CHAPTER XXIV. KINDNESS REWARDED
Merry, Geraldine and Doris went alone the next day to the home of MyraComely. Danny O'Neil drove them there, then waited in the cutter untilthey came out.
Myra opened the door slightly, saying that perhaps they would better notcome in, but Geraldine declared that she never caught anything, and asMerry and Doris had no fears, they entered the neat little living-roomand sat down, while Doris gave the message from her mother.
Tears sprang to the girl's eyes. "How very kind of your mother to offerto send us her own private nurse," she said with sincere appreciation."Dr. Carson was with us all night, and he says that the crisis is nowover and that Mother will not have pneumonia, but that she is worn outand will need absolute rest for a long time. The doctor said that sheought to go where the winters are milder." Myra was wiping her eyes,trying, as the girls could see, to keep from breaking down. Doris went toher and put an arm across her shoulders. With tender sympathy she said:"Myra, you're just worn out with these three days and nights of watchingand anxiety. I wish you would let me telephone Mother to send our dearold nurse; then I would like to take you home with me for a rest." Butthe girl was shaking her head. "O, no, no! I couldn't leave Mother. Shestill has spells of wandering in her mind. She thinks she is a girl againon her father's ranch in Arizona----"
She got no farther, for three girls exclaimed in excited chorus: "Was_your_ mother Myra Cornwall? Has she a brother Caleb in Arizona?"
The girl dropped her handkerchief and stared in unbelieving amazement."How in the world did you know my mother's maiden name?" she gasped."Mother has told no one. Not that she was ashamed of it, but--but--yousee, she married against her parents' wishes and she knew they wouldnever want to see or hear from her again. Her brother Caleb dislikedmy--my father, more even than her parents did, and so she never wrote,not even after my father died and we were so poor." Then with mouthtrembling and eyes tear-brimmed, the girl asked: "Won't you tell me whatyou know about it?"
And so Doris told about the clipping they had found in the Dorchesterpaper, and how they had called on all the Myras they could find. "But_your_ mother was born in New York state," Merry recalled. "_That_ is whywe decided that she could _not_ be the one."
Myra nodded. "Yes, that is where Mother was born, but her parents wentWest when she was five, and she lived on a ranch in that beautiful desertcountry until she was sent East to school."
Suddenly she sprang up, a glad light in her face. "Mother is awake! Ihear her calling me. I must go and tell her the wonderful news." Thenimpulsively she held out a hand to Doris as she said: "How can we thankyou. Now, as soon as Mother is well, I can take her to the home she hasso yearned to see, knowing that her brother Caleb wants her, _reallywants_ her."
* * * * * * * *
When the girls were again in the sleigh, they told Danny to race fortown. They were to attend the weekly meeting at Peg's house and they hadwonderful news to tell.
In a remarkably short time they reached there and found the othersassembled. "Girls," Doris burst out before she had removed her outdoorwraps. "The mystery is solved! Myra Comely, I mean the mother, _is_ theone we wanted. And now that she may go back to her Arizona home and won'thave to take in washing any more, she will get well, I am sure, just everso soon. Myra is going to send a telegram at once to her uncle, and Iknow that he will send money to them for the journey."
"Now all of the mysteries are solved except where the boys have theirclubroom," Peg began, when Bertha laughingly told them that that evenwasn't a mystery any longer.
"How come?" Peg asked.
"Well, last night Mother wanted a yeast cake from the store just beforebedtime that she might put some dough to rise. Dad had gone to lodge andBob had left early with the boys, so I took a lantern and went to thestore. I had a key to the side door and I went in. At first I was verymuch startled to see a light coming through cracks in the floor of astoreroom over the back part. One has to go up a ladder on the side walland then crawl through a trapdoor to get to it. I was just wondering whythieves would want to go up there where Dad keeps hardware supplies andthings like that, when I heard a laugh, and I _knew_ it was Bob. Then Irealized that I had stumbled on the secret meeting place of the 'C. D.C.'"
"Well, that's a much more sensible place than the old Welsley ruin wouldbe," Merry commented.
Having removed their wraps, they all sat about the cosy fire and Pegpassed around the garments they were making for the orphans.
"There's one thing sure, the solving of our mystery spread sunshine allright, and so we lived up to our first motto without really meaning to,"Merry commented.
Peg inquired: "Did you hear anything that the boys were talking about?"
"I tried not to," Bertha said. "I went at once to the front of the storeand got my yeast cake, but, just as I was stealing back out again, sothat they wouldn't hear me, I heard Bob say: 'Four o'clock Saturday.That's tomorrow! Surprise the girls.'"
The seven sleuths looked at each other in puzzled amazement. "Hum!Another mystery, I should say," Peg commented.
Merry glanced at her wrist watch. "Well, if the boys are planning asurprise for us, since it is three-thirty now, we won't be kept long insuspense."
Nor were they, for in a half hour, punctually at four, the boys arrivedand stated that they had received permission from the parents of thegirls to take them somewhere on a sleigh ride.
"Oh, what fun!" Merry sprang up, as did the others. Little blue garmentswere folded and outdoor wraps were donned upstairs in Peg's room.
"I know! I know!" Peg sang out. "You remember that time at the DrexelLodge when we wanted to stay and ride home by moonlight, we couldn't, andthe boys said they would take us for a moonlight ride at some othertime."
Merry nodded. "I believe you're right. _Where_ do you suppose we aregoing?"
It was half an hour later, and the village had been left far behindbefore the answer was revealed to them. "Up the East Lake Road!" Berthaexclaimed.
It was half past five and dark when they drew up in front of the Inn. Mr.Wiggin, the genial host, popped out to welcome them. "Come right in! Comeright in!" he called good-naturedly. "Everything is piping hot and readyto serve." The girls were delighted.
"Oh, boys, you're giving us a surprise supper, aren't you?"
"That's jolly fun!"
"Aren't we glad we know them!" were a few of the many expressions ofappreciation from the girls as they were helped from the long sleigh.
That "something" that was piping hot and ready to be served proved to bethe wonderful combination clam chowder for which the Lakeside Inn wasfamous. The dining-room was warm and cheerful, with red-shaded lampsaround the walls, and the jolliest hour was passed while the boys jokedand told stories, which they had evidently learned for the occasion.
When the dessert, Mrs. Wiggin's equally famous plum pudding, had beenremoved, Bob tapped on the table for attention. "Young ladies," he said,"we boys of the 'C. D. C.' having heard how cleverly you solved amystery----"
"What? _How_ did you hear?" two of the girls exclaimed in surprise.
"Well, that _is_ an important point to clear up," Bob acknowledged."Jack, here, was in the telegraph station about three this afternoon, andMyra Comely was there sending a message to some uncle of hers in Arizona.She was so excited, she spilled the beans, and told Jack all about yourmystery club and how you found her mother's brother." He paused to lookabout at the astonished group. Then, seeming to be satisfied, hecontinued: "We boys are working on a mystery, and since you girls are soclever (no bouquets, please; he pretended to dodge) we thought we wouldinvite you to--er--be associate members of _our_ club. We hope that youwill consider it an honor."
Merry sprang up and, lifting her glass of water, she said: "Here's to thecombined Conan Doyle and Seven Sleuths' Clubs. Long may they wave."
"Ditto!" Bob lifted his glass, as did the others. Then they all rose, forJack had droppe
d a nickel in the automatic organ and it was playing dancemusic which could not be resisted.