Betty Lee, Senior

by Harriet Pyne Grove

  CHAPTER XVII

  SHARING JOY

  Mrs. Lee sometimes detected a wistful look on Betty's face, as if shehad found out some of the world's disappointments. There was some littleproblem in friendship, perhaps, or something about school relations thatannoyed her, or she was merely having too much on hand. But for the mostpart Betty was in good spirits at home and with delightful springweather she was outdoors with the rest of her friends. She saw a greatdeal of Lucia Coletti when they had their riding together. Betty'sriding, with all her late instruction, was quite good. She had learnedproper posture and all the details necessary to make a good horsewoman.Not at all nervous about horses, she was good material.

  "You will be proud of me yet, Mother," she said, "when some time you seeyour little Betty take a prize at the Horse Show!"

  "Mercy on us! You haven't that ambition, have you!"

  "You never can tell, Mother, what may develop."

  "No--I think by this time that you are right!"

  But this was by way of badinage. Betty's only ambition was to be a goodrider.

  And so it happened that one afternoon after school Lucia and severalother girls were with Betty upon the pretty bridle paths that theirteacher frequented. As they slowly walked their horses together, upon awider road toward the end of their ride, Lucia drew her horse besideBetty's and said, "I forgot to tell you that we've had great excitementat our house. Well, I didn't want to worry you and I was so late gettinghere today."

  "Worry? Then it isn't a pleasant excitement? Nothing the matter with thecount and countess, I hope."

  "Oh, no! They mail me a card almost every day and they are having themost marvelous time. It's the Sevillas. An immense legal envelope camefrom somewhere, Auntie said, and that seemed to upset Rose a good deal;and then a letter came, all scribbled on and forwarded, and I wonderedif it could be from Ramon. But no, it could not have been, Auntie said,because that seemed to be worse than ever. It all looks bad, that no onehas heard from Ramon.

  "Rose came to her, looking so troubled and said that she was afraid theywould have to go away. So I went and talked to Rose. This was yesterdayafternoon. She said that it was some one different but just as bad asthe original villain we know about and that he threatened all sorts ofthings to her mother if she didn't produce the jewels, and I don't knowwhat else."

  "Why, how _could_ she when she hasn't them? Oh, do you _suppose_, Lucia,that Ramon has gotten them away from that man? There might be a gang ofthem, you know!"

  "Yes, there might. I hadn't thought of that. I'm going to telephone forthe car to come after me. Suppose you call up home and tell your motherthat you want to go home with me. You haven't been to dinner for ages.Or we can just drive around there. That would be better. Then you canget your books and stay all night with me. I don't know what on earthAuntie will do without Rose now, and besides, they are safer there thananywhere they could go. I told Rose so. I wondered if I ought not totell her at once about Ramon, but I'd promised. I wanted to ask youabout that, but you were flying about everywhere and I was late gettingto lunch because I had to stop at the office and wasted ten perfectlygood lunchtime minutes, precious as they are, in a necessary confab."

  "Did you have to drink a bottle of milk and swallow a sandwich whole?"

  "Almost!"

  The plan was carried out. Fortunately, there was nothing but lessonsahead for that evening. The matter of telling Rose and Mrs. Sevilla wasdiscussed between the girls on the way. Betty thought that it should bedone, disregarding Ramon's request. Something might have happened tohim, that was true, but Betty said that Mrs. Sevilla "had a right to thefacts" as far as the girls knew them.

  "Shall I decide to do it, then?" asked Lucia.

  "I wouldn't hesitate a minute," replied Betty.

  "Then you tell Rose all about it, please, Betty. I'll call her into myroom after dinner and we'll have the whole thing out!"

  "Agreed," said Betty, immediately engrossed in thought as to how sheshould break the good news to Rose.

  The Murchison home was arrayed in fresh spring draperies and Bettythought she never had seen it look so pretty. Rose, sober, and givingBetty only a half smile, as the girls entered the dining-room to findher, was arranging some flowers on the buffet. She answered Betty's"Good afternoon, Rose," but started to leave the room at once.

  "Just a minute, Rose," said Lucia. "I know you are busy now, but afterdinner, as soon as you can, please come to my room. There is somethingthat Betty knows about and it may cheer you up a little. She thinks so,anyhow."

  "I will come, Miss Lucia." Rose was always respectful to those whoemployed her, but she had considerable dignity of manner herself and onesaw that there was none of the servility of an inferior.

