by Nell Speed
Zebedee lost his balance and shot over our heads into thesoft snow.--_Page 190_]
BACK AT SCHOOL WITH THE TUCKER TWINS
by
NELL SPEED
Author of "The Molly Brown Series," "The CarterGirls Series," etc.
A. L. Burt CompanyPublishers New York
Printed in U. S. A.
Copyright, 1917,byHurst & Company, Inc.
Made in U.S.A.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE I. THE GET AWAY 5 II. THE BIRTHDAY PARTY 18 III. GRESHAM AGAIN 27 IV. RULES AND RESULTS 41 V. SOME LETTERS 52 VI. THE HALLOWE'EN PARTY 64 VII. WHEN GHOST MEETS GHOST 83 VIII. INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE 97 IX. ECCLESIASTICAL POWER 110 X. VIRGINIA VERSUS CAROLINA 119 XI. THANKSGIVING DINNER 136 XII. THE BALL 148 XIII. NODS AND BECKS 159 XIV. HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS 184 XV. CHRISTMAS GUESTS 199 XVI. CHRISTMAS EVE AT BRACKEN 211 XVII. SANTA CLAUS 220 XVIII. CHRISTMAS FOR SALLY WINN 237 XIX. BACK IN THE TREAD-MILL 255 XX. THE FIRE DRILL 265 XXI. THE REALITY 281 XXII. IN MOTLEY RAIMENT 300
Back at School with the Tucker Twins.
CHAPTER I.
THE GETAWAY.
Could it be possible that only one year had passed since I started toboarding school? So much had happened in that time, I had met so manypersons, made so many friends, and my horizon had broadened so that itseemed more like ten years.
There I was once more on the train headed for Richmond, having arisen atthe unearthly hour of five. Dear old Mammy Susan had as usual warmed upmy bath water and prepared a bountiful breakfast. Father had been unableto accompany me to Richmond to put me on the Gresham train as we hadplanned, all because poor Sally Winn had made a desperate effort todepart this life in the night.
It was all so exactly as it had been the year before, I had to pinchmyself to realize it was not just a dream of what had happened. My newmail order suit was a little different cut from the last year's, asCousin Sue Lee, in planning my wardrobe, insisted upon up-to-date style,and my suit case did not look so shiny new. That was about the onlydifference that I could see. The colt had had a year to settle down in,but he was quite as lively as ever. My last hug with Mammy Susan was cutshort by his refusing to stand still another minute, and as I piled intothe buggy with Father, the spirited horse whirled us around on one wheeland we covered the six miles to Milton in such a short time that I hadhalf an hour to wait for my train.
Sitting in the station at Richmond awaiting the arrival of my dearTuckers and Annie Pore, I thought that if the first part of my journeyhad been a repetition of last year, now, at least, some variation was inorder. Here I was waiting for friends I had already made, instead ofwondering if I should meet any one on the train going to Gresham.
Annie Pore came first, her boat, from Price's Landing, having arrivedearly. Could this be the same Annie? This young lady had a suit onrather too much like mine for my taste, as I simply hate to look likeeverybody else! But a mail order house does not profess to sell only oneof a kind, and I myself had introduced Annie to the mysteries ofordering by catalogue, so I really had no kick coming; but I couldn'thelp wishing that our tastes and pocketbooks had not coincided soexactly. When I thought of the Annie of last September and the Annie ofthis, I hated myself for caring.
My mind still retained the picture of the forlorn little English girlwith her tear-stained face and crumpled hat, her ill-fitting clothes andbulging telescope. Now she looked like other girls, except that she wasa great deal more beautiful. In place of the battered old telescope, shecarried a brand new suit case; and a neat little hand bag held herticket and trunk check, also a reservation in the parlor car. She wasstill timid but when she spied me a look of intense joy and relief cameover her face, and in a moment we were locked in each other's arms. Howschool girls can hug!
