The Secret of Steeple Rocks by Harriet Pyne Grove

  Produced by Roger Frank and the Online DistributedProofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

  To the girls' surprise they heard an exclamation.]

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

  THE SECRET OF STEEPLE ROCKS

  By HARRIET PYNE GROVE

 

  THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY

  Akron, Ohio :: New York

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Copyright MCMXXVIII THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY

  The Secret of Steeple Rocks

  _Made in the United States of America_

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

  THE SECRET OF STEEPLE ROCKS

  CHAPTER I

  STEEPLE ROCKS

  "Are you satisfied, Beth?"

  Elizabeth Secrest turned with a smile to the two girls who had come upbehind her, their footfalls silent in the sand. "The world is mine," sheanswered, with a comprehensive sweep of her arm and hand toward thefoaming surf which was almost at their feet. "Doesn't it _fill_ you,some way?"

  "Yes, Beth; I'm not myself at all. Here,--take these and look at thosetowering rocks with them." Sarita Moore handed her fine glasses, allshining and new, to the older girl, who directed them toward a distantpile of rocks. There two rose high, irregularly decreasing incircumference, and at this distance apparently pointed at their tops.Below them massed the other rocks of the dark headland.

  Elizabeth looked long and steadily. "Steeple Rocks!" she murmured. "Iwish that I owned them! But I would give them a better name. I'd callthem Cathedral Rocks. Doesn't the whole mass make you think of thecathedrals,--the cathedrals that you and I are going to see some day,Leslie?"

  The third girl of the group now took the glasses which her sisteroffered. "Sometimes, Beth, I can't follow the lines of your imagination;but it doesn't take much this time to make a cathedral out of that._Are_ you happy, Beth?" There was a tone of anxiety in the question.

  "Yes, child. Who could help being happy here? Look at that ocean,stretching out and away--into eternity, I think,--and the clouds--andthe pounding of the surf. Think, girls! It's going to put us to sleepto-night!"

  "Unless it keeps us awake," suggested Leslie, "but I'm all lifted out ofmyself, too, Beth. Imagine being here all summer! Look at Dal, Sarita."

  Leslie pointed toward a masculine figure standing on the beach not farin advance of them. "It's 'what are the wild waves saying?' to Dal allright!"

  Dalton Secrest, who had preceded his two sisters and their friend intheir visit to the beach and the tossing waves, stood facing the sea,his hands in his pockets, his tall young body straight before the strongbreeze. He heard the girls' voices above the noise of the surf, as theycame more closely behind him, and turned with a smile as his sister haddone.

  Map of Steeple Rocks]

  "What great thoughts are you thinking Dal?" Sarita queried.

  "Sorry that I can't claim any just this minute, Sarita. I was thinkingabout what fish there are in the sea for me. When I'm not building theshack I'm going to fish, girls, and I was wondering if the bay wouldn'tbe the best place for that."

  "Of course it would, Dal," Leslie replied, "but you can easily find outwhere the fishermen get their fish. I thought at first that I shouldnever want to eat. It is almost enough to look. But now,--'I dunno,' asthe song goes!"

  "We'd better be getting back to the tents," said Dalton. "Beth looks asif she had not had enough, but I'll have to gather some wood for a fireand by the time we have our supper it will be dark. We can watch thesunset just as well from above." With this, Dalton Secrest linked armswith the girls, and with one on each side of him ran as rapidly as sandwould permit to where Elizabeth had found a seat upon a rock back of thesands.

  "Come on, Beth. Time for eats. Les and Sairey Gamp are going to do thecooking while you sit out on the point with your little pencil tosketch."

  "Don't you call me 'Sairey Gamp,' Dal Secrest," laughed Sarita.

  "Never you mind, Sairey, you can get it back on me. If I have any timeleft from building, fishing and bringing home the bacon, I shall be thewild pirate of Pirates' Cove!"

