by Clair Blank
Chapter XII
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS
Gale tramped through the snow feeling light-hearted and gay. Snow alwaysseemed to have such a psychological effect upon her. Whether it was thelightness of it, or the brightness of the sun shining on the surface ofthe snow she did not know. At any rate she felt at ease with the world.
College had resumed at high speed for the short time betweenThanksgiving and Christmas. Now it was but a week until the Christmasholidays. Gale felt joyfully elated. Last night she and Phyllis hadcarefully wrapped Christmas presents and hidden them in their trunks.There was a spirit of excitement in the air. The girls went about withmysterious bundles and smiles.
Even Phyllis seemed to be nearly back to her old cheerful spirits. Eversince Thanksgiving when David had appeared at the college Phyllis washappier, calmer. Gale was glad. She had had absolutely no success inMarchton. Miss Fields had not been at home. It had been as David said.No one knew where she had gone or when she was coming back.
Gale ran lightly up the steps and disappeared into the Dean's office.The Dean's secretary was absent so Gale knocked on the door to the innersanctum where the Dean had her private office.
"Come in."
Gale opened the door and stepped within.
"Oh, Gale." The Dean looked up. She was just slipping into her coat. "Beseated. I want to mail this letter. It must get off immediately."
"I'll mail it for you," Gale offered.
"No, I'll drop it myself. It will only take a moment. Wait for me."
Gale looked about the empty office. There was a typewriter next to theDean's desk. Her curiosity getting the better of her Gale inserted asheet and typed a few words. It was not the smoothness or noiselessnessof the machine that attracted her, but the letters themselves. Theletters were even, in perfect alignment, all but the R. That wasslightly raised. Gale could scarcely believe her eyes. She jerked thepaper from the machine and brought the old mysterious note from herpocket. There was no question about it! The two had been written on thesame machine! But it was impossible--incredible!
The Dean had not sent them that note, had she? Certainly not! But whothen? Her secretary? Gale looked dubious. There was more in thissituation than she had guessed. That she decided before--but now! Howhad this note been written on the Dean's typewriter? She put both sheetsof paper into her pocket again as she heard footsteps in the outeroffice.
"Now, Gale, what is it?" The Dean removed her coat and seated herselfbehind her desk.
"Phyllis. She has decided she doesn't want to go home for Christmas. Shewould rather stay here. David, Mr. Kimball, wants to come to Briarhurstagain and see Phyllis over the holidays." Gale drummed lightly on thespace bar of the typewriter. "A nice typewriter, Dean. Just new?"
"Yes, my secretary bought it yesterday."
Yesterday! Gale added that to the storehouse of facts in her mind.Yesterday! Yet she was sure the mysterious note had been written on itmonths before! She scarcely heard the Dean's permission for David tocome to Briarhurst as he had done on Thanksgiving, so busy was sheturning over this new development.
Her business with the Dean concluded, Gale left. She had dinner withJanet and Carol at the East Campus Dormitory and after that they allwent to the chapel to hear the Freshman's musical Christmasentertainment.
The organ was playing when the girls entered. The chapel was decoratedwith holly and poinsettias. In the corner a mammoth Christmas tree withthe traditional white star at the top sent out a fragrance of spruce andChristmas cheer.
The girls sang carols and there were several solos. But the best likedsoloist was a mystery. From the region of the organ, behind the hollyand spruce display, came a girl's voice. The others listened spellbound.Such richness and expression! Every note was as clear as a bell. Themusic rang through the chapel and brought a new understanding andappreciation of Christmas to the listeners.
"Who is it?" Janet was simply bursting with curiosity.
"She is superb!" Gale echoed. "I never heard a voice like that."
Valerie was sitting beside them, the smile of sweet satisfaction on herface a mystery.
"You were on the committee, Val, who is it?" Carol coaxed.
"It is a secret," Valerie said. "But isn't she fine?"
"Wonderful," Gale agreed. "I wish Phyllis could hear her."
"Why didn't Phyllis come?" Madge whispered.
"She said she was too tired."
"Shshshsh," Janet warned as the soloist began again. "I could listen toher for hours. Is she somebody from the college, Val?"
"Of course," Valerie nodded.
"Oh, if I only had a voice like that!" Carol sighed.
"Then you would get some place," Janet agreed. "That girl will befamous."
Valerie smiled to herself.
When the quiet, musical evening was over the girls voted it a hugesuccess. They doubted if even the play on the next night could hold themas enthralled. The Juniors and Seniors who had been present were quiteas enthusiastic.
"We want that singer in the Glee Club," Adele Stevens said firmly. Shewas the active president of the organization and she did not intend tomiss adding such a fine voice to the group.
"I don't know," Valerie said dubiously. "We had a hard time persuadingher to sing tonight."
"But why didn't she come out from behind the shrubbery?" Carolcomplained. "We want to know what she looks like."
"Shrubbery!" Janet said horrified. "Carol Carter! To call ourdecorations that after the time we had arranging them!"
