<h2 id="c2">CHAPTER II <br/><span class="small">TAVIA HAS PLANS</span></h2>
<p>Dorothy threw her arms about Tavia, and,
for a few moments the two girls were locked in
each other’s embrace. The reaction, following
their lucky escape from almost certain death, had
unnerved them. Nor were the two boys altogether
free from a shaky feeling, as they carefully
looked over the car to see if it had suffered any
further damage than the leaky radiator.</p>
<p>“Think she’ll do?” asked Nat.</p>
<p>“Guess so,” replied his brother. “My, but
that was as close a call as I have ever had.”</p>
<p>“Me too. I guess we’d better take a breathing
spell before we go on.”</p>
<p>The boys sat down on a grassy bank, and the
girls followed their example. They looked back
over the bridge, and at the two broken planks that
had nearly proved their undoing. Through the
spaces, where the flooring was torn up, the black,
swirling waters could be seen.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_18">[18]</div>
<p>While the auto party are resting until they have
somewhat gotten over the fright caused by their
narrow escape, let me tell something of Dorothy
and her friends. As set forth in the first book of
this series, “Dorothy Dale; A Girl of To-Day,”
the girl was the daughter of Major Frank Dale, a
veteran of the Civil War. He ran a weekly newspaper,
called <i>The Bugle</i> in Dalton, a small town
in New York state. Dorothy’s mother had died
some years previous. The girl had two brothers,
younger than herself, named Joe and Roger.</p>
<p>Dorothy took part in a temperance crusade in
Dalton and had much to do in unraveling the mystery
of an unfortunate man given to drink. He
left a small fortune to his daughter, whose whereabouts
were unknown, and Dorothy succeeded in
finding her. In her work the girl was much hampered
by a man named Anderson, who sought to do
her bodily harm, and who was at the bottom of the
mystery concerning the daughter of the unfortunate
man.</p>
<p>Dorothy proved herself a brave girl, and, with
the help of Tavia, who became her especial chum,
did much to aid several persons in Dalton.</p>
<p>In the second volume, “Dorothy Dale at Glenwood
School” there I related how Dorothy and
her father came upon better days. Major Dale
fell heir to quite a sum of money, and could give
up the newspaper.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_19">[19]</div>
<p>Dorothy was sent to Glenwood School, where
Tavia accompanied her. The two girls had many
exciting times there, and Dorothy was suspected of
something for which she was not to blame, suffering
much in consequence of her desire to shield another
girl. There was much fun at the school,
in spite of this, however including a queer walking
match and a strange initiation.</p>
<p>Dorothy and her father moved to North Birchland,
the home of Mrs. Winthrop White, Mr.
Dale’s sister. Anderson, the man who had caused
Dorothy so much trouble turned up again, but was
eventually sent to jail.</p>
<p>After the holidays Dorothy and Tavia returned
to school, where we find them at the opening of
this story. They had become friends of nearly
all the students, though, as is natural, had made
some enemies, as what girl does not?</p>
<p>Now the party on the roadside prepared to start
off again.</p>
<p>“I can’t forgive myself for not remembering
about the dangerous state of the bridge,” went on
Tavia, when Ned and Nat had announced that
the auto was fit to continue its journey.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_20">[20]</div>
<p>“Of course it wasn’t your fault,” said Dorothy.</p>
<p>“Yes it was,” insisted Tavia. “You wouldn’t
have forgotten it, Doro, dear!”</p>
<p>And, to give Dorothy credit, she would not have
been so thoughtless. But she was a different type
of girl from Tavia. It was the way she had been
brought up, as much as her own character, that
caused this difference. Good breeding is not a virtue,
it is a blessing: hence in considering such a
gift we admire the fortunate possessor, just as we
esteem the beauty of the cultured rose, and, naturally
compare it favorably when placed next to some
coarse untrained wild flower.</p>
<p>So it was with our two friends, Dorothy and
Tavia. Dorothy was well bred, and could always
be relied upon, for the good breeding was nicely
coupled with a kindness of heart that composed a
charming character. Though Dorothy had no
mother her aunt, Mrs. Winthrop White almost
filled that place in the girl’s heart.</p>
