CHAPTER XIII--BILLIE IS CHOSEN
Miss Arbuckle laid a kindly hand on Billie's shoulder and looked atAmanda inquiringly. The latter was smiling triumphantly. Billie had donewhat she had hoped she would do. She, Amanda, would tell what in hermean little mind she really thought was the truth, and get Billie in badwith the powers-that-be.
"What is this that you are telling about Beatrice, Amanda?" asked MissArbuckle, adding, impatient of Amanda's grin: "Be quick about it."
"She and Teddy Jordon ran off together to-day and were gone for aboutthree hours," she said triumphantly. "Billie just came in."
Billie's eyes, black in her white, set face, looked up at Miss Arbucklesteadily.
"I didn't do it, Miss Arbuckle," she said, her lip quivering. "I--Icouldn't."
"I know you couldn't, Billie Bradley," said Miss Arbuckle, sounexpectedly that Amanda's mouth dropped open from sheer surprise."There must be some mistake."
"But they were away together for three hours," Amanda repeated, angry athaving this tempting morsel of revenge snatched away from her at thelast minute. "I know it."
"That will do, Amanda," said Miss Arbuckle sternly. "You have beenguilty several times of starting stories about the girls that have hadabsolutely no foundation in truth. And I warn you that if you are caughtagain in this mischief it may mean serious trouble for you.
"You say," she added turning soberly to Billie, "that you and TeddyJordon did _not_ leave the other boys and girls this morning?"
"Oh, yes, we did," said Billie, so eager to explain that her wordstripped all over themselves. "Only we didn't do it on purpose."
Miss Arbuckle looked grave and Amanda's triumphant leer returned.
"Please let me explain----" began poor Billie, but the teacherinterrupted her.
"Yes, I want you to," she said. "Only not just now. Come to me to-morrowmorning at nine, Billie. And I want you to be there also, Amanda. In themeantime," she added to the latter, "you will make no mention of thisaffair in any way. Do you understand?"
Amanda nodded sullenly and at Miss Arbuckle's command the small group ofgirls that had gathered dispersed to their various dormitories, talkingexcitedly of what had happened.
Billie was too tired and cold and worn out with conflicting emotions totalk much at first. But under the tireless cross-questioning of thegirls she gradually began to give them the story of her remarkableadventure.
They were very much excited about Nick Budd and the cave, and declaredthat they must visit it and Billie must show them the way.
But Billie, who was comfortably stretched out on her bed with Vi rubbingone half-frozen hand and Laura the other, absolutely denied that shewould do anything of the sort.
"It sounds very interesting now," she said. "But I tell you I was scaredto death while it lasted. I wouldn't go back to that place for a milliondollars. Oh, girls," she added, stretching luxuriously, "you don't knowhow heavenly it feels just to be where it's warm."
"Didn't Teddy keep you warm?" asked Rose Belser, wickedly, but just thenthe door opened and Amanda came into the room. Needless to say, Billiedid not answer the question.
Promptly at nine o'clock the next morning Billie went to Miss Arbuckleand told her the story of the yesterday's adventure just as it hadhappened, and Miss Arbuckle, to Amanda's immense disgust, believed her.A little talk by the teacher on the wisdom of taking fewer chances inthe future ended the interview to which Billie had been looking forwardwith not a little dread. And Amanda found herself once more facing theproblem of how "to get even with Billie Bradley."
The girls talked and wondered about the queer little cave and simpleNick Budd, but as the days went on and they were whirled into averitable maelstrom of quizzes and examinations, they gradually forgotthe incident.
It seemed that the school work was to be unusually interesting thatyear. There were the usual number of essays to be written, and for oneMiss Walters had offered a prize to the girl turning in the best work.
The title of the essay was "The World's Greatest Generals," and any girlin the school was entitled to try for it. There were other prizesoffered, too, but Billie, whose mark in English was usually the highestin her class, thought that she would try for the composition prize.