  "Listen to Dal!" cried Leslie. "You'd think that he had to support thefamily! But I will admit, Dal, that if 'bacon' is fish, it willcertainly help out expenses."

  Dalton fell back with his older sister, Beth, while the two others wenton, all directing their way to a spot some distance ahead, where theclimb to the upper level was not difficult. All four were exhilarated bythe new scenes, the beauty and almost mystery of the sea, the beach, therocks and crags, and the invitation of the singing pines where theirtents were pitched.

  As anyone might surmise, their arrival was recent. Sensibly they hadpitched their tents first, while Dalton could have the assistance of theman who drove them there; but after the necessary things wereaccomplished they hastened to get as close to the sea as possible, fornone of them had ever seen it before.

  It was one of the interesting spots on the much indented coast of Maine.There were an obscure little fishing village, a bay, into which a fewsmall streams emptied, and a stretch of real coast, washed by the oceanitself. It was this beach which the newcomers had just visited with suchpleasure, at a place varying in its outlines, from curving sands washedby a restless sea to high rocks and half-submerged boulders, where thewater boiled and tossed.

  As the summer visitors climbed the ascent, they noticed that in thevillage at their left most of the fishers' cottages lay within easyreach of the beach proper, from which the launching of boats was easy.There was a dock, stout, but small. It was quite evident that no largevessels came in.

  The bay lay in the direction of Steeple Rocks, but the climb to reach itwould have been impossible from the beach. This was blocked by the highcliff whose rocks reached out into the waves and curved around into oneside of the bay's enclosure, though gradually lowering in height. Muchfarther away, around the curving, rocky, inland shore of the bay, andacross its quiet waters from this cliff, loomed the other more bulgingheadland which reminded Beth of a cathedral in some of its outlines. ButBeth was an artist, and an artist had not named Steeple Rocks.

  Dalton helped Elizabeth while the other girls scrambled up to the pathby themselves. "I do hate to play the invalid, Dal," breathlessly saidBeth, clutching her brother's arm. "What _is_ the matter with me,anyhow?"

  "Nothing in the world, Doc said, but being just played out. What do youexpect? You can't do a million things and teach school, for fun, ofcourse, on the side, and feel as frisky as a rabbit at the end of theyear. Just wait, old girl. We had to let you help us get ready to come,but about two weeks of doing nothing and sleeping in this air,--well,you will probably be able to help _me_ up the rocks!"

  Leslie, meanwhile, was explaining to her chum Sarita how their propertyincluded the smaller headland and its rocks. "There is right of way, ofcourse, but this is ours."

  The girls were standing by this time high on the rocks, from which theycould look down and back, along the beach where they had been. At thisplace the point ran out to its curving, jutting, broken but solidrampart which kept the sea from the bay. Below them a few boats dottedthe surface of the bay. Sarita through her glass was watching a vesselwhich was passing far out on the ocean.

  "How did it happen, Leslie, that you never came here?" Sarita asked.

  "You se
e, Father had just bought it the summer before he died. He hadbeen up in Canada and then down on the coast of Maine. He came home totell us of the place he had bought at a great bargain, where we had anocean view, a bay to fish in, and a tiny lake of our own. Then came allour troubles and we had almost forgotten about it, except to count itamong our assets, pay tax on it and wish that we could raise some moneyon it. But nobody wanted a place that had no good roads for anautomobile and was not right on the railroad, though, for that matter, Idon't think it's so terribly far."

  "Yes, it is, Les, for anybody that wants to be in touch withcivilization, but who wants to be for the summer?"

  "Well, as we told you when Beth said I could ask you to come along, itis just what we want to camp in, and there are people near enough forsafety, besides the 'Emporium' of modern trade in the village, if thatis what one can call this scattered lot of cottages."

  "It is more picturesque, Beth says, just as it is, and most of thesummer cottages are on the other side of the village, or beyond theSteeple Rocks, in the other direction, so we'll not be bothered withanybody unless we want to be. I like folks, myself, but when you campyou want to camp, and Beth is so tired of kiddies that she says shedoesn't want to see anybody under fifteen for the whole three months!"

