CHAPTER IV.
A MAID OF MYSTERY.
Frank and Bart waved their hands and lifted their hats. Hodge dashed upthe veranda steps to join his wife, while Merry paused to bend over thebaby carriage.
"Why, he's wide awake," laughed Merry, as he surveyed the baby. "He'schipper and bright as a new-minted dollar, but he isn't raising much ofa racket."
"Oh, he has ze most splendid tempaire for ze baby zat I evaire see,"said Lizette. "He no make ze cry, ze squawk, ze squeal all ze time, likesome babeez. When he is hungaire he hollaire some. Zat is naturaile."
"Quite," laughed Merry. "When I'm hungry I'm inclined to put up a hollermyself. Hey, hey, toddlekins, you're getting a dimple!"
He touched the baby's cheeks, and the tiny hands found and grasped hisfinger. A moment later that finger was in the baby's mouth.
"Hold on, you cannibal!" protested Frank, in great delight. "You'retrying to eat your own father! Haven't you any heart or conscience!Haven't you any feeling for your dad! I believe he's hungry now,Lizette. I believe he's perishing! Lizette, you're starving him!"
"Oh, oh, monsieur!" cried the nurse. "I nevaire starve heem. He have allhe need. You gif heem too much he git ze colic--he git ze cramp. Youmake heem sick. You know how to feed ze big boys to make zem strong andwell, but you know not how to feed ze baby. You leave it to Lizette. Shetakes ze perfect care of heem."
"I fancy that's right, Lizette," said Merry, straightening up andlooking at her. "You've proved that you know your business. I'llremember you well, my girl. But, say, Lizette, what makes you do yourhair so queerly? What makes you hide your ears with it?"
The nurse seemed confused, and bowed her head until he could not see herface fairly.
"Oh, maybe I have ze very ugly ear, monsieur. Eef not zat, mebbe I likeze way I do ze hair. You know one time ze many girl do ze hair zis waylike Cleo de Merode."
"Well, you don't need to advertise yourself, and that was one of Cleo'sadvertising dodges. Have you a brother?"
"A brothaire?"
"Yes."
"Why you ask it?"
"Because there's something wonderfully familiar in your appearance.Because I've either seen you before or some one very much like you. Haveyou a brother?"
"I have not ze brothaire."
"Then it must be a coincidence, but somehow I seem to remember dimly aboy who looked like you. I may be mistaken."
"I have neither the brothaire nor the sistaire. I am all alone in zeworld, monsieur. I have ze hard time to geet ze living once. It gif meze great work."
"Well, don't worry about that any more, my girl. We need you right hereat Merry Home."
Inza was calling to him, and Frank hastened up the steps.
"I didn't expect you'd be able to come so soon, Frank," said his wife,as he drew his chair close to hers.
"Oh, I arranged it to get off early this forenoon. Hodge has beenhelping me. Diamond and Browning are still hard at work keeping the boyspegging away."
"Everything is going well at the school?"
"Things couldn't go better. I don't know a boy who hasn't made greatimprovement, although some have done far better than others. Each day itseems that they take hold of the work with fresh enthusiasm and energy."
"You've got a great baseball bunch there, Merry," said Hodge. "I don'twonder they trimmed everything in their class hereabouts. As a pitcher,that fellow Sparkfair is the real article."
Frank nodded.
"You're right. Sparkfair is a wonder."
"But I can't quite fathom him," confessed Hodge. "If ever I saw adeceptive young scoundrel, it's that chap. At times he's so meek andmodest that he dazes me. At other times he's so flippant and forwardthat I want to collar him and shake him out of his clothes. I wouldn'tknow how to deal with him, Frank."
"In some respects it was a problem with me," confessed Merry; "butfortunately I struck on the proper course. Once I found out how tomanage, it was not hard to handle Sparkfair. He raised a lot of dustwhen he first landed at Farnham Hall. It didn't take him long to getarrested as a highwayman, and right on top of that I had to kill a finehorse in order to keep the horse from killing Sparkfair. He's as full ofqueer quirks and unexpected moves as an egg is full of meat. If there'sa practical joke perpetrated, I generally look for Sparkfair at thebottom of it. About nine times out of ten I find him there. Still, he'snot malicious, and in a case of emergency I believe I can depend uponhim to be on the right side. For instance, when the boys started arebellion against manual labor Sparkfair refused to join them, and itwas his scheme that put a prompt and ludicrous end to the rebellion."
