CHAPTER XIII
TOM AND GRACE SCENT TROUBLE
The time passed all too rapidly, and with many expressions of regret onboth sides the judge and his youthful guests parted, two days before theNew Year.
On account of the house party the Phi Sigma Tau had been obliged topostpone until New Year's Day entertaining as they had done the previousyear the stray High School girls who were far from home. Therefore, themoment they arrived in Oakdale they found their hands full.
Mrs. Gray had been in California with her brother since September, andthe girls greatly missed the sprightly old lady. It was the firstChristmas since they had entered High School that she had not been withthem, and they were looking forward with great eagerness to her returnin February.
Julia Crosby, who was at Smith College, had accepted an invitation fromher roommate to spend the holidays in Boston, much to Grace'sdisappointment, who had reckoned on Julia as one of the judge's houseparty.
New Year's Day the Phi Sigma Tau nobly lived up to their reputation asentertainers of those girls who they had originally pledged themselvesto look out for, but New Year's Night the four girl chums had reservedfor a special gathering which included the "eight originals" only. Itwas Miriam who had made this possible by inviting Eva Allen, JamesGardiner, Arnold Evans, Marian Barber, and much against her will, HenryHammond, to a dinner.
"Don't feel slighted at being left off my dinner list," she said toGrace, then added slyly, "Why don't the eight originals hold forth atNora's?"
"You're a positive dear, Miriam," Grace replied. "We have been wantingto have an old-time frolic, but didn't wish to seem selfish andclannish."
"Opportunity is knocking at your gate, get busy," was Miriam's advice,which Grace was not slow to follow.
"At last there are signs of that spread that I was promised at thebazaar," proclaimed Hippy Wingate cheerfully, as attired in a longgingham apron belonging to Nora's elder sister, he energetically stirredfudge in a chafing dish and insisted every other minute that Nora shouldtry it to see if it were done.
"You'll have to stir it a lot, yet," Nora informed him.
"But I'm so tired," protested Hippy. "I think Tom or Reddy might changejobs with me."
"Not so you could notice it," was the united reply from these two youngmen who sat with a basket of English walnuts between them and did greatexecution with nut crackers, while Anne and David separated the kernelsfrom their shells.
The eight originals had repaired to the O'Malley kitchen immediatelyafter their arrival, and were deep in the preparation of the spread,long deferred.
Grace stood by the gas range watching the chocolate she was making,while Nora and Jessica sat at a table making tiny sandwiches of whiteand brown bread with fancy fillings.
"This spread will taste much better because we've all had a hand in it,"remarked David, as he handed Nora a dish of nut kernels, which shedropped into the mixture over which Hippy labored.
"I never fully realized my own cleverness until to-night," said Hippymodestly. "My powers as a fudge maker are simply marvelous."
"Humph!" jeered David, "you haven't done anything except stir it, andyou tried to quit doing that."
"But no one paid any attention to my complaints, so I turned outsuccessfully without aid," retorted Hippy, waving his spoon in triumph.
"Stop talking," ordered Nora, "and pour that fudge into this pan beforeit hardens."
"At your service," said Hippy, with a flourish of the chafing dish thatalmost resulted in sending its contents to the floor, and elicitedNora's stern disapproval.
"How fast the time has gone," remarked David to Anne. "Just to thinkthat it's back to the college for us to-morrow."
"It will seem a long time until Easter," replied Anne rather sadly.
"And still longer to us," was David's answer.
"Oh, I don't know about that," put in Grace, who had heard theconversation. "I think it is always more lonely for those who are leftbehind. Oakdale will seem awfully dull and sleepy. We can't playbasketball any more this year on account of the loss of the gym., and weseniors are going to give a concert instead of a play. So there are noexciting prospects ahead. There will be no class dances as we have noplace to dance, unless we hire a hall, and we never have money enoughfor that."
"How about the five hundred dollars the judge sent?" asked Reddy.
"Oh, we have decided not to touch that. The money we take in at theconcert will be added to it," said Nora. "That will be twoentertainments for the seniors, and we think that is enough. We want theother classes to have a chance to make some money, too."
"If we only had the bazaar money that was stolen," said Anneregretfully.
"Strange that no trace of the thief was ever found," remarked David. "Iknow that my wrist was lame for a week from the twist that rascal gaveit."
