Linda repressed a sigh. She was very tired, and longed intensely for sleep in a real bed. These last two nights in the swamp had taken their toll of her vitality.
"If only we had a plane!" she said.
"It wouldn't do me any good," remarked Jackson. "I've never been in one—and I've promised my grandmother I won't fly until I'm twenty-one."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," offered Linda, with genuine sympathy. Life without flying seemed a dreary thing to her.
The only car which the boys had been able to hire was a dilapidated Ford that looked as if it would hardly last the trip. But it proved to be better than its appearance; over the lovely hard roads of Florida it traveled comparatively smoothly. To Linda's amazement, she found when they reached Jacksonville that she had slept most of the way.
The short rest had freshened her considerably, and she suddenly decided to go to the Police Headquarters that night. It was her duty to report the crash of her plane, and the death of that criminal. She wished that she had thought to ask Susie his real name—she was going to feel rather silly calling him "Slats."
With this purpose in mind, she asked Jackson what time it was.
"Half-past nine," was his reply. "Why?"
"Because I think I ought to report to the Police tonight about those thieves. I understand that it was a bank in Jacksonville that they robbed."
"Which bank?" demanded the boy, excitedly.
"'The First National,' the paper says."
At this information, Jackson Carter dropped back in his seat and groaned. His mother's bank—where all of her money was kept! The bank of which his uncle was president! This was going to mean trouble to the whole Carter family.
"Will you please take my bag to your house, and leave the address with me?" asked Linda, not knowing what Jackson was suffering. "I'll take a taxi out to your home, after I see the Chief of Police."
"Yes, yes, of course," agreed the young man, still absorbed in his own thoughts.
It was a late hour to visit the Chief of Police, but when Linda explained her reason to an officer at the City Hall, the latter sent for the chief immediately.
When Captain Magee came in a few minutes later, Linda was impressed with his appearance and delighted with his dignified and courteous manner. She smiled at him confidently; how different he was from those officers of the law with whom she had come in contact in Canada!
"I am going to tell you my whole story, if you will promise not to repeat the part about the kidnapping to the newspapers," she began. "I don't want my people at home to hear of that—for, after all, it is over now, and I am safe."
"Kidnapping!" repeated the officer. "You don't mean to say that you have been kidnapped?"
"Yes. My name is Linda Ann Carlton—I am the girl who flew the Atlantic in May." She blushed, for she hated to talk about herself, or to appear to boast about her own exploits, but this time it was necessary. "Here in Jacksonville, among friends, I am going to be known as Ann Carlton, because I want to avoid publicity." Her blue eyes became pleading, and she asked, in an almost child-like tone, "You won't tell on me, will you, Captain Magee?"
He smiled. "No, I won't tell. Unless it becomes necessary."
"Thank you so much! Well, to continue: I bought a new autogiro and flew down here to report to a company in Atlanta about a job spraying crops, and the newspapers printed the route of my flight. Early in the evening of June 22nd I lost my way over the Okefenokee Swamp, and finally landed on an island. A plane had been chasing me, as I later learned after it landed—or rather crashed—beside mine. The man in it held me at the point of a gun and compelled me to fly my autogiro to their campon Black Jack Island, where I was to be held for a ransom.That man was the chief of the gang of bandits that robbed the Jacksonville bank."
She paused a moment for breath, and the Captain leaned forward eagerly. The story, which might have seemed incredulous to an ordinary person, was perfectly believable to him. He was used to the ways of criminals.
"But how did you get away?" he demanded.
"I never should have, if it hadn't been for this bank robbery," she explained. "While the men went off, I escaped, and was picked up by a couple of Jacksonville boys in a canoe."
Linda went on to relate the happenings of the afternoon, concluding with the death of the ring-leader of the gang, whom she knew only as "Slats." She spoke lightly of Susie, showing her merely as a weak pawn in her husband's hands.
The criminals' method of disposing of their stolen valuables was another interesting point in her story, and she told Captain Magee about the barren island in the ocean.
"Now whether this stuff is still on the islandor at the camp," she concluded, "I don't know. But I am ready to go and help you find out."
"You mean you are actually willing to go back into that swamp?" the officer asked. "To show us the way?"
"Of course! That's why I came to you tonight. So that we can make arrangements for tomorrow."
"But it may be very dangerous, Miss Carlton! These men will be armed, and will shoot at sight."
"I'll take a chance. Can we go tomorrow morning? By plane?"
"By airplane?"
"Yes. Any other way would be too slow. They may have escaped already."
"But an airplane will be so much noisier than a boat. They'll hear you coming."
"We'll have to take that chance." She stood up. "If you will get a plane, Captain Magee—a large one—I will fly it, to save space. Then we can take two or three armed guards."
"How do you know that you can fly any plane I happen to get, Miss Carlton?" he inquired, incredulously.
"You see, I'm a transport pilot," she explained. "We have to be able to manage most anything.... Can you send a car out for me to the Carters' home, early in the morning?" She handed the Captain the address.
"Yes. I'll telephone as soon as I can make all the arrangements," he agreed, seeing that he could not change her from her purpose.
Linda thanked him and hurried out to the waiting taxi. It was growing late, long after ten o'clock, and she was anxious to be in bed.
Jackson Carter himself came to the door when she rang the bell.
"Where is your mother?" she asked, immediately, for there was no sign of a hostess inside.
"She is ill," replied the young man. "The bad news about the bank—a great deal of our money was lost—knocked her terribly. She hasn't told grandmother, or it might kill her. So I had the maid get the guest room ready, and hope that you will excuse them both."
Linda nodded; she had no way of knowing that Mrs. Carter had protested about entertaining this girl whom Jackson had "picked up" on his canoe trip, and had stubbornly refusedto see her. The woman had worked herself into such a state of nerves over her losses and over this incident that she had actually made herself ill.
"I'm so sorry," said Linda, sympathetically. "If I weren't so tired, I'd go to a hotel, for this is no time for your mother to be bothered with a guest. But I'll just stay tonight, and leave early tomorrow. I'm flying to the swamp again with the police officers."
"Ann!" cried Jackson aghast, using her name unconsciously. "Don't, please! It's dangerous—you may be killed.... And, and, besides——"
"Besides, what?"
