  It was a strange and wonderful experience to Helen Tower to fly at night—for on that other occasion she had been only semi-conscious—and she was more thrilled than she had ever been in her life. No longer did the darkness frighten her; the immensity of the heavens, the brightness of the stars, the exhilaration of the swift motion through the air all held her entranced. She did not try to say a word to Dot who was sitting so close to her; she only watched the sky with wide-open eyes. It was cold, up there in the skies, in the night, but all the girls were dressed warmly, for even Helen wore the flyer’s suit which she had put on Saturday morning for the treasure hunt. How many things had happened in the meanwhile; yet here she was riding back to Green Falls in the autogiro, just as she had expected to do! The night was calm and pleasant, and Linda felt sure of her way. She made the journey in record time, crossing Lake Michigan, and arriving at the airport long before midnight. Before summoning a taxicab, she hastened to telephone to her aunt. “Hello, Aunt Emily,” she said. “I’m so sorry we had to be late——” “Are you speaking from long distance, Linda?” asked the older woman, immediately. “Where are you? And are you all right—you and Dot both?” Linda laughed. It was exactly what Miss Carlton always asked, every time her niece took the autogiro up in the air. “Of course we are!” she replied. “And we’re right here at Green Falls airport.” “Oh, that’s a relief, dear! I was so worried. Ralph is here with me, waiting for news. I’ll send him right over in his car.” “That’s fine, Aunt Emily. And by the way, we have Helen—Amy, you know—with us.” “That’s good news! And tell her that I have some news to tell her, too. I hope that she will find it good this time—not like Mrs. Fishberry’s surprise visit.” “What is it?” “Better wait and see,” replied Miss Carlton. “Ralph’s leaving now—see you in ten minutes—good-by dear.” Linda turned to Dot, who had just finished calling her mother. “Ralph’s coming for us,” she told her. “So he can take you home first——” Dot giggled. “Jim’s on the way, too,” she explained to Linda. “Isn’t it funny, though, the way our boy friends go and sit with our families when we are out on our adventures?” “They really didn’t know what an adventure this was,” said Linda. “How much shall we tell them?” “Oh, everything, of course. It’ll be all in the papers to-morrow—trust Mike O’Malley for that! But it can’t worry our folks now, because it’s all over.” Ralph and Jim arrived at the same time, and almost fell over each other in their wild rush to the girls. “Where have you been, Linda?” Ralph demanded, as if he were a father speaking to a disobedient child. “Bert Keen’s and Tom Hulbert’s planes both came back ages ago. What made the ‘Ladybug’ so slow?” “We were rescuing Helen,” she replied, with a nod towards the girl beside her. “And being rescued ourselves!” “Rescued! Linda, why don’t you let me go with you when you’re planning something dangerous, instead of always taking another girl?” “I didn’t know it was going to be dangerous, Ralph,” she apologized. “But I’ll tell you all about it when we get home, because Aunt Emily will want to hear it, too.” And recount it she did to every last detail, even including the improvised ghost in the tower, to the consternation of Ralph and her Aunt Emily, when, fifteen minutes later, they were seated on the porch of the Carltons’ summer home. “It’s a miracle that you came out alive!” exclaimed Miss Carlton, incredulously, when Linda had finished the story. “If Mike O’Malley and that brother of his hadn’t just happened along——” “They didn’t happen along, Aunt Emily,” Linda insisted. “Mike had promised to help us!” “Why is it that some outsider like O’Malley or Ted Mackay always has to be the one to protect you,” muttered Ralph, “when I’d be only too glad——” “Well, you can next time,” agreed Linda, smiling. “Now, Aunt Emily, how about something to eat?” “Certainly, dear,” agreed the latter. “And we ought not to sit out here on the porch, for you girls must be cold. Come into the dining room, and I’ll make some hot cocoa.” It was while they were drinking this, and eating their cookies, that Linda suddenly remembered the surprise which her aunt had mentioned. “What is the news you have for Helen?” she inquired. “Oh, I almost forgot!” exclaimed Miss Carlton. Then, turning to the girl, she asked, “You say that you have recovered your memory, dear? Can you recall a woman named Mrs. Smalley?” Helen’s eyes lighted up with affection and joy. “Indeed I can! She’s the very dearest memory I have!” she replied, eagerly. “Well, dear, she’s here. Up in bed. She arrived yesterday, while we were away—absolutely worn out. It seems that she had trudged miles and miles in search of you. So Anna very wisely put her to bed. She was somewhat rested to-day, but decided not to get up.” “Can I see her?” demanded Helen. “I think that she’s asleep.” “Oh, I won’t awaken her! I just want to look at her.” “All right, dear,” agreed Miss Carlton, and, as soon as Ralph had left, she led the girls up to the old lady’s room. Helen tiptoed over to the bedside and, kneeling down, looked eagerly at the worn face on the pillow. Her voice choked with emotion, as she sobbed in thanksgiving. “Nana darling!” she whispered. The old lady opened her eyes, and put out her wrinkled arms to embrace the girl. “My precious child!” she cried. “You do remember me, Helen?” she asked hastily, for Miss Carlton had told her of the girl’s loss of memory. “Yes, yes! I am all right, Nana dearest! And so happy!” The reunion of the two devoted friends—the child and the nurse—was touching to see. Linda and her aunt crept noiselessly away, and Helen slept that night with her dear old nurse. The morning newspapers carried the story of the fire, as Linda had expected. But she was surprised to see no mention of her own name, or of the terrifying rescue. Mike O’Malley had actually sacrificed that thrilling piece of news because he was too modest to mention his own part in the affair! But a question which had not occurred to Linda before had been played up in the headlines. “Who,” the newspaper demanded, “was responsible for setting this house on fire?”