Grace Harlowe's Problem Read online

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  Their Dear, Too-brief Holiday was Drawing to a Close.Frontispiece.]

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  GRACE HARLOWE'S PROBLEM

  By JESSIE GRAHAM FLOWER, A.M.

  Author of The High School Girls Series, The College Girls Series, etc.

  PHILADELPHIA

  HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY

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  COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY HOWARD E. ALTEMUS.

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  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER PAGE

  I. THEIR GREATEST, DEAREST DAY 7 II. THE LAST FROLIC 22 III. PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE 29 IV. MILESTONES 39 V. THE LOCKED DOOR 48 VI. A CLUB MEETING AND A MYSTERY 61 VII. HER OWN WAY 74 VIII. ALL IN THE DAY'S WORK 81 IX. WHAT EVELYN HEARD ON THE CAMPUS 93 X. LAYING THE CORNERSTONE OF A HOUSE OF TROUBLE 102 XI. THANKSGIVING WITH THE NESBITS 110 XII. MISSING--A FRIEND 123 XIII. A DISTURBING CONFIDENCE 133 XIV. THE RETURN OF THE CHRISTMAS CHILDREN 141 XV. THE NEW YEAR'S WEDDING 153 XVI. THE LAST WORD 163 XVII. THE SUMMONS 170 XVIII. THE BLOTTED ESCUTCHEON 182 XIX. THE SWORD OF SUSPENSE 194 XX. THE AWAKENING 204 XXI. KATHLEEN WEST MAKES A PROMISE 213 XXII. FIGHTING LOYALHEART'S BATTLE 222 XXIII. GRACE SOLVES HER PROBLEM 230 XXIV. THE BOND ETERNAL 249

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  GRACE HARLOWE'S PROBLEM

  CHAPTER I

  THEIR GREATEST, DEAREST DAY

  "And at this time next week we'll all be back at work," sighed ArlineThayer. "Not that I love work less, but the Sempers more," sheparaphrased half apologetically. "It's been so perfectly splendid togather home, and Elfreda was a darling to plan and carry out such a----"

  "Noble enterprise," drawled Emma Dean. "Behold in me a living witness tothe truth of it. Before this time, when, oh, when, has this particularscion of the house of Dean had a chance to play in the nice clean sandand bathe in the nice green ocean? It is green, isn't it, Grace? Elfredasays it's blue, and those terrible, tiresome, troublesome twins say it'sgray, but I say----"

  A shower of small pebbles, cast with commendable accuracy, rained downon Emma. Raising herself on her elbows from her recumbent position inthe sand, she looked reproachful surprise at the Emerson twins who,crouched in the sand and holding a fresh supply of pebbles in readiness,awaited her next remark.

  "There," she declared calmly, "that simply proves the truth of my remarkabout terrible, tiresome, troublesome twins."

  Two slim blue figures dropped their pebbles, descended upon theprotesting Emma, and dragged her across the sand toward the water.

  "Are we tiresome?" demanded Sara sternly, as she and Sue, stillclutching Emma, paused for breath.

  "Are we troublesome?" from Julia.

  "Not a bit of it," Emma blandly assured them. "I said it only for thesake of alliteration. You are the most interesting persons I've evermet. I am so sorry I said you weren't, and I'm so nice and comfortablenow. I hadn't thought of doing any further water stunts to-day." Shestruggled to a sitting posture and beamed with owlish significance uponher captors.

  "All right, we'll excuse you this time, but, hereafter, keep away fromalliteration," warned Sara.

  "Until next time," chuckled Emma, scrambling to her feet. Graciouslyoffering an arm to each twin, the trio strolled calmly back to the gaylittle party of girls on the sands.

  It was a clear, sunshiny morning in early September and nine young womenhad taken advantage of the ocean's placid, dimpled mood for an earlymorning dip.

  For two weeks the Semper Fidelis Club, or, rather, nine of that mostdelightful organization of Grace Harlowe's early college days, had beenholding a reunion at the Briggs' cottage, which was situated on the NewJersey coast, not far from Wildwood, a well-known summer resort. It hadall begun with Elfreda's undeniable yearning to see her friends. Being ayoung person of energy, she immediately wrote, and sent forth on theirmission, funny invitations that were a virtual command to the Sempers togather at the Briggs' cottage for a two weeks' reunion, and only threeof the club had been unable to accept.

