Dorothy Dale's Great Secret

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  DOROTHY DALE'S GREAT SECRET

  BY MARGARET PENROSE

  AUTHOR OF "DOROTHY DALE: A GIRL OF TO-DAY," "DOROTHY DALE AT GLENWOOD SCHOOL," ETC.

  ILLUSTRATED

  NEW YORK CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY

  THE DOROTHY DALE SERIES By Margaret Penrose

  Cloth. Illustrated.

  DOROTHY DALE: A GIRL OF TO-DAY DOROTHY DALE AT GLENWOOD SCHOOL DOROTHY DALE'S GREAT SECRET

  (Other Volumes in preparation)

  CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY NEW YORK

  Copyright, 1909, by Cupples & Leon Company

  Dorothy Dale's Great Secret

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER PAGE I. An Automobile Ride 1 II. Tavia Has Plans 17 III. A Cup of Tea 28 IV. The Apparition 39 V. An Untimely Letter 47 VI. On the Lawn 55 VII. At Sunset Lake 63 VIII. A Lively Afternoon 72 IX. Dorothy and Tavia 79 X. Leaving Glenwood 88 XI. A Jolly Home-Coming 96 XII. Dorothy is Worried 109 XIII. Little Urania 118 XIV. The Runaway 129 XV. A Spell of the "Glumps" 139 XVI. Dorothy in Buffalo 147 XVII. At the Play 161 XVIII. Behind the Scenes 172 XIX. The Clue 183 XX. Dorothy and the Manager 195 XXI. Adrift in a Strange City 205 XXII. In Dire Distress 211 XXIII. The Secret--Conclusion 231

  DOROTHY DALE'S GREAT SECRET

  CHAPTER I AN AUTOMOBILE RIDE

  "There is one thing perfectly delightful about boarding schools,"declared Tavia, "when the term closes we can go away, and leave it inanother world. Now, at Dalton, we would have to see the old schoolhouseevery time we went to Daly's for a pound of butter, a loaf of bread--andoh, yes! I almost forgot! Mom said we could get some bologna. Whew! Don'tyour mouth water, Dorothy? We always did get good bologna at Daly's!"

  "Bologna!" echoed Dorothy. "As if the young ladies of Glenwood Schoolwould disgrace their appetites with such vulgar fare!"

  At this she snatched up an empty cracker box, almost devouring itsparifine paper, in hopes of finding a few more crumbs, although Tavia hadpoured the last morsels of the wafers down her own throat the nightbefore this conversation took place. Yes, Tavia had even made a funnel ofthe paper and "took" the powdered biscuits as doctors administer headacheremedies.

  "All the same," went on Tavia, "I distinctly remember that you had alonging for the skin of my sausage, along with the end piece, which youalways claimed for your own share."

  "Oh, please stop!" besought Dorothy, "or I shall have to purloin my hashfrom the table to-night and stuff it into--"

  "The armlet of your new, brown kid gloves," finished Tavia. "They're thevery color of a nice, big, red-brown bologna, and I believe theinspiration is a direct message. 'The Evolution of a Bologna Sausage,'modern edition, bound in full kid. Mine for the other glove. Watch allthe hash within sight to-night, and we'll ask the girls to ourclam-bake."

  "Dear old Dalton," went on Dorothy with a sigh. "After all there is noplace like home," and she dropped her blond head on her arms, in thefamiliar pose Tavia described as "thinky."

  "But home was never like this," declared the other, following upDorothy's sentiment with her usual interjection of slang. At the samemoment she made a dart for a tiny bottle of Dorothy's perfume, which wasalmost emptied down the front of Tavia's blue dress, before the owner ofthe treasure had time to interfere.

  "Oh, that's mean!" exclaimed Dorothy. "Aunt Winnie sent me that by mail.It was a special kind--"

  "And you know my weakness for specials--real bargains! There!" and Taviacaught Dorothy up in her arms. "I'll rub it all on your head. Tresses ofsunshine, perfumed with incense!"

  "Please stop!" begged Dorothy. "My hair is all fixed!"

  "Well, it's 'fixest' now. The superlative you know. I do hate your hairprim. Never knew a girl with heavenly hair who did not want to make amattress of it. I have wonderfully enhanced the beauty of your coiffure,mam'selle, for which I ask to be permitted one kiss!" and at this the twogirls became so entangled in each other's embrace that it would have beenhard to tell whom the blond head belonged to, or who might be the ownerof the bronze ringlets.

