The Mystery of the Fires Read online

  CHAPTER XVII _Release_

  While her parents and her friends at Shady Nook were imagining all sortsof horrors for Mary Louise, the day actually passed peacefully for her.It was a terrible shock to waken up in that bare little bedroom with theiron bars at the window, but after the first realization of it was over,she found comfort in work. For, unlike the previous night, she was notallowed to be idle.

  Miss Stone came in at seven o'clock with a tray of breakfast in herhands.

  "And how do you feel today, dear?" she inquired cheerfully.

  Mary Louise opened sleepy eyes and looked about her, trying to rememberwhere she was. For one ghastly moment she felt as if she would scream asthe horror of the whole thing came back to her. But, realizing that suchan act would only help to confirm her nurse's belief in her insanity, shemanaged to control herself. The sun was shining, Miss Stone waskind--surely Mary Louise would find a way out. So she smiled back at thewoman.

  "I'm fine, Miss Stone," she said. "Am I supposed to get dressed?"

  "Eat your breakfast first," was the reply. "After today you'll probablyeat with the other patients. But the doctor is coming in to make anexamination this morning."

  Mary Louise nodded. "And then what do I do?"

  "You tidy up your own room and then take some part in the householdduties. You may have your choice of cleaning, cooking, washing dishes, orsewing. Then you'll eat lunch in the dining room and spend an houroutdoors in the garden. After that there is a rest period, when you mayread or sew, if you like. We have a small library, and there is a classin knitting too, if you prefer. Then supper--and vespers."

  "It sounds fine--so much better than doing nothing," replied Mary Louise."I think for my particular work I'll choose cooking. I'm pretty good atcakes and pies."

  "That's nice, dear," concluded Miss Stone, turning towards the door. "Beready to see the doctor in about an hour."

  "May I have a shower?"

  "Yes. I'll come back in fifteen minutes to take you."

  "But I'm not a baby!" protested Mary Louise. "I'm quite used to givingmyself baths."

  "I know, dear, but it's a rule. Sometimes patients drown themselves if wedon't watch them. Maybe--later on----"

  She did not finish the sentence, but left the room, locking the doorbehind her. It was very like a nightmare, Mary Louise thought, as shepicked up her tray--a dream in which you found yourself locked upsomewhere without any means of escape. But she meant to get away just thesame, if she had to climb that ten-foot wall to accomplish it!

  She decided immediately that she would be an exemplary patient, that shewould work hard and do everything she was told to do. Gradually, perhaps,her liberty would be increased as the attendants learned that she couldbe trusted.

  In spite of her blue calico uniform, Mary Louise looked exceedinglypretty that morning when the doctor came in to see her. Her cheeks wereglowing with perfect health, and her dark eyes were smiling. The room, aswell as her person, was meticulously neat.

  She identified the doctor immediately as the man who had received her theday before at the door of the institution.

  "Good-morning, Miss Adams," he said, regarding her with admiration."You're looking well today."

  "I'm fine," replied Mary Louise. "Only my name doesn't happen to be MissAdams," she couldn't help adding.

  The physician smiled, and she detected a shade of pity in his expression.Something like that in Miss Stone's face when she had humored thatpatient by calling her "Joan of Arc."

  But he made no reply and went ahead with the examination. When Miss Stonereturned he told her that Miss Adams was in perfect physical condition.

  "It's only the brain," thought Mary Louise in secret amusement. How oftenshe and her young friends had made that remark to each other! Sheresolved never to speak jokingly of insanity again.

  After the doctor's visit her day proceeded in the orderly manner whichMiss Stone had outlined. She cooked and washed dishes and ate lunch withthe patients. Then she went out in the garden, where she was assigned aflower bed of her own.

  But Mary Louise was not interested in flower beds at the moment. Shepretended to work, all the while looking about her at the grounds aroundthe asylum, at the high stone wall below and into the valley beyond.Across this valley, on a level with the institution, she could see awhite road that ran like a ribbon along the hill in the distance. Thisroad, she decided, must be a main highway, or at least a drive frequentedby automobiles--otherwise it would not be so smooth and white....

  Staring at this road in silence, an inspiration came to Mary Louise. Anidea that might bring about her longed-for release!

  She waited eagerly for the nurse to come over to where she was working,but she was careful to keep her tone matter-of-fact when she did make herrequest. Miss Stone must not guess her hidden purpose!

  "May I break off two sticks from some bush?" she asked indifferently."I'd like to practice my semaphore."

  "What's that, dear?" inquired Miss Stone skeptically. "Is it anythingdangerous?"

  Mary Louise smiled.

  "Oh, no. It's just part of a Girl Scout's training. You've heard of GirlScouts, haven't you?"

