The Mystery of the Fires Read online

  CHAPTER XII _Getting Business_

  No one was at home when Mary Louise returned from her visit to the storeat Four Corners. What a splendid chance it was to write to CliffordHunter to tell him about Tom Adams' card tricks! With this piece ofevidence, a clever lawyer ought to be able to clear Cliff of allsuspicion.

  "Tom Adams probably left that pack of cards at the Smiths' deliberately,"she wrote. "I feel almost positive now that he is the person who isstarting the fires. He had the _opportunity_; each time one occurred, hewas nowhere to be found. I think he is doing it at somebody else'sorders--for a sum of money. But I can't find out who is paying him, and Ifeel rather certain it isn't his father.

  "I intend to watch Tom Adams like a hawk for the next twenty-four hours,and as soon as I can find out who is responsible, I'll wire the police.But in the meantime, Cliff, I think you ought to be freed, and I wish youand your lawyer would come back to Shady Nook."

  She signed and sealed the letter and took it immediately to the box atthe entrance to Shady Nook, where the rural postman collected mail eachday. Then, feeling that a fine piece of work had been accomplished, sheput away the groceries and started the evening meal.

  But Mary Louise made no mention of her suspicions to the family thatevening, nor did she say anything about her letter to Cliff. She'd tellJane later, when they were alone, for there was no need of bringing upthe subject of the fires again in front of her mother. If Cliff didreturn, it would be a pleasant surprise for Mrs. Gay--and the otherinhabitants of Shady Nook. Mary Louise's only regret would be DavidMcCall's absence: she would love to have the pleasure of saying, "I toldyou so!" to that cocksure youth.

  There was plenty to talk about at the supper table that evening, withoutbringing up the mystery of the fires. Jane had to tell all about the newyoung men she had met and the fun they had had over at the Reeds'. Shethought it was a crime for Mary Louise to have missed it all.

  "But I had a caller," announced her chum. "In a different way, myafternoon was just as thrilling as yours!"

  "You don't mean David McCall, do you?" snapped Jane.

  "Oh no. He's gone home. No--not a man. A girl. Adelaide Ditmar."

  "Adelaide Ditmar! What in the world did she want?"

  "I'll tell you," replied Mary Louise. "And you must listen, too, Mother,for I want your advice." And she proceeded to outline the propositionwhich the young woman had made to her.

  "I want to go into it," she concluded. "I think it means everything toAdelaide. Lots of people have been poorer than the Ditmars at one time oranother, but I don't believe anybody has ever been much more desperate."

  Jane frowned.

  "I don't see why _we_ have to give up our vacation and work hard justbecause a married couple can't get on!" she objected.

  "You don't have to," replied Mary Louise. "But it happens I want to. AndI think Mabel Reed will be keen to help--if you don't want the job, Jane.So, if you don't mind, I'll run right over there after supper."

  "Of course I don't mind," laughed Jane. "Anybody that's ambitious has aright to work! But you better wait a while, Mary Lou. The Reeds may beover at the hotel, eating their dinner."

  "No, they're not," put in Mrs. Gay. "Mrs. Reed told me herself that theycouldn't afford to go over there oftener than once a week--with all thatfamily."

  "You don't mind my doing it, Mother?" inquired Mary Louise.

  "No, dear--provided you don't get too tired. But if you do, you caneasily stop. Will you promise me that?"

  "Of course I will, Mother," agreed the girl as she started to gather upthe dishes.

  "Stop that!" protested Jane. "I may not be ambitious, but I'm not goingto let you get the supper and wash the dishes both. Freckles and I areclearing up tonight. You run along, Mary Lou!"

  "Suits me!" agreed her chum as she hurried off to the Reeds' cottage.

  Mabel Reed listened to the proposition with delight and immediatelyconsented to help.

  "Let's go right around Shady Nook now," she suggested, "and get thepeople to sign up for the meals. Then we'll have something definite totake to Adelaide."

  "You are a business woman, Mabel!" exclaimed Mary Louise admiringly. "Butwe'd have to quote prices, wouldn't we?"

