The Mystery of the Fires Read online

  CHAPTER XI _Adelaide Ditmar's Plan_

  "There are four new young men at the Royal," announced Jane as she setthe table for lunch after their swim that morning.

  "Who? How do you know?" demanded Mary Louise.

  "Sue Reed told me. She says they used to come to Flicks' every summer fortwo weeks' vacation. So instead they are staying one week at the RoyalHotel. I don't know their names."

  Her chum nodded.

  "I know now. I can't think of their names either, but they'll probablycome to me. They're Harrisburg people.... But, Jane, how can you take aninterest in men when your own boy-friend is in such trouble? Last nightyou seemed so sad!"

  "You can't be sad all the time," replied the other girl. "It doesn't helpCliff any. Besides, I wasn't engaged to him, so I can get a kick out ofmeeting new men. Can't you, Mary Lou?"

  "I don't believe I can at the present moment. I've too much else to thinkabout. But what do you want me to do about them, Jane? Have a party andinvite them over?"

  "Oh no, nothing like that. Sue asked me to come to her cottage thisafternoon to meet them. She said to tell you to come along, in case shedidn't see you to invite you herself."

  "You go by yourself."

  Mary Louise set a plate of chicken salad on the table. "It does lookgood, doesn't it?" she remarked--"if I do say it myself!"

  "Yum! Yum!" agreed Jane. "But what makes you think you don't want to goover to the Reeds' with me?"

  "Because--I have other plans for this afternoon."

  "The mystery of the fires!" cried Jane, rolling her eyes. "Oh, Mary Lou,forget it for a while and have some fun!"

  "No, I can't. I've got to have a talk with the Ditmars."

  "You better stay away from them!" warned Jane. "You never can tell whatthat man might do if he got desperate!"

  Nevertheless, Mary Louise was firm in her resolution not to join theyoung people, and she was thankful that she had stayed home, for nosooner had Jane gone to the Reeds' and her mother to the Partridges' thanMrs. Ditmar herself came to the Gays' bungalow!

  "Oh, Mary Louise, I'm so glad to find you alone!" exclaimed the youngwoman. "Have you any engagement, or can I talk to you for a while?"

  "I haven't a thing to do but knit," replied Mary Louise, smiling toherself. "Jane has gone over to the Reeds' to dance, but I was sort oftired, so I thought I'd just take it easy. And I'll be delighted to haveyou, Adelaide." She addressed Mrs. Ditmar by her first name, for thoughshe had a prefix of "Mrs.," she was, after all, hardly more than a girl.And Mary Louise wanted to make her feel at home.

  "Oh, thank you!" replied the visitor, sinking into a chair with a sigh ofcontent.

  "You see, I haven't any friends up here at Shady Nook," she explained."Nothing's turned out right. I thought Horace and I would have a lovelytime with the young people--belong to the crowd and have lots of fun. Buteverybody avoids us. It's all Horace's fault, of course, for people werefriendly at first. But when you repeatedly turn down invitations and aregrouchy when you do go anywhere, naturally nobody invites you again."

  "It's a wicked shame--for you, I mean!" exclaimed Mary Louise.

  "And yet I can't blame Horace entirely. It's circumstances. Nothingturned out right," she repeated.

  "Tell me how you happened to come here, Adelaide," urged Mary Louise. Shewanted to hear the story from the girl's own lips, to see whether itcoincided with Cliff Hunter's.

  "Well, Horace is an architect, you know," began Adelaide. "And he didsome work for Mr. Hunter last fall, just before we were married andbefore Mr. Hunter died. Mr. Hunter was so pleased with it that he gaveHorace a little piece of land up here as an extra bonus, to build acottage for ourselves, and he got Mr. Robinson to let him design his too.

  "We got married, and everything went finely until Mr. Hunter died. ThenHorace didn't have much work. But Mr. Hunter had indicated that it wouldbe good business for us to live up here during the summer and meetwealthy people."

