CHAPTER XXII
THE WARNING
"Did you hear that?" asked Ruth of Alice, in a whisper.
"Yes! Hush! Don't let them hear you!"
Ruth looked apprehensively over the back of her chair, but beheld noone. The noise made by the men as they were going out grew fainter.
Alice rose from her chair.
"What are you going to do?" asked Ruth, laying a detaining hand onher sister's arm.
"I'm going to see who those men are."
"Don't. They may----"
Alice made a gesture of silence.
"I'm pretty sure who one of them is," she whispered, as she bent downclose to Ruth. "But I want to make certain."
"But Alice----"
"Now, Ruth, be sensible," went on Alice, as she passed around back ofher sister's chair. "You heard what was said. I'm sure those menhave some designs on that patent Russ has worked so hard over. Wemust tell him about them, and put him on his guard."
"You may get into danger."
It was curious how, in this emergency--as she had often done oflate--Alice took the lead over her older sister. And Ruth did notobject to it, but seemed to follow naturally after Alice led the way.
"Danger!" laughed Alice softly, as she came to a position behind thescreen, whence she could note who the men going out were. "There's nodanger in a public restaurant like this. And I'm only going to makesure who that man is. Then we'll go tell Russ."
Ruth made no further objection, and turned to watch her sister. Themen had come to a halt at the desk of the cashier, to pay theirchecks, and their backs were toward Alice. An instant later, however,one of them had turned around and faced toward the rear of therestaurant.
Alice darted behind the screen with a quick intaking of her breath.She had recognized the man, and was fearful lest he know her.
For he was the fellow with whom Russ had been in dispute in thehallway that day, when the DeVeres' door had flown open.
"Simp Wolley!" whispered Alice, in tense tones to Ruth. "It's thatman who was after Russ's patent."
"Then don't let him see you."
"I won't--no danger. They're going out now. Come on!"
"Where?" asked Ruth, as Alice reached for her gloves.
"We must go to warn Russ."
"But we haven't eaten what we ordered," objected Ruth, pointing tothe food, hardly touched, on the table.
"No matter, we can pay for it."
"But the cashier will think it so odd."
"What do we care. It's our food--we'll pay for it, and we can do whatwe like with it then. We can eat it or not."
"But they'll think it so queer. They may think we have some prejudiceagainst it, and----"
Ruth was a stickler for the established order of things. Alice wasmore in the habit of taking "cross-cuts."
"Don't be silly!" exclaimed the younger girl. "We've just got to getout of here and warn Russ before those men have a chance to take hispatent. You heard what they said about doing it to-night!"
"Well, I suppose we must," assented Ruth, with a sigh. "But it seemsa shame to waste all that good food."
"It won't be wasted. We can tell them to give it to some poorperson."
"Oh, Alice! You are so--so queer."
"I'd be worse than queer if I sat here and ate while Russ was beingrobbed of his patent. I should think you'd want to help him. Ithought you and he----"
"Alice!" warned Ruth, with a sudden assumption of dignity. But sheblushed prettily.
"Oh, you know what I mean. Come on. Don't sit there talking anylonger, and raising objections. We've got to hurry."
"Yes, I suppose so. Oh, Alice, I hope nothing happens!"
"So do I."
"I mean to us."
"And I mean to Russ. A distinction without a difference."
The two girls drew on their gloves and left the restaurant. As Ruthhad expected, the cashier at the desk looked at them curiously asthey paid for the meal they had not eaten. But Alice forestalled anyopen criticism by saying:
"We find we have to leave sooner than we expected. If you like, giveour meal to some poor person. We haven't had time to touch it."
"Oh, all right," answered the young girl at the desk. "We often givewhat is left over to charity, and I'm sure the food on your tablewon't come amiss. If you like I'll speak to the manager, and see ifhe'll give you a rebate----"
"No, we haven't time for that--too much of a hurry," answered Alice."Come along, Ruth."
They hurried outside, and Alice glanced quickly up and down thestreet for a glimpse of the two men. They were not in sight.
"I wish we were rich!" suddenly exclaimed Alice, as she took hersister's arm, and hurried in the direction of the elevated that wouldtake them home.
"Why?" asked Ruth.
"Because then we could afford to take a taxicab. We ought to warnRuss as soon as possible. How much money have you, Ruth?"
"Not enough for a taxicab, I'm afraid." She hastily counted it over.Alice did the same.
"No," decided the younger girl, with a sigh. "I guess we'd betternot. At least--not yet. We may have to--later."
"What do you mean?" asked Ruth.
"I mean we can't tell what will happen before we are able to tellRuss. He's hardly likely to be at home now, and we may have tosearch for him."
"But we can go home and tell his mother and Billy. One of them couldfind him, and warn him. Billy knows New York even better than we do."
"Yes, I suppose so. Well, we'll go to the apartment and see whathappens there."
But at the Fenmore the girls had their first disappointment, for noneof the Dalwoods was at home. Nor did any of the neighbors know wherethey had gone. For persons in New York, even in the same apartmenthouse, are not very likely to become acquainted with one another, andoften families may live in adjoining flats for a long time, withoutpassing beyond the bowing stage. As for keeping track of the comingsand goings of their neighbors, it is never thought of, unlesssomething out of the ordinary occurs.
Echoes only answered the knocking of Ruth and Alice, and the twogirls faced each other in the hallway with anxious looks on theirfaces.
"What shall we do?" asked Ruth. "None of them is home. How can wewarn Russ?"
"I don't know. I've got to think!" exclaimed Alice. "Come in ourplace and let's sit down a minute. We can make a cup of tea. I was sohungry, and to leave that nice little meal--well, we just had to doit, that's all."
Tea was soon in process of making, and while the girls set out somecakes and a jar of jam for a hasty meal they did some rapid thinking.
"Did you ever hear Russ say where it was he was having his patentattachment made?" asked Alice.
"I never did," confessed Ruth. "He said it was somewhere on the EastSide, but that's very indefinite."
"Then the only thing to do is to find Russ and tell him," decidedAlice, as she removed, with the tip of her tongue, a spot of jam froma forefinger. "We've just got to find him.
"Now I'll tell you what we'll do, Ruth. You stay here and as soon asMrs. Dalwood, or Billy, or perhaps even Russ comes home, you tellthem all about this plot."
"But what will you do?"
"I'll go find Russ."
"What! Alone?"
"Why not? We can't both go. Oh, I see!" and a light broke over theface of Alice. "You mean you think it's _your_ place to warn him.Well, maybe it is. I'm sure he would like----"
"Now, Alice, I didn't mean that at all, and you know it. I meant yououghtn't to be going about New York alone, and it's getting late. Itwill soon be dark."
"Nonsense! It isn't six o'clock yet."
"I know. But I can't allow you. We'll both go."
"But someone ought to be here to tell them as soon as one comeshome."
"We can write a note and leave it under the door. Then we can leave anote for daddy. He'll be worried when he comes back and finds usgone. That's the best plan, Alice. Leave a note for Russ, and thenyou and I will try to find him. They may know at the studio where hehas gon
e. Or he may be there yet."
"All right!" agreed Alice, after a moment's thought.