CHAPTER II - GOOD NEWS

CHAPTER II GOOD NEWS

"Oh, father!" gasped Grace, as she slipped into his waiting arms. sussultò Grace, mentre scivolava tra le sue braccia in attesa. Hardly a greeting did she give to Uncle Isaac, but perhaps this was on account of having spoken to him over the telephone shortly before. Non salutò quasi mai lo zio Isaac, ma forse questo era dovuto al fatto che aveva parlato con lui al telefono poco prima. "Oh, father! Where is poor Will?" "I don't know, Grace," answered Mr. Ford gently. "But don't worry. We shall find him. How is your mother?" "Oh, she feels it dreadfully of course. "Oh, lo sente terribilmente, naturalmente. She's been wanting you so much." Ti ha desiderato tanto". "I came as soon as I could. Your Uncle Isaac stopped for me after telephoning the news to you." Vostro zio Isaac si è fermato per me dopo avervi telefonato la notizia". "Yes, I allowed that was the best procedure," said Mr. Ford Sr., he being the elder brother of the father of Grace. "Sì, ho ammesso che era la procedura migliore", disse il signor Ford senior, fratello maggiore del padre di Grace. Uncle Isaac spoke with a slight Southern accent, but not very pronounced, since he had lived most of his life in the North.

"I'll see your mother first, Grace, and then we'll discuss what's best to be done," went on Mr. Ford. "It was rather a shock to me." "È stato uno shock per me". "Oh, father! I hope nothing has happened to poor Will!" sighed Grace.

"Well, if there has, he brought it on himself," said Uncle Isaac sharply. "Beh, se c'è stato, se l'è cercata", disse zio Isaac bruscamente. "He had a good place with me, and he could have stayed there and learned the business. Instead of that he chose to act like a——" Invece ha scelto di comportarsi come un...". "Never mind, Isaac," spoke Mr. Ford quickly. "Non importa, Isaac", disse rapidamente il signor Ford. "The thing is done, and we'll have to make the best of it. Perhaps I acted a bit hastily in sending him to you." Forse ho agito un po' frettolosamente nel mandarlo da voi". "It would have done him good if he had stayed with me. "Gli avrebbe fatto bene rimanere con me. But boys are so foolish." Ma i ragazzi sono così sciocchi". "And I presume you and I were—at Will's age," said the father. "E presumo che tu e io lo fossimo all'età di Will", disse il padre. "Well, I'll go see your mother, Grace, and then I'll be down again. Is someone here?" and he looked at the rubbers in the hall. e guardò le gomme nel corridoio.

"Yes, Betty, Mollie and Amy." "Oh, that's all right. You can stay with them until I come down. Isaac, if you are hungry I'll have some lunch sent up." Isaac, se hai fame ti faccio arrivare il pranzo". "Not for me. I never eat between meals," and Uncle Isaac spoke with firmness. Non mangio mai tra un pasto e l'altro", e lo zio Isaac parlò con fermezza. As Betty looked out of a crack in the library door she made up her mind that Mr. Ford's brother seldom did anything "between meals." Mentre Betty guardava da una fessura della porta della biblioteca, si rese conto che il fratello del signor Ford raramente faceva qualcosa "tra i pasti". He seemed to be a man who lived by hard and fast rules, and he had not the most kindly face and manner in the world. Sembrava un uomo che viveva secondo regole ferree, e non aveva il viso e i modi più gentili del mondo. He was quite a contrast to Grace's father. "Maybe that's why Will left him," mused Betty. "Forse è per questo che Will lo ha lasciato", pensò Betty. "I'm sure he looks as if he would be a hard master. "Sono sicuro che ha l'aria di essere un maestro difficile da gestire. Poor Will!" "I'll just sit in here and look at the paper," went on Uncle Isaac, starting toward the library. "Mi siederò qui e guarderò il giornale", proseguì zio Isaac, avviandosi verso la biblioteca. "The girls—my chums—are in there," said Grace quickly. "Le ragazze, le mie amiche, sono lì dentro", disse velocemente Grace. "Of course, if you——" "Excuse me!" interrupted Uncle Isaac. "I'll meet them later, after your father and I have straightened out this tangle—if it can be done. "Li incontrerò più tardi, dopo che io e tuo padre avremo sistemato questo groviglio, se sarà possibile. I'll sit in the parlor, though I'm not used to it. Mi siederò in salotto, anche se non ci sono abituato. No use wearing out the best carpet. Non serve a nulla consumare il tappeto migliore. Is anyone in the dining room?" C'è qualcuno in sala da pranzo?". "They are getting ready for dinner," said Grace with a smile, to which the elderly man did not respond. "Si stanno preparando per la cena", disse Grace con un sorriso, al quale l'anziano non rispose. "I guess you'll have to go to the parlor, Uncle Isaac. Of course we'll entertain you, but——" Certo che vi intratterremo, ma...". "No, I'd rather look over the paper. "No, preferisco dare un'occhiata al giornale. Go along, Jim, and comfort Margaret all you can. I'm sure it wasn't my fault——" Sono sicuro che non è stata colpa mia...". "Of course not, Isaac. I'll be back presently," and Mr. Ford started for his wife's room. Torno subito" e Mr. Ford si avviò verso la stanza della moglie. Grace rejoined her chums, and Uncle Isaac went to the parlor. Grace si ricongiunse alle sue compagne e lo zio Isaac andò in salotto.