<p>The White family, with whom Dorothy, her
father and two brothers had gone to live, since the
advent of the legacy, consisted of Mrs. White and
her two sons, Nat and Ned. Mr. White had died
some years ago, while engaged in a scientific expedition.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_21">[21]</div>
<p>Not having a daughter of her own Dorothy’s
Aunt Winnie was especially fond of her pretty
niece, and, as the girl could barely remember her
own mother, she lavished her affection on her father’s
sister.</p>
<p>Dorothy’s affection, love and devotion to her
father was of a different type from that given to
any other living creature, not excepting her own
darling brothers, Joe and Roger, and Roger had
almost grown up in his sister’s arms, for he had
been a tiny baby when his mother was called away.</p>
<p>It was in Dalton that Dorothy had met and
learned to love Tavia. The Travers family, of
whom Tavia was the most interesting member,
lived not far from the Dale homestead. Tavia
had grown up with Dorothy, as her most intimate
friend and companion, and it was Dorothy’s love
for Tavia that had wrought miracles for the girl
who lacked proper home training, for her parents
were of that class generally designated as improvident.</p>
<p>Tavia always ignored the saving rules of correct
society, and, being naturally bright, and
strangely pretty was, now that she was in her fifteenth
year, in a fair way to be spoiled by those
who delighted to hear her witty nonsense, and who
looked upon her frolics as entertaining in an otherwise
stupid old world.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_22">[22]</div>
<p>“Well, shall we go along now?” asked Ned, as
he again took his place at the steering wheel.</p>
<p>“Yes, but go slow,” begged Tavia. “We can
go home by a different road. We have lots of
time, before we have to be back to Glenwood
School for tea.”</p>
<p>“Slow it is,” replied Ned, not at all sorry that
he could take it easy after the strenuous time.
Dorothy had many questions to ask her cousins—all
about her father’s rheumatism—whether the
electric treatment was doing him as much good
as the doctors had promised—how her brothers
were getting on at school—how strange it seemed
to have Roger at school!—and scores of other
things. But she always came back to her father
or the boys—to Roger—she could scarcely imagine
her baby brother running home to Aunt
Winnie with his book under his arm.</p>
<p>While Ned and Dorothy were thus busy with
family affairs, Nat and Tavia, seated on the rear
seat, were discussing purely personal matters.
Nat told of the tour he and his brother had made
from North Birchland, the trip being undertaken
with other members of a club, which was holding
a meet not far from Glenwood School. Tavia
found plenty of small interesting talk to “give and
take” with Nat.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_23">[23]</div>
<p>“Dorothy,” she asked suddenly, “do you think
we could get off all day to-morrow and take a run
out to where the auto meet is being held? It
would be all sorts of fun and—”</p>
<p>“To-morrow?” echoed Dorothy. “Why you
know we have our English exams. and our geometry
to make up. Besides, Mrs. Pangborn would
never allow us to go to a boys’ camp.”</p>
<p>“Allow us! Just as if we were in the kindergarten!
Let’s make up some excuse and go!
Now, Doro, don’t look so shocked! Surely
you have the right to go out with your own cousins?”</p>
<p>“Tavia, don’t talk such nonsense!” exclaimed
Dorothy severely. “You know perfectly well we
are under the school rules, and that we are in honor
bound not to violate them. As if any sensible
girl would risk her good standing for such an escapade!”</p>
<p>“What’s the ‘standing’ at Glenwood compared
to the ‘sitting’ in the Fire Bird?” asked
Tavia flippantly. “Besides, just think of all
the jolly fellows we would meet; wouldn’t we,
Nat?”</p>
<p>“There’s a great collection of wild ducks out
there at the auto camp,” Nat answered rather reluctantly,
for he plainly saw that Tavia’s surprising
proposition had caused Dorothy serious annoyance.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_24">[24]</div>
<p>“Well, I’ve a mind to go myself. Will you
come for me, boys? I could disappear at class
hour, when all the ‘tattle-tales’ will be sure to be
busy, scheming out of their work. Then I could
get back in time to have my head tied up at lunch
hour—head-ache all the morning, you know.
