired," admitted Helen. "How about you, Tom?" - -"Me for bed just as soon as I get home and have something to eat," agreed -her brother. "Guess we were all worked up and nervous over our first -issue." - -"You were a real help, Margaret," said Helen, "and I hope you'll like -reporting well enough to stick with us." - -"I'm crazy about it," replied Margaret, wielding the broom with new -vigor. - -Conversation among the sophomores the next morning at school was devoted -solely to the class picnic in the afternoon. The refreshment committee -had been busy and each member of the class was to furnish one thing. -Helen was to bring pickles and Margaret's mother was baking a large -chocolate cake. - -The class was dismissed at noon for the rest of the day, to meet again at -one o'clock at Jim Preston's boat landing for the trip down the lake to -the picnic grounds on Linder's farm. - -There were 18 in the sophomore class and it was necessary for the boatman -to make two trips with the _Liberty_ to transport them to the picnic -grounds. Helen and Margaret were in the first boat load and were the -first ones out on the sandy beach at Linder's. The rambling old -farmhouse, famous for its home cooked chicken dinners, set back several -hundred feet from the lake shore. To the left of the farm was a dense -grove of maples. The picnic was to be along the shore just in front of -the maples where there was ample shade to protect the group from the warm -rays of the sun. - -Miss Carver, the class advisor, rented two rowboats at Linder's, and the -class took turns enjoying cruises along the shore, hunting unusual rocks -and shells for their collection at school. - -The day previous Miss Carver and another teacher had come down the lake -and made arrangements for a treasure hunt. The first clue was to be -revealed at three o'clock and the class, divided into two groups, was to -compete to see which group could find the hidden treasure. The first clue -took them to the Linder farmyard, the second through the maples to an old -sugarhouse, and the third brought them out of the timber and along a -meadow where placid dairy cattle looked at them with wondering eyes. The -fourth clue was found along the stream which cut through the meadow and -Helen, leading one group, turned back toward the lake. A breeze was -freshening out of the west and the sun dropped rapidly toward the shadows -which were enfolding the hills. - -The final clue took them back to their picnic ground and they arrived -just ahead of Margaret and her followers to claim the prize, a two pound -box of chocolates. - -Miss Carver had laid out the baskets and hampers of food and the girls, -helped by the boys in their clumsy way, started serving the supper. - -One of the boys built a bonfire and with the coming of twilight and the -cooling of the air its warmth felt good. The flames chased the shadows -back toward the timber and sent dancing reflections out on the ruffled -waters of Lake Dubar. - -The afternoon in the open had whetted their appetites and they enjoyed -their meal to the fullest. Thick, spicy sandwiches disappeared as if by -magic, pickles followed in quick order and the mounds of potato salad -melted away. - -They stopped for a second wind before attacking the cakes and cookies but -when those fortresses of food had been conquered the boys cut and -sharpened sticks and the girls opened a large sack of marshmallows. - -More wood was heaped on the fire and they gathered around the flames to -toast the soft, white cubes. - -With the wind whispering through the trees and the steady lap, lap, lap -of the waves on the shore, it was the hour for stories and they settled -back from the fire to listen to Miss Carver, whose reputation as a story -teller was unexcelled. - -"It was a night like this," she started, "and a class something like this -one was on a picnic. After supper they sat down at the fire to tell ghost -stories, each one trying to outdo the other in the horror of the things -they told." - -From somewhere through the night came a long drawn out cry rising from a -soft note to a high crescendo that sent shivers running up and down the -back of everyone at the fireside. - -Helen laughed. - -"It's only the whistle of a freight train," she assured the others, but -they all moved closer to the fire. - -"While they told stories," went on Miss Carver, "the blackness of the -night increased, the stars faded and over all there was a canopy of such -darkness as had never been seen before. The wind moaned dismally like a -lost soul and the waters of the lake, white-capped by the breeze, -chattered against the rocky beach. The last ghost story was being told by -one of the boys. He told how people disappeared as if by magic, leaving -no trace behind them, uttering no sound. Some of the other stories had -been surprising, but this one gave the class the creeps and everyone -turned to see if the others were there." - -Involuntarily Helen reached out to clasp Margaret's hand and when she -failed to find it, turned to the spot where Margaret had been sitting -beside her a few minutes before. - -Margaret had disappeared! - - - - - CHAPTER IX - _Rescue on Lake Dubar_ - - -Helen stared hard at the place where her friend should have been. Had the -magic of Miss Carver's story been so strong that she was imagining -things? She rubbed her eyes and looked again. There was no mistake. -Margaret had disappeared! - -Helen's cry caught the attention of the other members of the class and -Miss Carver stopped her story. - -"What's the matter, Helen?" the teacher asked. - -"Look," cried Helen dazedly, pointing to the spot where Margaret had been -sitting, "Margaret's gone!" - -Miss Carver's eyes widened and she gave a little shudder. Then she smiled -to reassure Helen and the other members of the class. - -"Probably Margaret slipped away and is hiding just to add a thrill to my -ghost story. I'll call her." - -"Margaret, oh, Margaret!" The teacher's voice rang through the night. She -cupped her hands and called again when there was no response to her first -one. Once more she called but still there was no answer from the massed -maples behind them or the dark waters of the lake. - -"This is more than a joke," muttered Ned Burns, the class president. -"We'd better get out and have a look around." - -He stepped toward the fire, threw on an armful of fresh, dry sticks, and -the flames leaped higher, throwing their reflection further into the -night. - -"We'll take a look into the woods," he told Miss Carver, "and you and the -girls hunt along the lake shore. Margaret might have fallen and hurt -herself." - -Miss Carver agreed and the girls gathered around her. There was a queer -tightness in Helen's throat and a tugging at her heart that unnerved -her--a vague, pressing fear that something was decidedly wrong with -Margaret. - -The boys disappeared into the shadows of the timber and the girls turned -toward the lake shore. - -They had just started their search when Miss Carver made an important -discovery. - -"Girls," she cried, "One of the rowboats we rented this afternoon is -missing!" - -Helen ran toward the spot, the other girls crowding around her. They -could make out the marks of the boat's keel in the sand and a girl's -footprints. - -"Those prints were made by Margaret's shoes," said Helen. "You can see -the marks of the heel plates she has on her oxfords." - -"We'll call the boys," said Miss Carver, and Helen thought she detected a -real note of alarm in the teacher's voice although Miss Carver was making -every possible effort to appear calm. - -When the boys arrived, Miss Carver told them of their discovery and Ned -Burns took charge of the situation. - -"We'll get in the other rowboat," he said, "and start looking for -Margaret. In the meantime, someone must go up to Linder's farmhouse and -telephone town. Margaret's father ought to know she's out on the lake in -the boat. Also call Jim Preston and if he hasn't started down with the -_Liberty_, have him come at once." - -"I'll go to the farm," volunteered Helen. - -"O. K.," nodded Ned as he selected two other boys to accompany him in the -rowboat. They pushed off the sandy beach, dropped the oars in the locks, -and splashed away into the night. - -"Don't you want someone to go to the farmhouse with you?" Miss Carver -asked Helen. - -But Helen shook her head and ran up the beach. She didn't want anyone -with her; she wanted to be alone. The other girls didn't realize the -seriousness of the situation. She could understand what Margaret had -done. Realizing that Miss Carver would tell them a first rate thriller of -a ghost story, Margaret had decided to add an extra thrill by -disappearing for a few minutes. But something had gone wrong and she -hadn't been able to get back. - -Helen paused and looked over the black, mysterious waters of Lake Dubar. -What secret were they keeping from her? Thoughts of what might have -happened to Margaret brought the queer, choky sobs again and she ran on -toward Linder's where the welcome glow of light showed through the -windows of the farmhouse. - -Old Mr. Linder came to the door in answer to Helen's quick, insistent -knocks. - -"What's the matter, young Lady?" he asked, peering at her through the -mellow radiance of the kerosene lamp which he held in one hand. - -"I'm Helen Blair," she explained, "and one of my classmates has -disappeared from our picnic party down the beach. One of the boats we -rented from you is missing and we're sure Margaret is adrift on the lake -and unable to get back. I'd like to use your telephone to let her father -know and to call Jim Preston." - -"Why, certainly," said Mr. Linder, "I don't wonder at your hurry. Come -right in and use the phone. Who did you say the girl was?" - -"Margaret Stevens," Helen replied. - -"Must be Doctor Stevens' daughter," said the farmer. - -"She is," Helen replied, as she reached the telephone in the hallway. - -While Helen was ringing for the operator at Rolfe, Mr. Linder stuck his -head in the living room. - -"Mother," he said, "Doctor Stevens' daughter is adrift somewhere on the -lake in one of our boats. I'm going down and see if I can help find her." - -Mrs. Linder came into the hall and Helen heard her husband telling her -what had happened. Then the Rolfe operator answered and Helen gave her -the number of Doctor Stevens' office. - -The doctor answered almost instantly and Helen, phrasing her sentences as -tactfully as possible so as not to unduly alarm the doctor, told him what -had happened. - -"Sounds just like Margaret," he snorted. "I'll be right down. Now don't -worry too much, Helen," he added. - -"I won't, Doctor Stevens," promised Helen with a shaky attempt at -cheerfulness. - -Then she called Jim Preston's home and learned that he had left fifteen -minutes before and should be almost down to Linder's. - -"We'll go down to the landing and wait for Jim," said Mr. Linder as he -lighted a lantern he had brought from the kitchen. - -"Everything will come out all right," Mrs. Linder assured Helen. - -The farmer led the way down to the landing. The wind was freshening -rapidly and Helen saw Mr. Linder anxiously watching the white caps which -were pounding against the sandy beach. - -Down the beach their picnic campfire was a red glow and Helen could see -Miss Hughes and the girls huddled around it. The boys who had not -accompanied Ned Burns were walking up and down along the shore. - -She turned and looked up the lake. Two lights, one red and one green, the -markers of the _Liberty_, were coming down the lake. - -"Jim Preston will be here in another minute," said Mr. Linder, "and with -the searchlight he's got on the _Liberty_ it won't take us long to find -Doctor Stevens' daughter." - -Helen nodded miserably as the _Liberty_ slowed down and swung its nose -toward the Linder pier. There was the grinding of the reverse gear as Jim -Preston checked the speed of his boat and left it drift against the pier. - -"Don't shut it off, Jim," cried the farmer. "Doc Stevens' daughter is -adrift in the lake in one of my rowboats. We've got to go out and look -for her." - -They climbed into the boat and Jim Preston backed the _Liberty_ away from -the pier. - -"How did it happen?" he asked Helen. She told him briefly and he shook -his head, as though to say, "too bad, it's getting to be a nasty night on -the lake." - -The boatman opened the throttle, the motor roared its response and the -_Liberty_ leaped ahead and down the lake. They ran parallel to the shore -until they were opposite the picnic ground. There Jim Preston slowed -down, got the direction of the wind, and turned the nose of the _Liberty_ -toward the open and now wind-tossed lake. He snapped on the switch and a -crackling, blue beam of light cut a path ahead of the boat. - -"Keep the searchlight moving," he directed the farmer, who stood up in -the _Liberty_, his hands on the handles of the big, nickel lamp. - -The boatman held the _Liberty_ at about one third speed and they moved -almost directly across the lake while Mr. Linder kept the searchlight -swinging in an arc to cover the largest possible area. - -A third of the way across they sighted a boat far to their right and Jim -Preston swung the nose of the _Liberty_ around sharply and opened the -throttle. They sliced through the white caps at a pace that drenched them -with the flying spray but they were too intent on reaching the distant -boat to stop and put up the spray boards. - -Helen's keen eyes were the first to identify the boat. - -"It's the boys," she cried. "They're beckoning us on." - -Jim Preston checked the _Liberty_ carefully and nosed alongside the -tossing rowboat. - -"No sign of Margaret," admitted Ned Burns, "and the lake's getting too -rough for us to stay out much longer. We've had half a dozen waves break -over us now." - -"Better get in with us," advised Preston. - -"Hand me the oars," said Mr. Linder, "and we'll let the rowboat drift. -I'll pick it up in the morning." - -The boys tossed their oars into the _Liberty_ and scrambled up into the -motorboat. - -Jim Preston threw in the clutch and the _Liberty_ leaped ahead to resume -its search for Margaret. Helen's lips were dry and fevered despite the -steady showers of spray and her heart hammered madly. Lake Dubar had -always had a nasty reputation for ugliness in a fresh, sharp wind but -Helen had never before realized its true danger and what a lost and -helpless feeling one could have on it at night, especially when a friend -was missing. - -There was no conversation as the _Liberty_ continued across the choppy -expanse of the lake. The searchlight picked up the far shore of the lake -with the waves hammering against the rocks which lined that particular -section. It was a grim, unnerving picture and Helen saw Jim Preston's jaw -harden as he swung the _Liberty_ around the cross back to Linder's side -of the lake. - -Back and forth the searchlight swung in its steady, never tiring arc, but -it revealed only the danger of Lake Dubar at night. There was no sign of -Margaret. - -They reached the shore from which they had started and turned around for -a third trip across the lake. This time they slapped through the waves at -twenty-five miles an hour and every eye was trained to watch for some -sign of the missing boat and girl. - -Helen caught a flash of white just as the searchlight reached the end of -its arc. - -"Wait!" she cried. "I saw something far to the right." - -Preston slapped the wheel of the _Liberty_ over and the speedboat roared -away in the direction Helen pointed, its questing searchlight combing the -waves. - -"There it is again," Helen cried and pointed straight ahead where they -could discern some object half hidden by the waves. - -"That's one of my boats," muttered old Mr. Linder as they drew nearer, -"but it doesn't look like there was anyone in it." - -"Don't, don't say that!" cried Helen. "There must be someone there. -Margaret must be in it!" - -In her heart she knew Mr. Linder was right. The boat was rolling in the -choppy waves and there was no one visible. - -"It's half full of water," exclaimed Ned Burns as they drew nearer and -Jim Preston throttled down the _Liberty_ and eased in the clutch. - -Helen pushed them aside and stared at the rowboat, fully revealed in the -glaring rays of the searchlight. Tragedy was dancing on the waters of -Lake Dubar that night, threatening to write an indelible chapter on the -hearts of Helen and her classmates for there was no sign of Margaret in -the boat. - -"Maybe she shoved the boat out into the lake and hid in the woods," said -Ned Burns. - -"She wouldn't do that," protested Helen. - -They edged nearer the rowboat, Preston handling the _Liberty_ with care -lest the waves created by the boat's powerful propeller capsize the -smaller boat. - -"There's something or someone in the back end," cried Ned Burns, who was -three or four inches taller than anyone else in the boat. - -Helen stood on tip-toe. - -"It's Margaret," she cried. "Something's wrong. It looks like she's -asleep." - -But sleep in a water-logged rowboat in the middle of Lake Dubar was out -of the question and Helen realized instantly that something unusual had -happened to Margaret, something which would explain the whole joke which -had turned out to be such a ghastly nightmare. - -Jim Preston eased the _Liberty_ alongside the rowboat and Mr. Linder -reached down and picked Margaret up. There was a dark bruise over her -left eye and her clothes were soaked. - -The boatman found an old blanket in one of the lockers and they wrapped -Margaret in it and pillowed her head in Helen's lap. - -Margaret's eyes were closed tightly but she was breathing slowly and her -pulse was irregular. - -"Hurry," Helen whispered to Jim Preston. "Head for Linder's. Her father -will be there by this time." - -The boatman sensed the alarm in Helen's words and he jerked open the -throttle of the _Liberty_ and sent the boat racing