  But Dorothy Dale was the blond, and Octavia Travers, "sported" the darktresses. "Sported" we say advisedly, for Tavia loved sport better thanshe cared for her dinner, while Dorothy, an entirely different type ofgirl, admired the things of this world that were good and beautiful, trueand reliable; but at the same time she was no prude, and so enjoyed herfriend's sports, whenever the mischief involved no serious consequences.

  That "Doro" as her chums called Dorothy, and Tavia could be so unlike,and yet be such friends, was a matter of surprise to all theiracquaintances. But those who have read of the young ladies in theprevious stories of the series, "Dorothy Dale;--A Girl of To-Day," and"Dorothy Dale at Glenwood School," have had sufficient introduction tothese interesting characters to understand how natural it was for a lily(our friend Dorothy) to love and encourage a frolicsome wild flower(Tavia) to cling to the cultured stalk, to keep close to the savinginfluence of the lily's heart--so close that no gardener would dare totear away that wild flower from the lily's clasp, without running therisk of cruelly injuring the more tender plant.

  So it was with these two girls. No one could have destroyed their loveand friendship for each other without so displacing their personalitiesas to make the matter one of serious consequences.

  Many other girls had coveted Dorothy's love; some had even tried toobtain it by false stories, or greatly exaggerated accounts of Tavia'sfrolics. But Dorothy loved Tavia, and believed in her, so all attempts todestroy her faith were futile. And it was this faith, when the time came,that inspired Dorothy Dale to keep the Great Secret.

  Glenwood School was situated amid the mountains of New England, and thetwo girls had completed one term there. On the afternoon when this storyopens they were lounging in their own particular room, nineteen bynumber, waiting for the recreation bell to send its muffled chimes downthe corridor.

  They were waiting with unusual impatience, for the "hour of freedom" tocome, for they expected visitors in an automobile.

  "Like as not," Tavia broke in suddenly, without offering a single excusefor the surprising interjection, "the Fire Bir
d will break down, and wewon't get our ride after all."

  "Cheerful speculation," interposed Dorothy, "but not exactly probable.The Fire Bird is an auto that never breaks down."

  "What, never?" persisted Tavia, laughing.

  "No, never," declared Dorothy. "Of course all automobiles are subject toturns, but to really break down--Aunt Winnie would never allow her boysto run a machine not entirely reliable."

  "O-o-o-oh!" drawled Tavia, in mock surprise. Then the girls settled downto wait.

  The Fire Bird, was a touring car in which the girls had enjoyed somenoted rides about their home town of Dalton. Dorothy's aunt, Mrs.Winthrop White, of North Birchland, owned the car, and her two sons,Edward and Nathaniel (or Ned and Nat, to give them the titles they alwayswent by) good looking young fellows, were usually in charge of it whentheir favorite cousin Dorothy, and her friend Tavia, were the otherpassengers.

  It may as well be stated at this time that Nat and Tavia were excellentfriends, and even on a ride that had been termed notorious (on account ofthe strange experiences that befell the party while making a tour), Taviaand Nat had managed to have a good time, and made the best of theirstrange adventures.

  It was not surprising then that on this afternoon, while Dorothy andTavia waited for another ride in the Fire Bird, their brains should bebusy with speculative thoughts. Tavia was sure Nat would think she hadgrown to be a real young lady, and Dorothy was so anxious to see both hercousins, that she fell to thinking they might have outgrown the jolly,big-boy relationship, and would come to her stiff and stylish young men.

  The peal of the recreation bell in the outer hall suddenly aroused thegirls, and, at the same moment the "honk-honk" of the Fire Bird's hornannounced the arrival of the long expected boys.

  "There they are!" exclaimed Tavia, quite unnecessarily, for Dorothy wasalready making her pearl-tinted veil secure over her yellow head; andwhile Tavia was wasting her time, looking out of the window at the auto,which was surrounded by boys and girls who stood on the path, plainlyadmiring the two cousins and the stylish car, Dorothy was quite ready forthe ride.

  "Do come, Tavia!" she called. "The afternoon is short enough!"

  "Com--ing!" shouted her irrepressible companion in high glee, making alunge for her own veil, and tossing it over her head as she dashed downthe corridor.

  Dorothy stopped at the office on her way out to tell the principal, Mrs.Pangborn, that the expected visitors had arrived, and that she and Taviawere starting for the ride, permission to go having been granted inadvance.