  To those who have known Grace Harlowe from the beginning of herhigh-school life she has now, without doubt, become a personal friend."Grace Harlowe's Plebe Year at High School," "Grace Harlowe's SophomoreYear at High School," "Grace Harlowe's Junior Year at High School,""Grace Harlowe's Senior Year at High School" recorded her sayings anddoings as well as those of her three friends, Nora O'Malley, JessicaBright and Anne Pierson during their student days at Oakdale HighSchool.

  When the girl chums parted in the autumn following their high-schoolgraduation, Nora and Jessica went together to an eastern conservatory ofmusic, while Grace and Anne decided for Overton College and added totheir number no less person than Miriam Nesbit, a schoolmate and friend.On their first day at Overton circumstance, or perhaps fate, had broughtJ. Elfreda Briggs, a somewhat officious freshman, to the trio, and froma hardly agreeable stranger J. Elfreda became their devoted friend.During "Grace Harlowe's First Year At Overton College," "Grace Harlowe'sSecond Year at Overton College," "Grace Harlowe's Third Year at OvertonCollege," and "Grace Harlowe's Fourth Year at Overton College," the fourgirls passed through many new experiences, not always entirely pleasant,but which served only as a spur to their ambition to gain true collegespirit, and were graduated from Overton at the end of their four years'course, more than ever the loyal children of Overton, their Alma Mater.

  The building of a specially endowed home for self-supporting girls whowere trying to gain a college education, presented to Overton College,by Mrs. Gray, in honor of Grace Harlowe, Anne Pierson and MiriamNesbit, and named Harlowe House, decided Grace as to what her futurework would be. In "Grace Harlowe's Return To Overton Campus" appears thestory of her first year at Harlowe House.

  And now the dear, too brief holiday was drawing to a close. To-morrowwould see the house party scattered to the four winds. This was the lastfrolic they would have in the water.

  "Oh, dear," lamented Arline, her blue eyes mournful with regret, "why isit that perfectly lovely times go by like a flash, while horrid,disagreeable ones last forever?"

  "'Tis the way of life, my child. 'It is not always May,'" quoted Emmasentimentally. "I might as well add, right here and now, that I'm gladof it. May is a dubious and disappointing month, dears. It always poursbarrels on the first. It's a shame, too, when one stops to consider allthe poems that have been composed about that weepy, fickle first day ofMay.

  "Oh, radiant May day, This is our play day. Youth is in its hey day; Hail we this gay day; Park clouds away day.

  "And then down comes the rain and spoils it all," finished t
heversifier, lapsing into prose.

  Emma's improvisation was greeted with laughter.

  "It sounds just about as sensible as a whole lot of those old Englishverses," declared Elfreda, who was not fond of poetry.

  "It was a deadly insult to English verse," defended Anne Pierson withtwinkling eyes. "You can't expect me to let it pass unnoticed."

  "Having been fed as a babe on Shakespeare," agreed Emma, "I will admitthat it gives you some room for criticism, but as a dutiful teacher ofEnglish I feel it entirely within my province to break forthoccasionally into such English ditties as happen to come to my mind,regardless of Shakespeare."

  "Oh, do say another," begged the Emerson twins. They especiallydelighted in Emma's poetical outbursts.

  "Nothing comes to my mind," averred Emma solemnly. "Wait until thespirit moves me."

  "I wish something would come to your minds about how we are to spend therest of the day," put in Elfreda, with her usual briskness. "It isn'tten o'clock yet, and we've had our breakfast and our swim. Let's gettogether and decide now. Remember this is our greatest, dearest day. Wespecially reserved it. So we ought to make the most of it."

  "I'm _so_ glad we packed most of our things last night," commentedArline, with satisfaction.

  "Girls," Grace was the first to make a suggestion, "it's such adelightful day, wouldn't you like to go picnicking at the edge of thosewoods we passed the other day when we were driving? Don't you rememberhow pretty the country was? There was a brook and long green hillssloping down to it."

  "Grace Harlowe!" exclaimed Elfreda, her eyes very round. "You must be amind reader, for that's precisely what I've been thinking about allmorning. I'm so glad you proposed it. What do you say, girls? How abouta picnic?"

  There was a ringing assent on the part of the others.

  "I hardly thought you would care much about going down to Wildwood for adance," continued Elfreda. "Somehow when we go to hops we are sure toseparate and not see much of each other until we're going home. What'sthe use in having a reunion if the reunionists don't reunite. I guessI'm selfish, but I can't help it."

