CHAPTER XV The Secret in Stone
"I knew it! I knew it!" Madge exclaimed, gazing in dismay at thewreckage. "All evening I felt something like this was about to happen."
"Perhaps the wind blew it over," Miss Swenster said, though her voicedisclosed that she had no faith in her own words.
"It would have taken a cyclone to move that heavy sundial," Madgedeclared. "Someone deliberately cracked it open. See, here's thesledge-hammer he used. I knew I heard some such sound."
"And like as not the pearls are gone!" Cara wailed.
"That's a foregone conclusion," Madge responded. "But we may as well geta light and make a thorough search."
Miss Swenster already had started for the house. She returned a minutelater with a flashlight. They turned it upon the dark interior of thebroken pedestal and Madge felt around with her hand.
"If the pearls were ever here they're gone now," she announced.
The significance of the discovery was gradually dawning upon her. Sheknew that it was John Swenster who had been prowling about the garden andnow she was convinced that he had broken open the sundial in an attemptto locate the pearls. At the risk of shocking Miss Swenster, shedetermined to withhold her information no longer.
"Miss Swenster, I should have told you this before," she said quietly."Your son is in Claymore--has been for days. I learned this afternoonthat he had registered at the Grand Hotel."
Miss Swenster's face was hidden by the darkness but the girls saw herfigure straighten. She spoke no word and Madge rushed recklessly on:
"Perhaps I ought not to say this, but I discovered that it was he whocame here at night."
"The prowler you saw digging here in the garden?" Miss Swenster asked ina tense, unnatural voice.
"Yes."
"Then I think we know what became of the pearls. You should have told mebefore, Madge."
"I did intend to--but----"
"I understand," Miss Swenster interrupted, "you hoped to spare myfeelings. We must try to reach my son at once!"
"He's registered at the hotel, but I'm afraid he may be gone by thistime. I heard him say he was checking out early."
"We can't let him get away with the pearls! Come, we'll call a taxi."
They rushed to the house. While Madge and Cara struggled into theirwraps, Miss Swenster telephoned the nearest cab agency. In five minutesthe taxi was at the door.
"To the Grand Hotel," Miss Swenster directed, "and hurry!"
In the dim light of the cab she looked very pale but determined. Shelistened quietly as Madge related in detail her experience of theafternoon.
The cab halted in front of the hotel and the doorman assisted them toalight. Telling the driver to wait, the three hurried inside, goingdirectly to the desk.
"We should like to see Mr. Swenster," Madge said. "Is he here?"
The clerk shook his head regretfully.
"Sorry. He checked out some time ago. He went at least a half hour ago,I'd say."
"You don't know where he was going?" Madge demanded eagerly. "It's veryimportant."
"You might inquire of the starter," the clerk suggested. "I believe Mr.Swenster called a taxi."
The three hurried outside again, asking the same question of the doorman.He did not know Mr. Swenster by name but recalled him from Madge'saccurate description.
"If I remember rightly, he went to the Union depot," he informed.
They sprang into the waiting cab, directing the driver to take them tothe station.
"Step on it!" Madge ordered.
She glanced at her wrist watch. It was exactly nine-thirty and she knewthat an express train left for New York at nine-forty.
"Oh, we'll never make it!" she breathed.
Miss Swenster's lips drew down into a tighter line. Her fingers nervouslytapped the car window.
They had three minutes to spare as the cab pulled up to the station.Tumbling out, they started off at a run, unaware of the curious staresdirected at them.
Entering the waiting room, they swiftly surveyed it. John Swenster was nowhere to be seen.
"He's probably on the train by this time!" Cara cried. "And it pulls outin two minutes."
Miss Swenster and Madge dragged her toward the gate. "Tickets!" thegateman said sternly. "You can't go in without--"
The three brushed past him so quickly that he was taken completely bysurprise, and could only stare after their retreating backs.
They ran down the platform.
