CHAPTER XIII. A BAG OF GOLD
Doris sang softly to herself as she busily unpacked the lunch baskets andspread the long table in the living-room. The tea kettle was soon hummingon the stove and bacon was sizzling in the frying pan.
"We'll have an early supper," she was thinking, "and I'm going to suggestthat we start home early, too. Our parents will have heard about theholdup and they'll be terribly worried. I do hope Mother, ill as she is,won't hear of it, but of course she won't. That's the advantage of havinga trained nurse with her all the time." Then, she glanced at her skateslying near the door. "I suppose they're disappointed not to get out onthe ice. Well, so am I, but my ankle doesn't feel as strong as I hadhoped it would. I turned it a little getting into the sleigh, and I don'twant to sprain it again as I did last winter." She opened a box whichBertha had brought.
"Yum! Yum!" she said aloud. "What delicious tarts!" Then she countedthem. "Two apiece! I'm glad they're big ones."
Carrying them into the living-room, she placed them around on the longtable, then, stopping to sniff, she darted back into the kitchen to turnthe strips of sizzling bacon. A few minutes later she returned to theliving-room with a huge plate of sandwiches. Suddenly she stood still andstared at the door of a small closet. She thought she had seen it movejust ever so slightly. She knew that it had been locked, for Bob tried itjust before he went out to skate.
The crack widened and Doris saw eyes peering out at her. Wildly shescreamed, but the windows were closed and no one heard.
She started to run, when a familiar voice called, "Doris, don't befrightened. I won't hurt you. It's Danny O'Neil."
The girl turned in amazement toward the boy to whom she had been talkingnot six hours before.
"Danny," the girl gasped, "what are you doing here?"
The boy looked around wildly: "I--I was the one who robbed old Mr.Bartlett," he said rapidly. "I didn't set out to do it, Doris! Honest, Ididn't! I was just a running away from home. Pa has been so hard on meever since Ma died, and so I thought I'd clear out of it all, but Ididn't have any money. And then this morning, when you told me how Mawanted me to get money and go to art school, well, I don't know, Doris,what did happen to my brain, but I was just crazy mad to get money andget away from that man who calls himself my father. After you left Istarted walking to town. I didn't even know I was doing it till I got tothe bank. Then I saw Old Man Bartlett stuffing all that money in hishandbag and I followed him, hiding behind trees, till he got to the woodroad--then--I don't know what I did--knocked him over, I guess. There wasa long rope, one end tied to a tree, and I wound it about him, then Itook his bag and ran."
"But how did you get in here, Danny? The doors and windows were alllocked and we didn't see any tracks."
"I know! I stepped on the places where the snow was blown away and Iclimbed to the roof and came down the chimney. Then I went in that closetand locked the door on the inside. But, Doris, I don't want the money.All these long hours there in the dark I've been seeing Mom's facelooking at me so reproachful, and she kept saying, 'Danny-boy, youpromised me you'd go straight.' If she'd a lived, Doris, I'd have beendifferent, but 'tisn't home without her."
The lad drew his coat sleeve over his eyes, then he said gloomily: "Thesheriff will be hunting for me and they'll put me in jail, but anyhow,here's the money. Take it back to Old Man Bartlett and tell him I didn'treally mean to rob him. I did it just sudden-like, without thinking."
There were tears in the eyes of the girl and she held out her hand:"Danny," she said, "I know how lonely you've been without your mother andI'll help you. Quick, hide! Someone is coming."
Danny darted back and locked himself in the closet. Doris hid the bag ofgold and hurried toward the front door. Someone was pounding and she wassure it was the sheriff.
When Doris opened the heavy wooden door, she found that her surmise hadbeen correct. Mr. Ross, the sheriff, stood without, and waiting near wereseveral other men on horseback.
"Oh. Miss Drexel, it's you, is it?" The sheriff was evidently muchsurprised. "We saw smoke coming from the chimney and believed that we hadcornered our highwayman. Thought he might be hiding here. Of course itwould be a daring thing to make a fire in a deserted cabin, but thesecriminals are a bold, hardened lot. Who else is with you, Miss Drexel? Iguess I'll step inside, if you don't mind. No use holding the door openand letting the heat all out."
The sheriff entered and closed the door, then he went to the fireplaceand held his hands over the blaze.
Doris's heart was filled with a new fear. What if Danny should make asound of some sort and betray his hiding place? Hurriedly she said: "Allof our crowd is here. Mr. Ross. There are seven boys and as many girls,but the rest of them are out on the ice skating. I remained in the cabinto prepare our supper."
The sheriff straightened and leaned his back against the closet door ashe said: "Miss Drexel, because of this robbery, I feel it my duty to tellyou and your friends that you would better return to town as soon as youhave had your lunch. It gets dark early these wintry days and there's notelling what might happen."
"Thank you, Mr. Ross." Doris said, "I will tell the boys when they comein."
When the sheriff was gone, the girl closed and bolted the front door,then she tapped on the closet, saying softly: "Come out, Danny. I have aplan to suggest. Bob and the rest of them may be in at any minute."
Then, when the lad appeared, she added: "I want you to take my skates,fling them over your shoulder, and go boldly out of the front door and upthe lake road. Anyone, seeing you leave here, will think you are one ofour party. Whistle and stride along as though you were out for fun. Halfa mile above, as you know, the lake is narrow. Skate across and go backto your work at Colonel Wainright's, but before you go, Danny, promise methat from now on you'll be the kind of a boy your mother wanted you tobe."
