CHAPTER XXIII THE SECRET--CONCLUSION
It was some moments before either girl was able to speak after that firstburst of emotion and surprise. But Dorothy was too happy to remain longin tears--even tears of joy that for the moment had overcome her.
Tavia was pale, and her eyes were red from much weeping. Her unhappyplight was apparent at a glance, and this was incentive enough to causeDorothy to again clasp her in her arms and hug her tighter than ever. Shehad forgotten her own physical weakness now that she had found Tavia, andshe felt that she must hasten to get her dear friend into a state of mindthat might help her to forget the sad experiences she had passed through.
"Tavia! Tavia, dear," whispered Dorothy, as the girl fell again toweeping, "do look up and forget it all--for my sake, do. I have searchedso long for you, but now I have found you. Come with me and we'll be justthe same as we always were."
"Oh, how can I?" cried the miserable girl. "Who will look at me now? Howcan I ever face the folks again? Oh, Dorothy, let me go away forever! Ican not bear the disgrace!" and she moaned pitifully in her bitteranguish.
"But, Tavia, you really meant nothing wrong," said Dorothy taking thetrembling hands in her own which were scarcely less agitated.
"No, I never meant to do wrong," spoke Tavia, lifting her head with herold, proud bearing. "I broke my promise to you--I listened to that girlin Rochester--she gave me a letter to a theatrical manager in Buffalo. Ionly wanted to make a name for myself--to gratify my ambition--I wantedto earn money to get back to school--you know we had no more--"
"You poor darling!" whispered Dorothy. "Was that it? Don't worry so. Noone will ever know. I have not told even Nat, and we will keep it asecret between us forever. Do come with me, dear," as Tavia appeared tolook brighter. "I must get to North Birchland to-night--Oh, if you everknew the time I had getting away from the boys!" And she went onhurriedly for several minutes.
"And did you come all the way alone, Dorothy Dale? You have saved me inspite of myself!" declared Tavia, almost tragically. "Yes, I will goback. I can look them all in the face, for I only tried to work and I didnot mean to deceive any one longer than would be necessary for me to geta start. But now, Dorothy, I have had enough of it. Where do you want meto go?"
"So it wasn't as nice as you thought it would be?" asked Dorothy, anxiousto hear some of Tavia's experiences.
"Nice?" There was no concealing the disgust in Tavia's voice. "It wasawful, Dorothy! It was a regular barn-storming company! Playing one-nightstands! We never had good houses. They said it was because it was thesummer season, but I guess it was because the play was so poor. We didnot get all our salaries and half the time didn't have enough to eat.Then the show 'busted'!"
"Did you have a good--part I believe they call it?"
"A good part? Say, Doro," and Tavia actually seemed her old self again."I had an idea I was to be Lady Rossmore, or at least one of the family."
"Weren't you?"
"I should say not! I was Lucy, the parlor maid, and the only time I wason the stage was when I was dusting the make-believe furniture. And asfor my lines--well, I had a very heavy and strong thinking part."
"Oh, Tavia!"
"That's my theatrical experience," answered Tavia. "Oh, Doro, I'm verymiserable," she wailed again.
"Never mind, dear. Dry your eyes now, you're all right. I'm--Oh, I'm sohappy that I have found you again. Come back to the station with me. Ihave some one else to bring home, too. Urania, the Gypsy girl--youremember her at Glenwood, I guess--she has been trying to see the worldand she caught too big a glimpse of it. Poor girl, she is quite sick andmiserable."
Then, as they hurried from the park, Dorothy told Tavia of the troubleshe had to get Urania on the train. A happy thought came to Tavia, and,with a bright smile she said:
"I have it! In this little hand bag--all the baggage I have left by theway--I have a very quiet suit. I used it in the play, for sometimes I hadto take two or three parts if one of the other girls was ill, but theynever amounted to much--the parts I mean. We can put this suit onUrania."
Being thus able to help some one else worse off than herself seemed to doTavia good for her kind heart always prompted her to acts of this sort.It was a step back into the old life.
At the station they found Urania all excitement.
"The young men were here!" she exclaimed to Dorothy, "and they have goneoff to look for you. I didn't dare speak to them, but I peeked out and Iheard the station man tell them where he had seen you go to, and theyflew off again in their dust-wagon like mad. Oh, Miss, I wish they hadfound you, and they looked so tired and hardly spoke like I've alwaysheard 'em, so polite and nice."
"Ned and Nat here in Rockdale!" exclaimed Dorothy, overjoyed at the news."Here, Urania, you go in that little room and put these things on you'llfind in this bag," and she handed the Gypsy Tavia's little valise.
"I'll help her," volunteered Tavia, glad to be of service to Dorothy.