through the night. In -less than five minutes they were slowing down for the pier. The lights of -a car were at the shore end of the landing and someone with an electric -torch was awaiting their arrival. It was Doctor Stevens, pacing along the -planks of the landing stage. - -"Have you found Margaret?" he cried as the _Liberty_ sidled up to the -pier. - -"Got her right here," replied Jim Preston, "but she's got a bad bump on -her head." - -Doctor Stevens jumped into the boat and turned his flashlight on -Margaret's face. Helen saw his lips tighten into a thin straight line. He -felt her pulse. - -"Run ahead," he told Ned Burns, "and tell Mother Linder to open one of -those spare beds of hers and get me plenty of hot water." - -He stooped and picked Margaret up in his arms, carrying her like a baby. -Mr. Linder hurried ahead to light the way. - -Helen stopped to talk with Jim Preston for a moment. - -"I think you'd better take the class home," she said. "There's nothing -more they can do here." - -"Will you go back with them now?" asked the boatman. - -"No, I'm going to stay here tonight. I'll phone mother." - -Helen turned and ran toward the farmhouse. Inside there was an air of -quiet, suppressed activity. - -Doctor Stevens had carried Margaret into the large downstairs bedroom -which Mother Linder reserved for company occasions. Two kerosene lamps on -a table beside the bed gave a rich light which softened the pallor of -Margaret's cheeks. - -Doctor Stevens was busy with an injection from a hypodermic needle, -working as though against time. Tragedy had danced on the tips of the -waves a few minutes earlier but how close it came to entering the -farmhouse only Doctor Stevens knew at that hour for Margaret's strength, -sapped by the terrifying experience on the lake, was near the breaking -point and only the injection of a strong heart stimulant saved her life. - -Two hours later, hours which had been ages long to Helen as she sat -beside the bed with the doctor, Margaret opened her eyes. - -"Don't talk, Marg," begged Helen. "Everything is all right. You're in a -bedroom at the Linders and your father is here with you." - -Margaret nodded slightly and closed her eyes. It was another hour before -she moved again and when she did Mother Linder was at hand with a -steaming bowl of chicken broth. The nourishing food plus the hour of calm -sleep had partially restored Margaret's strength and when she had -finished the broth she sat up in bed. - -"I've been such a little fool," she said, but her father patted her hand. - -"Don't apologize for what's happened," he said. "We're just supremely -happy to have you here," his voice so low that only Margaret and Helen -heard him. - -"I thought it would be a good joke to disappear when Miss Carver started -telling the ghost story," explained Margaret. "I got the boat out into -the lake without anyone seeing me and let it drift several hundred feet. -When I tried to put the oars in the locks I stumbled, dropped them -overboard and that's the last I knew, except that for hours I was -falling, falling, falling, and always there was the noise of the waves." - -Margaret slipped back into a deep, restful sleep when she had finished -her story. Helen, worn by the hours of tension, slid out of her chair and -onto the floor, and when Doctor Stevens picked her up she was sound -asleep. - - - - - CHAPTER X - _Behind the Footlights_ - - -By the first of the following week the near tragedy of the picnic seemed -only a terrible nightmare to Helen and Margaret and they devoted all of -their extra time to helping Tom get out the next edition of the _Herald_. - -Monday morning's mail brought a long letter from Helen's father, a letter -in which he praised them warmly for their first edition of the _Herald_. -He added that he had recovered from the fatigue of his long trip into the -southwest and was feeling much stronger and a great deal more cheerful. -The newsy letter brightened the whole atmosphere of the Blair home and -for the first time since their father had left, Tom and Helen saw their -mother like her old self, smiling, happy and humming little tunes as she -worked about the house. - -Events crowded one on another as the school year neared its close. There -were final examinations, the junior-senior banquet, the annual sophomore -party and finally, graduation exercises. - -The seniors had been rehearsing their play, "The Spell of the Image," for -a month and for the final week had engaged a special dramatic instructor -from Cranston to put the finishing touches on the cast. Helen had read -the play several times. It was a comedy-drama concerning the finding of -an ancient and valuable string of pearls in an old image. It had action, -mystery and romance and she thrilled when she thought that in two more -years she would be in her own class play. - -The dramatic instructor arrived. She was Anne Weeks, a slender, -dark-haired girl of 25 who had attended the state university and majored -in dramatics. Every boy in high school promptly thought he was in love -with her. - -The seniors rehearsed their parts every spare hour and every evening. The -play was to go on Thursday night with the graduation exercises Friday -evening. - -Dress rehearsal was called for Tuesday and Helen went down to the opera -house to peek in and see how it was going. She found a disconsolate cast -sitting around the stage, looking gloomily at Miss Weeks. - -"This looks more like a party of mourners than a play practice," observed -Helen. - -"It's just about that bad," replied Miss Weeks. "Sarah Jacobs has come -down with a severe cold and can't talk, which leaves us in a fine -pickle." - -"Won't she be able to go on Thursday night?" - -"It will be at least a week before she'll be able to use her voice for a -whole evening," Miss Weeks said. "In the meantime, we've got to find -another girl, about Sarah's size, to play her part and every member of -the senior class is in the play now." - -She stopped suddenly and looked at Helen. - -"You're about Sarah's size," she mused, "and you're blonde and you have -blue eyes. You'll do, Helen." - -"Do for what?" asked the astounded Helen. - -"Why, for Sarah's part," exclaimed Miss Weeks. "Come now, hurry up and -get into Sarah's costume," and she pointed to a dainty colonial dress -which the unfortunate Sarah was to have worn in the prologue. - -"But I don't know Sarah's part well enough," said Helen. "I've only read -the play twice and then just for fun." - -"You'll catch on," said Miss Weeks, "if you're half as smart as I think -you are." - -"Go on, Helen," urged the seniors. "Help us out. We've got to put the -play across or we'll never have enough money to pay Miss Weeks." - -"Now you know why I'm so anxious for you to take the part," smiled the -play instructor. - -"I'll do my best," promised Helen, gathering the costume under her arm -and hurrying toward the girls' dressing room. - -Ten minutes later she emerged as a dainty colonial dame. Miss Weeks -stared hard at her and then smiled an eminently satisfactory smile. - -"Now if she can only get the lines in two nights," she whispered to -herself. - -Helen's reading of the play had given her a thorough understanding of the -action and they went through the prologue without a slip. Scenery was -shifted rapidly and the stage changed from a colonial ballroom to a -modern garden scene. Costumes kept up with the scenery and when the -members of the cast reappeared on the stage they were dressed in modern -clothes. - -Helen poured over the pages of the play book and because she had only a -minor part in the first act, got through it nicely. The second act was -her big scene and she was decidedly nervous when it came time for her -cue. One of the seniors was to make love to her and she didn't especially -like him. But the play was the thing and the seniors certainly did need -someone to take the vacant part. - -She screwed up her courage and played the role for all it was worth. Once -she forgot her lines but she managed to fake a little conversation and -they got back to the regular lines without trouble. - -When the curtain was rung down on the third act Miss Weeks stepped out of -the orchestra pit where she had been directing the changes in minor -details of the action and came over to Helen. - -"You're doing splendidly," she told the young editor of the _Herald_. -"Don't worry about lines. Read them over thoroughly sometime tomorrow and -we'll put the finishing touches on tomorrow night." - -When Helen reached home Tom had returned from the office, his work done -for the night. - -"Thought you were just going down the street to see how play practice was -coming?" he said. - -"I did," Helen replied, "and I'm so thrilled, Tom. Sarah Jacobs, who has -the juvenile lead in the play is ill with a sore throat and Miss Weeks -asked me to take the part." - -"Are you going to?" - -"I have," smiled Helen. "That's where I've been. Rehearsing for the play -Thursday night." - -"Well, you're a fine editor," growled Tom. "How am I going to get out the -paper?" - -"Oh, you don't need to worry about copy," Helen assured him. "Margaret -has half a dozen stories to turn in tomorrow noon and I'll have all of -mine written by supper time. And I'll do my usual work Thursday -afternoon." - -"I was just kidding," grinned Tom. "I think it's great that Miss Weeks -picked you to fill in during the emergency. Quite a compliment, I say." - -Helen's mother, who had been across the street at the Stevens', came home -and Helen had to tell her story over again. - -"What about your costumes?" asked her mother. - -"The class rents the colonial dress for the prologue," explained Helen, -"and for the other acts Miss Weeks is going to loan me some smart frocks -from her own wardrobe. We're practically the same size." - -"What a break for you," Tom laughed. "You'll be the smartest dressed girl -in the class if I know anything about Miss Weeks." - -"Which you don't!" retorted his sister. - -Helen's regular Wednesday morning round of news gathering took her to the -depot to meet the nine forty-five and she found the agent waiting. - -"Remember I promised you a story this week?" he said. - -"I'm ready to take it," Helen smiled. "What we want is news, more news -and then more news." - -"This is really a good story," the railroad man assured her. "Wait until -you see the nine forty-five." - -"What's the matter? Is it two or three hours late?" - -"It will be in right on time," the agent promised. - -Helen sat down on a box on the platform to await the arrival of the -morning local. Resting there in the warm sunshine, she pulled her copy of -the play book out of her pocket and read the second act, with her big -scene, carefully. The words were natural enough and she felt that she -would have little trouble remembering them. - -She glanced at the depot clock. It was nine forty. The local should be -whistling for the crossing down the valley. She looked in the direction -from which the train was coming. There was no sign of smoke and she knew -it would be late. - -She had picked up her play book and turned to the third act when a mellow -chime echoed through the valley. It was like a locomotive whistle and yet -unlike one. - -"New whistle on the old engine?" Helen asked the agent. - -"More than that," he grinned. - -The _Herald's_ editor watched for the train to swing into sight around a -curve but instead of the black, stubby snout of the regular passenger -engine, a train of three cars, seemingly moving without a locomotive, -appeared and rolled smoothly toward the station. - -As it came nearer Helen could hear the low roar of a powerful gasoline -engine, which gradually dropped to a sputtering series of coughs as the -three car train drew abreast the station. - -"Latest thing in local trains," exclaimed the agent. "It's a gas-electric -outfit with the motive power in the front end of the first car. Fast, -clean and smooth and it's economical to run. Don't take a fireman." - -Helen jotted down hasty notes. Everyone in the town and countryside would -be interested in seeing and reading about the new train. - -The agent gave Helen a hand into the cab where the engineer obligingly -explained the operation of the gas-electric engine. - -The conductor called "All aboo-ord," and Helen climbed down out of the -cab. - -The gasoline engine sputtered as it took up the load of starting the -train. When the cars were once under way, it settled down to a steady -rumble and the train picked up speed rapidly and rolled out of town on -its way to the state capital. - -"What do you think of it?" asked the agent. - -"It's certainly a fine piece of equipment," said Helen, "but I hate to -see the old steam engines go. There's something much more romantic about -them than these new trains." - -"Oh, we'll have steam on the freight trains," the agent hastened to add. -"Give us a good write up." - -"I will," Helen promised as she started for the _Herald_ office to write -her story of the passing of the steam passenger trains on the branch -line. - -Margaret came in with a handful of school stories she had written during -an assembly hour. - -"Congratulations," she said to Helen. "I've just heard about your part. -You'll put it across." - -"I'm glad you think so, Marg, for I'd hate to make a fizzle of it." - -Helen finished writing her copy for the paper that afternoon after school -and before she went home to supper with Tom wrote the headlines for the -main stories on page one. - -"Did you write a story about the sophomore picnic and what happened to -Margaret?" asked Tom. - -"It's with the copy I just put on your machine," Helen replied. "Everyone -knows something about it and of course there is a lot of talk. I've seen -Doctor Stevens and Margaret and they both agree that a story is necessary -and that the simple truth is the best thing to say with no apologies and -nothing covered up." - -"Doc Stevens is a brick," exclaimed Tom. "Most men would raise the very -dickens if such a story were printed but it will stop idle talk which is -certainly much worse than having the truth known." - -"That's the way he feels," Helen said. - -Margaret came over after supper to go down to the opera house with Helen -for play practice. - -"I'm getting almost as big a thrill out of it as Helen," she told Mrs. -Blair, "only I wouldn't be able to put it across and Helen can." - -Miss Weeks had brought three dresses for Helen to wear, one for each act -in the play. They were dainty, colorful frocks that went well with -Helen's blondness. - -The stage was set with all of the properties for the prologue and Helen -hastened into the girl's dressing room to put on her colonial costume. -When she returned to the stage, Miss Weeks was addressing the cast. - -"Remember," she warned them, "that this is the last rehearsal. Everything -is just as it will be tomorrow night. Imagine the audience is here -tonight. Play up to them." - -The main curtain was dropped, the house lights went off and the battery -of brilliant electrics in the footlights blazed. - -The curtain moved slightly; then went up smoothly and disappeared in the -darkness above the stage. The play was on. - -The prologue went smoothly and without a mistake and when the curtain -dropped the stage became a scene of feverish activity. - -"Five minutes to change," Miss Weeks warned them as they went to their -dressing rooms. - -For the first act Helen was to wear a white sport dress with a blazing -red scarf knotted loosely around her neck. She wiggled into her outfit, -brushed her hair with deft hands, dabbed fresh powder on her cheeks, -touched up her lips with scarlet and was ready for her cue. She said her -lines with an ease and clearness that surprised even herself and was back -in the wings and on her way to the dressing room almost before she knew -it. - -In the second act Helen had her big part and Miss Weeks had provided a -black, velvet semiformal afternoon gown. It was fashioned in plain, -clinging lines, caught around the waist with a single belt of braided -cloth of gold and with the neckline trimmed in the same material. Golden -slippers and hose and one bracelet, a heavy, imitation gold band, -completed the accessories. - -Between acts Miss Weeks came into see how the costume fitted. - -"Why, Helen," she exclaimed. "You're gorgeous--beautiful. Every boy in -town will be crazy about you." - -"I'll worry about that later," Helen replied. "But I'm so glad you think -I look all right." - -"You're perfectly adorable." - -The praise from Miss Weeks buoyed Helen with an inner courage that made -her fairly sparkle and she played her part for all it was worth. Again -she forgot her lines but she managed to escape by faking conversation. - -When the rehearsal was over, Margaret hastened to the stage. - -"You'll be the hit of the show," she whispered to Helen. "And think of -it, one of the sophomores running away with the seniors play." - -"But I don't intend to do that," Helen replied. "I'm only here to help -them out. Besides, I may forget my lines and make some terrible mistake -tomorrow night." - -"You'll do nothing of the kind," Margaret insisted, as they left the -theater. - -Thursday was Helen's busy day. Final examinations for two periods in the -morning and then to the office after lunch to help Tom fold and mail the -week's edition of the _Herald_. - -Tom had put the two pages for the last run on the press before going home -for lunch so when they returned the press was ready for the afternoon's -work. - -Advertising had not been quite as heavy as the first week and Tom had -used every line of copy Helen had written, but the paper looked clean and -readable. - -Helen stacked the papers on the makeup table and started folding. When -Tom finished the press run he folded while Helen started stamping the -names of the subscribers on the papers. By four o'clock every paper was -in the postoffice and half an hour later they were ready to