The Corner House Girls Among the Gypsies Part 30

"What has happened now?"

"Have you seen Tess and Dot?"

"Not to-day."

"I--I mean within a little while? Two hours?"

"I tell you I have not seen them at all to-day. I have been busy right here for Con."

"Then they are gone! The Gypsies have got them!"

For Agnes, without much logic of thought, had immediately jumped to this conclusion. Neale stared.

"What sort of talk is that, Agnes?" he demanded. "You know that can't be so."

"I tell you it is so! It must be so! They got Mrs. McCall and me out of the house--"

"Who did?" interrupted Neale, getting hastily over the fence and taking the girl's hand. "Now, tell me all about it--everything!"

As well as she could for her excitement and fear, the girl told the story of the boy who had brought her the false message about Maria Maroni, and then about the message Mrs. McCall had received calling her across town.

"It must be that they have kidnapped the children!" moaned Agnes.

"Not likely," declared the boy. "The kids have just gone visiting without asking leave. In fact, there was n.o.body to ask. But I see that there is a game on just the same."

He started hastily for the Corner House and Agnes trotted beside him.

"But where _are_ Tess and Dot?" she demanded.

"How do I know?" he returned. "I want to find out if there is something else missing."

"What do you mean?"

"That bracelet."

"Goodness, Neale! Is it that bracelet that has brought us trouble again?"

"It looks like a plot all right to me. A plot to get you and Mrs.

McCall out of the house so that somebody could slip in and steal the bracelet. Didn't that ever occur to you?"

"Goodness me, Neale!" cried Agnes again, but with sudden relief in her voice. "If that is all it is I'll be glad if the old bracelet is stolen. Then it cannot make us any more trouble, that is one sure thing!"

CHAPTER XXIII--A SURPRISING MEETING

Tess and Dot Kenway, with no suspicion that anything was awaiting them save the possible loss of the silver bracelet, but otherwise quite enjoying the adventure, walked hurriedly along Willow Street as far as the brick-yard. That they were disobeying a strict injunction in taking the bracelet out of the house was a matter quite overlooked at the time.

They came to the corner and there, sure enough, was a big, dusty automobile, with a big, dark man in the driver's seat. He smiled at the two little girls and Tess remembered him instantly.

"Oh, Dot!" she exclaimed, "it is the man we saw in this auto with the young Gypsy lady when we were driving home with Scalawag from Mr.

Howbridge's the other day. Don't you remember?"

"Yes," said Dot, with a sigh. "I guess it is the same one. Oh, dear, me!"

For the nearer the time came to give up the silver bracelet, the worse Dot felt about it.

The big Gypsy looked around at the two little girls and smiled broadly.

"You leetle ladies tak' ride with Beeg Jeem?" he asked. "You go to see the poor Gypsy women who let you have the fine bracelet to play with?

Yes?"

"He knows all about it, Tess," murmured Dot.

"Yes, we will give them back the bracelet," Tess said firmly to the Gypsy man. "But we will not give it up to anybody else."

"Get right into my car," said Big Jim, reaching back to open the tonneau door. "You shall be taken to the camp and there find the ones who gave you the bracelet. Sure!"

There was something quite "grownupish" in thus getting into the big car all alone, and Tess and Dot were rather thrilled as they seated themselves on the back seat and the Gypsy drove them away.

Fifteen minutes or so later Agnes came to this very corner and had her unpleasant interview with Miguel Costello. But of course by that time the children were far away.

The big Gypsy drove them very rapidly and by lonely roads into a part of the country that Tess and Dot never remembered having seen before.

Whenever he saw anybody on the road, either afoot or in other cars, Big Jim increased his speed and flashed by them so that there was little likelihood of these other people seeing that the two little girls were other than Gypsy girls.

He did nothing to frighten Tess and Dot. Indeed, he was so smiling and so pleasant that they enjoyed the drive immensely and came finally in a state of keen enjoyment to the camp which was made a little back from the highway.

"Well, if we have to give up the bracelet," sighed Tess, as they got out of the car, "we can say that we have had a fine ride."

"That is all right. But how will my Alice-doll feel when she finds out she can't wear that pretty belt again?" said Dot.

There were many people in the camp, both men and women and children.

The latter kept at a distance from Tess and Dot, but stared at them very curiously. They kept the dogs away from the visitors, too, and the little girls were glad of that.

"Where can we find the two ladies that--that sold us the basket?" asked Tess politely, of Big Jim.

"You look around, leetle ladies. You find," he a.s.sured them.

There were four or five motor vans of good size in which the Gypsies evidently lived while they were traveling. But there were several tents set up as well. It was a big camp.

Timidly at first the two sisters, hand in hand, the silver bracelet firmly clutched inside Tess's dress against her side, began walking about. They tried to ask questions about the women they sought; but n.o.body seemed to understand. They all smiled and shook their heads.

"Dear me! it must be dreadful to be born a foreigner," Dot finally said. "How can they make themselves understood _at all_?"

"But they seem to be very pleasant persons," Tess rejoined decidedly.