Part 14 (1/2)

”Pooh! you can't frighten me that way,” declared Ruth Fielding. ”I am not afraid of your spells, or your fortune telling, or any of your foolish magic. If you believe in any of it yourself, you have not gained much wisdom all the years you have lived.”

”You do not fear the arts of my people?” repeated Zelaya, trying to hold Ruth with her eye as she had Helen.

”No, I do not. I fear your wickedness. And I know you must be very dishonest and cruel. But you have no more supernatural power than I have myself!”

Zelaya's wrinkled face suddenly reddened with pa.s.sion. She raised her claw-like hand and struck the bold girl sharply upon the cheek.

”Impudence!” she muttered.

”And _that_ is nothing supernatural,” said Ruth, with continued boldness, although the blow had hurt her--leaving its mark. ”You are breaking the laws of the land, which are far more powerful than any Gypsy law----”

”Wait!” commanded the woman, threateningly. ”You will learn yet, bold girl, how strong our laws are.”

She went back to her stool, mumbling to herself. Ruth lifted Helen into one of the berths, and sat down beside her. By and by the door of the van opened again and a bold-looking young woman--not the one that had brought them to the van--came in with three wooden bowls of a savory stew. She offered the tray to the visitors at a motion from old Zelaya, so that they had their choice before the queen received her own supper.

”Let's eat it,” whispered Ruth to Helen, when she saw that Zelaya plunged her own tin spoon into the stew. ”It surely isn't drugged, or _she_ wouldn't touch it.”

They ate greedily, for both were hungry. It takes more than fear to spoil the healthy appet.i.te of youth!

”Do you suppose,” whispered Helen, ”that we could climb out of one of these windows after she falls asleep?”

”I am sure I couldn't get through one,” returned Ruth. ”And I doubt if you could. Besides, there will be guards, and the dogs are awake. We've got to wait for help from outside, my dear.”

”Do you suppose Tom will find us?”

”I hope not!” exclaimed Ruth. ”Not while he is alone. But he certainly will give the alarm, and the whole countryside will be aroused.”

”Oh, dear, me! this old woman seems so sure that she can hold us captive.”

”I think she is crazy,” Ruth declared. ”And the other Gypsies must lack good sense, too, or they would not be governed by her.”

The queen gobbled down her supper and then prepared to retire to her own bunk. She told the girls to do the same, and they removed their shoes and outer garments and lay down--one on one side of the wagon, and one on the other.

Ruth's head was toward the door. She could watch the movements of the old Gypsy woman. Zelaya did not go to sleep at all, but seemed to be waiting for the camp to get quiet and for her two visitors to fall into slumber.

She kept raising her head and looking first at Helen, then at Ruth. The latter knew by her chum's breathing that, despite her fears, Helen had fallen asleep almost instantly.

So Ruth began to breathe deeply and regularly, too. She closed her eyes--almost entirely. This was what Zelaya had been waiting for.

Silently the old woman arose and turned up the lampwick a little. She knelt down before one of the padlocked boxes and unlocked it softly.

Then she rummaged in the box--seemingly beneath a lot of rubbish that filled it, and drew forth a j.a.panned box--like a cashbox. This was locked, too, and Zelaya wore the key of it on a string about her neck.

Silently, with a glance at the two girls now and then, she unlocked this box and opened it on the top of the chest, before which she knelt.

Ruth could see the old woman's face. It changed very much as she gazed upon what was in the j.a.panned box. Her black eyes glowed, and her gray, thin lips were wreathed in a smile of delight.

Again Ruth remembered Roberto's account of his grandmother. She was a miser, and he had mentioned that he had seen her at night gloating over her h.o.a.rded wealth.

Surely Zelaya had all the signs of a miser. The next moment Ruth saw that the old woman verily possessed something worth gloating over.