CHAPTER XV
THE MYSTERY SOLVED
There was a knock at the door, and, in answer to Jamieson's call to comein, one of the young officers Bessie had seen at the fort entered. Hesmiled cheerfully at Bessie, saluted the other girls, and grinned atJamieson.
"We've herded all the people we found around the place down in theboat-house," he said. "They were too scared to do anything. Is this yourman Holmes?"
"You guessed right the very first time, Lieutenant," said Charlie. "Anysign of that boat from Rock Haven?"
"She's just coming in," said the officer. "She ought to land herpassengers at the pier in about ten minutes."
"Then it's time to go down to meet her," said Charlie. "Come on, girls,and you too, Holmes. You'll be needed down there. And I guess you'llfind it worth your while to come, too."
Holmes, protesting, had no alternative, and in sullen silence he was oneof the little group that now made its way toward the pier. She was justbeing tied up as they arrived, and Silas Weeks, his face full of maligntriumph at the sight of Bessie and Zara, was the first to step ashore.
"Got yer, have I?" he said. He turned to a lanky, angular man who was athis side. "There y'are, constable," he said. "There's yer parties--themtwo girls there! Arrest them, will yer?"
"Not here, I won't," said the constable. "You didn't tell me it was tocome off here. This is government land--I ain't got no authority here."
"You keep your mouth shut and your eyes and ears open, Weeks," saidJamieson, before the angry old farmer could say anything. Then hestepped forward to greet a man and woman who had followed Weeks down thegangplank.
"I'm glad you're here, Mrs. Richards, and you too, Mr. Richards," hesaid. "I'm going to be able to keep my promise."
Holmes was staring at Mrs. Richards and her husband in astonishment.
"You here, Elizabeth?" he exclaimed. "And Henry, too? I didn't know youwere coming!"
"We decided to come quite unexpectedly, Morton," said the lady, quietly.She was a woman of perhaps forty-two or three, tall and distinguished inher appearance. But, like her husband, her face showed traces ofprivations and hardship.
Behind them came a stiff, soldierly looking man, in a blue suit, and himJamieson greeted with a smile and a handshake.
"There's your man, Marshall," he said, pointing to Holmes. "I guess hewon't make any resistance."
And, while Mr. and Mrs. Richards stared in astonishment, and Weeksturned purple, the marshall laid his hand on the merchant's shoulder,and put him under arrest. Holmes was trapped at last.
"What does this mean?" Mrs. Richards asked, indignantly. "What are youdoing to my brother, Mr. Jamieson?"
"That's quite a long story, Mrs. Richards," he answered, easily. "And,strange as it may seem, I'll have to answer it by asking you and yourhusband some questions that may seem very personal. But I've made goodwith you so far, and I can assure you that you will have no cause toregret answering me."
Mrs. Richards bowed.
"In the first place, you and your husband have been away from this partof the country for quite a long time, haven't you?"
"Yes. For a number of years."
"And you have not always been as well off, financially, as you are now?"
"That is quite true. My husband, shortly after our marriage, failed inbusiness, owing--owing to conditions he couldn't control."
"Isn't it true, Mrs. Richards, that those conditions were the result ofhis marriage to you? Didn't your father, a very rich man, resent yourmarriage so deeply that he tried to ruin your husband in order to forceyou to leave him?"
There were tears in the woman's eyes as she nodded her head in answer.
"Thank you. I know this is very painful--but I must really do all this.You refused to leave your husband, however, and when he decided to go toAlaska, you went with him?"
"Yes."
"And there he made a lucky strike, some four or five years ago, thatmade him far richer than he had ever dreamed of becoming?"
"That is quite true."
"But, although you were rich, you did not come home? You spent a gooddeal of time in the Far North, and when you went out for a rest, youcame no further east than Seattle or San Francisco?"
"There was no reason for us to come here. All our friends had turnedagainst us in our misfortunes, and our only child was dead. So it wasonly a few months ago that we came home."
"That is very tragic. Thank you, Mrs. Richards. One moment--I haveanother question to ask."
He stepped toward the gangplank.
"I will be back in a moment," he said.
He went on board the boat, and while all those on the dock, puzzled andmystified by his questions, waited, he disappeared. When he returned hewas not alone. A woman was with him, and, at the sight of her, Bessiegave a cry of astonishment.
"Now, Mrs. Richards," said Charlie. "Have you ever seen this womanbefore!"
"I think I have," she said, in a strange, puzzled tone. "But--she haschanged so--"
"Her name is Mrs. Hoover, Mrs. Richards. Does that help you toremember?"
"Oh!" Mrs. Richards sobbed and burst into tears. "Mrs. Hoover!" shesaid, brokenly. "To think that I could forget you! Tell me--"
"One moment," said Charlie, interrupting. His own voice was not verysteady, and Eleanor, a look of dawning understanding in her eyes, wasstaring at him, greatly moved. "It was with Mrs. Hoover that you leftyour child when you went west under an assumed name, was it not? It wasshe who told you that she had died?"
"Oh, I lied to you--I lied to you!" wailed Maw Hoover, breaking downsuddenly, and throwing herself at the feet of Mrs. Richards. "She wasn'tdead. It was that wicked Mr. Holmes and Farmer Weeks who made me say shewas."
