Part 22 (2/2)

Arden sighed and rolled over. Morning was so long in coming. At length the smiling sun climbed up over the edge of the ocean and announced the beginning of a new day.

CHAPTER XXI Melissa Has a Pin

As soon as they possibly could after breakfast the next day, the three girls rowed over to the houseboat and fed Tania. They let her romp for a while and reluctantly locked her up again. They feared the townspeople, ever on the watch for something to talk about, would find some choice gossip if they were seen in the village with the ”Russian's” dog.

The storm was over, and the sun, almost a stranger, broke through the clouds, blinding in its brightness. The day promised to be hot, so dressed in cool ”semi-back” dresses the girls left the houseboat and went home first to report to Mrs. Landry that there was no news.

Then they got the car out and went to the village to send the telegram, which they all hoped would bring good results.

”You'd better shut the door of the phone booth,” Terry suggested to Arden as they entered the drug store. ”You never can tell who'll be listening, and the whole town would be excited if they heard the message.”

”Yes, I think that would be best,” Arden agreed.

Trying to appear nonchalant, as though this was an ordinary call, Arden sent off the message. She requested an immediate answer. To make doubly sure, she informed the operator who took the telegram that she must know as soon as possible if it was delivered and left the number of the drug-store phone.

The telegraph company had an arrangement with the drug store so that messages could be telephoned in and payment made to the clerk. When Arden had completed the dictation, at the request of the operator, she got the drug clerk into the booth, and he was informed as to the toll, which Arden paid him.

”It will take a while, even if it is delivered,” Arden told her friends.

”So we might as well do the shopping and come back.”

”Oh, I do hope we get a reply,” Sim said earnestly. ”I couldn't sleep last night thinking about Dimitri.”

”For a person who couldn't sleep, you gave a marvelous imitation,” Arden answered sarcastically. ”Three or four times I could have sworn you were dead to the world.”

”Me-ouw-me-ouw,” Terry squeaked. ”Don't be catty! The time will go quicker if we keep busy.”

They did all the shopping they had to for Terry's mother and walked once around the block to kill more time before returning to the drug store.

Arden could no longer be diplomatic. She marched up to the dull-looking soda boy and asked in clear tones: ”Did a message come for me?”

”Haven't had a call today,” replied the youth behind the counter. ”Were you expect--”

The phone bell rang sharply. Arden almost ran to answer it, slamming the door shut behind her.

Terry and Sim could see her face, bright with antic.i.p.ation for a few seconds, then with dismay saw her expression change. They couldn't hear what she was saying, but in a short while she was out again and beckoned them to follow her outside.

”That was one of the managers of the telegraph company in New York,”

Arden reported. ”He's in the office nearest Ninth Street. He said they couldn't send a boy out to deliver a message without a street address-it would lose too much time. But if we are willing to pay extra for messenger service, he says he'll have a boy sort of scout around and try to locate the party.”

”What did you tell him?” asked Terry.

”Told him to go ahead and we'd pay anything in reason. He said it probably would not be much more than a dollar.”

”We'll chip in,” declared Terry.

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