A COMEDY OF THE ROCKS

“OH, I am so excited, Cleo. Everything is happening at once. The girls have been down to Captain Dave’s and he was delighted with his pipe and things, and Neal seized the loving cup. Says it belongs to his club, the one Dick Gordon was in. And ” she paused for breath, Cleo jumped in the opening.

“Grazia, dear, don’t choke. I am all of a flutter myself. Louise has had her father look over Kitty’s papers, and it is almost too commonplace to tell, but it is just perfectly lovely, all the same. The name ‘Schulkill’ is on the deed to the property over at Luna Land, and the name Morehouse, that’s the Aunt Hannah and Uncle Pete name, is only told of in Kitty’s mother’s letters. It will be very easy to establish Kitty’s claim, Mr. Hart thinks, and Louise is so full of the news she wants to fly back to the island to tell Kitty without waiting for the message.”

“I don’t blame her. We hoped there would be one important paper in that packet, there always is, else why all the tin box care? But isn’t it strange a man like benevolent old Captain Dave never suspected such a thing? Men just seem to think women carry tin boxes out of shipwrecks to take care of hair pins, and little things like that.”

“I told the girls to wear their uniforms and Neal promised to take us all over this afternoon,” Cleo continued. “Oh, Grace, I never quite expected so much excitement, but I must admit I love it,” said the courageous scout.

How the True Treds congregated, ready for the sail over the bay in the valiant Treddie need not be told, for the very next noticeable thing was they were all together, and ready for a start, piling into the launch, like an encore to their previous excursion. Everybody chatted, and chinned, and giggled, and asked questions; and the sky blue flag Grace carried folded in her blouse caused no end of comment.

“Louise has had a double share of glory,” said Helen, adding more to the share in her own tone of admiration. “She made a rescue, and found Kitty’s deed to Luna Land.”

“But the curtain is not rung down yet,” Cleo reminded her. “No telling what may happen this very afternoon.”

The boat clipped the waves so merrily the Point loomed in view almost before the girls realized they had entered the cove.

“There’s Bentley!” called Grace. “See, he is just standing on the dock, and he has a suitcase. Turn in there a minute, Neal, please. We would speak to him.”

Quickly as he spied the Treddie, Bentley waved his cap in signal for them to come in.

“There,” added Cleo; “he has a message, I think. See, he has a paper in his hand.”

“Don’t get out,” the boy called. “I’ll throw it in,” and wrapping a piece of paper weighted with a pebble, around the smaller slip, he easily tossed the message into Julia’s lap.

“It’s addressed to the scouts,” said Louise. “You read it, Cleo.”

The engine had not been turned off, so that it readily picked up speed again, as the girls waved gayly to Bentley. Cleo smoothed out the little note anxiously, and every one saw it was written on the old-time yellow paper. Cleo read aloud:

“Bentley is going home and I won’t stay here any longer. Watch for my wig-wag signal from the stone arch, and come to rescue me and Royal. Must watch for chance. About three, maybe.” It was signed “Kitty.”

“Another wig-wag rescue,” repeated Helen, fluttering with excitement. “Won’t it be splendid to take them both away?”

“But what shall we do with them?” asked Isabel. “I know one doesn’t dare take even a lost child indoors without danger of arrest.”

“Then we’ll keep them on the porch,” replied Cleo crisply.

“And we can notify Captain Dave or even our police officer. Then there will be no possibility of complications,” said Louise.

Another swing around the tail of the point, and Luna Land lay before them. All eyes were strained toward the rocky summit over the arch.

“I see her!” shouted Julia. “Remember I saw her first,” and she stood to wave her camp hat in one hand and a handkerchief in the other.

“Yes,” added Grace, throwing the blue cheesecloth to the breeze, “there they are!” Kitty was waving her white flag against the green foliage background. “Oh, Neal go in quickly. Some one may catch them before we can reach them.”

Not another word was spoken until the launch scraped the rocks.

“Stay where you are!” called Kitty. “We have to jump.”

“Why? They may be hurt,” protested Elizabeth. But her companions had realized the situation. Kitty wanted to reach the launch from the secluded corner of the rock, and would not risk embarking from the natural landing, with its view all open.

