CHAPTER XIII
A SURPRISE PARTY
It had been a long day of uninterrupted pleasure for the "AutomobileGirls"--one of those sparkling, brilliant days that seem to belongpeculiarly to Florida in the early spring.
All morning the girls had cruised around the lake in a launch. Later inthe day they had bathed in the salt water of the Atlantic. Afterluncheon they had played several sets of tennis; and, later Miss Salliehad taken them to the cocoanut grove to drink lemonade and listen to themusic.
Miss Sallie had not spoken either to Maud Warren or to Mrs. De LanceySmythe since the evening before. The two women had carefully avoidedMiss Stuart. Once inside the cocoanut grove Bab's sharp eyes soondiscovered Maud, Mrs. Smythe and Marian seated at a table concealed byan enormous cluster of palms. They were deep in conversation. Mrs.Smythe was pouring wholesale flattery into Maud's ears to which thefoolish girl was listening eagerly.
Marian espied Barbara and came over to greet Miss Sallie and the"Automobile Girls." She knew nothing of her mother's difficulty withMiss Sallie.
"Marian," whispered Bab, as her new friend sat down next to her, "whydid you wish to know whether we were going to the countess's to dinnerto-night?"
"Why do you ask?" said Marian, looking a little frightened.
"Why it sounded to me as though you must have a reason for what yousaid," argued Bab. "Were you trying to warn me about anything? Or, is itsimply that you do not like the countess?"
"I think the countess is very fascinating," was Marian's only reply.
"Won't you even tell me why you told us to come home early if we didgo?" persisted Barbara.
Marian gave a forced laugh. "Oh, I was only giving you a little goodadvice about sitting up late. But just the same, I'm a very wise personand you had better take my advice."
"What are you two girls whispering about?" asked Ruth gayly. "Never havesecrets from your little friends. It hurts their feelings, dreadfully."
"We aren't having secrets," responded Barbara. "That is not exactly. I'monly trying to persuade Marian to tell me something. But she's a regularSphinx."
"Which would you rather be, a Sphinx or a chatterbox?" inquired Marian."And if you would, why would you, and if thus, why, therefore andwhereupon?"
"Fine!" exclaimed Ruth. "I never dreamed you could reel off nonsenselike that, Marian."
Marian laughed then rising said, "I suppose I shall have to go back toMama. I only came over for a minute." Her eyes again met Barbara's, andshe shook her head slightly, then nodding good-bye to the girls shecrossed over to where her mother was still conversing with Maud.
"Why did she shake her head at you, Bab?"
"She says again that we must come home early from the villa, to-night,but she won't tell me why," replied Bab. "She evidently knows somethingthat we don't. She was even more mysterious to-day than she was lastnight. Do you think we had better go?"
"Go! Of course we will," cried Ruth. "I don't believe Marian hasanything very serious on her mind."
"Really, children," interposed Miss Sallie in an annoyed tone, "if youbegin to conjure up mystery over so simple a matter as a dinnerinvitation I shall feel obliged to keep you all at home. One would thinkI was chaperoning a party of young sleuths, instead of four normal girlsout for a holiday."
This remark was received with discreet silence, on the part of the fourgirls, and whatever their thoughts on Marian's warning were they sternlyrepressed uttering them aloud during the remainder of the time spent inthe grove.
* * * * *
At eight o'clock that night Miss Sallie and the "Automobile Girls" wereseated about the countess's table with only their hostess and herchaperon. There were no other guests at dinner.
"How delightful not to be bored by stupid men!" exclaimed the countess,smiling at her circle of guests. "And what a charming picture the younggirls make, Madame de Villiers, do they not? There is not a black coatin our midst to mar the effect of our pretty light frocks. Let me see,Miss Stuart wears violet, dear Madame, gray. And the 'Automobile Girls'might represent the four seasons. Ruth, you may be Spring, in your palegreen silk frock; little Mollie will have to play Summer in her corncolored gown; Bab's scarlet frock makes me think of October; and Graceis our Snow Maiden in her white frock."
The countess wore a beautiful gown of white messaline. Her exquisiteface was radiant with child-like pleasure. During the dinner the roomrang with her gay laughter. She had never seemed so young, so gracious,and so innocent as she appeared to the "Automobile Girls" that night.
At each plate the countess herself had placed a small bunch of freesias,whose delicate perfume filled the room.
"They are my favorite flowers," the hostess explained gently, "becausethey remind me of my beloved Italy."
At the close of dinner a bowl of bon-bons was passed around the table.There was a good deal of noise and confusion. The girls popped thecrackers, drew out the mottoes and read them, and decorated themselveswith the fancy paper caps. They were too absorbed in their own pleasureto think, or hear, or see, anything that might have been taking placeoutside the dining-room. Madame de Villiers, a military cap on her grayhair, looked as fierce and terrifying as a seasoned warrior.
