CHAPTER XXVIII. OLD FRIENDS
Jean, Dan and Gerald had gone at once to the corral with the four horsesthey had ridden and were still there (for Jean had much to show hisguests) when the car arrived, and so the excitement was quite over whenthey at last sauntered around one corner of the porch.
There were four in the party of autoists, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Starr,Marion, and Bob, her young brother.
Jane at once took Merry to her room, while Julie accepted Meg'sinvitation to wander about the gardens and make the acquaintance of theflowers. Mr. Packard had just returned from showing Mr. and Mrs. Starr tothe guest room when the boys appeared. Bob Starr had lingered to lookover the car, which was the pride of his heart, and so it was that hefirst met Jean, Dan and Gerald. Jean proved himself an expert mechanic,as was also Mr. Packard, and they promised the lad that directly afterlunch they would assist him in putting his car in the best of shape.
Meanwhile Jane and Merry were telling each other all that had happenedsince last they had met.
"I simply can't understand it in the least," Jane declared for the tenthtime. "To think that you deliberately gave up the opportunity to spend awhole summer in Newport to undergo the hardships of a cross-country motortrip."
Merry dropped down in a deep easy chair and laughed happily. "Oh, I'veloved it! Every hour of the trip has been fascinating. Of course I'mmighty glad Mr. Packard saved our lives, but even that was exciting."
"But wasn't your Aunt Belle terribly disappointed?"
"Why, no; not at all. There are steens of us in the Starr family. Shejust invited some other girl cousins. Aunt Belle is never so happy aswhen she is surrounded with gay young girls. Then, moreover, EstherBallard couldn't go. Her artist father had planned a tramping tripthrough Switzerland as a surprise for her and Barbara Morris decided toaccompany them; so you and I would have been quite alone at Newport. Butdo tell me who is the girl to whom you introduced me when I firstarrived? She is beautiful, isn't she?"
Jane surely had changed in the past week, for her reply was sincere andeven enthusiastic. "Merry, that girl is more than beautiful. She iswonderful! I want you to know her better. She has saved me from myself."Then she laughingly arose, holding out both hands to assist her friend toher feet. "If you are rested, dear, come out on the porch. I want you tomeet the nicest, well, almost the nicest boy I have ever known."
Merry glanced up roguishly. "Are congratulations in order?"
Jane flushed prettily, though she protested: "You know they are not,Marion Starr! Romance is as far from my thoughts today as it ever was,but next to Dan, I do like Jean best."
"Well, I certainly am curious to meet this paragon of a youth." Merrygave her friend's waist a little affectionate hug, then said: "I have apretty nice brother of my own. He ought to be ready by now to bepresented to my best friend." Together they went toward the front door."I know Bob must be nice," Jane agreed, "since he is your twin."
The girls appeared on the porch just as the boys had completed aninspection of the machine and so Jane's "paragon," with a smudge ofgrease on one cheek and smeared hands, laughingly begged Merry to pardonhis inability to remove his hat. Before Marion could reply, her brotherled her aside and talked rapidly and in a low voice, then returning hesaid in his pleasing manner: "Miss Abbott, you will pardon any seeminglack of courtesy on my part when I tell you there was something veryimportant which I wished to say to my sister, and there is no time likethe present, you know."
Merry laughingly interrupted: "And now that you have made that longspeech to Jane, it would be sort of an anti-climax, would it not, for meto formally introduce you? However, Jane, this is my wayward youngbrother Bob, whom I am endeavoring to bring up the way that he shouldgo." Jane held out a slim white hand, but, although she said just theright thing, her thoughts were busy. Something had happened that she didnot understand.
Mrs. Starr rested that afternoon in one of the comfortable recliningchairs on the wide front porch. Mr. Starr was most interested in all thatMr. Packard had to show him, while the young people went for a horsebackride in merry cavalcade. Bob Starr was eager to see the washout, anddecide for himself what chance of escape they might have had. Julie wasoverjoyed that this time she also might accompany the riders. A smallspotted pony was chosen for her, as it was a most reliable littlecreature--sure-footed and gentle.
For a while Jane and Merry rode side by side, then Bob and Jean Sawyer,who for some time had ridden far back of the others, galloped up and rodealongside of the two girls, Bob next to Jane and Jean close to Merry.
There was a pang in the dark girl's heart. She had noticed several timesat lunch that Jean had glanced across at Marion Starr and had smiled ather when their eyes met. But the trail soon became too rough to permitfour to ride abreast, and so Jean called: "Miss Starr, suppose you and Iride ahead and set the pace."
Marion smiled at her friend. "That will give you and Bob a chance tobecome better acquainted," she said, then urged her horse to a gallop,and away they went, Jean and Merry, laughing happily, and yet when theyhad quite outdistanced the rest, Jane noted that they rode more slowlyand close together, as though in serious converse.
"They surely are becoming acquainted very rapidly," the girl thoughtmiserably. She had not realized until now how very much Jean Sawyer'sadmiration had meant to her. Suddenly she felt so alone and looked backto find the brother who had always cared so much for her, but he also wascompletely engrossed in another girl, for Meg had dismounted to examinesome growth by the trail, and Dan, standing at her side, was listening,as he gazed into her dusky eyes, with great evident interest. Janesighed.
"I deserve it all," she thought. "I have not been lovable, and so whyshould I expect to be loved?"
"Jean Sawyer seems to be a mighty fine chap," her companion was saying."Is he overseer of this cattle ranch?"