  "No, you're not, J. Elfreda," laughed Miriam, laying her hand on herfriend's shoulder. "That's the way I feel, too. We can go to plenty ofhops after we have each gone our separate way, but we can't have oneanother. Besides, what is _anything_ in the way of amusement compared toa Semper reunion?"

  "Now you're talking," commended Emma, with an encouraging flourish ofher hand. She had been busily scooping up the white sand as she listenedto her friends' conversation. Now she took a fresh handful and let itfall gently into the open space between the back of Sara Emerson's neckand her bathing suit. Sara, leaning interestedly forward, was anopportunity not to be disregarded.

  "O-o-o-o," wailed the wriggling twin.

  "Why, Sara, whatever _is_ the matter?" inquired Emma with suchexaggerated solicitude that the victim laughed in spite of herself."Some ill-natured persons threw pebbles at _me_ a while ago, but Iremained calm. That is, until I was dragged across the sand in a brutalmanner, and had to beg for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.Even then I was a credit to Overton and the Sempers. I neither writhednor howled."

  "Well, we're even now," declared Sara. "I'll foreswear pebbles if you'llabolish the sand habit."

  "I have always liked to look at Emma from a distance," said JuliaEmerson, hastily sliding to the extreme edge of the group.

  "Listen, ye babblers," called Elfreda, "to the voice of the oracle.Let's leave old Father Ocean to himself and get into our everydayclothes. If we are going on a picnic, we'd better start. We can be onour way in an hour from now, if we hurry. To-night after dinner we'llall take a last melancholy stroll down here to find out what the wildwaves are saying."

  "Wild waves," jeered Emma Dean. "Did you ever see the ocean smile moresweetly, the deceitful old thing. When one stops to think of the shipsand people it gobbles up every year one feels like cutting itsacquaintance."

  "It is the greatest of all mysteries," said Arline Thayer, her eyesfixed dreamily on the limitless expanse of water.

  "And I, in my Sphinx costume, am next," reminded Emma modestly.

  Emma's placid manner of classing together the ocean and a fancy costumeshe had worn at a Semper Fidelis bazaar was received with the delightthat always attended her astonishing sallies.

  "Come on, children," Grace rose from the sand, looking slim, almostimmature, in her dark blue bathing suit. With her fair skin, whichneither tanned nor sunburned, and her radiant gray eyes, she fullycarried out that look of extreme youth which her friends were wontfrequently to comment on. In obedience to her call the girls scrambledto their feet and strolled toward the Briggs' cottage, which was withina very short distance of the beach.

  On their way they came face to face with a trio of girls who hadapproached from the opposite direction. One of them, a particularlypretty girl, with auburn curls and a sweet, laughing face, cried out insurprise, "Why, J. Elfreda Briggs, where did _you_ come from?"

  "Madge Morton!" exclaimed Elfreda, holding out her hand delightedly. "Ididn't know you were in this part of the country. Mr. Curtis told me youhad found your father and gone on a trip around the world, but that wasages ago. And if here isn't Phyllis Alden and Lillian Selden. Willwonders never cease? But where is Eleanor?"

  "She and Mrs. Curtis went out sailing with Tom," answered Phyllis Alden,an attractive girl with honest, dark eyes.

  "Oh, excuse me, girls." Elfreda turned to her party and a generalintroducing followed.

  "Where are you staying, Madge?" asked Elfreda when the two groups ofgirls had finished exchanging bows and smiles.

  "Mrs. Curtis has taken a cottage at Wildwood for the rest of the summer.She only arrived there last week, and Phyllis, Lillian, Eleanor and Imet in New York and came on here yesterday."

  "You don't say so. Ma will be delighted to see her. You know they'vebeen friends for ages. We hadn't heard from her for some time, though.Sorry you didn't get here sooner. You could have become betteracquainted with my friends," deplored Elfreda. "They are all going awayto-morrow."

  "I'm sorry, too," smiled the pretty girl. "I'm sure we'd love to knowthem better." She made a gracious little gesture toward the Sempers,whose eyes were fixed upon her in open admiration.

  "Never mind, you are sure to meet some of us in New York this winter, ifyou are going to be there," promised Elfreda.

  "Yes, Father is going to take a house in New York. He is anxious to lookup his brother officers in the Navy who are stationed there. We arethrough traveling for a time."

