CHAPTER XIII--CROSS QUESTIONS AND CROOKED ANSWERS
After a long ride through the country, skirting the edge of the forestin which the highwayman had lurked, and where the smoke from theGypsies' camp fire could be seen curling up in the distance, the twoautomobiles took to the river road.
Ruth was steering her own car with Alfred beside her; behind them on thesmall seat sat Jose and Mollie, and on the back seat were Bab andStephen. As they skimmed over the bridge, which had been repaired by themajor's men, Mollie said to Jose:
"Was the bridge all right, Mr. Martinez, when you came over it the otherday?"
The Spaniard flushed and his eye caught Bab's, who was gazing at himcuriously.
"Yes, no--or rather, I do not know," he stammered. "I did not come bythe bridge but through the forest."
"But how did you find the way?" asked Mollie, wondering a little at hisembarrassment.
"I asked it," he replied, "of a Gypsy."
"Oh, really?" cried Mollie. "And did she tell you?"
"It was not a woman," went on Jose. "It was a man."
"And did he know the way? Because they told us they did not, perhapsbecause they didn't want to be disturbed so late in the evening."
"Perhaps," said Jose, and changed the subject by asking Stephen whosewas the large estate they were now approaching. It was that of a famousmillionaire, and their attention was for the moment distracted. Joseseemed to breath a sigh of relief and engaged Mollie in conversation forthe rest of the ride, telling her about his own country, the bull fightsand carnivals and a hundred other things of interest until the littlegirl had quite forgotten his confusion at the mention of the damagedbridge.
On the way back the automobiles turned into the wooded road, but beforethey reached the Gypsy camp they turned again into another road pointedout by Martin in the first car. The road led directly through the forestto the haunted pool, where the automobiles drew up. The pool, in thelate afternoon sunlight, was more enchanting than ever.
"This is a famous spot in the neighborhood," observed the major. "When Iwas a boy it was the scene of many a picnic and frolic. People in theseparts were more neighborly in those days. The girls and boys used tomeet and ride in wagons or on horseback over here. We ate our luncheonson this mossy bank; then strolled about in couples until dark and drovehome by moonlight."
"The Gypsy girl told us it was really haunted, Major," said Ruth. "Sheeven said she had seen the ghost."
"Indeed," replied the major, looking up a little startled, "and whatsort of ghost was it?"
"Just a figure sitting here on the bank," answered Ruth.
"Oh!" he exclaimed in a tone of evident relief.
"Why, Major," cried Miss Sallie, "one would think you believed inghosts."
"And so I do, Sallie, my dear," declared the gentle old major, "but onlyin the ghosts of my lost youth, which seem to appear to me to-day in theforms of all these delightful young people. What about tea, Miss RuthStuart?" he demanded, turning to Ruth.
The chauffeur brought out the elaborate tea basket which had served themso well at the Gypsy camp and Ruth and Barbara proceeded to make the teawhile the other girls unpacked boxes of delicious sandwiches and teacakes.
"This is a very beautiful spot," observed Jose. "If it were perpetualsummer I could live and die on this mossy bank and never tire of it!"Walking a little apart from the others he stretched himself out at fulllength on the ground, staring up into the branches overhead.
Then the other boys, who had been strolling about under the trees,returned, but they were not alone. They had espied Zerlina in the depthsof the woods, with her guitar slung over her shoulder, and persuaded herto go back with them to the pool.
"You see we've brought a wandering minstrel with us," cried Jimmie. "Shehas promised to sing us a song of the Romany Rye, haven't you, Zerlina?"
The girls greeted Zerlina cordially. She was presented to the major, butJose, as she approached, had turned over on his side and flung his armover his head, as if he were asleep.
"Leave him alone. He's dreaming," said Jimmie. "Give Zerlina some teaand cake, and then we'll have a song."
Zerlina ate the cake greedily and drank her tea in silence. She examinedthe fresh summer dresses of "The Automobile Girls," and a look of envycame into her eyes as she cast them down on her cotton skirt full oftatters from the briars and faded from red into a soft old pink shade.But she was very pretty, even in her ragged dress, which was turned inat the collar showing her full, rounded throat and shapely neck. She waslithe and graceful, and as she thrummed on the guitar with her slender,brown fingers her ragged dress and rough shoes faded intoinsignificance. The group of people sitting on the bank saw only abeautiful, dark-haired girl with a glowing face and eyes that shone witha smouldering fire. After a few preliminary chords she began to sing ina rich contralto voice. The song again was in the Romany tongue. Itseemed to convey to the listeners a note of sadness and loneliness.
The kind old major was much impressed by the performance.
"Zerlina," he said, "you have a very beautiful voice, much too beautifulto be wasted. You must ask your grandmother to bring you over to TenEyck Hall. I should like to hear you sing again."
"Zerlina will be a great opera singer, one of these days," predictedJimmie. "She will be singing Carmen, yet, at the Manhattan Opera House.How would you like that, Zerlina?"
The Gypsy girl made no reply. Her eyes were fastened on Jose, who stilllay as if asleep, his back turned to the circle.
"She can dance, too," cried Ruth. "She told me she could. This would bea pretty place to dance, Zerlina, where the fairies dance by moonlight."
"I have no music," objected Zerlina.
