CHAPTER XIX
AN ATTEMPTED THEFT
That night the girls were very careful to lock both doors and Bess evenwent to the length of suggesting that they pile some furniture againstthem.
"It might be a good idea," Nan had replied, laughing at her, "if therewere only some furniture to pile. What are you doing, Bess? You aren'tstuffing cotton in the keyhole?"
"You needn't laugh, Miss Smarty," Bess had retorted, straightening updefiantly with a large wad of the cotton still in her hand and atelltale tuft of it protruding from the keyhole. "I'm not going to haveany skinny old man with a funny mouth looking in at me while I sleep, Ican tell you! Nan Sherwood," she added threateningly, as Nan went offinto a gale of uncontrollable mirth, "if you don't stop laughing, I'llstuff the rest of this cotton down your throat, and I just hope you'llchoke."
"Oh, Bess! Elizabeth Harley!" gasped Nan. "You look so foolish standingthere with that wad of cotton in your hand. And the keyholes look as ifthey had the earache. Oh, oh!" and she went off again into halfhysterical laughter.
Bess, after staring at her a minute, gave up all attempt at beingdignified and joined in merrily.
"Goodness! you would make an Egyptian mummy laugh, Nan Sherwood," saidBess, as she wiped away the tears of mirth. "Who ever heard of keyholeshaving the earache! Just the same," she added more soberly, as shestarted to unfasten her dress, "you have got me terribly worried aboutthose men. I know I'll dream of them all night."
"Oh, no, you won't," said Nan serenely, as she set about the business ofundressing. Then she added, with a chuckle: "I feel perfectly safe nowthat the keyholes are stuffed!"
It was not long after this that the two girls laid down to sleep. ButNan was restless and could hardly close her eyes.
"Those old papers," she murmured to herself. "I should have turned themover to Mr. Mason, or put them in the ship's safe. I don't see why Imake myself keep them, unless it is that I want to prove to myself thatI have _some_ backbone."
Presently she heard Bess breathing heavily, showing her chum was in theland of slumber, and then gradually she dozed off.
Nan had been asleep about an hour when she awoke with a start.
She had heard a noise, of that she felt certain--a noise out of theordinary and not connected with the running of the ship.
What was it? Was somebody trying the door?
She turned over and, feeling for the push button, turned on the electriclight. This move awakened Bess.
"What's the matter, are you sick?" asked the latter.
"No. I--I heard something--it woke me up," Nan replied and got to herfeet.
"Maybe those men----"
"Hush! If they are outside the door they may hear you, Bess."
With caution the two girls tiptoed to first one door and then the otherand peered out.
In the cabin only a porter sleeping in an armchair was to be seen, whileout on the deck not a soul was in sight.
"You must have been dreaming, Nan," said Bess, yawning. "Come, let ustry to get some more rest before morning."
Nan was not satisfied and looked all around the stateroom, thinking amouse might be wandering around. But no mouse was found, and at lastboth girls retired again. But Nan did not sleep very well and was gladwhen the rising sun proclaimed another day at hand.
Nan, swinging one bare foot experimentally over the edge of her berth,felt it caught and held tight by an invisible hand. She peered over theedge of the berth at the imminent risk of falling over herself andbreaking her neck, and found, as she had expected, that Bess was hercaptor. The latter was holding on to her foot with one hand and rubbingher eyes sleepily with the other.
"Say, let go my foot," Nan hailed her inelegantly. "Haven't you gotenough of your own that you have to steal one of mine?"
"You talk as if we were centipedes," said Bess, releasing Nan's foot andsitting up grumpily in the berth. "I told you I wouldn't sleep a winklast night, and I didn't."
"You aren't the only one," said Nan, as she swung her other foot overthe edge of the berth and felt gingerly for a footing on the one below."I didn't sleep very well myself. But never mind," she added, as sheslipped safely to the floor, unharmed by her perilous descent. "We'llforget all about such little things as sleepless nights when we get outon deck. Have you forgotten that we reach Florida to-day?"
Bess stared at her a minute, then scrambled quickly out of bed and beganpulling on her clothes hastily, getting them awry in her eagerness toget dressed in the shortest time possible.
"Gracious, Nan," she cried reproachfully, as she began to drag the combimpatiently through her tumbled curls, "you scared me so with those menand Mrs. Bragley's horrible papers that I forgot everything else. Fancy!A few hours more and we shall be in Florida!"
Immediately this thought put all other thoughts to flight in the mind ofcareless but lovable Bess Harley, and she would have left the door oftheir stateroom wide open had not Nan reminded her to close it and turnthe key in the lock.
The girls ate breakfast hurriedly, and when they came out on deck it wasafter eight o'clock. That gave them just time to pack their fewbelongings before the _Dorian_ steamed up the St. Johns River into thebusy harbor of Jacksonville.