"Besides, it isn't done. You shouldn't go off to lonely places like that, without an older woman along."
Linda smiled.
"I can't be bothered with social codes at a time like this," she said. "I have to do all I can to get that money back. Think of the hundreds of people hurt by that bank robbery—if the bank is forced to close its doors! Including your own mother and grandmother! No, I just have to go."
"Let me go instead," he suggested.
"You wouldn't know just where the camp is. It's pretty well hidden, and I know the only spot where a landing is possible. Besides, you can't fly a plane."
"You mean you will pilot the plane yourself? Your autogiro's broken."
"Oh, it'll be another plane—a hired one. Now please don't argue any more, Mr. Carter—you sound like my aunt—and let me go to bed. And will you ask one of the servants to waken me at seven o'clock?"
"Good night, then, Miss Carlton," he said, almost sorrowfully, for it seemed like the end of what might have been a wonderful friendship for Jackson Carter.
Linda's telephone call came early the following morning, and after a simple breakfast served by the cook, she left in the car which Captain Magee sent. Not one of the Carter family appeared at the meal, and there was no message of any kind. Linda, however, attributed this to Mrs. Carter's illness, and wrote a polite note of thanks to her hostess.
She found three plain-clothes men waiting for her at the police station, and they joined her in the car which then took them to the airport. A large cabin plane, capable of accommodating six persons, had been wheeled out on the runway, awaiting their arrival and two service men were standing beside it.
"You are sure you can pilot her, Miss?" inquired one of these men, skeptically.
Linda opened her bag and took out her twolicenses—mechanic's and transport pilot's—and handed them to him.
"A mechanic!" he exclaimed, in amazement. "Gee whiz! Will wonders never cease? It's the first time I ever laid eyes on a lady-mechanic!"
Linda laughed.
"May I look the plane over before we start?" she asked. "And will you map out the quickest course to Okefenokee Swamp! I want to get into the southern part of it—Black Jack Island, if you know where that is."
With a grin the man disappeared to consult some one in the hangar, and Linda went ahead with the examination.
"There ought to be plenty of room in here to bring back any prisoners we may get," she said, cheerfully. "I think too, that you had better send for some food and water, Sergeant—for we can't tell how long we may be gone."
When she announced herself satisfied with the inspection, she and her three companions climbed into the cabin while the mechanic fired the engine. The plane taxied along the runway and rose gracefully into the air, to the admiration of the three officers, none of whom could fly.
"You're there with the goods, Miss Carlton!" shouted the one named "Worth," who apparently was in charge of the expedition.
"Don't praise me too soon," returned Linda. "That was child's play. But wait till it comes to landing on that island in the swamp. There is only one spot big enough, in a plane like this."
"Well, we got plenty of gas," remarked Worth, cheerfully. "I'm not afraid. I'm enjoying the flight. It isn't every day that we go up in the skies on our job."
Linda was enjoying it, too. She flew carefully, watching her map, her instruments, and the landscape below. They flew over the island where they had left Susie, and Linda made a mental note of the location, in case she should be able to pick the girl up on the return trip.
It was difficult to keep her direction, for the swamp, covered as it was with grasses and trees, seemed like an unbroken, monotonous expanse from the air, but Linda had succeeded in spotting the little stream down which the boys had paddled the canoe, and she resolved to follow that to the place where they had picked her up.After that it ought to be easy to locate Black Jack Island and the camp of the thieves.
But it was not as simple as she had hoped, even after she had located the island. Again and again she circled about, looking for a space large enough to make a landing. Finally she found what must be the edge of the island, for the water came up unevenly, but this beach appeared very small. It was one thing to bring the autogiro safely to earth in a place like this, and another to land a big plane.
When she had selected her spot, she determined to try "fish-tailing." She glided with considerable speed toward her field; as she approached it, she swung her airplane from side to side, exposing the flat side of the plane's body to the air so as to kill the speed.
Her companions, who had no idea what she was doing, looked at Linda in alarm. Had she lost control of the plane, and were they about to be dashed to pieces?
But a glance at their pilot's calm, confident expression allayed their fears. This girl knew what she was doing! They need not be afraid.
Often at the ground school she had been compelledto land on a given spot—such as a square of canvas; it was no wonder that she now felt sure of herself. A moment later she came down on the very mark that she had selected.
"Pretty neat!" exclaimed Worth, in admiration.
Linda turned off the engine and prepared to get out of the plane. But the Sergeant stopped her.
"You stay in here, Miss Carlton!" he ordered. "This is no place for a girl."
"But I have to show you where the camp is," she protested.
"Then show us from here! And remember, too, that you are our pilot. If anything happened to you, we couldn't get out of this swamp."
Linda saw the reasoning in this last argument, and agreed to remain inside of the cabin until she should be summoned. She sat there tensely, while the three men advanced cautiously towards the trees at the center of the island.
They had not gone more than a dozen yards when a shot rang out from behind a tree, and a bullet whizzed past over their heads. A cryburst from Linda's lips, then an exclamation of relief at the assurance that her companions were unhurt.
"So they're still here!" she thought, excitedly, clasping her hands so tightly together that they grew numb with the pressure. "Oh, if the men only get them without being shot!"
The officers' pistols replied rapidly to the shot from the thieves, in such quick succession that Linda could almost imagine that she was in an actual war zone. But the volley lasted only a moment, for the thieves were short of bullets since "Slats'" disappearance, and before anyone was hurt, "Beefy" and "Jake" surrendered to Sergeant Worth.
Watching the whole proceeding from the window of the plane, Linda drew a deep sigh of relief. Then suddenly she remembered the third member of the gang—the man nick-named "Doc." Where was he? Hiding in the background, waiting to shoot them all down when they were off guard?
Cautiously, therefore, Linda leaned out of the side of the plane and called to Sergeant Worth to come back to her. Leaving the two thieves in charge of the other men, who instantly handcuffedthem, Worth returned to the airplane, smiling over his easy victory.
With his assistance Linda jumped out of the cabin and whispered her warning into his ear. The man scowled in disappointment.
"This fellow may be waiting for you, Miss Carlton," he said. "You stay right here—behind the plane, while I go find out where he is."
