CHAPTER IV
THE CRYING NEED
Tom Cameron chased about the neighborhood for more than two hours inhis fast car hunting the trail of the man who he had decided must be awandering theatrical performer. Of course, this was a "long shot," Tomsaid; but the trampish individual of whom Ben had told was much morelikely to be an actor than a preacher.
Tom, however, was able to find no trace of the fellow until he got to theoutskirts of Cheslow, the nearest town. Here he found a man who had seen along-haired fellow in a shabby frock coat and black hat riding toward therailroad station beside one of the farmers who lived beyond the Red Mill.This was following the tempest which had burst over the neighborhood atmid-afternoon.
Trailing this information farther, Tom learned that the shabby man hadbeen seen about the railroad yards. Mr. Curtis, the railroad stationmaster, had observed him. But suddenly the tramp had disappeared. Whetherhe had hopped Number 10, bound north, or Number 43, bound south, both ofwhich trains had pulled out of Cheslow within the hour, nobody could besure.
Tom returned to the Red Mill at dusk, forced to report utter failure.
"If that bum actor stole your play, Ruth, he's got clear way with it," Tomsaid bluntly. "I'm awfully sorry----"
"Does that help?" demanded his sister snappishly, as though it weresomewhat Tom's fault. "You go home, Tom. I'm going to stay with Ruthieto-night," and she followed her chum into the bedroom to which she hadfled at Tom's announcement of failure.
"Jimminy!" murmured Tom to the old miller who was still at the suppertable. "And we aren't even sure that that fellow did steal the scenario."
"Humph!" rejoined Uncle Jabez. "You'll find, if you live to be old enough,young feller, that women folks is kittle cattle. No knowing how they'lltake anything. That pen cost five dollars, I allow; but them papers onlyhad writing on 'em, and it does seem to me that what you have writ onceyou ought to be able to write again. That's the woman of it. She don't saya thing about that pen, Ruthie don't."
However, Tom Cameron saw farther into the mystery than Uncle Jabezappeared to. And after a day or two, with Ruth still "moping about like amoulting hen," as the miller expressed it, the young officer felt that hemust do something to change the atmosphere of the Red Mill farmhouse.
"Our morale has gone stale, girls," he declared to his sister and Ruth."Worrying never did any good yet."
"That's a true word, Sonny," said Aunt Alvirah, from her chair. "'Carekilled the cat.' my old mother always said, and she had ten children tobring up and a drunken husband who was a trial. He warn't my father. Hewas her second, an' she took him, I guess, 'cause he was ornamental. Hewas a sign painter when he worked. But he mostly advertised King Alcoholby painting his nose red.
"We children sartain sure despised that man. But mother was faithful toher vows, and she made quite a decent member of the community of that manbefore she left off. And, le's see! We was talkin' about cats, warn't we?"
"You were, Aunty dear," said Ruth, laughing for the first time in severaldays.
"Hurrah!" said Tom, plunging head-first into his idea. "That's just what Iwanted to hear."
"What?" demanded Helen.
"I have wanted to hear Ruth laugh. And we all need to laugh. Why, we arebecoming a trio of old fogies!"
"Speak for yourself, Master Tom," pouted his sister.
"I do. And for you. And certainly Ruth is about as cheerful as a funeralmute. What we all need is some fun."
"Oh, Tom, I don't feel at all like 'funning,'" sighed Ruth.
"You be right, Sonny," interjected Aunt Alvirah, who sometimes forgot thatTom, as well as the girls, was grown up. She rose from her chair with herusual, "Oh, my back! and oh, my bones! You young folks should be dancingand frolicking----"
"But the war, Auntie!" murmured Ruth.
"You'll neither make peace nor mar it by worriting. No, no, my pretty! And'tis a bad thing when young folks grow old before their time."
"You're always saying that, Aunt Alvirah," Ruth complained. "But how canone be jolly if one does not feel jolly?"
"My goodness!" cried Tom, "you were notoriously the jolliest girl in thatFrench hospital. Didn't the _poilus_ call you the jolly American? Andlisten to Grandmother Grunt now!"
"I suppose it is so," sighed Ruth. "But I must have used up all my fund ofcheerfulness for those poor _blesses_. It does seem as though the font ofmy jollity had quite dried up."
"I wish Heavy Stone were here," said Helen suddenly. "_She'd_ make uslaugh."
"She and her French colonel are spooning down there at Lighthouse Point,"scoffed Ruth--and not at all as Ruth Fielding was wont to speak.
"Say!" Tom interjected, "I bet Heavy is funny even when she is in love."
"_That's_ a reputation!" murmured Ruth.
"They are not at Lighthouse Point. The Stones did not go there thissummer, I understand," Helen observed.
"I am sorry for Jennie and Colonel Marchand if they are at the Stones'city house at this time of the year," the girl of the Red Mill said.
"Bully!" cried Tom, with sudden animation. "That's just what we will do!"
"What will we do, crazy?" demanded his twin.
"We'll get Jennie Stone and Henri Marchand--he's a good sport, too, as Ivery well know--and we'll all go for a motor trip. Jimminy Christmas! thatwill be just the thing, Sis. We'll go all over New England, if you like.We'll go Down East and introduce Colonel Marchand to some of ourhard-headed and tight-fisted Yankees that have done their share towardsinjecting America into the war. We will----"
"Oh!" cried Ruth, breaking in with some small enthusiasm, "let's go toBeach Plum Point."
"Where is that?" asked Helen.
"It is down in Maine. Beyond Portland. And Mr. Hammond and his company arethere making my 'Seaside Idyl.'"
"Oh, bully!" cried Helen, repeating one of her brother's favorite phrases,and now quite as excited over the idea as he. "I do so love to act inmovies. Is there a part in that 'Idyl' story for me?"
"I cannot promise that," Ruth said. "It would be up to the director. Iwasn't taking much interest in this particular picture. I wrote thescenario, you know, before I went to France. I have been giving all mythought to----
"Oh, dear! If we could only find my lost story!"
"Come on!" interrupted Tom. "Let's not talk about that. Will you write toJennie Stone?"
"I will. At once," his sister declared.
"Do. I'll take it to the post office and send it special delivery. Tellher to wire her answer, and let it be 'yes.' We'll take both cars. Fatherwon't mind."
"Oh, _but_!" cried Helen. "How about a chaperon?"
"Oh, shucks! I wish you'd marry some nice fellow, Sis, so that we'd alwayshave a chaperon on tap and handy."
She made a little face at him. "I am going to be old-maid aunt to yourmany children, Tommy-boy. I am sure you will have a full quiver. We willhave to look for a chaperon."
"Aunt Kate!" exclaimed Ruth. "Heavy's Aunt Kate. She is just what Helendeclares she wants to be--an old-maid aunt."
"And a lovely lady," cried Helen.
"Sure. Ask her. Beg her," agreed Tom. "Tell her it is the crying need. Wehave positively got to have some fun."
"Well, I suppose we may as well," Ruth sighed, in agreement.
"Yes. We have always pampered the boy," declared Helen, her eyestwinkling. "I know just what I'll wear, Ruthie."
"Oh, we've clothes enough," admitted the girl of the Red Mill ratherlistlessly.
"Shucks!" said Tom again. "Never mind the fashions. Get that letterwritten, Sis."
So it was agreed. Helen wrote, the letter was sent. With Jennie Stone'susual impulsiveness she accepted for herself and "_mon Henri_" and AuntKate, promising to be at Cheslow within three days, and all within thelimits of a ten-word telegram!