CHAPTER XIV THE RUNAWAY
Dorothy was not sure whether she dreamed it, or really heard soundsstirring under the trees. She had been thinking of the Gypsy girl, andTavia, as she fell asleep, and when she suddenly awoke in the middle ofthe night, there seemed to be some one moving about just under the windowof her room. It was so quiet that even faint sounds could be heard, andDorothy lay there listening for some time, after being aroused. Presentlysomething banged--like a blind being slammed back. There was no breath ofwind--surely someone must have opened the shutter!
The moonlight came in through the casement and illuminated the roomenough for her to see to get up and reach her door. It was but a step tothe boys' apartment. She would call them, she decided, but was mostanxious not to disturb her father or aunt.
Strange to say when Dorothy had slipped on her dressing gown and slippersand knocked at the door of the boys' room, she found them both awake, forthey had answered her light tap at once. A moment later they were in thecorridor, attired in their big bath robes.
"I'm sure I heard a footstep at the side porch," whispered Dorothy.
"So did I," answered Ned. "I've been awake for a long time, listening."
"Perhaps you had better go down," suggested Dorothy nervously. "It mightbe a tramp."
"Tramp nothing," declared Nat boldly, as he made his way softly to thefront door. "I'll bet it's our friend Urania. I was sure she would callthis evening."
Without the slightest fear the brothers opened the door, and searchedabout for a possible intruder. They even looked under the lilac bush atDorothy's window, but no midnight prowlers were discovered.
Dorothy bravely stood at the front door, waiting to call for more help incase the boys should need assistance, but they finally returned fromtheir hunt more disgusted than alarmed. Dorothy was entirely satisfiednow that no one was about the place.
"I call that mean," grumbled Nat. "I was all primed for an adventure."
"You should be careful what sort of acquaintances you pick up afterdark," cautioned Ned. "Your little Urania may turn out troublesome if youcross her. Gypsies have a way of making people 'pony up' with the money,you know."
"Don't wake the folks," cautioned Dorothy, leading the way back to thesleeping rooms. "I'm not a bit afraid now."
"Well, if she comes back again, ask her in," spoke Nat in a hoarsewhisper. "I think Urania needs a talking to."
Dorothy fell asleep again, after listening for some time, and was notdisturbed any further that night, until the bright sun shining into herwindows, called her to get up to begin another day.
As they had planned, Nat was to start early for Dalton. He could easilymake some excuse for his solitary trip--say that he wanted to see somefriends who were off camping, or that he wanted to go fishing. Hementioned these two objects vaguely as he started off.
Dorothy warned him not to let an inkling of her fears concerning Taviareach the ears of any one in Dalton, but there was no need for this, asNat was as anxious as was his cousin to keep the matter secret betweenthem.
"It's an easy thing to start gossip in a place like Dalton," he whisperedto Dorothy as he threw in the clutch to send the auto on its way, "andyou can depend upon me to give them another 'think' if they're lookingfor news."
As the Fire Bird swung out along the path Nat turned to wave a reassuringgood-bye to Dorothy who stood on the porch watching him spin away.
The morning which had begun so bright and pleasant now took on a gloomyaspect for Dorothy. How could she wait for Nat's return? And what wouldhe find out concerning Tavia and her plans? Suppose she should really bein Buffalo? That would not necessarily mean that she had gone away--shemight be visiting her friend, Grace Barnum.
It seemed impossible for Dorothy to become interested in anything saveNat and his mission. She tried to sew, but soon laid aside the daintylittle work basket Aunt Winnie had provided for the summer hours on theporch. Then Ned invited her to go bicycling, and she had to make someexcuse for refusing the invitation. Even writing some letters for themajor did not distract her, and she could think of nothing but Nat andhis trip to Dalton.
But, somehow, the morning wore on, and it was almost time for Nat toreturn, as Dorothy knew in his swift car he could make the journey inrecord time over the good roads.
"But I'm sure something will delay him," said Dorothy to herself. "I feelas if something will surely happen!"
And a well-grounded fear it was for, meanwhile, something was happeningto Nat--something quite unexpected.
Having reached, in due time, Dalton and the little cottage where theTravers family dwelt, Nat steered the machine up in front of the door.Then he remembered he had to tighten the bolt of the clutch pedal, anddecided to do it before making his inquiries, as it was important thatthe pedal be tight. He turned back to the machine, from which he hadjumped, to get his wrench from the tool box under the rear seat. Heunbuttoned the leather curtain that reached down to the floor of thetonneau, and was feeling about for the wrench when he started back insurprise.
There, under the seat, stretched out so as to be concealed while thecurtain was down, was Urania, the Gypsy girl! The confined space made herhump up like an angry cat, and her dark face peered sharply into Nat'sfrom under the leather flap.
For a moment Nat could not find words to speak to the girl, who remainedin her hiding place, grinning out at him with a mocking look on her elfinface.
