A SLEIGHING PARTY
Dorothy was never inclined toward mischief, and now, when her mother was
away traveling for change of scene, and much-needed rest, she felt very
eager to send each month, a fine report of her progress. Dorothy was
full of life, and loved a good time, if Nancy, her dearest friend might
enjoy it with her.
When the news was circulated that the great sleigh at the livery stable
had been chartered by Mrs. Marvin, and that sleigh-rides would be in
order as long as the snow lasted, none was more eager for the pleasure
than Dorothy.
To be sure, she had always enjoyed plenty of sleigh-rides when at home
at the Stone House, but here was a novelty! The big sleigh at Glenmore
would hold twenty girls, while the beautiful Russian sleigh at the Stone
House held four, and the pony sleigh two. Mrs. Marvin, in making out the
list for each party, was careful to place those already acquainted
together. Thus, the list that was headed with Dorothy's name included
Nancy Ferris, of course, then Vera, Elf, Patricia, Arabella, Betty,
Valerie, and twelve others, who were at least slightly acquainted with
those already named.
They were about evenly divided in another way. Ten were exceedingly
lively, while the other half of the list were pleasant girls of quieter
type.
Mrs. Marvin well knew that twenty lively girls would be likely to be a
bit too gay for the steady-going inhabitants of the town of Glenmore,
while the school must keep up its reputation for being cheerful, but
surely not noisy nor flighty!
The day for the first sleigh-ride dawned clear and cold, and Marcus
informed Judy that it was cold enough "ter freeze de bronze statoo down
in de square."
They were to start at three, and promptly at that hour Marcus drew up at
the door.
Eager to start, the girls were all waiting in the hall, when Arabella
drawled:
"Every one wait while I go and get my shawls."
She darted up the stairs, Patricia calling after her: "Your shawls,
goosie! Why you're wearing two coats and a sweater now."
"What did Arabella say?" asked Betty Chase.
"I thought she said she wanted the shawl to put over her _ears_!"
"She did say that," declared Patricia, "and won't she look fine;
besides, how could she get them on when twenty of us are packed into
that sleigh?"
"Oh, I'll help her with them," cried Betty Chase, with a laugh.
"So will I," chimed in Valerie.
"Here she comes now. Well, as I live, she _has_ brought two shawls,"
said Betty.
"One for each ear," said Valerie.
Laughing and chattering they ran down the path, and soon were
comfortably seated, very close to be sure, but very warm.
Arabella said that the two shawls were to wear later if it became
colder, whereat, Betty begged her to sit upon them.
"You take up room enough for three with a big shawl under each arm,"
said Betty. "Stand up and I'll fold them so you can sit on them."
Arabella meekly did as she was told. If any other girl had done the same
thing, she would have obstinately rebelled, but Betty had a way that was
compelling, and Arabella, after she was seated, wondered why she had
been so meek.
Patricia Levine had brought a big box of fudge, and she now passed it
around. Arabella said she knew it would make her sick, but she took two
pieces instead of one, lest the box might not come around again.
The route took them over a long roadway that had been cut through a
forest, and on either side the great trees towered above them, their
branches heaped with snow. The underbrush was beautified with what
looked like patches of swan's-down, and a tiny, ice-bound brook wound
its way in among the giant trees, disappearing behind a clump of
evergreens.
It had been possible to see all these things because the road had been
so rough that Marcus had been obliged to drive rather slowly.
Now, as they emerged from the wood-road, he touched the whip to the
flank of one of his horses, and with one accord they sprang forward,
giving the chattering occupants of the sleigh a decided "bounce," and
stopping Elf Carleton in the middle of the story that she was telling.
"O dear! Where was I when that jolt came?" she asked.
"I don't know what you were telling," said Vera, "but it's my turn now,
and I'm going to tell how awfully you acted this morning.
"Girls, Mrs. Marvin was perfectly lovely. She just talked and talked
about how good I _ought_ to be, but I didn't mind that, so long as she
didn't say she was going to send me home. She never said a single word
about that, but I didn't know she was going to be such a perfect dear. I
woke before daylight, and much comfort Elf was to me! I tell you truly,
girls, I poked her, I called to her, I shook her, but couldn't get her
enough awake to say a word.
"Well, we're about even, for one morning last week when I kept telling
her my tooth was aching, she paid no attention until I gave her an
outrageous poke, and shouted into her ear, 'My tooth aches!'
"She didn't open her eyes, but what she said was a great comfort."
"What did she say?" questioned Betty.
"She said it might stop aching if I kept my mouth closed," said Vera,
"and it took me five minutes to realize that her advice was more for
her benefit than mine. She wanted another nap, and closing my mouth to
shield my aching tooth would also prevent my talking. Trust Elf for
making sure--Oh, look, girls!"
Every head turned.
A big red pung was coming toward them at top speed. It was crowded with
more boys than could be seated, and those who stood carried long poles.
From the top of each pole a broad, gayly colored streamer waved. As the
pung passed a big boy in the center shouted: "Three cheers for the
Glenmore girls!" and they were given with a will.
"How do they know that we are Glenmore girls?" said Elf.
"Three cheers for the 'What-you-call 'em' boys!" screamed Betty, and
even Arabella added a faint "Hurrah!" to the general clamor.
Two of the boys produced a pair of cymbals, but while they were clashing
Betty brought forth a huge gong and nearly stunned those near her with
the noise that she made as with all her might she smote it.
"Hoo_ray_!" shouted a small boy.
