Back at School with the Tucker Twins

by Nell Speed

  CHAPTER XXII.

  IN MOTLEY RAIMENT.

  That was a strange trip we took to Richmond, catching that early train.No one had had any sleep, but we meant to have some naps on the train.Dear old Captain Leahy was as good as gold to us. He left us to keephouse for him, as he put it, while he went back to the school with thewheelbarrow to get Annie's trunk. Annie was the only one who had a trunknow and grateful indeed she was to the Tuckers for saving it for her.She kept her clothes in her trunk as a rule, all of the best ones, atleast, so she really had suffered almost no loss from the fire.

  The rest of us had to do some twisting and turning to get sufficientlyclothed to travel. There were no hats at all in the company. Annie had asummer hat packed in her trunk, but no hat at all was better than asummer hat the middle of March. At that date the style of wearing yoursummer hat in winter and beginning on your winter hat in early fall hadnot yet penetrated to Gresham.

  Mary had fared worse than any of us and all her voluminous skirts hadperished in the flames. At least, we thought they had at the time but weheard later that some of the Gresham darkeys were seen dressed in them.Thomas Hawkins reported this to us. He said he knew Mary's clothes andcould not be mistaken.

  Mary's home lay in a different direction from Richmond and Mary thoughtshe must leave us and go immediately to her mother, but we persuaded herto call up her mother on long distance and put it up to her that sinceshe was burnt out and had no clothes she had better go to Richmond withus and purchase more.

  Mrs. Flannagan thought so, too, and was not a bit grouchy over beingcalled up at five o'clock in the morning to decide. She even said shemight come to Richmond herself and superintend the purchasing. We wantedto meet Mary's mother, but we were itching to have charge of theselection of Mary's clothes, certain, in the arrogance of youth, that wecould do much better than Mrs. Flannagan.

  I am pretty sure that that was the first time school girls had ever leftGresham on that early train with a proper breakfast. Captain Leahyhustled and bustled, and with the assistance of the girls had adelightful little repast cooked on his doll baby stove. The coffee wasnot of the finest grade, but it was of the finest make. The toast waspiping hot and the fried eggs were beyond reproach. The girls who hadbeen taken to the hotel did not fare so well as we.

  Before train time Miss Plympton came to bid us good-bye. She was lookingterribly harassed, having so many girls to attend to. I was glad to seeshe had changed her pink pajamas for a more suitable attire, also gladthat she had remembered to bring my coat back to me.

  I had had a little talk with Tweedles while Mary and Annie were 'phoningMrs. Flannagan, and we had come to the conclusion that we would 'fessup to Miss Plympton about how I got the sprained ankle.

  "I'll write to her, if you girls don't mind," I said. "I never feltsneakier in my life than when she bit so easily. I would have told herthen but I did not want to get you into a scrape, too."

  "Oh, forget it! Forget it!" they tweedled.

  We had not expected the honour of a visit from her, as we had got herpermission to take the first train home and thought that would be thelast of it.

  She would not sit down at first, but stood a few minutes in the tinyhouse, looking curiously around at the Captain's arrangements. We hadfinished breakfast and Dum and Annie were clearing off the tablepreparatory to washing the dishes, although the host insisted on theirleaving them.

  "We've half an hour to train time and might just as well put it inusefully," insisted Dum.

  "You look that tirred, lady," said the Captain, "if ye will excuse anould man, I think if ye take a coop of coffee 'twill be the savin' ofye."

  She did take one and very grateful she was. I began to feel that MissPlympton was much more human than I had ever deemed her. It wasn't easyto begin my confession, however, as there were so many present and MissPlympton tired and broken was still Miss Plympton.

  "I have something to tell you," I faltered, after she had inquiredalmost tenderly after my ankle. "I--I--sprained my ankle in the firedrill, not in the fire. Tweedles--I mean Caroline and Virginia--and I,you remember, beat all the girls out of the building. We did not comeout the regular way, but slid down the sheets out of our window. Therewere not enough sheets in our rope then to touch the ground and I had tojump about six feet--and my ankle turned. I did not mean to let youthink it was in the fire I had hurt it, but you just took it forgranted."

  I waited in great anxiety to see how this confession would strike ouraugust principal. She looked at me curiously and then choked on hercoffee and laughed and laughed until the little kittens in Bett's basketcame out to see what was the matter. No one had ever seen Miss Plymptonreally laugh before. Finally she was able to speak.

  "After all, I did not say in my instructions to the school what routethey were to take to get out of the building when the alarm rang, and ifyou chose to come by the window perhaps it was none of my business. Atany rate, I don't see what is to be done about it now. Certainlydemerits would be a farce."

