Dorothy's Tour

“Mr. Van Zandt will receive you in his room right away. He expected you,” said the pleasant faced girl, as Aunt Betty and the two girls walked into the office.

“Mr. Van Zandt, this is my ward and niece, Miss Dorothy Winchester Calvert and her friend, Miss Alfaretta Babcock,” said Aunt Betty, introducing the two girls.

“So you are the fortunate Miss Dorothy Winchester Calvert,” the lawyer gravely said. “Let me see, little miss, how about the proof I must have? Proof is what is needed now. My colleague has to be satisfied. So do the London solicitors.”

“Until yesterday, Mr. Van Zandt, Dorothy always wore a locket around her neck in which were her mother’s and father’s pictures. We were unfortunately caught in a hotel fire, and some of our things were destroyed. This locket has been missing since the fire. The hotel people have since then done their utmost to trace the missing article, whose value now is priceless, and nothing has been seen of it. Detectives are now working on the case.”

“Most unfortunate – most unfortunate,” commented Mr. Van Zandt. “Have you no other proof?”

“There is my word, some old letters, and a picture of Dorothy’s father taken when he was quite young, which I have at Bellevieu. I will send for them and have Jim bring them to you. In the meantime, he has promised to attend to the tracing of the locket, and will report to you about it,” answered Aunt Betty.

“I will let you know, too, Mrs. Calvert, how my colleague takes this news, and,” added the lawyer, “I would like you and Miss Dorothy to sign a number of papers, and Miss Babcock can sign as a witness for Miss Dorothy.”

Before long they had all affixed their signatures to quite a number of important looking papers. Alfaretta felt very consequential and trembled visibly.

This did not take long, and, bidding Mr. Van Zandt good-bye, they were soon hastening to the Pennsylvania depot, to await the coming of Jim, and the others of the troupe who were to travel with them.

Dorothy hoped that Mr. Ludlow would not forget their private car, as she was anxious to see it. Aunt Betty was to have charge of it, Ruth, Alfy, and Dorothy being in her care for the entire trip.

Alfy was slowly counting the minutes off. She wanted to thank Jim, as she thought more of the little string of corals than anything else in the world just then. They had pleased her beyond words. Dorothy was glad, too, because in giving Alfy the string of corals and Aunt Betty the pins it detracted from the strangeness of his giving such a lovely present to her. Aunt Betty and Alfy were both hearty in praise of Dorothy’s new ornament, and commented on Jim’s taste in selecting it.

At the Pennsylvania station they found Jim waiting.

“What did Mr. Van Zandt say?” he questioned, coming to meet them. “I have tended to your trunks, and put them and your suit cases in your private car. Mr. Ludlow and his gathering party are over in the other side of the station, and I will take you over to them in a few minutes.”

“We can’t very well prove Dorothy’s identity without that locket. It is most necessary for Mr. Van Zandt to have it. I told him,” informed Mrs. Calvert, “that you would keep track of the search, and bring it to him immediately it is found. Also, Jim, I must write to Bellevieu and have some things, a picture of Mr. Calvert and one or two letters I have there, forwarded to you. Will you see that they are placed in Mr. Van Zandt’s hands safely? We had to sign a great many papers. The trouble is in convincing Mr. Van Zandt’s colleague and the London solicitors who have the property in their hands.”

“I will certainly do my level best,” answered Jim, “to get the locket back, and will let you know of everything that comes up.”

Then they all walked slowly across the immense waiting room of the station, and in a far secluded corner found Mr. Ludlow and Ruth, among a group of chattering people, some old, some young, and Dorothy wondered just who belonged to the company and who did not.

Mr. Ludlow came forward. With him was a tall, dark young man. “Mrs. Calvert,” said he, “let me introduce Mr. Dauntrey. Mr. Dauntrey is our treasurer. This is Miss Dorothy Calvert, of whom you have often heard me speak, and her friend, Miss Babcock. Mr. Dauntrey, ladies.”

“I am sure I am very pleased to meet you all, and I am sure we shall all be firm friends before long,” said Mr. Dauntrey, pleasantly, his eyes lingering longer on Dorothy than any of the rest.

Just then Ruth rushed up to Dorothy and exclaimed, “Dear, dear Dorothy, I have been hearing wonderful tales about you – about how you saved your precious violin from the fire, and then were gallantly rescued by Jim, our new hero. Oh, tell me all about it! I am dying to hear it all from you! It must have been very thrilling. Oh, why is it I never get into any such wonderful adventures?”

“I will tell you what little there is to tell when we get started on our trip. We shall have lots of time on the train,” answered the girl.

“Yes, indeed,” said Ruth, “and I shall see that you do not forget your promise. Come over here and let me introduce you to some of the members of our company. I sing. You play the violin. That blonde lady over there, Miss Mary Robbia, has a wonderful contralto voice. The little girl over there, Florence Winter, is a dancer. She does all kinds of classical dances and is considered very wonderful. And Mr. Carlton is the pianist. He is the man standing over there talking to the lady in black.”

