by Edith Lavell
CHAPTER XVI
_Searching the Ocean_
Louise and Ted Mackay did not go to the police headquarters that night.They were too miserable, too discouraged by the outcome of theirexcursion to the island. After leaving the plane at the airport, Tedcalled Captain Magee on the telephone, and briefly related the resultsof their flight.
Supper was a dreary affair for them both. It was only by putting fortha tremendous effort that they ate at all--in an attempt to stave offexhaustion. The ice cream, at least, tasted good to Louise, for she wasstill very hot.
The worst ordeal of all came after the meal, just as the saddened youngcouple were passing through the hotel lobby to take the elevator totheir room. Louise suddenly recognized two familiar figures at thedesk, two men who had just arrived with their luggage. Mr. Crowley andMr. Carlton--the fathers of the two unfortunate girls!
The tears which Louise had bravely forced back ever since her collapseat the discovery of the matchbox on the island, rushed to her eyesagain. How could they ever tell these two men the terrible news?
For an instant she hoped they would not see her or her husband, thatshe could at least put off the evil tidings until the morning. Butit was not to be. Linda's father recognized her instantly, and camequickly towards her.
"Louise!" he exclaimed, holding out his hand. "And Ted! Any news?"
Louise could not answer for the sob that was choking her, and Ted, shyas he always was, knew it was his duty to explain.
"Bad news, Sir," he said. "We had information this morning that thegirls were stranded on an island in the ocean, and that their autogirohad been stolen from them. As you probably read in the newspaper, itwas found yesterday.... We--Lou and I--flew to the island where thegirls were supposed to be, this afternoon, and found evidences of theircamp--burnt out fires--but no trace of the girls."
Mr. Carlton looked grave.
"But they may have been rescued," suggested Mr. Crowley, who had thesame optimistic disposition as his daughter.
"Possibly," admitted Ted. "But if they had, wouldn't we have heard? Thewhole country is waiting for news of those two brave girls."
"I'm afraid you're right," agreed Mr. Carlton, darkly. "Yes, you mustbe right. Foul play----"
"Or the ocean!" put in Louise. "Oh, the cruel, dreadful ocean! If itcouldn't swallow Linda up on her flight to Paris, it had to have itsrevenge now!"
"Have you had your dinner, Sir?" asked Ted of Mr. Carlton.
"Yes. On the train. Suppose we get our rooms--I'll ask for a privatesitting-room--and then we can all go up and discuss the matter togetherfrom every angle, and decide upon what is the best thing for us to do."
Louise brightened at this ray of hope.
"Then you're not going to give up yet, Mr. Carlton?" she inquired.
"Never, till we find them--dead or alive. We're going to think of nonews as good news."
Mr. Crowley nodded his approval.
"I have a week's vacation," added Ted, "and I shall be at your service."
"Thank you, my boy," answered Mr. Carlton, gratefully. He was a greatadmirer of Ted Mackay, ever since he had recovered from his prejudiceagainst him because he was the son of a ne'er-do-well.
The new-comers made their arrangements at the desk, and were fortunateenough to secure a very pleasant suite. Louise and Ted went up in theelevator with them, and Mr. Carlton ordered coffee to be sent to theroom.
They settled down into the easy chairs and Louise poured theiced-coffee. The evening was hot, but there were large windows on threesides of the sitting-room, and a lovely breeze was blowing. Mr. Carltonbrought out cigars and offered one to Ted.
"But I suppose you'd rather have a cigarette," he said, when Tedrefused.
"No thank you, Sir. I never smoke. A great many of us pilots don't. Wewant to keep as fit as possible."
Mr. Carlton nodded. Linda had never expressed any desire to smoke, andhe supposed it was for the same reason.
"There are two places where the girls might be," he said slowly, as hepuffed on his cigar. "On another of those small islands, off the coast,or in some boat--on the ocean. If they had reached the coast, we shouldhave heard of it."
"A boat!" repeated Louise, with sudden inspiration. "There was thatbroken down motor-boat, that the girl and the gangster used to get tothe island! Could Dot and Linda have gone off in that?"
