“You always did have brains,” Kitty said admiringly. “How do you think of things like that?”
“Well, it took me several days,” Doris admitted with a laugh.
The morning passed rather slowly for the girls. They knew that Azalea was with the crippled child and Iris had gone to her room. They played several games of croquet, but it was dull sport when they were accustomed to tennis and golf. Wags seemed less entertaining than usual and presently wandered off toward the rear of the estate.
“Where did that dog go?” Kitty asked when they had finished their game.
“Back of the house somewhere. I’ll bet he’s into some mischief!”
“We’d better go after him,” Kitty suggested.
Dropping their croquet mallets, they leisurely made their way toward the rear of the mansion. Passing beneath the kitchen window they sniffed the appetizing odor of the cooking dinner and wished that it were time to eat. Though they disliked Cora Sully most heartily, they agreed that she was an excellent cook.
The girls had no intention of lingering by the kitchen window, but as they passed they were startled to hear a voice which they recognized as that of Henry. They would have paid no heed, but one sentence forced itself upon them.
“If only we could git rid of her!”
Involuntarily, Doris and Kitty halted and listened. They were not given to eavesdropping or to interfering in affairs which did not concern them, but the implied threat of violence assured them a sinister plot was in the brewing and they did not know but that they were destined to be the victims. What they heard next set them at rest on this score.
“If Etta was out of the way, then we could travel on some of that money Trent promised us from the oil land,” Henry muttered.
Kitty and Doris exchanged puzzled glances. Who was Etta? The question was answered for them as Cora began to talk.
“A cripple!” she complained. “What can you do tied to such a child? She’s nothing but a burden, anyway. It’s better if she’s put out of the way.”
“We’ll have to be careful,” Henry warned in a low voice. “Won’t do to git the old ladies suspicious. And we daren’t do anything rash till we git our hands on that paper.”
Doris and Kitty, now convinced that the two in the kitchen were disclosing important information, crept nearer the window.
“I don’t see where they keep it hid,” Cora returned sullenly. “I’ve looked the house over from top to bottom but I can’t find the paper anywhere. I know it’s here somewhere, probably in one of their desks, but they keep ’em locked and I haven’t been able to get the keys.”
The girls heard no more, for just then Henry, evidently fearing that some one might overhear the conversation, crossed over to the window and slammed it shut. Kitty and Doris pressed their bodies up close to the house, but they were in no danger of being discovered, for the man did not glance out.
Frightened at what they had learned, the girls moved swiftly away from the window.
“What next?” Kitty murmured when they were some distance away. “Why, they’re nothing but criminals! They mean to do away with that poor little crippled girl!”
“Not if we can prevent it!” Doris said grimly.
“What can we do?”
“We’ll keep close watch on them. There’s one thing certain. They won’t attempt to harm Etta until they get that paper they spoke of.”
“What do you think it can be?”
“Some kind of stock or deed, I imagine. We’ll speak to the Misses Gates about it at the first opportunity. And in the meantime, we mustn’t let on that we suspect anything!”
CHAPTER XX
A Picnic
Doris did not have an opportunity that day to speak to the Misses Gates concerning the mysterious paper which Cora and Henry Sully had mentioned, for an old friend of the ladies called at the mansion and the subject could not be brought up in her presence. The next day she fully intended to speak of the matter, but it seemed that she was never alone with the twins for ten minutes at a time. Either Cora or Henry remained within listening distance and the girls wondered if they could be suspicious.
The afternoon mail brought a note from Dave Chamberlin, and for the time being Doris and Kitty forgot the problems which troubled them.
“Dear Doris,” the note read, “Marshmallow and I think tomorrow would be a great day for that picnic we planned. How about it? If we don’t hear from you to the contrary, we’ll be at your doorstep tomorrow morning. Don’t worry about grub. We’ll bring enough for an army. Dave.”
“What a relief it will be to get away for a day,” Kitty declared. “There’s nothing to prevent our going, is there?”
“No, I heard Azalea say that Ronald was coming tomorrow but that’s all the more reason for me to be away. He’ll plague me about that loan and I’m not ready to give him the money yet.”
“We’ll not have to bother about fixing a lot of things, either,” Kitty went on. “That will make the picnic more enjoyable.”
“Yes, I don’t mind getting things ready when I’m at home, but when you’re visiting, it’s different. Cora is so cross and she doesn’t like to have any one step into her kitchen, let alone use it.”
“Wonder where we’ll go?”
“Oh, Dave probably knows some nice place. Let’s go tell the Misses Gates now that we are going, and then if they should have any objection, we could let Dave know.”
Azalea had gone to her room but they found Iris in the kitchen making out the market list. Upon being told of the plan she at once approved of it.
“I have never met this young man you call Marshmallow,” she smiled, “but if he is at all like your friend David I am sure I would approve of him. By all means have your picnic, and Cora will make you something nice to take with you.”
“We don’t like to trouble you,” Doris murmured.
“It will be no trouble at all,” Iris assured her. “I wouldn’t think of letting you go without a well-filled basket. Cora, you might make one of your pineapple cakes.”
“We’re out of eggs,” the housekeeper said crossly without glancing up from the pan of potatoes which she was peeling.
“Then I’ll add two dozen to the market list,” Iris said. “What else will you want? Pickles and olives, of course. And sandwiches. When I was young, a picnic just wasn’t a picnic without plenty to eat.”
“I’m sure we’ll have enough,” Doris laughed. “Marshmallow’s mother is a wonderful cook and he always brings enough for six.”
True to their word, Dave and Marshmallow drove up to the mansion gate the next morning shortly after ten o’clock.
“We’d have been here sooner but Marshmallow had so much food to pack, you know,” Dave told the girls as he helped them into the car.
It was an ideal day for a picnic, bright but not too warm. Doris and Kitty were relieved that the sky was clear, for the memory of the storm which had nearly overtaken them on their last picnic was still vivid.
“Where are we going?” Doris asked.
“Oh, there’s a place not far from here called Eagle’s Point. I though we might try that.”
“Sounds interesting,” Kitty declared.
A short drive west of the town brought them to a winding and heavily wooded road. Following this they climbed a steep hill and came to a halt at the brow