"Sorry," Carol laughed. "Who put the star on the top of the tree?"
"Madge," Janet giggled, "and she almost pulled the tree over a halfdozen times."
The girls paused in front of the sorority house.
"Perhaps we shouldn't come in if Phyllis is tired," Janet said.
"Come along," Valerie said lightly. "She can bear it this once. No oneshould be tired around Christmas time."
The girls trouped up the stairs singing as they went. They found Phyllissitting at her desk, her cheeks flushed and eyes bright.
"Greetings, my little sugar plum," Carol said lavishly. "You don't knowwhat you missed tonight."
"What?" Phyllis asked.
"A singer--and what a singer! Honestly, that girl could be the musicalsensation of the year."
Valerie and Phyllis exchanged glances then they both started to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Janet demanded.
"Either you girls are awf'ly innocent or you haven't the brains Ithought you had," Valerie said between laughs. "Don't you see? Phylliswas the singer. She was the soloist tonight."
"Phyllis!" Gale echoed.
Janet and Carol howled together: "And you never told us!"
"A fine pal you are!" Janet grumbled.
"I'm disgusted with you," added Carol. "Hiding a voice like that! Weknew you were good--but never that good!"
"I didn't want to do it," Phyllis confessed. "But Valerie said I didn'thave to appear before all of you. No one would know who I was. I thoughtit would be fun to surprise you."
"You certainly did," Carol declared. "So much so that Adele Stevenswants you in the Glee Club."
"Never more can you be the shrinking violet," Janet nodded. "Now youwill blossom forth in notes of song and we shall see you never more. Ah,me, such is the price of fame."
"Wait a minute," Phyllis laughed. "I sang tonight but that was onlybecause Val wouldn't give me a moment's peace, otherwise. I don't intendto join the Glee Club."
"It would be good for you," Gale said. "You've always liked music,Phyl."
Phyllis yawned. "But now I believe I would like bed better."
"Just a gentle hint," Carol chaffed. "It seems we are always getting putout of here."
"You shouldn't come at such late hours then," Phyllis said.
"Tell me," Janet said, "since you are surprising us, you aren't going tobe Santa Claus in the play tomorrow night, are you?"
Ph
yllis giggled. "Hardly!"
"Of course not," Carol said indignantly. "She hasn't got a beard."
Gale opened the window. Voices drifted up on the night air. The sororitygirls were just ending their sorority song.
"We link our hands in friendship, The girls of Omega Chi."
"I hope we get elected to the sorority," Carol said. "Then perhaps wecan move in here with you next term."
"We aren't even members," Gale reminded them. "We are here only on therecommendation of Miss Relso. If she hadn't written for us we wouldnever have gotten rooms in Happiness House."
"If we aren't elected to the sorority in May we will have to move,"Phyllis added.
"What's that?" Carol shrieked as she backed away from the window.
"What?"
"Two eyes--staring in at me out of the darkness," she pointed to thewindow.
Phyllis and Gale laughed.
"Only an owl in the tree out there," Phyllis said. "He is often there atnight."
"Why don't owls sleep at night?" Janet wanted to know. "Are they afraidto sleep in the dark?"
"And do deers ever blow their horns?" Carol questioned. "We better go toour own domicile," she added at the dark glances from her friends. "Aurevoir, ma cherie," she murmured in her very best French.
From the window Gale and Phyllis watched the girls disappear in thedirection of the East Campus Dormitory.
"You were wonderful tonight, Phyl," Gale declared earnestly. "And werewe surprised! When did you decide to sing?"
"Valerie talked me into it," Phyllis laughed. "She said I should dosomething like that--so I would have a part in the Christmas celebrationI really enjoyed it."
"Phyllis--are you sure you won't go home with me for Christmas?" Galeasked sitting on the bed beside Phyllis. "I would love to have you."
Phyllis shook her head. "No. I can't go to my Aunt's place--I could butI don't want to, so I'll stay here. Besides," she said, eyes twinkling,"David is coming. I won't be lonesome."
"That reminds me," Gale said, "I meant to tell the other girls, too.Tonight when I went to the Dean's office I had to wait a while for her.While I was waiting I tried her typewriter. Guess what I discovered!"
"What?"
"Our mysterious note was typed on her machine. What do you deduct fromthat? I didn't tell her because I wanted to think about it for a while.It seems strange."
"Her own typewriter!" Phyllis echoed.
"And she told me she bought the typewriter only yesterday!"
"It can't be," Phyllis frowned. "There is something wrong someplace.Whom did she buy the typewriter from?"
"She said her secretary bought it," Gale said slowly. "I wonder if hersecretary is everything she should be?"
"Certainly she wouldn't eat candy she knew was poisoned," Phyllis said."She was sick from it, remember."
"If it was poisoned." Gale ran slim fingers through her hair. "The wholething is beyond me. I'm not such a master mind after all."
"We will let it wait until after Christmas," Phyllis said.
The girls were forced to do that. Nothing more could be discovered atpresent and there was too much excitement with the holidays to botherabout it.