Books with author Lavell Edith

Linda Carlton receives a brand-new airplane from her father for her high school graduation. Linda is thrilled, and immediately signs up for flight lessons. Linda had hoped that Ted Mackay would be her instructor, but Mr. Carlton forbids Linda from having anything to do with him. Mr. Carlton has had problems with Mackay's father, and is certain that the son is bad as well.Ralph Clavering, a wealthy college student who likes Linda, also signs up for flight lessons. After completing their coursework, both of them are awarded their licenses. Linda and Ralph fly to Green Falls, where the young people are to spend their summer.During the journey, a valuable necklace that belongs to Ralph's sister is stolen. Due to circumstantial evidence, Ted Mackay is blamed for the theft, although Linda is certain that he is not responsible.Linda Carlton, Air PilotRalph is convinced that Ted Mackay is guilty, and Linda's friendship with Ralph is strained. Linda comes up with a plan to help Ted, and she departs in her plane with her best friend, Louise Haydock, in hopes of establishing a solid alibi for Ted Mackay.

“He doesn’t know a thing about them,” she said.“Now, listen, Marj,” remonstrated Jack in the tone one might use to a child, although his sister was only two years his junior, “haven’t you ever heard dad tell about the awful things some of those secret societies did when he was at college? They had a house without a single window, and with only one door—made of iron—and nobody ever knew what went on inside. But dad said one poor freshman, who was to be initiated, got rebellious and wouldn’t do the stunts; and they blindfolded him and threw him into the creek. It was cold, and he got pneumonia and died!”“Oh, Jack, you’re exaggerating!” exclaimed Marjorie scornfully. “You read about that in a book—you must have forgotten. Anyway, girls’ societies wouldn’t do anything like that.”

Edith Harper Lavell (1892-?) wrote the Mary Louise Gay series (3 books); the first of which is The Mystery of Dark Cedars, based around President Roosevelt's order to prevent the hoarding of gold during the Depression. Lavell authored two more famous series, the Linda Carlton series (5 books), about a girl pilot, and the Girl Scouts series (10 books). Unlike many series authors, Edith Lavell was an actual person, not a house name.

How thankful she was that the place wasn’t gloomy and tumbledown like Dark Cedars, where she had made her first investigations as an amateur detective! Nobody would be telling her that ghosts haunted the walls of Stoddard House.Her father opened the door for her, and she preceded him into the lobby. It was rather small, as lobbies go, with only one counter-desk, one lounge, and a couple of elevators, which you worked yourself, at the side. But doors opened out from the lobby on all sides, revealing glimpses of numerous attractive reception rooms beyond.Mr. Gay nodded to the girl at the desk and inquired for Mrs. Hilliard. In a couple of minutes a stout middle-aged woman appeared and smiled pleasantly at him. He introduced Mary Louise.“Let’s get back into my office where we can talk undisturbed,” suggested Mrs. Hilliard, leading the way out of a door and along a hall to another smaller room. “Now sit down and I’ll tell you all about our difficulties.”Mr. Gay and his daughter made themselves comfortable, and Mary Louise took out her notebook. The same notebook which she had made so valuable on two previous occasions.

“It’s been burnt down!” cried Freckles, dashing up behind the girls. “I didn’t have a chance to tell you. About a week ago, Larry Reed said. Awful mysterious. In the night.”“Burned down!” repeated Mary Louise, rushing in through the trees beside the path. “Honestly?”“See for yourself!” replied her brother.A few steps more, and they saw for themselves that it was only too true. The blackened trunks, the dry, scarred grass, and the faint smoky odor confirmed his statement. The beautiful cottage was gone forever. Nothing remained but the charred stones of its foundation.“Boy, don’t I wish I’d been here!” exclaimed Freckles regretfully. “It must have been some fire. But they say nobody saw it. It was practically out when they discovered it.”“Lucky that it was!” said Mrs. Gay. “Suppose ours had caught too!”Mary Louise shuddered; such an idea was too dreadful to contemplate.“Do you know any of the details, Freckles?” asked his mother, as the party turned back to the road again.“No, I don’t. Nobody does. It just happened, at night, while everybody was over at a dance at the Royal Hotel across the river.”“Maybe we’ll hear more about it at Flicks’. Come on, let’s hurry.”They passed one bungalow on the way to the inn, which Mary Louise pointed out to Jane as belonging to the Partridges—all middle-aged people, she explained—so that her chum was not interested. Nobody over twenty-five was any use to Jane Patterson.

