CHAPTER V.
A SLEIGHING PARTY
Dorothy was never inclined toward mischief, and now, when her mother wasaway traveling for change of scene, and much-needed rest, she felt veryeager to send each month, a fine report of her progress. Dorothy wasfull of life, and loved a good time, if Nancy, her dearest friend mightenjoy it with her.
When the news was circulated that the great sleigh at the livery stablehad been chartered by Mrs. Marvin, and that sleigh-rides would be inorder as long as the snow lasted, none was more eager for the pleasurethan Dorothy.
To be sure, she had always enjoyed plenty of sleigh-rides when at homeat the Stone House, but here was a novelty! The big sleigh at Glenmorewould hold twenty girls, while the beautiful Russian sleigh at the StoneHouse held four, and the pony sleigh two. Mrs. Marvin, in making out thelist for each party, was careful to place those already acquaintedtogether. Thus, the list that was headed with Dorothy's name includedNancy Ferris, of course, then Vera, Elf, Patricia, Arabella, Betty,Valerie, and twelve others, who were at least slightly acquainted withthose already named.
They were about evenly divided in another way. Ten were exceedinglylively, while the other half of the list were pleasant girls of quietertype.
Mrs. Marvin well knew that twenty lively girls would be likely to be abit too gay for the steady-going inhabitants of the town of Glenmore,while the school must keep up its reputation for being cheerful, butsurely not noisy nor flighty!
The day for the first sleigh-ride dawned clear and cold, and Marcusinformed Judy that it was cold enough "ter freeze de bronze statoo downin de square."
They were to start at three, and promptly at that hour Marcus drew up atthe door.
Eager to start, the girls were all waiting in the hall, when Arabelladrawled:
"Every one wait while I go and get my shawls."
She darted up the stairs, Patricia calling after her: "Your shawls,goosie! Why you're wearing two coats and a sweater now."
"What did Arabella say?" asked Betty Chase.
"I thought she said she wanted the shawl to put over her _ears_!"
"She did say that," declared Patricia, "and won't she look fine;besides, how could she get them on when twenty of us are packed intothat sleigh?"
"Oh, I'll help her with them," cried Betty Chase, with a laugh.
"So will I," chimed in Valerie.
"Here she comes now. Well, as I live, she _has_ brought two shawls,"said Betty.
"One for each ear," said Valerie.
Laughing and chattering they ran down the path, and soon werecomfortably seated, very close to be sure, but very warm.
Arabella said that the two shawls were to wear later if it becamecolder, whereat, Betty begged her to sit upon them.
"You take up room enough for three with a big shawl under each arm,"said Betty. "Stand up and I'll fold them so you can sit on them."
Arabella meekly did as she was told. If any other girl had done the samething, she would have obstinately rebelled, but Betty had a way that wascompelling, and Arabella, after she was seated, wondered why she hadbeen so meek.
Patricia Levine had brought a big box of fudge, and she now passed itaround. Arabella said she knew it would make her sick, but she took twopieces instead of one, lest the box might not come around again.
The route took them over a long roadway that had been cut through aforest, and on either side the great trees towered above them, theirbranches heaped with snow. The underbrush was beautified with whatlooked like patches of swan's-down, and a tiny, ice-bound brook woundits way in among the giant trees, disappearing behind a clump ofevergreens.
It had been possible to see all these things because the road had beenso rough that Marcus had been obliged to drive rather slowly.
Now, as they emerged from the wood-road, he touched the whip to theflank of one of his horses, and with one accord they sprang forward,giving the chattering occupants of the sleigh a decided "bounce," andstopping Elf Carleton in the middle of the story that she was telling.
"O dear! Where was I when that jolt came?" she asked.
"I don't know what you were telling," said Vera, "but it's my turn now,and I'm going to tell how awfully you acted this morning.
"Girls, Mrs. Marvin was perfectly lovely. She just talked and talkedabout how good I _ought_ to be, but I didn't mind that, so long as shedidn't say she was going to send me home. She never said a single wordabout that, but I didn't know she was going to be such a perfect dear. Iwoke before daylight, and much comfort Elf was to me! I tell you truly,girls, I poked her, I called to her, I shook her, but couldn't get herenough awake to say a word.
"Well, we're about even, for one morning last week when I kept tellingher my tooth was aching, she paid no attention until I gave her anoutrageous poke, and shouted into her ear, 'My tooth aches!'
"She didn't open her eyes, but what she said was a great comfort."
"What did she say?" questioned Betty.
"She said it might stop aching if I kept my mouth closed," said Vera,"and it took me five minutes to realize that her advice was more forher benefit than mine. She wanted another nap, and closing my mouth toshield my aching tooth would also prevent my talking. Trust Elf formaking sure--Oh, look, girls!"
Every head turned.
A big red pung was coming toward them at top speed. It was crowded withmore boys than could be seated, and those who stood carried long poles.From the top of each pole a broad, gayly colored streamer waved. As thepung passed a big boy in the center shouted: "Three cheers for theGlenmore girls!" and they were given with a will.
"How do they know that we are Glenmore girls?" said Elf.
"Three cheers for the 'What-you-call 'em' boys!" screamed Betty, andeven Arabella added a faint "Hurrah!" to the general clamor.
Two of the boys produced a pair of cymbals, but while they were clashingBetty brought forth a huge gong and nearly stunned those near her withthe noise that she made as with all her might she smote it.
"Hoo_ray_!" shouted a small boy.
