The Merriweather Girls in Quest of Treasure. Edholm Lizette M.

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СКАЧАТЬ grinning face appeared at the door with the announcement that lunch was ready. Enid jumped to her feet and hastened to help her invalid mother to the table. Years of anxiety and worry over her daughter's disappearance had broken her health. Strength was coming back slowly and it was hoped that a summer in the southwest would complete her recovery.

      With the judge on one side and Enid on the other, the frail invalid walked the few feet to the table. Her face was aglow with happiness. Virginia Breckenridge was still young and the white hair only emphasized the youthful lines of her face. She did not appear much older than the group of girls who surrounded her at the table.

      "Isn't this wonderful!" cried Bet in her enthusiastic way, waving her hand toward the passing landscape. "I could keep on like this forever."

      "So could I," laughed Joy. "But when do we get to Washington?"

      "Not until four o'clock! Why all the hurry?" Shirley was enjoying her day of travel. When the train stopped at stations she was all ready with her camera in case some interesting bit presented itself. Shirley was in her glory. Colonel Baxter's parting gift to her had been a new camera and plenty of films, so Shirley felt that she could take pictures to her heart's content.

      "We've got a good cook," whispered Joy across the table to her hostess. "I don't know what he calls this mixture, but it's wonderful!" Joy's face was expressive and Sam noticed her approval of his lunch so during the remainder of the trip it was to Joy he turned if he wanted to make sure that any dish was appreciated.

      And while the girls did not find the time dragging, they were ready and waiting when the train pulled into the station at Washington. They were shunted about for a few minutes and finally stopped on a side track where the car would remain while they were in the Capital.

      As Bet emerged from the station she gave a little scream of delight. "There it is, girls!" she cried. "The dome of the Capitol! At last my eyes have really seen it!"

      "Wait a minute till I get a picture of it," said Shirley. "I might not get such a good view again."

      "That view isn't worth taking," interrupted Mrs. Breckenridge. "You'd better wait. That dome is visible from all parts of the city. It's wasting a film to take it here."

      "Oh, girls, I can hardly wait until I see everything. The Congressional Library, the…"

      "The place where the money is made! That's what I want to see. I hope they'll be making thousand dollar bills. I think that would be fun," sang out Joy as the Judge helped her into the taxi.

      When they reached the hotel steps, Shirley was thankful that she had not wasted her film on the other view of the Capitol. In the haze of the late afternoon, the dome looked like a huge bubble.

      "There's your picture, Shirley," gasped Bet. "And see, the street in front of us leads right up to the Capitol."

      The girls followed the Judge rather unwillingly into the hotel. They were anxious not to miss any of the sights of the city and it seemed a waste of time to go indoors.

      "Come on Bet, don't be so slow," called Kit from the doorway.

      "This is so nice I'd like to look at it forever," she said with a sigh.

      The girls laughed for Bet was always wishing things to last forever.

      Mrs. Breckenridge had not stood the trip as well as they had expected.

      She seemed completely tired out and Enid refused to leave her.

      "You go along and have a good time," Enid proposed to the girls, but without their friend they felt they could not enjoy anything, so a short walk was all they saw of Washington that evening.

      They retired early, for even youth gets weary with excitement and new scenes. The girls were glad to get into bed.

      "We'll have a hard day ahead of us tomorrow, if we want to see everything we plan on seeing," said Bet as she snuggled down.

      Within half an hour they were all asleep.

      When Bet opened her eyes it was daylight and she felt ready for the strenuous day ahead. She scrambled out of bed, gave Kit a shake and then ran across the hall to see if Shirley and Joy were up.

      Shirley was still sleeping. But Joy was not there.

      "Why, she's up and dressed! Her clothes are gone!" exclaimed Bet in vexed tones. "I think she might have wakened us."

      Dressing quickly they went down stairs to find Joy.

      The lounging rooms and halls and the foyer were empty at this hour. No one had seen Joy or knew anything about her.

      She had simply disappeared.

      CHAPTER II

       A STREET LEADING TO THE CAPITOL

      And when breakfast was over there was still no Joy.

      Finally one of the porters was found who said he had seen a girl leave the hotel about seven o'clock. "She walked up the street in front of you, up toward the Capitol."

      "There, didn't I tell you! Joy's all right. Nothing can happen to her here," said Shirley reassuringly.

      "Let's walk up that way. We'll probably meet her coming back." Kit looked anxiously toward the hill. "I can't imagine why she stayed so long. She can't get inside any of the buildings."

      "Maybe I won't have something to say to that girl!" exclaimed Bet angrily. "She hasn't any right to run off like this and frighten us." And if Bet had met her at that minute, the girl would probably have been told many things about herself.

      But they did not meet Joy. There was no sign of her on the street leading up to the Capitol, and no sign of her on the grounds.

      Where was Joy?

      Even the Judge looked worried. "Not that I think anything will happen to her, but I'm responsible and I wish she had not gone out by herself," he declared.

      The girls were seeing the Capitol in a very different way than they had planned. They were in no mood to be impressed by the majesty of the building. They were watching for the tiny figure of Joy to appear at every corner.

      "It's no use, we might as well go back to the hotel and wait. Maybe she's there by this time," suggested Judge Breckenridge.

      Still Joy had not returned when the party reached their quarters.

      "There may have been an accident!" Bet shivered at the thought. Their laughing Joy! That would be too terrible to think of.

      The Judge was about to notify the authorities when Sam Wilkins the colored steward on their train, walked in leading Joy, a woe-begone little creature, tear-stained and tired.

      "Why Joy Evans! You – " Then catching sight of the girl's white face, Bet ran and threw her arms about her. "You darling! We thought you were lost and you were at the train all the time. Oh, Joy dear!" Tears came to Bet's eyes.

      Joy did not break down and cry again until she had reached her own room. Then the tears came in a flood.

      "Oh, I was so frightened," she sobbed.

      When she had quieted down, half an hour later, she told her story. "I woke up hours and hours before the rest of you and I couldn't sleep. And when I'm СКАЧАТЬ