Ethel Morton at Chautauqua Part 39

"It was the first I knew of there being a child. The father finally got work in the orchestra of a small theatre and managed to make a few _pesos_ a week. That seems to have relieved the situation somewhat, but it also brought on Leonard the anger of some of the other musicians in town who had wanted the 'job' that he had secured."

"He probably needed it more than they."

"But he was a 'gringo' and they hated him. And"--with a glance toward Ethel Blue, swinging gently in the darkness, "and he died suddenly."

"Oh, poor Louise!" exclaimed Mrs. Morton, and "Poor little girl!"

exclaimed Ethel.

"Somehow or other Louise managed to sc.r.a.pe together money enough to take the child back to the States, but there was business to be attended to and she left a permanent address with the Senor who had looked after some legal matters for her in Vera Cruz."

"Did you find him? Did he tell you the address?"

"I found him, and when he understood why I wanted to know he gave me the name of the Chicago lawyer whom she would always keep informed of her whereabouts."

"So you got a furlough and you're on your way to Chicago now?"

"I've been to Chicago."

"And the man knew? Did he tell you?"

"He knew. He told me. Where do you suppose she is?"

"I haven't the remotest idea, Richard."

"At Chautauqua."

"At Chautauqua!" repeated Mrs. Morton in a stupefied tone.

"Here!" cried Ethel Blue, amazed.

"Her address is here until September first. I hustled right on here, as you may imagine, to catch her before she left. Now the question is, how do you find out where people are on these grounds?"

"There is a registration office where everybody is supposed to register.

Of course not every one does, but that is the first place to apply.

We'll go there early in the morning."

"Of course you come upon hundreds of Smiths everywhere, but in a place of this size they may be present in scores instead of hundreds. Have you met any?"

"Two or three. There is a Mrs. Smith in my C. L. S. C. cla.s.s, and there is one who has a cottage near the Hall of Philosophy, and there's Mother's embroidery teacher at the art store--she's a Mrs. Smith."

"Do you know the first names of any of them?"

"I don't. Do you know Dorothy's mother's name, Ethel?"

"I don't know, Aunt Marion. I'll ask her to-morrow."

"We'll hunt every Smith to his lair," said the Captain seriously; "and your lair is where you ought to be at this minute, young woman. Kiss me 'Good night.'"

The next morning immediately after breakfast, Mrs. Morton and her brother-in-law started off on their quest of the Chautauqua Smiths. Both Ethels were eager to go too, but the elders thought that the fewer people there were about when the meeting took place the less embarra.s.sing it would be for their Aunt Louise.

"If you really do find her here," exclaimed Helen, "Roger will have to acknowledge that there is some romance left in the world."

Mrs. Smith had not reached the art store when Captain and Mrs. Morton stopped there on their way up the hill, so they went on to the registration office and looked through the cards in the catalogue.

"Here are Smiths from every State in the Union, I should say. Warren, Ohio; San Francisco, California; Boston, Ma.s.sachusetts; Galena, Illinois; Wichita, Kansas; Bartow, Florida--"

"You can't tell anything from those home addresses, for to tell you the truth, I was so excited at getting this Chautauqua address from the Chicago man that I forgot to ask him where she had been before."

"Let's try the first names, then. We want L's, whether we're looking for 'Louise' or 'Leonard.'"

"Here's 'Lucy,' 'Laura,' 'Lester,' and one, two, three with just 'L.'"

"Those will be the ones for us to try first I'll copy their Chautauqua addresses," and Captain Morton drew out a notebook with a hand that trembled.

In spite of the number being so reduced, the search was disappointing.

One Mrs. L. Smith lived near the College and proved to be a young woman with a black-eyed baby who demanded her attention imperatively when her callers asked about her acquaintances among the other Smiths of the place.

A second Mrs. L. Smith lived near the fence back of Alumni Hall and was as much too old as the first Mrs. Smith was too young. The third Mrs.

L. Smith was just enough a matter of doubt to Captain Morton for him to begin his interview diplomatically.

"Have you ever been in Mexico?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered promptly, though evidently surprised.

"About how long ago?" ventured the Captain.

"It's nearly twenty years now. I was about twenty at the time."

The Mortons excused themselves and continued on their rounds.

"It's a rather doubtful experiment hunting up a person of middle age whom you haven't seen since she was a young woman. With all respect to the lady we just interviewed I'm glad she proves to be not my sister.

But I can depend on your affection, Marion, to meet Louise with love no matter what sort of person she proves to be."

"You may, indeed. And I know she'll call out all my love. In the first place she's the sister of the best possible husband and the finest sort of brother-in-law, and in the next place she deserves love for the sake of the hardships she has been through."

"I saw Brother Roger for an hour just before I left Vera Cruz and he said that I could depend on you to be just as true to _his_ as you were to _him_."

As they pa.s.sed along the streets they stopped at two or three houses where Mrs. Morton remembered that she had met Smiths or where she could make inquiries about Smiths, but every call was fruitless.

"I believe we shall have to start a house to house search after dinner.

Helen and Roger can help."

"We might stop here at the art store again as we pa.s.s," suggested Mrs.

Morton.

Just at that moment Dorothy's mother came down the steps of the Arcade.

She nodded pleasantly to Mrs. Morton, and then glanced at her companion.