CHAPTER XVII.
HELEN DECLARES HERSELF.
Twenty minutes later Helen returned to her brother's home, her armsloaded with cured meats, bread, a pie, some frosted cup-cakes, a glassof jam, and a bottle of stuffed olives.
"There," she said, as she deposited her bounteous burden on the table."I couldn't get any tea or sugar or butter, but even without those wecan have quite a feast in a very short jiffy."
"I have some tea and some light brown sugar, which the children likeon their bread for a change after they've got tired of corn syrup,"Mrs. Nash said.
"Good!" exclaimed Helen with genuine enthusiasm. "That's fine! Butterand white sugar are unnecessary luxuries sometimes. Now we'll get busyand will soon be feasting like a royal family."
And there was no mistake in her prediction. True, it was an extremelydemocratic royalty--proletariat, to be more exact--but no child princeor princess ever enjoyed the richest viands in a king's dining roommore than little Margaret, Ernest and Joseph Nash enjoyed the feastspread before them by the girl auntie they had not seen for two years.
The conversation between Helen and Mrs. Nash, interrupted by theformer's errand to the delicatessen and drug stores, was taken upagain at the table of the royal feast. The way the children laughedand "um-um-ed" over the "goodies" did Helen's heart good and renderedeven cheerful her discussion of a distressing subject.
"What in the world ever brought you here, Helen?" was the question putby Mrs. Nash, after full confidence in the sincerity of Helen'smission, whatever it was, had supplied her with courage to conversewith her sister-in-law with perfect frankness. "You didn't come toHollyhill just to visit us, did you?"
"No, I didn't," Helen answered slowly, "and that fact need not hurtyour feelings any, Nell. You'll understand what I mean when I'vefinished my story. I am attending a girl's school at Westmoreland. Weare all Camp Fire Girls, and thirteen of us and a guardian came toHollyhill on a mission in harmony with Camp Fire teachings, that is,to work among the poor and suffering families of the strikers duringthe holidays."
"What?" exclaimed Mrs. Nash. "Do you mean to tell me that you are oneof the girls visiting at the home of Old Stanlock, the mine owner?"
"Yes, I am," Helen replied, looking curiously at the startled woman.
"Then you mustn't stay here any longer. You must hurry right back. Youare in great danger, I tell you, very great danger. The fact of yourbeing my husband's sister won't do you any good. There are some badmen around here, and they're as smart as they are bad. Sometimes Iwonder if they are really miners, or if they are not an accomplishedbunch of professional crooks."
"What makes you think that?" Helen inquired.
"Well, for one reason, I've been told it. But before anybody utteredsuch a suspicion in my hearing, I suspected something wrong. You see,while Dave seems to be the leader in the strike, he is in fact only apuppet in the hands of a band of the worst kind of crooks, who areusing him to keep the miners in line."
"Who are they?" asked Helen.
"I don't know them all. I know of only half a dozen. They have beenhere at the house a number of times. The man who seems to dominatethem all is a man known as 'Gunpowder' Gerry, a powerful, cunning,sly-eyed fellow about 45 years old. He is the business agent of theunion and runs everything, although few persons know it. In somemysterious way he has got a very strong hold on Dave and can make himdo anything he wants him to."
"Why do you think I am in danger here?" was Helen's next question.
"Because I've heard some talk here about what would happen if yougirls attempted to carry out your plans. They had a spy, a chauffeur,in Mr. Stanlock's home, and he found out all about it. Gerry used thisto work up bad blood among the strikers, using Dave as his tool asusual. The threat reached my ears that if you girls came down here inMining Town, you would never get out alive. They think it is just amove to put something over."
"Did you know that Dave came to Westmoreland a few weeks ago andcalled at the institute to see me?" Helen asked.
"No, did he? What for? I thought he didn't have any use for you.Excuse me for putting it that way, but it's the way he talks."
"I suppose so. That's because we objected so much to his way of doing.But I found out on that occasion that there really was a tender placein his heart for us. He wanted me to do something to call off ourvacation plans, as he was afraid something would happen."
"Why didn't you?"
"Because I didn't take him very seriously. But when on the day beforewe started for Hollyhill I happened into the postoffice atWestmoreland and caught him in the act of mailing a letter to MarionStanlock, I became somewhat alarmed. I forced the truth from him afterthe letter was mailed. He said he was sending her a threatening letterin the hope that it would break up our plans. I asked him why he cameto Westmoreland to mail it. He replied that he was afraid it would betraced to him if he mailed it in Hollyhill. Then he urged me, almostcommanded me, to prevent our plans from being carried out. He declaredthat every one of us would probably be killed if we came. I promisedto do my best. I watched Marion, hoping to see her read thethreatening letter. I saw it after it was laid on her desk in herroom. I saw her glance at it and put it into her handbag before shewent to bed. Next morning I waked her early and laid the handbag rightbefore her eyes, hoping she would take the letter out and read it. Idid not dare to do anything more, but resolved to watch the eventsclosely. Marion read the letter on the train. It was signed with askull and cross-bones. We decided to give up our original plans, butcame on to Hollyhill."
