Chapter IX
BAD NEWS
Noiselessly Gale closed the door behind her. Swiftly her glance traveledover the room. Girls' things were strewn about in disorder. Gale smiledto herself with mingled pride and humor. At least her own room andPhyllis' didn't look like this and this room belonged to Juniors!Cautiously she bent down and looked under the bed. Yes, it was here. Shepulled out the black case and snapped back the lid. With nervous fingersshe inserted a sheet of paper in the portable typewriter. She typed afew words and tore the sheet out again. She had just snapped the lid andshoved the case beneath the bed once more when she heard voices.
Marcia was returning! Gale ran for the closet. There was no time to slipout of the room without being seen. She hid in the depths behind thedresses. The door was open a crack. She could hear but she could not seewhat went on in the room.
"Now where did I leave them?" Marcia's voice demanded fretfully.
Another lazy voice belonging to Marcia's roommate inquired:
"Delivering more notes for Professor Lukens?"
"No. It's my Latin notes--here they are! Let's go, we'll be late."
The two girls were gone as quickly and as suddenly as they had come.Gale lost no time in making her way out of their room. She wentdownstairs to her room where Valerie was waiting for her.
"Did you get it?" Valerie asked.
Gale sank onto the bed and heaved a sigh of relief. "I did, and I nearlygot caught. Marcia and her roommate came back while I was there."
"Did they see you?"
Gale shook her head and unfolded the sheet of paper. "I hid in thecloset. Now, where is that note?"
"Here." Valerie produced the note which the girls had received under thedoor.
Carefully the two checked the letters. The letters produced by Marcia'stypewriter were even and clear cut. It was evident that the notes hadnot been produced by the same machine.
Valerie sat back and looked at Gale. "Well?"
Gale shrugged and folded the papers together. "Exhibit A is a failure.We'll try some more."
"We got it!" Carol burst in followed by Janet.
"Is it catching?" Valerie asked.
"Whose is it?" Gale wanted to know.
"The Chemistry Professor's," Carol said proudly.
"And the assistant's," added Janet. "We covered them both. Are we gooddetectives or are we?"
The check-up of the typing on the last two notes was the same as it hadbeen with Marcia's. None of them were alike and none of them resembledthe typing in the mysterious note. The type of the Chemistry Professor'smachine was much larger while that of his assistant was smaller.
"Shucks," Carol said disgustedly. "We had all that work for nothing."
"Perhaps it wasn't written by any machine here at the college," Valeriesaid.
Gale nodded. "True, it might not have been."
"I think it was," Carol said. "There are no visitors on whom we couldblame all these mysterious happenings, and certainly the same person isresponsible for the notes!"
"We will have to find some more typewriters."
"Tell you what," Janet said, "I've a bright idea. Let's give a party andhold a scavenger hunt. We will make the items for the girls to bring inmostly typewriters. In that way we will have all the typewriters broughtto us and we can try them."
"It would immediately make the one person we want suspicious. He couldsmash his machine then," Carol said. "You will have to have a brighteridea than that."
"My next bright idea is to go and visit Phyllis," Janet said. "All infavor----"
"Aye!" The vote was unanimous.
The girls descended to the campus. It was while they were passing theEast Campus Dormitory where Janet and Carol abided that another Freshmanhailed them.
"Hi, Carol, the house mistress wants to see you--and she is angry," thegirl added confidentially.
"If it is that little matter of a broken window----" Carol began calmly.
"Broken window?" Gale asked. "In your room?"
Janet giggled. "I threw a book at Carol. She dodged and it went throughthe window."
Valerie shook her head sadly. "A Freshman trick! I am ashamed of you. Tothink----"
"She wants to see you too," the Freshman said smiling, "about the brokenvase in the hall."
"A Freshman trick!" Janet mimicked.
"It was an accident," Valerie said firmly. "I slipped and fell againstit. I couldn't help it if the table wiggled and the vase fell off."
"Did it fall or was it pushed?" Carol winked at Janet.
"I suppose I'll have to go in," Valerie sighed.
That left Gale to go on alone to the infirmary to see Phyllis. Thatyoung lady was chafing at the delay in her recovery. It was a week nowsince the second accident and she wanted to get back to Happiness Houseand on her feet. She did not like the restrictions placed on her by theDoctor and frankly told her so. Doctor Norcot merely smiled and told herto be good.
Gale told Phyllis all the news of the campus and only when it wasnearing dinner time did she leave. When she closed the door to Phyllis'room behind her she noticed the Doctor standing in the hall. Shebeckoned to Gale and the Freshman followed the physician to her office.There Gale sat in the chair facing the Doctor across her desk.
"Is anything the matter?" Gale asked when she noted the tenseness of theDoctor's expression and the frown on the usually smiling features.
The latter nodded gloomily. "There is--a great deal."
"Has anything happened to the Dean?" Gale asked, the mystery stilluppermost in her mind.
"No," the Doctor said getting up and pacing to the window. "No, she isquite safe."
