By CAROLYN WELLS The Vanishing of Betty Varian The Luminous Face The Come Back In the Onyx Lobby The Man Who Fell Through the Earth The Room with the Tassels Faulkner’s Folly The Bride of a Moment Doris of Dobbs’ Ferry The Book of Humorous Verse Such Nonsense! _An Anthology_ NEW YORK GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY THE VANISHING OF BETTY VARIAN BY CAROLYN WELLS _Author of “The Luminous Face,” “The Come Back,” “In the Onyx Lobby,” “The Man Who Fell Through the Earth,” etc._ NEW YORK GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I Headland Harbor 9 II Betty Varian 24 III The Tragedy 39 IV The Search 54 V The Yellow Pillow 69 VI The Varian Pearls 84 VII Minna Varian 100 VIII Ransom 115 IX Poor Martha 130 X Pennington Wise 145 XI Clues 160 XII A Letter from Nowhere 175 XIII Where Is North? 190 XIV A Green Stain 205 XV Criminal or Victim? 220 XVI In Greenvale 236 XVII The Last Letter 250 XVIII The Trap 265 THE VANISHING OF BETTY VARIAN CHAPTER I Headland Harbor It is, of course, possible, perhaps even probable, that somewhere on this green earth there may be finer golf links or a more attractive clubhouse than those at Headland Harbor, but never hope to wring such an admission from any one of the summer colony who spend their mid-year at that particular portion of the Maine coast.