"Look!" Madge cried, pointing to a man ahead. "Isn't that he?"
"Yes, it's John," Miss Swenster murmured.
They touched him on the shoulder just as he was boarding the train. Hewheeled and the color drained from his face as he beheld Miss Swenster.
"John--" her voice quavered, then took on a sterner tone. "You must comewith me."
He laughed unpleasantly.
"Sorry, but I'm taking this train." He tried to board it but Caradeliberately blocked his way.
"You can't go until you explain a number of things," Miss Swenster saidquietly. "And you must give me the pearls!"
"Well, of all the idiotic things! Say, are you trying to create a scene?"
With increasing uneasiness, he surveyed a little group of persons who hadgathered on the platform to see what the argument was about. Passengershad thrust their heads curiously from the train windows.
"All aboard!" the conductor called.
"Get out of my way!" John Swenster said harshly, thrusting Cara aside.
Madge darted forward, snatching his suitcase from his hand.
"All right, if you go, you go without your suitcase! And what's more,we'll have you arrested at the first stop!"
The man faced Madge with smoldering eyes. He saw that he could notretrieve his suitcase without a struggle and the conductor was not insufficient sympathy to hold the train a minute. Even now it was slowlypulling from the station.
Frantically, he watched the cars moving by. He seemed undecided what todo. Then with a gesture of angry submission, he abandoned all intentionof boarding the train.
"Well, now that you've made me miss my train, just what do you want?" heasked unpleasantly, moving toward Madge as if to recover his suitcase.
She backed away.
"Now, John," Miss Swenster said firmly, "unless you wish me to call thepolice, you must come without making any fuss."
"Where do you expect me to go?" he demanded sullenly.
"To my home. We'll talk matters over there."
"All right," he said suddenly. "I'll check my suitcase and go with you."
"We'll take the suitcase along," Miss Swenster told him.
He looked as though he intended to refuse, but the sight of a policemanmoving through the train gate, caused him to change his mind. Madge andCara carried the suitcase to a taxi cab, not trusting it in his hands.
"This is an outrage!" John Swenster protested as they drove toward themansion.
His foster-mother paid scant attention. Not until they were all in theliving room of the mansion did she speak her mind.
"John," she said calmly, "I've stood entirely too much at your hands.I've protected you for the last time. Now either give up the pearls orI'll turn you over to the authorities."
"Pearls!" he scoffed. "I don't know anything about your pearls."
"Madge, will you search the suitcase?"
The girls had been waiting for this opportunity. Quickly, while JohnSwenster looked on furiously, they unstrapped the case and opened it.They lifted out several layers of clothing. In the very bottom, lay anold candy box. Madge shook it. Something rattled. She opened the box.
Inside lay a string of pearls, perfect in shape, skillfully matched--themost beautiful necklace the girls had ever seen.
"The famous old Swenster pearls that were willed to my mother!" MissSwenster exclaimed. She turned coldly to her adopted son, "And you wouldhave stolen them from me!"
A sudden change had come
over the man. At sight of the pearls whichplainly established his guilt, his arrogance departed. He gazedcontritely upon his foster mother. Madge instantly divined that he hopedto appeal to her sympathies.
"I would never have touched your pearls only I'm in such desperate need,"he whined. "I can't find work. Why, I haven't had a decent meal in weeks.I'm down and out while you have this fine home--everything."
He made a rather appealing figure as he stood there pleading his case.Madge and Cara exchanged uneasy glances. Would Miss Swenster give in tohim as she had in the past?
The old lady seemed to waver. Her face softened, then tightened again.
"Don't try your old tactics," she said sternly. "I notice that you havegood clothing and you had money enough to stay at the Grand Hotel.However, I'll be generous. If you care to make your home here you arefree to do so."
He laughed bitterly.
"You think I'd stay in this one-horse town? Not on your life! You mustfurnish me with money to live in Chicago or New York."
"You'll not get another cent from me--ever!"