"Oh, I can make the music all right," said the irrepressible Jimmie,seizing the guitar and tuning it up. Then he began to whistle. The tonewas clear and flute-like and the tune the same Spanish dance he hadplayed for Jose. Zerlina pricked up her ears when she heard the musicand the rhythm of the guitar. It is said that no Gypsy can ever resistthe sound of music. Now the body of the girl began swaying to the beatof the accompaniment. Presently she began to dance, a real Spanish dancefull of gestures and movement. They half guessed the story woven in, alover repelled and called back, coquetted with and threatened;threatened with a knife which she drew from the blouse of her dress andthen restored to its hiding place; for the dance ended quickly withoutdisaster, imaginary or otherwise. Miss Sallie had given a little cry atsight of another murderous weapon. But the knife! Had no one seen it, noone recognized the chased silver handle and the slightly curved blade?Bab sat as if rooted to the spot, waiting for somebody to speak, to cryout that the knife was the same that had whizzed past Jose's head theother night. After all, nobody had really seen it but herself. She hadlearned by a former experience to keep her own counsel, and she decidedto wait, and not to tell until matters took a more definite turn.
Was it possible this beautiful Gypsy girl could be a murderess, or oneat heart? But, on the other hand, would she have dared to display themysterious dagger in the presence of the same company? Bab was puzzledand worried. Was Zerlina a robber also, or was Jose, after all, therobber? Perhaps there was some connection between them. There must be,since they had exchanged knives on several occasions.
Her reflections were interrupted by a general movement toward theautomobiles. Zerlina was evidently pleased at the praises she hadreceived, for her cheeks were flushed with pride.
"Won't you let us see your dagger, Zerlina?" asked Bab.
"Oh, yes, do!" begged Mollie. "It will be the third dagger we have seenthis week; but this is the first chance we have had to take a good lookat any of them."
Zerlina looked at them darkly. Her lips drew themselves together in astubborn line.
"I cannot, now," she said. "Perhaps, another time. Good-bye." Sheslipped off into the woods as quietly as one of the spirits which weresaid to haunt the place.
"Gypsies are so tiresome," exclaimed Miss Sallie. "Why shouldn't sheshow her dagger, I'
d like to know? And who cares whether she does ornot, anyhow?"
"If you had ever read any books on Gypsies, Sallie," replied the major,"you would know that their lives are full of things they must keepsecret if they want to keep out of jail. However, these Gypsies seempeaceable enough," he added, his kindly spirit never liking to condemnanything until it was necessary. "But what a beautiful girl she is!" hecontinued. "If she were properly dressed she would be as noble andelegant looking as"--he paused for a comparison--"as our own youngladies here. I wonder if her grandmother would ever consent to her beingeducated and taught singing?"
"Now, Major," cried the impetuous Ruth, "keep on your own preserves! Iasked her first, and I'm just dying to do it. I know papa would let me,and wouldn't it be a beautiful thing to launch a great singer upon thepublic?"
"It certainly would, my dear," replied the major, "and I promise not tomeddle, if you had first choice."
"Why, where's Mr. Martinez?" asked Mollie, as they climbed into theautomobiles and she missed her companion of the ride over.
One of the boys gave a shrill whistle and the others began calling andshouting. Presently the answer came from up the stream. "I'm coming," hecalled and Jose appeared. "I was only taking a little stroll."
"Why did you wish to miss the Gypsy song and dance?" demanded Mollie."It was charming."
"Pardon, Mademoiselle," he replied, stiffly, "but I do not care to hearthe songs of my country, or to see its dances in a foreign land."
Mollie was a little piqued by Jose's short answer, but she forgave himwhen he said sadly:
"Did you ever know, Madamoiselle, what it is to be homesick?"
"But I thought you said you liked America?" she persisted.
"So I do," he replied; "nevertheless, there are times when I feel verylonely. You will forgive me, will you not. Was I rude?"
In the meantime Stephen said to Barbara:
"Bab, are you a good walker? How would you like to take a short cutthrough the woods to-morrow morning, and visit the hermit who lives onthe other side? We can't ride or drive very well, because it is too farby the road, but it is only about five miles when we walk. I haven'tbeen there for several years, but I know the way well. I suppose thehermit is still alive. At least, he was all right last summer, so Johnthe butler told me. Anybody else who wishes may go along, but nobodyshall come who will lag behind and complain of the distance."
"I am good for a ten mile walk," replied Barbara. "I have done it many atime at home."
"The woods grow more and more interesting the deeper you go into them,"continued Stephen. "There are places where the sun never comes through,and the whole way is cool and shaded. It is full of people, too. Youwould be surprised to find how many people make a living in a forest.They are perfectly harmless, of course, or else I wouldn't be taking youamong them. Besides the Gypsies, there are woodcutters, old men andwomen who gather herbs, and a few lonely people who live in cabins onthe edge of the forest and have little gardens. Uncle has always helpedthem, in the winter, without asking who they were or why they werethere. Then there's the hermit. He is the most interesting of the lot.He is as old as the hills and he has a secret that he would never tell,the secret of who he is and why he has lived alone for some fortyyears."
"How interesting!" exclaimed Bab. "I hope Miss Sallie won't object."
"We shall have to get the major on our side," replied Stephen, "andperhaps win her over, too."
"Oh, she is not really so strict," replied Bab, "but she feels theresponsibility of looking after other peoples' children, she says."
"Here we are," said Stephen, as the cars stopped at Ten Eyck Hall.
The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson; Or, Fighting Fire in Sleepy Hollow Page 13