The Automobile Girls in the Berkshires Part 27

Bab was joking with Mr. Latham as she plied him with sandwiches and cakes.

For half a minute Mollie's heart misgave her. She was afraid to try her experiment.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The Cup in Mr. Latham's Hand Trembled.]

"Good gracious!" she thought, finally, "what possible harm can it do Mr.

Winthrop Latham to look at poor, pretty little Eunice? If the child means nothing to him, he will not even notice her. If she turns out to be the child I believe she is, why, then--then--it is only right that her uncle, Mr. Winthrop Latham, should know of her existence."

"Come, now, Eunice!" cried Mollie. "Come into the sitting-room with me.

The girls have some pretty cakes and sweet things they are saving for you."

Mollie took Eunice's hand. The two girls were nearly of the same size and age. They quietly walked into the sitting-room.

"Where is 'Automobile Girl' number four?" Mollie heard Mr. Latham ask, just as the two girls entered the room.

"Here I am!" Mollie replied.

Mr. Latham glanced up. His ruddy face turned white as chalk.

Mollie never took her eyes from Mr. Latham's face. Miss Stuart, Bab, Grace and Ruth stared at him.

But Mr. Latham did not notice any one of them. His jaw dropped. The cup in his hand trembled. Still he did not speak.

Barbara broke the silence. "Mr. Latham, are you ill?" she asked. "May I take your teacup from you?"

Mr. Latham shook his head. He continued to gaze steadily at Eunice.

Little Eunice was frightened by the strange man's stare. She trembled.

Her rosebud lips quivered. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Come to me, Eunice," Ruth called comfortingly. "See the candies I have been saving for you! Mr. Latham, this is the little Indian girl who was hurt. You remember that we have spoken of her before?"

"Will some one take the child away?" Mr. Latham asked, brokenly.

Mollie led Eunice back to her bedroom. Then she hurried in again to rejoin the others.

"Miss Stuart, I owe you and your girls an explanation for my strange conduct," Mr. Latham declared. "I feel, this afternoon, that I have seen a ghost! I do not understand this Indian child's likeness to my dead sister-in-law. I must seek an explanation somewhere. This little Eunice is the living image of my brother's Indian wife--the poor girl whom our cruelty drove from our home back to the tents of her own people to die. I was told that her little child died with her. There is a mystery here that must be solved. If this little girl is the daughter of my brother and his Indian wife, one-half of my fortune belongs to her."

"Mr. Latham," Miss Stuart quietly interrupted him, "this Indian child has an old grandmother who will be able to tell you whether this child has any connection with you. I have always thought there must be some explanation. The squaw has kept the child hidden for a purpose."

"You are right, Miss Stuart," Mr. Latham interrupted. "You tell me this child's name is Eunice? Eunice was the name of my brother's wife. It is also the Christian name for the female Indians of a certain tribe, but there is little doubt, in my mind, of this girl's ident.i.ty. The gold chain about her throat was my brother's gift to his wife. That chain has the story of my brother's love and courtship engraved on it in Indian characters. But I am too much upset to discuss the matter any further to-day. When can I see the Indian grandmother?"

"To-morrow," Miss Stuart replied quietly. "I would not advise you to delay."

"Will you go with me to see her at ten o'clock to-morrow morning, Miss Stuart?" queried Mr. Latham.

"Certainly," Miss Sallie agreed.

"I beg of you then not to mention what has taken place in this room this afternoon," Mr. Latham urged. "When we know the truth in regard to this child it will be time to tell the strange story. Good-bye until to-morrow morning."

"Mollie," Bab cried as soon as the door closed on Mr. Latham, "I surrender. And I humbly beg your pardon. You are a better detective than I am. What is the discovery of the Boy Raffles compared with your bringing to light the family history of poor little Eunice! Just think, instead of being a poor, despised Indian girl, Eunice is heiress to a large fortune."

"Then you believe in me now, Bab!" Mollie rejoined. "I have always thought Eunice was in some way connected with the Latham family."

"Girls," Miss Stuart cautioned quietly, "when you take Eunice to her grandmother, at Naki's house, say nothing. Remember, you are to speak to no one of what happened this afternoon."

CHAPTER XXII

THE AUTOMOBILE WINS

Immediately after breakfast, next morning, "The Automobile Girls" started in Ruth's car for Naki's house in Pittsfield.

Miss Stuart had decided that it would be best to have Eunice out of the way when she and Mr. Latham made their call on the grandmother.

So the girls hurried off after Eunice.

They were in splendid spirits as they approached Naki's house. No one of them doubted, for an instant, that Mr. Winthrop Latham would find little Eunice was his niece.

"You run in and ask the grandmother whether Eunice may take a ride with us, Mollie," Ruth suggested as she stopped her car. "If Naki is at home, ask him to step out here a minute. I want to prepare him for the call of Aunt Sallie and Mr. Latham."

In three minutes Mollie flew out of the house again. She was alone. There was no sign of Eunice!

"O girls!" Mollie cried, "Eunice and her grandmother are gone!"

"Gone where?" Bab queried.

"Back to their own wigwam!" Mollie continued. "Last night Ceally says a woman, heavily veiled, came here, accompanied by a young man. They talked to the Indian woman and Eunice a long time. They told the squaw a man was in pursuit of her. He would come this morning to take her away. She was so frightened that Naki and Ceally could do nothing to influence her. She started with Eunice, last night, for their wigwam in the hills. Who do you think her visitors were?"

"Mrs. Latham and Reginald!" cried the other three girls at once.

"It is all so plain," argued Ruth. "Mr. Latham probably told his sister, last night, that he had seen Eunice, and meant to come here, this morning, and find out who the child really was. Mrs. Latham and Reginald then rushed here to get the squaw and the child out of the way until they could have time to plan."

"But what shall we do now?" asked Mollie, her eyes full of tears. "I do not believe Mrs. Latham and Reginald will be content with sending Eunice and her grandmother back to their own hill. Mr. Latham could follow them up there. I know they will try to spirit Eunice away altogether. They will not wait. Oh, what, what can we do?"

"I know," Ruth answered quietly.

"Have you any money, girls?" she inquired. "I have twenty-five dollars with me."

"I have twenty with me," Grace replied. "I have ten," declared Bab. "And I have only five," Mollie answered.

"Then we are all right for money," said Ruth. "Naki," she continued, turning to their guide, who had now come out to them, "I want you to give this note to Aunt Sallie and Mr. Latham when they come here. It will explain all. Tell them not to worry. I shall send a telegram before night."

Taking a piece of paper from her pocket, Ruth hurriedly wrote a letter of some length.