Melody Lane #4 The Wild Warning
date post
24-Jan-2016Category
Documents
view
20download
2
Embed Size (px)
description
Transcript of Melody Lane #4 The Wild Warning
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