"What?" thundered Richards. "She isn't dead? Where is she?"
"Bessie!" said Charlie, calling to her sharply. "Here is your daughter,Mrs. Richards, and a daughter to be proud of!"
And the next moment Bessie, Bessie King, the waif no longer, but BessieRichards, was in her mother's arms!
"So Mr. Holmes was Bessie's uncle!" said Eleanor, amazed. "But why didhe act so!"
"I can explain that," said Charlie, sternly. "It was he who set hisfather so strongly against his sister's marriage to Mr. Richards. Heexpected that he would inherit, as a result, her share of his father'sestate, as well as his own. But his plans miscarried. Mrs. Richards andher husband had disappeared before her father's death, and, when hesoftened and was inclined to relent, he could not find them. But he knewthey had a daughter, and he left to her his daughter's share of hisfortune--over a million dollars. There was no trace of the child,however, and so there was a provision in the will that if she did notcome forward to claim the money on her eighteenth birthday it should goto her uncle--to Holmes."
"I always said it was money that was making him act that way!" criedDolly Ransom.
"Yes," said Jamieson. "He had squandered much of his own money--hewanted to make sure of getting Bessie's fortune for himself. So when helearned through Silas Weeks where the child was, he paid Mrs. Hoover totell her parents she was dead, and then, after she had run away, he andWeeks did all they could to get her back to a place where there was nochance of anyone finding out who she was. They nearly succeeded--but Ihave been able to block their plans. And one reason is that they weregreedy and they couldn't let Zara Slavin and her father alone. He is agreat inventor and they profited by his ignorance of American customs."
"I only found out her name last night," said Eleanor. "I wondered if hecould be the Slavin who invented the new wireless telephone--"
"They got him into jail on a trumped-up charge," said Charlie. "And thenthey tried to keep Zara away from people who might learn the truth fromher, and offer to supply the money he needed. In a little while theywould have robbed him of all the profits of his invention."
"I'll finance it myself," said Richards, "and he can keep all of theprofit."
Bessie's father and mother were far too glad to get her back to want topunish Maw Hoover, who
was sincerely repentant. They could hardly findwords enough to thank Eleanor and Dolly for their friendship, and toCharlie Jamieson their gratitude was unbounded.
But suddenly, even while the talk was at its height, there was adiversion. Billy Trenwith, his clothes torn, his hands chafed andbleeding, appeared on the dock.
"Good Heavens, Billy, I'd forgotten all about you!" said Charlie. "Wherehave you been?"
"How can you speak to him as a friend after the way he betrayed us?"asked Eleanor, indignantly, and Billy winced. But Charlie laughedhappily.
"He didn't betray you," said he. "I cooked up this whole thing, just tocatch Holmes red-handed, and he walked right into the trap. I told Billynot to tell you, because I wanted you to act so that Holmes wouldn'tknow it was a trick."
"He didn't trust me, though," said Billy, ruefully. "As soon as he hadthe girls, he tied me up and chucked me into his cellar so that Icouldn't change my mind, he said. That's why I didn't meet you at thefort."
Eleanor, shamefaced and miserable, looked at him. Then, with tears inher eyes, she held out her hand to him.
"Can you ever forgive me?" she asked.
"You bet I can!" he shouted. "Why, you were meant to think just what youdid! There's nothing to forgive!"
"I ought to have known you couldn't do a mean, treacherous thing," shesaid.
"All's well that ends well," said Charlie, gaily. "Now as to yourbrother, Mrs. Richards? I don't suppose you want him arrested?"
"No--oh, no!" said she, looking at Holmes contemptuously.
"Then, if you'll withdraw the charge of kidnapping, Eleanor, he can go."
And the next moment Holmes, free but disgraced, slunk away, and out ofthe lives of those he had so cruelly wronged.
* * * * *
Sunset of that day found them all back at Plum Beach, where the CampFire Girls, who had been almost frantic at their long absence, greetedthem with delight. The story of Bessie's restoration to her parents, andof the good fortune that was soon to be Zara's, seemed to delight theother girls as much as if they themselves were the lucky ones, andGladys Cooper, completely restored to health, was the first to kissBessie and wish her joy.
And after dinner Eleanor, blushing, rose to make a little speech.
"You know, girls," she said, "Margery Burton is to be a Torch-Bearer assoon as we get back to the city. And you are going to need a newGuardian soon. She will be chosen--and she will make a better one than Ihave been, I think."
There was a chorus of astonished cries.
"But why are you going to stop being Guardian, Miss Eleanor?" askedMargery.
"Because--because--"
"I'll tell you why," said Billy Trenwith, leaping up and standing besideher. "It's because she's going to be married to me!"
There was a moment of astonished silence. And then, from every girlthere burst out, with out signal, the words of the Camp Fire song:
"Wo-he-lo--wo-he-lo--wo-he-lo--Wo-he-lo for Love!"
THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS SERIES
1. THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS IN THE WOODS 2. THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS ON THE FARM 3. THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS AT LONG LAKE 4. THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS IN THE MOUNTAINS 5. THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS ON THE MARCH 6. THE CAMP FIRE GIRLS AT THE SEASHORE
The Camp Fire Girls at the Seashore; Or, Bessie King's Happiness Page 15