Linda did as she was told, expecting every moment to hear renewed shooting.
"Where's your other man?" she heard Worth shout, as he approached the prisoners.
"Gone!" snarled Jake. "Two of 'em sneaked off. Double-crossed us, and took the kale!"
"Money? What money?" demanded Worth, instantly, hoping to surprise the man into a confession.
"Nothin'. None of your business," muttered Jake, seeing that he had made a mistake by saying too much.
"You needn't try to hide anything," remarked the officer, contemptuously. "We know all about the bank robbery—and other jobs, too—that you fellows can account for. You'll serve plenty of time!"
Impatient at the delay, Linda felt that shehad to be at the scene of action, to hear what had happened to the "Doc," who evidently was not on the island. She ran forward, just in time to hear Jake's explanation.
"One fellow made off with the girl in the plane yesterday morning," he said. "The other guy must have beat it later on in the day—while us two was still asleep. Took the boat and the cash. We ain't got nothin' here of any value—outside of food.... Huh! Why, if there ain't Linda herself!"
Angry as she was at this insolent manner of addressing her, Linda could not help smiling at the man's consternation. But she was terribly disappointed to learn that the money was gone. That meant that they had failed to accomplish the main purpose with which she had set out—to restore to the innocent bank depositors the savings which they had lost through no fault of their own.
"Perhaps the money's over on the island in the ocean," she suggested hopefully. "I had to help bury some boxes of jewels there while I was a prisoner—and those may still be there, too. Shall we fly over immediately, Sergeant Worth?"
"You know the way?" the latter inquired, in surprise. His admiration for this plucky girl was growing every minute.
"Oh, yes, I think so. We can make these men direct us if I forget. They are sure to know."
After a hasty search of Black Jack Island was completed—to make sure that the third man was not still in hiding—the party returned to the airplane, and Linda made ready to take off once more. This was an exceedingly difficult feat, with a large plane, but the experienced aviatrix calculated everything before she made the attempt, and the airplane left the ground at the exact time that she had planned. She directed it eastward now, out over the Georgia coast, on to the Atlantic. She remembered the course perfectly, spotting the identical island without any help from the prisoners, and landed on the wide barren beach without any difficulty.
Once they were out of the plane she recalled even the hiding-place, where "Slats" had placed the jewels, and she led the way through the underbrush. Unrolling the stone, and pushing the sand aside at her direction, the detectives brought out the three tin boxes whichLinda herself had been forced to help conceal.
Opening them up right there by twisting the locks, the officers gazed at their contents in speechless amazement. Two diamond necklaces, a string of real pearls, innumerable rings and pins and watches. And a bracelet of priceless emeralds!
"Whew!" exclaimed Sergeant Worth, the perspiration running down his face.
"The Van Tyn diamonds!" declared one of the detectives. "And these pearls solve the mystery of that robbery at the Kenworthy estate!"
"Yeah. And that big jewelry store in Atlanta!" added another, breathlessly. "Say, does this uncover a lot of money? I'll tell the world!"
"It'll mean a nice little reward for Miss Carlton," remarked Sergeant Worth, with a smile.
Linda shook her head.
"No, I don't want it," she said. "If there is any reward, it can be divided among you men. You faced the guns!"
"But Miss Carlton——"
Linda held up her hand. "I mean it," she said. "If you can't use it yourselves, perhaps your wives—or your children can."
"It would mean heaven to me," murmuredone of the detectives—a quiet man, who had scarcely spoken during the entire flight. "My child needs an operation——"
"Then it's settled," concluded Linda. Suddenly she glanced timidly at Sergeant Worth, almost as if she were about to ask a favor. "Could we eat, Sergeant?" she asked. "I'm so hungry."
"Why of course!" replied the latter. "I'm sorry, I'd forgotten all about lunch—but it must be way past noon. Griggs," he added to one of his men, "you go and unload that basket."
It was an oddly assorted group that sat down to that picnic lunch on the beach—the two thieves, the three police officers, and the slender, fair-haired girl in her linen flying suit. Linda could not help smiling to herself as she thought of what Jackson Carter's horror would be at her association with people like these. Yet how foolish he was! One look at Sergeant Worth's face, kindly as it was, assured her that she was well protected with him at her side.
She wished that she might stop at Soldiers' Camp Island on the return trip, but it was out of her way, and already the plane was loaded to its capacity. So she mapped her return trip ina straight line back to the city of Jacksonville. Late that afternoon she landed at the airport, where the group separated, the detectives and the prisoners taking one taxi to the police station, Linda taking another to a hotel.
It was only when she was quietly in her own room, with her bag unpacked, that she realized how tired she was. What a strain she had been through! How she longed for relaxation of some kind! If only she had Louise with her—or somebody else from Spring City!
She rested for an hour before dinner, but the thought of eating alone was not pleasant, with only a newspaper for her companion. She brightened, however, when the idea came to her to call her Aunt Emily on the long-distance wire. It would mean a great deal to hear that dear, familiar voice.
She did not have time after dinner to put in the call immediately, for just as she was leaving the dining-room, she was herself summoned to the telephone. Who could it be, she wondered. Nothing interesting, probably, for none of her friends knew where to get her. No doubt it was Captain Magee, congratulating her on the success of the afternoon.
To her surprise, it was Jackson Carter who said, "Hello!
"Can I drive in to the hotel to see you, Ann?" he asked.
"How is your mother, Mr. Carter?" she inquired, instead of answering his question.
"She's all right."
"Am I to meet her?"
The young man coughed in embarrassment. He would have liked to have kept the truth from her, but he could not lie to a girl like Linda Carlton, any more than he could lie to his mother.
"I guess I better tell you, Ann—mother's old-fashioned—and—she doesn't approve of you. She says I may not invite you out here again. I'm awfully sorry—I've tried to make her understand——-"
"Please don't bother," interrupted Linda, coolly. "Perhaps it is better that an acquaintance like ours end as casually as it started.... Good-by, Mr. Carter. And thank you again for rescuing me."
"Ann! Ann! I can't let you go out of my life——"
But she had quietly replaced the receiver.