"Hoo_raw_!" howled Valerie Dare, and no one could have decided which
laughed the harder, the pung-load of boys, or the lively girls in the
Glenmore sleigh.
"Yo'-all behave like tomboys," commented Marcus. "Lor', but Mis' Marvin
would 'a' been some s'prised ef she'd been here ter hear ye carry on."
"Well, if Miss Fenler had been here she'd have had forty fits," cried
Vera Vane, "but, Marcus, what they don't know won't worry them, and you
needn't tell them."
"And Marcus, you can forget all about the racket before you get home,"
said Elf.
"Shore, Miss, I's got a powerful short mem'ry. Gid 'ap!"
"Dorothy Dainty cheered as loud as any of us," said Arabella
Correyville.
"Well, why shouldn't she?" Patricia asked.
"Oh, she's always so--oh, I don't know,--correct, I guess is what I
meant to say," responded Arabella.
"I like fun as well as any one does," said Dorothy who had overheard the
remark.
"Oh, but Dorothy, you aren't even the least bit rude," declared Valerie.
"It's not rude to cheer," Dorothy said with a laugh. "I think we were
very polite to return their salute."
"Nancy Ferris cheered, too," said a girl who had been very quiet during
the hubbub.
Nancy laughed.
"I cheered because Dorothy did," she said, "but, Betty, how did you get
that gong in here without any one noticing it?"
"It was under this long coat," said Betty, "and I'll tell you all how I
happened to bring it.
"Monday, when I was down in the village, I met a boy that I know, and he
told me that over at the boys' private school in the next town they'd
heard about our sleigh-rides, and he told me that one of the boys, Bob
Chandler, had bought a pair of old cymbals at an antique shop. They were
planning their first sleigh-ride for the same day as ours, and they
thought we'd have no noise-maker with us. I meant to get even with them,
so I brought the big gong that hung in my room, and I guess we made as
much noise as they did. I've a number of curios that my uncle brought
home from abroad. Why didn't I think to bring along that funny little
horn? You could have tooted on that, Valerie."
"Oh, I'm satisfied. We had noise enough," said Hilda Fenton.
At that moment there was a commotion on the rear seat.
Some one was twisting around so persistently that many were made quite
uncomfortable.
Dorothy turned to see what it was all about. She laughed softly, and
touched Nancy's arm.
"It's Arabella," whispered Dorothy.
"Yes, and she's trying to put both shawls on at once," said Nancy.
"Oh, quick! See what Patricia is doing."
Completely out of patience with Arabella's wriggling, Patricia was
taking a vigorous hand.
In a manner anything but gentle she was pulling the heavy shawls up
around Arabella's head and shoulders.
Betty Chase said that she was "yanking" them, and the word, if not
elegant, was truthfully descriptive.
"_Don't_ knock my hat off!" whimpered Arabella.
"I don't care what I do if only I get those old shawls onto you so
you'll sit still!" declared Patricia.
When Arabella settled herself in her place she took a third more room
than before, and looked like a little old woman rolled up in many
blankets.
Arabella sat firm and immovable, staring through her spectacles. She did
not turn to the right or the left, and one would say that she did not
know that the girls were laughing at her.
"Don't you wish you had just one more shawl?" said Patricia.
"Not if I had to have you put it on," drawled Arabella. "You shoved my
hat on one side of my head, and it's felt queer ever since."
"How do you know that the hat has felt queer?" Valerie asked, smothering
a laugh.
"I guess you'd feel queer if Patricia Levine had once taken hold of
you," was the quick response, and Valerie ceased teasing.
"Dorothy knows a jolly sleighing song," said Nancy.
"Sing it! Sing it!"
"Oh, please sing it, Dorothy," clamored eager voices.
"Sing it with me, Nancy," Dorothy said. "Your alto makes it fine."
Their voices blended sweetly, and the melody floated out on the crisp
air, so that a tall, dark man left a wood road, and stood listening as
the sleigh sped past.
"Over the ice and snow we fly,
Oh, but our steeds have wings!
And their hoofs keep time
With the glad bells chime,
For sleigh bells are merry things,
Never a thought or care have we,
Lessons are laid aside,
And we laugh and sing,
Adding mirth and din
To the joy of a winter's ride."
"Oh, don't stop!" cried an eager voice. "Isn't there another verse?"
"There are two other verses," said Dorothy "but--I've forgotten them."
"Then sing the one you do know. It's worth hearing again!"
Again she sang it, as gayly as before, but for some reason, Nancy's
voice trembled, and Dorothy turned to glance at her.
She saw that Nancy's cheeks were white, and her eyes wide as if with
fear. A moment before her cheeks had been rosy red where the sharp wind
had kissed them.
"What is it, Nancy?" Dorothy whispered.
Nancy shook her head, but the hand that held Dorothy's tightened with a
nervous grip.
When the girls were once more chattering together, Nancy, leaning toward
Dorothy, whispered softly: "That dark man that stood near the woods
watching us as we passed,--did you see him?"
"Why, yes," whispered Dorothy, "but--" then she understood Nancy's fear.
"Why, Nancy dear, your old Uncle Steve, who stole you from us once, is
not living. Don't you remember that, and besides, that man didn't look
the least bit like him."
"That man looked just like Bonfanti!"
"Oh,--oo," burst softly from Dorothy's lips, then she tried to comfort
Nancy. "But why should he be wandering through the woods here? You've
always said that he was a busy man, and once you heard him say that he
had never been out of New York City."
"I know I did," Nancy said, "but I s'pose he _could_ go somewhere else,
and oh, Dorothy that man looked just like him!"