WHITE STAR
The taffy pull was most successful. With due secrecy Gale and Phyllis
had managed to get out of Happiness House and into their friends’
dormitory without being discovered. What really might happen if they
were found would be serious but they were skylarking and they did not
think of the consequences of their act. They were too intent on having a
good time.
The high spot of the evening came when Carol’s hands were both occupied
with pulling the golden strands of sticky mass.
“Ooooo,” she cried, “my ear itches. What’ll I do?”
“Scratch it,” Janet suggested practically.
“And get my golden curls all full of molasses?” Carol demanded. “Think
of something else. Only hurry up—ooooooo!”
Valerie came to the rescue. She was the only one who had available a
hand which was not entangled in the taffy.
After that they ate and pulled to their hearts’ content. The evening
flew away. When the lights-out bell rang Gale and Phyllis decided it was
high time for them to be getting back to Happiness House. It would be
quite a puzzle for them to get safely back to their room unseen. They
hoped the door was not yet locked.
With the stealth of criminals they left the dormitory house. Once on the
campus they paused in the shade of the trees to breathe freely. From a
window Janet and Carol waved to their two friends and silently
disappeared within the darkness of their room. The girls on the campus
strolled leisurely toward the darkened Happiness House. They were really
in no hurry and it was such a nice evening.
Some imp of mischief whispered in their ear and they turned toward the
lake. They stood on the shore and watched the moonlight make little gold
ripples on the waves. They explored the dark shadows of the thick growth
of trees along the lake and shivered at the eerie noises.
Finally Gale became sleepy and they decided that they really must go
back to their room. Tomorrow they had a difficult examination to pass,
for which they had studied for days and days. It was important that they
should be fresh in the morning.
“We really shouldn’t have gone to that party tonight,” Phyllis yawned.
“I haven’t a blessed Geometry thought in my head.”
“We had fun though,” Gale said. “I never ate so much taffy in my life.”
“What would happen if we were caught in another dormitory house?”
Phyllis wanted to know. “We wouldn’t be expelled, would we?”
Gale made a wry face. “Why must you think of those things?”
Phyllis put a hand on Gale’s arm. In the darkness of the trees they
stood listening. They could hear the gentle lapping of the lake water
almost at their feet. From over their head an eerie voice demanded:
“Who-o-o-o.”
A pair of eyes glared down at them like green electric light bulbs
suddenly flashed on and turned off then flashed on again as an owl
blinked through the night.
“Doesn’t he scare you?” Phyllis shivered. “He reminds me of a Hallowe’en
goblin.”
“We really should go to bed,” Gale said once more, “as much as I hate to
admit it.”
“We’ve had a lot of fun this term, haven’t we?” Phyllis sighed. “It is
hard to believe that our Freshman year is almost over.”
“Fun!” Gale echoed. “I wouldn’t say you had so much fun,” she added.
“On the whole I did,” Phyllis declared, “and I even found a father! He
is going to Marchton to see Miss Fields and move all my belongings,” she
continued.
“He is! What is going to happen to Miss Fields?” Gale asked.
“I asked him not to do anything about her,” Phyllis said. “All I want is
never to have to go back there.”
“Then we won’t see you much this summer,” Gale sighed. “Marchton will
seem different.”
“Oh, I’ll see you all right,” Phyllis said but she did not explain
further then.
The girls had left the wood shore line behind them and come out again
upon the campus. Now they could see the stars above them twinklingly
close.
“Look at that red glow back of the Chemistry Hall,” Gale said suddenly.
“What do you suppose it is?”
“I can’t imagine,” Phyllis said. “Something at the stables. Let’s
investigate.”
Keeping in the shadows so as to be out of sight of any wandering teacher
the girls crept around the Chemistry Hall. What they saw froze them
momentarily to the spot with horror. Flames were curling around the
corner of the main stable and smoke was pouring from a shattered window.
From the groom’s quarters stumbled one of the attendants. The other
regular man was not on the grounds today.
“Gale,” Phyllis said urgently, “there is a fire alarm attached to Carver
Hall. Sound it! Tell the Dean——”
“Right!” Gale said promptly, not waiting to hear any more, and sped
away.
Phyllis ran forward. “Are you all right?” she demanded of the man.
“The smoke——” he choked.
A frightened whinny from the stables brought Phyllis up short. The poor
trapped horses! She couldn’t stand there and do nothing!
“Get the fire apparatus working!” she shouted and dashed for the
stables. Madly she dashed back again. “Got a knife?” she asked the
groom.
Dazed from the smoke and the sudden confusion, where an hour ago had
been peace, the man nodded his head and struggled to get a pen knife
from his pocket. Once it was secured Phyllis dashed again to the nearest
stall. The horses were trampling, rearing, whinnying in fright. The
smoke was thick and it was impossible to breathe freely.
Phyllis was hurled against the side of the stall as the horse rose on
his hind legs pawing the air wildly with his forehoofs, straining at the
rope which tied his bridle to the stall. She picked herself up from the
straw mumbling unintelligible things when she discovered she had dropped
the knife. Her fingers found the rope but it was impossible under such
conditions to untie the knot. Quite by accident, a lucky accident, her
foot came in contact with the knife as she dodged another flying hoof.
She picked it up and cut the rope. Pulling and coaxing she got the horse
into the open air. She tied him securely to the hitching post where the
girls were wont to dismount after their classes. It was a sufficient
distance away from the burning stables to make him safe. It was
absolutely necessary to tie him, although it wasted several precious
minutes. Otherwise, with the queer trait of his breed, he would
immediately have dashed back into the building.