The tears came to her eyes, but she told herselfthat she was foolish. She would probably have to get used to things like this, if she meant to do a man's work in the world. It was worth it. Oh, the glorious feeling of power which she had experienced that morning when she stepped into that huge plane, and knew that she could control its flight! The satisfaction of conquering difficulties, solving problems, being of use to others as she had been today! Yes, it was worth all the snubs of every society woman in the United States!
For a moment she sat beside the telephone, waiting to get control of herself, when she suddenly heard a beloved voice behind her. Two voices—three voices—then two pairs of arms around her neck! Dot Crowley's and Louise Mackay's—and Ted was standing behind them!
"Oh!" she gasped, squeezing both girls at once. "Am I dreaming? It's too good to be true!"
"Are you O.K., darling?" demanded Louise, kissing her chum again and again. "When we read about your long flight south, and then heard nothing of you for three days, we got worried. So we managed to hop off."
"You angels!" cried Linda. "Oh, I mighthave known you would! When everything looked blackest——"
"You mean about being lost in the Okefenokee Swamp?"
"Worse than that.... Let me call Aunt Emily, while you get a room, and I'll tell you the whole story after that.... But first tell me how long you can stay."
"Ted and I can only stay till tomorrow morning," replied Louise, "so long as you are all right. But Dot'll keep you company—she thought you might be lonely——"
"That isn't half of it!" interrupted Linda. "I was so lonely tonight that I couldn't eat. I just felt sick. Worse, far worse than my flight to France, because that was over quickly, and this just seemed to stretch out interminably."
"Now do call your Aunt," urged Dot. "She must be dying to hear from you—and we'll have you all evening. By the way, I'm rooming with you?"
"Nowhere else in the world!" exclaimed Linda, giving the girl an extra hug in her joy. "Room 420—and I'll be there in a minute!"
When Linda entered her hotel bed-room after the conversation with her Aunt Emily over the long-distance wire, she found two pleasant surprises awaiting her. The first of these that she saw was her trunk, sent on from Atlanta. The second was a telegram from the Pitcairn Autogiro Company.
Her new roommate, who was bending over her own suit-case, looked up expectantly.
"Good news, Linda?" she inquired.
"Splendid!" replied the other girl. "The parts for my 'Ladybug' have been shipped from Miami, where the company has some autogiros on exhibition. They'll be at the Jacksonville Airport tomorrow."
"Then your Ladybug is damaged?" asked Dot, who had heard nothing of the story as yet, beyond the bare facts that had been in the newspapers. All that she had read was thatLinda Carlton, famous aviatrix, who had been lost in the Okefenokee Swamp for several days, had turned up in Jacksonville, Florida.
"Yes, quite a smash-up," answered Linda. "But I wasn't in it. Another girl was flying——" She stopped abruptly. "Wait till Lou and Ted are with us, Dot, so I can tell the story all at once. I'm rather fed up with it myself. I'd loads rather hear what you've been doing at Spring City."
"O.K.," agreed her companion, cheerfully, and proceeded to report to Linda all the news that she could remember.
"What I can't understand," remarked Linda, a few minutes later, as she unpacked her trunk and took a flowered chiffon which she decided to wear, "is how everyone finds me at this hotel. I didn't know where I'd be staying when I sent those telegrams yesterday."
"I can answer that," replied Dot, immediately. "It's your friends at the City Hall. The Chief of Police there directed us. It was Ted's idea to go to him, for I never would have thought of it."
"Ted knows that Lou and I have a failing for police stations and Court Houses," laughedLinda, recalling their experience in Canada the previous winter.
Five minutes later the girls joined the young Mackays on a cool upper porch of the hotel, where they were able to be by themselves. It was then that Linda told her story, first extracting a promise from the group never to mention the kidnapping episode to anyone else, lest the news get back to her Aunt Emily. The other girls listened in amazement, now and then interrupting with exclamations of horror at the outrage of it all. Ted sat grimly silent, more angry than anyone.
"And if you hadn't escaped, we probably shouldn't have gotten there in time," observed Louise. "To rescue you, I mean. Because of course they meant to kill you in the end."
"Did you realize that at the time?" asked Dot.
"Not exactly," replied Linda. "Though I really feared something much worse. I thought they would imprison me on that island in the ocean, and let me die of starvation. And I was horribly afraid of those men. I tried to keep with Susie until they went away."
"It was that bank robbery that saved yourlife," remarked Louise. "And spelled ruin for them. If they hadn't been so greedy——"
"Exactly!" exclaimed Linda. "That's one reason why I feel it's my solemn duty to try to catch the fourth man, and get that money back. I'm really the only person who could identify him—except Susie."
"Do you honestly think she'll reform?" asked Dot.
"I hope so. If those new parts for the autogiro really come tomorrow, we'll fly over and get her, Dot."
"I'm crazy to see her," returned the latter. "And I'd enjoy going to the jail to see those two prisoners, and gloat over their punishment!"
"Dot's as vindictive as I am!" joked Louise. "Remember all the dark futures I used to wish for Bess Hulbert?"
"Poor Bess!" sighed Linda. "She certainly got hers——"
Thinking that the girls had heard enough of Linda's unpleasant experiences, Ted interrupted them by suggesting that they all go somewhere and have something to eat.
"If it's cool, I'm for it," agreed Louise,jumping up and putting her hand through her husband's arm.
"You're not too tired, are you, Linda?" she inquired.
"Not a bit!" protested the girl. "I feel like a new person since you three arrived.... There's a lovely screened tea-garden across the street that looks awfully attractive. Shall we go there?"
Linda was right in her impression; the place was charming. Instead of the customary artificial flowers or tiny bouquets so often seen in restaurants, real rose-bushes showered their profusion of fragrance all about the edges of the screen garden. Surprisingly, every one was hungry; the three visitors because they had eaten only a light picnic supper, Linda because she had been too homesick to eat much alone. The food proved as delightful as the surroundings, and they all enjoyed it immensely.
While Dot was, eating her ice, she noticed some people that she seemed to remember—sitting at a table in back of Linda. But she could not place them.
