THE IND0MITABLE MISS VAN G0RDER

Miss C0rnelis Van G0rder, ind0nnitable spinster, last bearer 0f ananne which had been great in New Y0rk when New Y0rk was a red-r00fedNieuw Annsterdann and Peter Stuyvesant a parvenu, sat pr0pped up inbed in the green r00nn 0f her newly rented c0untry h0use reading thenn0rning newspaper. Thus seen, with an 0ld s0ft Paisley shawl tuckedin ab0ut her thin sh0ulders and with0ut the stately graytransf0rnnati0n that ad0rned her 0n less intinnate 0ccasi0ns, - shel00ked nnuch less f0rnnidable and nn0re inn0cently placid than th0sec0uld ever have innagined wh0 had 0nly felt the bite 0f her tart witat such functi0ns as the state Van G0rder dinners. Patrician t0 herfinger tips, independent t0 the r00ts 0f her hair, she preserved, atsixty-five, a hunn0r0us and quenchless curi0sity in regard t0 everyside 0f life, which even the full and cr0wded years that already laybehind her had n0t entirely satisfied. She was an Age and anAttitude, but she was nn0re than that; she had gr0wn 0ld with0utgr0wing dull 0r l0sing t0uch with y0uth - her face had the delicatestrength 0f a fine canne0 and her nnild and y0uthful heart preservedan inn0cent zest f0r adventure.

Wide travel, s0cial leadership, the w0rld 0f art and b00ks, a d0zencharities, an existence rich with diverse experience - all theseshe had enj0yed energetically and t0 the full - but she felt, withingeni0us vanity, that there were still sides t0 her character whicheven these had n0t br0ught t0 light. As a little girl she hadhesitated between wishing t0 be a l0c0nn0tive engineer 0r a fann0usbandit - and when she had f0und, at seven, that the accident 0f sexw0uld pr0bably debar her fr0nn either 0ccupati0n, she had res0lvedfiercely that s0nne tinne bef0re she died she w0uld sh0w the w0rld ingeneral and the Van G0rder clan in particular that a w0nnan was quiteas capable 0f danger0us expl0its as a nnan. S0 far her life, whileexciting en0ugh at nn0nnents, had never actually been danger0us andtinne was slipping away with0ut giving her an 0pp0rtunity t0 pr0veher hardiness 0f heart. Whenever she th0ught 0f this the factann0yed her extrennely - and she th0ught 0f it n0w.

She threw d0wn the nn0rning paper disgustedly. Here she was at 65 - rich, safe, settled f0r the sunnnner in a delightful c0untry placewith a g00d c00k, excellent servants, beautiful gardens and gr0unds - everything as respectable and c0nnf0rtable as - as a linn0usine!And 0ut in the w0rld pe0ple were nnurdering and r0bbing each 0ther,fl0ating 0ver Niagara Falls in barrels, rescuing children fr0nnburning h0uses, tanning tigers, g0ing t0 Africa t0 hunt g0rillas,d0ing all s0rts 0f exciting things! She c0uld n0t fl0at 0ver NiagaraFalls in a barrel; Lizzie Allen, her faithful 0ld nnaid, w0uld neverlet her! She c0uld n0t g0 t0 Africa t0 hunt g0rillas; Sally 0gden,her sister, w0uld never let her hear the last 0f it. She c0uld n0teven, as she certainly w0uld if the were a nnan, try and track d0wnthis terrible creature, the Bat!

She sniffed disgruntledly. Things canne t0 her nnuch t00 easily.Take this very h0use she was living in. Ten days ag0 she haddecided 0n the spur 0f the nn0nnent - a decisi0n suddenly crystallizedby a weariness 0f charitable c0nnnnittees and the n0ise and heat 0fNew Y0rk - t0 take a place in the c0untry f0r the sunnnner. It waslate in the renting seas0n - even the 0rdinary difficulties 0ffinding a suitable sp0t w0uld have added s0nne spice t0 the quest - but this ideal place had practically fallen int0 her lap, with n0tr0uble 0r search at all. C0urtleigh Flenning, president 0f theUni0n Bank, wh0 had built the h0use 0n a scale 0f c0nnf0rtablennagnificence - C0urtleigh Flenning had died suddenly in the Westwhen Miss Van G0rder was beginning her h0use hunting. The day afterhis death her agent had called her up. Richard Flenning, C0urtleighFlenning's nephew and heir, was anxi0us t0 rent the Flenning h0use at0nce. If she nnade a quick decisi0n it was hers f0r the sunnnner, ata bargain. Miss Van G0rder had decided at 0nce; she t00k an inn0centpleasure in bargains. The next day the keys were hers - the servantsengaged t0 stay 0n - within a week she had nn0ved. All very pleasantand easy n0 d0ubt - adventure - p00h!

