<h2 id="c19">CHAPTER XIX <br/><span class="small">THE CLUE</span></h2>
<p>Outside the door Dorothy again felt that girlish
inclination to collapse. What excuse could
she make to her friends for her delay? How
would she get back to them? Perhaps they were
looking all over the city for her and they might
have even notified the police of her absence.</p>
<p>All the novelty of the theatre that had, for the
past half hour, put a world between Dorothy and
those outside of the stage dressing rooms, was now
dispelled. What would she say or do when she
met Rose-Mary? How could she now conceal
her worry and anxiety? How was she to continue
her search for Tavia?</p>
<p>The stage door opened into a dismal, narrow
alley. Here Dorothy found herself in the midst
of a scurrying crowd of working people, for several
large factories had just shut down. The girl
stood for a moment and looked helplessly about
her. Presently she felt an arm on her shoulder
and started in alarm.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_184">[184]</div>
<p>“Dorothy!” exclaimed a voice, and she turned
to see Nat standing beside her.</p>
<p>“Oh, Nat! I’m so glad!”</p>
<p>“So am I. Just step along this way. I knew
you hadn’t come out the front way so I came
here.”</p>
<p>Dorothy pressed her shoulder against her cousin
in a helpless, imploring sort of way. He seemed
to know what the action meant for instantly he had
ready to recite, a most plausible explanation of her
disappearance.</p>
<p>“You got left behind and were frightened,” he
asked and answered in same breath. “I knew it—I
told ’em all so. Then some of the ushers
took you back and let you out of the stage door.
Silly, to get alarmed over a little thing like that.
But I couldn’t talk to Mrs. Markin—she was almost
in hysterics. We’d better hurry back to relieve
her suspense.”</p>
<p>“I should not have delayed talking, but really
I was so—so frightened,” ventured Dorothy.</p>
<p>“Cert you were. Well, you just let me tell the
story. It will save lots of trouble, but of course
the girls will have to know all about the people
you met—behind the scenes.”</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_185">[185]</div>
<p>Was ever there such a blessed boy as Nat?
Here he had nicely explained all Dorothy’s troubles
and in the simplest manner possible. How
splendid boy cousins are, thought Dorothy. They
have such a power of sympathy for girls—better
than brothers—if girls would only allow them to
exercise it—in a cousinly way.</p>
<p>Or did Nat know of Dorothy’s deliberate visit
to the little actress who had played Katherine?
Perhaps some one had told him his cousin was in
the dressing room and he had just waited for her
to appear at the stage door. Dorothy was sure
Nat would save her from making any troublesome
explanations, and when he asked her, in the most
matter-of-fact way if she happened to meet the girl
with the brown hair who looked so much like Tavia,
she had no hesitation in telling him that she
was Miss Riceman, and that she was a most charming
young lady.</p>
<p>“She doesn’t look a bit like Tavia—close by,”
added Dorothy, remembering the scene in the
dressing room. “She is as refined and polite as
possible. She showed me the way out.”</p>
<p>After telling that much of her adventure to Nat,
Dorothy was well prepared to repeat the story to
the others, without fear of disclosing the real object
of her visit behind the scenes.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_186">[186]</div>
<p>When Mrs. Markin was finally assured of Dorothy’s
safety, and had actually listened with interest
to her recital of the trip into stageland, and her
encounters there, the matter was regarded as an
incident fraught with untold curious bits of “real
live adventure.” Girls do delight in investigating
and exploring the unusual quite as much as boys
do, although the latter are prone to attribute that
faculty to themselves as something patented.</p>
<p>So it happens that when a girl does actually
have an experience she and her companions know
how to appreciate the novelty. That was how it
turned out with Dorothy and her friends. Rose-Mary
and Alma couldn’t hear enough of “behind
the scenes” and Alma ventured to ask Dorothy
to take them in through the stage door to make a
second call on Miss Riceman, when she might introduce
her friends to a real actress.</p>
<p>But Dorothy tried to appease their curiosity as
best she could, telling over and over again how she
got lost in the crowd, how the usher accosted her,
and led her to the stage, and then how she got confused
in her effort to find the “right door”
(which was all true enough) and how it was then
that Miss Riceman came out and invited Dorothy
in. Then she related how she became faint and
told of the water being brought, and so on, until
the very closing of the stage door after her when
she found herself in the alley with Nat at her side.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_187">[187]</div>
<p>But now Dorothy was about to enter upon a
delicate and what might prove to be a difficult adventure.