They stopped when they reached the steps of the porch and looked about with curiosity. It certainly was a run-down place. Boards were broken in the steps, and pieces of plaster had crumbled from the outer wall. The grayish-colored ivy which grew over the house seemed to emphasize its aspect of the past.“Isn’t Miss Grant supposed to be rich?” whispered Jane incredulously. “It doesn’t look like it!”“They say she’s a miser. Hoards every cent she can get.” Mary Louise smiled. “I believe I’ll tell Daddy to report her for hoarding. She deserves it!”“Better wait and find out whether she really is rich, hadn’t you?” returned Jane. “Your father’s a busy man.”Mary Louise nodded and looked at her dog.“You lie down, Silky,” she commanded, “and wait here for us. Miss Grant probably wouldn’t like you. She might think you’d hurt Pussy.” She smiled indulgently. “She doesn’t know you belong to the Dog Scouts and do a kind act every day—like rescuing cats in distress!”The spaniel obeyed, and the two girls mounted the rickety steps of the porch. Although it was late in June, the door was closed tightly, and they had to pull a rusty knocker to let the people inside know that they were there.

A blue sports roadster, driven by a girl in a lovely crêpe suit of the same color, threaded its way through the traffic of Spring City's streets to the concrete road that led to the aviation field on the outskirts. Passing the city's limits, the car sped along under the easy assurance of its competent driver, whose eyes were bluer than its paint, deeper than the dress that she was wearing. They were shining now with happiness, for the end of this ride promised the most thrilling experience of her life. That afternoon Linda Carlton was to have her first flight in an airplane!She parked her car outside of the field and locked it cautiously. Jumping out, she fairly skipped inside the boundary.A tall, good-looking young man in a flier's suit came from one of the hangars to meet her."Miss Carlton?" he said, extending his hand."Yes—Mr. Mackay. You see I'm here—a little early, I expect. You haven't forgotten your promise?"His pleasant face darkened, and he looked doubtfully at the sky."I'm afraid it may rain, Miss Carlton. We've suspended pleasure trips for today. But perhaps tomorrow——""Oh, no!" she cried in deep disappointment, and the young man believed that her eyes grew moist. "I can't get away tomorrow, or any other day this week. You see I'm a senior at school, and I'm just rushed to death.""Well, that's too bad," he said, looking again at the sky. "And of course it may not rain after all. But orders are orders, you know."The girl looked down at the ground, probably, he thought, to hide the tears that would come to her eyes. She was so pretty, so serious, so anxious to go up. It evidently wasn't only a whim with her; she really wanted to fly—like Amelia Earhart, and Elinor Smith. How he hated to deny her!"Isn't there something you could do?" she finally asked. "Take me up as one of your friends—not as a visitor to the aviation field.... Why, Mr. Mackay, suppose your sister came to see you today, wouldn't you be allowed to take her up?""Yes," he replied, smiling. "But that would be on my responsibility, not the school's.""Then," she pleaded, and she was radiant again with enthusiasm, "couldn't I be your responsibility?"He nodded, won over to her wishes."If you put it that way, Miss Carlton, I can't refuse! But I'll have to take you in the plane I'm working on now—making some tests with—and it isn't the most reliable plane in the world. Not one we use to take visitors up in.""But if it's safe enough for you, it's safe enough for me. I'm satisfied."