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Page 65
Mrs. Curtis looked exceedingly uncomfortable. She had been bitterly
angry at the way the lad had served Tom and Madge, and at that time she
would have given a great deal to have had him properly punished. Since
then he had added one evil deed to the other. But the boy, who was
being led away to prison, seemed so young, not much older than Tom. He
was wild and reckless in his appearance, yet he had the aspect of
having been born of gentle people.
The youth had not spoken since the discovery of the oil on his hands
and clothes. Now, as he was being led from the sitting room, he turned
on his cross-questioners and shook with swift laughter. He threw back
his head, so that his long, dark hair uncovered his ears. His eyes
gleamed.
Madge, who was staring hard at the boy from her position on the far
side of the room, gave an unexpected movement of surprise. She waited
for the young prisoner to speak.
"You needn't trouble your girls to appear against me," he said
savagely, "but you will have to introduce their chaperon in court, and
a pretty thing it will be for a sister to appear as a witness against
her own brother!"
A frozen silence fell on the group of listeners. Phil shook her head
emphatically. "You are not our Miss Jenny Ann's brother," she retorted
decidedly. "It would be perfectly impossible for her to have a wicked
brother like you."
Theodore Brown's face flushed and paled. He would have liked to drag
the lad out of the room without waiting another instant. Yet he feared
to make the scene even worse. He did not have the slightest faith in
the lad's statement; he was only fiercely angry at the boy's impudence
and wondered if the fellow even knew the name of the chaperon of the
"Merry Maid."
Lillian and Eleanor were flushed with indignation. Tom Curtis was
equally so. But Mrs. Curtis happened to catch a glimpse of Madge's
face. Her expression was a puzzle. She ran forward and touched Mr.
Brown on the sleeve. "Wait a minute, Mr. Brown," she pleaded. "Don't
take the boy to jail yet. What he says may be true. Don't you think
we ought to ask him some questions first?"
The entire company stared at Madge in amazement. But in the single
moment when Mr. Brown's captive started to leave the room, the little
captain had seen the tips of his pointed ears. She had caught the
wild, almost animal gleam in his eyes. She recalled the midnight
visitor to their chaperon on the first night their houseboat had rested
at anchor. She remembered Miss Jenny Ann's curious behavior, and how
she had absolutely refused to give the name of her caller. All this
swept through Madge's mind and now she understood Miss Jenny Ann's
poverty, her reticence about her own affairs, her unhappiness when the
girls first knew her at school. Of course, this wicked brother was the
cause of their chaperon's difficulties. If they punished the boy, Miss
Jenny Ann must suffer more than he would. She had lately grown to be
as merry as any of the girls on board the "Merry Maid."
"O Mrs. Curtis!" exclaimed Madge, "please don't let Tom and Mr. Brown
take him off to jail. I think he _is_ our Miss Jenny Ann's brother. I
wouldn't have her find out the wicked things he has done for all the
money in the world." Madge was almost in tears as she made her plea to
Mrs. Curtis.
"Never mind, dear," replied Mrs. Curtis soothingly. "If the lad really
turns out to be your chaperon's brother, you are right; his behavior
must be kept a secret from her."
Mrs. Curtis, Mr. Brown and Tom afterward found the statement of the
wild boy to be true. He was really Miss Jones's brother. His parents
had died when he was a little boy, and his sister had sacrificed her
life's hopes to him. Yet her efforts had been in vain. He had always
been hard to control. In the last few years he had broken away from
all restraint. He had been concealed in the motor boat that first
towed the girls and their chaperon to their anchorage and had seen his
sister on the houseboat. His plan had been to get money from her.
When she told him that she had none to give him he had devoted his time
to tormenting the crew of the "Merry Maid" in order to be revenged on
his sister.
After long consultation it was decided not to send him to prison. Mrs.
Curtis gave him the money to sail for South Africa, after making him
promise to try to turn over a new leaf, and not to write to his sister
until he was safely out of the country. And so Miss Jenny Ann's ghost
was laid without her knowing it until some time afterward.
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