The Automobile Girls Along the Hudson; Or, Fighting Fire in Sleepy Hollow

by Laura Dent Crane

  CHAPTER XIX--A RECOGNITION

  The masqueraders had separated for the night; Bab, however, had asked tospeak with the major before he went to his room. For half an hour shewas closeted with him in his library. The time had arrived to tell himeverything she knew about Jose.

  The major had listened to her attentively. He had felt reluctance tobelieve anything against a guest, just on a mere chance resemblance, butcertainly the circle was closing in around Jose.

  "Do you think we had better do anything about it to-night?" he asked thegirl, almost childishly. He felt obliged to ask advice in this verydifficult situation, and who could give any better counsel than thisfine, young woman, who had been able to keep a secret, and who was sowholesome and sweet with all her reserve?

  "I don't see what you could do, Major, in case he admitted he wasguilty. You couldn't arrest him very well to-night, unless you wanted tobind his arms and feet and take him to the nearest town. I don't believehe has any idea of running away, because he doesn't know we suspect him.At least he only vaguely knows it."

  "And, after all," said the kindly old major, "it's a pity to rout himout of his comfortable bed to-night. We will give the poor fellowanother good night's rest, and take one ourselves, too. Shall we not,little woman?"

  "Yes, indeed, Major," agreed Barbara, looking into his kindly, troubledeyes with respect and admiration. "And who knows? Maybe, in the morning,he can explain everything."

  "Indeed, my dear, I hope so," he replied, opening the door for her andbowing good-night as if she had been Miss Sallie herself.

  As Barbara started up the long staircase she felt lonely. The hall belowlooked vast and dark. Only a dim light was burning and every door wasclosed. Emerging from the shadows around the staircase she might havebeen a ghost of one of the early Ten Eycks in her old-fashionedpeach-colored silk, with its full trailing skirt and pointed bodice. Shehurried a little and wished she had got over the long space of hallwhich lay between her and her room; but she had scarcely taken a dozensteps before the door behind her opened. She stopped and looked back,thinking perhaps it was one of the servants waiting to put out thelights.

  Standing in the doorway was a very old man. He carried a candle in onehand, and was peering at her in the darkness with that same expressionof wonder and surprise on his face that she had remembered to have seenbefore, for this was their third encounter, once in the woods, once inthe library, and now.

  "Barbara! Barbara Thurston!" he called in a quavering voice. "I havebeen waiting for you so long, so many years. I am old now and you arestill young." He stretched out his arms and came toward her.

  Bab flew and almost ran into Jose, who opened his door at that moment.When they recovered themselves the old man was gone.

  "Which way did he go?" asked Jose.

  Bab pointed to the door without speaking, and, still trembling fromfright, burst into her own room, where a strange scene was taking place.Three high-backed chairs were arranged in a row. Ruth in a dressing gownwas crouching behind them, while Mollie and Grace sat hand in hand onthe bed, giving little gasps of excitement and horror.

  "This is the clump of bushes," Ruth was saying, "and the three fightstook place here and here, and here," she went on, marking the spots withher toe. "Stephen and his man, who was none other than the giant tramp,fought straight out from the shoulder like this," and she hit the airfuriously with her doubled fists. "Then came Alfred and his friend. Theydidn't hit. They gripped and rolled over and over in the dust. And lastof all, poor Jimmie, who, in five minutes, lay like a warrior taking hisrest."

  "Why, Ruth Stuart," interrupted Bab, "I thought we were not to tell."

  "Sh-h! Don't make so much noise, Bab. Aunt Sallie thinks we were safe inbed long ago. I'm not betraying confidence. Stephen told me I could tellMollie and Grace if he could tell Martin. But, Bab, dear, what is thematter? Have you seen a ghost?"

  "Yes," replied Bab, "or rather the next thing to one. Really, girls, I'mgetting more than my fair share this time. Ruth was in the fight, ofcourse, but none of you have seen the old man who haunts the place, andI have seen him three times. He seems to be a perfectly harmless oldman, but it does give one a start to meet him at midnight in a darkhall."

  "Why, Barbara, are you dreaming? What does it mean?" cried Mollie,seizing her sister's hand and pulling her over on the bed beside them."Why haven't you told us before?" she added with a sisterly reproach."It's no fair keeping secrets all the time."

  "I am tired of secrets, too," said Bab, "I started with major and I'lljust finish the thing before I lay me down this night to rest."

  When Bab had concluded her ghostly tale the girls were reallyfrightened. They tried the doors, opened all the closets and wardrobesand peered under the beds of both rooms.

  "No one could climb up to these windows," exclaimed Mollie. "But supposethere should be a secret door into one of these rooms?"