"I think he's a splendid boy," said Inza. "I took a liking to him thefirst time I saw him."
"He's done a great deal in the way of helping young Joe Crowfoot along,"said Frank.
"There's another marvel!" exclaimed Bart. "If any one except you were totell me that your Indian boy has made such astonishing progress fromsavagery to civilization in such a brief time, I'd disbelieve the yarn.I've been giving him points on his work behind the bat. He graspseverything almost instantly."
"He's remarkably apt," nodded Merriwell. "With his whole soul he'sdetermined to learn everything the white man can teach him. Old Joeswore the boy to this obedience, and young Joe has never faltered orhesitated. Still, I know he is sometimes consumed with a longing for thewild life that's natural to one of his race. At times he wanders alonein the fields and woods. He takes pleasure in following the trail of anywild animal if he happens to find such a track. As a trailer, I believehe's almost as wonderful as a bloodhound."
The conversation wandered on to other topics, and finally Inza spoke ofthe wedding gift to Bart and Elsie. Hodge seemed quite overcome andunable to express himself.
"Not a word, old fellow!" cried Frank, glancing at his watch and risingquickly. "Come on if you're going into town with me."
"Are you going into town?" asked Inza.
"Oh, we won't be gone long," smiled Merry. "It's a little matter thatrequires attention. Perhaps we'll bring back a surprise."
"Oh, now you've aroused my curiosity!"
"I intended to."
"Aren't you going to tell me what it is?"
"Then it wouldn't be a surprise."
"But I can't wait."
"Just like a woman," chuckled Merry. "Give them a hint of a surprise instore for them, and they'll badger you to death until they spoil thesurprise. Let's take flight, Bart. Let's get away before the girls coaxit out of us."
He snatched a kiss and sprang down the steps, followed by Hodge.
"I think you're real mean!" cried Inza. "You just wait and see if Idon't play it back on you! I'll have a secret some time and keep it fromyou!"
"Impossible!" said Merry. "No woman ever kept a secret."
"Especially from her husband," put in Hodge.
"Oh, you'll see--you'll see!" threatened Inza.
But the two laughing young men disappeared round the corner.
"Now, I'd just give anything in the world to know what they're up to,"said Inza. "Aren't you dying to know, Elsie?"
"I am, but still I think I'll survive," was the answer.
Proceeding to the stable, Merry called Toots, who promptly appeared,jerking off his cap and bowing as he showed his teeth in a grin.
"How'd do, Marsa Frank--good mawnin', sah," he said. "How'd do, Mist'Hodge? What ken Ah do fo' yo' dis lubly mawnin'?"
"Hitch the span into the surrey," said Merry. "I want you to drive us tothe station."
While the colored man was hitching up, Frank and Bart talked.
"I heard some of the things you were saying to that French nurse girl,Merry," said Hodge. "You seem to have an idea that you've seen herbefore."
"I can't get over the feeling," confessed Frank. "Still, it doesn't seemso much as if I'd seen her as it does seem that I've seen some one likeher."
"You asked her if she had a brother?"
"Yes."
"She said no?"
"Yes."
; "Do you think that she told you the truth?"
"I had no reason to think otherwise."
"You trust her?"
"She seems perfectly trustworthy to me."
"Well, you may be right. In old times I was forever suspecting some oneyou trusted. In most cases I was wrong, and I suppose I am wrong thistime."
"Then you suspect Lizette?"
"I have a queer feeling about that girl. I can't give my reasons for it,Merry. Still, after you were through talking with her a little while agoand you started up the veranda steps, I saw her give you a queer lookbehind your back."
"What sort of a look?"
"I can't describe it. She just flashed you one daggerlike glance withthose black eyes."
"Oh, well, that meant nothing. Are you ready, Toots?"
"Yes, sah, all ready, sah. Git right in, gemmans. Whoa dar, Flossie!Don't yo' git so nimpatient! Stop yo' dancin', old girl. You're gittin'Dick all fretted up."
Frank and Bart sprang in and took the rear seat. In a moment Toots wason the front seat, and the horses clattered out of the stable.