Nan Sherwood's Summer Holidays Part 10

"Ticket--pa.s.sport--traveller's checks--baggage tags--trunk keys." Nan checked them off on her list as she put them into her purse. "There, Bess," she said, turning to her friend, "everything is done, and I'm all ready, absolutely all ready to go. And you?"

The two girls were standing in their room in Lakeview Hall as Nan asked the question. They were both dressed in tweed coats and matching felt hats. Around them stood their baggage, waiting for the school janitor to take it down to the school bus. It was the day of all days, the day on which they were leaving for Europe.

Bess looked bewildered as Nan put the question to her. "I--I--I--guess so. I guess I'm all ready," she answered. "Do you know, I'm so excited that I hardly know whether I'm going or coming. I can't remember what I packed and what I didn't pack. I don't know--why, I don't even know where my baggage keys are!" she exclaimed as she began to look frantically around the room. "What will I do?"

Already she was moving pillows, looking under books, in the corners of chairs, and around the floor. Nan joined the hunt and when Laura, a few seconds later, stuck her head in the doorway, they were both turning the room upside down in search of the keys.

"Say, you two," the red-headed girl began, "They're coming for your trunks next. Be ready. We've just time to catch the train." With this she disappeared.

They heard Rhoda's voice down the hall. "Everybody ready? The bus is coming."

They heard Amelia. "Grace," she called, "Dr. Prescott says to come downstairs. It's time to go." She sang the words out.

But it was not until they themselves heard the chug-chug of the old school bus as it rolled up to the entrance and came to a halt that Nan discovered the keys in the most obvious place of all, the lock of the trunk itself!

Now everything was all right. Bess gave one more look at herself in the mirror. The janitor came for the luggage. The girls took one last lingering look at their room. Then they left.

The next morning they awakened in New York City to one of the most exciting days they had ever had. Everything around them was new, for none of them had ever been to this largest city in the world before. As they came out of Grand Central Station, with porters hurrying after them with their luggage, they were caught up in a rush of people hurrying to work.

"Oh, Nan!" Bess grabbed for her friend's arm.

"Oh, Bess!" Nan exclaimed. "Did you ever see anything like it!" Nan's face was s.h.i.+ning. She looked around for the rest of their crowd, caught Dr. Prescott's eye, and smiled. It was all so new and so much fun! Dr.

Prescott smiled back. But there was not time to say anything.

They piled into a big car and went threading through the heavy morning traffic, under elevated railway tracks, past tall white buildings, through narrow crowded streets, around big double decker busses, and finally rolled to a stop at the wharves.

There s.h.i.+p after s.h.i.+p was lying in the docks. There were great big ones, bigger than any hotel they had ever seen; little fis.h.i.+ng schooners with loose sails flapping in the breeze; busy tugs nosing around; and off in the distance, a gray United States battles.h.i.+p was lying at anchor.

Everyone was hustling about. The place seemed one mad scramble of porters, sailors, travellers, trunks, luggage carts, and taxis depositing more and more people all the time. It seemed as though the whole United States was sailing off for foreign ports. Unconsciously, the girls huddled together. Dr. Prescott looked anxiously down at her brood and realized for the first time what a task she had undertaken.

Then Nan touched her arm.

"There, Dr. Prescott," she said, "there it is, our s.h.i.+p."

Sure enough, there ahead of them, riding proudly in the dock was their boat, the S. S. Lincoln. But before they could reach it, before Bess could place her foot on the gang-plank as she had been seeing herself do for weeks past, in imagination a familiar voice cried excitedly, "Here they are! Here they all are!" and they looked up into the faces of mothers and fathers and friends who had come to see them off.

Immediately the whole rush of the outside world was forgotten. Nan was in Momsy Sherwood's arms. Rhoda was kissing her father. Amelia was a.s.suring hers that her watch was running perfectly. Laura was off to one side talking to her mother. Grace was telling her folks all about the trip from Lakeview. Bess was declaring to her mother that she had her keys--safe. There were introductions all round and then the group made its way up the gang plank, proudly and happily and a little bit tearfully.

"Nan Sherwood--Miss Nan Sherwood----Nan Sherwood--" Gradually the fact that Nan's name was being called sifted through the minds of the happy crowd. It was Bess who noticed it first.

"Nan, why, Nan, they're calling your name," she tried to get her friend's attention. At last Nan looked up.

"A telegram for Miss Nan Sherwood," the boy called again. Nan reached through the crowd for it.

"Miss Elizabeth Harley--Miss Harley," the boy began calling again. So, one by one, the girls received letters and telegrams, cards and flowers and books, candy and fruit, gifts and messages from friends in Florida and Chicago and Michigan and the West where Rhoda lived, wis.h.i.+ng them "A Safe Journey and a Happy Landing!"

Because of all the excitement, it was not until the cry rang out "All's ash.o.r.e that's going ash.o.r.e," that Momsy and Papa Sherwood were able to warn Nan. "Now," Papa Sherwood said, "Remember, there are--as I have told you before those at Emberon who might want to do you harm. Some there have never become reconciled to your mother's having inherited the fortune. They might try to make trouble for you."

"Please don't worry," Nan herself looked serious as she answered her father. "I'll be most careful."

"Careful, did you say?" Bess was at her side. "Why Mrs. Sherwood, of course we'll be careful. We'll all be very careful." Then as she noted the serious expression on both Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood's face, she stopped short. Bess looked puzzled. Somewhere in the back of her mind there was something unsolved that this reminded her of. She tried to remember, but couldn't. It troubled her vaguely even as she kissed Mrs. Sherwood good-by. Then she forgot it, for Nan was laughing and smiling and telling her mother and dad to hurry and get off if they didn't want to be taken along too.

Next, they were all standing at the s.h.i.+p's rail, waving with hats and handkerchiefs to the crowds on sh.o.r.e. The s.h.i.+p's orchestra was playing one last tune. Tugs pushed at the boat. Slowly and majestically, it moved away from the dock to the harbor and the open sea, carrying Nan Sherwood and her Lakeview Hall friends along with it.

CHAPTER X

TROUBLE FOR NAN

"Now what?" Bess was feeling a little forlorn as the big s.h.i.+p gathered steam and the figures on sh.o.r.e faded away to nothing.

Nan turned. She had been watching the white sea gulls swooping in great arcs down over the boat, missing it, and turning to swoop again. It looked like such fun!

"I haven't the slightest idea," she answered, "but let's go and find out." She took Bess's hand and went inside, down the elevator, through a long corridor toward their cabins.

Midway, they were stopped by a white jacketed steward. "I beg your pardon, Miss," he addressed Bess, "but are you Miss Sherwood?"

Bess couldn't find her tongue. Nan spoke up. "I'm Nan Sherwood," she said, "Is there anything wrong?"

"How many pieces of baggage did you have?" he answered her question with another.

"Two," Nan answered quickly.

"What were they?"

"A small trunk and a suitcase."

"The color?" He was making notations on a small slip of paper.

"Brown."

"Did you have them sent to storage or directly to your cabin?"

"To the cabin."

"Were they properly tagged?"

"Why, I thought so," Nan was completely baffled at the questions.

"Your cabin number?" He smiled at the girl now. "There's been some confusion," he said, "and one of the other pa.s.sengers is quite excited about it. I'm trying to straighten out the difficulties."

"648. I thought my baggage was in my cabin." Nan _was_ puzzled now.

"Of course it was," Bess chimed in. "Your father and my father came down and checked on that to make sure before they got off the boat. I'm certain they said your baggage was there. Come let's look."

The two girls and the steward continued down the corridor to the cabins where the rest of the Lakeview crowd was already at work unpacking.