"Oh, Page, I'm glad to see you! I had a terrible feeling I had missed mytrain, but of course if you are here, I couldn't have."
"Still the anxious traveler, aren't you, dear? We've at least twentyminutes."
"Harvie Price was to meet me at the boat landing and bring me up here,but I was afraid to wait for him. He believes in just catching a trainand it makes me extremely nervous not to be ahead of time. I am afraidhe will think it very rude of me."
"Maybe it will teach him a lesson and he will learn from the early birdhow better to conduct himself," I comforted her. "Now the Tuckers say itis much better to have a train wait for you than wait for atrain.--Speaking of angels,--here they are!"
In they trooped, Mr. Tucker laden with suit cases and umbrellas, andDum carrying gingerly in both hands a box about a foot square whichcontained something very precious, it was evident, as she most carefullydeposited it on a bench before she gave me her accustomed bear hug. Deehad Brindle, her beloved bull dog, in her arms and she dispensed withthe ceremony of putting him down before she embraced Annie and me, so weboth got a good licking in the left ear from that affectionate canine.
"Zebedee is mad with me for bringing him, as it means he will have tokeep him in the newspaper office until luncheon time, but somehow Icould not part with him before it was absolutely necessary. It hurt hisfeelings terribly when I went last year and did not let him see me off,"and Dee wept a little Tucker tear on the wrinkled and rolling neck ofher dog. To one who did not know Brindle, he seemed to be choking withemotion, but Brindle's make-up was such that every intaken breath was asniffle and every outgoing one a snort.
Mr. Tucker's handsome and speaking countenance beamed with delight ashe waited his turn to give Annie and me the warm handshake that was asmuch a part of the Tuckers as anything else about that delightful trio.
"What a place this station would be to have the Lobster Quadrille!" heexclaimed. "I am so glad to see you, little Page, and you, Miss Annie,that I feel as though I must dance, but that might get us in bad withthat dignified-looking porter over there and so maybe we had betterrefrain--Besides, I could not dance on this day when my Tweedles areleaving me," and instead of dancing as he had threatened, this youngestof all the Tuckers, in spite of being the parent, began to show decidedsigns of shedding tears.
"Now, Zebedee, this is ridiculous! You act worse than you did lastyear," admonished Dum.
"Well, it is worse than it was last year," and Zebedee drew his girls tohim while Brindle choked and chortled and tried to lick all three ofthem at once. "You see, last year we did not know just how bad it wouldbe, and this year we know."
"That's so!" tweedled the twins. "If you could only go with us toGresham, it wouldn't be so bad."
"If we had just been triplets instead of twins and a father!" saidZebedee, and then we all of us laughed.
Just then Harvie Price arrived in a state of breathless excitement,having missed Annie at the pier and, aware of her timidity, fearingsomething dire had befallen her.
Harvie had a great tenderness for his one-time playmate and usuallyassumed the big brother air with her, but the large box of candy heproduced for the journey, and which he handed to her with very much a"Sweets to the sweet" expression, was not so very big brotherish to myway of thinking. Brothers have to be very big brothers indeed andsisters very little sisters for the former to remember that the lattermight be pleased by some little attention in the way of candy on a trip.I don't mean to criticise brothers, as I'
d rather have one than anythingin all the world. I'd excuse him from all gallant attentions if hewould only just exist.
"If you had not brought Brindle, I believe I would go half way with yougirls, and come back on the train we strike at the Junction," saidZebedee.
"If you go, I will, too," chimed in Harvie.
"Now, Virginia Tucker! Just see what you have done! You put that dogbefore your own flesh and blood!" exclaimed Dum.
"No such thing! He is my own flesh and blood, Caroline Tucker," and Deeheld the ugly bull dog close in her arms.
