CHAPTER IX The Mahogany Desk
The girls had reached the Wayne home. It was nearly supper time but Carawould not allow Madge to escape without relating all there was to knowconcerning Miss Swenster's adopted son. They sat down on the front steps.
"Last night I asked Uncle George if he knew why John Swenster left town,"Madge explained. "Of course, it was a wild shot in the dark, for I neverdreamed he could tell me. Well, it seems he was one of the few persons inClaymore who really knew the inside story."
"What luck! Tell me what he said."
"It seems that the boy never did amount to a great deal. He must have hadbad heredity. Anyway, Miss Swenster took him from an orphan's home. Shegave him every advantage, sending him away to school and later trying toestablish him in business."
"That's probably where a lot of her money went," Cara observed sagely.
"Yes, she wasted plenty on him. He never appreciated it. He was alwaysgetting into one scrape or another. Then one day he up and forged a checkfor over a thousand dollars! Uncle George was a director in the FirstNational bank where the matter came up. That's how he happened to knowall about it."
Cara looked aghast at the news.
"And did they send him to prison?"
"No, Miss Swenster offered to pay the amount of the forged check, and theperson whose name had been used, agreed not to prosecute. Her son lefttown and soon after that Miss Swenster closed up the old mansion."
"I suppose it broke her heart to have him turn out so badly," Cara mused."And when she was having financial troubles of her own it must have beenhard for her to raise the money."
"Yes, it was unfortunate all around," Madge agreed, getting up from thesteps. "I must dash home now or I'll be late for supper. See youtomorrow."
The girls did not go to the Swenster mansion the following day or thenext. Their evenings were spent cramming for month-end examinations whichalways were a trial, even to Madge who stood high in her classes.
Then one day, the girls noticed a brief advertisement in the daily paper,announcing that on the tenth of October, the Swenster mansion and all itsfurniture would be sold at public auction. It reminded them that if theyintended to make another search for the missing pearls, they must beabout it.
Saturday morning found them on their way to the mansion. It was a crisp,fall day, the first really cold one of the season. Madge's eyes were verybright and she was so gay that she fairly skipped along the street.
"What ails you?" Cara demanded. Then as she noticed a white envelopeprotruding from her friend's sweater pocket: "Ha! I'll bet a cent it'sfrom that ranger of yours up at Loon Lake! He writes you twice a week,doesn't he?"
"He does not!" Madge denied, blushing furiously. "Jack has more importantthings to do than write letters."
"Oh, you needn't pretend, Madge Sterling. You know you like him. That'swhy you'll not even look at any of the boys here in Claymore."
"Certainly I like Jack. Why shouldn't I? He's a good friend and--"
She looked somewhat nettled as Cara burst forth in a gale of exaggeratedlaughter.
"All right, laugh! But unless I'm most horribly mistaken I saw you inRexall's Drug Store last night lapping up a soda and listening moon-eyedwhile Fred King gave a running report of last week's football game.You--who can't be dragged near the stadium!"
"I only try to be a polite listener," Cara said cheerfully. "Let's callit quits."
They smiled, and linking arms, hurried on to the mansion. Miss Swensterwas delighted to see them again for she had begun to fear that she hadoffended them during their last visit.
"I'm so glad you came," she greeted them. "After today, everything willbe turned topsy-turvy since the furniture must be arranged for the sale."
Miss Swenster spoke cheerfully of the approaching auction, but the girlsrealized that she was hiding her real feelings. In little ways, more bylook and gesture than by words, she had disclosed that she disliked tosee her old home sold.
There really was no immediate work to be done save dusting, which MissSwenster declared unnecessary. However, the girls armed themselves withdust cloths and roamed about over the house.
"We'll do more looking than dusting," Madge assured Miss Swenster. "Thismay be our last chance to search for the pearls. Wouldn't it be grand ifwe found them?"
"It would be marvelous! But I really have no faith that you'll locatethem. As I said before, I fear you're searching for something that neverexisted."
"There's one place we haven't looked," Madge said, "and that's the attic.May we go up there?"
"Of course. I was cleaning out some of the rubbish today, but the oldfurniture is still there. The pieces are really worthless and I doubt ifI'll even put them up at the sale."
The girls were moving up the stairway, when Miss Swenster called themback.
"Oh, one thing more. Your prowler has returned. Last night I heard anoise in the garden. I went to the window just in time to see a manhurrying out the back gate."
"Weren't you afraid?" Cara asked.
Miss Swenster shook her head. "No, only curious. I can't imagine what hecan be after. If I see him again, I shall call the police."
After asking a few questions, the girls went on upstairs to the attic. Itwas a large, roomy affair with only one small window high above theirheads.
"Ug!" Cara emitted as she brushed against a cobweb. "I don't care forthis place."
She became more enthusiastic as she noted an interesting array of boxes,old chests, and discarded furniture. It was fun to dig into things. Madgediscovered a Paisley shawl which she insisted was a treasure and Carafound a beautiful woven coverlet stored away with old clothing. But therewas not so much as a clue to the whereabouts of the Swenster pearls.
At last, grimy and tired, the girls returned to the living room, bearingtheir plunder.
"I had even forgotten I owned such things," Miss Swenster declared whenthey showed her the shawl and the coverlet. "My grandmother wove thatspread herself. And the shawl was brought over to this country so manyyears back that I've forgotten the exact date. Dear me, how I shall hateto dispose of them."
"Must you?" Madge asked.
"I can't very well keep them. I have saved out so many treasures now thatI'll not have places to store them. I know! You girls must accept them asgifts! I'll give Madge the shawl and Cara the coverlet."
Miss Swenster refused to listen to their protests. In the end theythanked her profusely for the generous gifts, promising they would takegood care of them. Both were proud to own such treasures. They were eagerto return home to display their prizes, but first they insisted upondoing the dusting which they had started hours before.
Miss Swenster again assured them it was unnecessary. Nevertheless, theywent about it in business-like fashion, working vigorously. Soon only thestudy remained.
"Shall we dust in there?" Madge inquired, not wishing to repeat themistake previously made.
"Why, yes, if you like," Miss Swenster returned with only the slightesthesitation.
Entering the study, the girls looked with one accord toward the placewhere John Swenster's picture had hung. A bright square of wallpapermarked the former spot. Miss Swenster had not replaced the picture.
"I wonder what she did with it?" Cara whispered.
Madge shook her head, raising a finger to her lips in mute warning thatMiss Swenster could easily hear from the next room.
They silently went about the dusting, bent upon getting it done asquickly as possible. Cara directed her attention to the bookcases whileMadge made an attack upon the paneled mahogany desk. She dusted the topand polished off the curved legs. Then her cloth swept across one of thepanels.
Madge heard a sharp click. To her amazement, the panel dropped down,revealing a small opening!
The Secret of the Sundial Page 9