CHAPTER XXV
THE MASTERPIECE
Early that afternoon, Norma, who had cut her sleeping hours short,joined Lieutenant Warren in one of those toy-like cars, known as peeps,and went spinning down the shore road.
Their first stop was the cottage occupied by Bess and Beth. School,Norma had learned, was out because of a teacher’s convention so thetwins were free to go with them to the spotter shed.
There they were able, with Beth’s help, to hold a long, hand-to-handconversation with Betty.
It was evident at once from the nervous movements of Betty’s handsbefore the television camera that the affair of the night before hadleft her greatly excited.
They discussed the situation very thoroughly.
As they left the spotter shed Lieutenant Warren said, “It looks verymuch as if we were heading straight into a crisis of one sort oranother. Such things as these can’t go on. Big planes don’t alwayscrash-land safely in the sea.”
“They seldom do,” Norma added.
“That black pigeon of Betty’s was taken from the shore by some traitorto our cause, and put aboard some craft.”
“Probably the sub,” Norma suggested.
“Yes, and in this way every secret of our defense will in time leakout.”
“And any number of spies may land on our shores. Which leads us—
“To Carl Langer, his black pigeons, his rich estate, his masterpiece,and, just perhaps, to the Spanish hairdresser.” Norma found herselfrather breathless at the end of this speech.
“You hope for too much,” was the Lieutenant’s quiet comment. “However,we will present Carl Langer with our calling card.”
The photographer was not at his studio but the girl who kept the shopin his absence offered to call him at the big house.
“Tell him that Norma Kent and Lieutenant Warren would like to see hismasterpiece,” said Norma.
Word came over the wire at once that the great, little man would bedelighted to see them.
“Now,” said Norma, as they drove through the gate, “if his three hugedogs don’t eat us up, peep and all, we’ll get on fine.”
Black pigeons, looking like dwarfed nuns, sat in rows on the barn roof,but no dogs appeared to announce their coming.
For all the world as if he had been watching at the keyhole, thephotographer, whose hair seemed whiter and more bristling than ever,threw open the door the instant they rang the bell.
“Come in! Come in!” he welcomed.
“Mr. Langer, this is Lieutenant Warren,” said Norma.
For a brief space of time he studied the newcomer’s face intently. ButRita Warren was older than when she was in India. Then, too, she hadmade her face up rather well for the occasion and was wearing tintedglasses. Add to this fact that a woman’s olive-drab uniform is initself something of a disguise, and it may not seem strange that atfirst, at least, he did not recognize her.
“But then,” Norma chided herself, “more than likely he is not the manat all. Spies who are shot seldom show up somewhere else!”
If Lieutenant Warren recognized the man, neither Norma nor Carl Langercould have detected it from her action. She thanked him for hisinterest and repeated her desire to see his masterpiece.
“You shall see it at once,” he assured them. “After that we will havesome tea—tea brought straight from India. You don’t often get that. Butfirst—”
He stepped to a table to press a hidden buzzer that sounded in adistant room.
“Is that for a servant or a couple of murderers?” Norma asked herselfwith a shudder. To Lieutenant Warren she whispered, “India!”
Lieutenant Warren lifted her eyebrows—that was all.
“Now if you will come this way,” said their strange host, leading theway.
As they passed down a long corridor, Norma stole a glance or two intoother rooms. In one, whose door stood ajar, she saw an open travelingbag, half packed.
“What is that for?” she asked herself.
At the far end of the hall they entered a room where but one lightshone. This came from a long slender tube close to the ceiling. Thislight fell upon a large canvas.
Striking a pose, Carl Langer said, “Well, what do you think?”
For a full sixty seconds he received no answer. They all stood therelooking at the picture. One of those simple things that can, if welldone, be magnificent, it showed a peasant youth and a maid in hermiddle teens seated among the stubble of a partly mown field. Besidethem were their scythes and rake and a rustic lunch basket. Back ofthem was a shock of wheat and behind that the waving grain. On theirfaces were smiles and over their faces played the sunlight.
“It’s lovely,” was Norma’s comment.
“It may be a Millet,” Lieutenant Warren said slowly. “Surely it is likehis work, but some of the colors are a little strange. There areovertones—”
“To be sure,” Carl Langer laughed hoarsely. “The picture has beenneglected. I found it in an old church in a French-Canadian village. Iam restoring it.”
