THE

WILD WARNING

MELODY LANE MYSTERY STORIES

The Ghost of Melody Lane

The Forbidden Trail

The Tower Secret

The Wild Warning

Terror at Moaning Cliff

The Dragon of the Hills

The Mystery of Stingymans Alley The Secret of the Kashmir Shawl

The Hermit of Proud Hill

MELODY LANE MYSTERY STORIES

THE

WILD WARNING

BY

LILIAN GARIS

ILLUSTRATED BY

PELAGIE DOANE

GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS NEW YORK

Copyright, 1934 by

GROSSET & DUNLAP, INC.

The Wild Warning

All Rights Reserved

Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I BOUNCING BETT 1

II DIANNE THE BEAUTIFUL 10

III A ROBBERS CAVE 18 IV A MYSTERY LOOMS 27

V ABOUT A GIRL 37

VI WHAT REALLY HAPPENED 44

VII TOO, TOO DIVINE 54

VIII A SUDDEN LET-DOWN 63

IX ON THE GUTTERS EDGE 72 X JOHNIES BUS RIDE 81 XI YOWLING AND HOWLING 91

XII TWO GIRLS IN TWIN BEDS 99

XIII WEIRD AND MYSTERIOUS 107

XIV HUNTERS AND CLUES 115

XV THE REAL QUESTION 125

XVI A SECRET PROMISE 133

XVII STILL MORE BAFFLING 141

XVIII THALLY ON THE CASE 150

XIX A GLEAM OF TRUTH 158

XX GONE WITH TEN DOLLARS 167

XXI LOST FLINDERS 175

XXII GOING UP 185

XXIII THE LOST BOX 194

XXIV MIDNIGHT BRIGHT EYES 202

XXV THE WILD WARNING 209

1

THE WILD WARNING

CHAPTER I

BOUNCING BETT

She burst in upon them with all the explosiveness

of a bouncing balloon. Just like her name, Betty

Blair was blaring in joyous glee.

She was Carol Duncans first cousin, the very first, no stop-overs in between, and as Cecy, Carols sister, said:

Betty Blair couldnt be second at anything, not even at second counsining. She was, of course, Cecys cousin as well as Carols.

Oh, boy! Am I glad to get here! Who said trains make good time? Why dont they give us tickets for air trips when we eat our spinach like good little

girls? I hate spinach since I saw a barrel cook itself

one warm day. You know spinach does do that; get

hot enough to cook itself. Say, Carol, Betty suddenly diverted from the cooking lesson, you look swell! I adore your bob

2

Sit down, do sit down. That cat is alive, warned Carol pushing a chair out in front of the

animated girl who endangered a couple of Inkys nine lives. You look swell yourself, although your hair-cut must have been an accident. Looks exactly

like Bill Holmes, and the same color, too. It was; an accident, I mean. Betty was in the

chair, or on the chair, for quite a lot of her dangled

over the edges and still kept moving. You know, I went in the barber shop, flopped in a chair and

grabbed a paper. The man with the scissors just

started in to snip and when I came to, from my story,

and he unbuttoned the bib I looked in the glass! This

is what I saw. Its slick, Cecy giggled. She was a little like

Betty and loved anything funny.

Its swell, echoed Carol, who was always the individualist.

And that shade, went on Cecy as Betty gave her neck a lot of exercise in twisting to show it off. I love true brown hair. Yours is tobacco brown.

As old-fashioned as that? Not even cigarette No! See here, youngsters, began Carol, we are

all beauties and each head is perfect. Let it go at

that. We have got to get busy. All right, old lady, chirped Cecy. Carol was

only a couple of years older than either and they

were all in their youngish teens, but we might some

3

day have to run a beauty show, continued Cecy. Carol, you have black hair and violet eyes, Betty has brown hair and brown eyes and I havemouse hair and cats eyes, so what more do we want?

Well, when you leave off the bright sayings of children, Carol mocked them, perhaps we will be able to ask Betty a few sensible questions, like how

her folks are, and why she couldnt come last month when we expected her.

Didnt I write? I didnt. Betty almost tipped the chair over with another of her famous bounces.

Carol frowned. She was going to have her hands full

with those two girls. But secretly she was smiling.

