GATHERING CLOUDS
"A sprained ankle is not so serious," declared Grace from her nest among
the sofa cushions. It was the Monday after the game. Her various
sympathetic classmates were seated about the Harlowe's comfortable living
room. A wood fire crackled cheerfully in the big, open fireplace, while a
large plate of chocolate fudge circulated from one lap to another.
"Jessica, will you pour the chocolate?" continued Grace to her friend, who
rose at once to comply with her request. "Anne, will you help serve,
please?"
Anne accordingly drew about the room a little table on wheels, containing
on its several shelves plates containing sandwiches, cookies and cakes.
"Trust to the Harlowe's to have lots of good things to eat," exclaimed
Marian Barber. "It must be fun to be laid up, Grace, if you can give a
party every afternoon."
"I must entertain my friends when they are kind enough to come and see
me," answered Grace. "But some people think sandwiches poor provender
unless they are the fancy kind, with olives and nuts in them. Miriam, for
instance would never serve such plain fare to her company as cream cheese
sandwiches."
"Here comes Miriam up the walk now," cried Jessica. "She looks as though
she had something on her mind."
Presently the door opened and Miriam was ushered in. Grace wondered a
little at her call, considering the unfriendly spirit Miriam had recently
exhibited toward her. She greeted Miriam cordially. The laws of
hospitality were sacred in the Harlowe family, and not for worlds would
Grace have shown anything but the kindest feeling toward a guest under her
own roof.
Miriam accepted the chair and the cup of chocolate tendered her, ignoring
the plate of cakes offered by Anne. She looked about her like a marksman
taking aim before he fires. There was a danger signal in either eye.
"She is out for slaughter," thought Nora.
"Well, Miriam, what's the news?" said Marian Barber good-naturedly. "You
have a mysterious, newsy look in your eye. Is it good, bad or
indifferent?"
"How did you guess that I had news?" inquired Miriam. Then without waiting
for an answer she went on. "I certainly have, and very unpleasant news, at
that."
"Out with it," said Nora, "and don't keep us in suspense."
"Well," said Miriam, "I suppose you all noticed how the juniors outwitted
us at every point last Saturday? We put up a hard fight, too. The reason
of it was that they knew every one of our signals."
"How dreadful!" "How did they get their information?" "Who told you so?"
were the exclamations that rose from the assembled girls.
Grace had raised herself to a sitting position and was steadily regarding
Miriam, who, well aware of that keen, searching gaze, deliberately
continued:
"What makes the matter so much worse is the fact that we were betrayed by
a member of our own class."
"Oh, Miriam, you don't mean that?" said Jessica.
"I am sorry to say that it is true," replied Miriam, "and I am going to
put the matter before the class."
"Tell us who it is, Miriam," cried the girls. "We'll fix her!"
"Miriam," said Grace in a tone of quiet command that made every girl look
toward her, "you are to mention no names while in my house."
Miriam's face flamed. Before she could reply, however, Grace went on.
"Girls you must realize the position in which Miriam's remarks place me.
She is sure that she knows who betrayed our signals, and is willing to
name the person. Suppose she names some girl present. Think of the
feelings of that girl, my guest, yet not safe from accusation while here.
I should prove a poor sort of hostess if I allowed the honor of any of my
friends to suffer while in my house.
"The place to discuss these things is in school. There every girl stands
on an equal footing and can refute any charges made against her. I wish to
say that I have a communication to make which may put a different face on
the whole matter. I know something of the story of those signals. When I
go back to school I shall call a meeting of the basketball team and its
subs. and tell them what I know about it; but not until then. Furthermore
it is not strictly a class matter, as it pertains to the basketball
players alone. Therefore any one outside the team has no right to
interfere. Please don't think me disagreeable. It is because I am trying
to avoid unpleasant consequences that I am firm about having no names
mentioned here."
[Illustration: "You Need Mention No Names While in My House."]
There was an absolute silence in the room. The girls had a deep regard for
Grace on account of her frank, open nature and love of fair play; but
Miriam had her own particular friends who had respect for her on account
of her being a Nesbit. She had a faculty of obtaining her own way, too,
that seemed, to them, little short of marvellous, and she spent more money
than any other girl in Oakdale High School. It was therefore difficult to
choose between the two factions.