John Swenster shrugged his shoulders.
"O.K. Then I'll be ambling along."
"One minute!" Miss Swenster halted him. "I am letting you off easier thanyou deserve. By rights I should turn you over to the police."
"Oh, you're being very generous!" he mocked.
"Unless you tell me exactly what motivated your return to Claymore--and atruthful story, mind you--I may change my mind about being so generous!"
John Swenster recognized that she meant what she said. He realized toothat her feeling toward him had undergone a change, that he could nolonger bend her to his will.
"There's little to tell," he said gruffly. "I was out of money and Ithought the pearls might tide me over. I'd have had 'em too if it hadn'tbeen for these girls!"
"How did you learn of the pearls?" Miss Swenster questioned.
"Knew about them when I was a boy. Remember that old desk of yours? Well,it has a secret panel. There's a diary inside that told about the pearls.I tore out one of the pages years ago and then forgot about it."
"Just what did that page say about the pearls?" Madge inquired curiously."Did it say they were hidden in the sundial?"
"No, it didn't. If it had, I'd have made off with them weeks ago. Theonly hint I had was that they were hidden somewhere near the sundial.Like a fool I wasted a lot of time digging up the garden!"
"We saw you," Madge admitted. "But tell us, what brought you here just atthis time?"
"It was years ago I learned about the pearls. I tried to locate them atthe time but failed. Then I forgot all about it until I learned that MissSwenster was coming back here to open up the house. I thought I'd gethere first and make one more try. I didn't have any luck until itoccurred to me that the pearls might have been hidden inside the dial.Tonight I came here, chancing detection, and cracked open the pedestal. Ifound the necklace inside."
Miss Swenster asked a few more questions before telling her son that hemight feel free to go. After he had left, she stood for some minutes atthe window, watching his retreating figure. Then she turned back to thegirls, and with tears in her eyes thanked them for their aid.
"You have saved my house!" she said. "Finding the pearls means more to methan you'll ever know."
It was so late that Cara and Madge dared linger no longer. However, thefollowing day they were back at the mansion to learn from Miss Swensterthat she had called off her auction sale. Already she was making plans torestore the estate to its former elegance and she had engaged old UncleRoss as gardener. She told them too, that she had turned over thenecklace to a jeweler for an appraisal.
"I don't know its value yet," she declared, "but it will bring more thanenough to keep me in my old age. I intend to reward you girls too!"
Madge and Cara demurred and Miss Swenster finally dropped the subjectafter warning them she would have something more to say when theirbirthdays arrived. Nevertheless, the girls did have one favor toask--that they might hold a meeting of Skull and Crossbones at the oldmansion.
The very next Saturday Madge and Cara introduced their friends to thedelightful estate. They pointed out the broken sundial which MissSwenster planned to repair, the desk with the secret panel, and told astory which held their friends spellbound.
"You lucky thing," Jane Allen said enviously to Madge. "How do you manageto run into all these entrancing adventures?"
"They seem to run into me," she laughed.
"It's not fair for you to have a corner on all the fun," Enid Burnettcomplained good naturedly. "We'll not forgive you unless you promise totake us in on your next secret."
"Oh, I shall," Madge returned, "though I can't say when I'll haveanother. If only you'd all go North with me next summer, I know I couldguarantee real fun and perhaps an adventure."
"Let's take her up on it!" Enid cried.
The girls all laughed for as they sat in the cozy drawing room before thecrackling fire, summer seemed a long way off and Canada too far distantto even imagine. Yet, the germ had taken root, and the next year was tosee them all in the North Woods with Madge fulfilling her pledge.
THE END
Transcriber's Notes
--Silently corrected several palpable typos in spelling and punctuation
--Added a list of the books in the series to the title page
--Left the original copyright notice unchanged, although the book is public domain in the U.S. (author date of death is 2002).
--As the original book jacket was unavailable, provided an image of the title page instead.
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