CHAPTER XVII
ANOTHER OF CURLY'S TRICKS
Miss Scrimp, the matron of the old West Dormitory, had bound Mary Pease tosecrecy. But, as Jennie put it, "the binding did not hold and _Pease_spilled the _beans_."
The story flew over the school like wildfire. Miss Scrimp, actually intears, was inclined to blame Ruth Fielding for the outbreak of the story.
"You ought to have taken Mary Pease and run her right into a closet!"declared the matron. "Such behavior!"
Ruth was a good deal chagrined that the story should have come out whileshe was monitor; but she really did not see how she could have helped it.The quarrel between Amy Gregg and Mary Pease had commenced before Ruth hadgone into the classroom.
"And how could you help it?" cried the faithful Jennie. "I expect littlePease has been aching to tell all these weeks. She should have beenquarantined, in the first place."
But there was nothing to do about it now, save "to pick up the pieces."And that was no light task. Feeling ran high in Briarwood Hall against AmyGregg.
Some of the girls of her own age would not speak to her. Many of the oldergirls made her feel by every glance and word they gave her that she wastaboo. And it was whispered on the campus that Amy would be sent home byMrs. Tellingham, if she could not be made to pay, or her folks be made topay, something toward the damage her carelessness had brought about.
Ruth sheltered the unfortunate Amy all she could. She even influenced herclosest friends to be kind to the child. At Mrs. Sadoc Smith's Helen andAnn did not speak of the discovery of the origin of the fire, and, ofcourse, good-natured Jennie Stone did just as Ruth asked, while even MercyCurtis kept her lips closed.
Amy, however, not being an utterly callous girl, felt the condemnation ofthe whole school. There was no escaping that.
Amy had denied having a candle on the night of the fire, and it shockedand grieved Mrs. Tellingham very much to learn that one of her girls wasnot to be trusted to speak the truth at all times.
Not because of the fire did the preceptress consider sending Amy Gregghome, for the origin of the fire was plainly an accident, though bred incarelessness. For prevarication, however, Mrs. Tellingham was tempted toexpel Amy Gregg.
The girl had denied the fact that she had left a candle burning in herroom when she went to supper. Mary Pease had seen it, and both Miss Scrimpand Ruth Fielding knew that the fire started in that particular room.
Why the girl had left the candle burning was another mystery. Recklesslydenying the main fact, of course Amy would not explain the secondarymystery. Nagged and heckled by some of the sophomores and juniors, Amydeclared she wished the whole school had burned down and then she wouldnot have had to stay at Briarwood another day!
Ruth and Helen one day rescued the girl from the midst of a mob of largergirls who were driving Amy Gregg almost mad by taunting her with being a"fire bug."
"What are you wild animals doing?" demanded Helen, who was much sharperwith the evil doers among the under classes than was Ruth. "So she's a'fire-bug?' Oh, girls! what better are you than poor little Gregg, I'dlike to know? Every soul of you has done worse things than she hasdone--only your acts did not have such appalling results. Behaveyourselves!"
Ruth could not have talked that way to the girls; but many of them slunkaway under Helen's reprimand. Ruth took the crying Amy away--but neithershe nor Helen was thanked.
"I wish you girls would mind your own business and let me alone," sobbedthe foolish child, hysterically. "I can fight my own battles, I'll teartheir hair out! I'll scratch their faces for them!"
"Oh, dear me, Amy!" sighed Ruth. "Do you think that would be any realsatisfaction to you? Would it change things for the better, or in theleast?"
What made the girls so unfeeling toward Amy was the fact that from thebeginning she had expressed no sorrow over the destruction of thedormitory, and that she had refused to write home to ask for acontribution to the fund being raised for the new building.
When every other girl at Briarwood Hall was doing her best to get money tohelp Mrs. Tellingham, Amy Gregg's callousness regarding the fire and itsresults showed up, said Jennie, "just like a stubbed toe on a bare-footedboy!"
Really, Ruth began to think she would have to act as guard for Amy Greggto and from the school. The girl was not allowed to play with the othergirls of her age. Wherever she went a small riot started.
It had become general knowledge that Amy Gregg's father was a wealthy man,and that the family lived very sumptuously. Amy had a stepmother andseveral half brothers and sisters; but she did not get along well withthem and, therefore, her father had sent her to Briarwood Hall.
"I guess she was too mean at home for them to stand her," said Mary Pease,who was the most vindictive of Amy's class, "and they sent her here totrouble _us_. And see what she's done!"
There was no stopping the younger girls from nagging. The fact that somuch was being done by others to help the dormitory fund kept the feudagainst Amy Gregg alive. Her one partisan at this time (for Ruth could notbe called that, no matter how sorry she was for her) was Curly Smith.
Once or twice Amy slipped away before Ruth was ready to go back to Mrs.Smith's house for the evening, and started alone for the lodgings. TheCedar Walk was the nearest way, and there were many hiding places alongthe Cedar Walk.
Mary Pease and her chums lay in wait for the unfortunate Amy on twooccasions, and chased her all the way to Mrs. Sadoc Smith's. What theyintended doing to the much disliked girl if they had caught her, nobodyseemed to know. They just seemed determined to plague her.
Ruth did not want to report the culprits; but warning them did not seem todo any good. On a third occasion Amy started home ahead, and Ruth andHelen hurried after her to make sure that none of the other girlstroubled the victim. Half way down the walk, Helen exclaimed:
"See there, Ruth! Amy isn't alone, after all."
"Who's with her?" asked Ruth. "I can't see--Why! it can't be Ann?"
"No. But she's tall like Ann."
"And that girl walks queerly. Did you ever see the like? Strides alongjust like a boy--Oh!"
Out of a cedar clump appeared a crowd of shrieking girls, who began todance around Amy and her companion, shouting scornful phrases which werebound to make Amy Gregg angry. But Mary and her friends this time receiveda surprise. Amy ran. Not so the "girl" with her.
This strange individual ran among Amy's tormentors, tripped two or threeof them up, tore down the hair of several, taking the ribbons as trophies,and sent the whole crowd shrieking away, much alarmed and not a littlepunished.
"It isn't a girl!" gasped Helen. "It's Curly Smith. And as sure as youlive he's got on some of Ann's clothes. _Won't_ our Western friend befurious at that?"
But Ann Hicks was not troubled at all. She had lent Curly the frock andhat, and when he behaved himself and walked properly he certainly made avery pretty girl.
He gave Amy's enemies a good fright, and they let her alone after that.
"But, goodness me! what is Briarwood Hall coming to?" demanded Ruth, indiscussing this incident with her room-mates. "We are leaving a tribe ofyoung Indians here for Mrs. Tellingham to control. Helen! you know wenever acted this way when we were in the lower grades."
"Well, we were pretty bad sometimes," Helen said slowly. "We did notengage in free fights, however."
"They all ought to have a good spanking," declared Ann, with conviction.
"And I suppose you seniors ought to do it?" sneered Amy, who could not begentle even with her own friends.
"I'm not convinced that I sha'n't begin with you, my lady," said theWestern girl, sharply. "I lent those old duds of mine to Curly to help youout, and you are about as grateful as a poison snake! I never saw such agirl in my life before."