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  The popovers had popped just right. (_Frontis_) (_The Carter Girls' Mysterious Neighbors_)]

  THE CARTER GIRLS' MYSTERIOUS NEIGHBORS

  By NELL SPEED

  AUTHOR OF

  "The Molly Brown Series," "The Tucker Twins Series," etc.

 

  A. L. BURT COMPANY Publishers New York Printed in U. S. A.

  Copyright, 1931 BY HURST & COMPANY

  MADE IN U. S. A.

  Contents

  I. EN ROUTE TO THE FARM 7 II. THE LANDLADIES AND A NEW ACQUAINTANCE 19 III. THE COUNT 38 IV. GRANTLY 56 V. VALHALLA 63 VI. CHLOE 76 VII. BOBBY'S BLAME PAY 90 VIII. SATURDAY 107 IX. GOLDILOCKS' CHAIRS 118 X. NOVEMBER 133 XI. PARADISE 153 XII. HERZ 167 XIII. GOOSE STEPPING 189 XIV. AN EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY 197 XV. BLACK SOCIALISM 211 XVI. DRESSING FOR THE BALL 221 XVII. THE BALL 231 XVIII. ANGEL'S FOOD 247 XIX. A LITTLE LEARNING 255 XX. IN THE MEANTIME 262 XXI. THE FLAMING SWORD 272 XXII. A NEAT TRICK 287 XXIII. VISITORS AT PRESTON 294 XXIV. THE CARRIER PIGEON 308

  The Carter Girls' Mysterious Neighbors

  CHAPTER I

  EN ROUTE TO THE FARM

  "How I hate being poor!" exclaimed Helen Carter, looking ruefully at herdarned glove.

  "Me, too!" echoed the younger sister, Lucy.

  "Shh! Father will hear you," admonished Douglas.

  "Nobody can hear above the rattle of this horrid old day coach,"declared Helen. "There is something about the odor of a common coachthat has spent its life hauling commuters from home to work--from workto home, that sickens me," and Helen's sensitive nostrils quivered indisgust.

  "I'm sorry, dear; I know it is all so hard on you," said Douglas.

  "Not a bit harder on me than it is on you."

  "Not a bit!" from Lucy.

  "I think it must be," smiled Douglas. "I have an idea Nature did notintend me to ride in Pullmans. I am really just as comfortable in aday coach and I think they are lots more airy and better ventilated.What do you think about it, Nan?"

  "Oh, I like 'em--such interesting types," drawled Nan. "You get to yourdestination sooner, too, as the Pullman is always hitched onto the backend of the train."

  "I can't see anything very interesting in commuters, I must say,"laughed Helen, "but Nan was always easy to please."

  "Yes, Nan is our philosopher," said Douglas.

  "Well, since Lucy and I are to join the army of commuters it would befoolish of us not to find them interesting. Don't you remember Mrs.Doasyouwouldbedoneby? If we find them interesting maybe they will returnthe compliment."

  "Yes, and I remember Mrs. Bedonebyasyoudid, too," declared Douglas,exchanging a sly glance with Helen.

  The two older sisters could not help seeing that a nice looking boysitting across the aisle had already found something to interest him inthe dreamy brown eyes of one courageous commuter to be. His own greyeyes were twinkling with merriment. Evidently the rattle of the despisedcoach had not drowned the conversation so far as he was concerned. Hehad made some pretense of studying, but Latin Comp. was deadly dull incomparison with the chatter of the Carter girls.

  The Carters were _en route_ to their winter quarters, chosen after muchdiscussion and misgivings as the best place they could find for allconcerned. The doctor had pronounced the ultimatum: Mr. Carter must bein the country for another year at least and he must have no businessworries. He must live out-of-doors as much as possible and no matterhow perplexing the problems that in the natural course of events wouldarise in a household, they were not to be brought to the master of thathousehold. As Mrs. Carter had determined many weeks before to play therole of a lily of the field, announcing herself as a semi-invalid, whowas to be loved and cherished and waited on but not to be worried, itmeant that Douglas, as oldest child, must be mother and father as well.Hers was the thankless task of telling her sisters what they must andmust not do, and curbing the extravagance that would break out now andthen in spots. Small wonder that it was the case, as, up to a few monthsbefore this, lavish expenditure had been the rule in the Carter familyrather than the exception.

  They had spent a wonderful summer running a week-end boarding camp onthe side of a mountain in Albemarle County. It had been a remarkablething for these young girls to have undertaken and accomplished, alluntrained as they were. But when their father's nervous breakdown cameand the realization that there was no more money in the family till, andnone likely to be there unless they could earn it, right manfully theyput their young shoulders to the wheel and with a long push and a strongpush and a push all together they got their wagon, if not hitched to astar, at least moving along the highroad of life and making someprogress.

  Dr. George Wright, the nerve specialist who had undertaken Mr. Carter'scure, had been invaluable in their search for the proper place in whichto spend the winter, this winter that was to put the keystone in theirfather's recovery. Such a place was not easy to find, as it must be nearenough to Richmond for Nan and Lucy to go to school. That was one timewhen Douglas put her foot down most emphatically. The two younger girlswere quite willing to follow in their sister Helen's footsteps and"quiturate," but Douglas knew that they must be held to their tasks.She bitterly regretted her own inability to continue her education, ascollege had been her dream, and she also deplored the fact that Helenwas not able to spend the one more year at school necessary for hergraduation. As for Helen, not having to go to school was the one brightspot for her in the whole sordid business, at least she had boldlydeclared such was the case.

