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The Floating Press - Edith Lavell

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117 pages

English

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Sixteen-year-old Mary Louise Gay was born with a seemingly unquenchable curiosity. When strange things begin happening in the woods around the house of an elderly neighbor, Mary Louise finds herself following in the footsteps of her father, who is a police detective. Will she crack the case before it's too late?

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Children's

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Publié par	The Floating Press
Date de parution	01 mai 2014
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781776536771
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0134€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

THE MYSTERY AT DARK CEDARS
* * *
EDITH LAVELL

*
The Mystery at Dark Cedars First published in 1935 Epub ISBN 978-1-77653-677-1 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77653-678-8 © 2013 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
*
Chapter I - The House of Mystery Chapter II - The Robbery Chapter III - Suspects Chapter IV - Interviewing Hannah Chapter V - The Stolen Treasure Chapter VI - A Wild Ride Chapter VII - "Hands up!" Chapter VIII - A Confession Chapter IX - The Fifty-Dollar Bill Chapter X - Night at Dark Cedars Chapter XI - The Picnic Chapter XII - Bound and Gagged Chapter XIII - Detective Work Chapter XIV - Bad News Chapter XV - An Alibi Chapter XVI - Spreading the Net Chapter XVII - The Empty House Chapter XVIII - Found! Chapter XIX - Conclusion
Chapter I - The House of Mystery
*
"Be quiet, Silky! What's the matter with you? You don't usually bark likecommon dogs over nothing!"
The brown spaniel stopped under a maple tree and wagged his tailforlornly, looking pleadingly into his mistress's eyes, as if he weretrying to tell her that he wasn't just making a fuss over nothing.
Mary Louise Gay stooped over and patted his head. She was a pretty girlof sixteen, with dark hair and lovely brown eyes and long lashes thatwould make an actress envious.
"I see what Silky means!" cried her companion, Jane Patterson who livednext door to Mary Louise and was her inseparable chum. "Look, Mary Lou!Up in the tree. A kitten!"
Both girls gazed up at the leafy branches overhead and spied a tiny blackkitten crying piteously. It had climbed up and couldn't get down.
"I'll get it," said Mary Louise.
She swung herself lightly to the lowest branch, chinned herself, andclimbed the tree. In another minute she had rescued the kitten with herhands.
"Stretch on your tiptoes, Jane," she called to her chum, "and see if Ican hand it down to you."
The other girl, who was much shorter and stockier than Mary Louise, didas she was told, but the distance was too great.
"I suppose I'll have to climb down with her in one hand," concluded MaryLouise. "That's not so easy."
"Drop her over to that branch you swung up by, and I'll get her fromthere," suggested Jane.
A moment later Mary Louise was at her chum's side, stroking the littleblack kitten, now purring contentedly in Jane's arms.
"I wonder whose it is," she remarked. "There isn't any house near—"
"Except old Miss Grant's."
Both girls turned and looked at the hill which rose at the right of thelonely road on which they had been walking. The house, a large drabplaster building, was barely visible through the dark cedars thatsurrounded it on all sides. A high, thick hedge, taller than anaverage-sized man, gave the place an even greater aspect of gloominessand seclusion.
"Maybe it is Miss Grant's kitten," suggested Jane. "Old maids aresupposed to like cats, you know."
Mary Louise's brown eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"I hope it is!" she exclaimed. "And then we'll get a look at the insideof that house. Because everybody says it's supposed to be haunted. Ourcolored laundress's little girl was walking past it one evening aboutdusk, and she heard the most terrible moan. She claims that two eyes,without any head or body, looked out through the hedge at her. Shedropped her bundle and ran as fast as she could for home."
"You don't really believe there is anything, do you, Mary Lou?"
"I don't know. There must be something queer about it."
"Maybe there's a crazy woman shut up in the tower."
"You've been reading Jane Eyre , haven't you, Jane? But there isn't anytower on the Grant house."
"Well, I guess Miss Grant is crazy enough herself. She dresses in stylesof forty years ago. Did you ever see her?"
"Yes, I've had a glimpse of her once or twice when I walked past here.She looks like the picture of the old maid on the old-maid cards. It mustbe awful for that girl who lives with her."
"What girl?" inquired Jane.
"A niece, I believe. She must be about our age. Her father and motherboth died, so she has to live with Miss Grant. They say the old ladytreats her terribly—much worse than the two old servants she keeps."