  Dinner was quiet. Mr. Murchison telephoned about five o'clock that hewas having dinner with some men at a club, to talk over importantaffairs. He would be "home early," however. So reported the butler, whohad answered the telephone.

  "That may mean early in the evening, or early in the morning, if thosemen are discussing what I think," said Mrs. Murchison. But that meantlittle to Betty. Possibly her father was to be present at the conferencewhich would follow the dinner, or he might be with them at dinner. IfMr. Murchison had come home early and to dinner, however, it would havemade a little difference to Rose, and Betty might have missed someinteresting information.

  She enjoyed the dinner and liked "the new Mrs. Murchison" more thanever. Immediately afterward several friends came in to visit with Mrs.Murchison and the girls shortly retired to Lucia's pretty room. "Don'tworry, Betty, over how to tell Rose," Lucia suggested, noting Betty'sthoughtfulness. "You always do things nicely and sometimes, if you arelike me, I can do it better if I don't think up how beforehand and thenstammer around trying to think how I _had_ thought it up! Let's get atthe lessons and get ahead, so if it takes some time with Rose, we canstill get along."

  "Lucia, the wise one," laughed Betty. They began on their lessons andwere studying away, almost forgetting about Rose and her troubles till alight knock on the door roused them.

  Rose, her large dark eyes serious, came in and took the chair indicatedby Lucia. "We think that you ought to know something, Rose, that Ramondid not want us to tell you, but I'm sure that you will be glad to betold and you can use your own judgment about telling your mother. Bettyis going to tell you all about it."

  Rose turned frightened eyes on Betty, who hastened to speak. "Oh, don'tbe scared about it, Rose. Part of it is good news. We saw Ramon in Mainethis summer."

  Betty did not have a chance to continue, for Rose exclaimed something inSpanish, then--"saw my Ramon in Maine and never told us about it?"

  "He _asked_ us not to tell, Rose." Betty paused, to let Rose get thispoint.

  Rose's expression changed now. "Excuse me. I should know--some goodreason."

  "No, I don't think that it was a good idea of Ramon's at all. It was allright to keep it from your mother, but you should have known at once. Itwas only because he was going after that old villain that he was afraidyou would worry."

  Rose nodded, then smiled a little. "It is not the first time. Ramon wentafter--'villains' before--much trouble came."

  "I can imagine," said Betty, recalling Ramon's intensity and his suddenleaving. But this gave Betty an easy opening to tell the events of thesummer before in which Ramon had a part. Rose sat, intent, tense, afrown on her brow, her eyes glowing.

  When Betty was all through, undisturbed by a single question from Rose,for Betty was good at describing scenes and events, Rose sighed, relaxedsomewhat and said, "That explains a little, perhaps. I will not tell mymother yet. May God preserve my Ramon! I think he has. If you would liketo see what we had by the mail, I will bring it." In answer to Lucia'snod of assent and expression of interest, Rose left the room, returningpresently with the long envelope, which Lucia had mentioned to Betty,and the other letter as well.

  While Rose was out, Lucia's comment to B
etty was that both mother anddaughter were "rather excitable. Rose has had to learn to controlherself, but the mother, though she is so dignified most of the time,goes all to pieces over some things."

  Rose was evidently in good command of herself as she showed the girls alegal document of some sort, though probably a forgery, as all the threethought. It was a summons to appear in a court at some place of whichthe girls had never heard. Rose thought that it was near Chicago.

  The letter was threatening, as Lucia had said. Rose gave them only thegist of it, and she had the same idea as Betty's first thought. "I thinkthat perhaps my Ramon has gotten the jewels back again and they thinkthat he has sent them to us. But how--have they made him tell where weare?"

  That was a thought not so pleasant. Rose's brows contracted again as shethought of Ramon in their hands.

  "I can't believe that they have got him! He was going to get the jewelsand the papers that they tried to get him to sign; and while Ramon doesvery risky things, he will be more careful this time, especially sincehe knows that he has practically found you and your mother!" So Bettysaid, rather explosively.