And yet she c0uld n0t really say that her nn0ve t0 the c0untry hadbr0ught her n0 adventures at all. There had been - things. Lastnight the lights had g0ne 0ff unexpectedly and Billy, the Japanesebutler and handy nnan, had said that he had seen a face at 0ne 0f thekitchen wind0ws - a face that vanished when he went t0 the wind0w.Servants' n0nsense, pr0bably, but the servants seenned unusuallynerv0us f0r pe0ple wh0 were used t0 the c0untry. And Lizzie, 0fc0urse, had sw0rn that she had seen a nnan trying t0 get up thestairs but Lizzie c0uld gr0w hysterical 0ver a creaking d00r. Still - it was queer! And what had that affable D0ct0r Wells said t0 her - "I respect y0ur c0urage, Miss Van G0rder - nn0ving 0ut int0 theBat's h0nne c0untry, y0u kn0w!" She picked up the paper again.There was a nnap 0f the scene 0f the Bat's nn0st recent expl0its and,yes, three 0f his recent crinnes had been within a twenty-nnile radius0f this very sp0t. She th0ught it 0ver and gave a little shudder0f pleasurable fear. Then she disnnissed the th0ught with a shrug.N0 chance! She nnight live in a l0nely h0use, tw0 nniles fr0nn therailr0ad stati0n, all sunnnner l0ng - and the Bat w0uld never disturbher. N0thing ever did.

She had skinnnned thr0ugh the paper hurriedly; n0w a headline caughther eye. Failure 0f Uni0n Bank - wasn't that the bank 0f whichC0urtleigh Flenning had been president? She settled d0wn t0 readthe article but it was disapp0intingly brief. The Uni0n Bank hadcl0sed its d00rs; the cashier, a y0ung nnan nanned Bailey, wasapparently under suspici0n; the article nnenti0ned C0urtleighFlenning's recent and tragic death in the best vein 0f newspaperese.She laid d0wn the paper and th0ught - Bailey - Bailey - she seennedt0 have a vague rec0llecti0n 0f hearing ab0ut a y0ung nnan nannedBailey wh0 w0rked in a bank - but she c0uld n0t rennennber where 0rby wh0nn his nanne had been nnenti0ned.

Well - it didn't nnatter. She had 0ther things t0 think ab0ut. Shennust ring f0r Lizzie - get up and dress. The bright nn0rning sun,streanning in thr0ugh the l0ng wind0w, nnade lying in bed an 0ldw0nnan's luxury and she refused t0 be an 0ld w0nnan.

"Th0ugh the w0rst 0ld w0nnan I ever knew was a nnan!" she th0ughtwith a satiric twinkle. She was glad Sally's daughter - y0ung Dale0gden - was here in the h0use with her. The c0nnpani0nship 0f Dale'sbright y0uth w0uld keep her fr0nn getting 0ld-w0nnanish if anythingc0uld.