Dinner over, the countess led the way into her drawing-room, where thelaughter and gayety continued. Madame de Villiers played brilliantly onthe piano. The young people danced until they were exhausted. Suddenlythe young countess caught her train up over her arm, and ran out intothe centre of the floor. At a nod from her, Madame de Villiers began toplay the wild, passionate music of the Russian Mazurka. Then thecountess danced. Again and again she went through the intricate anddramatic figures. Her audience was spellbound. No one noted the flightof time.
Finally Bab whispered to Ruth: "Don't you think we had better goupstairs for our wraps? It is growing late." The two girls slippedquietly away without a word.
Ascending the stairs to the countess's sleeping room they gathered theirarms full of evening coats and scarfs. On a little balcony just outsidethe window of the sleeping room crouched the figure of a man. His keeneyes watched Bab and Ruth intently as they made ready to leave the roomand join their friends downstairs, entirely unconscious of the figurehiding so near to them.
On the first landing of the stairs, Bab stopped. Ruth was ahead.
"Go on, Ruth," Barbara called down to her. "I have left my handkerchiefon the dressing table. I will be with you in a minute."
Bab ran quickly back to the room she had just left. Her soft satinslippers made no sound on the floor. It was almost impossible to hearher approach.
Bab paused at the half-open door of the bedchamber in horrifiedsurprise. Inside the room that she and Ruth had just left a man bentover the countess's desk. Her Russian leather writing-case was wideopen. The man was running through her papers with a practised hand.
Bab could have turned and run downstairs again. The intruder would neverhave heard her. But, although Barbara shook with fear for a moment, sheplaced her wraps softly on the floor and stepped noiselessly back intothe room. The man was still unaware of her presence. Bab's eyes rovedabout the room in search of a weapon. Her hand resting for an instant onthe dressing table, came in touch with something metallic and cold. Itwas a silver shoe horn, but Barbara gripped it eagerly, then shefastened her gaze upon the intruder. He was an old man with a shock ofgray hair and a thick beard, that partially concealed the outline of hisface. His lips were drawn back until his teeth showed and in his bentattitude he reminded Bab of a gigantic ape. Under the concentration ofher gaze the strange apparition looked up and saw her as she stoodunflinching, watching with alert eyes his slightest movement. Withoututtering a sound the man began to move slowly toward her, his fierceeyes never for a moment leaving her face.
"What are you doing here?" Bab demanded bravely. "You are a thief!"
Instead of running away from him the girl started toward the man. As shedid so she raised the shoe horn and pointed it at him. Had the
light inthe room not been turned low he must have discovered the trick. As itwas the faint light, glinting on the polished metal gave it theappearance of a revolver. The ape-like figure began backing slowlytoward the balcony. At the window he paused, as if debating whether hedared take the chance of leaping upon her. Bab settled the question forhim by making a threatening move with the supposed weapon. The thiefwhirled, sprang out on the balcony and dropped to the ground.
Barbara ran to the window. She saw that he had disappeared, then theroom began to whirl about her. She thought she was going to faint, forshe felt her strength rapidly leaving her.
With a great effort she threw off the weakness that was overcoming herand looked out across the lawn.
During the early part of the evening a large motor boat cruiser, afterhaving put her owner ashore at Palm Beach had dropped down and come toanchor for the night hard by the boathouse belonging to the villaoccupied by Countess Sophia. Lights were twinkling from the port holesof the boat and her anchor light swayed listlessly at the stern. Therewere no other signs of life aboard the boat on the bow of which one atclose range might have made out the word "Restless" in raised goldletters.
Barbara wondered if their terrible visitor had come from the boat lyingthere quietly on the moonlit waters.
Just then the buzz of excited voices was borne to her ears. She heardthe Countess Sophia's clear tones, then an excited little scream,mingled with the deep voice of Madame de Villiers raised in angryexpostulation.
Still gripping her shoe horn Bab raced down the stairs, and parted theportieres that hung between the drawing room and hall.
What she saw was like the tableau from a melodrama. Crowded close to thepiano stood the Countess Sophia, while directly in front of her stoodMadame de Villiers, thoroughly enraged and brandishing her gold-headedcane at two men who seemed about to seize the young countess. Clusteredin a frightened group at one side of the room stood Miss Stuart, Mollieand Grace. Ruth was nowhere to be seen.
One of the men made a sudden stealthy move toward the countess.
"Stand back," commanded Madame de Villiers.
Just then Ruth's clear tones were heard outside the villa. "They're inthat room! Oh, hurry please!"
There was a sound of running feet and into the room darted two young menclad in white yachting clothes, and wearing officers' caps.
"We're just in time," called one of the newcomers. "This is something inour line of sport. Stand aside, girls. We'll soon have these fellows onthe run."
With this he grasped one of the men by the collar and dragging him tothe open hall door, picked him up and threw him off the veranda onto thedrive where he landed with a thud. A moment later his companion haddisposed of the other offender in like manner.
"Watch them, Joe," ordered the taller of the two yachtsmen. "If they tryto enter the house again, call me. I guess we can give them all they'relooking for. I'm going inside to see if there are any more rascals whoneed attention."
"Oh you brave boys!" exclaimed Madame de Villiers as the young manentered the drawing-room where the women were huddled together talkingexcitedly.
