CHAPTER IV
GRACE TURNS IN THE FIRE ALARM
"I wonder what sort of excitement we shall have next?" remarked GraceHarlowe to her three friends one afternoon as they gathered in thesenior locker-room, before leaving school.
Three weeks had elapsed since Mabel Allison and her mother had met inRoom 47 of the hospital, and many events had transpired in that shortspace of time.
The girl chums had been entertained at "Hawk's Nest" by Mrs. Gibson, andwere in consequence the most important persons in the Girls' HighSchool. They had found Mrs. Gibson charming, and had been invited torepeat their visit at an early date. Mabel's story had circulatedthroughout Oakdale, and she and her friends were the topic of the hour.
The one cloud on their horizon had been the fact of the inevitableseparation. They had begged and entreated Mrs. Allison to take up herresidence in Oakdale for the balance of Mabel's junior year, but onaccount of home matters she had been unable to comply with their wishes.So Mabel had departed for Denver with her mother, while the chums hadkissed her and cried over her and had extracted a laughing promise fromMrs. Allison to bring her to Oakdale during commencement week to witnessthe graduation of the Phi Sigma Tau.
"It seems as though we have done nothing but say good-bye to people eversince school began," said Anne Pierson with a little sigh.
"I know it," exclaimed Nora. "First our boys, then Mabel, and--"
"And now all we can do is to wonder who will fade away and disappearnext," finished Grace. "Promise me that none of you will run away fromOakdale, or elope, or do anything that can be classed under the head ofvanishing."
"Oh, I think we're all rooted to the spot for this year," said Jessica,"but what about next? Nora and I will be in a conservatory, Grace willbe in college and Anne--where will you be, Anne?"
"Goodness knows," replied Anne. "I'd like to try for a scholarship, buthow on earth would I support myself even if I were fortunate enough towin?"
"Don't worry about that," said Grace quickly. "That is for that all-wisebody, the Phi Sigma Tau, to consider. We will be your ways and meanscommittee, Anna."
"Oh, I couldn't think of weighing you girls down with my cares," repliedAnne soberly. "I must work out my own salvation."
By this time they had turned out of High School Street and were movingin the direction of Grace's home, where the majority of their chats tookplace, when Nora suddenly exclaimed in a low tone:
"Look, girls, there is Eleanor Savelli!"
"Where? where?" demanded three eager voices, as their owners followedNora's glance.
"Across the street," replied Nora. "Don't let her know that we arelooking at her."
Sure enough, on the opposite side of the street, Eleanor Savelli was tobe seen strolling along in company with Edna Wright and Daisy Culver,two seniors who had been her faithful followers since her advent inOakdale.
"Excitement number one," remarked Nora. "The fair Eleanor comes and ourpeace of mind departs. I had cherished vain hopes that she wouldn'tfavor us with the light of her countenance this year, even though shedid inform Grace of her laudable desire to stay with the seniors forpure spite."
"Never mind, Nora," said Jessica, "I don't believe she'll worry herselfabout us, even though she did make dire threats."
"Remember what I told you last year, girls," said Grace in a tone ofadmonition. "Be careful what you do and say whenever she is near. Shedespises the Phi Sigma Tau and would revenge herself upon us at theslightest opportunity. She comes of a race who swear vendettas."
"She better not swear any when I am around," retorted Nora with spirit,"or she will find that the Irish are equal to the occasion."
"Don't excite yourself needlessly, Nora," laughed Anne. "That splendidHibernian energy of yours is worthy of a better cause."
"How provoking!" suddenly exclaimed Grace. "I've left my library book inthe gym. and it's a week overdue now. I shall simply have to go back andget it. It's only three o'clock," she added, consulting her watch. "Whowill go with me?"
"Of what use is it for all of us to go," complained Nora. "We'll waitright here for you and you can hurry faster by going alone."
"All right, lazy, unsocial creatures," said Grace good-humoredly. "I'moff. Be sure you wait."
She hurried in the direction of the High School and in an incrediblyshort time was running down the corridor of the wing that led to thegymnasium. Remembering that she had laid her book on the window sill,Grace lost no time in securing it, and taking it under her arm waitedtoward the door. Suddenly the faint smell of smoke was borne to hernostrils.
She sniffed the air, then murmured, "I wonder what's burning. The smellseems to come from over there. Perhaps I'd better look around. It won'ttake a second."
She slowly retraced her steps, looking carefully about her. There was nosmoke to be seen. She turned to go, then impelled by some mysteriousinfluence, her eye traveled to the door of the small room at the left ofthe gymnasium.
With a cry of consternation she sped across the floor, flung open thedoor and staggered back, choked by a perfect volume of smoke that issuedfrom within. The interior of the room was in flames.
To think was to act. Unless help arrived speedily their belovedgymnasium would soon be a thing of the past. Grace tore through thecorridor like a wild girl, and darted out the door and across thecampus. There was a fire alarm on the street below the High School, andtoward this she directed her steps.