Laura and Connie and Rose Belser were going to enter the lists with her,but Vi and Nellie Bane decided to try for the highest mark in geometry.
"Working for a prize makes the work seem more like a game," said Connieas she happily looked up her "greatest generals." "I'm as excited as ifI were going to a party."
"Well, you'd better not get too excited," advised Vi, pulling a lock ofher hair absently in order to solve a particularly steep problem in herbeloved geometry. "Billie is sure to come off with the essay prize."
"Oh, she is, is she?" spoke up Rose, who had set her heart on the essayprize herself and who could never quite stifle her former jealousy ofBillie. "Well, maybe she is, but I'm going to give her a run for hermoney just the same."
"Good!" cried Billie, looking up from her book and smiling sunnily atRose. "That's the kind of game I like to play."
"And how about us?" said Laura, smiling ruefully over at fluffy-hairedConnie. "We don't seem to be in this at all."
Besides their studies, the girls had the Ghost Club to think about andthe importance of initiating new members. They had decided upon two ofthe freshmen for the honor, one, a fair-haired intelligent girl namedAnn Fleming and the second a laughing imp of a girl with red hair andred-brown eyes who bore the name of Ada Slope.
Both girls stood well in their studies and showed a remarkablepopularity among their classmates considering the short time they hadbeen at the Hall.
And of course they were overwhelmed with joy when Billie drew them asideone day and ordered them to be in the gymnasium at not later than nineo'clock that night.
They were there before nine, shivering in the darkness of the biggymnasium and wishing that this fearful business of being initiated wereover and done with.
A few minutes later the "ghosts" arrived and put the girls through aseries of trials that tested their courage and endurance to the limit.
They were made to "walk the plank" blindfolded; they were prepared for"branding with a red-hot poker" and then touched with a lump of ice thatmade them cry out in imagined pain; they were handed all sorts of slimythings, harmless in themselves but terrifying to the overstrained nervesof the girls.
But they came out of the test with flying colors, and the members of theclub were well satisfied with their choice.
"And now," said Rose Belser--who was still president of the club--as thehandkerchiefs were removed from the eyes of the new members, "we areabout to put to the test a new rule suggested by a fellow ghost."
The girls held their breath, for the announcement was a surprise to allbut Billie, who had herself made the suggestion.
"It occurred to this fellow-member of our illustrious club," Rose wenton in a deep voice, looking very weird and ghostly in her long whiteceremonial robe, with only slits cut in it for the eyes and nose andmouth, "that it is only fair to the new members who have stood the test,to suggest some difficult feat for one of the old members toperform--this person to be chosen by the new members of the club."
The girls were silent for a moment, sitting there like so many actualghosts in their white robes, and they thrilled with excitement as theyrealized the possibilities of the new rule if it should be accepted.
It was fair, for it would give the girls who had gone through the hazinga chance to "get even," and it would also be lots of fun for themselves.So when Rose called in a sepulchral voice for a vote, there was aunanimous cry of "aye."
Billie smiled under her white mask gleefully. She had known that thegirls would be good sports.
"The suggestion has been unanimously accepted," Rose rumbled on in thedeep voice she adopted for such occasions. "Fellow ghosts, we will nowwithdraw and give our fellow members a chance to consult upon thisimportant topic."
"You don't have to
withdraw," cried red-haired Ada Slope, with a gigglethat she could not entirely suppress, despite the "seriousness of theoccasion." "I'll give a nickel to any girl who will climb up into towernumber three with only a candle to see by."
"And I'll give a dime," said Ann Fleming decidedly.
A ripple of very human laughter ran through the ghosts, and Rose had todemand order three times before she was obeyed.
"Very well," she said then. "Our new members have decided. It nowremains for them to select one among our number to do this mighty deed.Advance, new members of the Ghost Club! Choose!"
Ann Fleming put out her hand and touched one white-robed figure.
"I choose this one," she said.
"'Tis done!" cried Ada Slope, dramatically.
Oh, poetic justice! For the chosen one was Billie!