"What boat?" demanded Mr. Carlton and Mr. Crowley, both at once.
Louise explained by repeating most of the story which they had heardfrom Susie that morning.
"Funny we didn't think of that before," observed Ted. "Come toremember, I didn't see any boat this afternoon. Did you, Lou?"
"No, I didn't. And we searched the whole island," she explained to theolder men. "We'd surely have seen it if there had been one."
"This sounds hopeful!" exclaimed Mr. Crowley, joyfully. "If it didn'thave a leak----"
"But didn't you say that it was broken?" asked Mr. Carlton.
"The girl said the engine was broken, but as far as I know, the boatitself was sound," replied Ted.
"Linda could fix the engine!" cried Louise, almost hysterical in herrelief. For the first time since the finding of the matchbox, sheactually believed that Linda and Dot were still alive.
"We'll work on that theory, anyway," decided Mr. Carlton. "And go outon the ocean tomorrow."
Before they could discuss their plans any further, the telephone on thedesk interrupted them, and Mr. Carlton was informed that there were twoyoung men who wanted to see him--Ralph Clavering and James Valier.
"Well, of all things!" exclaimed Mr. Carlton, who had not even knownthat the boys had started South. "Yes," he added to the clerk on thephone, "ask them to come up right away, by all means."
"Who? What?" demanded Louise, eagerly. "Any news?"
"I don't know yet. Ralph and Jim are here."
"They would be," smiled Louise. Linda could never get away from RalphClavering, no matter how far she went.
A minute later the boys appeared, dressed in camping clothes, lookingvery unlike the neat, immaculate young men they always appeared to beat Spring City, or at Green Falls. Even if they took part in athleticsat home, their white flannels were always spotless. But now, exceptfor the fact that their faces were clean and shaved, they looked liketramps.
Ralph and Jim were just as much surprised to see Ted and Louise as thelatter were at their visit.
"Where in the world have you been?" demanded Louise, in amazement attheir appearance. "You both look as if you had been ship-wrecked andlost besides."
"We have," muttered Jim, sinking wearily into a seat, and extending hislong legs in front of him. "Please pardon our slouching, Lou--but we'redead."
"But where have you been?" repeated Mr. Carlton.
"In the Okefenokee Swamp!" answered Ralph. "And if Lou weren't here,I'd tell you what it's like, in no uncertain language!"
Mr. Carlton smiled, and yet he was horror stricken. If these boys foundit so dreadful, what must it have seemed like to Linda?
"Tell us about it!" he urged. "But wait, have you had your supper?"
"Yes. We had food along with us. We left the canoe at the edge of thestream, and taxied back here, because we have rooms in this hotel. Theytold us at the desk that 'Miss Carlton's father had arrived,' so wedidn't wait even to change our clothing. We had to get the news of thegirls immediately."
"I'm afraid there isn't much to tell," sighed Louise. "At least nothinghopeful." Briefly she repeated what she and Ted had been doing allafternoon, as a result of Susie's capture and story, and she displayedthe matchbox, with the name of Spring City stamped on its lid.
"I recall Linda's getting that from her aunt," remarked Ralph,dolefully. "She asked for half a dozen boxes, and Miss Carlton got themright away, so she wouldn't forget."
"Now tell us what you boys have been doing," urged Mr. Crowley. "AndLouise, why don't you pour them some of this iced-coffee? It really isvery refreshing."
Briefly Ralph told his story, ai
ded now and then by Jim. Their secondexpedition into the swamp had been as useless as their first, thoughthey admitted the superiority of a canoe over a motor-boat, if one knewwhere to go. But they had become hopelessly lost in a couple of hours,in spite of their maps, and, as time passed, they became all the morecertain that the girls were not in the swamp. They decided to turnback, in order to concentrate their efforts on the islands near wherethe autogiro had been found.
Susie's story naturally confirmed their suspicions, and they instantlyagreed with Mr. Carlton to abandon all further search of the Okefenokee.