Once more Phyllis returned to the stable. The groom had disappeared,
probably in search of help and fire extinguishers. The uproar of the
horses beat in her ears. Their frightened whinnies were even more
pitiful than human cries might have been. The animals were so helpless!
The second horse was led and tied to the post beside the first. She felt
bruised where another flying forefoot had caught her off guard. The
flames were roaring like a furnace now. The straw in the stables would
be excellent food for the flames. Luckily the fire had started in the
groom’s quarter and must work up through the harness room. If it had
started in the heart of the stables themselves she would never have been
able to get near the horses.
One by one Phyllis brought the horses out. When the last one was secure
she leaned weakly against the post. The alarm bell was tolling now. It
had been ringing for several minutes but in her absorption she had not
heard it. Soon the girls would be on the scene and the fire apparatus
would be in play. Phyllis felt as if she would never again get the smell
of smoke out of her system.
One—two—three—she counted the horses neighing and rearing at their
posts. Nine! There should be ten! With a sinking of heart she looked at
them all again. White Star was not there! White Star! The best of the
group! How could she possibly have missed him?
Without another thought but that of her favorite mount Phyllis dashed
back into the stables. One—two—three—stalls empty. Nothing but
silence and the crackling of flames—flames creeping closer, destroying,
and smoke.
Her head was whirling and she felt choked. Once she stumbled wildly over
something and fell to her knees in the straw. She sat there several
seconds, dazed. She had better find White Star soon or they would both
be trapped! Why didn’t help come? Though only a few minutes could have
elapsed since she and Gale first sighted the fire it seemed like hours.
What was that?
An excited whinny came to her, followed by the sound of crashing blows
against wood. White Star! And he was trying to kick his stall to pieces!
Despite the terribly desperate situation Phyllis could not help but
smile. White Star proposed to fight! She stumbled to her feet and went
on prowling through the smoke until she came to the stall in which all
the uproar was taking place. She felt as though all the strength in her
body was leaving her. White Star was bucking and kicking with all his
might. The smoke was like a blanket smothering everything and through
which Phyllis felt her way to White Star’s head. She took hold of his
bridle and he nuzzled against her shoulder affectionately. He seemed to
recognize his friend. With her last remaining strength Phyllis cut the
rope that held White Star. She turned him around and gave him a stinging
blow.
“Go it, boy!”
The horse reared and plunged out through the door of his stall, leaving
Phyllis a huddled figure on the straw.
* * * * *
Gale, after turning the electric switch that automatically sounded the
fire alarm, had sped to the Dean’s office. She found Dean Travis working
late. After excitedly blurting out the news Gale dashed again to the
stables, stopping for nothing. She was just in time to see White Star
appear.
The horse bounded out of the smoke into the cool night air. He stopped
short, raised his head and whinnied, pawing the ground with his
forehoof. He glanced at the other horses, straining at their ropes,
tossed his head, and turning, dashed back for the burning stable.
“Phyl——” Gale shouted.
There was no reply. Gale saw the groom and another man playing a stream
of water upon the flames on one side of the building. She went closer.
Through the smoke she could see White Star.
Gale could not explain White Star’s actions. She had read of how horses
always dashed back into the burning building from which they were
rescued, unless they were tied outside. It was evident that Phyllis had
tied the others, why not White Star? This was her favorite!
Gale looked at the other struggling horses and wondered at the strength
of her friend. Horses were strong at any time—frightened, terrorized as
they were now, she did not see how Phyllis had managed to get them all
out.
White Star appeared out of the smoke and almost ran her down. He stood
for a second looking at her, pawing the ground and tossing his head.
Gale remembered seeing a wonder horse in the movies who acted like this
when he was summoning help for his master. Was it possible—— White
Star was a magnificent animal. She had always acknowledged that, but she
had never actually credited him with super intelligence. However, now
his eyes seemed to be pleading with her; the crazy way he dashed about
made her think he was trying to tell her something.
“Phyllis!” Gale shouted again.
“Ahoy.” Carol and Janet dashed up breathlessly.
“We got here first because we didn’t have to stop to dress seeing that
we weren’t yet undressed—if you understand me,” Janet said.
“We might have known you would be here,” added Carol. “Where’s Phyl?”
“Look at that horse!”
The groom had taken it into his head to rescue White Star and tie him
beside the other horses. But White Star had other ideas. He raced madly
past the flames and into the smoke.
“I think I know what he wants!” Gale cried and the next time White Star
dashed into sight she followed him.
“The crazy——” Carol began. “Gale, come back!”
Gale bumped into White Star. She was unable to see him clearly, the
smoke hurt her eyes, and she was choking for breath. With one hand on
his bridle she let him pull her along. The horse trotted forward until
he came to his stall. There he stopped.
“W-What now?” Gale coughed. Dimly through the smoke she became aware of
a figure lying on the ground. “Phyl!” she screamed. “Phyl!”
A burning rafter crashed to the ground at some little distance. White
Star reared and plunged away but a second later he was back, trembling
and whinnying. Gale lifted Phyllis and put her across White Star’s back.
Necessity and fear had lent her strength and now she pulled White Star’s
head down to her shoulder. With a tight grip on his bridle she started
forward at a run. The horse plunged after her. How she managed to dash
out through the smoke Gale didn’t quite know but thankfully she had come
at last to her friend.