Norma saw Lieutenant Warren start and stare. But she said never a wordas they left the room.
As they prepared to take tea in the sunny living-room, a small brownman entered with a tray.
“You need not be afraid of Hanada,” said Langer with a forced laugh.“It is true that he is of Japanese blood, but his home is in India. Hehas never seen Japan.”
At that the little brown man showed all his teeth in a grin.
“I brought him with me from India,” was the hasty reply.
“So you have lived in India? How grand!” Norma exclaimed.
“Yes, I practiced my art there for several years. Only four years ago,I sold out and came to America.”
“Ah-ha,” Norma breathed.
“Has your successor been successful?” Lieutenant Warren asked in aneven tone.
“Oh, yes, indeed. In fact, he has become a permanent resident,” was theodd reply.
“I shouldn’t wonder,” said Lieutenant Warren.
Norma barely suppressed a laugh. So it was the man who followed CarlLanger in India who had been shot as a spy!
All during the tea Carl Langer seemed ill at ease. His eyes oftensought the room in which an open traveling bag awaited his return.
“Wonder if he is going on a journey?” Norma thought. The answerwas—yes, a long, long journey.
“We’ll have to be going back,” Lieutenant Warren said at last. “Ourwatch changes very soon, and I must be there.”
Their host expressed polite, but uneasy regrets. They bade him a politefarewell and were away.
As their car started they were greeted by a loud roar as three hugedogs came leaping at their peep. They were, however, quite safe in thecar; so, avoiding running over one of the beasts, they glided out ofthe gate and were away.
“Well?” Norma breathed deeply.
“Believe it or not,” said Lieutenant Warren, “he is my spy of India. Ishall get Mr. Sperry on his trail first thing in the morning.”
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CHAPTER XXVI
A SUB—ON THE SPOT
Shortly after noon of that same day rain squalls came sweeping in uponBlack Knob. It whipped the waters into foam and hid the island from allthe world.
Riding the crest of this storm, three small craft approached the islandfrom the east. One, boasting a small and ragged sail, towed a second.The third was being rowed by six rugged seamen who swung their longoars as men sometimes seem to do in their sleep.
It was Betty who first discovered them. She had wandered down to thedock when she saw them looming out of the fog.
At first she was frightened, but a second look told her that noinvading force would be so poorly equipped so she raced away to thefishing village to tell the news.
At once two fishing boats took off. In due time they came in,
with theboats in tow.
By that time everyone on the island was down by the dock.
There were men, women, and children in that boat, seventy-six of themin all, and they were a sorry sight.
“Ours was the Mary Sachs,” one seaman explained. “She were a coastwisesteamer bound for Baltimore. We had these ladies an’ children with usas passengers.”
“It were a sub to be sure,” another took up the story. “They torpedoedus without warning.”
“Yes,” a woman broke in shrilly, “and they had an airplane with them.The plane swooped down and machine-gunned our lifeboats. Look at Sallyhere.” She held up a child whose face was white as a sheet. “Both herlegs are broken.”
“We had a doctor with us. Thank God for that,” said another woman. “Hefixed her up good as he could.”
Betty swallowed hard as she put out her hands for the child. Then, withsturdy tread she led the battered and half frozen band to the hotelwhere a great fire of driftwood roared up the chimney.
All that afternoon the WACs and, in truth, every other person on theisland, worked with the ship’s doctor making their new-found friendscomfortable.
Cots and beds were improvised. Every available blanket or quilt waspressed into service. Great kettles of beef, beans, and soup boiledconstantly on the hotel’s range. It was only toward night that Bettyfelt free to creep away to the log cabin for an hour of rest.
Little Patsy went with her, but did not remain long. Soon she was outwandering among the rocks, keeping an eye out for bad Gremlins.
Just before dark Mr. Sperry, the FBI agent, made a surprise visit tothe cabin. Grandfather Norton was there. Betty was wakened by Sperry’sknock on the door, so these three shut themselves in the Norton den.
“I came over here looking for a spy,” Sperry announced.
“A spy!” Grandfather Norton exclaimed. “We are all loyal people outhere.”
“You don’t understand,” said Sperry. “He was last seen heading this wayin a small motorboat.
“It’s that photographer over at Granite Head,” he explained to Betty.“You may know him.”
“Oh—oh, yes!” Betty was startled. “He did all our work. I neverdreamed—well, yes, there were some queer things about him.”