"What did you hope to accomplish by coming to see Dave?" Mrs. Nashinquired.
"I am going to put the matter right square up to him and demand thathe lay bare the whole plot that he has been hinting at. If he doesn't,I'm going to tell him that I am going to lay the whole matter beforethe police."
"You'll probably have to do it. I don't believe he'll ever betray themen who control his gifts and his weaknesses as they would handle achild."
"He really is a child in some respects, isn't he?"
"Absolutely. In fact, I believe he is half sane and half insane, andhe is just smooth enough to conceal his insanity from the miners."
"Have you any objection, Nell, to my going after him good and strong?"Helen asked.
"Not in the least. I wish you would, only I'm afraid the resultswon't be of much advantage to any of us. And I wish you wouldn't stayhere late, for I am afraid to have you start back alone after dark."
"I'll make him take me back," Helen said resolutely. "And I want toreassure you in one respect, if you are afraid of consequences toyourself and the children."
"Oh, don't let that bother you," Mrs. Nash interrupted. "You couldn'tmake conditions much worse than they are now, and you may accidentallymake them better."
"But I have something to say that you ought to know," Helen continued."When father died, it was generally supposed that he left nothing forhis family. For years he drew a good salary as a miningsuperintendent. Well, he didn't leave much, except about $5,000insurance, but mother had been saving for years secretly, not evenletting him know how much she had. He supposed we were living up hissalary of $10,000 a year as we went along, for it wasn't in him tosave a cent. Mother took a good deal of delight in her secret. For awhile she had done her best to induce him to save something, and then,realizing that her plea was futile, she got busy herself in asystematic manner and in the course of seven or eight years she laidaside something like $25,000.
"But shortly before father's death something happened that caused herto guard her secret up to the present time. A large amount of moneywas stolen from the company that employed father, and mother realizedat once that if it were discovered that she had so much money,suspicion might be directed toward him. In fact, she took me into herconfidence only about a year ago.
"Now, mother has often said that she would like to do something foryou and the children, but Dave's peculiarities always stood in theway. I just wanted to tell you that mother is able and willing
to helpyou and will not let you or her grandchildren suffer as a result ofwhat I may be forced to do."
The conversation went along in this manner for more than an hour.Neither of the sisters-in-law realized how rapidly the time was flyinguntil dusk fell so heavily that it became necessary to light the gasin order to see each other's faces.
"My, what time is it?" Helen questioned, looking at her watch. "Why,it's nearly seven o'clock, and I haven't telephoned to Marion yet.They'll have the whole police force out looking for me if I don't gether on the wire pretty soon. I'll run over and see if that phone isrepaired yet. If it isn't I'll have to take a car and ride on to thenext drug store; but I'll be back before very long."
"I wish you wouldn't come back tonight, Helen," Mrs. Nash pleaded."I'm so afraid of those men. Why not go straight to Stanlocks' andsend word to Dave that you wish to meet him somewhere tomorrow?"
"I'd rather handle it this way," the girl answered a littlestubbornly. "I tell you what I'll do--I'll have them send thechauffeur with the automobile over here after me. That'll be the bestway."
With this reassuring announcement, Helen put on her coat and hat andwent out. But she would not have proceeded so confidently if she couldhave caught a glimpse of the figure of a man dashing far up the alleyin the rear and have realized that this man had crouched in aneavesdropping attitude for an hour or more at the kitchen door andoverheard most of the conversation between her and her sister-in-law.
One, two blocks he ran, then through a gateway and into a housesimilar to nearly every other house in the street. Two men, a woman,and a child 10 years old looked expectantly toward him as he entered.
"All ready!" cried the latter. "She's coming down the street on thisside. Hurry up, Lizzie. Get your coat and hood on. Remember what youare to say: father gone, mother sick. If she won't come in with alittle begging, make a big fuss, cry and plead for all you're worth.There you are, all ready. Remember, you get a new coat if you bringher in here."
The speaker opened the door and almost shoved the pale-faced,trembling child out upon her strange mission.
* * * * *
Campfire Girls in the Allegheny Mountains Page 17