BAD NEWS
Noiselessly Gale closed the door behind her. Swiftly her glance traveled
over the room. Girls’ things were strewn about in disorder. Gale smiled
to herself with mingled pride and humor. At least her own room and
Phyllis’ didn’t look like this and this room belonged to Juniors!
Cautiously she bent down and looked under the bed. Yes, it was here. She
pulled out the black case and snapped back the lid. With nervous fingers
she inserted a sheet of paper in the portable typewriter. She typed a
few words and tore the sheet out again. She had just snapped the lid and
shoved the case beneath the bed once more when she heard voices.
Marcia was returning! Gale ran for the closet. There was no time to slip
out of the room without being seen. She hid in the depths behind the
dresses. The door was open a crack. She could hear but she could not see
what 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 went
downstairs 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 nearly
got 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 the
closet. Now, where is that note?”
“Here.” Valerie produced the note which the girls had received under the
door.
Carefully the two checked the letters. The letters produced by Marcia’s
typewriter were even and clear cut. It was evident that the notes had
not 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 good
detectives or are we?”
The check-up of the typing on the last two notes was the same as it had
been with Marcia’s. None of them were alike and none of them resembled
the typing in the mysterious note. The type of the Chemistry Professor’s
machine 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,” Valerie
said.
Gale nodded. “True, it might not have been.”
“I think it was,” Carol said. “There are no visitors on whom we could
blame all these mysterious happenings, and certainly the same person is
responsible 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 and
hold a scavenger hunt. We will make the items for the girls to bring in
mostly typewriters. In that way we will have all the typewriters brought
to us and we can try them.”
“It would immediately make the one person we want suspicious. He could
smash his machine then,” Carol said. “You will have to have a brighter
idea than that.”
“My next bright idea is to go and visit Phyllis,” Janet said. “All in
favor——”
“Aye!” The vote was unanimous.
The girls descended to the campus. It was while they were passing the
East Campus Dormitory where Janet and Carol abided that another Freshman
hailed them.
“Hi, Carol, the house mistress wants to see you—and she is angry,” the
girl 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 through
the window.”
Valerie shook her head sadly. “A Freshman trick! I am ashamed of you. To
think——”
“She wants to see you too,” the Freshman said smiling, “about the broken
vase in the hall.”
“A Freshman trick!” Janet mimicked.
“It was an accident,” Valerie said firmly. “I slipped and fell against
it. 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. That
young lady was chafing at the delay in her recovery. It was a week now
since the second accident and she wanted to get back to Happiness House
and on her feet. She did not like the restrictions placed on her by the
Doctor and frankly told her so. Doctor Norcot merely smiled and told her
to be good.
Gale told Phyllis all the news of the campus and only when it was
nearing dinner time did she leave. When she closed the door to Phyllis’
room behind her she noticed the Doctor standing in the hall. She
beckoned 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 the
Doctor’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 still
uppermost in her mind.
“No,” the Doctor said getting up and pacing to the window. “No, she is
quite safe.”
“Then it is Phyllis,” Gale said with quiet conviction. “What is it? Tell
me!”
Doctor Norcot came across and leaned against the corner of the desk at
Gale’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 said
at 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 not
lavishly. 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? Why
do 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 walk
again—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 the
Doctor passionately. “Anything!”
“An operation will cost money. Unless she has it——”
“Unless she has it,” Gale echoed faintly. “How much would you charge for
the operation, Doctor?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t perform it,” the Doctor said. “I’m not a surgeon. But we
would have to get a good one—the best in the East. Otherwise she hasn’t
a 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 think
of something to do.”
Gale passed a dazed hand across her eyes. “I can’t think of anything
right 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 Phyllis
yet?”
Doctor Norcot smiled slowly. “Suppose we wait a little while. There is
no use to frighten her. When we tell her we might be able to promise her
recovery later.”
Gale was in a daze as she walked across the campus. Phyllis, the girl
who 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. It
would take every bit of courage Phyllis possessed to face the news when
the Doctor told her.
Gale had no rosy hopes that Miss Fields would help. Phyllis’ aunt was
not the sort to be generous and kind especially when it hurt herself. If
she did not consent to put up the money for the operation Phyllis would
suffer. The injustice of it hurt Gale. She was Phyllis’ friend, Phyllis
had saved her and the Dean at this expense! She must do something! But
what? She didn’t have the money—none of the girls had. They were
helpless, as helpless as Phyllis herself, to do anything.
Gale, instead of going immediately to the sorority house, went down to
the village. The long walk was what she needed. The bracing air invested
her with a little optimism. After all, Miss Fields couldn’t be as harsh
as all that! She wouldn’t want Phyllis to suffer if she could help. At
the railway station Gale sent a telegram to Marchton asking Miss Fields
to come to Briarhurst as soon as possible and signed her own name.
Then she walked slowly back up the hill, scorning the ride offered her
by the old bus driver. She wanted to be alone and think and not have to
listen to his garrulous chatter.
Dinner was in progress when she arrived at Happiness House. Instead of
going into the dining room she went upstairs. Once there she flung
herself upon the bed and smothered her sobs in the pillow. Her tears
were all for Phyllis; for her own helpless position, helpless to aid the
friend who had tried to aid her, Gale, in like circumstances; for the
friend who had saved Gale serious injury that day from the falling
lumber.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Ricky demanded bursting in. “My eagle eyes caught
sight 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 your
Biology!”
“Nothing so simple,” Gale said.
“Simple? Biology is anything but simple! I never heard of so many bugs
back on the ranch,” Ricky mourned. “I sometimes wish I had stayed
there.” 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 crying
too 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 Aunt
to 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.”