call it a day -and lock up the office. - -When Helen reached home her mother made her go to her room and rest for -an hour before supper. - -They were eating when Margaret hurried in. - -"Here are your tickets," she told Mrs. Blair. "I managed to get them -exchanged so we'll all be together." - -"But I thought you had decided not to go to the play?" Helen said to her -mother. - -"That was before you had a part in it," smiled Mrs. Blair. - -"Where are you going to sit?" - -"You don't want to know," put in Tom. "If you did, it would make you -nervous. It's bad enough to know that we'll be there." - -The cast had been called to meet on the stage at seven-fifteen for last -minute instructions. The curtain was at eight-fifteen and that would give -them an hour to dress and get into makeup. - -Miss Weeks had little to say when she faced the group of seniors and the -lone sophomore. - -"Remember that this is no different from last night's rehearsal," she -told them. "Play up to each other. If you forget a few lines, fake the -conversation until you can get back to your cues. You will disappoint me -greatly if you don't put on the best senior play ever given in Rolfe." - -Then they were swept away in the rush of last minute preparations for the -first call. The girl's dressing room was filled with the excited chatter -of a dozen girls and the air was thick with the smell of grease paint and -powder. Colonial costumes came out of the large wardrobe which filled one -side of the room and there was the crisp rustle of silk as the girls -donned their costumes. Miss Weeks moved through the room, adding a touch -of makeup here and taking off a bit where some over-zealous young actress -had been too enthusiastic. - -"Ten minutes," Miss Weeks warned the girls. "Everyone out and on the -stage." - -There was a general checkup on costumes and stage properties. Through the -heavy curtain Helen heard the high school orchestra swing into the -overture. The electrician moved the rheostat which dimmed the house -lights. The banks of electrics in the flies about the stage awoke into -glaring brilliance as the overture reached its crescendo. The stage was -very quiet. Everyone was ready for the curtain. - -All eyes were on Miss Weeks and Helen felt a last second flutter of her -heart. In another second or two she would be in the full glare of the -footlights. She was thankful that she had only a few lines in the -prologue. It would give her time to gain a stage composure and prepare -for her big scene in the second act. - -Miss Weeks' hand moved. The man at the curtain shifted and it started -slowly upward. Helen blinked involuntarily as she faced the full glare of -the footlights. Beyond them she could see only a sea of faces, extending -row on row toward the back of the theater. Somewhere out there her mother -and Tom would be watching her. And with them would be Margaret and her -parents. - -The play was on and Helen forgot her first nervousness. Dainty colonial -dames moved about the stage and curtsied before gallant white-wigged -gentlemen. The prologue was short but colorful. Just enough to reveal -that a precious string of pearls had been hidden in the ugly little image -which reposed so calmly on a pedestal. - -As the curtain descended, a wave of applause reached the stage. It was -ardent and prolonged and Miss Weeks motioned for the cast to remain in -their places. The curtain ascended half way and the cast curtsied before -it descended again. - -"You're doing splendidly," Miss Weeks told them. "Now everyone to the -dressing rooms to change for the first act. Be back on the stage ready to -go in five minutes." - -The girls flocked to the dressing room. Colonial costumes disappeared and -modern dresses took their place. Helen slipped into her white sport -outfit with the scarlet scarf. Her cheeks burned with the excitement of -the hour. She dabbed her face with a powder puff and returned to the -stage. The scenery had been shifted for the first act and the curtain -went up on time to the second. - -Helen felt much easier. Her first feeling of stage fright had disappeared -and she knew she was the master of her own emotions. She refused to think -of the possibility of forgetting her lines and resolved to put herself -into the character she was playing and do and act in the coming -situations, as that character would do. - -Helen was on the stage only a few minutes during the first act and she -had ample time to change for the second. The dressing room was almost -deserted and she took her time. The heavy, black velvet dress Miss Weeks -had loaned her was entrancing in its rich beauty and distinctiveness. - -She combed her blond hair until it looked like burnished gold. Then she -pulled it back and caught it at the nape of her neck. It was the most -simple hair dress possible but the most effective in its sheer -simplicity. - -Other girls crowded into the room. The first act was over. Miss Weeks -came in and Helen stood up. - -"Wonderful, Helen, wonderful," murmured the instructor, but not so loud -that the other girls would hear. - -There was the call for the second act and Helen went onto the stage. The -senior she played opposite came up. - -"All set?" he asked. - -Helen smiled, just a bit grimly, for she was determined to play her part -for all it was worth. - -The orchestra stopped playing and the curtain slid upward. She heard her -cue and walked into the radiance of the lights. She heard the senior, her -admirer in the play, talking to her. He was telling her of his recent -adventures and how, at the end of a long, moonlit trail, he had finally -come upon the girl of his dreams. - -Then she heard herself replying, protesting that there was no such thing -as love at first sight, but that ardent young Irish adventurer refused no -for an answer and Helen backed away from him. - -She heard a warning hiss from the wings but it was too late. She walked -backwards into a pedestal with a vase of flowers. - -There was a sudden crash of the falling pedestal and the tinkle of -breaking glass. - -The audience roared with laughter. - -Helen was stunned for the moment. In her chance to make good in high -school dramatics she had clumsily backed into the stand and upset it, -breaking the vase. Tears welled into her eyes and her lips trembled. The -senior was staring at her, too surprised to talk. - -The laughter continued, and Helen seized the only chance for escape. -Could she make it appear that the accident was a part of the play, a -deliberate bit of comedy? - -"Smile," she whispered to the senior. "We can make it look like a part of -the play. Follow my cue." He nodded slightly to show that he understood. - -The laughter subsided enough for them to continue their lines and Helen -managed to smile. She hoped it wouldn't look too forced. - -"Look what you made me do," she said, pointing at the wreckage of the -vase. - -"Sorry," smiled the senior. "I'm just that way about you." - -Then they swung back into the lines of the play and three minutes later -Helen was again in the wings. - -Miss Weeks was waiting for her and Helen expected a sharp criticism. - -"Supreme comedy," congratulated the dramatic instructor. "How did you -happen to think of that?" - -"But I didn't think of it," protested Helen. "It was an accident. I was -scared to death." - -Miss Weeks stared at her hard. - -"Well," she commented, "you certainly carried it off splendidly. It was -the best comedy touch of the show." - -The third act went on and then "The Spell of the Image" was over. The -curtain came down on the final curtain call. The orchestra blared as the -audience left the hall while parents and friends trooped onto the stage -to congratulate the members of the cast. - -Helen suddenly felt very tired and there was a mist in her eyes, but she -brightened visibly when her mother and Tom, followed by the Stevens, -pushed through the crowd. She listened eagerly to their praises and to -Tom's whole-hearted exclamations over her beauty and charm. - -Then the lights of the stage dimmed. She had had her hour as an actress; -she knew she had acquitted herself well. The smell of grease, paint and -powder faded and she was a newspaperwoman again--the editor of the -_Herald_. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - _New Plans_ - - -With the end of the school year Tom and Helen were able to give their -complete time and energies to the _Herald_. When Monday, the first of -June arrived, they were working on their fourth issue of the _Herald_ and -Helen had written a number of stories on the last week's activities at -school, the graduation exercises, the junior-senior dinner and the senior -class play. She praised Miss Weeks highly for her work with the class -play and lauded the seniors for their fine acting. Although urged that -she say something about her own part, Helen steadfastly refused and her -brother finally gave up in disgust and delved in to the ledger for on his -shoulders fell the task of making out the monthly bills and handling all -of the business details of the paper. - -When Tom had completed his bookkeeping he turned to his sister. - -"Helen," he began, "we're not making enough." - -"But, Tom," she protested, "the paper is carrying more advertising than -when Dad ran it." - -"Yes, but our expenses are high," said Tom. "We've got to look ahead all -the time. Dad will have used all of the money he took with him in a -little less than six months. After that it will be up to us to have the -cash in the bank. Right now we've just a little under a hundred dollars -in the bank. Current bills will take more than that, and our own living -expenses, that is for mother and we two, will run at least $100 a month. -With our total income from the paper only slightly more than $200 a month -on the basis of the present amount of advertising, you see we're not -going to be able to save much toward helping Dad." - -"Then we'll have to find ways of increasing our volume of business," said -Helen. - -"That won't be easy to do in a town this size," replied Tom, "and I won't -go out and beg for advertising." - -"No one is going to ask you to," said Helen. "We'll make the _Herald_ -such a bright, outstanding paper that all of the business men will want -to advertise." - -"We'll do the best we can," agreed Tom. - -"Then let's start right now by putting in a farm page," suggested Helen. - -"But there won't be many farm sales from now on," argued Tom. - -"No," conceded his sister, "but there is haying, threshing and then corn -picking and all of the stores have supplies to sell to the farmers." - -"I believe you're right. If you'll do the collecting this afternoon, I'll -go down to Gladbrook and see if we can get the cooperation of the county -agent. Lots of the townships near here have farm bureaus and I'll get the -names of all of their leaders and we'll write and tell them what we plan -to do." - -After lunch Tom teased the family flivver into motion and set out for -Gladbrook while Helen took the sheaf of bills and started the rounds of -the business houses. She had no trouble getting her money from all of the -regular advertisers and in every store in which she stopped she took care -to ask the owner about news of the store and of his family. She noticed -that it flattered each one and she resolved to call on them at least once -a week. - -Tom returned from Gladbrook late in the afternoon. He was enthusiastic -over the success of his talk with the county agent. - -"He's a fine chap," Tom explained. "Had a course in agricultural -journalism in college and knows news and how to write it. The Gladbrook -papers, the _News_ and the _Times_, don't come up in this section of the -county and he'll be only too glad to send us a column each week." - -"When will he start?" - -"Next week will be the first one. He'll mail his column every Tuesday -evening and we'll have it on the Wednesday morning mail. Now, here's even -better news. I went to several of the department stores at Gladbrook and -told them we were going to put out a real farm page. They're actually -anxious to buy space and by driving down there once a week I can get two -or three good ads." - -"How will the local merchants feel?" asked Helen. - -"They won't object," replied Tom, "for I was careful to stress that I -would only accept copy which would not conflict with that used by our -local stores." - -"That was a wise thing to do," Helen said. "We can't afford to antagonize -our local advertisers. I made the rounds and collected all of the regular -accounts. There's only about eighteen dollars outstanding on this month's -bills and I'll get all but about five dollars of that before the week is -over." - -"Want to go to Cranston Friday or Saturday?" asked Tom. - -"I surely do," Helen replied. "But what for, Tom, and can we afford it?" - -"One of us will have to make the trip," her brother said. "Putting on -this farm page means we'll have to print two more pages at home, six -altogether, and will need only two pages of ready-print a week from the -World Printing Company. We'll go down and talk with their manager at -Cranston and select the features we want for the two pages they will -continue to print for us." - -"Our most important features in the ready-print now are the comics, the -serial story and the fashion news for women," said Helen. - -"Then we'll have one page of comics," said Tom, "and fill the other page -with features of special interest to our women readers." - -The next three days found the young Blairs so busy getting out the -current edition of the paper that they had little time to talk about -their plans. - -They had decided to go to Cranston Friday but when Helen found that there -were special rates for Saturday, they postponed the trip one day. When -the Friday morning mail arrived, Helen was glad they had changed their -plans. While sorting the handful of letters, most of them circulars -destined for the wastepaper basket, she came upon the letter she had been -looking forward to for days. The words in the upper left hand corner -thrilled her. It was from the Cranston bureau of the Associated Press. - -With fingers that trembled slightly, she tore it open. Would she get the -job as Rolfe correspondent? A green slip dropped out of the envelope and -Tom, who had come in from the composing room, reached down and picked it -up. - -"Ten dollars!" he whistled. - -"What's that?" demanded Helen, incredulously. - -"It's your check from the Associated Press for covering the tornado," -explained Tom. "Look!" - -Helen took the slip of crisp, green paper. She wasn't dreaming. It was a -check, made out in her name and for $10. - -"But there must be some mistake," she protested. "They didn't mean to pay -me that much." - -"If you think there's a mistake," grinned Tom, "you can go and see them -when we reach Cranston tomorrow. However, if I were you, I'd tuck it in -my pocket, invite my brother across the street to the drug store, and buy -him a big ice cream soda." - -"Wait until I see what the letter says," replied Helen. She pulled it out -of the envelope and Tom leaned over to read it with her. - -"Dear Miss Blair," it started, "enclosed you will find check for your -fine work in reporting the tornado near Rolfe. Please consider this -letter as your appointment as Rolfe correspondent for the Associated -Press. Serious accidents, fires of more than $5,000 damage and deaths of -prominent people should be sent as soon as possible. Telegraph or -telephone, sending all your messages collect. In using the telegraph, -send messages by press rate collect when the story is filed in the -daytime. If at night, send them night press collect. And remember, speed -counts but accuracy must come first. Stories of a feature or time nature -should be mailed. We are counting on you to protect us on all news that -breaks in and near Rolfe. Very truly yours, Alva McClintock, -Correspondent in charge of the Cranston Bureau." - -"He certainly said a lot in a few words," was Tom's comment. "Now you're -one up on me. You're editor of the _Herald_ and Associated Press -correspondent and I'm only business manager." - -"Don't get discouraged," laughed Helen, "I'll let you write some of the -Associated Press stories." - -"Thanks of the compliment," grinned Tom. "I'm still waiting for that ice -cream soda, Miss Plutocrat." - -"You'll grumble until I buy it, I suppose, so I might as well give in -right now," said Helen. "Come on. I'm hungry for one myself." - -Tom and Helen boarded the nine forty-five Saturday morning and arrived at -the state capital shortly after noon. It was Helen's first trip to -Cranston and she enjoyed every minute of it, the noise and confusion of -the great railroad terminal, the endless bobbing about of the red caps, -the cries of news boys heralding noonday editions and the ceaseless roar -of the city. - -They went into the large restaurant at the station for lunch and after -that Tom inquired at the information desk for directions on how to reach -the plant of the World Printing Company. He copied the information on a -slip of paper and the two young newspaper people boarded a street car. - -Half an hour later they were on the outskirts of the industrial district -and even before the conductor called their stop, Tom heard the steady -roar of great presses. - -"Here we are," he told Helen as they stepped down from the car and looked -up at a hulking ten story building that towered above them. - -"The Cranston plant of the _Rolfe Herald_," chuckled Helen. "Lead on." - -They walked up the steps into the office, gave their names and indicated -their business to the office girl. After waiting a few minutes they were -ushered into an adjoining office where an energetic, middle aged man who -introduced himself as Henry Walker, service manager, greeted them. - -"Let's see, you're from the _Rolfe Herald_?" he asked. - -"My sister and I are running the paper while Dad is in the southwest -regaining his