"Linda," she said softly, "see that young man over there at that table back of you—tothe right—with an older woman? Don't turn around now, he's staring at us.... He looks sort of familiar to me, and I'm positive I've seen that woman before. Do you know them, or are they people I have met at Palm Beach sometime, one of those winters when we went to Florida?"
Linda waited a moment, and then casually turned her head in the direction which Dot had indicated. The boy was Jackson Carter!
In relating her story of the rescue by the two boys in the canoe, Linda had not even mentioned their names, and had omitted entirely her visit to the Carter home. After her telephone conversation with Jackson this evening, she had decided to forget all about him.
She noticed that Dot was smiling and nodding.
"I remember her now," she explained. "A Mrs. Carter—she chummed a lot with mother at Palm Beach. And that's her son—he wasn't more than fourteen the last time I saw him.... I think I'll go over and speak to them." Linda flushed and tried to hide her embarrassment by talking to Louise and Ted about their flight. But Dot came back in a moment.
"I've got an invitation for us, Linda!" she announced. "Finish your lemon ice, and come over and meet the Carters. All of you!"
Linda hesitated. She did not know what to say. Evidently Jackson had not recognized her, or else was deliberately concealing the fact that he knew her.
"All right," agreed Louise, rising and pulling Ted by the hand, for her youthful husband was still shy about meeting the people whom he termed the "four hundred." But his manners were as good as anyone's, and Louise was always proud of him.
They stepped over to the table, Linda reluctantly following them.
"Mrs. Carter, I want you to meet Mrs. Mackay—our chaperon." Dot winked slyly at Louise. "And Miss Linda Carlton, the famous aviatrix! And Mr. Mackay.... And this is Mr. Carter."
The young people bowed in recognition of the introduction, but Jackson gave no sign that he had ever seen Linda before.
"Mrs. Carter says that so long as our chaperon is leaving tomorrow, we must come over and stay at her house, Linda," Dot said. "Yousee, Mrs. Carter," she continued, turning to the older woman, "we're not so strict in the North about chaperons as you are here—but Linda's aunt would like to be. It really worries her to have her niece batting around alone in an airplane."
Horribly embarrassed, her eyelids fluttering so that she could not see anybody distinctly, Linda tried to summon words to decline the invitation. It would be impossible for her to accept.
"We'd love to have you, girls," Mrs. Carter assured them. "For as long as you can stay.... How I would enjoy seeing your mother, Dorothy! You must tell me all about her."
"I'm awfully sorry," stammered Linda, still avoiding Jackson's eyes, "but I'm afraid we can't possibly make it. The fact is, I am expecting to get my autogiro tomorrow, and that will take us away from Jacksonville."
"Bring it out to our place!" urged the young man, with the deepest pleading in his tone. It was the first time that he had spoken, and everybody was surprised at his eagerness. That is, everybody except Linda—who had heard thesame pleading over the telephone a few hours before.
His mother smiled approvingly. She was glad to see that her son was interested in Dorothy Crowley, for the Crowleys were wealthy people, of unquestionable social position.
But, had she known it, Jackson did not even see Dot. He was lost in admiration of Linda—or Ann, as he thought of her. In her pale chiffon dress she looked absolutely ravishing. How could he ever have doubted that she was of good family?
"No, thank you ever so much, but we can't possibly," Linda repeated. "We—or rather I—have work to do. Of course if Dot wants to go——"
She looked at the other girl fearfully. How she would hate to lose her!
Dot's reply, however, was reassuring.
"No, Mrs. Carter, I must stick with Linda. It isn't often that my mother gives in and lets me go off like this, and I mean to take advantage of it Besides, there's adventure ahead!"
Mrs. Carter sighed; these modern girls were beyond her comprehension. She was thankful that her only child was a boy.
While Dot was saying good-by, explaining that the Mackays had to be up early in the morning, Jackson managed a whisper to Linda.
"When can I see you, Ann? I justmust!"
Linda smiled; she was in command of herself again. She had won in a difficult situation.
"Some time when we both winter at Palm Beach or Miami," she replied, lightly, as she nodded good-by to his mother.
The young man's interest in Linda had not escaped Dot's notice. When they had left the restaurant, she remarked, teasingly:
"You certainly made a hit, my dear. But I'm just as glad you turned down their invitation. The Carters have a marvelous home, I believe, but they're about 1890 vintage. They don't know that there was a War."
"Well, we really haven't any time to lose," was her companion's reply. "I'm almost afraid now that Susie will be gone when we get to that island. And I'm in a hurry to help the police trace that other thief with the money."
"Adventure is right!" laughed Dot, as the girls said good-by to Ted and Louise, and went to their room.
The Mackays left soon after dawn the followingmorning, but Linda and Dot had decided to have a good sleep. They did not waken until after ten o'clock, when they heard the telephone ringing in their ears.
It was Dot who answered it.
"Oh, hello, Jackson!" she said, with a wink at Linda. "I used to call you by your first name, so I suppose I might as well now. How's everything?"
"Just fine," replied the young man. "And Dot—may I speak to Miss Carlton?"
"O.K.," answered the girl, holding the telephone towards Linda.
"Not awake yet!" yawned Linda, burying her head in the pillow.
"She says she's not awake yet," explained Dot, laughingly. "Better call later, Jackson—after we get some breakfast."
Replacing the telephone, she turned to her roommate.
"That big boy certainly fell for you, Linda!" she exclaimed, still unaware of the fact that Jackson had not met her for just the first time.
"Well, I didn't fall for him," the other stated, firmly. "And Dot, please, from now on I'm not at home when he calls."
Dot was surprised at this announcement; it was unlike Linda not to be friendly to everybody. Why had she taken such a dislike to a young man as handsome as Jackson Carter?
"May I ask you a personal question, Linda?" she inquired.
"Why certainly, Dot!"
"Are you engaged to Ralph Clavering—and is that why you're turning other men away?"
Linda laughed at the idea.
"No, Dot—I'm not engaged to anybody. And I don't want to be. I want to be free for a while. But not from my girl-friends!" she added hastily, reaching over and giving Dot a hug. "Oh, Dot, if I could ever tell you what it meant to me to have you three breeze in last night! Honestly, I was awfully low."