—A man in disguise was suspected, it said, because a gray wig and beard had been found near the road. And these must have been left there recently, for otherwise they would have been wet from Saturday’s storm! “Clever Mike!” thought Linda, as she read this deduction. “Now why didn’t we think of that before?” She and Helen and Mrs. Smalley discussed the question from every angle that morning and decided that the criminal who ran Helen down on purpose was the same man that had set fire to the house. And both Helen and Mrs. Smalley agreed that this must be Ed Tower. “But do you remember a Mrs. Fishberry, who claims that she took care of Helen, ever since her grandfather died?” Linda asked Mrs. Smalley. The old lady shook her head. “It is a lie,” she answered, quietly. “I have always taken care of Helen. And I never heard of any person by that name.” “She claims to be Mrs. Edward Tower now,” added Linda, telling about the threatened law suit. But none of these things worried Helen now; she was too much excited over the joy of finding her old nurse and of discovering her grandfather’s will in her favor, to worry much about her uncle, or this new aunt. She wanted to talk about the happiness the future held for her and Mrs. Smalley. “We’ll get the money,” she said, “and then we’ll buy a house in Spring City, shan’t we, Nana—to be near to the Carltons!” “Near to Aunt Emily—yes,” agreed Linda. “But I shan’t be in Spring City next winter. I am going to take a job as soon as we get back.” “A job?” demanded Helen. “Where? What?” “Flying, of course. Relief work with a lumber company perhaps. I may go to Alaska. But don’t tell Aunt Emily yet, for it isn’t settled.” “Oh, poor Miss Carlton!” sighed Mrs. Smalley, and added, turning to her charge, “Helen dear, I hope that you don’t ever decide to go in for flying!” “I only want to go to school,” returned the girl, simply. “With girls of my own age.” “And thank Heaven that you can now!” exclaimed Mrs. Smalley, happily. “Which reminds me,” put in Linda, “that we must go to Chicago to collect that money, Helen. Suppose we rest to-day, while I give the ‘Ladybug’ an inspection, and fly to-morrow? Does that suit you?” It suited the girl perfectly, and accordingly, the following day, Linda and Helen flew across Lake Michigan to Chicago, the aviatrix as usual promising her aunt that she would return before dark. But once again that promise was not to be fulfilled. Leaving the “Ladybug” at the Chicago airport, the girls took a taxi to the Trust Company which had been mentioned in Henry Adolph Tower’s will. When Linda sent in her card, the Vice-president, a Mr. Hudson, came out himself to meet her. “How do you do, Miss Carlton?” he said, cordially. “I have read a great deal about you in the newspapers. I am very much honored to meet you.” Linda blushed; she was always embarrassed when older people showed her such deference. So she hastily told the part of the story that concerned the finding of the will, and produced that document to prove it. The man examined it gravely. “You are too late, I am afraid, Miss Carlton,” he said. “We waited all these years, and refused to give Mr. Edward Tower the money because we believed that his father must have left a will. But when we learned that the old house had burned to the ground, we felt sure that there was no longer any hope of finding one. Yesterday morning we handed over all the bonds and money to Mr. Tower.” “Oh!” gasped Linda in dismay. What a dreadful thing to happen to Helen, after she had built such high hopes! Was she really penniless after all? “But when Mr. Tower hears of this, perhaps he will give it all back,” said Mr. Hudson, soothingly. “No, no—he won’t!” cried Helen, miserably. “You don’t know my uncle, Mr. Hudson, or you couldn’t suggest such a thing! He never gave us anything in our lives!” The bank officer looked surprised. “But he was supposed to be taking care of you out of the income from the estate,” he protested. “That was the understanding we had, when we gave him the interest every six months.” “Well, he wasn’t! We almost starved—my nurse and I! If it hadn’t been for a little garden we had—and now and then selling some of grandfather’s books, I don’t know how we should have lived!— Oh, he was cruel—my uncle, I mean! It was he who set fire to the house!” She was speaking rapidly, in jerks, so that it was difficult to understand her. “You mean you think he actually burned that house down on purpose, so that this will would be destroyed?” inquired Mr. Hudson. “Yes. Disguised as an old man! Didn’t you see that in the papers?” “Yes, I do recall it, now that you mention it. If you really think that is the case, you girls must take out a warrant for his arrest, and try to catch him—before he sails for England.” “England?” repeated Linda. “He is going abroad?” “Of course,” put in Helen. “He’s running away with the money as fast as he can.” Mr. Hudson nodded. “Yes, you may be right, Miss Tower,” he said. “For when I asked him his address—whether it was still the same one we have on our records—he said he couldn’t give me any, because he was going to England, and probably going into air service there.” Linda stood up. “There isn’t a moment to be lost!” she cried. “Mr. Hudson, do you happen to know how he was traveling to New York, or wherever it is he is sailing from?” “Yes, I do. He mentioned the fact that he was flying—going by the first scheduled plane this morning. He said he never used trains.” “So he’s air minded,” muttered Linda, thinking how much harder that would make things for them. “I’m afraid you can’t catch him,” said Mr. Hudson. “If I only knew what boat he was taking we could wire——” “We’re going to catch him!” announced Linda, with that firmness which she so often displayed in a crisis. “We’re flying, too! In my own autogiro! And though Mr. Tower has a start on us, we shan’t have to stop for stations, and passengers!” “Wait a minute,” urged the officer, seeing that she was determined to carry out her plan. “Let me help you! While you girls get some lunch, I’ll see about obtaining a warrant for Tower’s arrest. And you can telephone your folks at the same time.” Linda nodded, and pressed the elderly man’s hand gratefully. People were always so good to her—so kind! And, handing him the will for safekeeping, she and Helen rushed off to follow his instructions. |
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