health," explained Tom. "We've got to expand the paper to -increase our advertising space and the only thing we can see to do is cut -down our ready-print to two pages." - -"Explain just what you mean," suggested the service manager. - -Tom outlined their advertising field and how they hoped to increase -business by adding two more pages of home print, one of which would be -devoted to farm advertising and news and the other to be available for -whatever additional advertising they could produce. - -"We'll be sorry to have you drop two pages of ready-print," said Mr. -Walker, "but I believe you're doing the right thing. Now let's see what -you want on the two pages you'll retain." - -"Helen is editor," Tom explained, "and it's up to her to pick out what -she wants." - -"You're doing a splendid job on the _Herald_," the service manager told -Helen. "I get copies of every paper we serve and I've been noticing the -changes in make-up and the lively stories. However, I am sorry to hear -about your father but with you two youngsters to give him pep and courage -he ought to be back on the job in a few months." - -"We're sure he will," smiled Helen as she unfolded a copy of their last -edition of the _Herald_. "I've pasted up two pages of the features I want -to retain," she explained as she placed them in front of the service -manager. - -"I see," he said. "You're going to be quite metropolitan with a full page -of comics and a page devoted to women. I'm glad of that. Too many editors -of weeklies fail to realize that the women and not the men are the real -readers of their papers. If you run a paper which appeals to women and -children you'll have a winner. Comics for the youngsters and a serial -story with a strong love element and fashions and style news for the -women." - -"How about cost?" asked Tom. - -"Dropping the two pages won't quite cut your bill with us in half," -explained Mr. Walker, "for you're retaining all of our most expensive -features. However, this new plan of yours will reduce your weekly bill -about 40 per cent." - -"That's satisfactory," agreed Tom, "and we'd like to have it effective at -once. Helen has written the headings she wants for each page." - -"We'll send the pages, made up in the new way, down at the usual time -next week," promised the service manager, "and when there is anything -else we can do, don't hesitate to let us know." - -When they were out of the building, they paused to decide what to do -next. - -"I liked Mr. Walker," said Helen. "He didn't attempt to keep us from -making the change. It means less money for his company yet he didn't -object." - -"It was good business on his part," replied Tom. "Now we feel kindly -toward him and although he has lost temporarily he will gain in the end -for we'll give him every bit of business we can in the way of ordering -supplies for job printing and extra stock for the paper." - -"If we have time," suggested Helen, "I'd like to go down to the -Associated Press office." - -"Good idea," agreed Tom. "I'd like to see how they handle all of the -news." - -They boarded the first down town street car and got off fifteen minutes -later in the heart of Cranston's loop district. Across the street was the -building which housed the _Cranston Chronicle_, the largest daily -newspaper in the state. They consulted the directory in the lobby of the -building and took the elevator to the fifth floor where the Associated -Press offices were located. - -They stepped out of the elevator and into a large room, filled with the -clatter of many machines. A boy, his face smeared with blue smudges off -carbon paper, rushed up to them and inquired their business. - -"I'm Helen Blair, a new correspondent at Rolfe," explained the editor of -the _Herald_, "and I'd like to see Mr. McClintock, the chief -correspondent." - -"Okay," grinned the boy. "I'll tell him. You wait here." - -The youngster hurried across the room to a large table, shaped like a -half moon and behind which sat a touseled haired chap of indeterminate -age. He might be 30 and he might be 40, decided Helen. - -"Glad to know you, Miss Blair," he said. "You did a nice piece of work on -the storm." - -"Thank you, Mr. McClintock," replied Helen. "But my brother, Tom, -deserves all of the credit. He suggested calling the story to you." - -"Then I'll thank Tom, too," laughed the head of the Cranston bureau of -the Associated Press. - -"We're here today on business for our paper," explained Helen, "and with -a few minutes to spare before train time hoped you wouldn't mind if we -came in and saw how the 'wheels go round' here." - -"I'll be happy to show you the 'works'," replied Mr. McClintock, and he -took them over to a battery of electric printers. - -"These," he explained, "bring us news from every part of the country, -east, south and far west. In reality, they are electric typewriters -controlled from the sending station in some other city. We take the news -which comes in here, sift it out and decide what will interest people in -our own state, and send it on to daily papers in our territory." - -"Do these electric printers run all day?" asked Tom. - -"Some of them go day and night," continued Mr. McClintock, "for the A.P. -never sleeps. Whenever news breaks, we've got to be ready to cover it. -That's why we appreciated your calling us on the storm. We knew there was -trouble in your part of the state but we didn't have a correspondent at -Rolfe. It was a mighty pleasant surprise when you phoned." - -They visited with the Associated Press man for another fifteen minutes -and would have continued longer if Tom had not realized that they had -less than twenty minutes to make their train. The last two blocks to the -terminal were covered at a run and they raced through the train gates -just before they clanged shut. - -"Close call," panted Tom as they swung onto the steps of the local and it -slid out of the train shed. - -"Too close," agreed Helen, who was breathless from their dash. - -"Had to make it, though," added Tom, "or we'd have been stranded here -flat broke with the next train for home Monday night." - -"Don't worry about something that didn't happen," Helen said. "I've -enjoyed every minute of our trip and we're all ready now to start our -expansion program for the _Herald_ in earnest." - -Adding two more pages of home print to the paper meant more work than -either Tom or Helen had realized. There was more news to be written and -more ads to be set and another run to be made on the press. - -With early June at hand the summer season at the resorts on the lower end -of Lake Dubar got under way and Helen resolved to make a trip at least -once a week and run a column or two of personals about people coming and -going. She also gave liberal space to the good roads election in July, -stressing the value the paved scenic highway would be to Rolfe. - -The two pages of ready-print arrived on Tuesday and Tom and Helen were -delighted with the appearance of the comic page and the feature page for -women readers. - -"We'll have the snappiest looking paper in the county," chuckled Tom. -"Dad won't know the old paper when he sees this week's issue." - -The county agent kept his promise to send them at least a column of farm -news and Helen made it a point to gather all she could while Tom went to -the county seat Tuesday morning and solicited ads for the page. The -result was a well-balanced page, half ads and half news. Careful -solicitation of home town merchants also brought additional ads and when -they made up the last two pages Thursday noon they felt the extra work -which increasing the size of the paper meant was more than repaid in -extra advertising. - -"I'm printing a number of extra copies this week," explained Tom. "There -are lots of people around here who ought to take the _Herald_. With our -expansion program we may pick up some extra subscriptions and we might -get a chance at the county printing." - -"Tom!" exclaimed Helen. "Do you really think we might get to be an -official county paper." - -"I don't see why not," said Tom. "Of course the two Gladbrook papers will -always be on the county list but there are always three who print the -legal news and the third one is the _Auburn Advocate_. Auburn isn't any -larger than Rolfe and I know darned well we have almost as many -subscriptions as they do." - -"How do they decide the official papers?" Helen wanted to know. - -"The county board of supervisors meets once a year to select the three -official papers," Tom explained, "and the three showing the largest -circulation are selected. It would mean at least $2,000 extra revenue to -us, most of which would be profit." - -"Then why didn't Dad try for it?" Helen asked. - -"I'm not sure," said Tom slowly. "There are probably several reasons, the -principal one being that he wasn't strong enough to make the additional -effort to build up the circulation list. The other is probably Burr -Atwell, owner and publisher of the _Auburn Advocate_. I've heard Dad -often remark that Atwell is the crookedest newspaperman in the state." - -"How much circulation do you think the _Advocate_ has now?" Helen asked. - -"Their last postoffice statement showed only 108 more than ours," replied -Tom. - -"And when do the supervisors have their annual meeting?" - -"About the 15th of December," said Tom. "Now what's up?" - -"Nothing much," smiled Helen. "Only, when the supervisors meet next the -_Rolfe Herald_ is going to have enough circulation to be named an -official county paper. - -"Why Tom," she went on enthusiastically, "think what it would mean to -Dad?" - -"I'm thinking of that," nodded her brother, "but I'm also thinking of -what Burr Atwell might do to the _Herald_." - - - - - CHAPTER XII - _Special Assignment_ - - -The enlarged edition of the _Herald_ attracted so much comment and praise -from the readers that Tom and Helen felt well repaid for their additional -efforts. Tom sat down and figured out the profit, deducted all expenses, -and announced that they had made $78 on the edition, which, they agreed, -was a figure they should strive to reach each week. - -"If we can keep that up," commented Tom, "we'll be sitting on top of the -world." - -"But if we were only an official county paper we'd have the moon, too," -Helen said. - -They discussed the pros and cons of getting enough additional circulation -to beat the _Auburn Advocate_ and the danger of arousing the anger of -Burr Atwell, its publisher. - -"We don't need to make a big campaign for subscriptions," argued Helen. -"We've taken the biggest step right now--improving and expanding the -amount of local and country reading matter. Whenever I have an extra -afternoon this summer I'll drive out in the country and see if I can't -get some people who haven't been subscribers to take our paper." - -Tom agreed with Helen's suggestion and that very afternoon they took the -old family touring car, filled it with gas and oil, and ambled through -the countryside. Tom had a list of farmers who were non-subscribers and -before the afternoon was over they had added half a dozen new names to -the _Herald's_ circulation list. In addition, they had obtained at least -one item of farm news at every place they stopped. - -"I call that a good afternoon's work," Helen commented when they drove -the ancient flivver into the garage at home. - -"Not bad at all," Tom agreed. "Only, we'll keep quiet about our -circulation activities. No use to stir up Burr Atwell until he finds it -out for himself, which will be soon enough." - -The remaining weeks of June passed uneventfully. The days were bright and -warm with the softness of early summer and the countryside was green with -a richness that only the middle west knows. Helen devoted the first part -of each week to getting news in Rolfe and on Fridays and Saturdays took -the old car and rambled through the countryside, stopping at farmhouses -to make new friends for the _Herald_ and gather news for the farm page. -The revenue of the paper was increasing rapidly and they rejoiced at the -encouraging news which was coming from their father. - -The Fourth of July that year came on Saturday, which meant a two day -celebration for Rolfe and the summer resorts on Lake Dubar. Special -trains would be routed in over the railroad and the boats on the lake -would do a rushing business. - -The managers of Crescent Beach and Sandy Point planned big programs for -their resorts and ordered full page bills to be distributed throughout -that section of the state. The county seat papers had usually obtained -these large job printing orders but by carefully figuring, Tom put in the -lowest bids. - -Kirk Foster, the manager of Crescent Beach, ordered five thousand posters -while Art Provost, the owner of Sandy Point, ordered twenty thousand. -Crescent Beach catered to a smaller and more exclusive type of summer -visitors while Sandy Point welcomed everyone to its large and hospitable -beach. - -There was not much composition for the posters but the printing required -hours and it seemed to Helen that the old press rattled continuously for -the better part of three days as Tom fed sheet after sheet of paper into -the ancient machine. The wonder of it was that they had no breakdowns and -the bills were printed and delivered on time. - -"All of which means," said Tom when he had finished, "that we've added a -clear profit of $65 to our bank account." - -"If we keep on at this rate," Helen added, "we'll have ample to take care -of Dad when he needs more money." - -"And he'll be needing it sometime this fall," Tom said slowly. "Gee -whizz, but it sure does cost to be in one of those sanitariums. Lucky we -could step in and take hold here for Dad." - -"We owe him more than we'll ever repay," said Helen, "and the experience -we're getting now will be invaluable. We're working hard but we find time -to do the things we like." - -Helen planned special stories for the edition just before the Fourth and -visited the managers of both resorts to get their complete programs for -the day. - -Kirk Foster at Crescent Beach explained that there would be nothing -unusual there except the special display of night fireworks but Art -Provost over at Sandy Point had engaged a line of free attractions that -would rival any small circus. Besides the usual boating and bathing, -there would be free acts by aerialists, a high dive by a girl into a -small tank of water, half a dozen clowns to entertain the children, a -free band concert both afternoon and evening, two ball games and in -addition to the merry-go-round on the grounds there would be a ferris -wheel and several other "thrill" rides brought in for the Fourth. - -"You ought to have a great crowd," said Helen. - -"Goin' to be mighty disappointed if I don't," said the old resort -manager. "Plannin' a regular rip-snorter of a day. No admission to the -grounds, but Boy! it'll cost by the time they leave." - -"Going to double the prices of everything?" asked Helen. - -"Nope. Goin' to have so many things for folks to do they'll spend -everything they got before they leave." - -"In that case," replied Helen, "I see where I stay at home. I'm a -notorious spendthrift when it comes to celebrating the Fourth." - -"I should say you're not goin' to stay home," said Mr. Provost. "You and -your mother and Tom are goin' to be my guests. I've got your passes all -filled out. Swim, ride in the boats, dance, roller skate, see the ball -games, enjoy any of the 'thrill rides' you want to. Won't cost you a -cent." - -"But I can't accept them," protested Helen. "We'll pay if we come down. -Besides, we didn't give you all of those bills for nothing." - -"Seemed mighty near nothin' compared with the prices all the other -printers in the county wanted," smiled Mr. Provost. "You've been down -every week writin' items about the folks who come here and, believe me, I -appreciate it. These passes are just a little return of the courtesy -you've shown me this summer." - -"When you put it that way, I can scarcely refuse them," laughed Helen. - -"As a matter of fact," she added, "I wanted them terribly for we honestly -couldn't afford to come otherwise." - -When Helen returned to the office she told Tom about the passes and he -agreed that acceptance of them would not place the _Herald_ under -obligation to the resort owner. - -"I always thought old man Provost a pretty good scout," he said, "but I -hardly expected him to do this. And say, these passes are good for both -Saturday and Sunday. What a break!" - -"If we see everything Saturday we'll be so tired we won't want to go back -Sunday," Helen said. "Besides, Mother has some pretty strong ideas on -Sunday celebrations." - -The telephone rang and Helen hastened into the editorial office to -answer. - -She talked rapidly for several minutes, jotting down notes on a pad of -scratch paper. When she had finished, she hurried back into the composing -room. - -"Tom," she cried, "that was Mr. Provost calling." - -"Did he cancel the passes?" - -"I should say not. He called to say he had just received a telegram from -the Ace Flying Circus saying it would be at Sandy Point to do stunt -flying and carry passengers for the Fourth of July celebration." - -"Why so excited about that? We've had flying circuses here before." - -"Yes, I know, Tom, but 'Speed' Rand is in charge of the Ace outfit this -year." - -"'Speed' Rand!" whistled Tom. "Well, I should say that was different. -That's news. Why Rand's the man who flew from Tokyo to Seattle all alone. -Other fellows had done it in teams but Rand is the only one to go solo. -He's big news in all of the dailies right now. Everyone is wondering what -daredevil stunt he'll do next." - -"He's very good looking and awfully rich," smiled Helen. - -"Flies just for fun," added Tom. "With all of the oil land he's got he -doesn't have to worry about work. Tell you what, I'll write to the -_Cranston Chronicle_ and see if they'll send us a cut of Rand. It