  Sarita laughed at this. "She seemed jolly enough on the way."

  "Oh, Beth is jolly and perfectly happy to come; but we did not have anyidea how worn out she was, simply doing too much and so afraid _we'd_have too much to do to get our lessons. Why, when Dal and I waked up tothe fact that Elizabeth was almost a _goner_, we were scared to pieces.She couldn't get up one morning after Commencement was over,--but youremember about that and how we sent for the doctor in a hurry. My, whata relief when he said that it was just overdoing and that she was tostay in bed and sleep, and eat anything she wanted to!"

  "She told me how you wanted to feed her every half hour."

  "Yes," laughed Leslie, "and I tried all the good recipes in the cookbook, almost."

  But the girls walked out on the point a little distance, then returned,while Leslie, from her memory of her father's plan, pointed out theplace behind a windbreak of rocks where Elizabeth thought he intended tobuild the "Eyrie." Strolling back from the Point, across an open spacepartly grown with straggling weeds and grass, the girls entered the pinewoods, which was the thing of beauty upon the Secrest land. There Bethwas seated upon a box, watching Dalton build a fire.

  "Ever and anon that lad shakes a finger at me, girls, to keep me fromdoing anything," Beth said, in explanation of her idleness.

  "Good for Dal," said Leslie. "Sarita and I are the chief cooks andbottle-washers around here. Just sit there, Beth, and tell us what todo, if we can't think of it ourselves. I see that you brought water,Dal. Shall we boil it before drinking?"

  "No; this is from the prettiest spring you ever saw. I opened some boxesand set up the tables, so you can go ahead. I'm going to get a supply ofwood handy. We'll fix up our portable stove to-morrow, but I want tohave it in good shape, and then I thought that you girls would like acamp fire to-night."

  "Oh, we do!" cried Leslie and Sarita almost with one voice. "We'll havehot wieners and open a can of beans. They'll heat in a minute. Dal, thatis a fine arrangement, fixing those stones for us to rest our pan on."

  It was Leslie who finished these remarks, as she and Sarita busiedthemselves with the work of supper and Dalton went back into the woodsagain for more wood. They heard the sound of his hatchet as they put acloth on the little folding table and set it in a convenient placeoutside of the tent. "The table will make a good buffet, but I want totake my plate and sit on the pine needles."

  "You will be obliged to, for want of chairs at present," said Elizabeth,jumping up and insisting on being allowed to help. What a new atmosphereit was! Here they were, off in the "wilds" and their own wilds at that,with all sorts of happy experiences before them.

  Dalton, whistling a popular song went about hither and yon, gathering asupply of wood, lopping off undesirable portions of old limbs here andthere. Looking up at a sound, he was surprised to see a rough-lookingman approaching him. He was ill-featured, dark, grim, and of stalwartbuild. Dalton, rather glad of his hatchet, stood his ground, waiting tobe addressed.

  "What are you folks doing here?" the man demanded.

  "This is our land, sir," replied Dalton, "and we have just come to camphere for the summer." He felt like adding, "any objections?" but thoughtthat he would not be the one to start any trouble by impertinence. Hedid not like the man's tone, however.

  "How do we know that you own this land? I'd not heard of its beingsold."

  "It can easily be proved. Our name is Secrest. My father bought thisseveral years ago."

  "Is your father here?"

  "Well, excuse me, sir, would you prefer to ask your questions of myfather? Are you the mayor of the village?"

  "No; but any of us have a right to know what strangers are going to do."

  "Perhaps you have, sir," said Dalton, in a more friendly way, "but it'sa free country, you know, and we own this piece of ground. I'm expectingto camp here all summer, and to build a more permanent home, or startone, for our summers here."