  Outside, just beyond the arch in the broad driveway, the Fire Bird pantedand puffed, as if anxious to take flight again. Ned was at the steeringwheel and as for Nat, he was helping Tavia into the machine "with bothhands" some jealous onlookers declared afterward. However Dorothy'sfriend Rose-Mary Markin (known to her chums as Cologne because of hereuphonious first names) insisted differently in the argument thatfollowed the puffing away of the car.

  It was no small wonder that the coming of the Fire Bird should excitesuch comment among the girls at Glenwood school. An automobile ride wasno common happening there, for while many of the parents of the youngladies owned such machines, Glenwood was far away from home and so werethe autos.

  Edna Black, called Ned Ebony, and regarded as Tavia's most intimatefriend, insisted that Tavia looked like a little brown sparrow, as sheflew off, with the streamers of her brown veil flying like wings. MollyRichards, nick-named Dick, and always "agin' th' government" like theforeigner in politics, declared that the girls "were not in it" with theboys, for, as she expressed it, "girls always do look like animatedrag-bags in an automobile."

  "Boys just put themselves on the seat and stay put," she announced, "butgirls--they seem to float above the car, and they give me the shivers!"

  "All the same," interrupted Cologne, "the damsels manage to hang on."

  "And Dorothy was a picture," ventured Nita Brant, the girl given to"excessive expletive ejaculations," according to the records of the NickAssociation, the official club of the Juniors.

  So the Fire Bird, with its gay little party, flew over the hills ofGlenwood. Dorothy was agreeably surprised to find her cousins just asgood natured and just as boy-like as they had been when she had last seenthem, and they, in turn, complimented her on her improved appearance.

  "You look younger though you talk older," Ned assured Dorothy, with anice regard for the feminine feeling relative to age.

  "And Tavia looks--looks--how?" stammered Nat, with a significant look athis elder brother.

  "Search me!" replied the other evasively, determined not to be trapped byNat into any "expert opinion."

  "Beyond words!" finished Nat, with a glance of unstinted admiration athis companion.

  "Bad as that?" mocked Tavia. "The girls do call me 'red head' and'brick-top.' Yes, even 'carroty' is thrown at me when I do anything tomake Ned mad. You know that's the girl," she hurried to add, "thegirl--Edna Black--Ned Ebony for short, you know. She's the jolliestcrowd--"

  "How many of her?" asked Ned, pretending to be ignorant of Tavia's schoolvernacular.

  "Legion," was the enthusiastic answer, which elastic comment settled thequestion of Edna Black, for the time being, at least.

  The roads through Glenwood wound up and down like thread on a spool.Scarcely did the Fire Bird find itself on the top of a hill before itwent scooting down to the bottom. Then another would loom up and it hadto be done all over again.

  This succession of steep grades, first tilting up and then down, kept Nedbusy throwing the clutches in and out, taking the hills on the low gear,then slipping into full speed ahead as a little level place was reached,and again throwing off the power and drifting down while the brakesscreeched and hummed as if in protest at being made to work so hard. Thetwo girls, meanwhile, were busy speculating on what would happen if an"something" should give way, or if the powerful car should suddenlyrefuse to obey the various levers, handles, pedals and the maze of thingsof which Ned seemed to have perfect command.

  "This reminds me of the Switch-back Railway," remarked Nat, as themachine suddenly lurched first up, and then down a rocky "bump."

  "Y-y-y-es!" agreed Ned, shouting to be heard above the pounding of themuffler. "It's quite like a trip on the Scenic Railway--pretty picturesand all."

  "I hope it isn't dangerous," ventured Dorothy, who had too vivid aremembrance of the narrow escape on a previous ride, to enjoy thepossibility of a second adventure.

  "No danger at all," Ned hastened to assure her.

  "A long hill at last!" exclaimed Nat, as the big strip of brown earthuncoiled before them, like so many miles of ribbon dropped from the sky,with a knot somewhere in the clouds. "A long hill for sure. None of yourdinky little two-for-a-cent kinds this time!"

  "Oh!" gasped Dorothy, involuntarily catching at Ned's arm. "Be careful,Ned!"

  Ned took a firmer grip on the steering wheel, as he finished throwing outthe gear and shutting off the power, while the spark lever sent out ashrill sound as he swung it in a segment over the rachet.

  The hill was not only remarkably steep, but consisted of a series ofturns and twists. Down the grade the car plunged in spite of the brakesthat Ned jammed on, with all his force, to prevent a runaway. He was alittle pale, but calm, and with his steady hands on the wheel, clingingfirmly to it in spite of the way it jerked about, as if trying to getfree, he guided the Fire Bird down, the big machine swerving from rightto left, but ever following where the lad directed it.