would -look fine on the front page of this week's issue." - -"Oh," exclaimed Helen "I almost forgot the most important part of Mr. -Provost's call. He wants you to get out 10,000 half page bills on the Ace -Flying Circus. Here are the notes. He said for you to write the bill and -run them off as soon as you can." - -The order for the bills put Tom behind on his work with the paper and it -was late Thursday afternoon before Helen started folding that week's -issue. But they didn't mind being late. The bill order from Sandy Point -had meant another piece of profitable job work and Mr. Provost had also -taken a half page in the _Herald_ to advertise the coming of his main -attraction for the Fourth. Mrs. Blair came down to help with the folding -and Margaret Stevens, just back from a vacation in the north woods with -her father, arrived in time to lend a hand. - -"Nice trip?" Helen asked as she deftly folded the printed sheets. - -"Wonderful," smiled Margaret, "but I'm glad to get back. I missed helping -you and Tom. Honestly, I get a terrific thrill out of reporting." - -"We're glad to have you back," replied Helen, "and I think Mr. Provost -down at Sandy Point will be glad to give me an extra pass for the Fourth. -I'll tell him you're our star reporter." - -"I'd rather go to Crescent Beach for the Fourth," said Margaret. "It's -newer and much more ritzy than Sandy Point." - -"You'd better stop and look at the front page carefully," warned Tom, who -had shut off the press just in time to hear Margaret's words. - -She stopped folding papers long enough to read the type under the two -column picture on the front page. - -"What!" she exclaimed, "'Speed' Rand coming here?" - -"None other and none such," laughed Tom. "Guaranteed to be the one and -only 'Speed' Rand. Step right this way folks for your airplane tickets. -Five dollars for five minutes. See the beauty of Lake Dubar from the air. -Don't crowd, please." - -"Do you still want me to get a pass?" Helen asked. "It will be honored -any place at Sandy Point during the celebration and Mr. Provost says we -can all have rides with the air circus 'Speed' Rand is running." - -"I should say I do want a pass," said Margaret. "At least it's some -advantage to being a newspaper woman besides just the fun of it." - -The famous Ace air circus of half a dozen planes roared over Rolfe just -before sunset Friday night and the whole town turned out to see them and -try to identify the plane which "Speed" Rand was flying. - -The air circus was flying in two sections, three fast, trim little -biplanes that led the way, followed by three large cabin planes used for -passenger carrying. Every ship was painted a brilliant scarlet and they -looked like tongues of flames darting through the sky, the afternoon sun -glinting on their wings. - -The air circus swung over Rolfe in a wide circle and the leading plane -dropped down out of the sky, its motor roaring so loud the windows in the -houses rattled in their frames. - -"He's going to crash!" cried Margaret. - -"Nothing of the kind," shouted Tom, who had read widely of planes and -pilots and flying maneuvers. "That's just a power dive--fancy flying." - -Tom was right. When the scarlet biplane seemed headed for certain -destruction the pilot pulled its nose up, levelled off, shot over Rolfe -at dizzying speed and then climbed his craft back toward the fleecy, lazy -white clouds. - -"That's Rand," announced Tom with a certainty that left no room for -argument. "He's always up to stunts like that." - -"It must be awfully dangerous," said Helen as she watched the plane, now -a mere speck in the sky. - -"It is," agreed Tom. "Everything depends on the motor in a dive like -that. If it started to miss some editor would have to write that -particular flyer's obituary." - -The morning of Saturday, the Fourth, dawned clear and bright. Small boys -whose idea of fun was to arise at four o'clock and spend the next two -hours throwing cannon crackers under windows had their usual good time -and Tom and Helen, unable to sleep, were up at six o'clock. Half an hour -later Margaret Stevens, also awakened by the almost continuous -cannonading of firecrackers, came across the street. - -"Jim Preston is going to take us down the lake on his seven-thirty trip -before the special trains and the big crowds start coming in," said Tom. - -"But I'd like to see the trains come in," protested Helen. - -"If we wait until then," explained Tom, "we'll be caught in the thick of -the rush for the boats and we may never get to Sandy Point. We'd better -take the seven-thirty boat." - -From the hill on which the Blair home stood they looked down on the shore -of Lake Dubar with its half dozen boat landings, each with two or three -motorboats awaiting the arrival of the first special excursion train. - -Mrs. Blair called them to breakfast and they were getting up to go inside -when Margaret's exclamation drew their attention back to the lake. - -"Am I seeing things or is that the old _Queen_?" she asked, pointing down -the lake. - -Tom and Helen looked in the direction she pointed. An old, double decked -boat, smoke rolling from its lofty, twin funnels, was churning its way up -the lake. - -"We may all be seeing things," cried Tom, "but it looks like the _Queen_. -I thought she had been condemned by the steamboat inspectors as unfit for -further service." - -"The news that 'Speed' Rand is going to be at Sandy Point is bringing -hundreds more than the railroad expected," said Helen. "I talked with the -station agent last night and they have four specials scheduled in this -morning and they usually only have two." - -"If they vote the paved roads at the special election next week," -commented Tom, "the railroad will lose a lot of summer travel. As it is -now, folks almost have to come by train for the slightest rain turns the -roads around here into swamps and they can't run the risk of being -marooned here for several days." - -The _Queen_ puffed sedately toward shore. They heard the clang of bells -in the engine room and the steady chouf-chouf of the exhaust cease. The -smoke drifted lazily from the funnels. Bells clanged again and the paddle -wheel at the stern went into the back motion, churning the water into -white froth. The forward speed of the _Queen_ was checked and the big -double-decker nosed into its pier. - -"There's old Capt. Billy Tucker sticking his white head out of the pilot -house," said Tom. "He's probably put a few new planks in the _Queen's_ -rotten old hull and gotten another O. K. from the boat inspectors. But if -that old tub ever hits anything, the whole bottom will cave in and she'll -sink in five minutes." - -"That's not a very cheerful Fourth of July idea," said Margaret. "Come -on, let's eat. Your mother called us hours ago." - -They had finished breakfast and were leaving the table when Mrs. Blair -spoke. - -"I've decided not to go down to Sandy Point with you," she said. "The -crowd will be so large I'm afraid I wouldn't enjoy it very much." - -"But we've planned on your going, Mother," said Helen. - -"I'm sorry to disappoint you," smiled her mother, "but Margaret's mother -and I will spend the day on the hill here. We'll be able to see the -aerial circus perform and really we'll enjoy a quiet day here at home -more than being in the crowd." - -"It won't be very quiet if those kids keep on shooting giant crackers," -said Tom. - -"They'll be going to the celebration in another hour or two and then -things will quiet down," said Mrs. Blair. - -"How about a plane ride if the circus has time to take us?" asked Tom. - -Helen saw her mother tremble at Tom's question, but she replied quickly. - -"That's up to you, Tom. You know more about planes than I do and if -you're convinced the flying circus is safe, I have no objection." But -Helen made a mental reservation that the planes would have to look mighty -safe before any of them went aloft. - -They hurried down the hill to the pier which Jim Preston used. The -boatman and his helpers had just finished polishing the three speed boats -Preston owned, the _Argosy_, the _Liberty_ and the _Flyer_, which had -been raised from the bottom of the lake and partially rebuilt. - -"All ready for the big day?" asked the genial boatman. - -"We're shy a few hours sleep," grinned Tom. "Those cannon crackers -started about four o'clock but outside of that we're all pepped up and -ready to go." - -"About three or four years ago," reminded the boatman, "you used to be -gallivantin' around town with a pocketful of those big, red crackers at -sun-up. Guess you can't complain a whole lot now." - -Tom admitted that he really couldn't complain and they climbed into the -_Liberty_. - -"I'm takin' some last minute supplies down to the hotel at Sandy Point," -said the boatman, "so we won't wait for anyone else." - -He switched on the starter and the boat quivered as the powerful motor -took hold. They were backing away from the pier when the pilot of one of -the other boats shouted for them to stop. - -A boy was running down Main Street, waving a yellow envelope in his hand. - -Jim Preston nosed the _Liberty_ back to the pier and the boy ran onto the -dock. - -"Telegram for you," he told Helen. "It's a rush message and I just had to -get it to you." - -"Thanks a lot," replied Helen. "Are there any charges?" - -"Nope. Message is prepaid." - -Helen ripped open the envelope with nervous fingers. Who could be sending -her a telegram? Was there anything wrong with her father? No, that -couldn't be it for her mother would have received the message. - -She unfolded the single sheet of yellow paper and read the telegraph -operator's bold scrawl. - -"To: Helen Blair, _The Herald_, Rolfe. Understand 'Speed' Rand is at -Rolfe for two days. Have rumor his next flight will be an attempted -non-stop refueling flight around the world. See Rand at once and try for -confirmation of rumor. Telephone as soon as possible. McClintock, The -AP." - -Helen turned to Tom and Margaret. - -"I'm to interview 'Speed' Rand for the Associated Press," she exclaimed. -"Let's go!" - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - _Helen's Exclusive Story_ - - -While the _Liberty_ whisked them through the glistening waters of Lake -Dubar toward Sandy Point, Margaret and Tom plied Helen with questions. - -"Do you think Rand will give you an interview?" demanded Tom. - -"I've got to get one," said Helen, her face flushed and eyes glowing with -the excitement of her first big assignment for the Associated Press. - -"What will you ask him? How will you act?" Margaret wanted to know. - -"Now don't try to get me flustered before I see Rand," laughed Helen. "I -think I'll just explain that I am the local correspondent for the -Associated Press, show him the telegram from Mr. McClintock and ask him -to confirm or deny the story." - -"I'll bet Rand's been interviewed by every famous reporter in the -country," said Tom. - -"Which will mean all the more honor and glory for Helen if she can get -him to tell about his plans," said Margaret. - -"I'll do my best," promised Helen and her lips set in a line that -indicated the Blair fighting spirit was on the job. - -They were still more than two miles from Sandy Point when a scarlet-hued -plane shot into sight and climbed dizzily toward the clouds. It spiralled -up and up, the roar of its motor audible even above the noise of the -speedboat's engine. - -"There's 'Speed' Rand now!" cried Tom. "No one flies like that but -'Speed'." - -The graceful little plane reached the zenith of its climb, turned over on -its back and fell away in twisting series of spirals that held the little -group in the boat breathless. - -The plane fluttered toward the lake, seemingly without life or power. -Just before it appeared about to crash, the propeller fanned the -sunlight, the nose jerked up, and the little ship skimmed over the waters -of the lake. - -It was coming toward the _Liberty_ at 200 miles an hour. On and on it -came until the roar of its motor drowned out every other sound. Helen, -Tom and Margaret threw themselves onto the floor of the boat and Jim -Preston crouched low behind his steering wheel. - -There was a sharp crash and Helen held her breath. She was sure the plane -had struck the _Liberty_ but the boat moved steadily ahead and she turned -quickly to look for the plane. - -The scarlet sky bird was limping toward the safety of the higher -altitudes, its under-carriage twisted into a grotesque knot. - -"What happened?" cried Tom as he stared aghast at 'Speed' Rand's damaged -plane. "Did we get hit?" - -"Nothing wrong with the _Liberty_," announced Jim Preston. "I don't know -what happened." - -Helen glanced at the speedboat's wake where a heavy wave was being rolled -up by the powerful propeller. - -"I know what happened," she cried. "'Rand' was just trying to give us an -extra Fourth of July thrill and he forgot about the heavy wave the -_Liberty_ pulls. He must have banged his landing gear into it." - -"You're right, Helen," agreed Tom. "But I can't figure out why he didn't -nose over and dive to the bottom of the lake." - -"I expect that would have happened to any flyer except Rand," said Helen. -"He's supposed to be a wizard in the air." - -"Wonder how this accident will affect the crowd at Sandy Point. Think it -will keep them from riding with the air circus?" Margaret asked. - -"Depends on how widely the story gets out," said Tom. "I'd hate to have -Old Man Provost's celebration ruined by wild rumors. He's spent a lot of -money getting ready to give the public a good time." - -Helen had been watching the progress of Rand's plane. Instead of heading -back toward Sandy Point he was crossing the lake to the east side. - -"He's not going back to Sandy Point," Helen cried. "Look, he's going to -land on the east side back in the hills." - -"Then he'll leave the plane there and no one at Sandy Point will know -anything about the accident," exclaimed Tom. "That means we're the only -ones who know." - -Helen was thinking rapidly. Here was just the chance she needed to get -hold of Rand and ask him about his world trip. She might be able to make -a trade with him. It was worth a try. She leaned forward and spoke to the -boatman. - -"Will you swing over east, land and pick up the pilot of that plane?" she -asked Jim Preston. - -Tom, divining the motive back of Helen's request, added, "We'll pay for -the extra time." - -The boatman agreed and the nose of the _Liberty_ was soon cleaving a -white-crested path for the east shore. The scarlet plane had disappeared -but from the drone of the motor they knew it was somewhere in the hills -back from the lakeshore. - -Jim Preston let the _Liberty_ drift to an easy landing alongside a rocky -outcropping and Tom, Helen and Margaret hopped out. - -"We won't be gone long," they promised. - -Back through the sparse timber along the lake shore they hurried and out -into a long, narrow meadow. The scene that greeted them held them -spellbound for a moment. Then they raced toward the far end of the -pasture. - -"Speed" Rand had landed the damaged plane in a fence. - -Tom was the first to reach the wrecked craft. He expected to find the -famous flyer half dead in the wreckage. Instead, he was greeted by a -debonair young fellow who crawled from beneath one wing where he had been -tossed by the impact when the plane struck the fence. - -"My gosh," exclaimed Tom, "aren't you hurt?" - -"Sorry," smiled Rand, "but I'll have to disappoint you. I haven't -anything more than a few bruises." - -Helen and Margaret arrived so out of breath they were speechless. - -Rand bowed slightly. Then his eyes glowed with recognition. - -"Hello," he said. "Aren't you the folks in the speedboat?" - -"We sure were," Tom said. "You scared us half to death." - -"I scared myself," admitted Rand, his blue eyes reflecting the laughter -on his lips. "It's been so long since I've been in a speedboat I'd -forgotten all about the big wake one of those babies pull. I'm just lucky -not to be at the bottom of the lake." - -"You're really 'Speed' Rand, aren't you?" asked Margaret. - -He smiled and nodded and Margaret decided she had never seen a more -likable young man. His hair was brown and curly and his face was bronzed -by the sun of many continents. - -"If you've got your boat around here, suppose you give me a lift back to -Sandy Point," suggested Rand. - -"We'll be glad to," Helen replied. "I don't suppose you'll want it -broadcast about the accident this morning on the lake and your cracking -up in a fence over here?" - -"What are you driving at? Trying to hi-jack me into paying you to keep -quiet?" The last words were short and angry and his eyes hardened. - -"Nothing like that," explained Tom quickly. "We know that broadcasting -news of an accident to 'Speed' Rand will hurt Old Man Provost and his -celebration." - -"Then what do you want?" Rand insisted. - -"We want to know whether there is anything to the rumor that you're -considering a non-stop refueling flight around the world," said Helen. - -Rand stopped and stared at the young editor of the _Herald_ in open -amazement. - -"Great heavens," he exclaimed. "You sound like a newspaper reporter." - -"I am," replied Helen. "I'm the editor of the _Rolfe Herald_ and also -correspondent for the Associated Press." - -"And you want a story from me about my world flight in return for keeping -quiet about the accident." - -"You can call it that," admitted Helen. - -They had reached the shore of the lake and Rand did not answer until they -were in the _Liberty_ and Jim Preston had the craft headed for Sandy -Point. - -"Suppose I deny the rumor," said Rand. - -"You've already admitted it," Helen replied. - -"I have?" he laughed. "How?" - -"Less than five minutes ago you said 'And you want a story about my world -flight in return for keeping quiet about the accident?' That certainly -indicates that you are seriously considering such a project." - -Rand laughed and shook his