fume- Well, never mind!”
CHAPTER II
Mysterious Numbers
Nancy stared after the stranger and wondered
what he could have meant.
“Evidently he mistook me for somebody else,”
she thought. “But even so, his actions certainly
were peculiar.”
What message had he expected to receive from
her? Who was the Chief? How strange that the
man should speak of the perfume as though it had
been the cause of his mistake!
If Nancy’s mind had not been occupied with
the frail girl’s condition, she might have won-
dered more over the strange encounter. She
dismissed it for the moment. Quickly filling a cup
with ice water, she rushed back to George and
Bess, who were giving first aid to the girl.
“Do you feel better now?” Nancy asked. “Here,
drink this.”
“Thank you,” the girl murmured, gratefully
taking the cup. “I feel much better now,” she
added quietly. “It was very kind of you to
help me.”
“It must have been the perfume that made you
faint,” George declared. “A little is all right, but
half a bottle is overpowering.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t the perfume,” the girl re-
turned quickly. “I haven’t felt well since I first
boarded the train early this morning.”
“What a shame,” Bess said. “I’ll get you some
more water.” She soon returned with a second
cup.
“By the way, Nancy”-Bess turned to her
friend-“who was that man who spoke to you at
the water cooler?”
“You noticed him?” Nancy asked, surprised.
“Yes,” Bess said, “but I didn’t recognize him.”
“Nor did I,” Nancy remarked. “The whole
thing was quite mysterious. He simply ap-
proached me and said: ‘Any word from the
Chief?'”
“The Chief!” Bess and George chorused.
“What Chief?”
“I have no idea,” the young sleuth admitted.
“But evidently it was this strange perfume that
attracted his attention, or so he said.”
“I wonder what the perfume could have to do
with it?” Bess looked perplexed.
By this time the train was slowing down as it
approached the River Heights station, and Nancy
and her friends realized they must hurry or they
would miss their stop.
“I’m afraid that we must interrupt this conver-
sation and say good-by,” Nancy told the girl re-
luctantly. “We get off at River Heights.”
“River Heights!” The girl glanced anxiously
out the window. “I get off here tool I had no idea
we were so close.”
“We’ll help you,” Nancy offered. “Do you
really feel well enough to walk?”
“Yes, I’m all right now.”
George and Bess collected the miscellaneous
packages, while Nancy helped the stranger along
the aisle. The girl hesitated uncertainly as she
stepped from the train.
“I’m not very familiar with River Heights,”
she said to Nancy. “Which direction should I take
to go to the center of town?”
“You’re still too shaky to walk any distance,”
George spoke up. “Have you no friend here to
meet you?”
The girl shook her head.
“Then why don’t you come home for a snack
with us?” Nancy suggested. “I left my car parked
here by the station, and I can drive you back.”
The girl started to protest, but Nancy and the
others urged her on, and soon they were all set-
tled in Nancy’s blue convertible.
“I haven’t even told you my name,” the
strange girl said, leaning back wearily. “I’m Jo-
anne Byrd. I live with my grandmother at Red
Gate Farm about ten miles from Round Val-
ley. That’s where I took the train.”
Nancy introduced herself and her friends as she
started the car and headed it toward the Drew
residence in another section of the city.
“How nice it must be to live on a farm!” Bess
remarked. “And Red Gate is such a pleasant-
sounding name.”
“Red Gate is a lovely place,” Joanne said feel-
ingly. “I’ve lived there with my grandmother
ever since I can remember. We don’t have the
money, though, to keep up the farm. That’s why
I left home today-to find work here.”
“Do you have something in mind?” Bess ques-
tioned.
“I came in response to a particular advertise-
ment,” Joanne replied, but did not say what it
was. A faraway look came into her eyes. “We sim-