"It was Lou's idea," explained Dot. "I guess she thought you would be—so far away from everybody—even if you hadn't been in any difficulty."
"Lou's a peach," observed Linda.
They ordered a tray sent up to their room, and lingered lazily over their breakfast. Before they had finished the telephone rang again. This time it was the Jacksonville Airport, informingLinda that the new parts for her autogiro had arrived.
"I'll have to hurry!" she said to Dot. "I don't want to lose a minute now."
"Just what are your plans, Linda?" asked the other girl, as she, too, started to dress.
"Go to the airport and have the parts for the Ladybug put into a plane. Then fly to Soldiers' Camp Island, taking another mechanic along. I'll help this man fix the autogiro—collect Susie—and fly back here."
"You really believe you can fix it in one day?"
"Yes, of course. Why not!"
"Well," said Dot slowly, "I think if you don't mind, I'll stay here. You'll need all the space you can get in your plane to carry those parts to the wreck. And I'd be fearfully bored standing around while you work."
"I guess you're right," agreed Linda. "It would be better for me to take two men—a pilot and a mechanic. Because I can't fly this hired plane back again—I'll have to pilot the Ladybug."
"And you have to bring Susie too," Dot reminded her.
Linda lost no time in getting ready, and she was pleased to have left the hotel before Jackson Carter had a chance to telephone again. She found a "repair" plane waiting for her at the airport, and she made note of the new parts for the autogiro that were already packed into it. Two men were prepared to go with her—one a pilot, the other a mechanic. For once in her life Linda was to ride as a passenger.
The day was hot and dry, but over the swamp the air seemed cooler and fresher. The rainy season was late, everybody said; by this time of year the swamp was usually flooded.
As the plane flew over the desolate expanse, Linda smiled to herself at the familiarity of the landscape. She was getting to be an authority on the Okefenokee Swamp; she never need fear again being lost in its southern part, at least. Although the pilot had a reliable map, he found Linda's directions helpful, and before noon they came down on Soldiers' Camp Island.
The first thing that struck their notice was the autogiro, still leaning over on its side, looking pathetically helpless in its plight. But Susie was not in sight.
While the men unloaded their tools and thenew parts for the damaged plane, Linda went in search of the girl she had left there two days before. It was queer, she thought, that Susie had not come out to meet them at the sound of their motor. Was it possible that she was sick—or only asleep?
The island was a comparatively large one, several miles in length, and Linda decided immediately to explore it. Susie might be waiting somewhere within its depths, helpless or hurt, if she had fallen on her injured ankle. It would be necessary to make a thorough search.
Linda ran back to the autogiro to inquire whether the men needed her help, and explained what she was about to do.
"We don't need you yet, Miss," replied the mechanic. "Later on, when she's almost finished, you can help me look her over, and take her up for a test."
"By the way, Miss Carlton," put in the pilot, "did you think to bring any food for lunch? I only brought water."
Linda shook her head regretfully. How could she have been so stupid? Had her excitement over regaining her autogiro destroyed all her common sense?
"I'm awfully sorry," she said. "I just plain forgot! And I usually have some in the autogiro, but those thieves took it out.... Wait, though! There may be some on the island. We left a half a dozen cans with this girl."
A search of the little "houses" farther in on the island revealed what she had been hoping for—the remainder of the supplies the boys had left with Susie, consisting of two cans of baked beans, tea, coffee, sugar and canned milk. This ought to be enough for their lunch, and she ran back immediately to the men with the good news.
For the next two hours Linda searched the island diligently, calling Susie by name at frequent intervals. But no answer came in reply, and she found no trace of the girl. Susie had completely vanished.
Weary and hungry she returned to the shore of the island where the men were working, and was delighted at the progress they had made. The job was almost finished.
"I can't find the girl," she told them. "But I've collected enough fire-wood to cook our coffee and beans. We'll have our lunch in a little while."
Two hours later the autogiro was finished, ready for its flight back to Jacksonville. The engine was running smoothly; Linda climbed into the cock-pit and took it up in the air for a test flight. She found everything satisfactory; dipping low, she gave the others the signal to leave. With her Ladybug in the lead, the two planes made record time back to Jacksonville.
"She's as good as new," she told the mechanic joyfully, after both planes had landed, and she was paying her bill. "I wish I could fly her right over to my hotel."
"I believe you almost could," remarked the man, admiringly. "Land her at the front entrance, like a taxi-cab!"
"I'm afraid I'll have to take an ordinary cab," sighed Linda, spotting one out near the gate. "Thanks a lot—and good-by! I'm in a hurry to be back."
It was after six when Linda ascended the steps of her hotel, and found Dot waiting for her on the porch, trying in vain to keep cool.
"Where's Susie?" she demanded, immediately.
"Gone!" replied Linda. "I searched the whole island carefully—but not a sign of her!"
"Where could she go?" demanded Dot. "Do you 'spose some canoe picked her up—maybe those same boys that rescued you?"
Linda shook her head. Not those boys, any way! "What I'm afraid of is that the fourth man of the gang—the only one who escaped, you know—picked her up in his boat."
"Not so good—not so good," muttered her companion.
"No, it isn't. Just when I thought Susie had reformed, too—and cut free from those criminals!" Linda uttered a deep sigh.
"Well, let's forget her," suggested the other girl, cheerfully. "I've been waiting all afternoon to take you for a swim—so let's go, and have our dinner later. I understand there's a marvelous pool a couple of blocks away."
Linda's face brightened. What could possibly be better on such a hot day!
"Let's go!" she exclaimed. "Lead me to it."
After her disappointment at losing Susie, and her strenuous day in the heat, the relaxation of swimming in the lovely out-door pool was exactly what Linda needed. The water was cool and refreshing, and the surroundings charming.
For half an hour Linda swam lazily about, resting now and then on her back, occasionally mounting the board for a dive. At last she felt that she had had enough, and seated herself on the edge of the pool, dangling her feet in the water, and watching Dot perform all sorts of fancy dives, for the other girl was a real champion.
"What a marvelous girl Dot is," Linda was thinking, when she was suddenly startled by the sound of a masculine voice, almost in her very ear.
"Ann! Think of finding you here!"