“Can we take the canvas?” Isabel asked Neal. A nod of his head gave permission, and before he seemed to know just what they were going to do, four of the girls had leapt to land. Cleo and Helen then tossed the bundled piece of awning over the side of the Treddie, and safely ashore, then climbed out themselves, and, like the firemen under burning buildings, stood the True Treds, with that big piece of canvas stretched under the leafy peak of the rocky archway.

“Ready!” called out Kitty.

A firmer grasp was made at every holding point, and then a gentle thud.

Little Royal bounced like a circus baby in the life net.

Quickly two girls lifted him out and turned down to the launch, while the others held the net for Kitty, who came in with a jump that brought the rescuers to their knees, stifling a gale of laughter.

“All right no bones broken,” gasped Kitty. “Hurry, they may be after us!”

Quickly they all scrambled in the launch, while little Royal was in Neal’s arms.

“I knew it, I knew it,” he kept repeating. “And this is just like daddy’s little boat ”

“Girls!” exclaimed Kitty, “I found your slippers and stockings and the bag among Aunt Hannah’s things. They’re in my bag.”

“Where is she?” Cleo asked, too impatient to wait for a more opportune moment.

“She came back ready to take Roy away,” Kitty said defiantly. “But I wouldn’t trust her. I found a lot of papers and wireless messages, and I wouldn’t let her sneak off with Royal. I just made up my mind she couldn’t scare me any more, and I’d go to Uncle Dave’s, and tell him all about it.”

“You are right,” declared Louise. “I don’t know very much about it, but it can do no harm for this little darling to leave that island. He was a regular prisoner there.”

“You said it!” replied Kitty. “And having the poor angel roll in the mud to get strong! Then sleeping in a hut to be outdoors, when I know positive, his folks paid her thousands of dollars to keep their child in a delightful high-class retreat where everything was perfect, but very costly.”

“Oh, was that it?” asked Grace, looking at little Royal, as he helped steer the boat.

“Yes, and more,” insisted Kitty, her cheeks flaming with excitement. “She promised me a hundred dollars if I would keep every one off the island and look out for Roy. I thought it was a lot, but what about her thousands? Then, when I got in the accident the other day, and she was afraid folks might come here to see if I had pneumonia, she changed her mind, and refused to give me any money. Now she is back, and I know Royal’s folks will soon be in New York and I just wouldn’t trust her with him any more. That’s why I had to ask you to rescue us. And you did!”

In spite of her excitement she could laugh, and the humor presently became an acute infection for every one was shouting at the comedy of the rocks. And Kitty looked so funny. She was dressed up, had shoes and stockings on, and a “warmed over” hat, with pathetically drooping roses around it; and then the bag, with the long, lost slippers!

“Come to my house first,” insisted Grace. “I’m nearest.”

“I am to meet my friend this afternoon,” said Neal, who was so busy with the boy and his engine he had never even heard the child’s name mentioned. “He got in this morning after a stormy trip,” went on the young man, “but his yacht, the Royal, made it all right, and Dick promised to be down late this afternoon.”

“The Royal!” gasped Kitty, Grace and Louise.

“That’s my yacht,” sang out the boy gleefully. “Daddy and Mother and Ricky are coming home on the Royal!”

“Oh joy!” shouted Louise, while Kitty gasped.

“Do you mean to say the young man who runs the yacht is coming to see you?” She had seized Neal’s shoulders as if to confront him with some horrible crime.

“Careful,” he said with a laugh. “You’ll steer us against the dock. Yes, Richard Gordon who runs the Alton’s yacht, Royal, is my friend,” he answered, beginning to sense the true meaning of the affair.

Five minutes later it was a queer little procession that wended the short way from the landing to Rosabell cottage.

“I would like you to have seen the old dump,” said Kitty, referring to Luna Land, “but I’ll never go back there while Hannah is around. It’s only a couple of shacks. Nothing to see but Bentley’s camp. You see,” in answer to the unspoken inquiry, “Bentley is an awful smart boy, who had to be taken out of school. He has a nice, good-natured big brother, Roger, who came down here, rented land from Uncle Pete, and pitched a couple of tents on Luna Land. They were on the other side of the island, but Ben had the carrier pigeons and we made up all kinds of outdoor games and he let me use all the yellow paper I wanted. He’s gone back home, all well and ready for High School.” This last sentence seemed to evoke a sigh from Kitty.

“That was why he had his book always with him,” said Cleo, and they turned the corner to Rosabell.