CHAPTER X--CONJECTURES AND ABSURDITIES
In somber procession the men trailed up the stairs to the big library,where a dapper little man sat reading a book and puffing at a hugecigar. He looked up, as they entered, and nodded a head as guiltless ofhair as was that of Uncle John. But his face was fresh and chubby,despite his fifty years, and the merry twinkle in his gray eyes seemedout of place, at first thought, in this house of anxiety and distress.
"Ah, Weldon; what news of little Jane?" he cheerfully inquired.
"None, Doctor."
"No trace at all?"
"None, whatever."
"That's good," declared the doctor, removing the ash from his cigar.
"Good!"
"Of course. No news is good news. I'll wager my new touring-car that ourJane is sound asleep and dreaming of the angels, this very minute."
"Has your new car a self-starter?" inquired Runyon anxiously, as ifabout to accept the wager.
"I wish I might share your belief, Doctor," said Arthur with a deepsigh. "It all seems a terrible mystery and I can think of no logicalexplanation to assure me of baby's safety."
"Yes, it's a mystery," agreed Dr. Knox. "But I've just thought of asolution."
"What is it?" cried half a dozen voices.
"Sit down and light up. I hope you all smoke? And you need refreshment,for you've been working under a strain."
"Refreshments are coming presently," said Rudolph. "What's yoursolution, Doc?"
"The young ladies have been telling me every detail of thedisappearance, as well as the events leading up to it. Now, it seemsMildred Travers is an old resident of this section of California. Wasborn here, in fact."
This was news to them all and the suggestion it conveyed caused them toregard Dr. Knox attentively.
"The old Travers Ranch is near San Feliz--about thirty miles south ofhere. I know that ranch by reputation, but I've never been there. Nowfor my solution. The Travers family, hearing that Mildred is at ElCajon, drive over here in their automobile and induce the girl to gohome with them. She can't leave baby, so she takes little Jane along,and also Inez to help care for her. There's the fact, in a nutshell.See? It's all as plain as a pikestaff."
For a moment there was silence. Then big Runyon voiced the sentiment ofthe party in his high treble.
"You may be a good doctor," said he, "but you're a thunderin' baddetective."
"If I could telephone to the Travers Ranch, I'd convince you," assertedthe doctor, unmoved by adverse criticism; "but your blamed old telephoneis out of order."
"As for that," remarked Rudolph, taking a cigar from a box, "I've been avisitor at the Travers Ranch many times. Charlie Benton lives there.There hasn't been a Travers on the place since they sold it, ten ortwelve years ago."
"Well," said the doctor, "I'm sorry to hear that. It was such a simplesolution that I thought it must be right."
"It was, indeed, simple," admitted Runyon. "Ah! here comes food atlast."
Patsy, Beth and Helen bore huge trays containing the principal dishes ofthe untasted dinner, supplemented with sandwiches and steaming coffee.This last the thoughtful Sing Fing had kept in readiness all theevening, knowing it would be required sooner or later.
Neither Uncle John nor the major was loth to partake of the much-neededrefreshment. They even persuaded Arthur to take a cup of coffee. It wasnoticeable that now, whenever baby Jane was mentioned, they spoke hername in hushed whispers; yet no one could get away, for long, from theone enthralling subject of the little one's mysterious disappearance.
"What can we do now?" asked Arthur pleadingly. "I feel guilty to besitting here in comfort while my darling may be suffering privations,or--or--"
"Really, there is nothing more to be done, just now," said Patsy,interrupting him before he could mention any other harrowing fears. "Youhave all done everything that mortals could do, for to-night, and in themorning we will resume the search along other lines. In my opinion youall ought to get to bed and try to rest, for to-morrow there will be alot for you to do."
"What?" asked Arthur helplessly.
"Well, I think you ought to telegraph for detectives. If ever a mysteryexisted, here is one, and only a clever detective could know how totackle such a problem."
"Also," added Beth, "you ought to telegraph to every place inCalifornia, ordering the arrest of the fugitives."
"I've done that already."
"Can't anyone think of a _reason_ for the disappearance of these threepersons--the baby and her two nurses?" inquired Mrs. Hahn earnestly. "Itseems to me that if we knew what object they could have in disappearing,we would be able to guess where they've gone." Then the pretty littlewoman blushed at her temerity in making such a long speech. But thedoctor supported her.
"Now that," said he, "strikes me as a sensible proposition. Give us thereason, some of you who know."
But no one knew a reason.
"Here are some facts, though," said Patsy. "Inez was baby's first nurse,and resented Mildred's coming. Somehow, I always get back to that factwhen I begin to conjecture. The two nurses hated each other--everybodyadmits that. Mildred hated mildly; Inez venomously."
"Miguel told me that Inez has threatened to kill Mildred," said Arthur."And there is another thing: one of the women said Inez brought the babyto the quarters, at about noon, and while there they discovered Mildredwatching them from the shelter of a hedge. This incensed Inez and shehurried away to the house, followed stealthily by Mildred."
