The Blue Grass Seminary Girls on the Water Part 10

"No, I won't!" she declared, "I-"

"Very well," said the floor walker. "I shall have the floor matron search you."

He turned and called to one of the clerks. But the woman waited for no more. With a single move she took off her cape, and threw it to the floor.

"There," she said, throwing out her arms, "you may see that I have nothing."

"I saw her take them," declared s.h.i.+rley, looking at the woman in surprise, for she could not see a sign of a stolen article.

A frown gathered on the floor walker's face as he glanced at s.h.i.+rley.

"This looks rather bad for you." he said to her pointedly.

s.h.i.+rley took a step back.

"What do you mean?" she asked in no little alarm.

"It seems that the lady is telling the truth. What was your object in accusing her?"

"I tell you I saw her take them," declared s.h.i.+rley again.

The floor walker shrugged his shoulders.

It was Mabel who finally cleared up the situation. The woman's cape still lay on the floor where she had thrown it. Mabel stooped down to pick it up, and as she did so the woman also s.n.a.t.c.hed at it.

But Mabel was the quicker of the two and captured the garment. Quickly she turned it wrong side out, and as she did so there was a gasp from the crowd.

For the inside of the coat was literally filled with secret pockets.

Mabel thrust her hand in and pulled out the bolt of silk. She held it above her head.

"Here it is!" she cried.

"I bought and paid for that," sputtered the angry woman.

One after another Mabel now produced other articles of value, which she exposed to the view of the crowd. And in each case the woman's explanation was the same:

"I paid for that!"

But the floor walker was not to be fooled, nor was the manager of the store, who came up at that moment. The former released his hold on young Bristow and made him an abject apology.

One of the women detectives was called, and the shop-lifter turned over to her. Then the manager addressed s.h.i.+rley and Mabel.

"I owe you two young ladies a debt of grat.i.tude," he said. "This shop-lifting has been going on for a month or more and we have lost heavily. Thanks to you I believe we have the culprit at last. Without your a.s.sistance she would have escaped."

s.h.i.+rley and Mabel acknowledged this praise with slight inclinations of the heads, and then s.h.i.+rley spoke to Young Bristow, who stood near.

"Are you going back to the boat, Mr. Bristow? We shall be glad of your company."

The young man accepted this invitation, and the three made their way from the store.

"I can't thank you enough, either of you," he declared as they walked along. "I was in a ticklish position, and but for your a.s.sistance might have been put to no end of trouble."

"How did you happen to be accused?" asked s.h.i.+rley.

"Why, I was walking through the aisle, and because of the crowd I was shoved against the counter. A piece of lace caught on a b.u.t.ton of my coat, and I dragged it with me as I went by. Then the girl behind the counter cried out that some one had stolen something. The floor walker saw the lace caught in my coat and collared me. That's all."

"I see," said s.h.i.+rley, and added with a smile: "You certainly did look funny there!"

"Did I? Well, I didn't feel very funny. I was afraid I would be held long enough to make me miss the s.h.i.+p, and I can't afford to do that."

"Then your business in Colon is very important?" asked Mabel.

Young Bristow looked at her in silence for some moments, and Mabel grew red as she thought she was to be rebuffed again. But she wasn't. Bristow finally answered her question.

"Very important," he said quietly.

CHAPTER VII.-MABEL SHOWS HER COURAGE.

"By the way," said s.h.i.+rley as they walked along, "how is your wound? I see you have removed the bandage."

A startled expression flitted across the young man's face, but neither girl perceived it.

"It's much better," he made answer. "Not even a scar left. It didn't amount to much, after all."

Fifteen minutes later they were back aboard the _Yucatan_, where s.h.i.+rley related their experiences to others of their party.

"I'll have to keep a closer watch on you two," declared Mr. Willing.

"Every time you get away by yourselves you run into trouble. And you won't always come out of it so easily."

Several hours later the big steams.h.i.+p moved majestically out of the harbor and soon was headed down the coast once more. She came to anchor again the following morning at Jacksonville, the last American port at which she would touch until she reached San Diego, California. The Willing party went ash.o.r.e again, but this time, true to his word, Mr.

Willing would not permit the girls to wander away by themselves.

As they strolled about, s.h.i.+rley became suddenly ill. She knew it was nothing serious, brought on probably by the excessive heat. Therefore she informed the others that she was going back aboard the s.h.i.+p, as she wished to lie down. Mabel agreed to go with her.

The fathers saw the two girls into a taxicab, which soon dropped them at the pier, where they immediately went to their suite.

s.h.i.+rley felt much better now that she was out of the sun, and lying down on the sofa picked up a book and commenced to read. Mabel sat down at a little desk to write a letter.

In spite of the cooling breeze made by the electric fan in the room, it was still rather warm, and Mabel left the outer door open to get what breeze they could from over the water. Mabel was in the first room, and s.h.i.+rley in the one beyond.

Suddenly Mabel heard footsteps running down the deck toward their suite.

She glanced up idly, wondering why any one should put himself to so much exertion on such a hot day, and even as she looked up a figure darted into the room and closed the door behind him.

Mabel jumped quickly to her feet and faced the newcomer, who, she now perceived, held a revolver in his hand.