Chapter XXVII: A Narrow Escape

Cora, greatly relieved now that things had been explained to the rest of the household, went upstairs to find that the other girls were up and nearly dressed.

Nina presented a very different picture from that of the night before. No one looking at her would think that she was different from any other girl who might be staying as a guest at Kill Kare. In a pretty white dress that Belle lent her, she looked charming.

She was naturally diffident and nervous at the prospect of meeting Aunt Betty and the boys. But their good breeding and kindness of heart smoothed over all difficulties. They laughed and jested at the table as usual, including her at times in the conversation, but taking care not to make her feel conspicuous. By the time the meal was over, they had succeeded very materially in putting her at ease.

For the benefit of the servants, it was given out that Nina was a friend who had arrived rather late the night before, and might stay at Kill Kare for some time.

"Let's hope that Joel doesn't get wise," remarked Jack, when he was alone with his chums. "I can imagine the old boy throwing a fit if he learns that we're harboring anybody connected with the gypsies. He loves them as much as a miser loves a tax collector."

"I don't think he'll catch on," replied Walter; "but if he does we'll tell him that our keeping her here is making the gypsies sore. That'll square things with him."

"I think it would be a good thing for one of us to run over to the gypsy camp to-day, to see if that Higby is hanging around," suggested Paul. "We might get a line on where he's staying and how long he's likely to be in the neighborhood. And then, too, we might be able to see whether Nina's absence has raised much of a stir in the camp."

"I'd like to get my hands on that Higby's throat," growled Jack. "Of all the unspeakable cads, he's the limit."

"He sure is," agreed Paul. "But we'll have to put on the soft pedal if we hope to find out anything. I'll try to strike up an acquaintance with him, ask him for a match, or something like that. He's a shallow rascal, and it ought to be easy to worm something out of him."

"All right, Mr. Detective," laughed Jack. "Suppose you take that part of the work on you. In the meantime, I'll write a letter to Tom Willis, an old college pal of mine and Walter's, who lives in Roxbury, and ask him to make some discreet inquiries about that matter of the theft. Tom's a good old scout and he'll be glad to do anything he can for us. I want to find out whether a warrant was actually issued for the girl. If it wasn't, the girl is all right, and Higby can't make good on his threats. If it was, we'll have to get a lawyer, and try to have it quashed."

"How are you going to find out whether a warrant was issued for her, if you don't know her name?" asked Walter.

"That's so," replied Jack, a little dashed. "I'll go and have a talk with Cora. Maybe she can get the girl to tell her."

As a result of his hurried conference, Cora spoke to Nina.

"Jack wants to look up that old matter at Roxbury, Nina, and he can't do it unless he knows the date and also your name," she explained. "We don't want to pry, but you can see yourself that we can't do much if we go groping round in the dark."

"It happened a year ago last May," replied Nina, "and the name to look for is Helen Holman. It isn't my real name, but it was one that I chose to take when I was afraid my uncle would be hunting for me."

"And you don't feel quite ready yet to tell me your real name?" inquired Cora kindly.

"Please don't ask me yet," pleaded Nina. "When once I know that there's no danger of disgracing it, I'll be glad to tell you."

Cora did not press her, but returned to Jack with the information he wanted.

"Thank you, sis," he said. "By the way, are you girls planning to use your car to-day? If not, Paul would like to drive over to the gypsy camp in it. Walter and I want to take my car over to the garage in town to-day to have a few repairs made. These roads have played the mischief with the tires. Besides, I want to lay in a stock of gasoline. I noticed this morning it was running low."

"We won't want to use my car to-day, and Paul's perfectly welcome to it," replied his sister. "And if you're going over to Milford I wish you'd bring back some things we're short of for the spread. You know that comes off to-morrow night. I'll give you a list of the things we want."

"Sure thing," replied Jack.

But an hour later, when he and Walter drove off, his mind was so full of the measures he meant to take in behalf of Nina that he forgot all about Cora's list.

She herself did not remember it until Jack had been gone for an hour or more. And by that time Paul had driven off in her car to the gypsy camp.

"Oh, pshaw!" exclaimed Cora in deep vexation, "how could I have been so careless? We just can't get along without those things."

"Just for a lark let's go over to Milford ourselves," suggested Bess.

"And walk?" asked her sister.

"Why not?" said Bess. "I haven't done as much walking as I ought to lately, and it's a great thing to help me reduce. Besides, I don't believe it is more than four miles, and it's a splendid day for walking."

"We might follow the railroad through the cut," said Cora. "That takes off some of the distance. Come ahead, girls, and let's do it. We'll probably get there before the repairs are finished on the car, and we'll give the boys a surprise party."

Belle agreed after a little more urging, and the girls put on their hats and sallied forth, leaving Nina in charge of Aunt Betty, with strict injunctions not to show herself at any of the windows.

At a distance of a mile and a half from Kill Kare ran a single track, narrow-gauge railroad that served a number of tiny towns scattered through that region. It was a leisurely, go-as-you-please affair, and, as a railroad, was considerable of a joke. The rolling stock consisted of a couple of locomotives that had seen better days and a string of dilapidated cars that had been discarded on other roads. Time schedules were honored in the breach rather than in the observance, and one or two trains a day each way wheezed along at their own sweet will.

But it served as a short cut to Milford, and the girls chose to go by way of it on that account, and also because it ran through a sort of gorge that cut off the hot rays of the sun.

But if it was delightful overhead, as much could not be said for the walking underfoot. The ties were split and irregular, and the slag that lay between them was trying to the feet.

"I feel sorry for any stranded actors who ever have to walk these ties," complained Belle.

"I think it's smoother on the outside of the track than where you're walking," suggested Cora. "Suppose you try it."

There was a switch in the track just at that point, and as Belle tried to step over the rail as Cora had suggested, her foot slipped and was caught in the frog.

She would have fallen to her knees if Cora had not caught and steadied her.

"Did you hurt yourself?" asked Bess.

"Only scraped my ankle a little," answered her sister. "But I may have ruined a perfectly good shoe."

She tried to pull her foot from the frog, but found that she could not.

"Pull a little harder," urged Cora.

Belle tried again, but with no success.

"The sole seems to be caught in a spike or something," she explained.

Bess gave a little scream.

"Oh, hurry, hurry," she cried. "Suppose a train should come along!"

And just at that instant they heard a long shrill whistle from up the track.