And, while the scene is thus cleared for a moment I will take advantage of it to make my new readers somewhat better acquainted with the characters and setting of this story. E, mentre la scena è così sgombra per un momento, ne approfitterò per far conoscere meglio ai miei nuovi lettori i personaggi e l'ambientazione di questa storia.

The initial volume of this series was "The Outdoor Girls of Deepdale; Or, Camping and Tramping for Fun and Health," and in that was related how Betty, Amy, Mollie and Grace had gone on a walking trip, and how they solved the strange secret of a five hundred dollar bill. Il primo volume di questa serie era "The Outdoor Girls of Deepdale; Or, Camping and Tramping for Fun and Health" (Le ragazze all'aria aperta di Deepdale; o il campeggio e il vagabondaggio per il divertimento e la salute), e in esso si raccontava come Betty, Amy, Mollie e Grace fossero andate a fare una gita a piedi e come avessero risolto lo strano segreto di una banconota da cinquecento dollari. The second book brought our heroines into the midst of summer, and also saw them started on a voyage in Betty's motor boat. This book, called: "The Outdoor Girls at Rainbow Lake; Or, the Stirring Cruise of the Motor Boat Gem ," had to do, in a measure, with a curious happening on an island, following the strange loss of some valuable papers, when a horse Grace was riding ran away with her. Questo libro, intitolato: "The Outdoor Girls at Rainbow Lake; Or, the Stirring Cruise of the Motor Boat Gem" (Le ragazze all'aperto del Lago Arcobaleno; o, l'eccitante crociera della barca a motore Gem), aveva a che fare, in un certo senso, con una curiosa vicenda accaduta su un'isola, in seguito alla strana perdita di alcuni documenti di valore, quando un cavallo che Grace stava cavalcando scappò con lei. And how the papers were recovered—but there. E come sono stati recuperati i documenti, ma lì. It would not be "playing the game" to go into details now. Non sarebbe "giocare" entrare nei dettagli ora. "The Outdoor Girls in a Motor Car; Or, The Haunted Mansion of Shadow Valley," was the third book of the series. "Le ragazze all'aperto in auto; o, la villa stregata di Shadow Valley" è il terzo libro della serie. As the sub-title indicates there really was a house where strange manifestations took place, and when Mollie was captured by the "ghost," her chums were very much alarmed. Come indica il sottotitolo, esisteva davvero una casa in cui avvenivano strane manifestazioni e quando Mollie fu catturata dal "fantasma", i suoi compagni si allarmarono molto. The adventures of our friends in the touring car, which Mollie owned, carried them well into Fall, and when the first snow came, and the girls had the chance to go to the woods, they took advantage of the opportunity. Le avventure dei nostri amici nell'auto da turismo, di cui Mollie era proprietaria, li portarono fino all'autunno, e quando arrivò la prima neve e le ragazze ebbero la possibilità di andare nei boschi, ne approfittarono. In the fourth book, "The Outdoor Girls in a Winter Camp; Or, Glorious Days on Skates and Ice boats," there was related how a certain property dispute, involving Mr. Ford, was settled through good luck favoring the girls. Nel quarto libro, "The Outdoor Girls in a Winter Camp; Or, Glorious Days on Skates and Ice boats" (Le ragazze all'aperto in un campo invernale; o, giorni gloriosi sui pattini e sulle barche di ghiaccio), si racconta come una certa disputa sulla proprietà, che coinvolgeva il signor Ford, sia stata risolta grazie alla buona sorte che ha favorito le ragazze. Also how Amy was claimed by a brother, of whose existence she was unaware. Inoltre, Amy è stata reclamata da un fratello di cui ignorava l'esistenza.