  "The Briggs' family are going to stay in the neighborhood of the sad seawaves until the first of October, so I'll see you often. Ma will runover to see Mrs. Curtis the minute she knows about her being here. Tellme where the cottage is and I'll try to remember the address. I wish Ihad a pencil, but they don't usually hang around with bathing suits andsalt water."

  After a few minutes' pleasant conversation the three girls said good-byeand walked on.

  "What charming girls," remarked Arline Thayer.

  "Did you ever see a sweeter face than Madge Morton's?" asked Elfreda.

  "She is beautiful," agreed Grace; "not only that, but she has such avivid personality. One loves her on sight."

  "She is from the South, isn't she?" inquired Miriam. "She has a decidedsouthern accent."

  "Yes, she was born and brought up in Virginia. Her father was a navalofficer and was court-martialed when she was a baby for something hedidn't do," related Elfreda. "He left home in disgrace and her motherdied soon afterward. He never came back to claim her, so her aunt anduncle brought her up. Every one believed her father was dead, and so didshe until she grew up; then a perfectly hateful girl, whose father was anaval officer, told her the story of her father's disgrace while she wasvisiting Mrs. Curtis at Old Point Comfort. You see, Madge and herfriends had a little houseboat that they fixed over from an old canalboat. They used to spend their vacations on it, and one of the teachersfrom the boarding school which
Madge attended used to chaperon them.They called their boat the _Merry Maid_, and Madge, the 'LittleCaptain.' They had all sorts of adventures, and Madge always said thatshe knew her father wasn't dead and that some day she'd find him. Thereason I know so much about her is because Ma has known Mrs. Curtis foryears. Tom and I used to play together when we were youngsters. Tom isher son."

  "Did Miss Morton ever find her father?" asked Ruth Denton eagerly. "Iknow just how she must have felt about him."

  "Yes, she found him and proved his innocence. He lived for years underanother name and supported himself by translating foreign books intoEnglish. He had a dear friend, an old sea captain, who lived with him ina funny little house at Cape May. This friend had lots of money, so whenMadge found her father he bought a yacht and took them for a trip aroundthe world."

  "It sounds like 'Grimms' Fairy Tales,' doesn't it," smiled Miriam.

  "It's gospel truth," assured Elfreda.

  "But standing stock still in the middle of the beach to listen to theadventures of Madge Morton will never help us on our way to the picnic,"slyly reminded Emma Dean.

  "I should say it wouldn't," agreed Elfreda. "I beg your pardon. Lead on,my dear Emma."

  The little procession moved on again. Elfreda and Miriam brought up therear. The comradeship between them was most sincere.

  "How I wish we could all see one another more frequently," sighedMiriam. "Wouldn't you like to live your college life over again,Elfreda?"

  "Every hour of it, even the unpleasant ones," returned Elfredafervently. "I'm just as sure as I'm sure of anything, Miriam, that we'llnever again spend so many happy, carefree days together as we spent atOverton. Since I've been studying law I've learned a whole lot abouthuman nature that I never knew before. I've learned that it's a rarething to be perfectly happy after one begins to look life in the face.Sorrow may not touch one directly, but one is constantly coming upon thetrials and sorrows of others. There's only one great antidote for allills, and that's work."

  Miriam made a little gesture of despair. "And I have no work," was herrueful utterance. "So far, I've done nothing but travel about a lot, andstudy music a little. Long ago I planned to go to Leipsic to study,after I was graduated from Overton, but you see, Elfreda, Mother likesme to be with her. I thought seriously of going in for interiordecorating, but when I saw how much Mother seemed to count on having meat home with her I gave it up. While I was studying music in New York,with Professor Lehmann, she was with me. I shall study again with himthis fall. We intend to close our home and spend the winter in New York.David is going into business there. We shall take a house, I think."

  "You don't mean it! Why didn't you tell me before?" Elfreda's eyes werewide with surprise. "And to think you've been carrying a jolly secretlike that around without telling me, your lawfully establishedroommate."

  "Don't be cross, J. Elfreda, dear. I didn't know it myself until thismorning. The letter that I was so long reading after breakfast thismorning was from Mother."

  "Hurry along, you laggers," screamed Arline Thayer from a distance. Inthe earnestness of their conversation the two girls had dropped farbehind the others.

  "Coming, Daffydowndilly," called Elfreda promptly. Then to Miriam,"We'll see each other a lot this winter then, won't we?"

  "I should rather think so," was Miriam's fervent response.

  But Elfreda smiled to herself and wondered what Anne, and incidentally,Everett Southard would say when they heard the news.