  "Some of us are far from wealthy!" put in Mary Louise.

  "We didn't know that. We judged everybody to be like the Hunters.Besides, Mr. Hunter said that he owned a lot more land around Shady Nook,and as he sold it off in lots, he'd see that Horace got the contracts todesign the new cottages.

  "We came up early in the spring, and Horace enjoyed designing ourbungalow and the Robinsons'. We had enough money left to see us throughthe summer, but no prospects for the fall, unless something unexpectedturned up.... Then Horace began to worry....

  "Naturally, we thought Mrs. Hunter would be nice to us, but she washorrible. Just icy. I really think she believes Horace started that firejust to get the contract to build her a new cottage!"

  Mary Louise flushed. It was amazing to have Adelaide Ditmar calmly statethe suspicion which was being whispered behind her back. It almost provedher husband's innocence, she thought. Evidently Adelaide did not noticeMary Louise's embarrassment, for she continued her recital in the sametone of voice.

  "I hate to tell you so much of my troubles, Mary Louise," she said, "butthere's a reason for it. I have a plan, and I thought maybe you'd help mecarry it out. You're so popular that anything you took a hand in would besure to be a success."

  "Popular?" repeated Mary Louise in amazement. Even if she were, shewondered how popularity could help solve Adelaide Ditmar's worries.

  "I want to make some money to help Horace, and I think I see a way.Before I was married, I took a course in home economics, and I wasassistant director of a Y.W.C.A. dining room. So you see I really do knowsomething about food."

  Still Mary Louise did not see what on earth she was driving at.

  "So I'd like to start a dining room here at Shady Nook, now that the innhas been destroyed. No boarders, like Flicks', but just lunch and dinnerservice. I believe we could do it by using our living room and diningroom and porch. That young Adams man--Tom, I believe his name is--couldknock together some benches and tables for us, and we could gather upenough dishes, I think. Would you--go into it with me, Mary Louise?"

  Mary Louise was startled by the suggestion. What an idea! Yet she couldnot help admiring Adelaide's courage.

  "You really are serious?" she asked. "It would mean an awful lot ofwork."

  "Oh, I know that! But I don't have enough to do now.... Yes, I've thoughtit all out. We could hire Hattie Adams to wash dishes, and I could cook,and you and Jane could wait on the tables.... Would you, Mary Louise?"

  "I don't know," replied the other hesitatingly. "Maybe--if Mother iswilling.... Does your husband approve, Adelaide?"

  "Oh, yes, he's keen about it! He has promised to do anything he can tohelp me. Buy all our supplies for us, and keep accounts, and even taketurn in washing dishes, if we need him.... Oh, Mary Louise, please!"

  Adelaide seized her hand excitedly, and Mary Louise could not bear torefuse point-blank.

  "Mr. Frazier won't like it," she said.

  "Who cares about that old stiff?" returned the other girl. "He has nobusiness to charge such terrible prices. I'll bet the people of ShadyNook will be glad to get out of paying them!"

  Still Mary Louise hesitated. Was this plan just another proof of theDitmars' guilt in the burning of the cottages? No; that didn't seempossible. Whatever crime Horace Ditmar might commit, Mary Louise feltsure that his charming wife could have no part in it. And she longeddreadfully to help her out.

  "I'll talk it over with Mother and Jane," she finally agreed, "and letyou know tonight after supper. Will you be home then?"

  "Yes, indeed! Horace and I will be waiting for you on the porch of ourbungalow.... And now I must go, Mary Louise, and talk over the plans withhim. I'm really thrilled about it--it'll give us a new interest in life.Oh, I do hope you'll decide to help me!"

  And, pressing Mary Louise's hand affectionately, she darted off down thesteps.

  For a long time Mary Louise sat still, her knitting lying forgotten inher lap, while she thought over Adelaide's startling proposition. Maybeit w
as the best thing in the world that could have happened; perhaps fatewas playing right into her hands. The opportunity to know and to watchHorace Ditmar would be perfect; if he really were guilty, she surelyought to be able to find it out upon such close association.

