Missing at Marshlands

  CHAPTER VIII Hard to Believe

  Smiling to herself in the darkness, Sim pushed over in the twin bed sothat Terry could get in. Even at that, neither one would have very muchspace, and Sim was amused to think that Terry, the trenchant, should feellike spending the rest of the night with her rather than alone in her ownbed.

  "I'll see that Rufus Reilly hears about this," remarked Terry, burrowingunder the covers. "The idea of disturbing honest peace-loving people inthe middle of the night! What Oceanedge is coming to, I don't know."

  "Who's Rufus Reilly?" asked Arden.

  "He's the police force," Terry replied. "He owns the only garage in thevillage and Dimitri's houseboat too."

  "Quite a factor in the life of the community, isn't he?" Sim murmuredsleepily.

  "Don't make fun of him, Sim," Terry rebuked. "He's a very important man.He says so himself."

  "Well, I'm going to sleep," Arden declared, yawning freely. "I want tolook my best when I meet the chief."

  The conversation dragged, and feeling secure in the knowledge that themidnight intruder had gone, the girls finally drifted off to sleep.

  The next morning, after breakfast, and with Mrs. Landry's consent, theystarted for the village to report to Chief Reilly.

  Leaving by the front door, they were on their way to the garage at theback when they came face to face with George Clayton, Melissa's father.

  "Good-morning," he said a little sheepishly. Perhaps he was conscious ofhis somewhat fishy-scented clothes and muddy hip boots.

  "'Morning," Terry replied, and waited for him to speak again. All thegirls felt rather antagonistic toward him, since they had witnessed histreatment of Melissa.

  "I wuz wonderin'," he began again, "that is--have you young ladies seenanythin' of my daughter Melissa?"

  "Why, no. Not since early last evening," Arden replied. "Why?"

  "I wuz a little worried about her. She ain't been home all night, and Ithought maybe----"

  "The last time we saw her, she was riding in a green car that some womanwho came to see the artist on the houseboat parked here," Simvolunteered.

  George Clayton blinked his eyes rapidly and seemed at a loss for anythingto say to that surprising news.

  "U-hum-m!" He shook his head. "Melissa ain't entirely responsible, youknow. She's overly fond of bright things. Like a blue jay. She just can'tresist 'em."

  "Oh, dear!" exclaimed Arden. "I do hope nothing happened to her."

  "We were just going to the village to tell Rufus Reilly about a burglarwe had around here last night," Terry explained. "Shall we tell him tolook for Melissa?"

  "Oh, no, miss, please!" Clayton exclaimed. "He knows all about Melissa.Thinks I ought to send her to some institution. But I can't bear--to dothat," he concluded rather pathetically.

  "Why didn't you let her keep the bracelet the other day?" Sim askedsuddenly. "It was only worth a quarter. Perhaps she ran away becauseyou----"

  "I know, miss," Clayton interrupted, "she possibly told you how mean Iwas to her. But if I let her keep it she'd follow you around all thetime, looking for something else." After all, perhaps the man was not somean as they had thought.

  "Say!" exclaimed Terry suddenly. "Maybe that was Melissa we heard lastnight, coming back for the bracelet!"

  "It did look like her, I mean her height and all," agreed Sim. "I'm surethat's just who it was."

  "She might have done it," the fisherman admitted reluctantly. "You won'ttell Reilly, will you?"

  "If you can keep her away from here so she won't scare us out of our witsagain, we won't," Terry agreed. For the girls still believed in theirhearts that Melissa was to be pitied and, though he said not, they feltthat her father was a hard man to deal with.

  "When she comes back I'll----" Clayton began but never finished, forthere was Melissa herself walking toward them along the little path. Herpale pink cotton dress was a mass of wrinkles, and her hair in uncouthdisarray. One white string of her sneakers flapped as she walked.

  Instantly her father was a changed man. As soon as he saw her he drewhimself up to his full height and assumed an aggressive manner.

  "Melissa!" he shouted. "Come here!"

  "Yes, Pa," she answered meekly and came slowly forward with one arm heldup near her face as though to ward off a blow.

  "Where wuz you last night?" he demanded.

  "Here, Pa. I slept in the car in the garage," came the surprising reply.

  "Why didn't you come home?" he shouted at her.

  "I was afraid to. The lady took me for such a nice ride, it was late whenI got back." Poor Melissa, thought the girls.

  "What lady?" snarled her father.

  "I dunno her name. The pretty one with the nice fur. She asked me if I'dlike a ride, so I said yes. She gave me a quarter, too." Melissa held outher tanned hand and showed them the money.

  "Don't you know any better than to go riding off with strangers?" herfather shouted. "And scarin' these young ladies, who was so nice to you,out of their wits? Wuz you around this house last night?"

  "I was just lookin' in a window. I didn't mean any harm." How cruel for apoor girl to be helpless!

  "Well, you come along home with me."

  Melissa looked woefully at the surprised girls and started off to followher father, who went clumping down the path in his hip boots.

  "Mr. Clayton," called Arden after him. "Please don't punish Melissa; shedidn't do any harm."

  "I'll take care of Melissa," he answered shortly, completely forgettinghow anxious he had been only a short time before to appear the worriedfather.

  "If you touch her I'll, I'll----" Arden said, but he continued on hisway, not even listening to her.

  "What a horrid old man!" Terry remarked anxiously. "First he shows hisconcern and then----"

  "His teeth," finished Sim.