Missing at Marshlands Read online

  CHAPTER II A Man, a Dog, and a Girl

  With almost startling suddenness, the little house affectionately knownas "Buckingham Palace" popped into view as the car swung round a turn inthe road.

  A white, two-story house, with brilliant orange awnings, that Terry'sfather had bought when Oceanedge had promised to become a thrivingseashore resort. But the "plans of men" had gone "agley," and Oceanedgehad never developed beyond Terry's house, the beginnings of a boardwalk,and a bridge over the small inlet of Bottle Bay.

  Arden kept her hand pressed down on the horn, and amid the noise of thehorn and Terry's shrill whistle with forefingers between her lips,announced their arrival.

  "Yoo-hoo!" Terry called and once more gave her famous loud whistle.

  It was a feat much admired by the other two, who, although they hadpractised faithfully under Terry's instruction, were never able toproduce as much as a single "toot" from carefully pursed lips.

  Terry's mother, a woman still young and pleasant enough to be Terry'ssister, appeared in the doorway and waved a hand. The girls jumped outand hurried toward her.

  "Oh, Mother!" Terry exclaimed, throwing her arms affectionately aroundher proud parent, "it's so good to be here. We made wonderful time andnever a puncture, even."

  "It's good to have you here, too," Terry's mother replied and with awelcoming smile kissed Arden and Sim.

  "I'm glad you arrived safely, for I think we will get a storm beforenight, it has been so sultry today," she went on, and as though to givecredence to her words a low, angry rumbling was heard in the west.

  "But come in and get comfortable. You must be starved. We have only acold supper, for we were not sure just when you'd get here. Ida," shecalled, "the girls are here, we can begin whenever you're ready."

  "Yes, ma'm, Miz Landry, right away," came from the kitchen while thegirls were on their way upstairs.

  The house was not elaborate. One of those many rubber-stamp houses, fourbedrooms upstairs, maid's room downstairs type, but it was bright andairy, and to the somewhat weary travelers it represented all that couldbe desired.

  They quickly changed from "city clothes" into cooler cotton dresses andslipped fresh shoes on stockingless feet. They hoped before their visitwas over to have acquired a tan that would defy detection of bare legsand make true skin stockings look smarter still.

  Downstairs in the dining room Ida had made a noble attempt at a coldsupper. Potato salad, lettuce and sliced tomatoes, cold meat, andlemonade that made a great hit. They ate hungrily and drank glass afterglass of the cool drink as the air became more dense and the storm moreimminent.

  Rolls of thunder growled nearer now, and the sky was dark andthreatening. Mrs. Landry lit the low-hung chandelier over the table; andthen, all at once, with a deafening clap of thunder, the storm was uponthem.

  "Terry, the windows upstairs!" Mrs. Landry called. "And, Sim and Arden,see if you can pull up the porch awnings. Ida and I will take care of thewindows here."

  Terry dashed upstairs, and Sim and Arden made for the screen-enclosedporch.

  A cool, almost cold, wind whipped their hair in their eyes and snappedthe awnings viciously as they hurriedly worked.

  "Isn't it glorious, Sim?" Arden asked, pulling with all her might at anawning rope.

  "I don't like it," Sim answered and gave a little squeal at a flash oflightning.

  "Look at the ocean--it's all gray, and just a little while ago it was soblue. Oh, dear, Sim, let's pull together!" Arden wrapped the rope aroundher hand, and they both tugged vigorously.

  The awning went up with a rush, and the girls hurried to the next one.Upstairs a window slammed as Terry went on with her job. The sky was asdark as night now, and the lightning flashed with increased brilliance;sometimes in flaming vastness, then again in piercing arrows.

  Suddenly the rain came. Dashing down in silver sheets, it quickly droveArden and Sim inside. Terry came running downstairs, and they allgathered in the living room, where they could watch the fury of the stormover the ocean.

  "Are you frightened, girls?" Terry's mother asked, as she saw Sim winceat a thunderclap. "You mustn't be. The storm will follow the bay rightout to sea. They never last long when it gets as black as this. It'smostly wind, and it blows out quickly."

  "I love it," Arden replied. "I think it's beautiful. But it makes us seemso small and...." She hesitated. A new noise could be distinguished abovethe roar of the storm. The little group, with one accord, turned to aside window from whence the sound seemed to come. What they saw made poorfrightened Sim gasp. It was a white peering face, with hair plastereddown by the rain, and a questioning look in the eyes.

  "Terry! Go to the door! Let her in!" Mrs. Landry called, quicklyrealizing this was a girl's face.

  Terry sprang to obey. The front door opened; the screen door beyond itwas blown back and slammed against the side of the house.

  "Come in, come in," Terry shouted against the screaming wind. "You'll beblown away!"

  But the storm-born creature, holding a torn sweater closer around her,looked sharply at Terry, then turned and dashed away in the dim light andwas almost instantly lost to sight on the winding pathway.

  Terry, drying her face and smoothing her hair, came back to the harbor ofthe lighted room.

  "She ran when I called her," she stated simply. "What do you suppose shewanted, if she didn't want to come in?"

  "It's a queer time just to come for a look around," Sim agreed. "You musthave scared her away, Terry."