Nora broke the embarrassing pause.
"Grace is right as usual," she said, "and none of you girls should feel
offended. What's the use of wasting the whole afternoon quarrelling over
an old basketball game? Do talk about something pleasant. The sophomore
ball for instance. Do you girls realize that we ought to be making some
plans for it? It's the annual class dance, and should be welcomed, with
enthusiasm. We've all been so crazy over basketball that we've neglected
to think about our class responsibilities. We ought to try to make it a
greater success than any other dance ever given by a sophomore class. We
must call a meeting very soon, not to fight over basketball, but to make
arrangements for our dance."
Nora's reminder of the coming ball was a stroke of diplomacy on her part.
What school girl does not grow enthusiastic over a class dance? A buzz of
conversation immediately arose as to gowns, decorations, refreshments and
the thousand and one things all important to a festivity of that kind.
Miriam seeing that it was useless to try to raise any further disturbance,
cut her call short, taking with her several girls who were her staunch
upholders.
Those who remained did not seem sorry at her departure, and Grace drew a
breath of relief as the door closed upon the wilful girl. She had at least
saved Anne from a cruel attack, but how much longer she could do so was a
question. Miriam would undoubtedly bring up the subject at the first class
meeting, and Grace was not so sure, now, that the girls would be willing
to overlook the loss of the signals when she told them of it.
"I shall be loyal to Anne, no matter what it costs me," she decided. "She
has done nothing wrong, and Miriam will find that she cannot trample upon
either of us with impunity. As for Jessica and Nora, I know they will
agree with me."
Under cover of conversation, Grace whispered to Jessica that she wished
her to remain after the others had gone, and to ask Nora and Anne to do
the same.
When the last of the callers had said good-bye, and the four chums had the
room to themselves, Grace told Nora and Jessica about Anne's mishap, and
how utterly innocent of blame she was.
"Do you mean to tell me that Miriam meant Anne when she said she could
name the girl?" demanded Nora.
"She did, indeed," replied Anne, "and if it had not been for Grace she
would have made things very unpleasant for me."
"Humph," ejaculated the fiery Nora, "then all I have to say is that I
don't see how a nice boy like David ever happened to have a horrid
hateful, scheming sister like Miriam. Stand up for Anne? Well I rather
think so! Let Miriam dare to say anything like that to me."
"Or me," said Jessica.
"I knew you girls would feel the same as I do," said Grace. "Anne has some
true friends, thank goodness. You see Miriam is basing all her
suppositions on the fact that Anne was allowed to come to practice. She
doesn't know anything about the loss of the signals. You remember she
objected to Anne seeing the practice game. Now she will try to show that
she was right in doing so."
"Let her try it," said Jessica, "She'll be sorry."
"I am not so sure of that," said Anne quietly. "You know that Miriam has
plenty of influence with certain girls, while I am only a stranger about
whom no one cares except yourselves and the boys and Mrs. Gray.
"You are the brightest girl in school just the same," said Nora, "and that
counts for a whole lot. Miss Thompson likes you, too, and our crowd is not
to be despised."
"You are the dearest people in the world," responded Anne gratefully.
"Please don't think that I am unappreciative. You have done far too much
for me, and I don't want you to get into trouble on my account. As long as
you girls care for me, I don't mind what the others think."
"Don't say that Anne," said Jessica. "You don't know how mean some of
those girls can be. Don't you remember the junior that was cut by her
class last year? Of course, she did something for which she deserved to be
cut, but the girls made her life miserable. The story went through every
class, and she got the cold shoulder all around. She's not here this year.
Her father sent her away to school, she was so unhappy. You remember her,
don't you?" turning to Grace and Nora.
Both girls nodded. The story of the unfortunate junior loomed up before
them. Every girl in High School knew it.
"We can only hope that history will not repeat itself," said Grace
thoughtfully. "Of course, I don't mean that there is any similarity
between the two cases. That girl last year was untruthful and extremely
dishonorable. It is perfectly ridiculous to think of placing the blame for
those signals upon Anne. If the girls are silly enough to listen to
Miriam's insinuations, then they must choose between Miriam and me. Anne
is my dear friend, and I shall stick to her until the end."