"Tut! Tut! Don't have a row for Heaven's sake," begged their father.When Dum and Dee Tucker called one another by their Christian names, noone knew so well as their devoted parent how close they were to a breachthat could only be healed by _trial de combat_. It was almost as seriousa state of affairs as when they addressed him as Father or Mr. Tucker."Do you know, I believe with a little strategy we can take Brindle,too, and not in the baggage car either. I know how he hates that."
"Oh, Zebedee, how? Dum, I'm sorry I called you Caroline," and Dee gaveher twin an affectionate pat.
"Forget it! Forget it! Besides, I called you Virginia first."
"Well, stop making up now. Sometimes you Tweedles make up with moreracket than you do fighting it out. Now listen! We can dress Brindle uplike a baby if you girls can dive in your grips for suitableapparel--anything white and fluffy will do. Take off that veil you'vegot twisted 'round your neck, Dum, and here is a cap all ready forbaby," and he fashioned a wonderful little Dutch cap out of his largelinen handkerchief and tied it under the unresisting and flabby chin ofBrindle.
We were so convulsed we could hardly contain our merriment, but containit we were forced to do, because of the exceedingly dignified and easilyshocked porter who stood at the door of the elevator like a uniformedbronze statue.
"Gather 'round me, girls," begged Dee, "so we can have a suitabledressing room for Brindle. He is very modest."
Brindle was so accustomed to being dressed up by Dee, who had playedwith him as though he were a doll ever since he had been a tiny softpuppy, that he submitted with great docility to the role he was forcedto play. We all wanted Zebedee and Harvie to go with us to the Junctionif it could be managed, but the cast-iron rules of the railroads forbadethe carrying of dogs into the coaches. Brindle was there and there wasnothing to do with him but take him, and take him we did. Annie had ashort petticoat made of soft sheer material with lace whipped on thebottom and little hand tucks and hemstitching. This she took out of hernew suitcase, proud to be the one to have the proper dress for baby. Deetied the skirt around Brindle's neck and pulled it down over his passivelegs.
"Yes, my baby has never worn anything but handmade clothes," said Deewith all the airs of a young mother.
Then Dum's automobile veil, the pride of her heart because of itswonderful blue colour, covered the sniffling, snuffling nose of ourbaby. The transformation was completed just as our train was called, andwith preternaturally solemn countenances we trooped through the gate,the handmade dress of the baby hanging over Dee's arm in a mostlife-like manner.
The man who punched the tickets at the gate looked rather earnestly atthe very young girl with the rather large bunchy baby, and of coursejust as Dee passed him, Brindle had to let forth one of his especiallyloud snorts. Dee turned pale but Zebedee came to the rescue with:
"My dear, I am afraid poor little Jo Jo has taken an awful cold. I havesome sweet spirits of nitre in my case which I will administer as soonas we are settled in the Pullman."
Dee looked gratefully at her thoughtful father and whispered:
"Gather around me closely, girls."
We gathered, while Harvie and Zebedee brought up the rear.
We passed the solicitous Pullman porter, who even offered to take thebaby, and we sank finally into our seats in a state of collapse. I hadlong ago found out that she who followed the Tuckers, father anddaughters, would get into more or less scrapes; but she would have amighty good time doing it and would always get out with no loss of lifeor honour.
"Zebedee!" gasped Dee. "Why did you call Brindle, Jo Jo?"
"Why, Jo Jo, the dog-faced boy! He was one of the marvels of my youth.No side show was complete without him. If the worst comes to the worstwe can be a freak show traveling West, on our way to the fair inKalamazoo."
"What will you be?" I laughed.
"Oh, I'll be 'Eat-'em-alive' and Miss Annie will have to be the liontamer. They are always beautiful blondes. Dum and Dee of course will bethe Siamese Twins disconnected for the convenience of travel."
"And me--what will I be?"
"Oh, you will have to be the little white rabbit I'm going to eatalive," and he made a horribly big mouth that I know would have madepoor Jo Jo bark if he could have seen it through his thick blue veil,but the conductor appeared at this crucial moment and Zebedee had to situp and behave.