"I have always had a curious conviction that the man who took that moneyhad been traveling around in the hall all evening," said Annethoughtfully. "Whoever it was, he must have seen Grace deposit the moneyin the box, and he also knew the exact location of the switch."
"One would imagine the box too heavy to have been spirited away soeasily," said Tom Gray. "The weight of all that silver must have beenconsiderable."
"Yes, it did weigh heavily," replied Grace. "Still, we had a great manybills, too. In spite of the weight the thief did make a successful getaway, and we owe Judge Putnam a heavy debt of gratitude for making goodour loss."
"'Look not mournfully into the past,'" quoted Hippy, "but rather turnyour attention to the important matter of refreshing the inner man."
"You fixed your attention on that matter years ago, Hippopotamus," saidReddy, "and since then you've never turned it in any other direction."
"Which proves me to be a person of excellent judgment and unqualifiedgood taste," answered Hippy with a broad grin.
"More taste than judgment, I should say," remarked David.
"This conversation is becoming too personal," complained Hippy. "Excuseme, Nora, use that Irish wit of yours and lay these slanderers low."
"I am neither a life preserver nor a repairer of reputations," repliedNora cruelly. "Fight your own battles."
"All right, here goes," said Hippy. "Now Reddy Brooks and David Nesbit,I said, that what you said, and formerly have said to have said, wassaid, because you happened to have said something that I formerly wassaid to have said that never should have been said. What I reallysaid--"
But what Hippy really did say was never revealed, for David and Reddylaid violent hands upon their garrulous friend and, escorting him to thekitchen door, shoved him outside and calmly locking the door, left himto meditate in the back yard, until Nora suddenly remembering that shehad set the fudge on the steps to cool, opened the door in a hurry tofind Hippy seated upon the lower step, a piece of fudge in either hand,looking the picture of content.
Hippy Sat With A Piece of Fudge in Either Hand]
The party broke up at eleven o'clock, and the hard task of sayinggood-bye began. The boys were to leave early the next morning, so thegirls would not see them again until Easter.
"Don't forget to write," called Nora after Hippy, as he hurried down thesteps after the others, who had reached the gate.
"You'll hear from me as soon as we hit the knowledge shop," was thereassuring answer.
At the corner the little party separated, Hippy, Reddy and Jessica goingin one direction, Anne and David in another, leaving Tom and Grace topursue their homeward way alone. As they turned into Putnam Square,Grace gave a little exclamation, and seizing Tom by the arm, drew himbehind a statue of Israel Putnam at the entrance of the square.
"Marian Barber is coming this way with that horrid Henry Hammond," shewhispered. "I don't care to meet them. I have not spoken to him sincethe house party, and Marian will be so angry if I cut him deliberatelywhen he is with her. I am sure they have not seen us. They were invitedto Miriam's to-night. We'll stand here until they pass."
The two young people stood in the s
hadow quietly waiting, unseen by theapproaching couple, who were completely absorbed in conversation.
"I tell you I can't do it," Grace heard Marian say impatiently. "Itdoesn't belong to me, and I have no right to touch it."
Hammond's reply was inaudible, but it was evident that Marian's remarkhad angered him, for he grasped her by the arm so savagely that shecried out: "Don't hold my arm so tightly, Henry, you are hurting me. Iam not foolish to refuse to give it to you. Suppose you should lose itall--"
They had passed the statue by this time, and Grace and Tom heard no moreof their conversation. There was a brief silence between them, thenGrace spoke.
"Tom, what do you suppose that means?"
"I don't know, Grace," was the answer. "It didn't sound very promising."
"I should say not," said Grace decidedly. "I feel sure that HenryHammond is a thoroughly unscrupulous person, and I shall not rest untilI find out what the conversation we overheard leads to."
"I believe you are right," said Tom, "and I'm only sorry I can't be hereto help ferret the thing out."
"I'll write and keep you posted as to my progress," promised Grace, asshe said good-bye to Tom at the Harlowe's door, a little later.
"Good-bye, Tom. Best wishes to Arnold. I'm sorry I didn't see himagain."
"Good-night, Grace, and good-bye," said Tom, and with a hearty handshakethey parted.
As Grace prepared for bed that night she turned Marian's words over andover in her mind, but could arrive at no logical conclusion, and finallydropped to sleep with the riddle still unsolved.