Or maybe well see those Gypsies.
Oh, I hope not! cried the smaller girl. I hope well never see those Gypsy women again.
For just at this time the Alice-doll was wearing the fretted silver bracelet for a girdle.
CHAPTER VI THE GYPSYS WORDS
As Agnes said, a telegram was an event in their young sweet lives. And this one did seem of great importance to Ruth. It was from Cecile Shepard and read:
Arrived Oakhurst. They will not let me see Luke.
Oh! she cried, he must be very badly hurt indeed. It is much worse than Cecile thought when she wrote. Oh, Agnes! what shall I do?
Telegraph her for particulars, suggested Agnes, quite practically. A broken wrist cant be such an awful thing, Ruthie.
But his back! Suppose he has seriously hurt his back?
Goodness me! That would be awful, of course. He might grow a hump like poor Fred Littleburg. But I dont believe that anything like that has happened to Luke, Ruthie.
Her sister was not to be easily comforted. Think! There must be something very serious the matter or they would not keep his own sister from seeing him. Ruth herself had had no word from Luke since the accident.
Neither of the sisters knew that Cecile Shepard had never had occasion to send a telegram
before and had never received one in all her life.
But she learned that a message of ten words could be sent for thirty-two cents to Milton, so she had divided what she wished to say in two equal parts! The second half of her message, however, because of the mistake of the filing clerk at the telegraph office in Oakhurst, did not arrive at the Corner House for several hours after the first half of the message.
Ruth Kenway meanwhile grew almost frantic as she considered the possible misfortune that might have overtaken Luke Shepard. She grew quite as extracted to quote Dot as Mrs. Pinkney was about the absence of Sammy.
Well, Agnes finally declared, if I felt as you do about it I would not wait to hear from Mr. Howbridge. Id start right now. Heres the time table. Ive looked up the trains. There is one at ten minutes to one twelve-fifty. Ill call Neale and hell drive you down to the station. You might have gone with the children if that telegram had come earlier.
Agnes was not only practical, she was helpful on this occasion. She packed Ruths bag and managed to get into it a more sensible variety of articles than Sammy Pinkey had carried in his!
Now, dont be worried about us , said Agnes, when Ruth, dressed for departure, began to speak with anxiety about domestic affairs, including the continued absence of the little girls. Havent we got Mrs. McCall and Linda? You do take your duties so seriously, Ruth Kenway.
Do you think so? rejoined Ruth, smiling rather wanly at the flyaway sister. If anything should happen while I am gone
Nothing will happen that wouldnt happen anyway, whether you are at home or not, declared the positive Agnes.
Ruth made ready to go in such a hurry that nobody else in the Corner House save Agnes herself realized that the older sister was going until the moment that Neale ONeil drove around to the front gate with the car. Then Ruth ran into Aunt Sarahs room to kiss her good-bye. But Aunt Sarah had always lived a life apart from the general existence of the Corner House family and paid little attention to what her nieces did save to criticise. Mrs. McCall was busy this day preserving up tae ma eyen in wark, ma lassie and Ruth kissed her, called good-bye to Linda, and ran to the front door before any of the three actually realized what was afoot.
Agnes ran with her to the street. At the gate stood a dark-faced, brilliantly dressed young woman, with huge gold rings in her ears, several other pieces of jewelry worn in sight, and a flashing smile as she halted the Kenway sisters with outstretched hand.
Will the young ladies let me read their palms? she said suavely. I can tell them the good fortune.
Oh, dear me! exclaimed Agnes, pushing by the Gypsy. We cant stop to have our fortunes told now.
Ruth kept right on to the car.
Do not neglect the opportunity of having the good fortune told, young ladies, said the Gypsy girl shrewdly. I can see that trouble is feared. The dark young lady goes on a journey because of the threat of ill fortune. Perhaps it is not so bad as it seems.
Agnes was really impressed. Left to herself she actually would have heeded the Gypsys words. But Ruth hurried into the car, Neale reached back and slammed the tonneau door, and they were off for the station with only a few minutes to catch the twelve-fifty train.
There! ejaculated Agnes, standing at the curb to wave her hand and look after the car.
The blonde young lady does not believe the Gypsy can tell her something that will happen and in the near future?
Oh! exclaimed Agnes. I dont know. And she dragged her gaze from the car and looked doubtfully upon the dark face of the Gypsy girl which was now serious.
The latter said: Something has sent the dark young lady from home in much haste and anxiety?
The question was answered of course before it was asked. Any observant person could have seen as much. But Agness interest was attracted and she nodded.