CHAPTER XXIV
TO THE RESCUE
"What gone? Not the diamonds!" cried Will, hopping about, first on onefoot, and then the other. "Don't tell me those sparklers are gone, afterall the trouble I've had on this case--and it's my first, too! That's ashame! How did it happen."
"Oh, you and your diamonds!" cried Allen. "It's the girls who aremissing! Don't you understand? The girls!"
"I don't understand," replied Will. "What's the game?"
"And Betty and Amy are not up at the cottage?" asked Mollie.
Will shook his head.
"I just came down from Boston," he said. "I was told you were allout--the boys fishing and the girls on a picnic. I could hardly waituntil you came back to tell you the news. But you've knocked my feetfrom under me."
"Oh, it's just terrible!" said Grace. "What will Mrs. Nelson say?"
"Now look here!" exclaimed Allen, taking charge of matters in themasterful way he had. "We've got to do something in a hurry. Of courseMrs. Nelson will have to be told, but it may be all right after all.Betty and Amy may have gone in to the village, to send a telegram, orsomething like that."
"What about?" asked Grace.
"The diamonds, of course. They may have struck a clue. Now look here,"Allen went on quickly. "Will, as I understand it, you have found out towhom those stones belong?"
"Well, yes; that is, almost. There's been a big smuggling job, and thosediamonds are part of the loot, or swag----"
"Such slang!" protested Grace.
"Don't worry about slang at a time like this," said Mollie. "Go on,Will."
"No, we haven't time for all his story now," said Allen. "It is enoughfor us to know that he has solved the mystery."
"This much of it, at any rate," Will assented, "though I'm in the darkyet about the missing girls. As I said, I've been working my governmentposition for all it's worth. There was a big smuggling job lately, andthey were keeping it quiet. These diamonds are undoubtedly part of it,and now if I can only help get some of the men it sure will be a featherin my cap--a whole ostrich plume, in fact."
"Well, the rest of your story will keep," Allen remarked. "The nextthing is to trace the girls. Here's the story about them, Will," and herapidly told it as he had gathered it from Mollie and Grace.
"At the fisherman's hut, eh?" mused Will. "I always thought he had ahand in the affair. But where did the girls go from there?"
"That's just what we don't know," Henry remarked. "I found Amy'shandkerchief in the cabin, or we wouldn't have known that much."
"It's a bare chance that they may have gone to the telegraph office inthe village, to send a wire to Betty's father," said Allen. "We'll trythere before we raise an alarm."
"But can we keep the news from Mrs. Nelson?" asked Mollie.
"She isn't home," Will said. "She's out calling somewhere. I've beenkeeping bachelor's hall at Edgemere ever since I came from the train.The maids told me where you were."
"We might stave off worrying Mrs. Nelson if one of us could get to townand back before she returned," said Allen. "Of course if the girlshaven't been there we'll have to come out with the whole story."
"If we only could get to the village in a rush," said Mollie.
"An auto!" exclaimed Grace.
"There isn't one near enough----" began Will, when Grace cried:
"Percy Falconer! There he comes!"
The Deepdale johnny was coming down the road in his powerful machine.With all his faults he had the car in his favor, though he was not askilled driver, and seldom could get anyone to venture out with him.
"Hey, Percy! You're just in time!"
"Over here!"
"This way!"
"Got to get to town in a hurry!"
Thus called the boys and girls to him, and it is doubtful if PercyFalconer ever received such a warm welcome before, or since.
"Just the one we want to see," said Allen, getting into the car withWill. "We are in a hurry to get to the telegraph office."
"Some one ill?" asked Percy, looking at his wrist watch.
"No, but there may be if we don't hustle," Allen said. "To the telegraphoffice as fast as you can make it, Percy boy."
"And let Allen drive, if you don't mind, old man," put in Grace'sbrother. "You must be tired, and we don't want to be ditched."
"Oh, all right, of course. If you're in a rush," agreed Percy,good-naturedly, and he found a warmer place in the hearts of those whohad hitherto cared little for him.
"After all, Percy isn't such a bad sort," remarked Roy, as he walkedwith Grace and Mollie up the drive leading to Edgemere.