The lad held out his hand and, with tears falling unheeded, he saidhuskily: "I give you my word, Doris. You've been my good angel and savedme from nobody knows what."
Then he shouldered the skates and started down the snowy road with longstrides, whistling fearlessly. A load had been lifted from his heart andhe was sure that his mother had forgiven him.
Doris watched him until he disappeared beyond a bend in the road and thenshe breathed a sigh of relief. She heard a stamping without and thelaughing young people swarmed into the kitchen.
"Ho, Doris, who was the chap that just went by?" Bob called--but beforethe girl could reply, something else happened to attract their attention.Bertha, in the kitchen, was crying in dismay: "Where is the cook? Whathas she been doing? We'll have to discharge her. I'm thinking. The baconis burned to a cinder."
Doris, thankful indeed for this timely interruption, ran into the kitchenand declared remorsefully: "Oh, isn't that too bad, and I suppose you areall hungry as bears, but luckily I brought an extra supply. Throw thatout, Bertha, please, and I'll get some more." Then, as she searched inher basket, she added hurriedly: "I suppose I left it burn while thesheriff was here."
"The sheriff!" was the surprised chorus.
"Why, what did he want?" Jack asked. "He didn't suppose that we had thehighwayman here as one of our guests, did he?"
Doris purposely did not look at any of them as she put the strips ofbacon into the pan which Bertha had prepared. "Oh, Sheriff Ross and hismen were just passing by," she said with an effort at indifference, "andso he thought he would stop and ask us if we had any idea where the boldrobber might be."
"He is wasting his time," Bob declared. "I am positive that Dorchesterholds his man by this time."
Peggy and Dick Jensen entered the kitchen at this moment and the girlexclaimed: "Oh, Doris, I've had bad luck. I broke one of my straps, butsince you aren't going to skate today, may I take one of yours?"
What could Doris say? How could she explain the absence of her skates?She was busy at the stove and she pretended that she had not heard, butbefore the other girl could repeat her
question, Bob called: "Here's onefor you, Peg. I always carry an extra strap in my pocket."
Doris again breathed a sigh of relief, but it was a short one, for, asecond later, she thought of something which set her heart to throbbingwildly.
The bag of gold! She had hidden it under a cushion on one of the chairswhen the sheriff was knocking.
The seven boys were now in the living-room and she heard Bob teasinglysay: "Jack, you're the oldest. Sit down in this grandfather's chair andsee what you're coming to."
That old-fashioned armchair was the very one where the bag of gold washidden. In another moment Jack would be sitting on it.
"Here, Bertha!" Doris called wildly. "Please turn the bacon. I must sitdown for a moment. I feel faint!"
Rushing into the living-room, the girl sank into the grandfather's chairjust as Jack was about to occupy it.
"Why, Doris," Dick exclaimed, "you look as white as a sheet! Are youill?"
"I guess it must have been the heat from the stove or--or something," wasthe vague reply. Doris was thinking wildly. How could she get the moneyfrom beneath the chair cushion with thirteen boys and girls bringing herwater and watching her every move with troubled solicitude.
The skating party, which had started out so merrily, seemed destined tobe a succession of troubled events. The boys and girls, gazing anxiouslyat the pale face of their friend, had not the slightest suspicion of thereal facts, supposing only that Doris was suddenly faint.
"Perhaps it is caused by the wrench that you gave your ankle thismorning," Bertha said; then added self-rebukingly: "I had completelyforgotten it, Doris, or I would not have permitted you to stand for thepast hour and prepare our supper."
The object of their solicitation, believing that for the time being thegold was safe, smiled up at them as she exclaimed brightly: "Oh, I'm justlots better now. Please, all of you sit down and eat your lunch or thebacon will be cold instead of burned. I'll just sit here and watch you.Why, yes, thank you, Bob, I would like a cup of cocoa," she added to thelad who offered to bring it.
While Doris was slowly sipping the hot drink, she closely watched theothers as they sat about the table and began to pass the tempting viands.When she believed that no one was observing her, she slipped a hand downunder the cushion of the chair and grasped the bag of gold. Then, hidingit under her apron, she arose to carry her cup to the kitchen.
Bob sprang to assist her, but Doris laughingly waved him back. "I'm asgood as new, Bobbie," she said. "I'll be right back, so save me somefood."
Upon reaching the kitchen she looked around hastily to see where shecould again hide the money. A drawer being partly open, she thrust thebag to a far corner and, with a sigh of relief, she went into theliving-room and sank down on the part of the long bench which had beenreserved for her.
Bob looked at her curiously. It seemed strange to him that after afainting spell one could suddenly be so ravenously hungry, but he saidnothing and tried with his usual witty nonsense to make the meal a merryone.
It was just as they were rising from the table that Bob saw something.that caused him to stare in amazement. Luckily no one noticed him as thegirls were good-naturedly disputing about the matter of dish-washing, andthe boys were donning their great coats and caps preparing to return tothe ice.
What Bob saw was the door of the closet standing ajar, and well he knewthat when they had first arrived, the door had not only been locked butthe key had been nowhere in evidence.
What could it mean? he wondered, and again he glanced curiously at Doris.
Then he said with assumed gaiety: "Girls, stop squabbling and get intoyour things and go skating with the boys. I'll remain in the cabin andhelp Doris repack the baskets. Since she cannot skate, I'll stay and beher brave and bold protector."
When they were alone the lad turned to the girl, whom he had known sinceher baby days, and he said kindly: "Now, Doris, tell me what is troublingyou. What has happened?"