  "Yes, I believe I have. Anyway, I've heard of Boy Scouts, so I supposethe Girl Scouts is an organization like theirs--for girls."

  "That's right," agreed Mary Louise. "And I have always been very muchinterested in it. I don't want to forget all that I have learned. So if Ihad a couple of sticks and a needle and thread, I could make a pair offlags and--and--practice every day."

  She uttered the last sentence haltingly, fearful lest Miss Stone mightguess her reason for wanting them and refuse. But as the nurse had noidea that semaphore meant signaling messages, she was entirelyunsuspicious. And it had always been her policy to humor her patients inpursuit of any harmless amusements.

  So that afternoon she brought Mary Louise needles and cotton and scissorsand sat with her while she cut up her red-and-white sports dress for theflags. It seemed a pity, Miss Stone thought, to destroy such a prettydress, but it was not likely that Mary Louise would ever need it again.It was a sad fact that few of their patients ever returned to the outsideworld!

  Mary Louise finished her flags just before supper and laid them carefullyaway behind the washstand. Tomorrow--oh, happy thought!--she would tryher luck.

  Hope is indeed a great tonic. Mary Louise went right to sleep that nightand slept soundly until morning. She performed her duties so quickly andwith such intelligence that even Miss Stone began to wonder whether therehad not been some mistake in confining the girl to the institution. Butas they did not take a daily paper at the asylum, and as they wereentirely cut off from the outside world, she had no way of knowing aboutthe desperate search that was going on all over the country for MaryLouise Gay.

  "Now that I have finished my work, may I go out into the garden andpractice my semaphore for an hour before lunch?" the girl asked hernurse.

  "Yes, certainly," agreed Miss Stone. "I'll go with you, because I want tospray the rose bushes."

  Mary Louise was not so pleased to be accompanied, but after all, MissStone's presence would mean freedom from other attendants. Nobody wouldmolest her while her own nurse was with her.

  She selected a spot high up on the terrace, from whence she could plainlysee the ribbon of white road across the valley. Then she began to signalher message:

  "I AM MARY LOUISE GAY. HELP!"

  Over and over again she repeated the same letters, hope coming into herheart each time a car swung into view, despair taking possession of herwhen it failed to stop. Perhaps, she thought, she was too far away to beseen. She glanced behind her, at the green bushes, and moved along whereshe might have the gray wall of the institution for her background. Redand white should show up brilliantly in contrast to somber gray.

  Half an hour passed, during which perhaps a dozen cars went by withoutstopping, and Mary Louise's arms became weary. But she did not give up.Somet
imes, she was certain, one of her own friends' cars would come overthat hill--and stop.

  Miss Stone, watching the girl out of the corner of her eye, nodded sadlyto herself. She must be crazy after all, she decided, to go through thatsilly routine over and over again. Intelligent on most subjects as shehad discovered Mary Louise to be, she must be unbalanced on thisparticular obsession.

  Still Mary Louise went on trying.

  "I AM MARY LOUISE GAY. HELP!"

  she signaled again, for the twenty-fourth time, as a small, bright carappeared on the road.

  The car was proceeding very slowly; it looked as if it could scarcelyclimb the hill. Then, to the girl's intense joy, she watched it stop.Perhaps it was only because of a faulty engine or a puncture--but--oh--itwas stopping!

  Her heart beat so fast and her hands trembled so that she could hardlyrepeat the message. But she forced herself to go through it again. Thismight be her one chance--her vital hope of escape!

  She knew now what it must feel like to be abandoned at sea and all atonce to glimpse a sail on the empty waters, bringing hope, and rescue,and life--if it stopped. But, oh, the utter despair if it continued onits course unheeding!

  Two figures which looked like little dwarfs in the distance jumped out ofthe car and stood still, evidently watching Mary Louise's motions.Frantic with excitement, she spelled the message again, this time veryslowly, forming the letters carefully and pausing a long second betweeneach word:

  "I AM MARY LOUISE GAY. HELP HELP HELP!"

  The two tiny figures waited until she had finished and then waved theirarms frantically.

  She watched them in feverish anguish as they returned to the car and tooksomething from the back of it. For five long minutes they busiedthemselves in some way which she could not understand, while she waited,tense with emotion.

  Miss Stone strolled over and spoke to her, startling her so that shealmost dropped her flags.

  "Tired, dear?" inquired the nurse sympathetically.

  "No! No!" protested Mary Louise. "Let me stay fifteen minutes more.Please!"

  Her eyes were still fixed upon the car across the valley. One of the menwas stepping away from it now, holding up both arms, which waved two darkflags. Made from clothing, perhaps, on the spur of the moment. And thenhe began to signal.

