Evening star., 1936-07-05
|Secret of the Summer House B, v: Morgan
Chapter X
The End of the Summer
House.

escape. Betty, who had recov-
- cred from the effects of the
drug as the day progressed, was feel
ing more nearly normal. She still
could not remember the events Of the
night before, but with the rain con-
tinuing steadily she was sure that
there would be a ceremony that night
in the Summer house.
Tuck had reported that Uncle joers
car was ready to 60 and he had located
the keys. They had decided to retire
early and Bill had resolved to conceal
himself in the closet of Bettys room,
to make sure that no harm befell her
before they could get away. They
would wait until Capt. Gregg and
Wambi had gone to the Summer house.
Then they would slip out to the ga
rage, get the car. push it from the
garage, and coast 1t down across the
back part of the lawn to the road. Only
then would they run the risk Of start
ing the motor. If the plan worked
their disappearance would not be no
ticed until morning.
Early that evening they went up to
their rooms. Uncle Joel had not been
out of his room all day and Capt.
Gregg had also kept out of sight. Only
Wambi was in evidence, ever watchful
and ever menacing.
| Tuck and Bill went to their room.
Then quietly Bill stole out into the
hall and made his way to Betty'S room.
The closet was large enough so that
he could sit on the floor in some COM
fort. He left the door open, so that he
could watch the room.
You go to bed, as usual" he whis-
pered to his sister, land try to go to
sleep. Tuck is watching from our
window. He'll come as soon as Capt.
Gregg and Wambi take Uncle Joel to
the Summer house"
Betty agreed, and a half hour later
her regular breathing told Bill that
she had fallen asleep. He sat in his
narrow quarters in the closet. eyes on
the darkened room, too keyed up and
alert to be afraid of falling asleep.
DROBABLY two hours had passed
when his keen ear caught noise
in the hall outside. Then the door of
the room slowly opened. Bill tensed
his muscles, watching like a cat. He
saw Wambi enter stealthily and cross
the room to the table near the bed.
He dropped something into the glass
of water on the table, turned, and
stole back out of the room.
Bill relaxed and let long sigh of re-
lief escape him. So Wambi was trying
to drug Betty again! A good sign that
the rites in the Summer house were
about to start.
| Fifteen minutes later he again heard
a noise in the hall. But this time it
was Tuck, who entered with sup
pressed excitement
Capt. Gregg and Wambi just went
down to the Summer house." he an
nounced. But they didn't take your
uncle"
Bill scrambled out of the closet.
Maybe Uncle Joel is so sick he can't
go tonight" he whispered. But we
can't stop for anything now. Do you
have our grips ready? I'll wake Betty"
1
shook Betty. A moment later they
were out of the room and creeping
quietly down the stairs. They unlocked
the side door and stole out on the
lawn.
THE rain had stopped an hour be-
fore, and the moon was out. AS
they moved silently across the lawn
toward the garage they could see a
faint light issuing from the Summer
house. They reached the garage in
safety, and were starting to push the
car out, when Betty suddenly called
warning.
"Wait!" she gasped "Wambi has
come out and is going back up to the
house!"
"I'll be he's going up to carry Uncle
Joel down." Bill suggested. We'll get
the car out to the edge of the slope,
then wait. If he comes back out alone
and in q hurry, we'll know he's dis
covered our escape, and we can make
o run for it,"
AS quickly as possible, the boys put
their weight to the car and pushed it
out of the garage. In a few moments
they had it behind the building, at the
very edge Of the slope running down
| to the highway. At that very moment
Betty cried out again.