  "Make it the same as Flicks' used to be--forty cents for lunch and sixtyfor dinner. The Royal charges a dollar for lunch and a dollar and a halffor dinner. So everybody would save a dollar and a half a day by eatingwith us!"

  "Frazier is going to hate us," remarked Mary Louise.

  "Of course he is. But who cares?"

  "He'll huff and he'll puff----" muttered Mary Louise, half to herself."Well, come on--let's go. I've got a pencil and paper."

  "You always have a pencil and paper with you," observed Mabel. "Is thatbecause you expect to become a writer?"

  "No, I don't believe I'll ever be a writer, Mabel. I'd rather _do_ thingsthan write about them." She wished she might tell the other girl what shehad accomplished earlier in the summer at Dark Cedars with the help ofher notebook and pencil, but that would seem too much like bragging.Besides, the only way to succeed in life is to forget about the past andkeep looking forward.

  "Write down seven Reeds and four Gays," said Mabel. "And two Ditmars.That makes thirteen already."

  "But four of those won't eat till the others are served, so we'll needonly nine chairs so far.... Now, let's see. Where shall we go first?"

  "Let's go right up the line of the cottages. Hunters' is gone, of course,so we'll try the Partridges. They have four in their family."

  "Mrs. Partridge is a great friend of mother's," observed Mary Louise. "Ithink they will sign up."

  The two girls walked a quarter of a mile up the private road that woundalong beside the river, past the Hunters' grounds, on to the pleasantfive-room cottage that belonged to the Partridges. As there were no youngpeople in this family, Mary Louise did not know them so well, but shefelt sure that they would like the idea of having their meals on thisside of the river.

  Mr. and Mrs. Partridge, and the two sisters who spent the summer withthem, were just coming across the river in Mr. Frazier's launch when thegirls reached the scene. The hotelkeeper himself was running themotorboat.

  Mary Louise smiled at them and waited until the launch had puffed offbefore she explained her plan.

  Mrs. Partridge was delighted.

  "Of course we'll come--for our dinners," she agreed immediately. "Myhusband is going back to the city, except for week-ends, and we threewomen would just as soon have a bite of lunch at home. But I hate thisbothering with a boat every night for dinner, although Mr. Frazier hasbeen most kind."

  "Then we can count on you three?" asked Mary Louise in delight.

  "Yes--and Mr. Partridge too on Saturdays and Sundays," added the woman.

  Mary Louise marked down the names, and the two girls continued on theirway, pleased with their success.

  "That's three more paying guests," she said, "totaling twelve!"

  "It's thrilling!" exclaimed Mabel.

  It was even more thrilling to find the Robinsons just as enthusiasticabout the plan, adding four more names to their list.

  "That's all!" sighed Mabel. "Unless we go over to the Royal and try toget the Smiths."

  "They wouldn't come," returned Mary Louise, "because they'd have nowhereto sleep. And besides, they don't care about economy. They have piles ofmoney."

  "True. But I'll tell you whom we can get, Mary Lou: those four Harrisburgboys. They can put up tents in the woods and eat at Ditmars'. They'lllove it, and besides, it will make it possible for them to stay at ShadyNook a lot longer. Their money will go so much farther than it would atthe Royal."

  "That is an idea, Mabel!" cried Mary Louise. "And maybe they'd be willingto eat at a second table, so we shouldn't have to get extra chairs."

  "The very thing. Sixteen chairs isn't so bad. I guess the Ditmars havefour, and we each have a card-table set. I suppose the Robinson boys canknock together a bench
and some chairs for a porch table."

  "Adelaide Ditmar suggested getting Tom Adams to do it."

  "Then we'd have to pay him! No, I think we better ask the Robinson boysor Horace Ditmar."

  The girls reached the bungalow and found the young couple waiting forthem on the porch. Horace Ditmar was a good-looking man of perhapstwenty-five--not much older than David McCall, Mary Louise thought--andAdelaide was scarcely twenty. They were a handsome pair: it was too badif they weren't happy.

