Aunt Jane's Nieces on the Ranch

  CHAPTER XX--MR. RUNYON'S DISCOVERY

  Sing Fing excelled himself at the dinner that evening, which was a merrymeal because all dangers and worries seemed to belong to the past. Alsoit was, as Uncle John feelingly remarked, "the first square meal theyhad enjoyed since the one at Castro's restaurant." Of course Runyonstayed, because he was to help search the wall the next day, and as thetelephone had been repaired Louise called up Rudolph and Helen Hahn andbegged them to drive over and help them celebrate at the festive board.

  So the Hahns came--although they returned home again in the lateevening--and it was really a joyous and happy occasion. Inez brought inthe baby, which crowed jubilantly and submitted to so many kisses thatPatsy declared she was afraid they would wear the skin off Toodlum'schubby cheeks unless they desisted.

  Mildred had gone to her room immediately after her confession in thecourt and Louise had respected her desire for privacy and had orderedher dinner sent in to her.

  As they all sat in the library, after dining, in a cosy circle aroundthe grate fire, they conversed seriously on Mildred Leighton andcanvassed her past history and future prospects.

  "I cannot see," said Beth, always the nurse's champion, "that we arecalled upon to condemn poor Mildred because her father was a criminal."

  "Of course not," agreed Patsy, "the poor child wasn't to blame."

  "These criminal tendencies," remarked the major gravely, "are sometimeshereditary."

  "Oh, but that's nonsense!" declared Uncle John. "We can't imagineMildred's becoming a smuggler--or smuggleress, or whatever you call it.That hard, cold look in her eyes, which we all so thoughtlesslycondemned, was merely an indication of suffering, of hurt pride andshame for the disgrace that had been thrust upon her. I liked the girlbetter to-day, as with blazing cheeks she told of all her grief andstruggles, than ever before since I knew her."

  "The expression of the eye," said Arthur, "is usually considered aninfallible indication of character."

  "That's a foolish prejudice," asserted Patsy, whose own frank andbrilliant eyes were her chief attraction.

  "I do not think so, dear," objected Louise. "The eyes may not trulyindicate character, but they surely indicate one's state of mind. We didnot read the hard look in Mildred's eyes correctly, I admit, but itshowed her to be on guard against the world's criticism, resentful ofher hard fate and hopeless in her longing for a respectable socialposition. She realized that were her story known she would meet withsneers and jeers on every side, and therefore she proudly held herselfaloof."

  "But now," said Patsy, "circumstances have changed Mildred's viewpoint.She found that our knowledge of her story only brought her sympathy andconsideration, and when she left us I noticed that her eyes were softand grateful and full of tears."

  Big Runyon had listened to this conversation rather uneasily and withevident disapproval. Now he said, in as positive a tone as hisunfortunate voice would permit:

  "That girl's a corker, and I'm proud of her. In the first place, mymother is a shrewd judge of character. You can't fool her about aperson's worth; just see how accurately she judged _my_ character! Whenthe dear old lady--whose only fault is being so close-fisted--picked upMildred Leighton and defended her, that act vouched for the girl's worthbeyond dispute. Mrs. Runyon--bless her stingy old heart!--never makes amistake. Just think of it: she actually spent money in giving Mildred aneducation as a trained nurse. To my mind that settled the girl'scharacter for all time. Now, I don't care a continental whether shefinds any smuggled laces or not; she needs a friend, and now that she isaway from my mother's care _I'm_ going to be that friend."

  "Oh, Bul!" cried Louise with lively interest, "are you in love?"

  "Me? At my age? Cer-tain-ly not!"

  "How old are you?"

  "Thirty."

  "Old enough to know better," said Uncle John.

  "Old enough to need a wife to care for him," suggested Helen Hahn.

  "Honest Injun, Run; aren't you a little soft on Mildred?" asked Rudolph.

  "Well, perhaps a little; but it's nothing like that currant-jelly,chocolate bonbon, glucose-like feeling which I've observed is theoutward demonstration of love."

  "Oh, well; marry the girl and be done with it, then," laughed Arthur.

  "And rob me of my nurse?" protested Louise.

  "Runyon needs a nurse as much as Jane. In fact, he's a much biggerbaby."

  Mr. Runyon accepted all this jollying with calm indifference.

  "The days of chivalry are over," he sighed. "If a fellow tries toprotect a maiden in distress, they think he wants to marry her."

  "Don't you?" asked Patsy, in a sympathetic tone.

  "Why, I hadn't thought of it before; but it wouldn't be a half-badidea," he confessed. "Ranch life is a bit lonely without women around tobother one."

  "You are all talking foolishly," observed Beth, who was not romantic."Mildred might object to washing Mr. Runyon's dishes."

  "Why, yes; I believe she would," said Mr. Runyon. "I'm sure shedisapproves of my character; that's why I respect her judgment, sohighly. She didn't seem at all interested in those various mortgages,when I mentioned them; and what else have I to offer a wife?"

  Even the cosy library could not hold them very late, for none had beenfully restored by the sleep obtained during the day. Bed seemed morealluring than a grate fire and when the Hahns went home the party brokeup, to meet again at an eight o'clock breakfast.