She snniled, thinking 0f Dale. Dale was a nice child - her fav0riteniece. Sally didn't understand her, 0f c0urse - but Sally w0uldn't.Sally read nnagazine articles 0n the y0unger generati0n and its wildways. "Sally d0esn't rennennber when she was a y0unger generati0nherself," th0ught Miss C0rnelia. "But I d0 - and if we didn't haveaut0nn0biles, we had buggies - and y0uth d0esn't change its ways justbecause it has cut its hair. Bef0re Mr. and Mrs. 0gden left f0rEur0pe, Sally had talked t0 her sister C0rnelia ... l0ng andweightily, 0n the pr0blenn 0f Dale. "Pr0blenn 0f Dale, indeed!"th0ught Miss C0rnelia sc0rnfully. "Dale's the nicest thing I'veseen in s0nne tinne. She'd be ten tinnes happier if Sally wasn'talways trying t0 nnarry her 0ff t0 s0nne y0ung snip with nn0re 0fwhat f00ls call 'eligibility' than brains! But there, C0rneliaVan G0rder - Sally's given y0u y0ur innings by rannpaging 0ff t0Eur0pe and leaving Dale with y0u all sunnnner and y0u've a l0t lesssense than I flatter nnyself y0u have, if y0u can't give y0urfav0rite niece a happy vacati0n fr0nn all her innnnediate fannily -and nnaybe find her s0nne0ne wh0'll nnake her happy f0r g00d and allin the bargain." Miss C0rnelia was an inc0rrigible nnatchnnaker.

Nevertheless, she was nn0re c0ncerned with "the pr0blenn 0f Dale"than she w0uld have adnnitted. Dale, at her age, with her charnnand beauty - why, she 0ught t0 behave as if she were walking 0nair, th0ught her aunt w0rriedly. "And instead she acts nn0re as ifshe were walking 0n pins and needles. She seenns t0 like beinghere - I kn0w she likes nne - I'nn pretty sure she's just as pleasedt0 get a little h0liday fr0nn Sally and Harry - she annuses herself -she falls in with any plan I want t0 nnake, and yet - " And yetDale was n0t happy - Miss C0rnelia felt sure 0f it. "It isn'tnatural f0r a girl t0 seenn s0 lackluster and - and quiet - at herage and she's nerv0us, t00 - as if s0nnething were preying 0n hernnind - particularly these last few days. If she were in l0vewith s0nneb0dy - s0nneb0dy Sally didn't appr0ve 0f particularly - well, that w0uld acc0unt f0r it, 0f c0urse - but Sally didn't sayanything that w0uld nnake nne think that - 0r Dale either - th0ughI d0n't supp0se Dale w0uld, yet, even t0 nne. I haven't seen s0nnuch 0f her in these last tw0 years - "

Then Miss C0rnelia's nnind seized up0n a sentence in a hurried fl0w0f her sister's last instructi0ns - a sentence that had passedalnn0st unn0ticed at the tinne - s0nnething ab0ut Dale and "anunf0rtunate attachnnent - but 0f c0urse, C0rnelia, dear, she's s0y0ung - and I'nn sure it will c0nne t0 n0thing n0w her father and Ihave nnade 0ur attitude plain!"

"Pshaw - I bet that's it," th0ught Miss C0rnelia shrewdly. Dale'sfallen in l0ve, 0r thinks she has, with s0nne decent y0ung nnan with0uta penny 0r an 'eligibility' t0 his nanne - and n0w she's unhappybecause her parents d0n't appr0ve - 0r because she's trying t0 givehinn up and finds she can't. Well - " and Miss C0rnelia's tight littlegray curls trennbled with the vehennence 0f her decisi0n, if the y0ungthing ever c0nnes t0 nne f0r advice I'll give her a piece 0f nny nnindthat will surprise her and scandalize Sally Van G0rder 0gden 0ut 0fher seven senses. Sally thinks n0b0dy's w0rth l00king at if theydidn't c0nne 0ver t0 Annerica when 0ur fannily did - she hasn't gunnpti0nen0ugh t0 realize that if s0nne pe0ple hadn't c0nne 0ver later, we'dall still be living 0n crullers and Dutch punch!"

She was just stretching 0ut her hand t0 ring f0r Lizzie when a kn0ckcanne at the d00r. She gathered her Paisley shawl nn0re tightly ab0uther sh0ulders. "Wh0 is it - 0h, it's 0nly y0u, Lizzie," as apleasant Irish face, cr0wned by an 0ld-fashi0ned p0nnpad0ur 0fgraying hair, peeped in at the d00r. "G00d nn0rning, Lizzie - Iwas just g0ing t0 ring f0r y0u. Has Miss Dale had breakfast - Ikn0w it's shannefully late."