"Then it is Phyllis," Gale said with quiet conviction. "What is it? Tellme!"
Doctor Norcot came across and leaned against the corner of the desk atGale's side.
"What sort of a woman is Miss Elton's aunt?"
Gale was taken somewhat by surprise. Why should she ask about Phyllis'aunt?
"She----" Gale fumbled for words. "She isn't exactly pleasant," she saidat last quite frankly. "Cold--aloof--stern. Why?"
"Has she money?" Doctor Norcot asked next.
Gale was more astounded than ever.
"I--I don't know," she said finally. "She keeps a big house--but notlavishly. She is sending Phyllis to college. I suppose she must have."
"Does she love her niece? I mean, would she do anything for Phyllis?"
Gale sat back in her chair and looked squarely at the Doctor.
"I don't understand, Doctor. Why don't you ask Phyllis these things? Whydo you want to know?"
"Because----" Doctor Norcot laid her hand gently on Gale's shoulder."Because unless your friend has an operation she will never walkagain--not as other girls."
"Oh!" Gale shrank at the picture presented to her. Phyllis helpless!Phyllis never to run or dance or play with the girls again.
"But isn't there something we can do? I'll do anything!" she told theDoctor passionately. "Anything!"
"An operation will cost money. Unless she has it----"
"Unless she has it," Gale echoed faintly. "How much would you charge forthe operation, Doctor?"
"Oh, I wouldn't perform it," the Doctor said. "I'm not a surgeon. But wewould have to get a good one--the best in the East. Otherwise she hasn'ta chance."
"Have--have you told her?" Gale asked.
"No--quite frankly, I haven't the heart."
"She is so brave," Gale agreed simply. "It is horrible to think----"
"I had to tell you," the Doctor said. "Between us perhaps we can thinkof something to do."
Gale passed a dazed hand across her eyes. "I can't think of anythingright now."
"It has been a shock. We will talk about it again tomorrow."
Gale rose and went to the door. "Do you think we should tell Phyllisyet?"
Doctor Norcot smiled slowly. "Suppose we wait a little while. There isno use to frighten her. When we tell her we might
be able to promise herrecovery later."
Gale was in a daze as she walked across the campus. Phyllis, the girlwho had always been so active, so gay in the face of tremendous odds,was faced now with a sterner bit of life than had yet confronted her. Itwould take every bit of courage Phyllis possessed to face the news whenthe Doctor told her.
Gale had no rosy hopes that Miss Fields would help. Phyllis' aunt wasnot the sort to be generous and kind especially when it hurt herself. Ifshe did not consent to put up the money for the operation Phyllis wouldsuffer. The injustice of it hurt Gale. She was Phyllis' friend, Phyllishad saved her and the Dean at this expense! She must do something! Butwhat? She didn't have the money--none of the girls had. They werehelpless, as helpless as Phyllis herself, to do anything.
Gale, instead of going immediately to the sorority house, went down tothe village. The long walk was what she needed. The bracing air investedher with a little optimism. After all, Miss Fields couldn't be as harshas all that! She wouldn't want Phyllis to suffer if she could help. Atthe railway station Gale sent a telegram to Marchton asking Miss Fieldsto come to Briarhurst as soon as possible and signed her own name.
Then she walked slowly back up the hill, scorning the ride offered herby the old bus driver. She wanted to be alone and think and not have tolisten to his garrulous chatter.
Dinner was in progress when she arrived at Happiness House. Instead ofgoing into the dining room she went upstairs. Once there she flungherself upon the bed and smothered her sobs in the pillow. Her tearswere all for Phyllis; for her own helpless position, helpless to aid thefriend who had tried to aid her, Gale, in like circumstances; for thefriend who had saved Gale serious injury that day from the fallinglumber.
"Aren't you hungry?" Ricky demanded bursting in. "My eagle eyes caughtsight of you sneaking in just now and I--say, what's the matter? Gale!You aren't sick!"
Gale sat up, wiping away her tears. "Nope."
"Then why the anguish? Bucking Bronchos! Don't tell me you flunked yourBiology!"
"Nothing so simple," Gale said.
"Simple? Biology is anything but simple! I never heard of so many bugsback on the ranch," Ricky mourned. "I sometimes wish I had stayedthere." She put her arm about Gale. "Tell Auntie what the trouble is."
Haltingly Gale told Ricky everything the Doctor had said.
"We gotta do something," Ricky said. She sniffed. "You'll have me cryingtoo in a minute. Does Phyllis know?"
Gale shook her head. "We don't want her to--yet."
"Then you had better not tell the other girls," Ricky advised wisely."One of them is sure to let it slip."
Gale nodded. "It will be between you and me. I've telegraphed her Auntto come. The Doctor can talk to her before we tell Phyllis."
"Come downstairs and have your dinner," Ricky coaxed.
"I'm not hungry."
"Neither am I--now," Ricky sighed. "But we have to eat something.Remember, we have hard classes tomorrow."