"That," said Dolph, "was perhaps the beginning of the quarrel. We don'tknow what happened afterward, except that both were seen in the courtwith baby at about two o'clock."
"Afterward," said Patsy, "one of the housemaids saw Inez go out--as iffor a walk. She may have returned. I think she did, for otherwise it wasMildred who carried the baby away. I can see no reason for her doingthat."
"Of course Inez returned," declared Arthur, "for nothing would induceher to run away from us and leave her beloved baby. I believe the poorgirl would rather die than be separated for good from little Jane.You've no idea how passionately she worshiped the child."
"All of which," the doctor stated, "indicates a tragedy rather than somefeminine whim--which last I much prefer as a solution. But if bothnurses were fond of little Jane--who is the finest baby I ever knew, bythe way--no quarrel or other escapade would permit them to injure thedear infant. Let us worry about the two girls, but not about littleJane."
Such advice was impossible to follow, and doubtless the shrewd doctorknew it; but it was a comforting thought, nevertheless, and had alreadydone much to sustain the despairing father.
No one seemed willing to adopt Patsy's suggestion that they go to bedand get some much needed rest, in preparation for the morrow. Arthurleft them for a time to visit Louise, but soon returned with word thatshe was quietly sleeping under the influence of the potion the doctorhad administered. The three girls--for Mrs. Hahn was only a girl--sathuddled in one corner, whispering at times and trying to cheer oneanother. The doctor read in his book. Rudolph smoked and lay back in hischair, gazing reflectively at the ceiling. Bul Run had his feet on asecond chair and soon fell into a doze, when he snored in such a highfalsetto that Arthur kicked his shins to abate the nuisance. The majorsat stiffly, gazing straight ahead, and Uncle John tramped up and downthe room untiringly. The baby had grown very dear to the hearts of theselast two men in the few days they had known her and her sudden lossrendered them inconsolable.
The suspense was dreadful. Had it been day, they could have donesomething to further the search, but the night held them impotent andthey knew they must wear out the dreary hours as best they might.
At one o'clock Patsy drew her father aside and prevailed upon him to goto his room and lie down.
"This tedious waiting is merely wearing you out," she said, "and fordear baby's sake you should be fresh and vigorous in the morning."
That seemed to the major to be very sensible, especially as he felt theneed of rest, so he slipped away a
nd went to the blue room, which waslocated in the old wing and just above the nursery.
Then the girl approached Uncle John, but he would not listen to her. Hewas too nervous to rest, he insisted, and she realized that he spoketruly. Just as she abandoned the argument they were all startled by thesound of wheels rolling up the driveway and Arthur rushed to an openwindow and looked out.
An automobile had just arrived.
"Who is it?" he called.
"Id's me, Meisteh Veldon--id's Peters, de constable," called a richvoice in strong German dialect. "I got your baby here, und der Mexicogirls to boots!"
"What!" they all shrieked, springing up to crowd around the window.
"Bring her in, Peters!" yelled Arthur, a great gladness in his voice,and now he was half running, half tumbling down the stairs in his hasteto reach the door, while the others trailed after him like the tail of acomet.
As the door was thrown open Peters--a stout German--entered with abundle in his arms, followed by a weeping, angry Mexican woman who wasfat and forty and as unlike Inez as was possible.
Even as Arthur's eyes fell on this poor creature his heart sank, and therevulsion of feeling was so severe that he tottered and almost fell.Runyon grabbed his arm and supported him while Peters fumbled with thewrappings of the baby.
"Do I gets me dot rewards--heh?" asked the constable, holding up a fatlittle Mexican baby, whose full black eyes regarded the groupwonderingly.
The father turned away, heartsick.
"Give him some money and get rid of him," he moaned.
Dolph took the constable in hand.
"You blooming idiot!" he exclaimed. "Why did you drag that poor womanhere?"
"Id iss a rewards for der Mexico girl unt a baby; dot iss what ef'rybodysay. How do I know id iss not Herr Veldon's baby?" demanded theindignant German. "Do his baby gots a sign on id, to say id iss de rightbaby, vot iss lost unt must be foundt? No, py jimminy! He yust say hehass a lost baby, unt a Mexico girl hass runned avay mit id. * * * So Ifinds me a Mexico girl unt a baby--unt here id iss!"
Patsy took the baby, a good little thing, and placed it in its mother'sarms.
"Who are you, and where did this man find you?" the girl askedsympathetically.
The woman first shook her head and then burst into a voluble stream ofSpanish, not a word of which could be understood.
"She cannot speak de Ingliss, like me, so I cannod tell if she iss deright Mexico vomans or nod," explained the constable. "Bud I brings hermit me, yust de same, unt id costs me four dollars to rendt me anautomobubbles."
"Take her back," said Hahn, giving him a ten-dollar note; and then hegave the woman some money and kissed the baby, which smiled at himapprovingly.
Beth ran to get some of the sandwiches for the woman, while Patsybrought milk for the baby and Uncle John offered the constable a cigar.Then the three were sent away and the automobile rolled back to town.