The Secret of Steeple Rocks

  CHAPTER III

  PEGGY IVES

  The running girls reached the scene just as Dalton and the girl who hadjumped from the horse were picking themselves up and out of someblackberry bushes. Leslie was relieved to see that Dalton wasdisentangling himself with all his limbs in working order.

  "Oh! oh! Didn't I _kill_ you, falling on you that way? I ought to haveknown better, but you held up your hands, you know. Say, I could havechosen some bushes that weren't _blackberry_ bushes, though!"

  Somewhat hysterical Leslie thought the young lady, but when she knew herbetter, she found that this was Peggy Ives' usual style of conversation.

  "Just look a little farther on and you will see why any bushes woulddo," said Dalton, pulling a long blackberry branch from her dress andgiving her his hand to help her up.

  "Say, you are all scratched up, too, and you even had the sense to throwyour robe over the bush,--not that it did much good! I'm full ofprickles, but I am certainly much obliged!"

  By this time the young girl was on her feet, looking questioningly atthe girls who had stepped up closely.

  "Are you hurt, Dal?" Leslie inquired.

  "Not to amount to anything,--a few scratches."

  "And a bump or two," added the new acquaintance.

  "I caught you sideways," said Dalton, "and only eased your fall. Are yousure that you are whole?"

  "Oh, yes. I'm not feeling so good, but neither are you. My name is PeggyIves."

  "Mine is Dalton Secrest and this is my sister Leslie."

  Leslie, rather ashamed of having asked after her brother's safety first,held out her hand to Peggy and asked if she could not help get out someof the prickles. Sarita was introduced while they drew out of the bushesand crossed the trail to the edge of the cliff, where there were rocksto make seats for them.

  Peggy limped a little and Leslie put an arm around her, finding Peggy aslim little thing, glad of someone to lean upon. Dalton still stood bythe blackberry bushes, getting rid of briars, and wiping off the resultof some scratches, with a handkerchief which he had found in hisbathrobe pocket.

  "What became of my horse?" Peggy asked. "Did either of you see it?"

  "Yes," Sarita answered. "He ran on and fell, but he must have pickedhimself up, for I looked down the road a minute ago and he wasn'tthere."

  "I am going to 'catch it' at home. Oh, here they come!"

  They all looked up the road, in the direction of Steeple Rocks, to seeMr. Ives and a pleasant-looking youth of perhaps Dalton's age. Both wereriding, their horses carefully held in to keep them from stumbling. "Didyou get thrown, Peggy?" the boy asked, as Peggy rose and limped outtoward them.

  "No. I jumped. That boy over there--"

  "Never mind, Peggy," said Mr. Ives impatiently. "Jack says that youbolted into the woods and left him. Where is your horse?"

  "I don't know. This girl says that she saw him roll down the hill, buthe isn't there now. They were ever so kind to me--"

  Peggy seemed fated to be interrupted, for Mr. Ives again broke in uponher speech to direct the boy to give Peggy his horse and go down intothe village to find the other. "If you can't find him, go to Bill's andget a horse to bring you home."

  Peggy was helped upon the other horse, after a vain effort to introduceMr. Ives to the girls. Dalton had thrown his bathrobe around hisshoulders and started for the beach as soon as he had seen the Ivesdelegation approaching. "I have met them, Peggy," Mr. Ives had saidshortly. "You did not see me bow to them."

  "Neither did we," said Sarita, a moment after Peggy, looking back with asmile and wave, had ridden away.

  "Neither did we what?" asked Leslie.

  "See Mr. Ives bow to us."

  "Well, he gave us a look anyway, and maybe he did bow. I didn't thinkabout it."

  "Scene number two in the Secrest-Ives meller-dramer!" Sarita went on.

  Leslie laughed. "What brilliant idea have you now, Sarita? What wasscene number one? Mr. Ives' appearance?"

  "Yes. Villain appears, threatens hero. Scene two, villain's daughterrescued by the hero. Leading lady, star of the movies, yet to bediscovered. Perhaps she is the villain's daughter."

  "She is a nice little thing, isn't she? I imagine that she is a littleyounger than we are, but it's hard to tell. She has a funnystreak,--telling Dal that she could have chosen the bushes!"

  "I liked her, and Mr. Ives can be just as nice as pie, but he wants toget rid of us, that's clear, and he doesn't like it that Dal isn't moreupset and scared about it."

  "Smart girl. That's what I think, too. But I wouldn't say that he isreally a 'villain.' Perhaps he is right. Wouldn't it be _too_ bad ifthere was something crooked about the title and Father didn't know it!The only thing is, I can't imagine that Father would buy a piece of landwithout knowing all about it."

  "And your dad a lawyer, too!"

  "Exactly. But look at Dal, going in anyhow! The salt water will nearlykill him with those scratches!"