"Yes, I understand that is the position he fills," Jane said, feelingsuddenly very weary, and wishing that she could ride back to the ranchhouse. A fortnight before she would have done so, but now a thought forthe happiness of others came to prevent such a selfish decision, for, ofcourse, if Jane turned back, some of the others would also, for the ladswere too chivalrous to permit her to ride alone. Bob, glancing at her,decided that she was not interested in his companionship, but for Merry'ssake he made one more effort at friendly conversation.
"I do not suppose, though, that so fine a chap and one so capable willremain forever in the position of an employee," he ventured. "Do you knowwhere he hails from?"
"No, I do not," Jane replied. Then wishing to change the subject, shepointed toward a hill over which one lone vulture was swinging in widecircles. "There is the washout!" Merry and Jean were galloping backtoward them.
The girl rode up to Jane as she said with a shudder: "Oh, I don't want togo any closer! When I saw that wicked looking vulture and heard why he iscircling there I could picture all too plainly what _would_ have happenedif we had been killed and----"
It was seldom that Merry was so overcome. "Jane, do you mind riding backwith me?" she pleaded. "I want to go to my mother."
And so the two girls turned back toward the ranch house. They assured theothers that they did not mind going alone. Jane noticed that Merry saidnothing of the conversation that she had had with Jean Sawyer; in fact,she did not mention his name and neither did Jane. When they reached theranch house Merry ran up the steps, and kneeling, she held her motherclose. That sweet-faced woman smoothed the sunny hair of the girl she soloved, marveling at the unusual emotion, but when her daughter told herhow much more vividly she could picture their escape, after she had seenthe washout, and the vulture, the older woman understood. Jane, watchingher friend, felt that something more than a view of the road where theremight have been a tragedy was affecting her dearest friend, nor was shewrong.
Mr. Packard prevailed upon Mrs. and Mr. Starr to remain as his guests forat least another day, that the mother of Merry and Bob might becomethorough
ly rested before the return journey to the East, which was to bemade by train, the automobile to be shipped back.
"O, Mrs. Starr, how I do wish you would permit Merry and Bob to visit usin our cabin on Redfords Peak," Jane said when this decision had beenreached. "Couldn't they stay until we return East next month?"
Mrs. Starr looked inquiringly at her husband, but it was Merry whoreplied. "Not quite that long, dear," she said, slipping an arm about herfriend. "I very much want to be in New York on September the first."
Just why she glanced quickly up at Jean Sawyer, a pretty flush tintingher cheeks, Jane could not understand. There was an actual pain in herheart, and she caught her breath quickly before she could reply in avoice that sounded natural: "Well, then, at least you and Bob can remainwith us for two weeks and that will be better than not at all."
The selfish side of Jane's nature was saying to her: "Why urge Merry toremain, when, if she were to go, you could have Jean Sawyer'scompanionship all to yourself?" But Jane had indeed changed, for she putthe thought away from her as unworthy, and gave her friend a littleaffectionate hug when Mrs. Starr said that the plan was quite agreeableto her.
"Good! That's great!" Dan declared warmly. Then he excused himself, forhe saw Meg Heger returning with Julie from a "botany expedition" in thefoothills.
The mountain girl smiled up at him in her frank way when he ran down thegarden path toward them. "Have you news to tell us?" she inquired."You're looking wonderfully well these days, Daniel Abbott. I do notbelieve that your lungs were affected, after all."
"Indeed, they were not!" The boy whirled to walk at Meg's side, and asshe smiled up at him in her good comradeship way, he was almost impelledto add, "But my heart is." Instead, he laughed boyishly, and took thebasket of specimens that the girl carried. Peeping under the cover, heexclaimed: "Why, if you haven't taken them up, root and all."
Meg nodded joyfully. "Wasn't it nice of Mr. Packard to tell me that Imight transplant them to my own botany gardens. Aren't they the mostexquisite star-like flowers and the most delicate pinks and blues?" Then,when the cover had been replaced, Meg lifted long-lashed, dusky eyes thatwere more serious. "Dan, do you suppose Jane would mind if I went homethis afternoon? Think of it, in another fortnight I will be going toScarsburg to take the entrance examinations for the normal, and kind oldTeacher Bellows is giving me some special review work which I cannotafford to miss."
"If you return, I will also," the lad said; then, when he saw that hiscompanion was about to protest, he hurriedly added: "Not because you needmy protection, but because I _wish_ to be with you."
Meg gave no outward sign of having understood the deep underlying meaningof the words that she had heard, but the warmth in her heart assured herthat she was glad, glad that Dan wanted to accompany her.
Gerald came bounding toward them, dressed still in his fringed cowboysuit. "Say, kids," he shouted inelegantly, then looked rather sheepishlyat Julie, as though he expected one of her grandmotherly rebukes, buthearing none, he blurted on: "We're going to have a corn and potato roastfor supper tonight. Won't that be high jinks, though? Mr. Packard has abarbecue pit on the other side of the little lake. Oh. boy!" hecontinued, rubbing the spot where the feast would eventually be. "You betyou I'll be there with bells!" Then, catching Julie by the hand, he racedwith her to the corral, where they liked to look over the log fence atthe horses and colts in the enclosure.
Dan smiled down at his companion. "Let us wait until morning and start atsunrise, shall we?" he suggested. "If we go this afternoon, our hostmight think that we do not appreciate his plans for our entertainment."
Meg agreed willingly, little dreaming that so slight an incident was tomake a vital change in her hitherto uneventful life.