Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Mary Meehan and the Online DistributedProofreading Team
Betty Gordon at Boarding School
OR
The Treasure of Indian Chasm
BY ALICE B. EMERSON
1921
CONTENTS
I NEW PLANS
II NORMA'S LETTER
III SURPRISING BOB
IV MORE GOOD-BYES
V A REGULAR CROSS-PATCH
VI FINE FEATHERS
VII FUN AT FAIRFIELDS
VIII TOO MUCH PARTY
IX ADJUSTER TOMMY
X SHADYSIDE SCHOOL
XI FIRST IMPRESSIONS
XII THE LOST TREASURE
XIII THE MYSTERIOUS FOUR
XIV A SATURDAY RACE
XV NORMA MAKES REPAIRS
XVI THE NUTTING PARTY
XVII CAUGHT IN THE STORM
XVIII LIBBIE'S SECRET
XIX BOB'S SOLUTION
XX THE SECOND DEGREE
XXI DRAMATICS
XXII ANOTHER MYSTERY
XXIII JUST DESERTS
XXIV BETTY GOES COASTING
XXV THE TREASURE
BETTY GORDON AT BOARDING SCHOOL
CHAPTER I
NEW PLANS
"Me make you velly nice apple tart. Miss Betty." The Chinese cookflourished his rolling pin with one hand and swung his apron viciouslywith the other as he held open the screen door and swept out someimaginary flies.
Lee Chang, cook for the bunk house in the oil fields, could do severalthings at one time, as he had frequently proved.
The girl, who was watching a wiry little bay horse contentedly crop grassthat grew in straggling whisps about the fence posts, looked up andshowed an even row of white teeth as she smiled.
"I don't think we're going to stay for dinner to-day," she said halfregretfully. "I know your apple tarts, Lee Chang--they are delicious."
The fat Chinaman closed the screen door and went on with his pastrymaking. From time to time, as he passed from the table to the oven, heglanced out. Betty Gordon still stood watching the horse.
"That Bob no come?" inquired Lee Chang, poking his head out of the dooragain. Fast developing into a good American, his natural trait ofcuriosity gave him the advantage of acquiring information blandly andwith ease.
Betty shaded her eyes with her hand. The Oklahoma sun was pitiless. Farup the road that ran straight away from the bunk house a faint cloud ofdust was rising.
"He's coming now," said the girl confidently.
Lee Chang grunted and returned to his work, satisfied that whatever Bettywas waiting for would soon be at hand.
"Bake tart 'fore that boy goes away," the Chinaman muttered to himself,waddling hastily to the oven, opening it, and closing the door again witha satisfied sniff.
The cloud of dust whirled more madly, rose higher. Out from the center ofit finally emerged a raw-boned white horse that galloped with amazingawkwardness and incredible speed. Astride him sat a slim, tanned youthwith eyes as blue as Betty Gordon's were dark.
"Got something for you!" he called, waving his arm in the motion oflasso-throwing. "Catch if you can!"
"Oh, don't!" cried Betty eagerly. "What is it, Bob? Be careful or you'llbreak it."
Bob Henderson reined in his mount and slipped to the ground. The whitehorse contentedly went to munching dry blades of dusty grass.
"Bob, I do believe you've been silly," said Betty, trying to speakseverely and failing completely because her dimple would deependistractingly. "You know I told you not to do it."
"How do you know what I've done?" demanded Bob, placing a squarepackage in the girl's hands. "Don't scold till you know what you'rescolding about."
Betty, busy with the cord and paper, paused.
"Oh, Bob!" she beamed, her vivid face glowing with a new thought."What do you think? I had a letter yesterday from Bobby Littell, andshe's going to boarding school. And, Bob, so am I! Uncle Dick says so.And, Bob--"
"Yes?" smiled Bob, thinking how the girl's face changed as she talked."Go on, Betty."
"Well, Louise is going, too, and they think Libbie will come downfrom Vermont. Dear old Libbie--I wonder if she is as incurablyromantic as ever!"
Betty's fingers had worked mechanically while she spoke, and now she hadher parcel undone.
"Why, Bob Henderson!" she gasped, as she drew out a handsome white boxtied with pale blue ribbons and encased in waxed paper.
"I hope they're not stale," said Bob diffidently.
Betty slit the waxed paper and took off the box lid, revealing aperfectly packed box of expensive chocolates.
"They're beautiful," she declared. "But I never dreamed you would sendEast for 'em simply because I happened to say I was hungry for goodcandy. Um--um--taste one quick, Bob."
Bob took a caramel and pronounced it not "half bad."
"Uncle Dick's gone somewhere with Dave Thorne," announced Betty, bitinginto another candy. "He didn't know when he would get back, and I'msupposed to ride to the Watterby farm for lunch. It must be aftereleven now."
"Miss Betty!" Lee Chang's voice was persuasive. "Miss Betty, that appletart he all baked done now."
"Apple tart?" shouted Bob. "Show me, Lee Chang! I'd rather have a cornerof your pie than all the candy in New York."
"Him for Miss Betty," said the Chinaman gravely.
"But you don't care if I give Bob some, do you?" returned Bettycoaxingly. "See, Lee Chang, Bob gave me these. You take some, and we'lleat the tart on our way home."