While this conversation was going on, the two girls, followed by Silky,were walking slowly up the hill towards the big hedge which surroundedthe Grant place. Once inside the yard, it was almost like being in adeep, thick woods. Cedar trees completely enclosed the house and grewthick on both sides of the narrow path leading from the gate to theporch. In spite of the fact that it was broad daylight, Jane foundherself shuddering. But Mary Louise seemed delighted with the strange,gloomy atmosphere.
"Doesn't this girl go to high school?" asked Jane. "If she's about ourage—"
"I don't believe so. I never saw her there."
They stopped when they reached the steps of the porch and looked aboutwith curiosity. It certainly was a run-down place. Boards were broken inthe steps, and pieces of plaster had crumbled from the outer wall. Thegrayish-colored ivy which grew over the house seemed to emphasize itsaspect of the past.
"Isn't Miss Grant supposed to be rich?" whispered Jane incredulously. "Itdoesn't look like it!"
"They say she's a miser. Hoards every cent she can get." Mary Louisesmiled. "I believe I'll tell Daddy to report her for hoarding. Shedeserves it!"
"Better wait and find out whether she really is rich, hadn't you?"returned Jane. "Your father's a busy man."
Mary Louise nodded and looked at her dog.
"You lie down, Silky," she commanded, "and wait here for us. Miss Grantprobably wouldn't like you. She might think you'd hurt Pussy." She smiledindulgently. "She doesn't know you belong to the Dog Scouts and do a kindact every day—like rescuing cats in distress!"
The spaniel obeyed, and the two girls mounted the rickety steps of theporch. Although it was late in June, the door was closed tightly, andthey had to pull a rusty knocker to let the people inside know that theywere there.
It was some minutes before there was any reply.
A sad-faced girl in an old-fashioned purple calico dress finally openedthe door and stared at them with big gray eyes. The length of her dress,the way her blond hair was pulled back and pinned into a tight knot, madeher seem much older than her visitors.
A suggestion of a smile crossed her face at the sight of the girls'pleasant faces, and for a second she looked almost pretty.
"Is this your kitten?" asked Mary Louise. "We rescued it from a tree downthe road."
The girl nodded.
"Yes. It belongs to my aunt Mattie. Come in, and I'll call her."
The girls stepped into the dark square hall and looked about them. Theinside of the house was even more forbidding than the outside. Theceilings were high and the wall paper dark. All the shutters were drawn,as if there were poison in the June sunlight. For no reason at all thatthey could see, the old stairs suddenly creaked.
Jane shuddered visibly, and the girl in the purple dress smiled.
"Don't mind the queer noises," she said. "Nothing ever happens indaytime."
"Then something does happen after dark?" questioned Mary Louise eagerly.
"Oh, yes. Why, only two nights ago—"
"What's this? What's this?" demanded the sharp, high voice of an oldwoman. "What are you standing there talking about, Elsie? With all thosepeaches waiting to be pared!"
All eyes turned naturally towards the old staircase, from which the soundof the voice was coming. Miss Grant slowly descended, holding her hand onher right side and grunting to herself as if the act of walking werepainful to her. She was a woman of at least sixty-five, thin andwrinkled, but with little sharp black beady eyes that seemed to peer intoeverything suspiciously, as if she believed the whole world evil. She waswearing an old-fashioned black dress, and a dark shawl about hershoulders.
"These girls have found your kitten, Aunt Mattie," Elsie informed her."They rescued her from a tree."
The black eyes softened, and the old woman came towards the girls.
"My precious little Puffy!" she exclaimed, as one might talk to a baby.Then her tone abruptly became harsh again as she turned to her niece.
"Go back to your work, Elsie!" she ordered gruffly. "I'll attend tothis!"
Without any reply the girl slunk away to the kitchen, and Miss Grant tookthe kitten from Jane.
"Tell me what happened to my poor little pet," she said.
Briefly Jane repeated the story, with an emphasis upon Mary Louise'sprowess in climbing trees.
Apparently the old lady was touched.
"I must say that was good of you," she remarked. "Not a bit like whatmost young people nowadays would do! All they seem to enjoy is torturingpoor helpless creatures!"
She put the kitten down on the floor and turned towards the stairs.
"You wait!" she commanded the girls, "I'm going to get you a reward forthis!"
"Oh, no, Miss Grant!" they both protested instantly, and Mary Louise wenton to explain that they were Girl Scouts and never accepted money forgood turns. (Even Silky knows better than that, she added to herself. Hewon't expect a bone for rescuing Pussy—only a pat on the head!)
"You really mean that?" demanded Miss Grant, in obvious relief. She wouldsave two cents! She had meant to give each girl a whole penny!
"Tell me your names, then," she continued, "and where you live. I mightwant to call on you for help sometime. I can't trust my niece as far asmy nose, and my servants are both old." Mary Louise chuckled. So therewas a mystery in this hou