"Hello!" she exclaimed presently. "I had a lovely ride."
"Get out of there instantly," exclaimed Nat, in angry tones. "How in theworld did you ever get in there?"
"Oh, easy enough. You locked the door, but you left the shed window openlast night, and I crawled in. I was almost a goner, though, when you andyour brother came out on the porch looking for spooks. I was just tryingyour hammock then. That's a softer cradle than this stuffy place."
"I guess I'd better hand you over to a constable," went on Nat, realizingwhat it might mean to try to drag the girl from her hiding place justthen.
"Oh, don't trouble yourself," was the cool answer. "I believe I've hadenough of riding, and I'd like to stretch out a bit."
By this time the Travers family had become aware of the presence of theFire Bird at their door, and Mrs. Travers, impressed with thedistinction, had stepped back quickly to her room to tidy herself up abit. This gave Nat a few moments longer to think of what he had best dowith the Gypsy girl.
"Here," he said to her, rather fiercely, "you just stay under that seatuntil I'm ready to take you to a place of safety. Now, if you dare tomove while I'm in this house I'll--I'll have you arrested," and with thatNat fastened down the curtain securely, with a catch that snapped on theoutside and was incapable, as he supposed, of being opened from theinside.
He walked up the path to the front door and, after a few seconds, hisknock was answered by Mrs. Travers. With unlimited protestations ofwelcome she showed Nat in, and offered him a seat in the far corner ofthe room, some distance from the front windows. He felt that he hadbetter keep his eye on the machine, because of his concealed passenger,so, after a moment's hesitation, he took a chair near the front of theapartment, remarking, as he did so, what a pretty view there was from thewindow.
"What brings you to Dalton?" asked Mrs. Travers.
"I was--er--just passing through, and I thought I'd stop toinquire--about the family. Dorothy would like to know," said Nat.
"Oh, we're about as well as usual," said Tavia's mother.
"How's Tavia? Is she home?" asked Nat quickly, feeling that this was asgood an opening as he could desire.
"No, and I'm very sorry, for she'd be delighted to see you. She went toBuffalo just after coming from school. We scarcely had a good look ather. I wanted her to stay home for a week, but she was so set on goingthat she started off bag and baggage, and I'm sure I can't say when shewill be home. Of course she's with friends," the mother hastened to add,seeing the look of surprise that flashed over Ned's
face in spite of hiseffort at self-control.
"My cousin, Dorothy, wrote to her," Nat hastened to say, to cover hisconfusion, "and, not receiving an answer, thought it likely that shemight be ill, or away."
"Tavia's father forwarded the letter to her," said Mrs. Travers. "Sheshould have answered it by this time. We have only had one souvenir cardfrom her since she went away, but it was a real pretty one; I'd like toshow it to you, but I guess I've mislaid it. I can't think where I putit."
"Never mind. I suppose it takes some time for a letter to travel whenit's been forwarded from one place to another. I dare say Dorothy willsoon hear from her. I'm glad all the family are well. Major Dale isalways glad to hear news of the Dalton folks."
"And indeed we all miss the major," spoke Mrs. Travers with a show offeeling. "Not to say we don't miss the entire family, for the boys werefine little fellows, and, as for Dorothy--"
The intended tribute to Dorothy ended with a little catch in Mrs.Travers's voice, for she was very fond of her daughter's companion, andsometimes showed her feelings with a touch of sentimentality.
Then, as Nat was really in a hurry (for he could not stop thinking ofUrania under the seat) he made his excuses as quickly and as politely asthe circumstances would allow, and was soon out of the house. He lost notime in cranking up and, in a few minutes, was chug-chugging at top speeddown the country road.
He had made up his mind to take the Gypsy girl back to North Birchland,and was vaguely wondering, as he dashed along, why she did not knock onthe seat and demand to be let out of her uncomfortable quarters.
"I think I'll stop and just take a look at her. She may be crying," thelad remarked to himself, and, bringing the machine to a halt alongsidethe road, he stepped out.
He assumed a determined look before unfastening the curtain, for he wasbound not to let his sympathies run away with him in dealing with theunruly girl. He shoved back the catch and raised the leather flap.
Urania was gone!
"Well, I'll be jiggered!" cried Nat aloud, so great was his astonishmentat the second surprise the Gypsy had given him. "If she isn't a dandy!How in the world did she slip out without me seeing her?"
But Nat had forgotten the few moments when he sat on the sofa at the rearside of Mrs. Travers's parlor, some distance from the front windows, andit was in those few moments that Urania had managed to undo the catch, inspite of its supposed security, and slip out of the Fire Bird. Swiftly,as no girl but a Gypsy can run, she had fled down the street, across theDalton bridge, and into the deep woods beyond, where she would have timeto plan out the remainder of her day's travels.
"Well, she's gone--good riddance," thought Nat, as he started up themachine once more, and turned, at a swift speed, into the turnpikeleading to North Birchland.