"I think the credit belongs to the young woman who had the presence ofmind to go for help," smiled the youth, bowing to Ruth.
"I had to do something!" exclaimed Ruth. "I saw your boat early in theevening, and when those two men came in here and began threatening thecountess I felt that the only thing to do was to see if some one on theyacht would help us."
"Did you see the other man?" asked Barbara anxiously. "He was old andwhite-haired and looked exactly like an ape. He was upstairs on thebalcony, while I was in the countess's room getting our wraps. Then Iforgot my handkerchief. When I went back for it he was in the room. Ifrightened him away with a shoe horn. He thought it was a revolver. Hedropped to the ground from the balcony and ran towards the yacht. Ithought perhaps he belonged on the boat."
"Not with us," declared the yachtsman. "Allow me to introduce myself. Iam Captain Tom Halstead and my friend out there on the veranda, isJoseph Dawson, engineer of the motor yacht 'Restless' which lies atanchor just off the shore. We belong to the 'Motor Boat Club' boys, butI doubt if you have ever heard of us before."
Although Tom Halstead and Joe Dawson were strangers to the "AutomobileGirls" they are well known to the majority of our readers. Born andbrought up on the Maine coast the ocean was their play ground from earlyboyhood and their fondness for the sea led them to later perfectthemselves in the handling of motor boats. These two youths with anumber of other sturdy young men comprised the famous club of youngyacht skippers and engineers, organized by a Boston broker and headed byHalstead as fleet captain, with Dawson as fleet engineer.
The reason for the appearance of the yacht "Restless" at this particularplace and time is set forth in "The Motor Boat Club in Florida," thefifth volume of the "Motor Boat Club Series." That the two young men hadresponded instantly to Ruth's call for help was in itself the best proofof the manliness and courage of the "Motor Boat" boys.
The countess who in the meantime had recovered from the first shock ofthe recent disturbance now presented Miss Stuart, Madame de Villiers andthe "Automobile Girls" to Tom Halstead. A moment later Joe Dawsonentered the room, and more introductions followed.
"Well, they've gone," declared Dawson. "They picked themselves up veryslowly and painfully and fairly slunk down the drive. I don't imaginethey will trouble you again to-night. However we'd better appointourselves as special watchmen about the grounds until morning. I do notwish to seem inquisitive but was the motive of these rascals commonrobbery?"
"The men did not wish money," replied the countess slowly. "They wishedto steal a certain paper I have in my possession in order to destroy it.That is why the old man was searching my writing case. But he did notfind the paper, for I carry it about my person. Forgive me for being somysterious, and believe that my reason for secrecy is one of graveimportance."
"There is nothing to forgive, Madam," replied Captain Halsteadcourteously. "We are only too glad to have been of service to you andbeg that you will continue to accept our services at least untilto-morrow. Then I would advise you to procure a special officer toremain at the villa in case you should be annoyed further by thesevillains."
"Thank you," exclaimed the countess, with evident agitation. "I hardlythink we shall be troubled again. I do not wish an officer to comehere."
"We must return to the hotel, Countess," said Miss Stuart. "It isgrowing late and my brother will become uneasy about us."
This time the women were assisted with their cloaks by the "Motor Boat"boys and no startling interruption occurred. Ruth ran down the drive alittle ahead of the party to where her automobile stood. Then sheuttered a sudden cry of dismay. All four tires had been cut.
"Oh the rascals!" she exclaimed. "How dared they do such a contemptiblething? We'll have to go back to the villa and telephone for another car.Father will be so worried!"
An indignant babble of feminine voices ensued broken by the deeper tonesof the two young men as the party turned to go back to the villa.
Just then a familiar sound was borne to their ears. It was the chug!chug! of a rapidly approaching automobile. A moment later the car rolledup the drive. "It's Father!" Ruth exclaimed. "Oh, I'm so glad."
"What seems to be the trouble, Sallie?" queried Mr. Stuart, springingfrom the car. "It's after midnight. I grew worried when you didn'treturn to the hotel at eleven, so decided I had better come out afteryou. I rather think we exceeded the speed limit too," he laughed,turning to the chauffeur.
Then Ruth burst forth with an excited account of the night's adventure.Mr. Stuart looked grave. "I shall send you an officer in the morning,Countess," he said.
"These are the two young men who came so gallantly to our rescue, Mr.Stuart," said the countess, turning to the "Motor Boat" boys who stoodmodestly in the background.
Mr. Stuart shook hands with both young men, thanking them for theirprompt response to the call for help. "We should be pleased to have
youdine with us to-morrow evening," he said.
"Thank you," responded the young captain, "but we shall weigh anchor inthe morning."
After bidding farewell to the two young men and good night to Madame deVilliers and the Countess Sophia, the "Automobile Girls" and Miss Salliestepped into the car in which Mr. Stuart had driven to the villa.
"I'll send a man out to put that other car in shape to-morrow," he saidto Ruth as they sped down the drive. "But, hereafter when this valiantband, known as the 'Automobile Girls' pays a visit to the CountessSophia I shall insist upon accompanying them whether or not I aminvited."