Chapter XXII: Explanations

The major and his nephews were shocked at the appearance of their guests, who were hardly recognizable. Jimmie Butler retired behind a curtain and give vent to one little chuckle. He would not, for anything, have let them know how funny they looked.

"I shall never forgive myself for leaving you," groaned Major Ten Eyck. "Why did you not take the car and leave the old place to burn? How can the boys and I ever thank you?" he continued, with emotion.

Before Stephen would give an account of the search for José he made Ruth repeat the history of the afternoon from beginning to end. The major and the boys were filled with admiration and wonder for these four brave "Automobile Girls" and Miss Stuart.

"There is nothing we can do," exclaimed Jimmie, "to show what we feel, except to lie down and let you walk over us."

"And now for José," prompted Ruth, when she had finished her story.

"Well," replied Stephen, "we got news of José almost as soon as we had passed the Gypsy camp. A man on the road told us he had seen a boy who answered the description exactly, walking on the edge of the forest. We traced him back into the country to a farm house, where according to the farmer, he had stopped for a drink of water and turned back again toward the forest. It was necessary to come back by a roundabout way because of the cliffs on the outer edge, and not until we reached the hermit's house did we realize there was a fire that must have been started by those tramps, for it was at its worst about where they were yesterday. We were frantic when we saw that it was blowing in the direction of the hall, but we couldn't get through and had to go the whole way around. Our only comfort, when we saw the glow of the burning stable, was that you had taken the automobile and gone back to Tarrytown."

The faithful old butler appeared with lights, and informed the major that the other servants had returned very repentant, and if agreeable, dinner would be served in half an hour.

"But I think the ladies will be much too tired to come down again," protested the major.

"Oh, no, we won't," answered Ruth. "If there's enough water left to wash in I would rather dress and come downstairs for food."

"So would we all," chorused the others, except Miss Sallie, who took to her bed immediately, and dropped off to sleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

"Stephen," asked Ruth at dinner, "do you believe poor José was caught in the fire?"

"It's rather a horrible idea," said Stephen, "yet I don't know what else to think. He must have caught wind, somehow, that we had found him out and concluded to hide in the woods."

"Old Jennie wishes to speak to you, sir," announced John.

"Bring her in here," ordered the major, and Jennie was ushered into the dining-room. "How are you, Jennie? I am glad to see you," said the major, leading her to a chair. "I hope you were not injured by the fire?"

"Be there anyone here but friends?" whispered Jennie.

"No one, Jennie. What is it?"

"When the storm came up I went straight to the forest," said the old woman. "Adam went with me and we took his horse and wagon. The fire had not touched the road and the ground was wet where we walked. As we passed by the place----" here she put her finger to her lips and gazed wildly about, "you remember, young ladies? I went over to see if all was well. The door was open and on the floor lay the young man. He is not dead, but he is very ill here," old Jennie pressed her hand to her chest. "He has swallowed the smoke. We put him in the wagon and he is outside."

"José here? Outside?" they all cried at once, rushing to the front door.

In the pouring rain, Zerlina and her grandmother were leaning over a young man stretched out prone in Adam's wagon. He wore the green velveteen suit now so familiar to "The Automobile Girls," and through his belt gleamed the dagger he had used to slash the tires with. When he was lifted out, they caught a glimpse of his face. José it was, but José grown thin and haggard in a day and a night. The boys carried him tenderly upstairs and laid him on his own bed. Zerlina and her grandmother followed close at their heels.

"Do you know him, then?" asked Stephen of the Gypsy girl.

"Yes," she replied defiantly. "He is my brother. Antonio is his name."

"Whew-w-w," whistled Stephen under his breath. "So José was an impostor after all. I must say I hoped till the last."

"Well, well," answered the major, "we won't hit a man when he is down, my son, and this boy is pretty sick. The girl is his sister, you say? She and her grandmother had better nurse him, then. Send the old woman to me. I want to speak with her in the library."

After being closeted with Granny Ann for half an hour the major flung wide the library door and called to the others to come in. His good-natured, handsome face was wrinkled into an expression of utter bewilderment, but relief gleamed through his troubled eyes.

"Children," he cried, "come here, every one of you. José is vindicated. Thank heavens for that. The boy upstairs is not our José at all, but his half-brother, Antonio. Now, where do you suppose José has hidden himself? I trust, I earnestly hope, not in the woods."

"It seems," continued the major, "José's father was married twice. A nice chap, José. I trust he is safe to-night, for his poor father's sake as well as for his own."

"And his second wife, uncle?" interrupted Stephen.

"Yes, yes, my boy," continued the major, patting his nephew affectionately on the shoulder, "and the second wife was a beautiful Gypsy singer, who had two children, Zerlina and Antonio, the unfortunate young man now occupying José's room. A Gypsy rarely marries outside her own people and this one longed to return to her tribe. One day she ran away taking her children with her, and Martinez never saw his wife again, for she died soon after. He has tried, in every way, to recover the children, but until now the Gypsies have always managed to hide them effectually. Since they were children Antonio has hated his half brother José and from time to time has threatened his life. Once, in Gibraltar, the brother almost succeeded in killing him." (The girls remembered how much José had disliked the mention of Gibraltar.) "Antonio was a bad boy, utterly undisciplined. He ran about Europe and this country, seeing what harm he could do, but neither his father nor his brother could ever locate him. José finally heard that the children were in America and came over to try to reason with the Gypsies to let Zerlina, at least, go to school. I do not suppose he reckoned on finding them so near, and, when Antonio tried to rob and murder, José was divided in his mind as to whether to give his brother up or let him go. He must have suffered a good deal, poor fellow. I wish José had confided his troubles to me. Now, maybe, it's too late to help him."

"And the knife?" asked Bab.

"There were two knives which belonged to the Martinez family. The Gypsy took one away with her when she left her husband."

"Will Antonio stay here to-night, Major?" said Mollie, timidly, remembering the masked robber and his murderous weapon.

"He is too ill, now, to do any harm, little one," replied the major, taking her hand. "Besides, his grandmother and sister will watch over him I feel certain, and who knows but the boy may have some good in him after all?" he added, always trying to see the best in everybody.

"Nevertheless, we'll lock our doors," exclaimed Ruth. "It's not so easy to forget that our highwayman is sleeping across the hall."