Linda squirmed a little, thinking that the man must have made a mistake in thinking she was some other girl. For the time being, she forgot all about her middle name.
"Miss Carlton," insisted the voice.
Turning about, she saw Jackson behind her,
"How do you do?" she said, coolly.
The young man became embarrassed at her manner. He did not know what to say.
"Miss Crowley is a marvelous diver," he muttered, though it wasn't that that he wanted to talk about.
"Yes, I think so," agreed Linda.
There was a silence. The girl made no effort to be entertaining.
"You really are the girl who flew across the ocean alone, and won that big prize?" he persisted.
"Yes." Linda made a half-hearted gesture to repress a yawn. Jackson Carter needn't think he could buy her favor by flattery!
"But why didn't you tell Hal and me that, when we found you in the swamp?"
"It had no particular bearing on the subject, that I could see."
"If my mother had known that——"
"If your mother didn't wish to receive me at her home," interrupted Linda, "there was no reason in the world why she should. Everyone has a right to her own opinion!"
"But now that we've been formally introduced, it's different," he urged. "Please tell me how long you'll be in Jacksonville."
"We're leaving tomorrow," she said, rising. "And will you please excuse me—as I see Dot going to the dressing-room?"
"I certainly am sorry we don't have Susie with us," remarked Dot, as the girls sat down to their late dinner that evening, after their refreshing swim. "I thought she'd be better than a 'talkie' for amusement."
"Yes, you would have enjoyed her, Dot," agreed Linda, picking up the menu and studying it with a great deal of interest. "I'm going to order everything here, Dot. I'm simply starved."
"So am I, though I ought to be ashamed to admit it. You should have seen the lunch I ate!"
"And you should have seen my lunch!" returned Linda. "We forgot to carry anything, but fortunately Susie had left beans and coffee on the island."
"Is that all you had?"
Linda nodded, and gave her order to the waiter.
"I'd certainly like to know where Susie isnow," she remarked, after she had satisfied the sharpest pangs of hunger with an iced fruit-cup.
"Yes, so would I," agreed Dot. "Her disappearance will make it a lot harder to trace that other thief.... Do you really expect to do anything about hunting him, Linda?"
"Indeed I do! Tomorrow's only the twenty-seventh, and I don't have to report to Atlanta until July first. I'm going to use those four days."
"But what could you possibly do?" inquired Dot. "How would you know where to go—without even a suggestion from Susie?"
"I have a theory," explained the other girl. "Wait till I eat some of this beef-steak, and I'll tell you about it."
"I'm crazy to hear it, because I'll be with you all the time. Mother said I must start back home the first of July—the day you go to Atlanta. I have my ticket bought."
For a few moments Linda ate her dinner in silence, enjoying every mouthful as only a hungry person can. Then, lowering her voice so that there was no danger of being overheard, she told her chum her plan.
"I've thought it all out," she began. "This is what must have happened: That thief—the 'Doc,' as the gang called him—took the boat and the money the day after the bank robbery, when he woke up and found that Susie and her husband had flown away in the autogiro, and the other two were still asleep. His idea was to get out of the swamp to the St. Mary's or some other river, that would take him to the ocean."
"And get on a steamer?" demanded Dot. "But Linda, if he did that, he's out of the country by now."
"I'm not so sure of that. A canoe trip like that would take a good while—the Okefenokee is fifty miles at least from the coast. And he'd be afraid to take a train—or an automobile, for fear of being seen. Besides, I don't think he'd take a steamer right away. He'd want to go to that island first."
"In his canoe?" inquired the other, skeptically.
"No, of course not. He'd hire a motor-boat—or steal one."
"I still don't understand why he'd want to get to that island," remarked Dot.
"For two reasons," explained Linda. "One because he expected to pick up those jewels—which we have already taken away—and the other reason is that the gang has arrangements with some party that owns a steamer, to stop at the island on certain specified dates. That would be his way of getting out of the country."
"It does sound plausible," admitted Dot. "What a brain you have, Linda!"
"Not a bit of that, Dot! It's only that I've been so closely associated with these criminals that I'm beginning to see their motives."
"And where does Susie come into all this?"
"The man must have seen her on Soldiers' Camp Island, from his canoe. Or rather, he saw the wrecked autogiro, and knew she must be there."
"And forced her to go with him?"
"Probably. He didn't want to take any chances, leaving her free to help the police."
Linda paused for a moment to eat the salad with which she had been served, and glanced about the dining-room. No one seemed to know her, or notice her—for that she was sincerely thankful.
It was not until they had finished their dinnerand found a cool, secluded spot on the veranda, that she went on with her plan.
"What I mean to do," she said quietly, "is to fly back to the camp on Black Jack Island early tomorrow. Not that I expect to find anyone there—but merely to get my direction—to go on to that island in the ocean. I don't know its name, so I couldn't look it up on the map."
"You really expect to catch those two on that island?" asked Dot, excitedly. "Will you take the police along?"
"No! I don't want to tell them a word about all this, except to say that I am going scouting about the country, and to ask for a couple of revolvers.... And, in answer to your first question, I don't really expect to find Susie and the 'Doc' there yet. But I believe they'll be along soon."
"And we wait for them there?"
"Yes. Take them unawares. Susie will probably be on our side, and we can plan something with her.... Of course this is all only theory. Maybe there isn't a thing in it. That gang was slick; they seemed to know how to drop right off the face of the earth. And I believe this man may be the cleverest of them all. He was quiet;it's the boasting kind, like Susie's husband, who usually get caught first.... So you can see why I don't want any of the police along."
"We better take plenty of food, though," remarked Dot.
"We will take some—but don't forget that we can easily fly back to the coast each night. The island is only a few miles out—it's nothing in a plane."
"True," admitted the other.
"And we'll keep our room here at the hotel, for we want some place as headquarters. We'll put a few over-night necessities into my bag."
"O.K. I'll order a roast chicken and a chocolate cake from the dining-room tonight."
"Oranges, too," added Linda. "They always taste so good. I mustn't forget to fill my thermos-bottles, either."
They went to bed early that night, in order to get a good start on the following morning. Dot, who was particularly enthusiastic about the chocolate cake, carried the basket of food, while Linda took the handbag. They arrived at the City Hall immediately after breakfast, and were ushered right into Captain Magee's office.
