DANGER AHEAD
MY DEAR GRACE:
Will you come and see me at my office after school to-day? I have
something very important to discuss.
Sincerely yours,
EMMA THOMPSON.
Grace read the letter over twice. What in the world could Miss Thompson
want to discuss with her? Perhaps she had not been doing well enough in
her classes. But Grace rejected the idea. She always kept up to the
average, and it was only those who fell below who ever received warnings
from the principal.
Perhaps it was--well, never mind, she would wait and see. As soon as
school was over she hurried to the principal's office and tapped on the
door.
"Well, Grace, my dear," said Miss Thompson, as the young girl entered,
"did my note frighten you?"
"No, indeed," replied Grace; "I had a clear conscience and I don't
expect to fail in exams to-morrow, although I am not so studious as Anne
Pierson or Miriam."
"Of course you don't expect to fail, my dear," said the principal,
kindly, for, of all the girls in the school, Grace was her favorite. "I
didn't bring you here to scold you. But I have something very serious to
talk about. While I have threshed out the matter with myself, I believe
I might do better by talking things over with one of my safest and
sanest freshman."
"Why, what has happened, Miss Thompson?" asked Grace curiously.
"First, let me ask you a few questions," answered the principal. "Tell
me something about the competition for the freshman prize. Which girl do
you think has the best chance of winning it?"
"I know whom I want to win," replied Grace innocently. "Anne, of course,
and I believe she will, too. While Miriam is more showy in her
recitations, Anne is much more thorough, and she studies a great deal
harder. The fact is, I am afraid she is making herself ill with
studying. But she is determined to win not the little prize, but the big
one, which is more than even Anne can do, I believe. Whoever heard of
having every examination paper perfect?"
"It has not been done so far," admitted Miss Thompson, "but why is Anne
so bent on winning the prize? Is it all for glory, do you think?"
"Anne is very poor, you know, Miss Thompson," said Grace simply.
"So she is," replied the principal, "and the child needs the money."
Miss Thompson paused a moment, looking thoughtfully out over the smooth
green lawn. "Grace," she resumed, finally, "I have something very
serious to tell you. Two days ago I made a discovery that may change the
fate of the freshman prize this year considerably. You know I keep the
examination questions here in my desk. That is, the originals. A copy is
now at the printers. So, you see, I have only one set of originals. I
had occasion to come back to my office quite late the day of the
discovery, and, as I let myself in at that door," she pointed to the
door leading into the corridor, "what I thought was a gust of wind
slammed the door leading into the next room which I usually keep shut
and bolted on this side. My desk was open and the freshman examination
papers undoubtedly had been tampered with. I could tell because they are
usually the last in the pile and they were all on top and quite
disarranged. Whoever had been here, had heard my key in the lock, and
without waiting to close the desk had fled by the other door. I feel
deeply grieved over this matter. I should never think of suspecting any
of my fine girls of such trickery; and, yet, who else could it have been
except one of the freshmen?"
"Oh, Miss Thompson, this is dreadful," exclaimed Grace, distressed and
shocked over the story. "I don't believe there's a girl in the class who
would have done it. There must be some mistake."
"That is why I sent for you, Grace," said the principal. "I want your
advice. Now Anne----"
"_Anne?_" interrupted Grace horrified. "You don't suppose, for a minute,
Anne would be dishonest? Never! I won't stay and listen any longer," and
she rushed to the door.
Miss Thompson followed, placing a detaining hand on her arm.
"You are right, Grace, to be loyal to your friend," said the principal,
always just and kind under the most trying circumstances; "but Anne, I
must tell you, is under suspicion."
"Why?" demanded Grace, almost sobbing in her anger and unhappiness.
"The afternoon of the discovery Anne was here long after school hours.
She was seen by two people wandering about the building."
"Who were the people?" demanded Grace incredulously.
"The janitress, who saw her from the window of another room, and--Miss
Leece."
"I thought so," exclaimed Grace, with a note of triumph in her voice.
"It is Miss Leece, is it, who is trumping up all this business? I tell
you, I don't believe a word of it, Miss Thompson. Anne would no more do
such a thing than I would, and I am going to fight to save her if it
takes my last breath. Do you know how hard she has worked to win this
prize? Simply all the time. I believe, if she knew what you suspected,
it would kill her. I believe it's some tale Miss Leece has made up. And
besides, why shouldn't she have come back to the building? Perhaps she
forgot a book or something. I'd just like to know what Miss Leece was
doing here at that time of day."
"She came here to meet me on business," answered Miss Thompson. "That is
why she knows something of the unfortunate affair. She was with me when
I found my desk had been broken open and the papers disturbed. She also
heard the other door slam and it was then she told me of having seen
Anne wandering about the building for which, as you say, there might
have been a dozen reasons; I believe, as firmly as you do, that the
child is incapable of cheating, and I intend to leave no stone unturned
to get at the truth. But there is still another fact against Anne that
is very black." The speaker took from a drawer a slip of folded paper.
