CHAPTER XIII
THE MYSTERIOUS FOUR
"Well, for mercy's sake!" said Betty in exasperation, "if you knowwhere the property is, why don't you claim it? Why doesn't your mother?Where is it?"
"At the bottom of Indian Chasm," declared Norma calmly.
"Where's that?"
"I don't know exactly," admitted Norma. "It's around here somewhere. Yousee the Indians streaked for the woods, and mother got out by way of awindow and ran to the next estate. The men and boys there armedthemselves and took horses and chased the Redskins, and when they werealmost up with them the robbers tossed everything down this great canyonin the earth. There was no way to get into it, and though they triedlowering men with ropes, they couldn't find a solitary gold piece. As faras any one knows it is all at the bottom of the chasm now."
"And grandma had to mortgage the house and they couldn't pay the interestand it was sold and all the lovely mahogany furniture," mourned Alice."And grandma and mother moved to New York and mother taught school andmet dad, who was a medical student. And they were married when hegraduated, and grandma came to live with 'em."
Betty crept away to her own bed when the story was finished. Bobby wasasleep, for which her chum was thankful. Betty wanted to think. Surelythere must be a way to recover the Macklin fortune, if it was still downin the big chasm.
"I'll tell Bob and we'll go and find that place. Perhaps he can think ofa plan," was Betty's last thought before she went to sleep.
The next few days were very busy ones for every pupil. Ada and Ruth, intears, submitted to having their wardrobes censored, and thereafterappeared in clothes that were not too striking.
The appointments with Mrs. Eustice materialized, and Betty, after herinterview, was conscious of a sincere affection for the woman who seemedto understand girls so thoroughly.
Bobby was "crazy," to quote her own expression, about the gymnasiumclasses, and Miss Anderson beamed approvingly upon her. Betty, too, wasoften to be found in the gymnasium after school hours, but Libbie had tobe driven to regular exercise. She liked to dance, but unless some onewas made responsible for her, she was prone to cut her regular gymnasiumperiod and devote the time to some thrilling novel. When the other girlsdiscovered this they good-naturedly made up a schedule for the week,assigning a different day to every girl whose duty it should be to "seal,sign and deliver" the reluctant Libbie at the gymnasium door at theappointed time.
Mrs. Eustice, rather peculiarly some people thought--Ada Nansen's motheramong them--held the theory that school girls should spend a fairproportion of their time in study. She had small patience with thefaddist type of school that abhorred "night work" and whose studentsspecialized on "manners" to the neglect of spelling.
"I dislike the term 'finishing school,'" she had once said. "I tryto teach my girls that what they learn in school fits them forbeginning life."
So from seven to half-past eight every night, except Friday, the pupilsat Shadyside were busy with their books. They might study in their rooms,provided their marks for the preceding week were satisfactory, but thosewho fell below a certain percentage were sentenced to prepare theirlessons in the study hall under the eye of a teacher.
The second Friday night of the term the new students were warned bylittle pink cocked notes to remain in their rooms after dinner until theyhad been inspected by the "Mysterious Four."
"It's a secret society," Bobby announced the moment she had read hernote. "Well, let's go upstairs and prepare to be inspected."
The eight gathered in Betty and Bobby's room, and though they wereexpecting it, the knock, when it finally did come, made them all jump.
"Come--come in," stammered Betty and Bobby together.
Four veiled figures entered, each carrying something in her hand. Theyspoke in disguised voices, though as they were upper classmen they werefairly safe from recognition; the new girls were hardly acquainted amongthemselves and knew few of the older students by name.
"Freshmen," said the tallest figure, "when we enter, rise."
The eight leaped to their feet at a bound.
"Do you wish to become members of the Mysterious Four?" demanded thesecond figure.
"Oh, yes," chorused the willing victims.
"It is well," chanted the third figure.
"It is well," echoed the fourth.
"I don't," said Libbie calmly.
"Don't what?" questioned the tallest figure, evidently appointed chiefspokesman.