They had been back from camp some little time now, when the strange disappearance of Will Ford gave them new food for thought and action. Erano tornati dall'accampamento da un po' di tempo, quando la strana scomparsa di Will Ford diede loro nuovi spunti di riflessione e di azione.

"Oh, if we only could find him for you, Grace!" exclaimed Betty, when her chum had returned to the library, after greeting her father. "If we only could." "Yes. If only we could pick him up, as we did that five hundred dollar bill," added Mollie. "We might," said Amy, half seriously. And the girls discussed this possibility—one not so remote as might seem at first, since they had done many strange things of late. E le ragazze discussero di questa possibilità, che non era così remota come poteva sembrare all'inizio, dato che negli ultimi tempi avevano fatto molte cose strane.

A word or two more before I go on. Ancora un paio di parole prima di continuare.

The girls, as I have intimated, lived in the city of Deepdale, in the heart of the Empire State. Le ragazze, come ho già detto, vivevano nella città di Deepdale, nel cuore dell'Empire State. Deepdale—Dear Deepdale as the girls called it—lived up to its name. Deepdale - cara Deepdale, come la chiamavano le ragazze - era all'altezza del suo nome. It was a charming town, with some country features that made it all the nicer. Era una città affascinante, con alcune caratteristiche di campagna che la rendevano ancora più bella. It nestled in a bend of the Argono River, a stream of some importance commercially. Si trovava in un'ansa del fiume Argono, un corso d'acqua di una certa importanza commerciale.

The four girls I have already named—Grace Ford, Mollie Billette, Betty Nelson and Amy. In the first volume the latter was Amy Stonington, but a mystery concerning her had been solved, and a brother who had long sought her, at last found her. Nel primo volume quest'ultima era Amy Stonington, ma il mistero che la riguardava era stato risolto e un fratello che l'aveva a lungo cercata, alla fine l'aveva trovata. He was Henry Blackford, who was concerned in the five hundred dollar bill mystery, and he recognized Amy as his sister in a peculiar way. So Amy Stonington became Amy Blackford, and Mr. and Mrs. John Stonington, instead of being her uncle and aunt, were mere strangers to her.

No, not mere strangers, either, for they had not brought her up from a baby to so easily relinquish her now. No, nemmeno semplici estranei, perché non l'avevano cresciuta da piccola per abbandonarla così facilmente. They could not bear to give her up, and as she had no other relatives, except her brother, as far as she knew, and as he had to travel about considerably in his business, Amy remained with those she had so long regarded as her parents. Non potevano sopportare di rinunciare a lei e, poiché non aveva altri parenti, a parte il fratello, per quanto ne sapeva, e poiché lui doveva viaggiare molto per lavoro, Amy rimase con quelli che aveva considerato per tanto tempo come i suoi genitori. She was very glad to do so.

Betty was the only child, while Grace had, as I have mentioned, a brother Will. Mollie had a small brother and sister—the twins, Dora (or "Dodo") and Paul. Her mother was a well-to-do widow, and the parents of the other girls were wealthy, but made no display of their means. Sua madre era una vedova benestante e i genitori delle altre ragazze erano ricchi, ma non facevano sfoggio dei loro mezzi.