  But, on the other hand, the work would take a great deal of time. Timefrom recreation, time from following up other clues that might transpireconcerning other suspects. Her mother would probably disapprove, and nodoubt Jane would object. Well, she wouldn't insist upon Jane's helpingher; no doubt Mabel Reed would jump at the chance of making some extramoney, for she expected to earn her own way through college.

  She'd give it a try, she finally decided as she folded up her knittingand put it back into her bag. Now she must turn her attention to othermatters. She wanted to drive over to Four Corners and ask the storekeepersome questions about Tom Adams. And possibly have a talk with the youngman himself.

  She wished she had kept Freckles with her, even though she didn't needhim to trail Rebecca Adams. With Jane over at the Reeds', she would haveto drive to Four Corners alone. But, after all, it wasn't much of atrip--only four or five miles at the most.

  She found a list of needed groceries on a pad in the kitchen which hermother kept for that very purpose, and took her own pocketbook.

  Twenty minutes later she drew up at the entrance to the store. As Janehad remarked, Eberhardt's looked like anything but a grocery store. Itwas an old-fashioned country house with a wide front porch, and althoughMary Louise had never noticed it before, there was a screened-in porcharound at the side, partially hidden by a huge elm tree.

  As she locked her car she heard voices from this porch: men's voices; andthe remark which one of them made caused her to listen in astonishment.

  "I'm sick of your card tricks, Tom Adams!" he sneered. "Think you'll makeme fergit them hundred berries you owe me? Well, I ain't a-goin' a fergitit! You pay me by tonight, or I'll----"

  "You'll what?" drawled Tom Adams in a voice which Mary Louise instantlyrecognized from having heard it that morning. "Beat me up?" His laugh wascontemptuous. Evidently the other fellow was a little man, Mary Louisedecided.

  "I'll see that nobody ever plays another game with you, Tom Adams, that'swhat I'll do! A liar and a cheat----"

  "Hold on there!" interrupted the other. "I'm a-goin' a pay you, Bill!Don't I always square up my debts?"

  "You always win," returned his accuser. "This is my first streak of luckin a year!"

  "I'm payin' you tomorrow, after I collect a little bill a guy owes me!"

  "A little bill? Who around here could owe you a hundred smackers?"

  "None of your business----"

  A voice from the store interrupted this argument. "Boys, boys! Not somuch noise!" called the storekeeper.

  Mary Louise, realizing that she had been sitting in her car for severalminutes, got out and went into the store.

  "Quite a card party you have out there, Mr. Eberhardt," she remarked.

  The man's face flushed.

  "Yeah. Those boys are gettin' too old fer that sort of thing. I let 'emplay games there when they was nuthin' but kids, but now they're growedup, and it gives my store a bad look. Harmless, of course, but I reckon Ibetter put a stop to it."

  "Not so harmless if they gamble to the extent of owing each other ahundred dollars," remarked Mary Louise shrewdly.

  "Oh, you must be mistaken about that, Miss Gay. That was only theirlittle joke. Nobody round here has a hundred dollars to throw away."

  Mary Louise smiled and pretended not to have any further interest in thematter. Nor did she ask Mr. Eberhardt any questions about Tom Adams--forit wasn't necessary. She had learned plenty about the young man forherself! So she merely handed the storekeeper her list, paid her bill,and departed.

  "So Tom Adams does card tricks!" she muttered to herself as she startedthe car. "With Cliff Hunter's cards, no doubt!" She smiled withsatisfaction: she'd write that fact to Cliff tonight.... "But who," sheasked herself, "could be paying Tom Adams a hundred dollars--and forwhat? Surely not for the odd jobs he did for the people of Shady Nook, orfor Frazier at the Royal Hotel!"

  At last, she believed, she was on the right trail in solving the mysteryof the fires!