She had to go to the manager’s office
the next afternoon, but beyond that point, she
dared not trust herself to think or plan. When
night came, and all seemed to be asleep Dorothy,
in her room in the big hotel, had a chance to look
the situation squarely in the face.</p>
<p>“One thought I must keep before me,” she told
herself. “I am bound to find Tavia and save
her. To do this I will have to take great risks,
and perhaps be very much misunderstood, but I
must do it. Her risk is even greater than mine
and if I appear to deceive people—even dear,
good, thoughtful Nat,—I must do so to continue
my search.”</p>
<p>Then the girl, with aching head, planned how
she could get away to see the theatrical manager
the next day. She would not pretend to have
any plans made for going out, and then, just before
the hour Miss Riceman had told her the manager’s
office would be open, she would announce
that she wanted to get some souvenirs of Buffalo
to take home with her. This, she decided, would
give her an opportunity to hurry away alone.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_188">[188]</div>
<p>But, oh, how she dreaded to face that manager!
If it were only a woman who was in charge of the
office, but a man! And she had heard vague
stories of how dreadfully rude some managers
were to persons who bothered them. There were
so many questions she would have to ask—enough
to put any manager into bad humor she thought—and
perhaps there would be young girls there like
Tavia looking for engagements—they would
overhear what she had to say. Oh, it was dreadful,
the more she thought of it!</p>
<p>Dorothy buried her head deeper into the pillow
and tried to sleep. She felt that she must get some
rest or she would not be able to carry on the work
that demanded so much of her strength, her brains
and her courage. She needed them all now to follow
up the clue of Tavia’s whereabouts given by
Miss Riceman.</p>
<p>It was almost morning when Dorothy fell into
an unquiet sleep, and it was glaring daylight, with
the sun streaming into her window, when she
awoke. Rose-Mary was moving about the room
on tip-toe after some things, feeling the necessity
of allowing Dorothy all possible rest, as she had
appeared so exhausted after her experience of the
previous day.</p>
<p>“I’m so sorry you are going away to-morrow,”
spoke Rose-Mary, seeing that Dorothy was awake.
“This is the last day we will have together for
some time. I have enjoyed your visit so much.”</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_189">[189]</div>
<p>“I’m afraid I’ve been rather stupid,” apologized
Dorothy, feeling as if she must make some
excuse for her seeming indifference to Rose-Mary’s
entertainment. “But, Cologne dear, I can never
tell you how grateful I am for this chance to see
Buffalo. It seems as if I had really entered a new
world since I came into this big city.”</p>
<p>“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed everything, dear,”
said Rose-Mary. “But you must rest to-day and
not go sight-seeing any more. You will need to be
fresh for your auto trip to-morrow morning.”</p>
<p>“Oh, yes, I’ll rest to-day,” replied Dorothy, as
she slipped into her dressing-gown and approached
the dresser. There she found a dainty array of
remembrances Cologne had selected for her to take
home. This was a surprise and it told Dorothy
more plainly than words could, that Rose-Mary
loved her, and so loved to make her happy.</p>
<p>There were some exquisite bits of undecorated
china for Dorothy to add to her collection of hand-painted
pieces, there was a “darling” little traveling
mirror from Mrs. Markin, and Jack, who
would not be left out in spite of his sister’s protestations
that a strange young man could not give
a young lady a present even if it was a sort of
souvenir of Buffalo, had made Rose-Mary place
on the table with the other tokens a cute little
pocket camera. He secretly hoped his sister
would just hint to Dorothy that he had selected it.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_190">[190]</div>
<p>Such an array quite overpowered Dorothy and
she threw her arms about Rose-Mary’s neck and
cried as if her heart would break.</p>
<p>She calmed down after a while, but even when
she and Rose-Mary were dressed the two had little
spells of weeping at the thought of parting.