"Want to be a member of the Mysterious Four," announced Libbie, who hadan obstinate streak in her make-up.
"Unfortunately," the spokesman informed her, "you haven't any choice inthe matter; you're elected one already."
While Libbie was thinking up an answer, which considering the finalityof that statement, was not an easy matter, the tall draped figure wenton to explain to the interested girls that there were two degrees tobe undergone before one could be a full fledged member of theMysterious Four.
"You must take the first degree to-night," they were told. "The secondwill be several weeks later."
"Are we allowed to ask a question?" asked Betty respectfully.
"Oh, yes. But we may not answer it," was the cheering response.
"Why is the society called the 'Mysterious Four'?" asked Betty "All thefreshman class received notes, so the membership must be large; wheredoes the four enter?"
"You'll learn that at the close of your first degree," said the spokesmanwith firm kindness. "Now you're to remain here for five minutes, and thengo down to the study hall. Five minutes, remember."
They departed majestically, and the girls were left to spend their fiveminutes in discussion of the visit.
"I don't see why I have to belong," grumbled Libbie.
"It will do you good," said Bobby severely. "When I promised AuntElizabeth to look after you, I didn't know that meant I would have torisk my head by sleeping under 'Lady Gwendolyn' in two volumes--and fatones at that"
Libbie had the grace to blush. Bobby, who was fond of books but whosetaste ran to "Rules for Basketball" and "How to Gain Health ThroughExercise," had put up a small shelf directly over her bed to hold herliterary treasures. Libbie, exhausting the space in her tiny cornerbookcase had thoughtlessly placed the two heavy volumes of the storyBobby mentioned on top of her cousin's books with the awful result thatthe shelf broke in the night and spilled the books on the wrathful Bobby.
"Let's go down to the study hall," suggested peace-loving Louise. "Thefive minutes are up."
Down they trooped, to find a number of girls already there, for the mostpart looking rather frightened.
At five minute intervals other groups entered, until all the freshmanclass was assembled.
"I don't care anything about this society," whispered Ada Nansen toRuth Royal. "I wouldn't give fifty cents for an organization where nodiscrimination is shown in choosing the members. However, this isMrs. Eustice's pet scheme, they tell me, and I want to stand wellwith her. Next year I'm going to get elected to the White Scroll,you see if I don't."
The Mysterious Four came in as the last group of girls were seated andslowly mounted the platform.
"Candidates," announced the leader, "you are summoned here to take yourfirst degree. It is simple, but no shirking is to be permitted. You areto do the one thing that you do best. As your names are called, you willmount the platform and comply. Four minutes is allowed for decision--onthe platform."
There was a gasp from the audience, and one could almost see the mentalcog wheels of sixty girls going furiously to work.
"Betty," whispered the desperate Bobby, "what can you do best?"
"Ride, I guess," said Betty, recollections of Clover coming to mind.
There was a crashing chord from the piano. One of the veiled figures hadseated herself at the instrument and now proceeded to play "appropriateselections" as the candidates performed their turns.
As the clever leader had foreseen, no one relished spending her allottedfour minutes for reflect
ion on the platform in full view of the audience,and the majority of the victims made up their minds with a rush.
After they had entered into the spirit of the thing, it was fun, andtheir shrieks of laughter aroused sympathetic smiles in other rooms. Noteachers and no member of the other classes were permitted to enter, butAunt Nancy, the fat cook, and half a dozen young waitresses peeped in atthe door and enjoyed the spectacle hugely.
Betty Gordon obligingly cantered across the platform on a chair and wonapplause by her realistic interpretation of western riding. Bobbyconvulsed the room with her imaginary efforts to cut and fit a dress, hermistakes being glaring ones, for Bobby never touched a needle if shecould help it. Clever Constance Howard had gone for her ukulele andplayed it charmingly. Libbie insisted on giving the "balcony scene" fromRomeo and Juliet, in which she was supported by the unwilling Frances,who was certainly the stiffest Romeo who ever walked the stage.
"Ada Nansen," called the leader, when the eight chums had made theirindividual contributions to the program.