AMANDA'S SURPRISE
Billie was right about their luck, for they reached home without further
mishap. And it was with great relief the boys and girls later saw the
precious trunk safely deposited in Billie's attic.
The next few days were mostly spent in telling wondering and interested
home folks about the ghostly happenings at the old homestead that was
Billie's inheritance and in recounting in detail the circumstances that
led to the discovery of the treasure trunk.
And then one night Mr. Bradley came home with the wonderful news that he
had sold most of the contents of the old trunk and had realized four
thousand three hundred and fifty dollars--and every cent for Billie!
"Did you sell them all, Dad?" Billie inquired, her eyes shining.
"No, I kept out a few coins and stamps that were especially rare and
I'll take them to another dealer. I think," and he looked at Billie
thoughtfully, "they ought to bring in quite a little pile more."
"Oh, Daddy, it's like a fairy tale!" Billie cried, and then added,
edging around to where her father stood and looking up at him
appealingly: "You and Mother haven't really said it, Dad, but Chet and I
will be able to go to boarding school, won't we?"
"I should think so--on four thousand dollars," her father answered
dryly, and so Billie's cup of happiness was filled to the brim.
But Billie, young as she was, was beginning to learn that no matter how
perfect a thing seems, there is almost sure to be a fly in the ointment
somewhere; and it was not long before she discovered the fly in the
present case.
It was one beautiful bright day, the kind that only early autumn knows,
and the chums were walking down the main street of North Bend eagerly
discussing plans and talking of the fun they would have at Three Towers
Hall when suddenly Billie espied Miss Beggs, the English teacher whose
statue she had broken, coming out of a drug store.
With a great wave of happiness that now she could pay for the statue, or
at least replace the one she had broken, she hurried forward and spoke
to the English teacher as she was about to enter another store.
"Why, how-do-you-do!" cried the latter, evidently surprised and very
much pleased at the meeting. "I didn't know you were back yet."
"We left Cherry Corners on Monday," Billie replied, then added eagerly
as Laura and Violet came hurrying up: "I'd like to tell you what
happened to us there; that is, if you have time enough."
"Indeed I have," replied Miss Beggs heartily, and after she had greeted
the other girls they all walked down the street together while Billie
launched into the wonderful tale of her good fortune.
"Over four thousand dollars!" cried the teacher when Billie stopped for
lack of breath. "Why, Billie, isn't that marvelous? It sounds like a
story. What," she added, smiling down into the eager face, "do you
intend to do with all that wealth?"
"Buy a statue for you, first of all," said Billie promptly, and Miss
Beggs flushed.
"I had forgotten all about that statue," she said. "I told you it had
already been broken, anyway."
"I know you did. But since you had mended it so it looked all right, it
was almost as good as new, wasn't it? You mustn't say 'no,'" she added
quickly, as she saw Miss Beggs was about to interrupt, "for it won't do
the slightest bit of good. I'm not going to buy anything for myself till
I replace that statue."
Miss Beggs gave a little helpless shrug of her shoulders.
"I can see that nobody has a chance to change your mind, Billie Bradley,
when it's once made up," she said with a smile, then added as the girls
turned toward home: "I know what I shall name my new statue. Her name
shall be 'Billie.'"
"She's lovely, isn't she?" asked Violet, referring to Miss Beggs. "I
wish she were going to be one of the instructors at Three Towers."
"I hope they're nice, for it's awful to live with people who aren't,"
sighed Laura.
"Well, we won't know very much about them till we get there."
"And then it may be too late," put in Violet dolefully.
"But Daddy says," Billie went on, "that Miss Walters, the head of the
school, is just splendid."
"Well, that ought to help some," said Laura, adding with a quick change
of tone that made the girls look up suddenly: "There's Amanda Peabody.
Can't we hide or something?"
"I don't see where, and, besides, she won't bite you," said Billie.
Amanda Peabody was probably the most unpopular girl in North Bend. The
girls disliked her as real girls always dislike a sneak and tattle-tale.
Amanda was always spying around, minding everybody's business but her
own, and making a general nuisance of herself.
And because Billie was so popular, Amanda seemed to have an especial
grudge against her and was always trying to get her into trouble.
As Amanda came toward them on this beautiful afternoon she seemed more
unpleasant than usual and there was a mean little smile at the corners
of her thin-lipped mouth.
"Hello!" she accosted the girls, then turned to Billie with a more
pronounced grin. "I've heard all about the money you found in that awful
old house. You must feel like a regular Captain Kidd, don't you?"
"Since I never was sure how Captain Kidd felt, I don't know," said
Billie coolly, although she could feel the blood slowly mounting into
her face. Oh, if she could only do what she wanted to, Amanda Peabody
wouldn't be smiling very long!
The girls made as if to go on, but with characteristic ill breeding,
Amanda planted herself directly in front of Billie, still with that
maddening grin on her face.
"I suppose now you'll be going to Three Towers Hall and your brother to
Boxton Academy."
Billie did not say anything--she just looked. But that look must have
been enough, for suddenly with a flirt of her dress and a toss of her
head and an insolent look Amanda flung past them.
"Just the same you needn't think you're the only pebble on the beach,"
she called back. "I'm going to Three Towers, too."
For a minute the chums could not believe their ears. Then they looked at
each other with horror written on their faces.
"Did you hear what I heard?" gasped Billie, when she could find her
voice.
"Yes, I heard," said Laura faintly. "Girls, do you think she could have
been telling the truth?"
"I don't see why she should want to fib about it," said Vi, feeling
rather bewildered. "She'd know we would soon find it out."
"Oh, but it's too awful!" burst out Billie suddenly. "Why, girls, it's
apt to spoil our whole year! Just think of having that sneak around,
prying into all our affairs and reporting every little thing we do."
"I guess the only way out of that is not to do anything she can report,"
said Violet ruefully, and Laura caught her up quickly.
"There you go taking all the fun out of it before we start," she said,
and in spite of their consternation the girls had to laugh.
"Why, you actually sound as if you intended to break the rules," said
Billie, drolly adding, with a prim little pucker of her mouth: "Laura,
I'm surprised at you."
"Listen to the good little girl talking," gibed Laura. "I never knew you
to get into any mischief, Billie,--oh, no!"
"Well, I won't quarrel with you about it," said Billie, calmly adding
with a little chuckle: "If we try to have any midnight feast at Three
Towers with sweet Amanda wandering round loose we will have to appoint a
guard to stand outside the door and warn us."
"I suppose that will be my job," said Violet plaintively. "It will be
lots of fun standing out in a drafty hall looking for Amanda while you
girls are having a feast."
"No, we'll fix it so it will be perfectly fair," said Billie soothingly.
"We'll draw lots or something."
"But I don't know what good a guard would do anyway," said Laura
dolefully. "There's something creepy about the way Amanda finds out
things. You think she's miles away and the next day she tells you more
about what you did than you know yourself."
"Maybe she has an accomplice," said Billie dramatically, and the girls
giggled.
"Anybody'd think Amanda was a criminal or something," said Laura, but
Billie shook her head decidedly.
"Uh-uh," she said. "I might like a good honest criminal but I'll be
jiggered--scuse me, ladies--if I can like Amanda Peabody! She's too
sly!"