head. - -"I guess I might as well give in," he chuckled. "I've been questioned in -every city I've been in and so far I've managed to evade confirming the -rumor but it looks like you've got me in a corner. If I don't tell you, -will you still spread the story about the accident?" - -"No," replied Helen quickly. "Mr. Provost has too much at stake to risk -ruining his celebration. It was foolish on your part to take the risk you -did and we're trusting that there won't be any more such risks taken by -the air circus while it is here." - -"You're right. There won't be," said Rand firmly, "and I've learned a -lesson myself." - -"You're actually planning the world flight?" asked Tom, who wanted to get -Rand back on the subject of Helen's assignment. - -"I can't get away from you," smiled the flyer, "so I might as well give -you all of the details. Got some copypaper?" - -Helen fished a pad of paper and a pencil from a pocket and handed them to -Rand. - -"If you don't mind," he explained, "I'll jot down the principal names of -the foreign towns where I'll make the refueling contacts. Some of them -have queer names and it will help you keep them straight." - -The flyer drew a rough sketch of the world, outlining the continents of -the northern hemisphere. He located New York on the map and then drew a -dotted line extending eastward across the North Atlantic, over Great -Britain, Germany, Russia, Siberia, a corner of China, out over the -Kamchatka peninsula, across the Bering Sea, over Alaska and then almost a -straight line back to New York. - -"This is my proposed route," he explained, "covering some 15,000 miles. -It will take about four days if I have good luck and am not forced down." - -"But I thought the distance around the world was 25,000 miles," said -Margaret. - -"That's the circumference at the equator," smiled Rand, "but I'm going to -make the trip well up in the northern latitudes. In fact, I'll be pretty -close to the Arctic circle part of the time." - -Rand bent over his makeshift map again, marking in the names of the -cities where he intended to refuel while in flight. - -"When will you take off from New York?" Helen asked. - -"In about two weeks," replied Rand without looking up from the map. - -Helen gasped. This, indeed, was news. Every paper in the land would carry -it on the front page. - -"What kind of a plane do you intend to use?" Tom wanted to know. - -"I'm having one built to order," said the flyer. "It's a special -monoplane the Skycraft Company is testing now at their factory in -Pennsylvania. I had a telegram yesterday saying the plane would be ready -the first of next week so when I leave Sandy Point I'll go directly to -Pennsylvania to get the plane and make the final tests myself. The air -circus will finish its summer tour alone." - -Before they reached the landing at Sandy Point, Rand explained how he -intended to refuel while in flight, gave Helen the name of his mechanic -and described details of the plane. - -When they touched the landing at Sandy Point a heavyset man dressed in -brown coveralls jumped into the boat. - -"What in heaven's name happened?" he asked Rand excitedly. - -"I flew too close to this motor boat," said the flyer, "and damaged my -landing gear on the wave it was pulling. Instead of coming back here to -crack up I went across the lake and landed in a meadow. These young -people followed and brought me back. I banged the ship up considerable -and in return for keeping them quiet, I gave them the story about my -world flight. They're newspaper folks." - -The heavy man stared at Helen, Tom and Margaret. - -"Well, I guess it had to come out some time," he admitted and Rand -introduced him as Tiny Adams, his manager of the air circus. - -"Tiny runs the show when I go gallivanting around on some fool stunt," -explained Rand. - -Even at that early hour the crowd was gathering at Sandy Point. Motor -boats were whisking down the lake from Rolfe and the beautiful beach was -thick with bathers in for a morning dip in the clear waters of the lake. - -They hurried off the boat dock and pushed their way through the crowd -along the lake shore. - -"I'm going to the hotel and telephone my story to the Associated Press," -said Helen. "And thanks so much, Mr. Rand, for confirming it." - -"That's all right," grinned the famous flyer. "I guess you youngsters -deserve the break. You certainly were after the news and I appreciate -you're keeping quiet about my accident." - -"We'll have to print it in our weekly," warned Tom. - -"Oh, that's all right," said Rand. "The celebration will be over long -before your paper comes out. See you at the field later," he added as he -hurried away, followed by the manager of the air circus. - -Helen stood for a moment looking after the tall flyer as he edged his way -through the ever-increasing crowd. - -"Isn't he handsome?" sighed Margaret. - -"What a story," commented Tom. - -"Let's get going," said Helen, and she started for the hotel. - -They reached the rambling old hotel which overlooked the lake and were -met at the door by Art Provost, the manager of the resort. - -"Glad to see you down so early," he said as he welcomed them. - -"We thought we'd get here before the crowd," Tom said, "but from the -looks of the young mob down at the beach now they must have started -coming in about sundown last night." - -"They did," chuckled Mr. Provost. "Looks like the greatest celebration in -the history of Lake Dubar. It's the air circus that's drawing them in and -I hope there are no accidents." - -Helen glanced at Tom, warning her brother not to reply. - -"I've met 'Speed' Rand," she said, "and I think you'll find him a careful -flyer. I'm sure he'll insist on every possible precaution." - -They went into the lobby of the hotel and Helen entered the telephone -booth. She started to put in a long distance call for the Associated -Press, then changed her mind and returned to where Tom and Margaret were -waiting. - -"I'm so nervous I'm afraid I won't be able to talk," she said. "Feel my -hands." - -Tom and Margaret did as Helen directed. They found her hands clammy with -perspiration. - -"I think I'll sit down and write the story and telegraph it," said Helen. - -"You'll do nothing of the kind," insisted Tom. "Here, I'll put the call -through and you just repeat what Rand told you. They'll write the story -at the Cranston bureau." - -Helen nodded in agreement and Tom bolted into the telephone booth, got -the long distance operator at Rolfe and put in a collect call for the -Cranston bureau of the Associated Press. - -Two minutes later Tom announced that the A.P. was on the line. Helen -entered the booth and took the receiver. Tom pulled the door shut and -Helen was closeted with her big story in the tiny room, the mouthpiece -before her connecting her with the bureau where they were waiting for the -story. - -"Is Mr. McClintock in the office?" she asked. - -"He's busy," replied the voice. "I'll take the message." - -"Tell Mr. McClintock that Helen Blair is calling about the Rand story," -she insisted. - -She heard the connection switch and the chief of the Cranston bureau -snapped a question at her. - -"What's the matter?" he asked. "Rand give you the usual denial?" - -The sharpness of the words nettled Helen. - -"No he didn't," she replied. "He gave me the whole story. He'll leave New -York within the next two weeks on a non-stop refueling flight around the -world." - -"What!" shouted the A.P. chief. - -Helen repeated her statement. - -"You've got the biggest story in days," gasped McClintock. "Have you got -plenty of substantiation in case he tries to deny it later." - -"Two witnesses," replied Helen, "and a map of his route which he drew and -signed for me." - -"That's enough. Let's go. Give me everything he told you. Spell the names -of his foreign refueling points slowly. I'll take it directly on a -typewriter and we'll start the bulletins out on the main news wires." - -The first excitement of the story worn off, Helen found herself -exceedingly calm. In short, clear sentences she related for McClintock -all of the information "Speed" Rand had given her. - -"Send me the map he drew by the first mail," the A.P. correspondent -instructed. "It will make a great feature story. Thanks a lot, Miss -Blair. You're a real newspaperwoman." - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - _The Queen's Last Trip_ - - -When Helen left the close confines of the telephone booth after -completing her call to the Associated Press she suddenly felt very weak -and tired. - -"What's the matter?" Tom asked. - -"I feel just a little faint," confessed Helen. "Guess the excitement of -getting the story and sending it in was a little too much." - -"Take my arm," her brother commanded. "We'll go back to the restaurant -and get a glass of milk and a sandwich and you'll feel all right in a few -minutes." - -The food restored Helen's strength and in less than half an hour she was -her old self, ready to enjoy the Fourth of July celebration. - -Every boat from Rolfe increased the size of the crowd at Sandy Point. The -speedboats dashed down the lake carrying their capacity of passengers, -turned and sped back to the town for another load. The _Queen_ sedately -churned its way through the lake, its double decks jammed with humanity. -As they stood on the beach Helen wondered if the old lake boat would come -through the day without a mishap. Almost any small accident could throw -the passengers into a panic and the capsizing of the _Queen_ might follow -if they rushed to one side of the flat-bottomed old craft. - -The _Queen_ sidled up to the big pier at Sandy Beach and Capt. Billy -Tucker stuck his white head out of a window in the pilot house and -watched his passengers rush for the beach. - -"He's in his glory on a day like this," Tom said, "but it's probably the -last year for the _Queen_. The boat inspectors won't dare pass the old -tub next year no matter how much they like Captain Billy." - -"What will he do if they don't license the _Queen_?" asked Margaret. - -"Oh, he'll get along all right," said Tom. "Captain Billy has plenty -salted away. It's just that he loves the lake and the _Queen_." - -The planes of the air circus were wheeling overhead and they left the -beach and started for the air field. The attractions along the midway -were gathering their share of the crowd and the mechanical band on the -merry-go-round blared with great gusto. The ferris wheel was swinging -cars loaded with celebrators into the tree-tops and the whip and other -thrill rides were crowded. - -Beyond the midway was the large pasture which had been turned into a -landing field. A sturdy wire fence had been thrown across the side toward -the summer resort and it was necessary to have a pass or ticket to get -through the gate. - -Two small stunt planes were taking off when the members of the _Herald_ -staff arrived and the three large cabin planes were being filled with -passengers. Two of the planes carried eight passengers apiece while the -largest, a tri-motor, could accommodate 12. They were sturdy, comfortable -looking craft and Helen noticed that they appeared to be in the best -possible condition. - -They presented their passes at the gate and were admitted to the field. - -"Speed" Rand, hurrying along toward the largest plane, caught sight of -them. - -"Want to ride?" he called. - -The answer was unanimous and affirmative. - -A minute later they were seated in the 12-passenger plane in comfortable -wicker chairs. The door was closed, the motors roared, they bumped over -the pasture and then floated away on magic wings. - -The ground dropped away from them; the resort and the lake were -miniatures bordered by the rich, green lands of the valley and at the far -end of the lake, Rolfe, a handful of houses, basked. - -It was glorious, thrilling, and Helen enjoyed every minute. They swung -over the lake where the speedboats were cutting white swaths through the -water. They did not cross to the east side and Helen guessed that the -pilots were afraid some passenger with unusually keen eyes might detect -the remains of the plane Rand had damaged that morning. - -Then the trip was over. They drifted down to the field, the motor idling -as they lost altitude. Helen sat absolutely rigid for a few seconds, -wondering if the plane would land all right. The motors roared again, the -nose came up and they settled to earth with little more than a bump. - -Rand greeted them when they stepped out of the plane. - -"Like it?" he inquired. - -"You bet," said Tom enthusiastically. "Biggest thrill I ever had." - -"How about you?" Rand asked Helen. - -"I loved every minute until we started to come down," she smiled. "Then I -wondered where we were going to stop and how, but everything came out all -right and I really did enjoy it." - -"Get your story in to the A.P.?" asked the flyer. - -"Just as soon as I could reach a telephone," Helen replied. "The bureau -chief appeared pleased." - -"He should be," chuckled Rand. "It seems like every place I've gone for -the last month there's been a reporter waiting to ask me questions about -my world flight. Honestly, it got so I used to look under the bed at -night for fear I might talk in my sleep and wake up in the morning to -find a reporter had been hidden in my room." - -Another flyer called Rand and the famous aviator slipped away through the -crowd. It was the last they were to see of him and they turned and went -back to the attractions of the midway. - -They tried every ride, the merry-go-round and the ferris wheel, roller -skated, went bathing, listened to the band concert, munched hot dogs at -irregular intervals and wound up the afternoon almost exhausted and ready -to start for home. So were some other hundreds of people and they found -it impossible to get a place in one of the speedboats. - -The _Queen_ puffed majestically at her pier and Capt. Billy Tucker pulled -twice on the whistle cord. Two long, mellow blasts echoed over the lake. -The _Queen_ would leave for Rolfe in five minutes. - -"Looks like we'll have to take the _Queen_ if we want to get home in any -reasonable time," said Margaret. - -Tom looked at the throngs waiting for the boats. - -"You're right," he agreed. "We won't be able to get on one of the fast -boats for at least two hours and I'm getting hungry. I saw mother putting -some pie away in the ice box last night and there'll be plenty of cold -milk at home." - -"Don't," protested Helen, "I'm so hungry now I'm hollow." - -"Then let's take the _Queen_," urged Margaret. - -They bought their tickets and hurried onto the main deck of the old lake -boat. - -"It will be cooler on top," said Helen and they went up the broad stairs -to the upper deck. Perched on this deck was the pilot house where Captain -Billy ruled. - -He saw them and motioned them to join him. - -"Have a big celebration?" he asked when they entered the pilot house. - -"Finest ever," said Margaret, "but we're ready to call it a day and start -home." - -"Better set down on those benches," said Captain Billy, motioning toward -the leather-cushioned lockers which lined the walls of the pilot house. - -The veteran lake skipper leaned out of the pilot house, watching the -crowd on the beach. The electric lights flashed on as twilight draped its -purple mantle over the lake and the whole scene was subdued. The cries -from the bathers were not as sharp, the music from the midway seemed to -have lost some of its sharpness and the whole crowd of holiday -celebrators relaxed with the coming of night. - -Captain Billy glanced at his watch. - -"Two minutes," he said, half to himself as he reached for the whistle -cord. Again the mellow whistle of the _Queen_ rang out and belated -excursionists hastened aboard. - -The ticket seller at the pier head sounded his final warning bell, and -there was the last minute rush across the stubby gang plank. Captain -Billy signalled the engine room, bells rang in the depths of the boat and -the easy chouf-chouf of the twin stacks deepened as the engines took up -their work and the _Queen_ backed slowly away from the pier. - -Two men who had tarried at the midway too long ran down the pier and -yelled at Captain Billy. The skipper picked up his megaphone. - -"Sorry, too late," he shouted. "We'll be back in two hours." - -"Gosh-dinged idiots," he grumbled to himself. "Here I wait as long as I -can and then they expect me to put back in shore. Not me, by Joe, when -I've got to make connections with one of them excursion trains." - -"Have lots of business today?" asked Tom. - -"Biggest day in the twenty odd years I've had the _Queen_ on the lake," -he chuckled. "The old girl is about on her last legs but this season -looks like the best of all. If the paved road goes through they'll all -come in cars and the railroad and the _Queen_ will be out of luck." - -"But you're not objecting to the paved road, are you?" asked Helen. - -"Course not," he replied. "It's progress and you can't stop it." - -The _Queen_, ablaze with lights, churned steadily up the lake and the -electrics along the beach at Sandy Point faded into a string of dots. -Speed boats, showing their red and green riding lights, raced past in -smothers of foam but the _Queen_ rocked only slightly as they passed and -continued steadily on her way. - -The band on the after part of the top deck played slower, softer melodies -and the whole scene was one of calm and quiet, a fitting end for a great -celebration. - -Of all the people on the _Queen_, only Captain Billy in the pilot house -and the crew in the black depths of the engine room were alive to the -dangers of the night. They knew how anything unusual and startling might -cause a panic which would capsize the _Queen_ or how careless navigation -on the part of Captain Billy might shove the _Queen_ onto one of the -jagged ledges of rock which were hazards to navigation in certain parts -of the lake. But the _Queen_ passed