AGGIE'S SCHEME
While it is a fact that nearly every boy who had allowed himself to be
influenced by Si Kelly in the matter of refusing to attend Aggie
Morrell's necktie party was almost ashamed of himself for permitting
such a letter to be written without making protest, each one was at the
schoolhouse early next day in order to learn "what the girls were going
to do about it."
Aggie had always been a favorite with her schoolmates; but on this
particular morning,
when she came into the schoolhouse a quarter of an hour before Deacon
Littlefield called the pupils to order, the boys., with the single
exception of Winny Curtis, were very careful to keep on their own side
of the room. Every fellow was anxious to hear what she would say when
she read Si's note; but no one was willing to put himself forward more
prominently than another, for even the redoubtable Si was rather afraid
of Aggie's temper.
Although Winny had no idea of what the boys were intending to do, he
was. at the schoolhouse quite as early as anyone, in order to see all
that might take place, as well as to make his peace with the boys, if
possible. Si refused positively to have anything to do with the "ten-
center," as he called Winny, and the others gave him the " cold
shoulder," acting very much as if they blamed him because they had
refused to go to the necktie party.
When the girls entered the schoolroom in a body, the boys were gathered
in the back seats, strictly following Si's commands to "act as if
nothin' was up."
It was not many moments before Aggie and her friends understood that
the boys had decided against the party; therefore, when, just before
school was opened, the letter was found, it caused but little surprise.
Indignation was the feeling that predominated, and had Deacon
Littlefield not rapped loudly on his desk, as a signal that it was time
for school to open, it is probable that Master Si would have heard from
more than one of the "ten-centers" the exact opinion they all had
regarding him.
The good old deacon knew that some great and barely suppressed
excitement among the
pupils was the cause of the inattentiveness, even on the part of those
who were usually the most studious, and he acted as if his life was
particularly a burden to him during the hour and a half that elapsed
before recess. He had reproved nearly every pupil before half-past ten,
and then he said, in his most severe tones:
"I hardly know whether you or I feel the most relieved because the
forenoon session is
half finished. If it was any other time than immediately before the
holidays, I should think it my duty to inflict extra tasks upon you
all; but, under the circumstances, I propose to do just the reverse, by
increasing the length of recess, giving you half an hour instead of
fifteen minutes. After that time, I expect you will be in a more
fitting condition to give proper attention to your studies; if such
should not be the case, it will become my duty to remind you forcibly
that you must not try to unite your amusements with your studies."
The boys, headed by Si, rushed out with their customary shout of joy,
and the girls went at once into one of the classrooms, where an
indignation meeting was held, but not called to 'order.
" It's all Si Kelly's doings!" exclaimed Aggie. " The other boys would
have been in favor of the party if he hadn't said they shouldn't. I
should think they would be ashamed of themselves to come and go at his
beck and call!"
Si's ears must have tingled during that recess, . if there is any truth
in the old saying that those useful members grow warm when their owner
is being spoken ill of, for every girl present seemed to think it her
duty to say something against him before she could discuss the matter
with calmness.
"It's no use standing here talking about that Kelly boy," Maria Gilman
said, at last. "The
bell will ring, and we sha'n't have anything settled. The question is,
what are we going to do? Of course it is foolish for us to say that we
can have very much of 'a party if all the boys stay away."
"We must have it," said Annie Rich, decidedly. "It would never do to
let them think that
we had given up a good time just because they wouldn't join us."
"Yes, we must have the party," said Aggie, thoughtfully, " and we must
make the boys come, if possible. It's no use for me to try to study
now, and I'm going to ask the deacon to let me go home. Some of you
girls catch Winny Curtis, and find out from him what the boys are going
to do. I'll think up some kind of a plan, and after school to-night
we'll see what can be done."
Then, refusing to answer a single question, but cautioning the girls
not to look as if they
cared in the slightest because of the letter, Aggie went into the
schoolroom, where she had no difficulty in getting permission to go
home. As a matter of fact, Deacon Littlefield would have been more
pleased than his pupils could have been, if he could have given them
all a holiday; for trying to teach a number of boys and girls who were
in the highest state of excitement over Aggie's proposed necktie party,
was a task.
Maria and Annie "caught" Winny Curtis, as Aggie had proposed; but the
information they succeeded in getting from him was limited, for the
reason that he knew nothing of the boys' plans. All he could tell them
was that "Si Kelly was fixin' it for a reg'lar high old time," but,
unfortunately, he had not been permitted to join them, even had he been
disposed to give up the party, where it seemed probable that he would
be the only boy among twenty-five or thirty girls.
The boys did not have as much sport out of the letter as they had
expected. The girls spoke to them pleasantly, without any reference to
what had been said or done, and they began to fear that some plan was
under way which might promise even better sport than their sleigh-ride.
"They'll get up something to beat us," Tom Hardy said, mournfully.
"It's got to be a pretty
smart boy who can get the best of a lot of girls, an' I tell you what
it is, fellers, they'll serve us out before we get through puttin' on
airs."
"Now, don't be an idiot, Tom," cried Si, angrily. "Do you want them to
say that we can't have a good time unless they're along too? Our
sleigh-ride will go ahead of anything they
can get up, an' they'll be mighty sorry they can't go with us."
"P'rhaps so," replied Tom, doubtfully; "but Aggie Morrell has gone home
to cook up some plan, an' we sha 'n 't know whether we're goin' to have
the best time or not till we find out what she's about."