Bess's prediction had come true. Over night the weather had become sodelightfully mild that heavy clothing was not only unnecessary, but veryuncomfortable, and the girls had donned white suits and white hats withstockings and shoes to match. They were looking distinctlyattractive--and knew it. At least Bess did. And it must be admitted thateven modest Nan had been surprised and not a little pleased by herradiant reflection in the tiny mirror in their stateroom.
And now, though they knew that the last minute packing should be donefirst, they still lingered by the rail, gazing over the brilliantly calmwater to where the tropically beautiful Florida coast stood out boldlyagainst the skyline.
"What wonderful, wonderful weather!" sighed Nan, as they finallydeserted the rail and made their way through the excited crowd--fornearly every one on board the _Dorian_ had come out on deck, clad inwhite flannels and other summery attire, eager to get their firstglimpse of Florida--and on toward their stateroom.
Suddenly Nan clutched her friend's arm and pointed excitedly.
"Look!" she cried in a low voice. "The tall man! He's there with the fatone in front of our door. And, Bess, look! He has something in his hand.It's a key!"
"Oh, Nan!" gasped Bess, "he would never dare. Not in this crowd!"
"Come on!" ejaculated Nan tensely, as she elbowed and pushed her waythrough the crowd.
The two girls were almost upon the thin man and his companion beforethey were discovered. Then the fat man nudged his friend sharply, andbefore the girls could blink the men had slipped around the corner ofthe cabin and were lost to view among the crowd.
"Let's go after them," cried Bess excitedly. "We mustn't let them getaway from us, Nan. Why, they were trying to get into our room. I sawthem."
"Oh, Bess, hush," begged Nan as several people turned to look at thegirls curiously. "Come inside a minute. I want to talk to you."
She opened the door and half pushed, half dragged the excited Bessinside the stateroom where the latter sank upon the berth and stared ather friend indignantly.
"You've gone and let them get away," she accused her hotly. "And thatugly thin man was trying to get in. We saw him."
"I know all that," said Nan a trifle impatiently. For several days hernerves had been under a considerable strain and the effort to think andact for Bess as well as herself was beginning to tell on her. "Itwouldn't have done us the slightest good in the world to have gone afterhim. We never could have found him."
"But we can at least tell the captain," returned Bess, jumping to herfeet impatiently. "I never saw a girl like you, Nan. I really believeyou intend to let him get away."
"Well, what else can I do?" asked Nan quietly. "If I go to the captainand tell him I found a couple of men standing in front of my door andthat I want them arrested, he will
think that I'm crazy."
"But they had a key! They were trying to get in! We saw them!" insistedBess, pacing excitedly up and down the small stateroom.
"I know we did," said Nan patiently. "But the captain could never arrestthe men on such evidence. He would want proof. And you know as well as Ido that we haven't any."
"We-el," said Bess irresolutely, sitting down on the edge of the berthand staring blackly at the opposite wall, "I suppose you are right, NanSherwood. You usually are. But I do know one thing." She stirredimpatiently and mechanically straightened her pretty white hat. "Andthat is that I won't enjoy myself one bit till we make those men stopfollowing us around and trying to get into our room with skeleton keys.I suppose that is what he had. Oh, dear, it does seem as if somethingwere always happening to take the joy out of life!"
Nan ventured a shaky little laugh at this and began automaticallypicking up her things and stuffing them into her bag.
"You had better get ready, Bess," she advised. "We shall reachJacksonville in a little while. We don't want to be left behind."
"I should say not!" said Bess vehemently. "I wouldn't stay on this oldboat another night after what happened this morning--not for anything. Ihope," she added, as she slammed her brush into her suitcase, "that wesha'n't see any more of those horrid men after we once get on shore."
"I hope we sha'n't." Nan echoed the wish fervently, but in her heart shewas very sure that they had not seen the last of the tall, thin man andhis chubby companion.
That they were after the papers that had been entrusted to her care bypoor, confiding Sarah Bragley, she had little doubt. And the fact thatwhoever these men were, they were desperately anxious to recover thepapers showing the widow's title to the tract of land in Florida,fostered Nan's belief that the property must be of considerable valueand automatically strengthened her determination to hold on to thepapers at all cost.
She was so engrossed with her own thoughts that Bess had to speak to hertwice before she could bring her back to a realization of the present.
"Hurry up," she cried, handing Nan her suitcase and fairly pushing herout on the deck. "From the noise everybody is making, I guess we'rethere. For goodness' sake, Nan!" she exclaimed as her chum switched hersuitcase from one hand to the other, so that it would be between Bessand herself, "don't bump that bag into me--especially right behind theknees. You are apt to make me sit down suddenly."
"You couldn't. There's too much of a crowd," laughed Nan, then added ina lower tone, while her eyes nervously searched the crowd about her:"Please help me to look out for my bag, honey. I'm awfully afraid Imight lose it."