safely through the rock-strewn -sections of the lake and Captain Billy relaxed as the lights of Rolfe -came into view. - -The _Queen_ was less than half a mile from her pier when the unexpected -happened. A speed boat, without lights, loomed out of the night. - -Screams echoed from the lower deck. Before Captain Billy could twirl his -wheel and shift the blunt nose of the _Queen_, the speed boat knifed into -the bow of the old steamer. - -There was the crash of splintering wood, and muffled cries from the men -and women in the smaller boat. - -Captain Billy knew the danger even before the boats met. The crash of the -collision was still in their ears when he called to Tom. - -"Take the wheel," he cried, "and keep the _Queen_ headed for the beach. -Don't change the course." - -Then he leaned over the speaking tube to the engine room. - -"Captain Billy speaking," he shouted. "A speed boat just hit us. Full -speed ahead until we ground on the sandy beach." - -They could feel the _Queen_ trembling as the crowd on the lower deck -rushed forward toward the scene of the accident. - -"The fools, the fools," muttered Captain Billy as he ran from the pilot -house. - -The leader of the band ran forward. - -"Get back and play," ordered the captain. "Play anything loud." - -A deck hand, racing up from below, met Captain Billy at the head of the -stairs. - -"They knocked a hole clear through us," he gasped. "We're taking water -fast." - -"Shut up," snapped the captain. "Stay here and don't let anyone off the -upper deck." - -The young people in the pilot house saw Captain Billy rush down the -stairs and they looked at one another in open amazement. - -"He's every inch a skipper," said Tom as he clung to the wheel of the -_Queen_. - -"I hope he pulls us through," said Margaret, staring at the lights of -Rolfe. A minute ago they had seemed so close; now they were so far away, -the longest half mile any of them would ever know. - -"He'll get us there if it is humanly possible," Helen said hopefully. - -The crowd on the upper deck milled excitedly but the deck hand forced -them back from the stairway and the steady playing of the band and -continued forward movement of the _Queen_ seemed to allay their worst -fears. - -Sparks rolled from the twin funnels as the engines labored to the utmost -but Tom, his hands on the sensitive wheel, knew that the speed was -decreasing. The _Queen_ was harder to handle, the bow was settling lower -in the water but less than a quarter of a mile remained. He reached up -and pulled the whistle cord. Three short, sharp blasts shattered the -night. Three more and then three more. It was the signal for help but he -wondered how many would be in Rolfe to answer the call. - -"How deep is the water from here in?" asked Helen. - -"About twenty feet," replied her brother. "Better slip on those life -preservers and get ready to jump. We're taking water fast." - -"There are several hundred in the lockers here," said Helen. "I'm going -to pass them out to the people on deck." - -"It will only alarm them," said Tom. - -"But they've got to have a chance if we go under," replied Helen and with -Margaret to help her, she hurled scores of life preservers out of the -pilot house onto the deck. - -The passengers had lost their first panic. They knew the _Queen_ was -making a valiant fight to reach shore but the tenseness, the grimness of -the crew told them it was going to be close. In the emergency they used -their heads and put on the life preservers as fast as Helen and Margaret -could pull them from the lockers. - -The lights of Rolfe were agonizingly close. Less than six hundred feet -separated them from the safety of the sandy shore. On the upper deck the -passengers were quiet, ready for the crisis. - -Tom leaned close to the speaking tube. The chief engineer was talking. - -"What's he saying?" Helen demanded. - -"Water's in the engine room," replied her brother. "The fires under the -boiler will be out in another minute or two. Then blewy!" - -"Isn't there enough steam to make shore?" asked Margaret desperately, for -after her experience on the lake earlier in the summer she had a very -real fear of Dubar at night. - -"All we can do is hope," replied Tom. "They'll keep the engines turning -over as long as there is any steam left." - -The warning from the whistle was bringing people from town and they were -gathering under the electrics along the beach. Helen wondered if they -knew that death was riding on the bow of the _Queen_, that tragedy was -waiting to swoop down on the old boat and its load of excursionists. - -The _Queen_ staggered, wabbled dangerously, and the wheel jerked out of -Tom's hands. He grabbed the spokes and held the bow steady as the _Queen_ -stumbled ahead. They could see the faces of the people on the beach now, -saw the look of horror that spread over them as they saw the stove-in bow -of the _Queen_. There were only two hundred feet to go but they were -still in deep water. - -The voice from the speaking tube rolled into the pilot house. - -"Steam's gone!" - -On the echo of the words the steady beat of the engines slowed and it was -only by clinging to the wheel with all of his strength that Tom held the -_Queen_ in to shore. - -The bow was almost even with the water now. They seemed to be plowing -their way into the depths of the lake. Then the bow lifted and grated on -the sand. The momentum carried the _Queen_ forward, shivering and -protesting at every foot it was driven into the beach. - -There was a wild scramble on the main deck, cries of relief and happiness -as passengers by the score jumped into the knee deep water and ran for -shore. The men, women and children on the upper deck hurried down the -stairs while through it all the band kept up its steady blare, the crash -of brass on brass and the constant thump, thump of the bass drum. - -The danger past, Tom stepped back from the wheel. His arms felt as though -they had been almost pulled from their sockets, so great had been the -strain of holding the _Queen_ on its course. - -Helen and Margaret stripped off their life preservers and went down to -the main deck with Tom. There they found Captain Billy and the crew of -the _Queen_ gathered at the bow of the boat. A great hole had been torn -in the old steamer's hull by the speed boat and Tom marveled that they -had been able to make shore. - -"Why didn't we sink out in the lake?" he asked Captain Billy. - -"Guess we might have," smiled the captain, "but we managed to hold the -speed boat in the hole it had made until we were most to shore. Otherwise -we'd have filled and gone down inside a couple of minutes after they hit -us." - -A decidedly sheepish young man broke through the group and faced Captain -Billy. - -"I'm the owner of the boat that hit you," he explained. "We were going to -see how close we could come and one of the girls in the boat tickled me -and I swung the wheel the wrong way." - -"You almost swung about four hundred people into the lake," Captain Billy -reminded him tartly. - -"I'm terribly sorry," replied the owner of the speed boat, "and I'm -decidedly grateful to you for fishing us out of it after we hit you. I'm -Maxfield Hooker of Cranston and I'll be glad to pay for all of the damage -to your boat." - -"We'll talk about that later," said Captain Billy. "I've got to see that -those excursionists all make their trains." - -"Did you get that?" said Tom as he nudged Helen. "Maxfield Hooker of -Cranston, son of the multi-millionaire soap manufacturer. Captain Billy -can have a new _Queen_ if he wants one." - -"My guess is that he won't want one," said Helen. "After all, the _Queen_ -has had a long and useful career and she certainly proved herself in the -emergency tonight." - -Captain Billy made sure that all of the excursionists were safely off the -boat and that done, he came back to where Tom, Helen and Margaret were -standing. - -"I've a great deal to be thankful for," he told them. "It was only -through the nerve and calmness of the crew and such as you three that the -_Queen_ pulled through. Tom, I'm eternally grateful to you for sticking -in the pilot house and to you girls for having the presence of mind to -pass out the life preservers." - -Before they could reply Captain Billy turned and hastened up to the pilot -house. Tom started to follow but Helen stopped him. - -"Don't go," she said. "He wants to say good-bye to the _Queen_." - - - - - CHAPTER XV - _Success Attends_ - - -Later that night the _Queen_ caught fire and burned to the water's edge. -Some said that Captain Billy, saddened by the tragedy which had almost -befallen the majestic old craft, had set the fire himself but none ever -knew definitely. - -Helen telephoned the story of Captain Billy and the burning of the -_Queen_ to the _Associated Press_ at Cranston and found the night editor -there anxious for the story. - -"Great human interest stuff," he said as he hung up. - -The Blairs and Stevens watched the burning of the _Queen_ from the knoll -on which the Blair home was situated and later they saw the shower of -fireworks set off at Crescent Beach, far down the lake. It was well after -midnight when they finally called it a day, one which would long be -remembered by Tom and Helen Blair and Margaret Stevens. - -The second day of the celebration, Sunday, they rested quietly at home -and planned for the coming week. - -With the Monday morning mail came the papers from Cranston, a letter from -McClintock of the _Associated Press_ and new thrills for Helen. - -The Cranston papers blazoned her story of "Speed" Rand's plans to circle -the globe in a nonstop refueling flight on the front page and the big -surprise was the first line which read: "By Helen Blair, Special -Correspondent of the Associated Press, Copyright 1932 (All Rights -Reserved)." - -Helen gazed at the story in frank awe and amazement. She knew it was a -highly important story, but to get a by-line with the Associated Press -was an honor she scarcely had dared dream about. - -The letter from McClintock commended her further for her work, promised -that her monthly check would be a liberal one and added that when she -finished high school he would be glad to consider her for a job with the -Associated Press. - -Helen sat down and wrote a long letter to her father, telling in detail -the events of the Fourth and enclosing the Associated Press story and her -letter from McClintock. That done, she turned to the task of writing her -stories for the _Weekly Herald_. Tom was out soliciting ads, Margaret had -gone down the lake to check up at both summer resorts about possible -accidents and she had the office to herself that morning. - -Which story should Helen write first, "Speed" Rand's world flight, the -celebration at Sandy Point or the story of Captain Billy and the _Queen_? -She threaded a sheet of copy paper into her typewriter and sought -inspiration in a blank gaze at the ceiling. Inspiration failed to come -from that source and she scrawled aimlessly with pencil and paper, her -mind mulling over the myriad facts of her stories. Then she started -typing. Her first story concerned Captain Billy and the _Queen_, for -Captain Billy and his ancient craft were known to every reader of the -_Herald_. They were home news. "Speed" Rand and his plans concerned the -outside world. - -The events of the night of the Fourth were indelibly printed in Helen's -mind and the copy rolled from her typewriter, two, four, six, ten pages. -She stopped long enough to delve into the files and find the story which -the _Herald_ had printed 23 years before when the _Queen_ made her maiden -trip on Lake Dubar. Two more pages of copy rolled from her machine. - -Helen picked up the typed pages, 12 altogether. She hadn't intended to -make the story that long but it had written itself, it was one of those -stories in which danger and heroism combine to make the human-interest -that all newspaper readers enjoy. - -With the story of Captain Billy and the _Queen_ out of the way, Helen -wrote a short lead about "Speed" Rand and then clipped the rest of the -story for the _Herald_ from the one she had telephoned the Associated -Press. Even then it would run more than a column and with a long story on -the general Fourth of July celebration she felt that the _Herald_ would -indeed give its subscribers their money's worth of news that week. - -There was a slight let-down in advertising the week following the Fourth -but they crammed the six home-printed pages of the _Herald_ full of news -and went to press early Thursday, for it was election day and the fate of -the paved road program was at stake. For the last month Helen had written -editorials urging the improvement of the roads and they went directly -from the office Thursday afternoon to the polling place to remain there -until the last ballot had been counted. The vote was heavy and Rolfe -favored the good roads 452 to 73. - -Doctor Stevens, who announced the vote to the anxious crowd, added, "And -I think we can thank Helen Blair, our young editor of the _Herald_, for -showing us the value of better roads." - -There was hearty applause and calls for speech, but Helen refused to -talk, hurrying away to telephone the Rolfe vote to the Associated Press. -The morning papers announced that the program had carried in the state as -a whole and that paving would start at once with Rolfe assured of being -on the scenic highway not later than the next summer. - -News from their father in Arizona continued cheering and as their own -bank account increased steadily and circulation mounted, Tom and Helen -felt that they were making a success of their management of the _Herald_. - -The remainder of July passed rapidly and the hot blasts of August winds -seared the valley of Lake Dubar. The only refreshing thing was the night -breeze from the lake which cooled the heat-baked town and afforded some -relief. Then came the cooler days of September and the return to school. - -Superintendent Fowler arrived a week before the opening of the fall term -and Tom and Helen arranged to attend part time, yet carry full work. -Helen also worked out plans for a school page, news of every grade to be -written by some student especially designated as a reporter for the -"_School Herald_." - -Tom and Helen had so systematized their work that the task of getting out -the paper was reduced to a minimum. With Margaret willing to help -whenever needed, they felt sure they could continue the successful -operation of the _Herald_. - -Every spare hour Helen devoted to building up the circulation list and by -early October they had added 400 new subscribers, which gave the _Herald_ -a total of 1,272 in the county and every one paid up. - -"Gosh, I never thought we could get that many," said Tom as he checked -over the circulation records. "Now I'm sure we'll be named one of the -official county papers. What a surprise that will be for Dad." - -"I thought you said we'd have a lot of trouble with Burr Atwell, editor -of the _Advocate_ at Auburn," chided Helen as she recalled her brother's -dire statements of what the fiery editor of the Auburn paper would do -when he found the _Herald_ was trying to take the county printing away -from him. - -"We've just been lucky so far," replied Tom. "Atwell will wake up one of -these days and then we'll have plenty of trouble. He won't fight fair." - -"Let's not borrow trouble until it arrives," Helen smiled. - -Organization of the high school classes and election of officers followed -the opening of school and Helen found herself president of the juniors -while Tom was named secretary and treasurer of the seniors. - -"I'm mighty proud of both of you," said Mrs. Blair when they told her the -news that night at dinner. "It is no more than you deserve but I hope it -won't be too much of a burden added to your work on the paper." - -"It won't take much time," Tom assured her, "and since Marg Stevens is -vice president of the juniors Helen can turn a lot of the work over to -her." - -They were still at the dinner table when a heavy knock at the front door -startled them. Tom answered the summons and they heard him talking with -someone with an exceedingly harsh voice. When Tom returned he was -accompanied by a stranger. - -"Mother," he said, "this is Mr. Atwell, editor of the _Auburn Advocate_." - -Mrs. Blair acknowledged the introduction and Tom introduced the visiting -editor to Helen. Mr. Atwell sat down heavily in a chair Tom offered. - -"I suppose you know why I'm here?" he asked. - -"I'm afraid not," replied Mrs. Blair. - -"It's about the _Herald_ and the circulation tactics of these young -whipper-snappers of yours. I hear they're trying to take the county -printing away from me and become one of the official papers of the -county." - -"Who informed you of that?" asked Helen, who had taken an instant dislike -to the pudgy visitor whose flabby cheeks were covered with a heavy -stubble of whiskers. - -"Folks have been talking," he replied. - -"When you want information like that you'd better come to those -concerned," retorted the energetic young editor of the _Herald_. - -"That's just what I'm a-doing," he replied. "Are you?" - -"Are we what?" interposed Tom. - -"Are you trying to be a county paper?" snorted Atwell. - -"Yes," replied Helen, "we are. This section of the county doesn't have an -official weekly and the people here want one." - -"You're trying to rob me of my bread and butter for your own selfish -ends," stormed the visitor. - -"We're not trying to rob anybody," replied Tom. "Get this straight. We've -as much if not more right to be a county weekly than you have. All we -have to say is be sure your records are correct when the supervisors meet -in December. Now get out of here!" - -Atwell rose slowly, his heavy features suffused with anger and his hands -shaking. - -"I serve notice on you," he stormed, "that you'll never win out." He -stomped from the room, slamming the front door