"He came in very useful to-day, at all events," Mollie agreed. "I thinkI shall teach him that new aeroplane whirl in the hesitation he is soanxious to learn."
"Oh, a dance!" acclaimed Grace. "I'm just dying for one."
"There won't be any--if we don't find Betty," said Mollie, seriouslyenough.
"Oh, we'll find them!" declared Roy.
"I hope Mrs. Nelson stays away until--well, until the scare is eitherover, or until we have something to go on, in case--in case they arelost," commented Grace.
Betty's mother had not returned home when the auto, driven at break-neckspeed by Allen, swung down the road again.
"What news?" asked Mollie, as the echo of the screeching brakes diedaway. But there was no need to ask. A look at the faces of Allen andWill told her what she wanted to know.
"They weren't there, and hadn't been," said Allen, slowly.
"Oh, but I say! What's it all about?" asked Percy.
"You'll know soon enough," Will answered in a low voice.
As they stood on the porch, a much-worried group of young people, Mrs.Nelson came back from her call.
There was no need for her to ask if anything was the matter. A glancetold her that. But she met the emergency bravely. The girls told theirstory first--how they had awakened to find Betty and Amy gone. ThenHenry told of finding the handkerchief in the hut, and lastly Willexplained how he had found out that the diamonds were the booty of asmuggling plot.
"Well, we must get right to work," said Mrs. Nelson, and she provedherself a worthy mother of a worthy daughter. "I am sure nothing seriouscould have happened--no drowning, or anything like that. The only otherexplanation is, I think, along the lines suggested by Allen.
"Their disappearance must have something to do with the diamonds. It ispossible they are following some suspect, and have had no chance tosend back word. In that case they are all right. But we must search forthem, and begin at the fisherman's shanty.
"We must also telegraph for Mr. Nelson. I'll go to town and do that.I'll also try to get him on the long distance telephone. Now, let mesee. Some of you will come with me, others will go to the fisherman'scabin, and others will start a search along the beach, and notify thelife saving station. We must neglect nothing."
"Isn't she splendid?" asked Grace of Mollie. "I feel better already."
"So do I."
There was a hasty consultation, and three parties were made up. Percyoffered the use of his car, and Allen elected to go in it with Mrs.Nelson, to town. The others would go to the fisherman's shack and to thelife saving station, though at this time of year there was only one manon duty. But he would know how to organize a corps of fishermen andclammers to make a search, if needed.
Mrs. Nelson returned from the village, after sending a telegraphmessage. She was unable to communicate with her husband by telephone.
"We had best follow them to the fisherman's cabin," said Allen. "Thatwill be a sort of rallying point."
There they found all the young folks gathered, those who had beenassigned the task of going to the life saving station havingaccomplished their errand, bringing back the message that soon a body ofhardy men would be patrolling both beaches.
But it was Tin-Back who gave the real clue. He came up as they weremaking a second examination of the cabin, to discover some otherevidence of the former presence of Betty and Amy there.
"Th
e girls missin'!" exclaimed the old crabber. "Wa'al, there's only oneplace t' look fer 'em!"
"Where's that?" asked Mrs. Nelson. "Not--not----"
"No'm, they're not drowned, don't fear that, mum," said Tin-Back, withready perception. "Nothin' like that could happen. They're off--there!"
He waved his hand toward where the mysterious schooner had beenanchored.
"What makes you think so?" asked Allen, after the crabber had spoken ofhis belief, and mentioned the absence of the schooner as evidence.
"Because that vessel has been hanging around here on purpose to work offsome such scheme as that! Take my word for it, the girls are aboardher. Pete and his woman Mag haven't gone off together for nothin'. Thegirls are on the _Spud_, and bad luck to her for a sneaky craft!"
"There's no time to lose!" he went on. "We've got to take after 'em, andlocate her before nightfall. We need a fast boat----"
"The _Pocohontas_ is in good trim!" interrupted Allen.
"The very thing!" cried Tin-Back. "Hurray! This is like old times! I'mwith you!" and he clapped his hand on his thigh with a report like apistol shot. "To the rescue!" he cried.