  They did not stay in the water long on this first occasion, but they allfound it invigorating and Dalton insisted that after the first he didnot notice the scratches. "I'm hurrying off now," he said, after theycame out of the water. "I'll probably have to get the name of the manFather bought the place of from the deed. I wish we'd brought our deedwith us. Perhaps Beth will remember it, and I can ask her casually, 'bythe way, Beth, do you remember,' and so forth?"

  "I'll ask her, and tell you. You'll not be dressed before we get there."

  "No. Take your time. Don't hurry Sarita up the cliff and maybe have someaccident yourself. Turned out to be Ives' daughter?"

  "Yes, I suppose so, by the way he bossed her, and her name is PeggyIves. Didn't you kind of like her?"

  "A smart little thing. She screamed just before she jumped; but she wasplucky about her bruises. I shouldn't be surprised but she sprained herankle. Get acquainted, girls. Perhaps the stern parent will relenttoward us."

  "I think I see ourselves calling at Steeple Rocks! You'd better go._You_ have been invited, you know."

  Dalton laughed and ran on, his bathrobe flapping about his ankles.

  But like Peggy, Dalton was not feeling "so good." He had fairly thoughtat the impact that his shoulder was broken or dislocated. Then he found,as they picked themselves out of the blackberry briars, that it was not.The cold sea water felt good to it and he gave himself a vigorousrubbing both in and out of the water, not trying to swim out far fromshore, a sensible plan in any event, since they did not know the coasthere. Now his shoulder ached.

  When Leslie came into the little camp, shortly after his own arrival, hecalled to her. "Any of that liniment, Les, that I use?"

  "Yes, Dal. Do you suppose that Beth would go anywhere with you along andno liniment?"

  Dalton heard Sarita laugh at this.

  "I didn't know, Leslie," Dalton returned. "I didn't expect to playfootball up here, you know. Please hunt me up the bottle,--that's a goodgirl!"

  Leslie made no reply, for she was already hunting the liniment. Handingit in through the flap of the tent, she said, "Let me rub your shoulderfor you, Dal."

  "Thanks. I'll do it this time, but it knocks out my going anywhere withmy good clothes on. Did you ever see such luck!"

  "Don't worry, Dal. If Mr. Ives really is going to do anything mean, allhe would have to do would be to telephone somebody to fix it up and thatwould get ahead of you anyhow. It is too late to go to-day, seems to me.Get up early to-morrow morning and start."

  "Perhaps I will, but I'll go to the village and get some means oftransportation arranged for."

  Shortly Dalton was out, arrayed in his camp outfit, an old shirt and asweater covering the aching shoulder. But he looked more dogged thanhappy as he started down the trail again, and Sarita remarked to Lesliethat Dalton was blue.

  "I believe that he is more worried over what Mr. Ives said to us than hewill say. But I'm not going to worry. Whatever is right will be foundout, I hope, and anyhow we ar
e in this lovely country. It wouldn't costmuch to put our things in a truck and go somewhere else, but not on anyold land of Mr. Ives'! We could rent a spot near here. But what I'mwondering about is if he has any reason why he wouldn't want us to stayaround. There are other tourists, though, in cottages."

  "But none so near Steeple Rocks, Leslie, or on the bay. Maybe he justwants what he thinks is his own land."

  "Or _wants_ to think it."

  As so often it happens, the day had turned out entirely different fromtheir plans. Instead of target practice the girls chose other pursuits.Elizabeth was absorbed in her first successful sketches. Dalton broughtback from the village some fine fish and reported that he had found outhow to get to the county seat, where the deed would be recorded. He hadfound someone at the village who would drive him there.

  Elizabeth was not admitted to this news, but after their delicioussupper, she officiated as chief nurse in making Dalton comfortable. Theother girls had given her the details of the accident.

  "It will do no harm to wait a little in seeing about your building,Dalton," consolingly said Beth, gently rubbing in the liniment. "Bymorning, though, this will feel better, I am sure."

  "Gee, your hands are soft, Beth. You are as good as Mother used to be!"

  "That is about the nicest thing you could say to me, Dal," returned hissister. "I've been a poor substitute, but I have wanted to take herplace a little."

  "You are all right, Beth," said Dalton, with boyish embarrassment oversentiment expressed. "You've had to do Father's job too. _Boy_, thatfeels the best yet! Do you know what I'm going to do, Beth?"

  "I am no mind-reader, Dal."

  "Well, I've decided to put off building or even cutting the trees for aweek or two. I'll fish and poke around in a boat, seeing the place. Youand the girls will want to come along sometimes, too. We'll go out andget you fine views of the shore and beach and all the rocks you want tosketch. And the next fish we eat may be what we have caught. How do youlike lobster and shrimps, Beth?"

  "I am perishing for some!"

  "Here's the boy that will get them for you!" Thus Elizabeth accepted thechange of plan without being troubled by a knowledge of the cause.