"I believe the thing to do," announced the latter, after seriouscontemplation, "is to hire a yacht, and cruise all along the Georgiaand Florida coast. The most reasonable explanation to me is that Lindaand Dot are adrift somewhere in that motor-boat. Either the engine isbroken beyond repair, or the gasoline has given out."
"Or that terrible storm has wrecked them," faltered Louise, who couldnot silence her fear of the ocean. "Upset that little boat, and----"
"Don't, Lou!" cried Jim. "Don't even think of things like that, unlesswe find an empty boat!"
"I'll try not to," she promised.
"Well, whatever has happened, the ocean is the place for us to be, ifwe hope to rescue the girls," concluded Mr. Carlton, "You all agree onthat point?"
Everyone assented, and Ralph and Jim expressed their desire to get intoaction immediately.
"We ought to be able to get a yacht tomorrow," continued Mr. Carlton."Because of the publicity of this affair someone who has one ready willprobably be glad to rent it to us on the spot. I think I'll go to thenewspaper office tonight, and have the request broadcast by radio."
"Great!" exclaimed Louise, jumping up excitedly. "And can we all gowith you tomorrow, on the cruise, I mean, Mr. Carlton?"
"You can do just as you prefer--go with me, or use your own plane tofly around over the islands."
"I think that would be the better plan for us, Sir," put in Ted. "Andwe can keep in touch with you by signals."
The group separated at last, the older men to call their families bylong-distance, the young people to get a good night's sleep after theirstrenuous day. In the morning they re-assembled at breakfast, when Mr.Carlton announced the good news that he had been offered a yacht by awealthy man in Jacksonville.
"He even refused to take any rent for it, much as I urged him to," headded. "And he's lending us the crew besides. It seems too good to betrue."
"All of which goes to show just how popular Linda is--with everybody!"explained Louise. "Oh, we simply must find her!"
There were no preparations to be made for the cruise, because the ownerof the yacht assured Mr. Carlton that everything was in readiness, soby ten o'clock on the morning of July third, the little party, composedof the two fathers and the two boy-friends of the lost girls steppedaboard the boat. It was a beautiful little yacht, complete in everydetail. Under any other circumstances the men would have been overjoyedat the prospect of such a pleasant trip. As it was, they were tooworried to think of anything but Linda and Dot.
"What a marvelous time we could be having if the girls were aboard!"lamented Ralph. "Dance and play bridge all day, every day, with noother fellows to cut in on us, and take them away! I say, Jim, we mighteven come back engaged if we had a chance like that!"
"Much more likely they'd be so sick of us they'd never want to see usagain!" returned the other, shrewdly. "No--cruising's all right. ButI'd rather be in Green Falls if Linda and Dot were with us."
"Maybe this will teach Linda a lesson," grumbled Ralph. Then hesuddenly remembered her job, with the Spraying Company in Atlanta. Hecouldn't pretend to be sorry if she lost it.
The speedy little yacht cruised all day along the coast, while the menplayed bridge, and smoked, and ate the most excellent meals, cookedand served by an efficient staff. But underneath all this comfort ranan under-current of anxiety, especially towards evening, when darknesscame on, and no sign of the girls had been seen.
Several airplanes had flown over their heads during the day, and oncethey saw Ted's plane. Dropping low, Louise waved her handkerchief,which was the pre-arranged signal to tell them that the flyers hadfound nothing, and Ralph waved his in return, conveying the sameinformation. Should they have anything to report, Ted announced that hewould put his plane through a series of stunts, and, in the case of theyacht's making a discovery, Jim Valier promised to climb up on the rail.
But the airplane and the yacht passed each other with only a dismalfluttering of handkerchiefs.
"Something's bound to happen tomorrow," said Jim, as he crawled intohis bunk that night. "It'll be the fourth of July!"
"By Jove! It will!" exclaimed Ralph. "We ought to get some bang-upexcitement!"
But the thing that happened was what they had all been silentlydreading--the fate which only Louise had mentioned, that night in thehotel sitting-room.
About noon--off the coast of Florida--Jim Valier spotted an overturnedold motor-boat, bouncing helplessly about on the ocean!