CHAPTER XXIV
A RADIO TRICK
Jessie was of course delighted to see Darry and Burd in Amy's companywhen her chum appeared on the Norwood premises after breakfast. Jessiehad dressed Henrietta, and the child was preening herself in the sunlike a peacock. The boys scarcely recognized her.
At once Burd Alling called her the Enchanted Princess. That disturbedlittle Henrietta but slightly.
"I expect I am a 'chanted princess,'" she admitted gravely. "I expectI am like Cinderella. I know all about her. And the pumpkin and ratsand mice was charmed, too. I hope I won't get charmed back again intomy old clothes."
"You could not very well help Mrs. Foley in that dress, Henrietta,"Jessie suggested.
"No. I suppose not. But if I could just find my cousin Bertha maybe Iwould not have to help Mrs. Foley any more. Maybe Bertha is rich, andwe could hire somebody to take care of Billy Foley and to clean outthe kitchen stove."
She was more than eager to ride along with the others to look forBertha Blair. As it chanced, Jessie did not have to call for Chapmanand the Norwood car when the time to go came. For who should drive upto the house but Mark Stratford, who had come home with Darry and Burdfrom the yacht cruise and had driven over from Stratfordtown in hispowerful car?
It was a tight fit for the six in the racing car, but they squeezed inand drove out through the Parkville road while it was still earlymorning. Meanwhile Darry had explained his idea to the others, andthey were all eager to view the surroundings of the Gandy stock farm.
"If Bertha is there she'll know me if I holler; of course, she will,"agreed little Henrietta. "But she never will know me by looking at me.Never!"
"So she'll have to shut her eyes if she wants to know you, will she,kid?" chuckled Burd.
There really did not seem to be any need for the child to call whenthe party stopped before the closed gate, for there was not any signof occupancy of either the house or surrounding buildings. Theshingled old house offered blank windows to the road, like so manysightless eyes. There were no horses in the stables, for the windowsover the box-stalls were all closed. And the tower the girls hadmarked before seemed deserted as well.
"Just the same, the voice spoke of the red barn and that silo andthose two fallen trees there. Chapman says the trees must have fallenlately. And yet there isn't an aerial in sight, as we told you," saidJessie.
"Let's look around," Darry said, jumping out, and Burd and Amy wentwith him. Mark turned around in the driver's seat to talk withJessie.
"You know, it's a funny thing that the girl's name should be BerthaBlair," the young man said. "I heard you folks talking about herbefore, and I said something about it to our Mr. Blair at the factory.He's had a lot of trouble in his family. Never had any children, heand his wife, but always wanted 'em."
"His younger brother married a girl of whom the Blair family did notapprove. Guess she was all right, but came from poor kind of folks.And when the younger Blair died they lost trace of his wife and a babygirl they had. Funny thing," added Mark. "That baby's name wasBertha--Bertha Blair. When I told the superintendent something aboutyour looking for such a girl because of a law case, he was muchinterested. If you go over there again to the sending station, tellthe superintendent all about her, Miss Jessie."
"I certainly will," promised the Roselawn girl. "But we haven't evenfound Bertha yet, and we are not sure she is here."
Darry and the others had entered the grounds surrounding the stockfarm buildings and they were gone some time. When they came back evenAmy seemed despondent.
"I guess we were fooled, Jess," she said. "There is nobody here--noteven a caretaker. I guess what we heard over the radio that time was ahoax."
"I don't believe it!" declared Jessie. "I just _feel_ that BerthaBlair, little Henrietta's cousin, is somewhere here."
"And maybe she can't get away," said Henrietta. "I'd like to helpBertha run away from that fat woman."
"Let's take the kid in and let her call," suggested Burd.
"Sure you didn't see any aerial, Darry?" Mark asked, showing increasedinterest in the matter.
"Not a sign," said Drew, shaking his head.
"That tower----"
"Yes. It would make an ideal station. But I went all around it. Ican't see the roof, for it is practically flat. And if what Isuggested was there, we will have to get above the level of the roofto see it."
Mark suddenly got out and opened his toolbox. He brought forth a pairof lineman's climbers.
"Thought I had 'em here. I'll go up that telegraph pole and see whatI can see," and he began to strap them on.
"Good as gold!" cried Burd admiringly. "You have a head on you, youngfellow."
"Yes," said Mark dryly. "I was born with it."
He proceeded to the tall telegraph pole and swarmed quickly up it. Theothers waited, watching him as he surveyed the apparently desertedplace from the cross-piece of the pole. By and by he came down.
"It's there, Darry," he said confidently. "Your big idea was all tothe good. That folding wireless staff you use on the _Marigold_ isrepeated right on the top of that tower. When they use the sending setthey raise the staff with the antenna and--there you have it."
"Oh! Then she's in the tower!" cried Amy.
"At least, she was in the tower if she sent her message from thisstation," agreed Darry.
"How shall we find out--how shall we?" cried Amy, excitedly.
"If Mr. Stratford is quite sure that he sees the aerials upon thatroof, then I am going to get the tower door open somehow," declaredJessie, with her usual determination.
"It is there, Miss Jessie," Mark assured her.
"Come on, Henrietta," said Jessie, helping the little girl to jumpdown from the car. "We are going to find your Cousin Bertha if she ishere."
"You are real nice to be so int'rusted in Bertha," said Henrietta.
"I am interested in her particularly because Daddy Norwood needs her,"admitted the older girl. "Come on now, honey. We'll go up to thattower building and you shout for Bertha just as hard as you can shout.She will know your voice if she doesn't know you in your new dress,"and she smiled down at the little girl clinging to her hand.
JUST IN TIME