  Breathlessly Mary Louise watched the letters as they came, spelling outwords that brought floods of joy to her heart. Overwhelming her withhappiness such as she had never known before. For the message which sheread was this:

  "WE ARE COMING MARY LOU. MAX AND NORMAN."

  Great tears of bliss rushed to her eyes and rolled down her cheeks; herhands trembled, and her arms grew limp. In the exhaustion of her reliefshe dropped down weakly to the ground.

  Miss Stone came and bent over her anxiously, fearing that some curiousspell had come over Mary Louise. A fit, perhaps, which would explain whyher brother had wished to confine this girl in the asylum.

  "I'll help you up, dear," the nurse said, "and we'll go into the house.You had better lie down for a while."

  "But I'm all right!" exclaimed Mary Louise, jumping happily to her feet."My friends are coming for me, Miss Stone!" She threw her arms around thewoman and hugged her. "Two boys from my home town--in Riverside."

  "Yes, yes, dear," agreed Miss Stone, sure now that Mary Louise wasraving. "But come inside now and rest."

  "No, I don't want to rest," objected the girl. "You said I could stay outtill lunch, and there's still ten minutes left. I want to wait for Maxand Norman."

  "All right, dear, if you'll promise to calm yourself. Sit down there onthe step while I finish these rose bushes."

  Mary Louise did as she was told, keeping her eyes fixed on the gate,wondering how long it would take for the boys to get across that valley,hoping that they wouldn't get lost. She picked up her home-made flags andtouched them lovingly. "Suppose I had never joined the Girl Scouts--andsuppose I had never become an expert signaler!" she thought. She shiveredat the very idea.

  She did not have to wait long, however. In less than ten minutes she sawthe gardener unlock the big iron gate and a dear, familiar green roadsterspeed up the hill and stop at the door of the asylum. In an instant bothboys were out of the car. Max was the first to reach Mary Louise. Withoutany question of permission, he took her into his arms and kissed heragain and again. Then Norman kissed her too, not quite so ardently asMax.

  Finally she freed herself laughingly from their embraces and introducedthem to Miss Stone. The boys looked questioningly at the woman. If shehad been responsible for the kidnaping of Mary Louise, why was the girlso polite to her?

  Max took a revolver from his pocket, just to be prepared in case ofviolence.

  Mary Louise laughed merrily.

  "You don't need that, Max," she said. "Miss Stone won't do anythingdesperate. She is a nurse."

  "A nurse? Is this a hospital?" Alarm crept into Max's voice. "Oh, MaryLou, you're not hurt, are you?"

  "No, not a bit. Don't you know what kind of place this is, Max? It's anasylum for the insane! I'm supposed to be crazy."

  Horrified, Max sprang forward and seized Miss Stone by the arm.

  "What kind of diabolical plot is this?" he demanded. "Whose accompliceare you?" He pulled a newspaper out of his pocket and shook it in thenurse's face. "The whole country's frantic over the disappearance of MaryLouise Gay!"

  Miss Stone gazed at the picture in the paper with increasing fear. Hadshe--and the rest of the staff at the asylum--been accomplices to ahideous crime?

  But Mary Louise replied for her reassuringly.

  "Miss Stone's innocent, Max," she explained. "Please let her go. So arethe others here. They're just obeying orders. Tom Adams put me in here,calling me his feeble-minded sister Rebecca. He really does happen tohave one, you may have heard, and I understand her papers for confinementwere filed once before. Mr. Frazier signed my commitment too, pretendingto be a cousin. Those two men are the only guilty ones."

  "Tom Adams!" repeated Max and Norman at the same time, and Norman added:

  "Yes, that's what Freckles said. They're looking for Tom Adams. He ranaway from Shady Nook--or wherever it is he lives. The police are afterhim."

  "How about Frazier?" demanded Mary Louise.

  "Is he guilty?" asked Max.

  "More so than Tom," replied the girl. "Oh, I must get back to tell thepolice before Frazier sneaks away!" She turned to the nurse. "May I gowith the boys now?"

  "I'll have to ask the doctor," replied Miss Stone, hurrying inside to theoffice.

  It took no persuasion at all, however, to obtain the doctor's consent. Assoon as he read the account in the newspaper and saw that Tom Adams was afugitive from the law, he gladly agreed to let Mary Louise go free. Infact, he was anxious that she should, lest he be blamed for participationin the crime.

  So Mary Louise jumped into the car between the two boys, and in less thanan hour she saw the dear familiar trees of Shady Nook in the distance. Asthe car approached her own bungalow, she could distinguish hermother--yes, and her father--sitting on the porch in an attitude ofhopeless despair.

  Oh, what fun it was going to be to surprise them so joyfully!