  The man nodded. "Well, if that is so, and if you mind your own business,you may like it. But it ain't healthy around here for snoopers, norfolks that are too cur'ous. That's all." The man stalked away, tyingmore tightly a red handkerchief around his neck, and hitching up thecollar of his rough coat. The ocean breeze was growing a little chilly.

  But a thought occurred to Dalton and he spoke again to the man. "Wait amoment, please. How about these woods and the places around here,--arethey safe for my sisters and our friend?"

  "Yes, safe enough. It's too far from the railroad for tramps and thievesand there ain't no good roads for the fellers with cars. The folks overat Steeple Rocks growl about that."

  "We have neighbors over in that direction, then?"

  "So you didn't _know_ that. H'm. You don't know much about this place,if your father did buy it."

  "No. None of us were ever here before."

  "And your father's dead."

  Dalton looked up surprised at that, for he had purposely avoidedanswering that question about his father. The man grinned a little. "Ireckon a kid like you wouldn't be talkin' about buildin' a cabin himselfif he had a father. Have you got a boat?"

  "No, but we're going to have one."

  "Remember what I said, then, about minding your own affairs."

  Having no good reply to this, which Dalton resented, he curbed hisrising anger at this rude acquaintance and watched him stride in thedirection of the road, which wound through the woods some distance away."Well, your room is far better than your company," thought Dalton, as hepicked up his sticks, making a load of them. He wondered whether thiswere one of the fishermen or not. He did not have the same speech asthat of the other New Englanders whom they had recently met. The man whohad brought their goods from the station had been most friendly,answering their questions and volunteering all kinds of interestinginformation about the country. It was odd that he had not mentioned thepeople at Steeple Rocks, but it had so happened.

  With such thoughts, Dalton went through the woods, whose wonderful pineshad so delighted them, and finally joined the girls, arranging hisfirewood at a convenient distance. Leslie found little things for Daltonto do and supper was hurried up. The table was used for buttering breadand fixing sandwiches; then each with a loaded plate sought a placearound the fire, which Dalton heaped with firewood till it blazed ashotly as was safe.

  There was some scrambling around when the wind veered and blew the smokein the wrong direction, but the camp was more or less protected from thedirect breeze. Happy and hungry, the campers disposed of a good meal inthe midst of considerable fun and joking. Long acquaintance had madeSarita like a member of the family. She and Leslie recounted amusingincidents of their school year just ended, or consulted Dalton abouttheir plans for the camp and the Eyrie. Elizabeth woke to
something likeher old fire and announced that she intended to go back to "sweetsixteen" and play with the rest of them.

  "Oh, Beth, bob your hair, then!" urged Leslie, running her fingersthrough her own curly brown mop.

  "Not much she doesn't!" Dalton objected. "I can't imagine Beth withouther piles of pretty hair. Who was that beau, Beth, that wrote about your'waves of burnished gold'?"

  Beth laughed. "I was very mad, then, when you infants discovered thatpoem."

  "Beth's hair is just a little too dark to be called 'golden,'"reflectively said Sarita. "You might braid it and wear it over yourshoulders, Indian fashion."

  "It would be in my way, my dear."

  "Bob it, Beth!" again said Leslie. "Dalton is just like the rest of themen about a girl's hair. Think how fine it will be not to have so muchto dry when you go in swimming."

  "Don't you weaken, Beth," spoke Dalton, eating his last sandwich. "Thinkof the 'artistic Miss Secrest' without her 'wonderful hair.'"

  "Come now, folks, it's my hair. I'm not doing anything at all about it,and what a waste of time and opportunity to discuss such a subject here!Come on, girls, we must fix up the beds. Dal, please help us with thecots, and did you think what a fine dresser that big box will make,girls? It has a division in it, you remember. We'll set it on end, put acover on it over some paper, tack a curtain across, and there will beour dressing table, with a big shelf behind the curtain. I'm wasted inthe schoolroom, Sarita. I ought to be an interior decorator. To-morrowsome of those pretty spruce limbs will make a fine background for ourmirror!"