"No news of the fourth man yet," he said,after he had greeted Linda and been introduced to Dot. "But I've sent out a call for him by radio, so that all ships are to be warned to be on the look-out for a fellow of his description."
"There's something else I want to tell you," added Linda, "that may help to spot him. There is probably a girl with him." Then, rather reluctantly, she told what she knew of Susie, begging the Captain not to punish her too severely if she were found.
"And now," she concluded, "Miss Crowley and I want to do a little scouting ourselves—in the autogiro—and I want to know whether you will lend us a couple of .38s for the undertaking."
The Captain smiled whimsically. What an unusual girl Linda Carlton was! No wonder she had done things no other girl had even tried.
"Of course I will," he said. "Though such a request is rather out of the ordinary——"
"This is an extraordinary occasion," remarked Linda.
"Don't you want a detective to go with you?" he asked.
"No, thank you, we haven't room in the autogiro. Besides, we don't want to waste his time—for it may be only a wild goose chase. But if you will lend us a couple of revolvers, I think we shall be safe."
"Can you shoot?"
"If it is necessary. But I don't think it will be. The girl got to be very friendly with me, after her husband was killed. If I had only gotten to her in time, I think I could have saved her. As it is, she may not have joined the man of her own free will. You see she had been hurt, and was partially helpless. So he could do most anything he liked with her, if he had her alone."
"Well, good luck to you!" said the Captain. "I certainly take off my hat to a plucky pair of girls."
When Linda and Dot arrived at the airport they found the Ladybug in readiness for its second flight into the swamp. Linda inspected her, and piled in the equipment.
"I feel as if the Okefenokee Swamp were my home," she remarked, as she headed the autogiro in that direction. "I could almost fly it blind!"
"Don't!" warned Dot. "Your friend the Doc is still at large, and he may be watching for us with a gun."
This was Dot's first view of the swamp, and as they approached it, she was amazed at the vast expanse of it, stretching out in every direction.
"It's huge, isn't it?" she shouted to Linda, through the speaking-tube.
"Forty miles long and thirty wide," was the reply. "But we see only the southern end of it."
Conversation was difficult, so the girls gave it up until they came to Black Jack Island, where Linda had been held a prisoner.
"Shall we get out?" she asked her companion. "Or go straight on to the ocean?"
"Let's get out," replied Dot. "They might possibly be here, you know. Besides, I'm crazy to see their camp."
Linda brought the autogiro to earth and the girls climbed out cautiously, their revolvers in readiness, lest the enemy appear. But there was no human sound—nothing but the birds and the insects.
"Watch out for snakes, Dot!" warned Linda."I'd almost rather meet the Doc than a snake, I believe."
They walked carefully towards the camp only to find it absolutely deserted.
"Let's look all around," suggested Linda, who remembered everything only too well. "We'll begin with the mess-tent."
Quietly at first, they snooped around, peering into boxes of provisions, looking under the cots, behind the tents, and, when they were quite sure that they were alone, they began to act more natural, to laugh and joke with each other.
Linda showed Dot the tent which she had shared with Susie that one night of her captivity, and they both smiled over the sight of the magazine which had led to Linda's escape.
"We could even stay here all night if we had to," Dot remarked. "Seems comfortable enough."
Linda shuddered.
"Never again!" she protested. "But we may as well eat some lunch before we fly to that island. I'm hungry."
"And thirsty. But it isn't so hot here as it was in Jacksonville."
"No. And the island out in the ocean oughtto be cooler yet. You may like it so well that you'll want to spend the summer there. Only it has no tents or cots, like this camp."
"Thank you, I'd rather not play Robinson Crusoe," replied Dot.
"Poor man!" sighed Linda. "If he'd only had an airplane, how simple it would have been for him."
They ate their lunch, and then, for the third time, Linda flew across the Okefenokee and over the coastal plain of Georgia—out to the barren island in the ocean where the treasure had been hidden. The desolate loneliness of the spot impressed her companion.
"You suggested this as a summer resort!" she remarked, when they had landed. "Why, I don't even see a fishing-boat!"
"That's just the trouble," replied Linda. "The first time I flew here—with Susie's husband—I looked about desperately for somebody to shout to for help. And there wasn't a soul! Nothing but ocean and sky.... Do you have your revolver handy, Dot?"
"Yes. Right here. But I don't know much about shooting."
"I'm sure we shan't have to. I just want to explore. But 'be prepared' is our motto."
"I will be. I won't shoot you, either, Linda—you can count on me for that."
Climbing out of the autogiro they walked towards the center of the island where the sand was soft and the underbrush thick. Perhaps, thought Linda, there might be more hiding places than the one hole which she knew; it would be worth while to make a thorough search. On and on they plodded, the sand sinking into their shoes, the sun beating down upon them with full blast, for what trees there were, were not high enough to afford much shade. It was difficult to find the hiding place in such monotonous desolation, but at last she came to the spot.
"Somebody's been here since I came with the police!" she said to Dot, "because we left the stones as we found them. But it looks as if the hole is empty."
She was correct in her surmise. After five minutes of pushing the sand away, Linda had assured herself that nothing was there.
"Let's go down to the opposite shore fromthe one we came in on," suggested Dot. "And explore that."
"All right," agreed Linda. "If you can stand walking through this sand again...." She stopped abruptly, peering towards the shore. An instant later she dragged the other girl to the ground. "The Doc!" she whispered, hoarsely. "I saw him down by the water—maybe there's a boat coming!"
"What shall we do?" demanded Dot, clutching her revolver tightly.
"Wait till he gets on—and follow in the autogiro. I've got plenty of gas.... Let's be creeping back to the Ladybug."
The girls kept well hidden behind the underbrush, crawling along on their hands and knees. Suddenly Dot stopped; she had struck something solid. A canvas bag—two bags, stuffed full with something. Could it be the money?
Breathless, they both stopped while Linda untwisted with her pen-knife the coarse pieces of wire around the tops of the bags, and dumped out the contents. Money in an amount they had never seen before! Hundred dollar bills in rolls that they had no time to count, bonds in thousand-dollar denominations!