"Hoo_raw_!" howled Valerie Dare, and no one could have decided whichlaughed the harder, the pung-load of boys, or the lively girls in theGlenmore sleigh.
"Yo'-all behave like tomboys," commented Marcus. "Lor', but Mis' Marvinwould 'a' been some s'prised ef she'd been here ter hear ye carry on."
"Well, if Miss Fenler had been here she'd have had forty fits," criedVera Vane, "but, Marcus, what they don't know won't worry them, and youneedn't tell them."
"And Marcus, you can forget all about the racket before you get home,"said Elf.
"Shore, Miss, I's got a powerful short mem'ry. Gid 'ap!"
"Dorothy Dainty cheered as loud as any of us," said ArabellaCorreyville.
"Well, why shouldn't she?" Patricia asked.
"Oh, she's always so--oh, I don't know,--correct, I guess is what Imeant to say," responded Arabella.
"I like fun as well as any one does," said Dorothy who had overheard theremark.
"Oh, but Dorothy, you aren't even the least bit rude," declared Valerie.
"It's not rude to cheer," Dorothy said with a laugh. "I think we werevery polite to return their salute."
"Nancy Ferris cheered, too," said a girl who had been very quiet duringthe hubbub.
Nancy laughed.
"I cheered because Dorothy did," she said, "but, Betty, how did you getthat gong in here without any one noticing it?"
"It was under this long coat," said Betty, "and I'll tell you all how Ihappened to bring it.
"Monday, when I was down in the village, I met a boy that I know, and hetold me that over at the boys' private school in the next town they'dheard about our sleigh-rides, and he told me that one of the boys, BobChandler, had bought a pair of old cymbals at an antique shop. They wereplanning their first sleigh-ride for the same day as ours, and theythought we'd have no noise-maker with us. I meant to get even with them,so I brought the big gong that hung in my room, and I guess we made asmuch noise as they did. I've a number of
curios that my uncle broughthome from abroad. Why didn't I think to bring along that funny littlehorn? You could have tooted on that, Valerie."
"Oh, I'm satisfied. We had noise enough," said Hilda Fenton.
At that moment there was a commotion on the rear seat.
Some one was twisting around so persistently that many were made quiteuncomfortable.
Dorothy turned to see what it was all about. She laughed softly, andtouched Nancy's arm.
"It's Arabella," whispered Dorothy.
"Yes, and she's trying to put both shawls on at once," said Nancy.
"Oh, quick! See what Patricia is doing."
Completely out of patience with Arabella's wriggling, Patricia wastaking a vigorous hand.
In a manner anything but gentle she was pulling the heavy shawls uparound Arabella's head and shoulders.
Betty Chase said that she was "yanking" them, and the word, if notelegant, was truthfully descriptive.
"_Don't_ knock my hat off!" whimpered Arabella.
"I don't care what I do if only I get those old shawls onto you soyou'll sit still!" declared Patricia.
When Arabella settled herself in her place she took a third more roomthan before, and looked like a little old woman rolled up in manyblankets.
Arabella sat firm and immovable, staring through her spectacles. She didnot turn to the right or the left, and one would say that she did notknow that the girls were laughing at her.
"Don't you wish you had just one more shawl?" said Patricia.
"Not if I had to have you put it on," drawled Arabella. "You shoved myhat on one side of my head, and it's felt queer ever since."
"How do you know that the hat has felt queer?" Valerie asked, smotheringa laugh.
"I guess you'd feel queer if Patricia Levine had once taken hold ofyou," was the quick response, and Valerie ceased teasing.
"Dorothy knows a jolly sleighing song," said Nancy.
"Sing it! Sing it!"
"Oh, please sing it, Dorothy," clamored eager voices.
"Sing it with me, Nancy," Dorothy said. "Your alto makes it fine."
Their voices blended sweetly, and the melody floated out on the crispair, so that a tall, dark man left a wood road, and stood listening asthe sleigh sped past.
"Over the ice and snow we fly, Oh, but our steeds have wings! And their hoofs keep time With the glad bells chime, For sleigh bells are merry things, Never a thought or care have we, Lessons are laid aside, And we laugh and sing, Adding mirth and din To the joy of a winter's ride."
"Oh, don't stop!" cried an eager voice. "Isn't there another verse?"
"There are two other verses," said Dorothy "but--I've forgotten them."
"Then sing the one you do know. It's worth hearing again!"
Again she sang it, as gayly as before, but for some reason, Nancy'svoice trembled, and Dorothy turned to glance at her.
She saw that Nancy's cheeks were white, and her eyes wide as if withfear. A moment before her cheeks had been rosy red where the sharp windhad kissed them.
"What is it, Nancy?" Dorothy whispered.
Nancy shook her head, but the hand that held Dorothy's tightened with anervous grip.
When the girls were once more chattering together, Nancy, leaning towardDorothy, whispered softly: "That dark man that stood near the woodswatching us as we passed,--did you see him?"
"Why, yes," whispered Dorothy, "but--" then she understood Nancy's fear."Why, Nancy dear, your old Uncle Steve, who stole you from us once, isnot living. Don't you remember that, and besides, that man didn't lookthe least bit like him."
"That man looked just like Bonfanti!"
"Oh,--oo," burst softly from Dorothy's lips, then she tried to comfortNancy. "But why should he be wandering through the woods here? You'vealways said that he was a busy man, and once you heard him say that hehad never been out of New York City."
"I know I did," Nancy said, "but I s'pose he _could_ go somewhere else,and oh, Dorothy that man looked just like him!"