Jack peeped in at the door, but when he saw his
sister and Dorothy in an embrace, with tears in
their eyes, he hurried away, muttering something
about “fool girls crying when they’re happy,” and
he “guessed he wouldn’t hang around to spoil
their fun, if that was what they called a merry
time.”</p>
<p>So the two girls were left to themselves to exchange
confidences and talk over their fall meeting
at Glenwood when school should begin again.</p>
<p>Time managed to slip around quickly that day,
and, when afternoon came, Dorothy began to
get nervous about her prospective visit to the manager’s
office. It would surely seem rude to leave
Rose-Mary alone, but nothing must deter her from
carrying out her plan—no, not even the displeasure
of her friends, and this was no small matter
to Dorothy when she faced it—she who made
such firm friendships when she did make them,
and who was always an example of good breeding
and politeness.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_191">[191]</div>
<p>When her valise had been packed, so that the
entire evening might be left for pleasure, and Nat
and Ned had appeared from their quarters to make
final arrangements about coming for Dorothy
directly after breakfast, she glanced at her watch
and found it lacked just half an hour of five
o’clock! The boys were engaged in an argument
with Rose-Mary, as to the relative beauty of Boston
and New York, Ned holding that a Battery
and a Bowery made New York the winner.</p>
<p>Suddenly Dorothy jumped up from the porch
chair where she had been sitting.</p>
<p>“I believe I’ll just run down town to get some
more souvenir postal cards,” she said bravely, as
she started to leave the veranda. She had her
purse in her hand, and there was no need to wear
a hat.</p>
<p>“Why?” asked Cologne in natural surprise.
“I thought you had plenty.”</p>
<p>Nat saw the flush of color that came into Dorothy’s
cheeks.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_192">[192]</div>
<p>“And I’m with you!” he declared, getting up
from his place and assisting his cousin down the
steps. “So long,” he called back. “Do the
best you can, Ned. I’ll be back directly. Just
want to make sure that Doro doesn’t fall by the
wayside again,” and at that the two cousins
bolted off laughing, Dorothy having recovered
her composure when she saw how quickly Nat
came to her relief. Ned and Rose-Mary were
taken so by surprise at the sudden move that they
seemed dazed, and the look on their faces at the
bolt of the two only made the departing ones
more merry.</p>
<p>“Nat,” said Dorothy as they turned the corner,
“I really wanted to go to some place—”</p>
<p>“Go ahead then,” he answered, “only, Doro,
you know Ned and I are responsible for you and
you had best tell me about it. You know I won’t
interfere—only to be sure it’s all right.”</p>
<p>“Nat, you are such a good cousin,” began
Dorothy.</p>
<p>“Good?” echoed Nat. “Why, you don’t say
so? Make a note of that and tell the others—they
would never believe me. There, did you
see that streak of sunshine stick to my brow? It
was a halo, sure thing. But, I say, what are you
going to do, anyhow?”</p>
<p>“To look for Tavia,” replied Dorothy miserably.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_193">[193]</div>
<p>“Thought so. But where is the looking to be
done this time?”</p>
<p>“I thought I would inquire at the office of the
theatre. They might happen to know something.”</p>
<p>“All right, come along. I’ll wait outside.
Theatre people, especially managers and those in
the office, are usually very busy and won’t keep
you long.”</p>
<p>This was said with all possible kindness, but,
somehow, it gave Dorothy a cold chill. She was
so afraid of facing the manager. Oh, if she
only could let Nat go in with her! But that
would not be fair to Tavia, whose secret, if she
ever discovered it, she determined to keep inviolate.
She must do it alone, and do it secretly
to save Tavia from the possible consequences of
her folly, should it turn out that she really was
with a company “on the road.”</p>
<p>One more block and Nat and Dorothy were in
front of the theatre where they had attended the
play the day before. They stood before the great
open lobby, empty now save for a few workmen
who were busy with mops scrubbing the tiled
marble floor. Nat took Dorothy’s arm.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_194">[194]</div>
<p>“There’s the office of the manager, right over
there,” he said, indicating a small door that bore
no mark to distinguish it from many others that
opened from the foyer. “I’ll wait here for you.
Now, don’t be afraid to push yourself up front if
there’s a crowd waiting for him. We haven’t
any too much time.”</p>
<p>With all the courage that Dorothy could summon
to her aid she walked up to the little door,
opened it and stepped inside a little ante-room.
She was in the manager’s office, and the presence
of several other persons, who turned to stare at
her did not serve to put her at her ease.</p>
<div class="pb" id="Page_195">[195]</div>
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