Of course, they were dears and no one knew that

better than Carol.

But why didnt you come last month? pressed Cecy.

Shish! Close the windows, bar the doors. Its disgraceful. I flunked! Yep. I couldnt pass and I didnt know it in time, moaned Betty, so there wasnt any Spring vacation.

You flunked! exclaimed Carol. Yessir; thats just what Betty did, chirped the

girl accused, as if flunking was a lot of fun. And you stayed to make up? queried Cecy

gently.

Not exactly. I couldnt make up. But I stayed to save the family honor. So they wouldnt put me out,

4

you know. Betty Blair, you are shameless, charged Carol

who was smiling quite shamelessly herself. At any rate, suppose you two fight it out. Ive got to go to the village. Cecy, remember you promised to help

Rachel with the berries Just look at my hands from the old berries,

whined Cecy, pointing to a few, faint, pink stains on

her small, well-kept hands. Why bother with old blackberry jam anyhow? Who wants it?

Dad, answered her sister, flopping a big white hat on her black head. At any rate, thats something else you can fight out. See youlater, and off went Carol to get the small family car from the garage. It

was an afternoon in early summer, vacation time, to

be exact, and every day counted to Carol as well as

to Cecy and Betty.

Swinging out of the handsomely-hedged drive

that surrounded the Oak Lodge estate, Carol stopped

at the smaller entrance to the little house on that

same estate, the little stone house near the big

gateway where lived the Duncan family; her father,

Felix Duncan, she, herself, and her sister Cecy with

their loyal friend and housekeeper, Rachel.

Oak Lodge had been the scene of many

interesting happenings, related in the other volumes

of this series, The Ghost of Melody Lane, The

Forbidden Trail, and The Tower Secret, and Carol

5

was even now wondering what this new summer

would bring in the way of adventure.

Mrs. Becket, Cousin Kitty, who owned the great

estate and lived in the big house with the great

organ, was preparing to go abroad this summer and

the Duncans had been invited to occupy the big

house for that period and close up the smaller place.

They were all like one family, although not really

related at all, for Mrs. Becket had needed someone

to care for the great place, and it was during the wild

excitement of ghost stories and ghostly happenings

that Carol had induced her father and her sister Cecy

to move into the smaller house, thus accepting Mrs.

Beckets urgent invitation, as well as very nicely accommodating themselves.

And now here was another summer, with Cecy

home from boarding school and Carol home from

the local high school. Besides there was also Betty.

Just now Carol was calling a message up to the

girls at their window; something about that

blackberry jam and some extra jars they would find

in the pantry.

Cecy and Betty both shouted back, but Carol

could easily guess they would beg off and the good-

natured Rachel would only smile at their excuses.

Starting down the beautiful drive that was still

called Melody Lane, Carol was stopped by the

urgent hand-waving of Mrs. Roland Webb.

6

Wait a minute, Carol! Waitaminute! and she laughed that perpetual laugh of hers, I was just goingtoyourhouse

Carol had to pull up to the curb and she had to

listen.

We want you folks to get Mrs. Becket to sign the petition for apartment houses in Melody Lane, began Mrs. Webb almost breathlessly. We just have to move property

I know, Mrs. Webb, Carol interrupted, but father doesnt believe we should spoil this part of Melody Lane with apartments; neither does Mrs.

Becket. The flow of argument which followed that

statement could only be compared with a soapbox

speech, that long-winded oratory so often forced

upon idlers on street corners by over enthusiastic

reformers. But Carol was starting her car. Mrs.

Webb might talk to the oak tree if she had to have an

audience, for Carol couldnt or wouldnt wait. Between the rush of words and the explosive breaks

of foolish laughter, Carol moved away, merely

smiling.

She was thinking: They have made enough changes in Melody Lane. What was once only a long highway of romance was now the name of an

entire town, with a new Melody Lane post office

and a new village center out in the annexed district.

7

What more should these property holders, like Mrs.

Webb, want?

And it was this very situation that unfolded a new

and startling adventure in the extended development

of Melody Lane, although just then Carol could not

even guess that such a thing might happen. The new

territory was to bring new adventures.

Carol was now going to town to see her friend

Thally Bond off on a jaunt. The jaunt was