As I have noted, Will's foolish prank had brought its punishment, though perhaps he did not merit it as much as did some of his chums. Come ho già detto, lo scherzo sciocco di Will aveva portato alla sua punizione, anche se forse non la meritava tanto quanto alcuni dei suoi compagni. One, Frank Haley, had been expelled, and another had been suspended for three weeks. Uno, Frank Haley, è stato espulso e un altro è stato sospeso per tre settimane. But to Will would seem to have come the heavier punishment, now that he was away from home, no one knew where. Ma a Will sarebbe toccata la punizione più pesante, ora che era lontano da casa, non si sapeva dove.

Mr. Ford came down from his wife's room. Grace glided out to him. Grace si avvicinò a lui.

"How is she?" the girl inquired.

"I have made her feel a little easier," he announced. "L'ho fatta sentire un po' più tranquilla", annunciò. "Now we will hear what Uncle Isaac has to say." "Ora sentiremo cosa ha da dire lo zio Isaac". It was not a great deal. Non è stato un grande affare.

"I put Will right to work, as you directed me, Jim," the visitor said to his brother. "Ho messo Will subito al lavoro, come mi hai detto, Jim", disse il visitatore al fratello. "Work is good for boys, and I started him at the bottom of the ladder. "Il lavoro fa bene ai ragazzi, e io l'ho iniziato alla base della scala. That's what you wanted; wasn't it?" "Well, I did think so at the time, after he got into that scrape," said Mr. Ford. "Beh, in quel momento l'ho pensato, dopo che si è messo in quel guaio", ha detto il signor Ford. "I was pretty well provoked, but I begin to think now I was a bit too harsh with him." "Sono stato provocato abbastanza bene, ma ora comincio a pensare di essere stato un po' troppo duro con lui". "Nonsense!" "Sciocchezze!" snorted Uncle Isaac. sbuffò zio Isaac. "Harshness is good for boys. "La durezza fa bene ai ragazzi. I wasn't any harsher on him than on any of the boys that work in my mill. I made him toe the mark—that's all." Gli ho fatto fare il passo più lungo della gamba, tutto qui". "But Will has a sensitive nature," said his father slowly. "Did he give any intimation that he was going to leave?" "Ha lasciato intendere che se ne sarebbe andato?". "Not a bit. "Neanche un po'. He did his work well—that is, as well as any boys do. Faceva bene il suo lavoro, cioè bene come fanno tutti i ragazzi. None of 'em are much good." Nessuno di loro è molto bravo". Grace caught her breath. Grace riprese fiato. She started to say something, but her father, by a slight motion of his head, stopped her. Cominciò a dire qualcosa, ma il padre, con un leggero movimento della testa, la fermò.

"Will stayed at my home, you know," went on Uncle Isaac. "I did the best by him I knew. "Ho fatto il meglio per lui che conoscevo. I didn't let him out nights, I made him read good and helpful books like 'Pilgrims Progress,' and others of the kind, and I kept him from the moving pictures. Non lo lasciavo uscire la sera, gli facevo leggere libri buoni e utili come "Pilgrims Progress" e altri del genere, e lo tenevo lontano dai film in movimento. "Well the first thing I knew he wasn't in his room when I went to call him one morning, and there was this note." He held it out. La teneva in mano. Mr. Ford read it eagerly. Il signor Ford lo lesse con entusiasmo. All it said was:

"I can't stand it any longer. I'm going to quit." Mi licenzio". "And he had packed up his things and left," went on Uncle Isaac. "Aveva fatto le valigie e se n'era andato", proseguì zio Isaac. "I was dumbfounded, I was. "Ero stupefatto, davvero. I didn't think it was much use to hunt for him as I thought he'd come right home. Non pensavo che fosse utile andare a cercarlo, perché pensavo che sarebbe tornato subito a casa. He had some money—you know you gave him some." Aveva dei soldi, sai che gliene hai dati". Mr. Ford nodded.

