Aunt Jane's Nieces on the Ranch

  CHAPTER VII--GONE!

  The Weldons and their guests were greeted at their door by a maid, forthere were no men among the house servants, and as Louise ushered theparty into the living room she said to the girl:

  "Ask Miss Travers to bring the baby here."

  The maid departed and was gone so long that Louise started out to seewhy her order was not obeyed. She met the woman coming back with apuzzled face.

  "Mees Traver not here, senora," she said.

  "Then tell Inez to fetch the baby."

  "Inez not here, senora," returned the woman.

  "Indeed! Then where is baby?"

  "Mees Jane not here, senora."

  Louise rushed to the nursery, followed by Arthur, whose quick ears hadoverheard the statement. The young mother bent over the crib, the coversof which were thrown back as if the infant had been quickly caughtup--perhaps from a sound sleep.

  "Good gracious!" cried Louise, despairingly; "she's gone--my baby'sgone!"

  "Gone?" echoed Arthur, in a distracted tone. "What does it mean, Louise?Where can she be?"

  A gentle hand was laid on his shoulder and Uncle John, who had followedthem to the room, said soothingly:

  "Don't get excited, my boy; there's nothing to worry about. Your twonurses have probably taken little Jane out for a ride."

  "At this time of night?" exclaimed Louise. "Impossible!"

  "It is merely twilight; they may have been delayed," replied Mr.Merrick.

  "But the air grows chill at this hour, and--"

  "And there is the baby-cab!" added Arthur, pointing to a corner.

  Louise and her husband looked into one another's eyes and their facesgrew rigid and white. Uncle John, noting their terror, spoke again.

  "This is absurd," said he. "Two competent nurses, both devoted to littleJane, would not allow the baby to come to harm, I assure you."

  "Where is she, then?" demanded Arthur.

  "Hello; what's up?" called Patsy Doyle, entering the room with Beth tosee what was keeping them from their guests.

  "Baby's gone!" wailed Louise, falling into a chair promptly to indulgein a flood of tears.

  "Gone? Nonsense," said Beth, gazing into the empty cradle. Then she putdown her hand and felt of the bedding. It had no warmth. Evidently thechild had been removed long ago.

  "Before we give way to hysterics," advised Uncle John, striving toappear calm, "let us investigate this matter sensibly. Babies don'tdisappear mysteriously, in these days, I assure you."

  "Question the servants," suggested Patsy.

  "That's the idea," squeaked a high tenor voice, and there in the dimlight stood big Bulwer Runyon, and with him little Rudolph and his wifeHelen, all exhibiting astonished and disturbed countenances.

  "I--I can't see any reason for worry, Louise, dear," remarked Mrs. Hahn,in a voice that trembled with agitation. "Not a soul on earth would harmthat precious Jane."

  Arthur turned to the maid.

  "Send all the servants here," he commanded. "Every one of them, mindyou!"

  Presently they congregated in the roomy nursery, which had now beenbrilliantly lighted. There were five women--some old and some young, butall Mexicans--and a little withered Chinaman named Sing Fing, whose agewas uncertain and whose yellow face seemed incapable of expression.

  Uncle John, assisted at times by Rudolph and Arthur, did thequestioning. Marcia had seen Miss Travers leave the house, alone, atabout two o'clock, as if for a walk. She did not notice which way thenurse went nor whether she returned. Perhaps she wore a cloak; Marciacould not tell. The day was warm; doubtless Miss Travers had no wraps atall. A hat? Oh, no. She would have noticed a hat.

  The only one who recollected seeing Inez was Eulalia, a chambermaid. Shehad observed Inez sitting in the court, in a despondent attitude, atabout half past two. Yes; it might have been a little earlier; it washard to remember. None of the house servants paid much attention to thenurses. They had their own duties to perform.

  But the baby had not been seen at all; not since Inez had brought her infrom her ride at noon. Then it was Miss Travers who had taken the childfrom the cab and with her disappeared into the nursery.

  This report did not prove reassuring. Sing Fing announced that MissTravers had prepared the baby's liquid food in the kitchen at half pasttwelve, but that neither she nor Inez had joined the other servants atluncheon. This last was not an unusual occurrence, it seemed, but takenin connection with the other circumstances it impressed the questionersas suspicious.

  "Perhaps they are all at the Mexican quarters," exclaimed Patsy, withsudden inspiration.

  Arthur and Rudolph immediately volunteered to investigate the quartersand started off on a run.

  "It's all right, you know," consolingly panted Dolph, on the way. "Thebaby and her nurses can't be lost, strayed or stolen, so don't worry."

  "Common sense urges me to agree with you," returned Arthur, "but there'scertainly something mysterious about the disappearance."

  "It won't be mysterious when we discover the reason, you know."

  The men were all at work in the olive groves, but some of the women werein the huts and old Bella listened to Arthur's frantic questions withblank amazement, as did the others who hastily congregated.

  "Thees morn," said Bella, "Inez bring Mees Jane here for littletime--not long time. Then she takes her 'way again."

  "While Inez here," said another woman, "I see that other--the Americannurse--behind hedge, yonder, watching us."

  "How you know that?" demanded Bella sharply, as she turned to thespeaker.

  "I know because she is stranger," was the calm reply. "Inez see her,too, an' that ees why Inez hurry away."

  "Which way did she go?" asked Arthur, and they all pointed to the paththat led to the house.

  "It doesn't matter," suggested Dolph. "We know that both the nurses werein the house afterward. The main point is that the baby is not here."

  As they started to return they came face to face with old Miguel. Theshadow was deep beneath the trees but there was no mistaking theMexican's snow-white hair.

  "Have you seen baby?" demanded Weldon eagerly.

  Miguel stared at them. He came nearer, putting his face close to hismaster's, and stared harder.

  "Mees Jane? You ask for Mees Jane?"

  "Yes. Tell me, quick, do you know where she is?"

  "Mees Jane mus' be at house," said Miguel, passing a hand over his eyesas if bewildered.

  "She is not," said Rudolph. "She is gone, and both her nurses are gone."

  "Inez gone?" repeated the old man, stupidly. "Ah; then she have carriedaway Mees Jane! I was 'fraid of that."

  "Carried her away! Why should she do that?" asked Arthur impatiently.

  "She jealous of New York girl--Mees Travers. Inez say she kill MeesTravers; but I tell her no. I say better not. But Inez hate thees girlfor taking Mees Jane away from her. Inez love baby, Meest Weld; too muchto be safe nurse."

  While Arthur tried to comprehend this strange information Rudolph saidto Miguel:

  "Then you haven't seen the baby? You don't know where she is?"

  The old Mexican gave him a keen look.

  "No, Meest Hahn."

  "You don't know where Inez has gone?"

  "No, Meest Hahn."

  "Nor the other nurse--the American girl?"

  "No, Meest Hahn."

  They hurried back to the house, leaving the old Mexican standingmotionless beside the path.