"This was found in the building," she continued, "and since it was an
open letter, without address and under the circumstances, so important,
it was read and the contents reported to me. I have since read it myself
and I now ask you to read it."
DEAR ANNE:
I must have one hundred dollars at once, or go somewhere for a long
time. I foolishly signed a friend's name to a slip of paper. I
didn't know he would be so hard, but he threatens to prosecute
unless I pay up before the end of next week. I know you have rich
friends. I have been hearing of your successes. Perhaps the old
lady, Mrs. G., will oblige you. I trust to your good sense to see
that the hundred must be forthcoming, or it will mean disgrace for
us all.
Your father,
J. P.
Grace limply held the letter in one hand.
"Oh, poor, poor Anne!" she groaned, wiping away the tears that had
welled up into her eyes and were running down her cheeks.
"I feel just as you do, my child," went on Miss Thompson. "I am deeply,
bitterly sorry for this unfortunate child. But you will agree with me
that she has had a very strong motive for winning the prize."
Grace nodded mutely.
"By the way," she asked presently, when she had calmed herself, "who was
it that found the letter?"
"Miss Leece again," replied Miss Thompson, hesitatingly.
"There, you see," exclaimed Grace excitedly, "that woman is determined
to ruin Anne before the close of school. I tell you, I won't believe
Anne is guilty. It has taken just this much to make me certain that she
is entirely innocent. Is there no clue whatever to the person who copied
the papers?"
"Yes," answered Miss Thompson, "there is. This had been shoved back in
the desk under the papers. It does not belong to me, and it could not
have gotten into my desk by any other means. I suppose, in her hurry to
copy the freshmen sheets, whoever she was, laid it down and forgot it."
Miss Thompson produced a crumpled pocket handkerchief. Grace took it and
held it to the light. There were no marks or initials upon it whatever;
it was simply a cambric handkerchief with a narrow hemstitched border, a
handkerchief such as anyone might use. It was neither large nor small,
neither of thin nor thick material.
"There's nothing on it," said Grace. "I suppose the stores sell hundreds
of these."
"That's very true," answered the principal, "but I hoped you would be
familiar enough with your friends' handkerchiefs to recognize this one."
"No," replied Grace, "I haven't the least idea whose it is. Wait a
moment," she added quickly, smelling the handkerchief; "there is a
perfume on it of some sort. Did you notice that?"
"I did," replied Miss Thompson. "It was one of the first things I did
notice. I am very sensitive to perfumes; perhaps because I dislike them
on clothing. But I waited for you to find it out for yourself. In fact,
my dear, this will be the only means of trapping the person. Now, what
perfume is it, and who in the class uses it? I am not familiar with
perfumes, but I thought perhaps you were. And now, I will tell you that
this is the reason I sent for you. The reason I showed you this letter,
which has only been seen by one other person besides myself--Miss Leece,
of course. I do not wish to tell anyone else about this matter. I do not
care to put the subject before the School Board for discussion. I do not
believe, any more than you, that Anne is guilty and I have taken you
into my confidence because I believe you are the one person in the world
who can help me in this predicament. Miss Leece, of course, intends to
do everything in her power to bring the child 'to justice.' But, until I
give her permission, she will hardly dare to speak of it. So far, we
three are the only people who know what has happened. In the meantime, I
shall turn over this handkerchief to you. Keep it carefully and be very
guarded about what you do and say. You are a young girl," she continued,
taking Grace's hand and gazing full into her honest eyes, "but I have a
great respect for your judgment and discretion, and that is the reason I
am asking for your help in this very delicate matter. You may rest
assured that I shall do nothing whatever; at least, not until after
examinations. I have an idea that we may get a clue through them. We
must save Anne, whose life would be utterly ruined by such a false
accusation as this. And I feel convinced that it is false."
"Well, I can tell you one thing, Miss Thompson," returned Grace as she
opened the door, "and that is Anne Pierson never used any perfume in her
life. She hasn't any to use."
Miss Thompson nodded and smiled.
"I was sure of that," she called.
Grace had little time to lose. The examinations, which took place the
next day and the day after, would undoubtedly bring matters to a crisis.
She took the handkerchief from her pocket and sniffed at it. Neither was
she familiar with perfumes, and this odor was new to her. Suddenly an
idea occurred to her and she made straight for the nearest drugstore.
"Mr. Gleason," she demanded of the clerk in charge, "could you tell me
what perfume this is?"
The druggist sniffed thoughtfully at the handkerchief for some seconds.
"It's sandalwood," he said at last. "We received some in stock a week
ago."