“Queer!” the secret agent exploded. “I’d say so. He’s one of the mostdangerous men on foot. We’ve been looking for him. He was a spy inIndia. Got out just in time to save his neck. He’ll do the same thinghere if he can. You haven’t seen a small motorboat?”
“No motorboat,” was Mr. Norton’s reply. “Three lifeboats came ashoreshortly after noon. They were in a sorry plight. Their ship had beentorpedoed by a sub.”
“Ah! Those subs,” Sperry clenched his fists. “There are rumors of a subbeing seen off shore here this very afternoon. Fisherman coming in fromthe Banks claims he saw it. All our small boats are out scouting forit. But me, I’m after just one man; and his name’s Carl Langer!”
“Well, we haven’t got him,” said the gray-haired inventor. “But if wesee him, we’ll hold him for you. Never doubt that.”
“I’ll have a look about the island.” Sperry was up and away.
A half hour later, just as Betty was thinking, “I should be out on thespotter platform right now,” Patsy came crashing through the door. Herface was white, her eyes bulging.
“The sub!” she whispered hoarsely. “It’s so close! I saw it! And therewas a small boat, yes, and an airplane. There were men, many big men. Ithink they have come to carry us away.”
“This,” Betty thought, as she stood up, with shaking knees, “this isnot one of Patsy’s dreams about Gremlins. It’s the real thing.”
Thirty seconds later she was racing with Norton and Patsy for the hotel.
“They’re invading the island,” Betty exclaimed as they burst into thelounge room of the hotel. “There’s a sub, a boat, an airplane, and manymen.”
“Where? Where? Where?” came in a chorus.
“Where?” Betty turned to Patsy.
“By Bald Head,” was the prompt answer.
“The other end of the island,” Grandfather Norton explained in a steadyvoice.
Instantly there was a rush for the door. But Grandfather Norton wasthere before them.
“Steady, boys,” he held up a hand, “you’re not going to a picnic. Idon’t know why those men are there, but I do know they are armed. Wemust organize our party.”
“That’s right, sir!” an Army sergeant agreed. He gave an order to hismen. They disappeared.
Next instant the door opened, silently, and in stepped Sperry. His eyeswere wide, his tongue fairly hanging out. “I ran into a hornet’s nest,”he whispered. “I got away just in time!”
What he had to say left no room for doubt. A fight was in the making.
When the Army squad returned it was with arms loaded. There wererifles, tommy-guns, pistols, and stacks of ammunition.
Then after one weapon had been selected for each Black Knob man, thesergeant said, “Take your pick.”
Instantly, from every corner, came the men whose boat had been struck.
“We’ll kill the rats,” the burly seaman snarled. His right arm was in asling, but with his left he gripped an automatic.
“Somebody find me a cane,” one seaman begged. His leg was bandaged andsplinted. “I’m the best darn shot in the crew. That’s what I am!” Fromsomewhere a crutch was produced.
One man half rose from his cot, whirled about, then fell on the floor.“No! Not you, Tom!” The doctor’s voice was gentle. “You’re too badlybroken up.”
It was a motley and dangerous crew that at last marched silently outinto the night.
* * * * *
In the meantime things were happening fast at Harbor Bells.
While preparations were being made for the battle Patsy had slippedback to the cabin. There she wakened Millie and Mary, who were to takethe midnight watch. With their help she set up the television cameraand began telling the exciting news to Beth and Bess.
As fast as the words were told off by Patsy’s talking hands, Bessphoned them to Norma at the Sea Tower.
Norma got Tom on the phone.
“Tom! Oh! Tom!” she stammered with excitement. “The sub is out by BlackKnob, and the plane, too. If you could just go out and spot it, the bigguns would blow the sub from the sea!”
“We’ll go!” said Tom. “You and I!”
“Oh, Tom!”
“You’ll have to go!” Tom’s voice insisted. “There’s not a man in theharbor who knows the tricks. They’re all out in boats looking for thatsub.”
“All right, Tom. I’ll meet you at the dock.” She hung up.
“Marie!” she commanded. “You keep the switchboard. Rosa, get your coatand come with me.”
One minute more and they were joined by Lieutenant Warren, who somehowhad learned the news. Then all three raced for the dock.
