Chapter 14 The Secret of Red Gate Farm by Carolyn Keene
Disturbing Gossip
The strange woman in Nancy’s car seemed to waver for a moment, as if about to accept the girl’s offer of help. Then she shook her head.
“No, I won’t drag you into it!” she said with finality. “You don’t know what you’d be getting into if you helped me. Why, if they even learn that you’ve aided me in mailing this letter—”
Nancy saw the woman shudder. For one fleeting instant she, too, felt afraid—afraid of something she could not define.
The young sleuth realized that the woman was trying to warn her of danger. Nancy knew the wise thing to do was forget all about the nature cult and the strange things which apparently went on in the hillside cave. Yet, she felt that she was on the verge of discovering an important secret.
Nancy’s companion was obviously relieved when the car rounded a bend and brought them within sight of town. “If you’ll just drop me off at the post office, I’ll be most grateful,” the woman said.
“May I take you back with me?” Nancy asked. “I’ll be returning in less than an hour.”
“No, I’ll walk back.”
Nancy saw that it was useless to protest and let the matter rest. She made no comment.
After leaving her passenger in front of the post office, Nancy continued down the main street to the supermarket. Later, while she waited in the check-out line to pay for her groceries, two women took their places behind her. They were talking earnestly together, and did not pay any attention to Nancy. She, in turn, did not notice them until one of the shoppers began to speak on a startling subject.
“It beats me the way those people carry on,” she heard one of them say. “You’d think Mrs. Byrd would turn them out!”
Instantly Nancy became alert.
“I suppose she needs the money,” the other woman responded, “but someone should speak to her about it. The idea of those folks capering around in bedclothes! They must be crazy!”
“That’s just what I think!” the first woman remarked. “If I lived near that farm I wouldn’t feel safe! And I don’t think it’s decent for a law-abiding community like ours to have folks like that around. I’m going to get a big group together and call on Mrs. Byrd to tell her what we think of her!”
“I’ll certainly join you,” the woman said.
Nancy felt the situation was becoming serious; that the criticism of Mrs. Byrd would grow even sharper. If the two women carried out their threat, the consequences might be very unpleasant. Prospective Red Gate boarders might change their minds! The colony might take reprisals!
“One thing is certain,” Nancy decided. “Our costumes must be ready by tonight in case the colony members have a meeting.”
She paid for the groceries and went directly to the material shop, where she bought several yards of white muslin, then started for home.
Driving back to Red Gate Farm, Nancy kept a sharp lookout for the woman from the Black Snake Colony, but she was nowhere along the road. “I wish I could have talked to her more. It might have helped in my plan to attend the ceremony.”
Joanne, Bess, and George were just returning from the woods with pails brimming over with luscious-looking berries when Nancy drove into the barnyard. As they started to help her carry in the packages, Karl Abbott Jr. rushed gallantly from the house to assist. He glanced curiously at the soft, fat one which Nancy kept tucked under her arm, but she did not give any explanation of its contents. Besides, the elder Mr. Abbott and Mrs. Salisbury were within hearing distance.
Immediately after a late lunch and some pleasant conversation with the guests, Nancy excused herself and summoned the other girls to her room. There she unwrapped the material and brought out scissors, needles, and thread.
“We must work like mad,” she said, “in case there’s a meeting tonight.”
With great excitement and anticipation she cut out the first costume which was to serve as an entering wedge to the nature-cult ceremonial. As Nancy worked, she told the story of her adventure with her passenger and the conversation of the women in the market.
Joanne was alarmed. “Oh, Gram must never hear of this!” she exclaimed. “She’d be heartbroken!”
The others agreed. “We won’t tell Mrs. Byrd any more than we have to,” George said. “I do hope we can solve the mystery before something ugly happens!”
For the next few hours their needles flew furiously. At last the costumes were finished. The four friends could not control their laughter as they tried them on.
“You certainly look as if you’re ready for Halloween!” George told Nancy.
“Do you think I’ll pass?”
“In the moonlight they won’t be able to tell you from a full-fledged member of the cult,” Bess declared. “Let’s see you go through the mystic rites.”
To the delight of her chums, Nancy danced around the room, waving her arms wildly and making weird moans.
“Jo!” a voice called. “Dinner’s ready!”
Startled, the girls scrambled out of the white robes and hastily hid them. They tried to compose their faces as they hurried downstairs, but merely succeeded in looking guilty.
“Seems to me you girls spent a long time locked up in your rooms.” Mrs. Salisbury sniffed suspiciously.
“Planning some kind of mischief, no doubt.” Mr. Abbott wagged his finger playfully at the four girls.
George had a hard time keeping a straight face, and hastily took a sip of milk. Bess could not restrain a giggle, whereupon Mrs. Salisbury gave her a sharp look.
“Humph!” she exclaimed. “I must say I’ll have to agree with Mr. Abbott this time. I’m sure you four are up to some prank.”
Even Nancy and Joanne had to smother telltale grins. They only smiled pleasantly, but offered no explanation.
Actually, the girls were so excited over their prospective adventure they could scarcely do justice to the excellent meal Mrs. Byrd had prepared. Karl Jr., as usual, was a charming companion.
He had many amusing anecdotes to tell, and Nancy was happy to observe that Joanne seemed to be enjoying it all immensely.
Indeed, by the time dessert was finished, Nancy and her chums realized that they had temporarily forgotten counterfeiters, syndicates, and even the nature cult on the hill.
Everyone was sorry, a little later, when the young man announced that he must leave.
“I wish I could stay,” he said regretfully, letting his eyes rest especially long on Nancy, “but I must get back to the city tonight. I’ll try to run down again in a few days to see Father. Take care of yourselves,” he added to the girls.
After Karl Jr. had gone, and the girls were washing the dishes, George said teasingly, “You can’t tell me ‘Father’ is the only attraction at Red Gate Farm! He has his eye on Nancy!”
“Silly!” Nancy laughed.
“He scarcely took his eyes off you all evening,” George insisted. “You made quite a hit this morning with that rescued-heroine bit.”
“Oh, honestly, George!” Nancy blushed. “You never give up, do you?”
“Karl Jr. wouldn’t be so bad,” Bess added, “but imagine having Mr. Abbott for a father-in-law!”
“You do the imagining,” Nancy said lightly. “I’m going outside and look at the hillside.”
All the girls watched until late in the evening, but the mysterious place remained dark and deserted. Disappointed, the girls went to bed.
They awakened early the next morning, for they had gradually become accustomed to farm hours. When they learned from Mrs. Byrd that Reuben was not feeling well, the girls eagerly helped with the various outdoor chores. It was noontime before they realized how much time had passed.
“You girls should have some relaxation this afternoon,” Mrs. Byrd said. “How about a swim down in the brook? There’s a spot that used to be known as the old swimming hole. It’s fairly deep.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Bess declared.
Jo declined, but at two o’clock Nancy, Bess, and George set off in bathing suits. For two hours they swam, floated, and sun-bathed on the shore. Every once in a while Nancy or George would mention some angle of the colony, Hale Syndicate, or counterfeiting mysteries.
But immediately Bess would say, “Shush! We’re relaxing. We may have a big night tonight.”
Finally the girls started for the farmhouse. To reach it they had to cross a field in the corner of which lay a heap of large stones, apparently raked there when the acreage was cultivated.
George, grinning, climbed across the stones, saying, “This life is making me rugged. I— Oh, ouch!” she cried loudly, then added, “A snake! It bit me!”