  As soon as the meal was over Arthur Weldon announced that the firstbusiness of the day would be an examination of the secret rooms in thewall of the old East Wing.

  "And this must be a thorough and final inspection of the place," headded. "We must satisfy ourselves and Mildred Travers, without theshadow of a doubt, that we have inventoried every blessed thing in thoserooms--even to the rats and beetles."

  "That's right," approved Mr. Merrick. "Let us do the job once and forall. We've plenty of time at our disposal and there are enough of uswith sharp eyes to ferret out every mystery of the place. In Mildred'sinterest we must be thorough."

  In the court they found old Miguel, sitting motionless and patient. Hewas carefully dressed in his best clothes and wore a red necktie, "justas if," said Patsy, "he was going to a party instead of delving in dustyplaces."

  The ranchero arose and made his master and mistress one of his bestbows. Then he waited silently for instructions.

  Beth went to Mildred's room and brought the girl to join the searchers,for this undertaking had been planned on her account. Her face wore ananxious look, for although she was not very hopeful of results it wasthe last chance of her securing any of her father's personalpossessions. Otherwise she greeted the party with modesty and withgentle dignity and had never seemed to them more womanly or agreeable.

  Together they left the court and proceeded to the nursery. There were nolaggards and everyone except the servants was determined to have a partin the fascinating investigation.

  Mildred explained to them the manner in which she had first entered thewall, putting in action the secret method taught her as a girl byCristoval and demonstrating the mechanism before their very eyes. Theyentered the lower chamber, one by one, and this time the adobe door wasnot closed behind them, although the light of broad day now flooded theplace through the opening discovered by Runyon. This opening led intothe garden and was half choked with rose vines. The series of swingingblocks had been propped back against the outer wall to insure a readyexit in case of accident.

  And now they eagerly set to work to pry into every crack and corner ofthe place. The main idea was to find some secret cavity or cupboard inthe wall which might contain the missing laces or other valuables. Withthis in view they had brought levers and pries and all sorts of toolsthat might be of service.

  The girls were mainly useful in taking up and turning the matting, nowsomewhat decayed by age, and investigating those nooks and shelvesalready discovered. But they found little more than Mildred had doneduring her first exploration, and the men who we
re testing the wall metwith no encouragement at all. Aside from the two cleverly constructedopenings--one into the nursery and one into the garden--the blocks whichcomposed the wall seemed every one solid and immovable and resistedevery attempt to wrest them from their places.

  After more than two hours of industry, during which every man believedhe had examined every block, they were forced to abandon the lowerchamber and ascend the steep stairs to the upper one.

  "This," said Arthur, looking around him, "seems far more promising. Letus give the floor our first attention, for it is not over the lower roombut to one side of it. It strikes me that the builder would be quitelikely to make a secret pocket in the floor."

  Following this advice they attacked the blocks of the floor with pry andcrowbar, but found nothing to reward them. Old Miguel worked steadilyand did whatever he was told, but displayed no particle of enthusiasm,or even of interest.

  After the floor, the walls were examined, one by one, from floor toceiling. The panel on the inner wall, which had baffled both Mildred andRunyon on that eventful night of their imprisonment, suddenly disclosedits secret when accidentally pressed on opposite corners at the sametime. It slipped down and discovered a similar panel beyond it, whichwas operated by a spring placed in plain sight. Releasing this, theyfound they were looking into the vacant second story room which they hadonce before unsuccessfully searched.

  So this was one way from the house into the upper chamber of the wall.Of course there was another way--that through which Runyon had been soabruptly precipitated. In order to find this the more readily, they sentthe big rancher into the blue room and asked him to take the sameposition in the window he had on the night of his disappearance. This hedid, pushing against the planking that boxed the window, with bothelbows and with his back and shoulders, but without result. Finally, inhis attempts, he inadvertently struck the opposite panel with his heel,and the response was startling. The panel, at his back, being released,fell backward without warning and for the second time Runyon tumbledunawares into the chamber of the wall. As soon as his body had fallenthrough, the panel slammed into place again, urged by a very powerfulsteel spring, but the major, who had been in the blue room to watchRunyon, had caught the trick and the mystery was solved.

  As for Mr. Runyon, he again fell upon the bed and rebounded, knockingover both Mr. Merrick and Miguel as he alighted in the narrow chamber,but fortunately not injuring either of them.

  A little dazed by his second precipitation, the big rancher stared amoment and then slapped his thigh a mighty stroke.

  "I have it--I have it!" he cried.

  "It occurs to me," said Uncle John, a little resentfully, "that youdeserve all you've got, and more. It's a wonder you didn't break yourneck."

  "What have you, Run?" asked Arthur.

  "I've found the laces."

  "What?--where?" they exclaimed.

  "In the blue room, or on the way down?" added Beth sarcastically.

  "After I got down," he answered. "What fools we have all been!"

  "Will you kindly explain, Mr. Runyon?" asked Mildred, very earnestly.

  "I will. It's simple enough. Just look at that bed."

  "The bed!" And now every eye was turned upon the couch.

  "Of course," said Runyon. "There's something more than a mere mattressand springs. I've tumbled onto the thing twice, and I ought to know."