"Now remember, Tavia," said Dorothy in a low tone, "whoever we meet nowI'm to do all the talking. This is my big secret and you must let me takecare of it. Have you any baggage--Oh, I forgot, all the baggage of thecompany is held for debts, I believe."
"Not mine," replied Tavia promptly. "All I have is in my valise. It wasso small they let me keep it. They only wanted trunks and I didn't haveany. I travel light."
"Well, hurry now and get Urania ready," said Dorothy. She walked overtoward the door of the ladies' waiting room. Suddenly she fancied sheheard--yes--sure enough that was the toot of the Fire Bird's horn!
"Oh, Tavia!" she called. "Here they come! Hurry! Hurry Urania! Tavia! Wemust all be out there together when they come up."
At that the automobile swept up to the station in a cloud of dust. Out onthe platform hurried Dorothy, Tavia and Urania, the latter smilingbroadly in her new outfit.
"Well, I give up!" exclaimed Nat, the first to alight from the pantingcar. "If you haven't given us a merry chase, Dorothy! We got worriedafter you left us and we traced you from place to place. Thought surewe'd lost you here. Oh, it was a merry chase."
"Glad it was merry," exclaimed Tavia, forgetting that Dorothy was to doall the talking.
"Yes, I should say it was," put in Ned, "and she skipped off to meet youwithout giving us a hint--"
"Now, Ned, don't be cross," said Dorothy sweetly. "See what a large partyyou have to take home. And you must not scold the girls, for we have asmuch right as you boys have to take little trips together."
The boys were too well pleased to argue or be angry. In fact, they hadhad a very miserable time of it since Dorothy "escaped," as they calledit. Now, they wanted nothing better than to get into the machine with thegirls and make all speed for home.
"Have you room for Urania?" asked Dorothy. "Can she stand up between theseats?"
"Why, of course," assented Ned. "Plenty of room. Get aboard everybody."
"Let me get under the seat," protested the Gypsy girl. "That was the wayI came out."
"So it was!" said Nat. "I'd almost forgotten about you, young lady. She'sthe girl," he went on, turning to the others, "who stole a ride with methe day I went into Dalton, Dorothy. She actually rode under the backseat where she'd hidden in the night. She made the noise we thought was aburglar, you know. She gave me the slip, though, when I went to take herback, so now she must ride in the open, where I can keep my eye on her."
"Oh, Urania! You said--" began Dorothy, thinking of what the Gypsy girlhad said about Nat taking her away.
"Oh, please don't be hard on me," pleaded Urania. "I was so miserable Ididn't know what I was saying. It's true, just as he says, and it's allmy fault. I ran away. He didn't take me."
Dorothy climbed in beside Ned. Tavia was in her usual seat with Nat. ThenUrania squatted down, in true Gypsy fashion, on the floor of the car attheir feet.
"I guess we'll just about make it after all," commented Ned, as he turnedon the power more fully and threw in the clu
tch. "We're due home aboutseven, but we'll have to speed it up a bit to do it. Lucky it's nearlylevel all the way."
"And when we do get home," put in Nat, "you girls will just have to ownup and tell the whole story. No serial for ours. We want it complete inone number."
"Indeed, we'll do nothing of the sort!" exclaimed Dorothy. "We're notgoing to tell you a single word. We'll get home about on time, accordingto agreement, and you have no reason to find a single bit of fault. Taviawill come to North Birchland just as she promised to early in the season.She's been too busy to come before," and Dorothy smiled. "And if we dohave our own affairs to talk about you must not expect to knoweverything. Girls have to have secrets, or they wouldn't be girls, and wehave now got ours."
"Yes," agreed Tavia in a low voice with a loving look at her chum, "It'sDorothy's great secret and I guess I'll help her keep it."
And here, as they are speeding toward North Birchland, we will take leaveof Dorothy, Tavia and the boys for a while. Dorothy kept the secret, asdid Tavia, and no one ever knew the real meaning of Tavia's absence, norwhy Dorothy was so anxious to find her. The theatrical venture was neverdisclosed, thanks to Dorothy's tact and abilities, for she showed thatshe could manage some things even better than could her cousins.
"Well, it was a glorious trip to Buffalo after all," was Nat's comment,as they neared North Birchland.
"So it was," agreed Dorothy. Then she fell to wondering if she would everagain have so many adventures. Little did she dream of what the futureheld in store, as will be related in another story, which I shall call,"Dorothy Dale and Her Chums."
"Running some, aren't we?" said Ned, as the Fire Bird whizzed over thecountry road.
"I--I don't mind it," faltered Tavia. Then she turned to whisper toDorothy. "I am so thankful to leave the--that behind!"
Dorothy only smiled, but that smile showed that she understood perfectly.
THE END.