"If you want to go in with the' ten-centers' an' wear a calico necktie,
why don't you say
so?" cried Si, now thoroughly angry. " If I wanted to, I would,"
retorted Tom. "I stood by an' saw you write that letter, an' I'll stick
to it; but all the same I'm sorry we've done what we have, 'cause
whenever we've started anything the girls have always gone in with us,
an' it looks mean."
More than one of the boys believed as Tom did, and the result was that
the opponents of
the necktie party held a stormy meeting, although no one had the
slightest idea of "backing down" from the position he had taken under
Si's leadership.
Aggie did not show herself to friend or foe until just as the afternoon
recess was ended,
and then she entered the schoolroom with such a demure, innocent look
on her face that every girl knew she had decided upon some plan that
promised success. Even Si Kelly looked anxious when she came in, and he
immediately resolved to collect, on the very next morning, the money
each of the boys was to pay towards the sleigh-ride, in order that no
one might be tempted to join the necktie party.
S0 attentive was Aggie to her studies during the remainder of the
afternoon, that Deacon
Littlefield must have thought it would be a good idea to send each one
of his pupils home for a few hours.
The girls tried in every way, except that of breaking the rule against
whispering, to induce Aggie to give some hint of what she had decided
upon, and the boys watched her jealously; but neither to the one party
nor the other did she make a sign betokening that she had even thought
of the necktie party since she went home.
When school was dismissed, the boys, instead of rushing out at full
speed, as was their custom, appeared to have a remarkable amount of
trouble to arrange the books in their desks, and Deacon Littlefield was
yet more surprised by seeing every one of his boy pupils loitering
around as if pained at being obliged to go home.
The girls understood at once that they might have some trouble to hold
a meeting in the
schoolroom and at the same time prevent the boys from knowing what was
said or done, and they adjourned to the classroom, locking the door
behind them.
"Now tell us all about it, Aggie," said Annie Rich, as she stuffed the
keyhole with paper.
"What is it to be?"
"Did anyone find out from Winny Curtis what the boys think of doing?"
asked Aggie.
"He doesn't know anything about it. Si Kelly won't let him join them
because he said
he would come to our party."
"Jen Hardy, you must try to find out from Tom to-night what they are
going to do, and at
the same time you mustn't whisper to him a word of what we say here,"
and Aggie spoke in a tone of authority warranted by the fact that the
girls looked up to her as their leader. "Now I believe we can shame
those boys so that, whether they come to our party or not, they won't
serve us such a trick again. Here is a letter I have written to Si
Kelly, and each one of you must write the same thing to some other boy,
so that they will all get one. 'Now listen; .I'll read it, and then
eyery one can copy it."
With a look of the most intense satisfaction on her freckled face,
Aggie read:
Dear Si: - All of us girls are sorry that you can't come to the party.
We made a great mistake when we proposed that each one should pay ten
cents, even though the money was to be used to help aunt Betsey. We
know that only the lack of money prevents you from coming, and, in
order that you need not be obliged to stay away when we all want to see
you, I have paid the ten cents for your necktie, which I send with this
letter. Will you please come as early as eight o'clock?
Your friend,
Agnes Morrell
For several moments after Aggie ceased reading, the applause was so
great that it was impossible for anyone to make herself heard.. The
girls were so pleased with the scheme that they were almost as noisy as
the boys would have been under similar circumstances.
"Now we must each give twenty-five cents," Aggie said, as soon as the
tumult had partially subsided, "and we will buy the things for aunt
Betsey, so that the boys will know we have really paid the money. Each
one decide which boy she will write to, so that everyone will get a
letter, and mother says you may all come to my house to-night to make
the neckties. I've been to Mr. Dilloway's and Lute Haley's and got the
prints, so
that we can have everything fixed this evening."
"When will we send the letters?"
"The first thing in the morning. Mother will wrap up the neckties to-
night, so that we
-sha'n't know which ones we are sending away. We will leave the
letters, with the packages, on the boys'. desks before school begins,
and if they are not ashamed of themselves by the time they read them,
I'm mistaken."
" But suppose the boys don't come after we do all this?" said Maria,
dolefully.
"Then we'll have the party just the same, and I guess we can manage to
have a good time
even if Mr. Si Kelly does not permit the boys to come."
" But how can we leave the letters?" Maria appeared to be full of
doubts, even though
Aggie's plan seemed so promising. "The boys will be sure to come here
the first thing, and we shall look rather silly carrying the letters
around to the desks when they are all here."
"I know that," replied Aggie, promptly, "and I'm going to tell Deacon
Littlefield the whole story just as soon as we get through here. We
will ask him to let us come in first, and to keep the boys out until we
get everything fixed."
There was no question but that Aggie had thought of all possible
contingencies, and the
girls were convinced that under her leadership they would be able to
rout Master Kelly, even though they might not have the satisfaction of
seeing him at the party.
"Now we'll go home and write the letters before supper, so that we
shall have nothing to
do this evening but work on the neckties," said Aggie, as she made her
preparations for leaving the room. II You girls go, and I'll arrange it
with the Deacon, so that we can get in here in the morning ahead of
the boys."
Of course girls don't cheer, when anything pleases them, as boys do,
but this particular
party of girls were strongly tempted to do so as they left the room, so
thoroughly convinced were they that they would soon triumph over those
who had tried to humiliate them.