  "She's probably a water pixie," Arden remarked, still under the spell ofthe majestic storm. "She was most likely never there at all; we justimagined it."

  "What's that?" Sim asked. "Do I imagine I hear a knock at the door? I'msure I heard something."

  They all listened. There was certainly a sound like knocking.

  "She's come back!" Terry declared and once more opened the door. Thestorm by this time had abated a bit, although the rain still lashed downin lordly fury.

  As Terry flung back the door, the girls gasped, for there stood their"handsome stranger" of the lift-ride, soaked thoroughly, with ashivering, bedraggled dog huddling close to him.

  "Oh-h-h-h!" faltered Terry in her surprise. "Won't you come in?" shecontinued, recovering her composure.

  "I'm afraid I am too wet," answered their strange caller, pushing a dampstrand of hair back from his face. "I am sorry to trouble you----" Asudden gust of wind fury almost pulled the door from Terry's grasp.

  "Come in, come in," interrupted Terry's mother coming forward. "We don'tmind a little water; and the poor dog!"

  She stooped to pet the cringing animal and then drew back in alarm as asnarl greeted her.

  "Tania!" called the man in rebuke, and then to Terry's mother he said:"You must forgive her, she is not used to strangers, but she will notharm you. Tania," he said again, "these people are friends." It was hisvoice, apparently, not his words, the dog understood.

  Arden and Sim had pressed nearer to witness the little drama of thestorm. The man and his white wraith of a dog now stood dripping puddlesof rain water on Mrs. Landry's spotless floor. He looked shyly down atthe widening pools at his feet, smiled, and said:

  "I wonder if you could give me a few matches? I have not been verypractical, for I neglected to buy some. And the old ones I have are alllike this." He held up a soaked cardboard clip-container, soft from therain. There was just a hint of a foreign accent as he continued: "I am,in a way, a neighbor, and, though I fear I am making a great deal oftrouble for you, I cannot light my lamp without matches." He made ahelpless gesture.

  "Neighbor?" questioned Mrs. Landry. "I don't understand."

  "Oh, yes!" Arden exclaimed, recognizing the visitor. "You are thegentleman we drove into town this afternoon. He lives on the houseboatdown the bay," she quickly whispered to Terry's mother. Then to thecaller: "Will matches be all that you need?"

  "I think so, yes; thank you. But please allow me to introdu
ce myself andbeg pardon for intruding like this. I am Dimitri Uzlov. I have rented thehouseboat for the summer while I do a little painting and sketching. Thisis Tania, my faithful dog. She is not as savage as she appears. Thisafternoon your daughters were kind enough to----" He looked at Mrs.Landry and bowed formally. But she interrupted:

  "Only one daughter, Mr. Uzlov," and she indicated Terry by putting a handon her shoulder. "My other daughters are not here now. These young ladiesare Terry's guests--her college chums."

  Dimitri Uzlov bowed in acknowledgment. In so doing he turned the hat hewas holding upside down, and water began dripping and splashing from thecurved brim.

  "Oh!" he exclaimed in some confusion.

  "It doesn't matter," said Terry.

  "Thank you. But the young ladies were very kind to me this afternoon. Nodoubt they have told you." Another bow to Mrs. Landry. "But I must notstand here dripping like this. If I could have a few matches for mylamps----" His slow, ingratiating smile came out again.

  Terry hurried to the kitchen and returned with matches and candles aswell. Mrs. Landry always kept a supply of both in stock, knowing, frompast sad experiences, that the electric current at Marshlands was notalways entirely dependable during severe storms.

  Terry held out the matches, long wooden ones with blue heads, and severalcandles.

  "You are very provident," said Mr. Uzlov, smiling once more as he tookthem, again bowing and splashing more water from his hat to the floor. "Imust be wise in this same way. I thank you a thousand times! You are sokind!"

  The rain-soaked visitor turned to go.

  "Won't you wait a little longer," Mrs. Landry asked, "until the stormlets up a bit?"

  "Thank you, but I must get back. I have stayed away too long already. Myhumble houseboat is alone. Come, Tania," he replied and, giving them alla shy smile, he stepped out on the porch.

  "But you'll catch cold--the rain----" Arden began.

  "It has almost stopped," Dimitri Uzlov smiled. "We must not stay anylonger. I am a solitary person. But thank you." And he was gone, leavingonly the telltale puddles behind him.

  As they watched from the window they could see him walking down the dampsand in the direction of the houseboat with Tania, the Russian wolfhound,at his heels, looking thinner than ever because of the way her silk hairlay matted with the rain.

  Like a character from the "King of the Golden River" he looked, gettingfarther and farther away until a sand-dune suddenly cut off their sightof him.

  Only the footsteps were left, big ones for Dimitri and a series of smallholes where the dainty Tania had followed him.

  "What a strange man!" Mrs. Landry exclaimed.

  "I think he's just awfully shy," Arden said. "I suppose he couldn't bearto come in with all us women staring at him."

  "Perhaps you're right, my dear," Terry's mother answered and once moreturned to the window.

  A big storm, a wild wraith of a girl, a real hermit, and a majesticwolfhound! What more could the girls have expected?