  "Well, I never thought of that!" exclaimed Dum. "Somehow I've beenhaving a feeling that demerits could never be a farce."

  "They are a farce now. There is something I want to say to yougirls--all five of you. I might as well get it over with. I have notunderstood you and feel that there have been times when I have beenunjust. I want you to accept my apology."

  Miss Plympton stood up and held out her hand like a perfect gentleman.We were so amazed we could hardly muster sense enough to shake it. Hadthe fire gone to her head? "When I realize that but for your bravery Imight have lost my life--"

  "Why, not at all, Miss Plympton," put in Dee, "there was really plentyof time, as it turned out. The firemen could have got you out just aswell. There was no hurry, but of course we thought there was or we wouldnot have hustled you so."

  "If you don't mind, I like to think you saved my life. I must tell allof you good-bye now as I have a great many things to attend to andtelegrams to send to the parents of the pupils. I am sending all homethat I can to-day," and the poor woman gave another hand shake allaround and even stooped down and gave Bett a pat, much to theastonishment of the Captain who thought our principal scorned cats.

  She thanked our host for his kindness, and started out the door and thencame back and kissed me. Her face was crimson. Evidently she was not anadept in osculatory exercises. "I hope your ankle will be all right, mydear," she whispered. "Be sure and see a surgeon as soon as you get toRichmond."

  "Well, I'll be ding swittled!" gasped Dum, as the door closed on our onetime _bete noir_. She expressed the sentiments of all of us.

  "The firre has milted herr icy hearrt. And did ye see herr pat poorrBett?"

  "I am glad she is melted, but I must say I am also glad she didn't slushon me but that Page got it," said naughty Dee. "I can't believe thatMiss Plympton has actually taken to lollapalussing."

  A motley crowd we were on that train to Richmond. Some girls had savedjackets and no skirts and some skirts and no jackets. Some of them hadon bedroom slippers, and one girl, who was too fat to borrow, went homein her gymnasium suit and a long coat. Hats were a rarity and glovesunheard of. I am certain more clothes were saved than the girls eversaw, as the ghouls were very busy. We looked like a tacky party asalmost every one had on something borrowed or incongruous.

  The excitement had kept up our spirits and, while we were one and allsorry about Gresham, we were one and all glad to be going home. I sayall were glad, but that is not quite accurate. Annie Pore was not glad.Home was not a very entrancing place for her, poor girl. A country storein a small settlement on the river bank is not such a very cheerfulplace for a beautiful young girl with a voice she hopes to makesomething of. Annie's voice was deepening in tone and becoming veryround and full. She really should be having it cultivated by a goodmaster, but Mr. Pore was so parsimonious there was no telling whether ornot he would let her have the necessary advantages.

  We talked of many things on that trip to Richmond. Sleep was out of thequ
estion, although we had planned naps to make up for the many hours wehad been awake. Dee re-bandaged my ankle and I was much morecomfortable.

  "I, for one, mean to go to New York to study Art," said Dum.

  "Well, if you go, I'm going, too," declared Dee. "I don't know just whatI'll study, but I'm going to be either a trained nurse or a veterinarysurgeon."

  "I mean to take a course in journalism at Columbia," I put in.

  "I do want to study singing in good, hard earnest," sighed Annie.

  "I mean to be a movie actress," said funny Mary Flannagan. "You needn'tlaugh. There is great demand for character work in the movies. Everybodycan't be beautifully formed. I bet you John Bunny draws a bigger crowdthan Annette Kellermann."

  "Well, I'll pay my dime to see you on the screen every day in the week!"I exclaimed.

  "I am really seriously considering the stage for a profession," declaredMary. "I could do vaudeville stunts in between my movie engagements."

  "Of course you could!" tweedled the twins.

  "I believe you could make a big hit in vaudeville. I never yet have seenor heard of a female ventriloquist on the stage," continued Dum.

  "Whatever we are going to do next winter," said Annie, "we are at leastgoing to be together some this summer. Harvie Price has written me thathis grandfather, General Price, has told him he can have a house partyon his beautiful old plantation at Price's Landing any time this summerthat suits him, and he is to have all of us."

  "Oh, what fun! Zebedee says Riverlands is one of the show places ofVirginia and I know it will be just splendid to visit there," said Dee.

  "But speaking of visiting places," I exclaimed, "wouldn't I love tospend this unexpected spring holiday in travel!--not to far away places,you know,--"

  "I know," interrupted Dee eagerly, "just short trips--at a moment'snotice--anywhere."

  "The kind Zebedee takes," added Dum.

  Oh, how I wished we might--but I knew we couldn't.

  And yet we did! I'll tell you some day what fun it was "Tripping withthe Tucker Twins."

  THE END.