  As they swung around a turn in the descending road a clump of treesobstructed the view for a moment. Then the car glided beyond them,gathering speed every moment, in spite of the brakes.

  "The creek!" yelled Tavia in sudden terror, pointing to where a small,but deep stream flowed under the road. "There's the creek and the bridgeis broken!"

  The water was spanned by a frail structure, generally out of order and ina state of uncertain repair. It needed but a glance to show that it wasnow in course of being mended, for ther
e was a pile of material near it.Work, however, had been temporarily suspended.

  Then, there flashed into view a warning signboard announcing that the oldplanking of the bridge had been taken up to allow the putting down ofnew, and that the bridge was impassable. The four horror-strickenoccupants of the car saw this at a glance.

  "Stop the car!" cried Tavia.

  "Can't!" answered Ned hoarsely. "I've got the emergency brake on, but itdoesn't seem to hold."

  "It's all right," called Nat. "I saw a wagon go over the bridge when wewere on our way to the school this afternoon."

  "But it crossed on some loose, narrow planks!" Tavia gasped. "I saw themput the boards there yesterday when we were out for our walk! I forgotall about them! Oh! Stop the car! We can't cross on the planks! We'll allbe killed!"

  Ned leaned forward, pulling with all his strength on the brake handle, asif to force it a few more notches back and make the steel band griptighter the whirring wheels that were screeching out a shrill protest atthe friction.

  "I--I can't do it!" he exclaimed almost in a whisper.

  The Fire Bird was dashing along the steep incline. Ned clung firmly tothe steering wheel, for though there was terrible danger ahead, it wasalso close at hand should the auto swerve from the path. His face waswhite, and Nat's forced breathing sounded loud in the ears of theterror-stricken girls.

  The bridge was but a few hundred feet away. The auto skidded along as ifunder power, though the gasolene was shut off.

  "There's a plank across the entrance! Maybe that will stop us!" criedNat.

  "Never in this world!" replied Ned, in despairing tones.

  Dorothy was sending up wordless prayers, but she did not stir from herseat, sitting bravely still, and not giving way to useless terror. Nordid Tavia, once the first shock was over, for she saw how quiet Dorothywas, and she too, sank back among the cushions, waiting for the crash shefelt would soon come.

  "If some boards are only down!" murmured Ned. "Maybe I can steer--"

  The next instant the Fire Bird had crashed through the obstruction plank.It splintered it as if it were a clothes pole, and, a moment later,rumbled out upon the frail, loose planking, laid length-wise across thefloorless bridge, as a path for the repair teams.

  "Oh! Oh!" shrieked the two girls in one breath.

  Nat jumped up from his seat, and, leaning forward, grasped his brother bythe shoulders.

  Then what followed was always a mystery to the four who had aninvoluntary part in it. The front wheels took the narrow planks, andclung there as Ned held the steering circle steady. There was a littlebump as the rear wheels took the same small boards. There was a crashing,splintering sound and then, before any of those in the car had a chanceto realize it, the Fire Bird had whizzed across the bridge and wasbrought to a quick stop on the other side.

  "Whew!" gasped Ned, as he tried to open the paralyzed hands that seemedgrown fast to the steering wheel.

  "Look at that!" cried Nat, as he leaped from the car and pointed backtoward the bridge. "We broke two planks in the very middle, and only thefast rate we clipped over them saved us from going down!"

  "What an escape!" cried Tavia as she jumped from her seat.

  "Is the car damaged?" asked Dorothy, as she too alighted to stand besideher chum.

  "Something happened to the radiator when we hit the rail and broke it,"said Ned, as he saw water escaping from the honey-comb reservoir. "But Iguess it won't amount to much. It isn't leaking badly. The idea of thecounty having a picture bridge over a river! Why there's a swift currenthere, and it's mighty deep. Just look at that black whirlpool near theeddy. If we'd gone down there what the machine left of us would have beennicely cooled off at any rate!"

  The two boys were soon busy examining the car, while Dorothy and Taviastood in the road.

  "Wasn't it dreadful!" exclaimed Dorothy. "I do believe we ought not to goauto riding--something happens every time we go out."

  "And to think that I knew about the bridge!" whispered Tavia. "Onlyyesterday I saw it and noticed how unsafe it was. Then I forgot all aboutit. Oh, Dorothy! If anything had happened it would have been my fault!"