Pausing an instant before the box, she looked about her for somethingwith which to break the glass. Spying a small boy strolling toward her,a baseball bat in his hand, she pounced upon him, seized the bat beforehe knew what had happened and smashed the glass with one blow. Givingthe ring inside a vigorous pull, Grace shoved the bat into the hands ofthe astonished youngster and made for the nearest telephone.
Hurrying into Stillman's, she discovered to her disgust that thetelephone was in use, but a moment later she was at the door and againout on the street. Her quick ear had caught the clang of the bell on thefire engines, and the thing to do now was to go back to her chums withthe news--and then off to the fire.
"The gymnasium is on fire!" she cried, as she neared the spot where theyawaited her. "Hurry, all of you! Perhaps we may be of some help."
Her three friends needed no second invitation and throwing all dignityto the winds, raced down the street in the direction of the burningbuilding. When they reached the High School smoke was issuing from thewindows of the gymnasium, and from the roof and chimneys, and situatedas it was like a connecting link between the two buildings, it was aneasy matter for the flames to spread in either direction.
Even in the short time it had taken Grace to turn in the alarm, the firehad made tremendous headway, and great tongues of flame shot up towardthe sky. The roof had caught and was burning rapidly, although thefiremen played a constant stream upon it.
As the fire grew hotter, the other companies were called out, and soonthe entire Oakdale Fire Department was at work.
Ropes had been stretched around the burning part of the building to keepventuresome citizens outside the fire belt. Grace stood as close as shedared, Nora, Anne and Jessica at her side.
"Oh, do, do save our gymnasium!" she shrieked, as several firemenhurried past her.
"Can't do it, miss," replied one of them. "It's a goner. If we save theschool we'll do well, let alone the gymnasium."
Long and strenuously the firemen fought the hungry flames. The wind wasin the wrong direction, and helped to fan the blaze. One of thegymnasium walls fell in with a terrific crash, almost carrying with ittwo firemen who had been playing a stream from the rung of a ladder thatleaned against it. There was a cry of horror from the assembled crowdthat changed to a sigh of relief when it was discovered that the two menhad saved themselves by leaping.
"Oh, if only I were a man," breathed Grace, as she watched the firemen'sefforts to gain control of the situation. "I wouldn't stay here amoment. I'd be in the thick of the fight."
"Hold her girls,
or she'll dash straight over the ropes," said Nora.
"I'd like to," retorted Grace. "It's dreadful to stand here unable tohelp and see our dear old gym. go, and perhaps our school, too."
"Well, you turned in the alarm, and that's a whole lot," declaredJessica stoutly. "If you hadn't seen the blaze when you did things mightbe a good deal worse. As it is, I believe they are getting the fireunder control."
"It does look that way," exclaimed Anne. "See, the flames are dying outover on that side. Oh, if it would only rain and help things along."
"I believe it will rain before night. The clouds look heavy andthreatening," declared Nora, squinting at the sky.
"The weather prophet has come to town," smiled Anne.
For the next hour the girls stood eagerly watching the gallant work ofthe firemen. A dense crowd, composed largely of High School boys andgirls, packed the campus, while people blocked the streets outside thegates. Intense excitement prevailed, and when it became evident that themain building was safe a mighty cheer went up from the crowd.
"Bless their hearts!" exclaimed Grace. "They are just as fond as we areof Oakdale High School. But, oh, girls, where are we going to playbasketball!"
The girls looked at each other in dismay.
"What is life without basketball?" said Nora sadly.
"True enough," said Anne, "but even though the gym. is gone we stillhave our school. It would be simply terrible to have had it go in oursenior year."
"No doubt the gym. will be rebuilt at once," remarked Jessica.
"I am not so sure of that," replied Grace. "My father belongs to thecommon council, and I heard him tell mother the other day that the HighSchool had been refused an appropriation that they had asked for."
"Oh, well, then, we High School pupils will raise the money ourselves,"said Nora lightly.
"That idea is worth looking into," said Grace eagerly. "We might help agreat deal."
"Grace has the 'Busy Little Helper' stunt on the brain," jeered Jessica.
"Anything to keep matters moving," laughed Grace. "I'm an advocate ofthe strenuous life. But seriously, girls, how splendid it would be tofeel that we had been instrumental in rebuilding the gymnasium."
"Fine," agreed Nora. "We used to sing a song in kindergarten when I wasvery young and foolish that started out, 'We are little builders,'although at that time I never expected to really become one."
"Nora," said Grace severely, "you have all Hippy's bad traits and someof your own thrown in."
It was nearing six o'clock before the four friends left the scene of thefire and started for home. Nora's prediction of rain proved true, forjust as they made their way across the campus the rain began to comedown in torrents, wetting them to the skin, but in no respect dampeningtheir joy over the fact that this shower had come just in time to savetheir High School from further ravage by the flames.
Grace Harlowe's Senior Year at High School Page 4