  The winter was to be a busy one for Helen, as the home work was to fallto her share. Douglas, by a great piece of good luck, had obtained aplace as teacher in a district school not far from the little farm thathad been selected as the abiding place for the Carter family during thatwinter of 1916 and '17. The teacher who had been employed had beencalled away by private affairs, and Douglas had fallen heir to theposition.

  The train rocked and swayed and bumped on the illy-laid road-bed as ourgirls sped on to their destination. Mrs. Carter in a seat across theaisle had placed her tired head on her husband's shoulder. The poorlittle lady felt in her heart of hearts that all of this going toout-of-the-way country places to spend winter months was really absurd,but then it was absurd to be poor anyhow, something she had notbargained for in her scheme of existence. She had said not a word,however, but had let Douglas and that stern Dr. Wright manageeverything. She felt about as capable of changing the plans of herfamily as her youngest child, Bobby, might.

  Bobby, who had spent the time on the train most advantageously, havingmade friends with the brakeman and conductor, was now sitting in analert attitude, as his new friends had informed him that there were onlyfive minutes more before they would reach Grantly, their destination.Going to the country was just what he wanted and he was preparing tohave a glorious time with no restrictions as to clean face and hands. Tobe sure, he had heard that he was to go to school, but since Douglas wasto be the teacher this fact was not disturbing him muc
h.

  The summer in the mountains had done much to develop this darling of theCarters. He no longer looked so much like an angel as when we were firstintroduced to the family. His curls were close cropped now and he waslosing teeth faster than he was gaining them. If there could be such athing as a snaggled tooth angel perhaps that celestial being wouldresemble Bobby Carter; but I am sure if that angel could have thought upas much mischief in a week as Bobby could execute in an hour, he wouldhave met the fate of Lucifer and been hurled from Heaven. It may be,though, that if Lucifer had possessed such eyes as this little boy hewould have been forgiven and might still be in his happy home. It was animpossibility to harbor wrath against Bobby if once you looked in hiseyes. They were like brown forest pools. His sister Nan had the sameeyes and the same long curling lashes. The shape and color of their eyeswere inherited from their beautiful little mother, but the soulfulexpression that the children possessed was something that came fromwithin and is not controlled by laws of heredity. Mrs. Carter's eyes ifthey reminded one of forest pools were certainly very shallow pools.

  "At last!" as the brakeman called out their station, came with a sigh ofrelief from the whole family.

  The station consisted of a platform and a little three-sided sheddesigned to shield the traveler from the weather, if the weather did nothappen to arrive on the unprotected fourth side.

  "They promised to meet us," said Douglas as she collected parcels andumbrellas, "but I don't see a sign of them."

  "Maybe they are on the other side," suggested the hopeful Nan, peeringthrough the window.

  They weren't, however, nor anywhere in sight. Douglas and Helen lookedat each other askance. The two older girls were the only ones in thefamily who had seen their future abode and they felt very responsible.This hitch of not being met was most disconcerting. They had felt ifeverything went off smoothly and well their choice of a home would besmiled upon. First, the day they moved must be good, and this day inOctober was surely perfect. The packing must be done without bustleand confusion, and that had been accomplished. They must have a goodluncheon before leaving Richmond, and Miss Elizabeth Somerville, who hadinvited them to her house, had feasted her cousins most royally, sendingthem forth with well-nourished bodies and peaceful minds in consequence.This was the first obstacle to their carefully laid plans. They were tolearn that no plan depending in any particular on the cooeperation oftheir landladies, the Misses Grant, would go through safely.

  Miss Ella and Miss Louise Grant were joint owners of the small farm thatthe glib real estate agent had persuaded Dr. Wright and our girls wasthe one and only place in which the winter could be comfortably spent.

  "Excellent air and water; close to schools and churches; neighborhood asgood as to be found in Virginia, and what more could be said? House oneof the old landmarks of the county; the view from the front porch quitea famous one; R. F. D. at yard gate; commuting distance from Richmond;roads excellent, as we have found on our way here." They had motored outand certainly the roads had seemed very good.

  The Misses Grant were all that was left of a large and at one timeinfluential family. They lived in a great old mansion erected in themiddle of what was at one time a vast estate but which had graduallyshrunk through generations of mortgages until now it comprised about twothousand acres. The name of this old place was Grantly.

  The farm that Helen and Douglas had rented for the year was only calleda farm by courtesy, as it had in its holding only about ten acres. Ithad at one time been the home of the overseer of Grantly when thataristocratic estate could boast an overseer. It was too humble an abodeto have a name of its own, but our girls were determined to give it aname when they found out what would suit it. Now they stood on theplatform of the tiny station and said in their hearts that such a place,belonging to such unreliable persons, deserved no name at all.

  "Oh, I'm so sorry they haven't sent to meet us. They told me if I wouldwrite to them they would have a carriage and a farm wagon here," wailedDouglas.

  "Why not walk?" suggested Mr. Carter. "A quarter of a mile is nothing."

  "Oh, do let's walk!" exclaimed Lucy. "We can just leave the luggagehere and get someone to come back for it."

  "All of you can walk," came faintly from Mrs. Carter. "Just leave mehere alone. I don't fancy anything much will happen to me."

  "But Mumsy, only a quarter of a mile!" begged Lucy.

  "Why, my child, I never expect to walk more than a few blocks again aslong as I live."

  Mr. Carter looked pained and ended by staying with his wife while thefour girls and Bobby trooped off to find someone to send for them.

  "Why does Mother say she never expects to walk more than a few blocksagain as long as she lives?" blurted out Lucy. "Is she sick? She looksto me like she's getting fat."

  "Tell her that," suggested Nan, "and I bet you she will find she canwalk a teensy little more than a few blocks."