Simplest thing in the world.”</p>
<p>Even the boys scarcely smiled as Tavia unfolded
a possible plan to deceive her teachers, and to
dishonor her own name. Her friends were well
accustomed to her pranks and prattle, and usually
regarded her nonsense as mere babble. But,
somehow, Tavia, was “growing up,” lately, and it
seemed quite time for her to take life more seriously.</p>
<p>“Tavia,” spoke up Dorothy finally, “you came
to Glenwood upon my aunt’s recommendation, and
under my—”</p>
<p>“Wing!” broke in Tavia, throwing her arms
out toward the slender form of the girl seated
ahead of her in the auto.</p>
<p>“At any rate,” finished Dorothy, “I’m perfectly
sure that my cousins will never take part in any
such nonsense.”</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_25">[25]</div>
<p>“Oh, Mr. Flea, you’ve bitten me, and you must
die!” sang Tavia, making a series of melo-dramatic
gestures, that caused the boys to laugh and even
made Dorothy smile in forgiveness.</p>
<p>“Thus are my social ambitions nipped in the
bud—extinguished in their first, faint gleaming,”
went on Tavia, assuming a tone of tragedy.
“Well, my fairy-godmother, Dorothy Dale Glenwood,
when that day comes that I am forced to
spurn the lines of the Social Swim, and you find
me beyond the ropes, clinging helplessly to the tail-end
of my former prestige, carried out with the
great, surging tide of struggling humanity, then
you will remember that I had attempted a correct
debut, and it ended in a splash of Dale indignation!”</p>
<p>Somehow Tavia’s nonsense had a ring of reality
to-day. Perhaps it was the narrow escape at
the bridge that had tinted her pictures with such
a serious tone—she seemed preoccupied, and gave
her chatter in words contradicted by her voice and
manner. It was some minutes before any one
spoke. All appeared to be enjoying the “valedictory,”
and presently Tavia, promising to “turn
over a new leaf,” made a grab for a branch of a
tree the auto just then passed under, and swished
the foliage she captured until every leaf showed
its silvery under-side against the deep blue sky.
She laughed at her joke.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_26">[26]</div>
<p>“Of course you know,” said Ned, as he swung
the car into a cross-road that led to Glenwood,
“mother expects you to come to North Birchland,
with Dorothy, this summer, Tavia. We’ll try to
make you comfortable—ahem! Nat has a
brand new tandem, besides white duck duds to
burn—”</p>
<p>“Nixy! To wear,” corrected his brother.
“Mother says white ducks are economical for man—and
beast.”</p>
<p>“Of course you’ll come with me, Tavia,” said
Dorothy, noting instantly that her chum had not
responded to the kind invitation that Nat had delivered
for his mother.</p>
<p>“Perhaps,” replied Tavia, vaguely.</p>
<p>“Are you going to spend all your time at Dalton?”
continued Dorothy, much puzzled at Tavia’s
manner.</p>
<p>“Oh, no indeed,” answered Tavia, promptly
this time, showing plainly, that she had other plans
than those connected with her home town.</p>
<p>“I hope you’ll come,” said Nat aside, in pardonable
earnestness, for his good times, with the
“little bronze beauty” of Dalton, were cherished
among his very best memories. Tavia was certainly
a jolly girl, and Nat liked her—why should
he not—like her?</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_27">[27]</div>
<p>“Oh, I’ll be sure to see you,” Tavia answered
Nat.</p>
<p>Sure to see him? Yes, but she little dreamed
then how very glad she would be to see him—and
what serious happenings were to take place before
that meeting.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_28">[28]</div>
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