Lee Chang's wish was fulfilled when he placed the flaky tart inBetty's hands, and he took a candy or two (which he privatelyconsidered rather poor stuff) and watched the girl no longer. From nowon till dinner time Lee Chang's whole attention would be concentratedon the preparation of an excellent dinner for the men who worked thatsection of the oil fields.
"I don't believe I can ride and eat this, after all," decided Betty."Let's sit down on the grass and finish it; Clover hasn't finished herlunch, either."
The little bay horse and the tall, shambling white were amiably strayingup and down the narrow borders of the road, never getting very far away.
"You haven't said a single word about my going to boarding school, Bob,"Betty said, dropping down comfortably on the dusty grass and breaking thetart across into two nearly even pieces. "There--take your pie. Don't youthink I'll have fun with the Littell girls?"
"You'll have a lark, but I'm not so sure about the teachers," declaredBob enthusiastically, an odd little smile quivering on his lips. "Withyou and Bobby Littell about, I doubt if the school knows a dull moment."
"Bobby is so funny," dimpled Betty. "She writes that if Libbie comes, heraunt expects Bobby to look after her. Wait a minute and I'll read youthat part--" Betty took a letter from the pocket of her blouse."Listen--
"Aunt Elizabeth has written mother that she hopes I will keep an eye onLibbie. Now Betty, can you honestly see me trailing around after thatgirl who sees a romance in every bush and book and who cries when any oneplays violin music? I'll look after her all right--she'll have to studyFrench instead of poetry if I'm to be her friend and guide."
* * * * *
"But, of course, Bobby does really love Libbie very dearly," said Betty,folding up the letter and returning it to her pocket. "She wouldn't hurther for worlds."
"You'll be a much better guardian for Libbie
, if she needs one,"pronounced Bob, with unexpected shrewdness. "Bobby hasn't much tact,and she makes Libbie mad. You could probably control her better withless words."
"Well, I never!" gasped Betty, gazing at Bob with new respect. "I neverknew you thought anything about it."
"Didn't until just now," responded Bob cheerfully. "So Uncle Dick iswilling to let you go, is he? When do you start?"
"You don't mind, do you, Bob?" countered Betty, puzzled. "You sound sokind of--of funny."
"Don't mean to," said Bob laconically.
Having finished his tart, he lay back and rested his head in his hands intrue masculine contentment.
"I like that blue thing you've got on," he commented lazily. "Did I eversee it before?"
"Certainly not," Betty informed him. "I've been waiting for you to noticeit. It's wash silk, Bob, and your Aunt Faith said I could have it if Icould do anything with it. She's had it in a trunk for years and years."
"I don't see how you and Aunt Faith could wear the same clothes, she's somuch taller than you are," said Bob, obviously trying to put two and twotogether in his mind. "But it looks fine on you, Betty."
Betty smiled at him compassionately.
"Oh, Bob, you're so funny!" she sighed. "I made this blouse allmyself--that is," she corrected, "Mrs. Watterby helped me cut it out andshe sewed the sleeves in after I had basted them in wrong twice, but Idid everything else. There wasn't a scrap of goods left over, either. Iput it on to-day because I wanted you to see me in it."
She was worth seeing, Bob acknowledged to himself. The over-blouse ofblue and white checked silk, slashed at the throat for the crisp blacktie, and the gray corduroy riding skirt and smart tan shoes were at oncesuitable and becoming.
"I'll have to have some new clothes for school," declared Betty, who hada healthy interest in this topic. "We can't wear very fussy things,though--Bobby sent me the catalogue. Sailor suits for every day, and acloth frock for best. And not more than one party dress."
"I asked her when she started," Bob confided to the blank eye of thewhite horse now turned dully toward him. "But if she answered me, Ididn't hear."
"I'm going a week from this Friday," announced Betty hastily. "That willgive me a week in Washington, and Mrs. Littell has asked me to stay withthem. I must write to Mrs. Bender to-night and tell her the news; she hasbeen so anxious for me to go to school again."
"Oh, gee, Betty, that reminds me--" Bob sat up with a jerk and began ahasty search of his pockets. "When you spoke of Mrs. Bender that remindedme of Laurel Grove, and Laurel Grove reminded me of Glenside, and that,of course, made me think of the Guerins--Here 'tis!" and the boytriumphantly fished out a small letter from an inside pocket of his coatand tossed it into Betty's lap.
"It's from Norma Guerin!" Betty's expressive voice betrayed herdelight "Why, I haven't heard from her in perfect ages. I wonder whatshe has to say."
"Open it and see," advised the practical Bob. "I meant to give you theletter right away, and first the tart and then the blouse thing-a-bubdrove it out of my mind. I'll lead the horses and you can read as wewalk. Want me to take the plate back to Lee Chang?"
He dashed back to the bunk house, returned the tin, and rejoined Betty,who was slowly slitting the envelope of her letter with a hairpin. Shehad tucked her candy box under her arm, and Bob took the bridles of thetwo horses.
"Mercy, what was that?" Betty glanced up startled, as a wild yell soundedover on their right.
There was a chorus of shouts, the same wild yell repeated, and then,sudden and without warning, came a dense and heavy rain of blackest oil.
"Oh, Bob, Bob!" There was genuine anguish in Betty's wail of appeal. "Mynew blouse--look at it!"
But Bob had no time to look at anything. Action was to be his course.
"It's a premature blast!" he shouted. "Come on, we've got to get out!"