"I didn't write, as I calculated on coming up North," went on Uncle Isaac. "Non ho scritto, perché avevo calcolato di venire al Nord", proseguì lo zio Isaac. "Then when I telephoned, and found Will hadn't come home, I didn't know what to think." "Nor I either," said Mr. Ford, "when you stopped in at my office and told me. When did he leave your house?" "It will be a week to-morrow." "And never a word from him in all that time," mused the father. "E mai una parola da parte sua in tutto questo tempo", pensò il padre. "I don't like it." Grace felt her eyes filling with tears. Betty patted her hand. Betty le accarezzò la mano.

"Well, something will have to be done," said Mr. Ford with a sigh. "Isaac, let's talk this over, and see what we can do. "Isaac, parliamone e vediamo cosa possiamo fare. I may have to go to Atlanta to straighten this out. Forse dovrò andare ad Atlanta per risolvere la questione. I don't believe Will would deliberately set out to cause us worry." Non credo che Will voglia deliberatamente farci preoccupare". "I'm sure he wouldn't!" declared Grace, eagerly.

Her father and uncle left to go to Mr. Ford's private office in the house, for he was a lawyer, and kept a large library at home. Il padre e lo zio uscirono per andare nello studio privato del signor Ford, che era un avvocato e teneva una grande biblioteca in casa. The girls sat in the main library, looking at one another with sad eyes.

"Oh, isn't it too bad—just after we had such fun in our winter camp!" "Oh, non è un peccato - proprio dopo che ci siamo divertiti tanto nel nostro campo invernale!". exclaimed Grace. "Poor Will! It does seem as if there was nothing happy in this world any more." Sembra proprio che non ci sia più nulla di felice a questo mondo". "Oh, don't feel that way!" "Oh, non sentirti così!". protested Betty. "Come, have you girls no good news to cheer her up with?" "Suvvia, ragazze, non avete buone notizie con cui rallegrarla?". she asked, looking at Mollie and Amy.

"I'm afraid I haven't—unless it's to tell the latest funny thing Dodo and Paul did," spoke Mollie. "Temo di no, a meno che non si tratti di raccontare l'ultima cosa divertente che hanno fatto Dodo e Paul", disse Mollie. "And I detest telling of children's pranks." "E detesto raccontare gli scherzi dei bambini". "How about you, Amy? Can't you cheer up Grace?" Non puoi tirare su il morale a Grace?". "Well, I did mean to tell you when I came in; but seeing Grace so upset I almost forgot it," said Amy. "Beh, avevo intenzione di dirtelo quando sono entrata; ma vedendo Grace così sconvolta me ne sono quasi dimenticata", disse Amy. "Forgot what?" asked Betty with a smile. "Girls, I am almost sure it's something good, Amy has such a quiet way with her that she always has unexpected pleasure for us." "Ragazze, sono quasi certa che sia qualcosa di buono, Amy ha un modo di fare così tranquillo che ha sempre un piacere inaspettato per noi". "I don't know whether this will be pleasure or not," went on Amy with a blush, "but Uncle Stonington (I'm going to call him that, though he is no relation)" she interjected, "Uncle Stonington has bought an orange grove in Florida, and we can have all the oranges we want. "Non so se questo sarà un piacere o meno", continuò Amy arrossendo, "ma lo zio Stonington (lo chiamerò così, anche se non è un parente)", interruppe, "lo zio Stonington ha comprato un aranceto in Florida e possiamo avere tutte le arance che vogliamo. If that's good news," she finished. "It is—fine!" declared Mollie.

"And we were talking about it to-day," resumed the quiet girl, "and he said perhaps he would take Aunty down there to stay until spring, as her health is not very good. "Ne parlavamo oggi", riprese la ragazza tranquilla, "e lui ha detto che forse avrebbe portato la zia laggiù per farla restare fino a primavera, visto che la sua salute non è molto buona. And I'll probably go——" "Oh, Amy!" It was a protesting chorus. Era un coro di protesta.

"And I mentioned you girls, and Uncle Stonington said I could bring you down—if you'd come—all of you—to a Florida orange grove." "Amy Stonington—I mean Blackford—I'm just going to hug you!" "Amy Stonington - cioè Blackford - ti abbraccio!". cried Betty. "Go! Of course we'll go!" "After we find Will," put in Grace in a low voice.