  Rose then gave the girls a brief account of how this had come about. Asevery one knew, there had been many revolutionary activities in Spain.Her father, loyal to the crown, had been caught in a plot. "They call it'framed' in this country," said Rose. "Men deceived him. He was put inprison. He was sick and died. They came to steal our jewels and moneyand papers and took Ramon away--these men, I mean, not the government,though they _told_ us so. We followed Ramon, and the plot was to get usaway from the country, too. We spoke no English and were in a strangecountry. This bad man pretended to be kind and help us find Ramon. Atlast we found him out. He was, from what you tell me, writing lies toRamon about where we were and trying to get Ramon to send money and thejewels that Ramon had finally gotten--to send them to us. Then he wouldtake them away from us, of course. It would take too long to tell justhow he did all this. But such terrible things can be done and no oneknew us. We were afraid to do anything until we had found Ramon. Then wethought Ramon must be dead--until you told us! Never will I forget!"Rose put her head in her hands and her shoulders lifted from the sobsshe was trying to suppress.

  Betty was thinking to herself, "_Can_ such things happen in the UnitedStates?" But then she had thought that last summer, too.

  Then they heard the doorbell ring and it seemed to rouse Rose from hertears that she was trying to wipe away, though more would fall.

  "Well, anyhow, Rose," said Betty, "stay right here, where we know allabout you. This is just some more wicked work. Don't even answer, andput that paper in Mr. Murchison's hands!"

  But there was a tap on Lucia's door and Rose jumped to her feet,thinking that she might be wanted. She was, indeed, but not for anyhousehold duty.

  It was Mr. Murchison who stood there, rather shamefacedly holding outtwo letters. "Rose, I came home early after all, and till this minute Iforgot to give you a letter which came addressed to my office today.It's from Spain, too! I never thought of it till this special deliveryletter came this minute, also for you, I think. Don't worry, Rose, if itis bad news. Mrs. Murchison has been telling me of your new troubles.Just let me handle this for you."

  But Rose had gotten a look at the address upon the letters. AlthoughBetty was not taking Spanish, nor did she belong to the "Spanish Club"at school, as Lucia did, she probably understood as well the meaning ofthe Spanish phrase in which Rose thanked God, fervently, tears againbeginning to fall, but not tears of grief.

  "Ramon, _Ramon_," she said softly. "Mr. Murchison, both these lettersare from my brother!"

  "And that one was on my desk almost all day, till I rushed off to dinnerwith my friends and thought to tuck it in my pocket!"

  Rose's hands were shaking. "Sit right down this minute, Rose," saidLucia, "and read enough to find out where Ramon is. Uncle says that oneis from Spain!" Mr. Murchison himself was already gone.

  The girls stepped into the bedroom which Betty always occupied, to allowRose the privilege of reading her letter alone. "There were all sorts ofthings on that letter from abroad," said Betty. "I think it may havebeen sent to the wrong place and forwarded. The special delivery meansthat he is either here in this country or has sent on a letter to someone to have mailed."

  "He wouldn't do that," said Lucia. "I'll not be surprised to see the Donwalking in at any time."

  "Please come in and let me tell you," gently said Rose, appearing in thedoor. The two girls joined her. "I must take these to my mother," saidRose, folding her hands over the precious letters. "I would let you readthem but they are in my language. Ramon has been to Spain. He has seenthe king himself. He has proved to him that our father had no part in aplot. He even visited our old home and found letters and papers that wehad hidden there. Those he showed to the king. By the grace of God hebelieved, and it will be safe for us to go home! Oh, I can not tell youwhat it means! Ramon has found the jewels and the papers he wanted onthat little boat, which he followed after they had fixed it up. He putthem in a safe place and though he was almost taken again by these badmen that are here, he got away, sailed, and they are waiting for us inSpain with our other property, unless he has thought it safe to bringback and sell here, some of them.

  "This was in the letter from Spain. The quick letter here says that hehas sailed right away after writing, for a great nobleman there made hima loan and he is to come for us very soon. We are to be ready and I mustprepare my mother to see him."

  "Do it, Rose," said Lucia. "Thank you for telling us. I'll let Auntieknow about it at once, or as soon as her guests go. So you and yourmother can be glad all by yourselves."

  "How nicely Rose talks the English since she has been going to nightschool," admiringly Betty commented. "She made that as clear as could beto us. It's as romantic as a novel, only there isn't any love story init."

  "Who knows?" asked Lucia. "Rose may have some lover somewhere."

  "Oh, I'm so _glad_!" cried Betty. "The Don's troubles worried me fromthe start. Now it is all explained and when he once comes, theirtroubles will be over. Did you notice what Rose called the specialdelivery letter?"

  "No."

  "'The _quick_ letter!'"