  "What a horrible idea, Mollie Thurston!" exclaimed Ruth.

  There was a sharp tap on the door. The four girls jumped as if they hadbeen shot, and rushed together like frightened chickens.

  "Girls," said Miss Sallie's voice, "go to bed this instant!"

  "Right away, Aunt Sallie, dear," answered her niece. When they werecomfortably tucked in for the night, Ruth said to Bab:

  "How do you suppose he knew your name?"

  "I don't know," replied her friend, "unless I had a twin ancestor."

  At eleven o'clock the next morning the major's guests assembled for alate breakfast. The boys were stiff from their encounters with thetramps, and Jimmie, especially, was an object of pity. The major lookedserious. He had a disagreeable duty to perform, and he wished to avoidit as long as possible. Miss Sallie, alone, was animated and talkative.She had been entrusted with no confidences, and she felt the burden ofno secrets. Neither did she guess that something was impending that wasbound to surprise and horrify her.

  Jose had not made his appearance and the major was relieved. The hour ofreckoning was at hand, and he wished it over and done with. His oldfriend's son! Was it possible that a child of Jose Martinez could haveso far forgotten the laws of hospitality as to rob and intrigue, andplay tricks on his fellow guests?

  "What a quiet, dull lot of people you are," exclaimed Miss Sallie, whoat last began to notice the gloom that had settled on the party. "Whatis the matter?"

  "I think it must be the weather, Miss Stuart," replied Stephen, comingto the rescue of the others. "It's a very oppressively warm day, and theair is so dry it makes me thirsty."

  "It's the sort of weather, I imagine, they must have in plague-strickensouthern countries," observed Ruth, "where there's no water," shecontinued drawing the picture which held her imagination, "and peopleare dropping around with cholera or the bubonic plague."

  "Cheerful!" exclaimed Jimmie.

  "I wonder where Jose is this morning," said Stephen, voicing the thoughtof everybody in the room except the unconscious Miss Sallie.

  "Suppose you run up and see," suggested the major. "Tell him, Steenie,"he added, patting his nephew affectionately on the shoulder, "that Iwish to see him in the morning room when he finishes his breakfast. And,Stephen, my boy, don't be rough with him. Remember what an ordeal we'llhave to put him through later. Good heavens!" he groaned, "such a lovelyboy! If it only had not happened in my house!"

  "Perhaps he can explain, in spite of everything," replied Stephen.

  Presently he returned to the library.

  "Jose is not in his room. He didn't sleep there last night. His bed ismade up and there's not a wrinkle on it."

  "Why, where can he be?" cried the major. "He couldn't have run away,could he?"

  "Perhaps he is taking a morning walk," suggested Martin.

  "Did he take anything with him!" asked Jimmie. "I mean are his things inhis room?"

  "I didn't notice," replied Stephen. "We'd better ask some of theservants, first, if they have seen him this morning, and then go backand have a look for ourselves."

  But the
servants could give no information. On examining Jose's roomthey found everything just as he had left it. He had taken nothing inhis flight, not even a comb and brush.

  "Even his pearl shirt studs are here," said Jimmie.

  "How about his leather motor clothes?" asked Stephen.

  "Here they are," replied his friend.

  "How about his motor cycle?" asked the major with a sudden thought.

  They ran down stairs and through the open door, followed by "TheAutomobile Girls," who were filled with excitement. At the garage thechauffeur was busy cleaning the motor cars.

  "Is Mr. Martinez's motor cycle here, Josef?" demanded the major.

  "Yes, sir," answered the chauffeur looking up from his work, surprisedat the visit of so many people at once.

  "Have you see him this morning?"

  "No, sir."

  "Strange," said the major. "I can't understand it. He must simply haveslipped out of the house and gone for a long walk."

  "Uncle," said Stephen, "suppose we wait until after lunch."

  "Wait for what, my boy?"

  "Why, for Jose, I mean. And then, if he doesn't turn up, we had bettersearch for him."

  The party sat about listlessly until lunch time. It was too hot to talkand the oppressiveness of the atmosphere gave them an uneasy feeling.Jose had not taken even a hat, so Stephen said, and it turned out thatonly the day before the Spaniard had entrusted the major with a largesum of money to be locked in the family strong box until his visit wasover.

  "Stephen," exclaimed the major, finally, as the afternoon began to wane,"I can't stand this any longer. The boy may have wandered into the woodsand been attacked by some of those tramp ruffians. Order the horses.We'll ride to the Gypsy camp and take the road to town. Tell the girlsto explain the situation to Miss Sallie while we are gone."