The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach Part 17

All morning the girls had cruised around the lake in a launch. Later in the day they had bathed in the salt water of the Atlantic. After luncheon they had played several sets of tennis; and, later Miss Sallie had taken them to the cocoanut grove to drink lemonade and listen to the music.

Miss Sallie had not spoken either to Maud Warren or to Mrs. De Lancey Smythe since the evening before. The two women had carefully avoided Miss Stuart. Once inside the cocoanut grove Bab's sharp eyes soon discovered Maud, Mrs. Smythe and Marian seated at a table concealed by an enormous cl.u.s.ter of palms. They were deep in conversation. Mrs.

Smythe was pouring wholesale flattery into Maud's ears to which the foolish 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 with Miss Sallie.

"Marian," whispered Bab, as her new friend sat down next to her, "why did you wish to know whether we were going to the countess's to dinner to-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 you said," argued Bab. "Were you trying to warn me about anything? Or, is it simply 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 did go?" persisted Barbara.

Marian gave a forced laugh. "Oh, I was only giving you a little good advice about sitting up late. But just the same, I'm a very wise person and you had better take my advice."

"What are you two girls whispering about?" asked Ruth gayly. "Never have secrets from your little friends. It hurts their feelings, dreadfully."

"We aren't having secrets," responded Barbara. "That is not exactly. I'm only trying to persuade Marian to tell me something. But she's a regular Sphinx."

"Which would you rather be, a Sphinx or a chatterbox?" inquired Marian.

"And if you would, why would you, and if thus, why, therefore and whereupon?"

"Fine!" exclaimed Ruth. "I never dreamed you could reel off nonsense like that, Marian."

Marian laughed then rising said, "I suppose I shall have to go back to Mama. I only came over for a minute." Her eyes again met Barbara's, and she shook her head slightly, then nodding good-bye to the girls she crossed 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 something that we don't. She was even more mysterious to-day than she was last night. Do you think we had better go?"

"Go! Of course we will," cried Ruth. "I don't believe Marian has anything very serious on her mind."

"Really, children," interposed Miss Sallie in an annoyed tone, "if you begin to conjure up mystery over so simple a matter as a dinner invitation I shall feel obliged to keep you all at home. One would think I was chaperoning a party of young sleuths, instead of four normal girls out for a holiday."

This remark was received with discreet silence, on the part of the four girls, and whatever their thoughts on Marian's warning were they sternly repressed uttering them aloud during the remainder of the time spent in the grove.

At eight o'clock that night Miss Sallie and the "Automobile Girls" were seated about the countess's table with only their hostess and her chaperon. 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 young girls make, Madame de Villiers, do they not? There is not a black coat in 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 pale green silk frock; little Mollie will have to play Summer in her corn colored gown; Bab's scarlet frock makes me think of October; and Grace is our Snow Maiden in her white frock."

The countess wore a beautiful gown of white messaline. Her exquisite face was radiant with child-like pleasure. During the dinner the room rang 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, "because they remind me of my beloved Italy."

At the close of dinner a bowl of bon-bons was pa.s.sed around the table.

There was a good deal of noise and confusion. The girls popped the crackers, drew out the mottoes and read them, and decorated themselves with the fancy paper caps. They were too absorbed in their own pleasure to think, or hear, or see, anything that might have been taking place outside the dining-room. Madame de Villiers, a military cap on her gray hair, looked as fierce and terrifying as a seasoned warrior.

Dinner over, the countess led the way into her drawing-room, where the laughter and gayety continued. Madame de Villiers played brilliantly on the piano. The young people danced until they were exhausted. Suddenly the young countess caught her train up over her arm, and ran out into the centre of the floor. At a nod from her, Madame de Villiers began to play the wild, pa.s.sionate music of the Russian Mazurka. Then the countess danced. Again and again she went through the intricate and dramatic figures. Her audience was spellbound. No one noted the flight of time.

Finally Bab whispered to Ruth: "Don't you think we had better go upstairs for our wraps? It is growing late." The two girls slipped quietly away without a word.

Ascending the stairs to the countess's sleeping room they gathered their arms full of evening coats and scarfs. On a little balcony just outside the window of the sleeping room crouched the figure of a man. His keen eyes watched Bab and Ruth intently as they made ready to leave the room and join their friends downstairs, entirely unconscious of the figure hiding 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 handkerchief on the dressing table. I will be with you in a minute."

Bab ran quickly back to the room she had just left. Her soft satin slippers made no sound on the floor. It was almost impossible to hear her approach.

Bab paused at the half-open door of the bedchamber in horrified surprise. Inside the room that she and Ruth had just left a man bent over the countess's desk. Her Russian leather writing-case was wide open. The man was running through her papers with a practised hand.

Bab could have turned and run downstairs again. The intruder would never have heard her. But, although Barbara shook with fear for a moment, she placed her wraps softly on the floor and stepped noiselessly back into the room. The man was still unaware of her presence. Bab's eyes roved about the room in search of a weapon. Her hand resting for an instant on the dressing table, came in touch with something metallic and cold. It was a silver shoe horn, but Barbara gripped it eagerly, then she fastened her gaze upon the intruder. He was an old man with a shock of gray hair and a thick beard, that partially concealed the outline of his face. His lips were drawn back until his teeth showed and in his bent att.i.tude he reminded Bab of a gigantic ape. Under the concentration of her gaze the strange apparition looked up and saw her as she stood unflinching, watching with alert eyes his slightest movement. Without uttering a sound the man began to move slowly toward her, his fierce eyes 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 she did so she raised the shoe horn and pointed it at him. Had the light in the room not been turned low he must have discovered the trick. As it was the faint light, glinting on the polished metal gave it the appearance of a revolver. The ape-like figure began backing slowly toward the balcony. At the window he paused, as if debating whether he dared take the chance of leaping upon her. Bab settled the question for him by making a threatening move with the supposed weapon. The thief whirled, sprang out on the balcony and dropped to the ground.

Barbara ran to the window. She saw that he had disappeared, then the room began to whirl about her. She thought she was going to faint, for she felt her strength rapidly leaving her.

With a great effort she threw off the weakness that was overcoming her and looked out across the lawn.

During the early part of the evening a large motor boat cruiser, after having put her owner ash.o.r.e at Palm Beach had dropped down and come to anchor for the night hard by the boathouse belonging to the villa occupied by Countess Sophia. Lights were twinkling from the port holes of the boat and her anchor light swayed listlessly at the stern. There were no other signs of life aboard the boat on the bow of which one at close range might have made out the word "Restless" in raised gold letters.

Barbara wondered if their terrible visitor had come from the boat lying there quietly on the moonlit waters.

Just then the buzz of excited voices was borne to her ears. She heard the Countess Sophia's clear tones, then an excited little scream, mingled with the deep voice of Madame de Villiers raised in angry expostulation.

Still gripping her shoe horn Bab raced down the stairs, and parted the portieres that hung between the drawing room and hall.

What she saw was like the tableau from a melodrama. Crowded close to the piano stood the Countess Sophia, while directly in front of her stood Madame de Villiers, thoroughly enraged and brandis.h.i.+ng her gold-headed cane at two men who seemed about to seize the young countess. Cl.u.s.tered in a frightened group at one side of the room stood Miss Stuart, Mollie and 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 in that room! Oh, hurry please!"

There was a sound of running feet and into the room darted two young men clad in white yachting clothes, and wearing officers' caps.

"We're just in time," called one of the newcomers. "This is something in our line of sport. Stand aside, girls. We'll soon have these fellows on the run."