as he went. - -Mrs. Blair looked at Tom and Helen. - -"Don't you think you were a little short with him?" she asked. - -"Perhaps," admitted Helen, "but he can't tell us what to do." - -"In that," smiled her mother, "you take after your father." - -They refused to let the warning from the editor of the Auburn paper dim -their hopes or retard their efforts. Circulation mounted steadily until -by mid-November it had reached an even 1,400. - -Tom continued his weekly trips to Gladbrook to get the county farm news -and to solicit advertising. From one of these trips he returned jubilant. - -"I've been talking with the supervisors," he said, "and they're all in -favor of naming the _Herald_ the third official paper instead of the -_Advocate_. One of them suggested that we get an auditor from Cranston to -go over our circulation list and officially audit it and then have him -with us when we appear before the board." - -"But wouldn't that cost a lot of money?" - -"Probably $50 but having an audited list will practically insure us of -getting the county work. Also, I'm going to take our subscription records -and list over to the bank and keep them there until we need them every -Thursday." - -"Why, what's the matter, Tom?" - -"I heard some talk in the courthouse that Atwell had been boasting he'd -get even with us and I'm not going to take any chances with the records." - -With characteristic determination Tom made the transfer that afternoon -and it was only mid-evening of the same day when the fire siren sounded -its alarm. - -All of the Blairs hurried outside where, from the front porch of their -home, they could look down main street. - -"The truck is stopping in front of the _Herald_ office!" gasped Helen. - -Without a word Tom plunged down the hill, running full speed for the -office. Helen and her mother followed as quickly as possible. - -Main street rapidly filled with excited townspeople and they caught the -odor of burning wood as they neared the _Herald_ building. Margaret -Stevens ran up to them. - -"It doesn't look bad," she tried to reassure them, "and the firemen have -it under control." - -Helen was so weak from the shock of the fire that she clung to Margaret -and her mother for support. Her head reeled as picture thoughts raced -through her mind. The threats of Burr Atwell, all of their months of hard -work, the expense of the fire, their father's need for money, Tom's -precautions in moving the circulation list. - -Then it was over. The firemen dragged their line of hose from the -chemical tank back to the street and they crowded into the smoke-filled -rooms. The fire had started near the back door but thanks to the night -watchman had been detected before it had gained headway. The week's -supply of print paper was ruined and the two rooms blackened by smoke and -splattered with the chemical used to check the flames, but the press and -Linotype were undamaged. - -Tom wanted to stay and clean up the office but Mrs. Blair insisted that -they all return home, herself instructing the night watchman to hire -several town laborers to work the rest of the night cleaning up the -office. - -"That fire was deliberately set," raged Tom as they walked home. "The -fire chief saved the greasy rags he found in the corner of the composing -room where it started. Ten more minutes without discovery and we wouldn't -have had a newspaper." - -"Who could have done such a thing?" protested his mother. - -"Burr Atwell," declared Tom. "The editorial office had been ransacked for -the circulation records. It's a good thing I moved them this afternoon." - -"Can we prove Atwell had a hand in this?" - -"I don't suppose so," admitted Tom, "but we'll run a story in this week's -issue that will scare him. We'll say the fire chief is investigating and -may ask for state secret service men to help him run down the fire bug -who started it. That ought to give Atwell a queer feeling." - -They telephoned for another supply of print paper for the week's issue -and the next morning were back at the office. The men who had worked -through the night had done a good job of cleaning and there was little -evidence of fire other than the charred casings of the back door and -smudgy condition of the walls and ceiling. - -Thanksgiving was brightened by word from their father that he would be -able to return home in the spring but despite that it was a sad day in -the Blair home for there was none to fill his chair at the head of the -table. - -"Christmas," thought Helen, "is going to be terribly lonesome for mother -with Dad so far away," and the more she thought about it the more -determined she became. Without saying anything to Tom or her mother, she -made several guarded inquiries at the station and elicited the desired -information. - -The days before the annual meeting of the supervisors passed rapidly. The -ground whitened under the first snow of the year and the auditor for whom -Tom had arranged in Cranston arrived to audit their circulation list -officially. For a week before his arrival Tom and Helen concentrated -every effort on their circulation with the result that when the audit was -completed the _Herald_ could boast of 1,411 paid up subscriptions. - -"You've done a remarkably fine piece of work," Curtis Adams, the auditor, -told Helen, "and I'm sure you young folks deserve the county work." - -The supervisors met on Thursday, December 15th, and in order to attend -the meeting Tom and Helen worked most of Wednesday night getting the -final pages of the _Herald_ on the press, assembling and folding the -papers. It was three o'clock in the morning when they reached home and -their mother, who had been sleeping on a davenport awaiting their return, -prepared a hot lunch and then sent them to bed. - -At nine o'clock Tom teased their venerable flivver into motion and with -their records and the auditor in the back seat, they started for -Gladbrook. It was well after ten o'clock when they reached the courthouse -and they went directly to the supervisors' rooms where a clerk asked them -to wait. - -Half an hour later they were called and Helen went into the board room -with mixed emotions throbbing through her mind. What would be the answer -to their months of work? Would they get the county work which meant so -much or would Burr Atwell succeed in defeating them? - -Her arms ached from the heavy task of folding the papers the night before -and she was so nervous she was on the verge of tears. If they won they -would be able to buy a folder for the press and she wouldn't have to fold -any more papers. That thought alone gave her new courage and she smiled -bravely at Tom as he stepped forward and told the supervisors why he -believed the _Herald_ should be the third county paper. - -Then Mr. Adams, the auditor, presented his sworn statement of the -circulation of the _Herald_ and in conclusion, he added: - -"I have never seen a sounder or better circulation than these young -people have built up. They have made no special offers nor have they -reduced rates. People who take the _Herald_ do so because it is one of -the best weekly papers I have ever seen." - -The chairman of the board of supervisors looked expectantly around the -room. - -"The Gladbrook papers, the _News_ and the _Times_, have made their -application and the _Herald_ has just been heard," he explained. "I -expected Mr. Atwell of the _Auburn Advocate_ would be here." - -The board waited for fifteen minutes. Then there was a whispered -conference between members and the chairman stood up. - -"The selection of official papers has been made," he announced. "_The -Gladbrook News_, the _Gladbrook Times_ and the _Rolfe Herald_ will be -known as the official papers for the ensuing year. The meeting is -adjourned until afternoon." - -The editors of the Gladbrook papers offered Tom and Helen their -congratulations and expressed willingness to cooperate in every way. - -When they were alone Tom looked at Helen through eyes that were dim. - -"We won," he said huskily, "and it's all due to your hard work on -circulation." - -Helen's eyes were just as misty as she smiled back. - -"No," she replied, "it was your hunch in putting the records in the bank. -We'd have been ruined if you hadn't. I'm wondering why Mr. Atwell didn't -appear." - -"I have a hunch he was afraid we had connected him with the fire," said -Tom. "Now let's phone mother and then send a wire to Dad." - -That afternoon Tom completed the arrangements to publish the official -proceedings of the county supervisors and increased the amount of job -printing he was to get from the courthouse. He also hired a middle-aged -printer who agreed to come to Rolfe and work for $18 a week. - -"But isn't that a little extravagant?" asked Helen. - -"We must have help now," explained Tom, "and with the county printing -safely tucked away we can afford it. Also, I bought a second-hand folder -from the _Times_ here. It only cost me $50 and you'll never have to fold -papers again." - -"Oh, I'm so happy," exclaimed Helen, "for I did hate to fold them. There -were so many along toward the end." - -On the way home that afternoon they made further plans and checked up on -their funds in the bank. - -"We've got a little over $900 right now," said Tom, "and that's deducting -all of my extravagances of an auditor and buying the second-hand folder. -Our bills are all paid and we're having a record December in advertising. -I'd say we were sitting pretty." - -"I was thinking about Christmas," said Helen. - -"It's going to be mighty lonesome without Dad," admitted Tom. - -"Mother will miss him especially. They've never been away from each other -at the holidays before." - -Something in Helen's voice caught Tom's attention and he glanced at her -sharply. - -"Say, what the dickens are you driving at?" he asked. - -"Give me a check for $200 and I'll show you," replied Helen. "It will -mean the happiest Christmas we've ever had." - -"I'll do it and no questions asked until you're ready to tell me," agreed -Tom and when they reached Rolfe he went to the office and signed a check -for $200 payable to Helen Blair. - -The following Thursday fell on the 22nd of December and there was so much -advertising they had to run two sections of the _Herald_. The printer -they had hired in Gladbrook was slow but thorough and they got the paper -to press on time. With the folder installed, Helen was spared the arduous -duties of folding all of the papers and she devoted her time to running -the mailing machine. - -"Spent that $200 yet?" asked Tom as they walked home through the brisk -December evening, snow crunching underfoot. - -"All gone," smiled Helen, "and the big surprise is here in my pocket. -Wait until we get home and I tell mother about it." - -"Guess I'll have to," grinned Tom. - -They found their mother in the kitchen busy with the evening meal. - -"Mother, we've got a Christmas surprise for you," said Helen. "Come in -the living room." - -Mrs. Blair looked up quickly. - -"That's thoughtful of you," she said, "but I hope you didn't spend too -much money." - -Wiping her hands on her apron, she preceded them into the living room. - -"Where is it?" she asked. - -"Over there on the library table," replied Helen, pointing to an envelope -tied with a band of red ribbon with a sprig of holly on top. - -Mrs. Blair picked up the envelope, untied the ribbon and looked inside. -She pulled out two objects. One was a long, green strip of paper with -many perforations and much printing. The other was a small black book -similar to a check book. - -She held the long slip with hands that trembled as she read it. - -"It's a round trip ticket to Rubio, Arizona!" she gasped, "Oh, Helen! -Tom! How kind of you. Father and I will have Christmas together! And -here's a book of traveler's checks and Pullman reservations. I'm to leave -tomorrow." - -Tom gave Helen a hearty hug. - -"So that's where the $200 went," he whispered. "Are you sure it's -enough?" - -"Plenty," she replied. - -Mrs. Blair sat down in her favorite chair, the ticket and check book in -her hands, her eyes dim with tears. - -"But I can't go away and leave you two here alone during holidays," she -said. - -"Oh yes you can, Mother," said Tom. "We'll be happy just knowing that you -and Dad are together and you can tell him all about us and then, when you -come back, you can tell us all about him." - -"You must go, Mother," insisted Helen. "I've let Dad in on the surprise -and we can't disappoint him now." - -Doctor Stevens drove them to the junction where Mrs. Blair was to board -the Southwestern limited. Snow was falling steadily, one of those dry, -sifting snows that presage a white Christmas in the middle west. - -The limited poked its dark nose through the storm and drew its string of -Pullmans up to the bleak platform. It paused for only a minute and the -goodbyes were hasty. - -The limited whirled away into the storm and Tom and Helen, standing alone -on the platform, watched it disappear in the snow. It would be a quiet -Christmas for them but they were supremely happy knowing that their -father was on the road to health and that they had made a success of the -_Herald_. - - - THE END - - - - - BOOKS for GIRLS - - - THE MERRIWEATHER GIRLS SERIES - BY LIZETTE EDHOLM - -The Merriweather girls, Bet, Shirley, Joy and Kit are four fun-loving -chums, who think up something exciting to do every minute. The romantic -old Merriweather Manor is where their most thrilling adventures occur. -The author has given us four exceptional titles in this series--absorbing -mysteries and their solutions, school life, horseback riding, tennis and -adventures during their school vacations. - - The Merriweather Girls and the Mystery of the Queen's Fan - The Merriweather Girls on Campers Trail - The Merriweather Girls in Quest of Treasure - The Merriweather Girls at Good Old Rock Hill - - - CAMPFIRE GIRLS SERIES - BY MARGARET PENROSE - -These stories take in the activities of several bright girls who become -interested in all present day adventures. - - Campfire Girls of Roselawn - Campfire Girls on Program - Campfire Girls on Station Island - Campfire Girls at Forest Lodge - - - EVERYGIRL'S SERIES - -Grouped in the Everygirl's Series are five volumes selected for -excellence. Shirley Watkins, Caroline E. Jacobs, Ruthe Wheeler and -Blanche Elizabeth Wade contribute stories that are both fascinatingly -real and touched with romance. Every girl who dips into one of these -stories will find herself enthralled to the end. - - The S.W.F. Club Caroline E. Jacobs - Jane Lends a Hand Shirley Watkins - Nancy of Paradise College Shirley Watkins - Georgina Finds Herself Shirley Watkins - Helen in the Editors Chair Ruthe Wheeler - - - PEGGY STEWART SERIES - _By_ GABRIELLE E. JACKSON - - Peggy Stewart at Home - Peggy Stewart at School - -Peggy, Polly, Rosalie, Marjorie, Natalie, Isabel, Stella and Juno--girls -all of high spirits make this Peggy Stewart series one of entrancing -interest. Their friendship, formed in a fashionable eastern school, they -spend happy years crowded with gay social affairs. The background for -these delightful stories is furnished by Annapolis with its naval academy -and an aristocratic southern estate. - - - THE PEGGY STEWART SERIES - _By_ GABRIELLE E. JACKSON - -Against the colorful background of Annapolis and a picturesque southern -estate, Gabrielle E. Jackson paints the human and lovely story of a human -and lovely girl. Real girls will revel in this wholesome tale and its -enchanting telling. - - Peggy Stewart at Home - Peggy Stewart at School - - - The Motor Girls Series - _By_ MARGARET PENROSE - -A dashing, fun-loving girl is Cora Kimball and she is surrounded in her -gypsy-like adventures with a group of young people that fairly sparkle. -Girls who follow their adventurous steps will find a continuing delight -in their doings. In the series will be found some absorbing mysteries -that will keep the reader guessing so that the element of suspense is -added to make the perusal thoroughly enjoyable. - - The Motor Girls - On Tour - At Lookout Beach - Through New England - On Cedar Lake - On the Coast - On Crystal Bay - On Waters Blue - At Camp Surprise - In the Mountains - - - Helen In the Editor's Chair - _By_ RUTHE S. WHEELER - -"Helen in the Editor's Chair" strikes a new note in stories for girls. -Its heroine, Helen Blair, is typical of the strong, self-reliant girl of -today. When her father suffers a breakdown and is forced to go to a drier -climate to recuperate, Helen and her brother take charge of their -father's paper, the _Rolfe Herald_. They are faced with the problem of -keeping the paper running profitably and the adventures they encounter in -their year on the _Herald_ will keep you tingling with excitement from -the first page to the last. - - - RED STAR CLASSICS - - Heidi By Johanna Spyri - Treasure Island By Robert Louis Stevenson - Hans Brinker By Mary Mapes Dodge - Gulliver's Travels By Jonathan Swift - Alice in Wonderland By Lewis Carrol - Pinocchio By Carlo Collodi - The Story of a Bad Boy By Thomas Bailey Aldrich - Kidnapped By Robert Louis Stevenson - Stories from King Arthur Retold - The Little Lame Prince By Miss Mulock - -Boys and girls the world over worship these "Classics" of all times, and - no youth is complete without their imagination-stirring - influence. They are the time-tested favorites loved by - generations of young people. - - -The Goldsmith Publishing Co. -CHICAGO - - - - - * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - ---Obvious typographical errors were corrected without changing - nonstandard spellings that might have been dialectical. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HELEN IN THE EDITOR'S CHAIR*** - - -******* This file should be named 42015.txt or 42015.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/2/0/1/42015 - - - -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. 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