Norma was faster than the others. She arrived in sight of the dock justin time to see a ghostly figure emerge from the shadows, leap at Tom,who was just coming to the dock, and deal a heavy blow with some bluntinstrument square on his head. Without a sound, Tom dropped like anempty sack.
Norma had seen that white-robed figure before. She had battled with itand won. Not the least afraid, without warning, she landed upon it witha head-on blow that sent it crashing against a wall. It crumpled into awhite heap and lay there like a pile of snow.
“Wha—what happened?” Lieutenant Warren panted, as she came racing up.
In a few, well-chosen words, Norma told her. “It’s terrible!” shegroaned. “Tom is out for keeps. Per-perhaps he’s dead. We can’t go!”
“We _can_ go!” Rosa insisted stoutly. “I can pilot the plane as well asTom could!”
“What do you think?” Norma turned to the Lieutenant.
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_A Ghostly Figure Leaped at Tom and Dealt a Heav
y Blow_]
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“I’ll not command you,” was the slow and steady answer. “But if you twowish to volunteer for the task, I shall not stop you.
“I’ll take care of Tom,” she added. “There are fishermen near who willhelp me.”
One minute more and the two girls were rowing rapidly toward theSeagull that was to fly them into new perils.
* * * * *
On Black Knob the battle lines were forming. Never had a band ofIndians, in the days long since gone, moved more swiftly or silentlythan the island’s defenders. And they were bent on swift vengeance.
Driven on by an irresistible impulse, Betty followed the last man, theone with a crutch.
As she glided through the night, one question was uppermost in hermind. Why were those men with sub, motorboat, and plane there? The subhad come from the sea, the plane from the sub, and the motorboat fromthe land. One thing was plain. They had chosen this island as a placeof meeting. But why? And how—how had they dared?
“They haven’t scouted the island recently,” was her conclusion. “Theythought it was occupied only by old men and women. Well, they’ll soonknow better. Just one more ridge and we are there!” Her pulse quickened.
Just as they left the grove of pines, the moon came out. A shadowyfigure rose above the crest of the ridge. There was something vaguelyfamiliar about that figure. One second it was there, the next it wasgone, for rifles had cracked. The fight was on. There came shouts frombeyond. They raced up the ridge. Their fire was returned, but feebly.There was the sound of scrambling feet. A motor roared, then another.
It was all over in a minute, and over forever for three huddled figuresthat would never move again.
“Enemies,” Betty thought. “Perhaps they helped machine-gun women andchildren.” Yet, in a way, she was sorry.
She flashed her light on the nearest figure. Then she gasped. It wasCarl Langer. This time the spy had really been shot.
When the men reached the shore the moon was under a cloud again, thesub had vanished, the motorboat heading out to sea, and the airplanethundering somewhere in the sky.
Or was it the Seagull they heard out there over the black waters? Onething was sure—it was there. At the controls sat Rosa. Norma wascasting her light about in search of the sub.
“We’ll find the sub if we can,” she had phoned to the major over at thefort. “When I hold the light on one spot, you’ll know we’ve found it.”
“We’ll be waiting and watching,” had been his answer. “Ready to blowthem into Kingdom Come!”
And so now they circled slowly back and forth.
Only one question troubled her, and that was, “Is that enemy planestill in the air?”
“If that plane is armed and they attack us?” she said to Rosa.
“We will climb too fast for them,” was the calm reply.
And then Norma’s light fell upon something, a white spot. Not the sub.She was disappointed. Then her heart leaped. Off to the right was along, dark bulk.
“The sub,” she said aloud. “And that’s the motorboat. They are comingtogether.”
With all the skill she possessed she held her wide spot of light on thesub. Slowly, surely, the sub and the motorboat moved closer together.Breathlessly she awaited the roar from the shore.
“The major can’t fail us,” she clenched her teeth. “He must not!”
They were losing altitude and coming closer to the sub. Suddenly theywere surrounded by balls of smoke and flame.
“Pom-poms!” she screamed to Rosa. “The sub is firing at us!”
The plane gave a sudden lift and shuddered.
“We are hit.” But still they glided on.
Then came the distant roar.
“Thank God!” Norma screamed. “Climb, Rosa! Climb!” But they did notclimb. They could not. The Seagull had been hit.
The first shot from the fort was quickly followed by another. Bothshells burst almost beneath them, giving them a lift they would notsoon forget. The shells, Norma saw, must have found their mark for,when she played her light on the water she found only tiny bits ofsomething. The sub and motorboat had vanished.