  "Beth! Did you honestly _buy_ that mirror in the store by the station?Dal, it's the funniest thing you ever saw and we look crooked in it.Beth must have liked it because it makes her look fat!"

  Springing up, the party of four piled their plates and cups on thetable, where Sarita busied herself in repacking the food in itscontainers and the others went into the larger tent. There trunks andboxes had been left in confusion.

  In a short time Dalton had the three cots up and took another to his owntent, which stood opposite the larger one. Leslie had suggested thearrangement, insisting that they must live on an "Avenue." Elizabeth andLeslie were now drawing both woolen and cotton blankets from a big trunkof supplies, together with four warm bathrobes. Sarita came in just intime to seize upon hers with an exclamation of welcome. "We'll probablywant to sleep in 'em," she said, with an exaggerated shiver, putting onthe garment over her sweater while Leslie laughed at her.

  Trunks were pulled around into place, boxes piled out of the way,flashlights and the convenient bags or cases, with which they hadtraveled, found and placed by their owners' cots. On the rude dresser,to be made more attractive in the future, a candlestick, candle and abox of matches stood ready if needed, "And if anybody lights the candle,let him beware of burning up the place!" warned Beth.

  "Her, not 'him,' Beth," corrected Leslie. "The only 'him' has a tent ofhis own. I'm going to see, too, that Dal has enough blankets on his bedand everything. No, keep out, Beth. Don't worry; I'll think of justexactly what we have that he must have, too. Say, what did we do withthose towels? Thanks. Dal is grand to do things for us, but when itcomes to fixing up himself,--" Leslie ran across the boulevard, whichSarita now called the space between the tents, and the girls smiled asthey heard her arguing with Dalton about something.

  "Listen, Dal! It gets _cold_ up here. I've known girls that camped inMaine. I know that you're hot-blooded and all that. I'll just tuck theseblankets in at the foot, and I know that you'll want to draw them up bymorning."

  Some bass murmur came from her brother and then the girls heard Leslie'smore carrying voice. "No, I'll brace them back on this box and _then_they won't be too heavy on your feet. Well, have it your own way, then,but if you _freeze_, I'll not be responsible!"

  Leslie was grinning herself, when she came into the girls' tent and sawSarita shaking with laughter, as she sat on the edge of her cotundressing. "We'' couldn't help hear, Les!" she said. "The boulevardshould be wider. What was it beside the blanket discussion?"

  "The last thing he said to me was 'Can't you let a guy go to bed?'--buthe was laughing and lifted the flap of the tent for me with a mostridiculous bow. Dal's the funniest thing!"

  "All the same I'd be scared to death, going to bed away off here, if itwasn't for Dal across there."

  "I imagine that I would be, too, though Beth and I have gotten used totaking care of ourselves. Now you in bed first, Beth. You must get outof the way of 'going over the house' to see if everything is all right.I _will_ boss _somebody_!"

  "You can boss _me_ all you please, Leslie. You may even tuck me intobed," said Beth, looking so sweet with her long, light braids, thatLeslie walked right over, turned back the blankets on Beth's cot, almostlifted the slight figure into place, tucked her in snugly and kissed hersoundly.

  The first day in camp was over. Dalton had purposely said nothing aboutthe man of the woods. He would mention it to Leslie and Sarita in themorning, but on the whole he expected no trouble. The fishermen reachedthe bay, as a rule, from the ocean itself, rather than from the highcliffs. There was little to bring anyone in that direction, exceptpossibly someone of their neighbors from Steeple Rocks. His question tothe man had been more to test his purposes, than for information, andDalton was sorry that he had not mentioned the target practice which hehad induced the girls to take up more as a safe means of defence than asa sport, though he had not told them that.

  But Dalton Secrest was of no timid sort. This was a new adventure andpromised much. What it was to include he did not yet know. There were tobe some moments not exactly "healthy," as the man had warned, thoughDalton himself was not responsible for unraveling the mystery of SteepleRocks.