  Adelaide's eager blue eyes were gazing into Mary Louise's as if she couldnot wait for her answer.

  "Mabel and I have decided to help you, Adelaide," announced Mary Louiseimmediately. "We just stopped at all the bungalows to find out how manypeople we can get to promise to come to the meals. We have sixteen fordinners and thirteen for lunches--besides all of us who will be working."

  "Sixteen!" repeated the young woman in delight. "Oh, Mary Lou, I kneweverybody adored you! If I'd asked them myself they would all haverefused."

  "Now, dear!" remonstrated her husband, with such an affectionate look athis wife that Mary Louise was surprised. Maybe Horace Ditmar was allright after all!

  The girls sat down on the porch and plunged right into the discussion ofall the details of carrying out the plan. The young man was surprisinglyhelpful and resourceful. As Adelaide had said, he was keenly interested.He not only promised to provide the needed tables and chairs, but he drewplans for placing them and for arranging the kitchen to utilize every bitof its space. He knew how to make home-made ice cream, he said, and hewould drive over for all the supplies twice a week. In fact, he took somuch of the work upon his own shoulders that the girls felt as if therewas little for them to do in advance. They were to open for business theday after tomorrow.

  "And all we have to do is borrow some silverware and dishes," remarkedMabel as the girls rose to go.

  "And engage Hattie Adams to wash them," added Adelaide. "But I wish youwouldn't go home yet, girls. I was hoping we might play a little bridge."Her tone was wistful. Mary Louise knew how eager she was to make friends.

  "We'll be over tomorrow," replied Mabel, "but I think we ought to go now,because those Harrisburg boys are over at our bungalow, and I want to seewhether I can't get them to camp over here in the woods and take theirmeals with us. There are four of them."

  "Good girl!" approved Horace. "Go right after the business!"

  So the girls said good-night and hurried off, full of excitement overtheir new adventure. All the young people who had gathered at the Reeds'were enthusiastic too: they were tired of dressing up and going to theRoyal Hotel, and enjoyed the informal intimacy of a small boarding houselike Flicks'. The four young men from Harrisburg were only too glad toadopt Mabel's suggestion, and planned to borrow the tents and startcamping out the same day that the dining room was to open.

  During the entire evening the mystery of the fires was not mentioned.Indeed, nobody thought of them until Jane and Mary Louise were aloneagain, getting ready for bed. Then the former referred to them casually.

  "I guess you won't have time for solving any more mysteries now, MaryLou," she remarked, "with this dining room on your hands."

  "On the contrary," returned her companion, "that is just one reason why Iwanted to go into the thing. I was anxious to get to know Horace Ditmarbetter. And I'm practically convinced that he had nothing to do with thefires!"

  "Then who?" inquired Jane. "Rebecca Adams?"

  "No, not Rebecca. But I did get a new clue this afternoon, Jane. Ilearned something that made me suspicious about her brother Tom!"

  "Tom Adams? Why, Mary Lou, I thought you dismissed him long ago. When welearned that the Adams family are losing jobs by these fires."

  "Yes, I know. But there's something we don't understand yet. Anyhow, TomAdams does card tricks."

  "Card tricks?"

  "Yes. He probably learned them from Cliff, and maybe swiped his cards todo them!"

  Jane's eyes opened wide with understanding. "That pack of cards at theSmith fire!" she cried.

  Mary Louise nodded. "Exactly! That's just what I've been thinking. So Iwrote to Cliff this afternoon and told him about it."

  Jane threw her arms around her friend and hugged her.

  "You are a wonder, Mary Lou!... But--but--can you prove anything?"

  "Not yet. But I mean to watch Tom Adams and see whether I can't learnsome more."

  "If he really is guilty and finds out that you suspect him," observedJane, "he'll take out his spite by setting fire to this bungalow. Youbetter be careful, Mary Lou!"

  "I expect to be," was the reply. "I'm looking for trouble!"

  But she hardly expected it in the form in which it came the followingday.