“Quick, Rosa!” she cried. “Head for the shore.”
“We will go to shore,” was the slow reply. “Perhaps we shall go, butnot quick. The Seagull, she is hit. She may die.”
Norma came to realize this more and more as the gallant plane sankslowly toward the sea.
They were in close to land when, with a suddenness that was startling,the seaplane’s motor stopped and then they plunged into the sea.
Norma hit the water hard. She sank. She rose. She sank again and then,as she rose, she began to swim.
“I’m not hurt,” she told herself. “The water is terribly cold, but Ican keep up for a time.”
Her time was about up. Her body was numb with cold, her breath wascoming in gasps when she became conscious of someone near her.
Then a voice said, “Put your hand on my shoulder. I’ll take you in.”
“Rosa?” she panted. “I can’t do that, you’ll drown!”
“Not Rosa,” said the voice. “I am Lena. Believe me, I am fresh andstrong. Put your hand on my shoulder.”
“Lena!” she thought. “Why is she here? She is always where danger is.”
At that she surrendered herself to the other’s superb strength.
They had gone so for some time, when a skiff pulled in close to them.One man held a lantern. Another put out two hands to pull her in. Itwas the major from the fort.
Several hours later she awoke from a long sleep to find LieutenantWarren sitting by her side.
“Everything is all right,” the Lieutenant smiled. “More than all right.You got the sub and the motorboat, everyone on it. The sub was bringingspies to America. In their haste they left their traveling bags on theisland. They were packed with American clothes, faked passports,everything. Then they had plans, maps, all they needed for destroyingfactories and shipyards.
“I think,” she added, “that they meant to take Carl Langer back withthem on the sub.”
“But they didn’t,” Norma whispered.
“Lena has confessed,” Lieutenant Warren added.
“Con-confessed? Lena?” Norma’s heart sank.
“She was part of the spy ring, a very small part, and against her will.Her uncle drove her to it by terrible threats. She is a loyal Americanat heart. She has turned state’s witness. That will trap the realculprits and she, I think, will go free.”
“I’m glad,” Norma murmured. “And Rosa?” she asked after a moment’sreflection.
“Oh! Rosa? She’s a dear. Loyal all the way through.”
“I know. But she was in the plane with me!”
“Oh—yes, of course! She wasn’t thrown from the plane.
“We found her paddling about on a rubber raft, still searching for you.”
“Good old Rosa,” Norma murmured. “So I was partly right and partlywrong about all this spy business?”
“Yes. It is often like that.”
“How’s Tom?” Norma sat up suddenly.
“Tom’s all right,” was the reply. “He came round almost at once. Andwas he mad when he knew you were gone!”
“Then he wasn’t really injured?”
“She couldn’t hit him very hard.”
“She?”
“Yes, the Spanish hairdresser. You guessed right there again. Sheturned out to be a professional spy, the lowest creature on earth.Sperry knew her the moment his eyes fell on her. She’s through spyingfor good and all.”
“Someone took my camera twice,” said Norma. “Perhaps she did that.”
“No. I’m sorry to tell you, but that was Lena. The pictures she took,however, were of no consequence.”
“And the enemy plane from the sub?” Norma suggested as she settled backon her pillow.
“It was shot from
the air by one of our fighter planes.”
“Looks as if we have been in on something really big and carried itoff,” Norma murmured sleepily.
“There will be promotions all round,” was the happy reply. “Very soonyou will be wearing bars on your shoulders.”
“Oh! And Major Fairchild is to pin them on,” Norma exclaimed. “Thatwill be one big day!”
“They’re sending WACs to Africa now,” Rita Warren said after a time.
“Shall we be sent there?”
“I don’t know. Would you like to go?”
“I’m too tired to think about it.” At that Norma turned over and wassoon fast asleep.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Transcriber’s Note
Punctuation has been normalized. Variations in hyphenation have beenretained as they were in the original publication. The followingchanges have been made:
Her {principle --> principal} task is keeping the bad Gremlins away.{p. 144}
POLLY {AT --> OF} PEBBLY PIT {dust jacket advertisement}
The following discrepancy exists in the original:
The index lists the title for Chapter I as "Mrs. Hobby's Horses" while in the text, the title is "GIRLS IN UNIFORM."
Italicized phrases are presented by surrounding the text with_underscores_.
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