Dorothy looked at each person as Ruth pointed them out, and felt that she would enjoy her trip very much, for they all looked like nice, congenial people. Mr. Ludlow came up to her then and presented Mrs. Calvert, Dorothy and Alfy to all the members of the company, each in turn, Miss Robbia, Miss Winter and Mr. Carlton.

They then all said good-bye to all their friends and relatives who had come to see them off, and hastened to board their car, which was to start in a few minutes.

“Good-bye, my little girl,” whispered Jim, kissing a stray lock of Dorothy’s hair as he swung off the car.

The car gave one jerk and then started out. The girls waved good-bye from the car windows till they could no longer see the ones they were leaving behind.

It would take the remainder of the afternoon to reach Washington, and there they were to meet one or two more members of the company, and to learn of the final plans for the whole trip.

CHAPTER XII.

IN WASHINGTON

The train ride passed quickly enough, and just gave Aunt Betty time for a rest. Between intervals of reading, Dorothy told Ruth of all the previous day’s happenings, and before they knew it they had arrived in Washington.

Mr. Dauntrey came to Dorothy and volunteered to take care of their baggage. Aunt Betty had packed the suit cases for all three of them, so she gave him these, saying, “If you will have these in the hotel bus, Mr. Dauntrey, I will be obliged. We shall not get our trunk up to the hotel till late this evening, I heard Mr. Ludlow say.”

“What hotel do we stop at, Mr. Dauntrey?” inquired Ruth.

“At the Willard, Miss Boothington,” he answered, politely adding, “I will come back for your suit cases and tend to you in just a few seconds if you will wait in the car for me.”

“Thank you,” the girl answered, going back into the car to gather her things together. “There, that is all, I guess, a bag, a hat box and one suit case. I can manage to exist with that much for a few days.”

“Come along. Just follow me,” cried Mr. Ludlow, just loud enough for all to hear him. “This way. I want to get you all taken care of and over to the hotel as quickly as possible. I have made reservations and I hope everything will be ready at once for us.”

“Come Ruth,” sang out Dorothy, as she and Aunt Betty and Alfaretta made their way after Mr. Ludlow. “Come or you will be left behind.”

“I promised I’d wait here for Mr. Dauntrey,” answered Ruth. “He is coming back for me. My luggage is all here, and I can’t manage it.”

“Very well, we will wait for you in the stage,” answered Dorothy, and linking her arm in Alfaretta’s, followed close after Mrs. Calvert, who was walking just in front with Mr. Ludlow.

“There’s Mr. Dauntrey,” whispered Alfaretta. “He’s with that little dancer, Miss Winters.”

“So he is,” whispered Dorothy, “I hope he has not forgotten Ruth. Mr. Ludlow usually attends to Ruth himself; I wonder why he has not thought of her?”

“Maybe he is provoked at her,” answered Alfy, very softly so as the couple just in front would not hear them. “He looked at her real cross like, at the Pennsylvania station to-day. She was standing, talking very earnestly with Mr. Dauntrey, and Mr. Ludlow called to her twice and she never heard him.”

“Maybe that’s why. But see, there he goes back. I guess he has gone after Ruth now,” replied Dorothy.

“Here we are. Now all get in. We must hurry,” announced Mr. Ludlow. “Are we all here? Let me see – Mrs. Calvert, Dorothy, Alfaretta, Miss Winters, Miss Robbia and Mr. Carleton,” as the pianist came in sight carrying two suit cases, “but where is Ruth? Ruth and Mr. Dauntrey, where are they?”

“Mr. Dauntrey has just gone back after Ruth. She was gathering her luggage together as I left the car. Mr. Dauntrey said he would hurry back and get her if she would wait,” answered Dorothy.

Just then Ruth and Mr. Dauntrey came in sight. The girl held his arm and was looking up into his face, chatting pleasantly, while in back a porter, very much laden down with Ruth’s belongings, trailed along after them.

The occupants of the bus caught just then a sentence spoken by a passing couple. “See the little bride and groom here on their honeymoon.” At these words Mr. Ludlow frowned deeply and looked very cross indeed. He spoke not a word to Ruth as she was handed into the bus by Mr. Dauntrey, but quickly got in and shut the door behind him.

In a few minutes they had reached the hotel. Mr. Ludlow registered for the party and then the keys were supplied for the rooms assigned to them. Mrs. Calvert and the girls went quickly upstairs and dressed for dinner. The evening meal is always quite a function in Washington. The people for the most part dress in evening clothes. The hotels are almost always crowded with the government people, senators, representatives and officers of various degrees.

Mrs. Calvert went down first and sent a card to Jim telling him of their safe arrival, then the girls joined her.

Mr. Ludlow had arranged for a dinner party. They found some of the company waiting in the lounging room. Soon they were all assembled and Mr. Ludlow and Mrs. Calvert led them into the brilliant dining room where they all had a very gay dinner.

Mr. Ludlow suggested that they visit the Library of Congress, as the evening was a very favorable hour for such a visit. At that time the beautiful interior decorations were seen to great advantage under the brilliant illumination.

“Come, let us get our wraps,” said Mrs. Calvert. “The building closes about ten and there is much of interest to be seen there.”