ROBBED!
For days the girls could think of little else than the initiation into
the "Ghost Club" and their startling meeting with the "Codfish."
Whenever they could get together between classes or at noon or before
they went to bed, these were the topics of conversation. And of these,
the "Codfish" held first place.
"He must be a real burglar," Connie said during one of these gatherings.
"Of course he was," said Rose, looking a little bored. "Respectable men
don't sneak around places at all hours of the night."
"But what in the world did he want?" Laura asked wonderingly. "You
wouldn't think he'd come out from the woods at all--especially when
there's such a bright moon. He might be sure some one would see him."
"Oh, I don't know," said Billie thoughtfully. "He probably knows the
rules of Three Towers and that the girls are all supposed to be in bed
before ten o'clock, and I suppose he felt safe enough. We _should_ have
been in bed, you know," she added, dimpling mischievously.
"But I wonder what he was sneaking around Three Towers for," Laura went
on, unwilling to change the subject. For to Laura, mysteries were the
very breath of life.
"Maybe he's waiting for a chance to rob us," said Vi in an awed little
voice, and the girls shuddered.
"Well, I hope he changes his mind," said Nellie Bane anxiously. "I never
did like burglars very much."
But as the days went by and nothing further happened, the mystery of the
"Codfish" was pushed a little into the background.
In the first place, the chums were having the time of their lives in the
"Ghost Club," and proud as could be of having been chosen for
membership.
The only one who was not particularly happy was Rose Belser. Of course
she had not wanted the girls in the club at first. But the rest of the
club did want them, and she was afraid that if she was the only one who
voted against them it would make her unpopular with the rest.
Then, too, she reasoned with herself, if she hoped to get even with
Billie, the only thing was to have her around until she saw her chance.
And all the time the "Twin Dill Pickles" were getting so obnoxious that
more than once the girls were upon the point of revolt. From day to day
it was only Miss Race, the mathematics teacher, who stood between them
and open rebellion.
For Miss Race was a staunch friend of the girls, and in her heart
disliked Miss Ada and Miss Cora as much as they did. Whenever things got
a little bit too bad, Miss Race would have a secret conversation with
Miss Walters, who in her turn would have a little talk with the two Miss
Dills. Then for the space of a day or two the girls would have
comparative comfort.
However, in spite of all efforts on the part of Miss Race, conditions
were steadily growing worse for the girls.
Things went on very much the same, without much change one way or
another, while autumn merged into winter and the snow began to fly.
There was a good deal of snow the early part of that winter, and
sledding parties became more and more frequent. There was a splendid
hill for coasting near Three Towers, and here the girls gathered almost
every afternoon after classes.
Sometimes, very often in fact, there were boys, too, brothers and
friends of the girls, boys who attended Boxton Military Academy. It was
great sport, even more thrilling than rowing or canoeing had been, so
that when Lake Molata froze over the girls were joyful at the prospect
of more fun. There would be skating, and Billie Bradley and her two
especial friends were splendid skaters.
Before long the lake was full of joyful, shouting boys and girls
whenever the weather was fine. And as for Chet and Teddy and Ferd, they
walked the mile from Boxton Academy almost every afternoon.
"Let's have a race," Billie suggested one day, skating up to a group of
her chums. Her cheeks were rosy with wind and exercise, and her brown
hair had escaped in little curling strands about her ears.
Teddy, looking up at her, thought that she looked like the picture of a
girl on a magazine cover that he had seen not so very long before.
"All right," he said, doing a fancy step on the ice that almost landed
him on his nose. "Shall we take partners? Yes we shall. Billie, will you
be mine?"
The rest of the girls giggled--all but Rose, who had taken a great
liking to handsome Teddy and did not at all fancy the way he always
singled out Billie, "the little cat"--and Billie made a face at Teddy.
"I'll think about it," she teased, then drew the boys and girls around
her while she outlined the course of the race. "Now," she said, "we'll
skate straight ahead till we come to where the lake takes that sudden
bend. Then we'll double, and whoever passes the big maple tree first
will win. Who's going in this race?"
It seemed that nearly everybody wanted to--everybody who could get a
partner, that is--and in a minute or two a score of merry young figures
were flying over the ice in a gallant effort to make the turn and get
back to the old maple first.
It was a pretty scene, at least Caroline Brant thought so. But Rose
Belser, sitting close beside her, scraping her skates along the ice
until she made two ugly little ridges in it, did not agree with her.
There was Billie, taking the center of the stage again as usual, and
there was Caroline looking after her with a smile. Well, Caroline could
smile. She had never been the most popular girl at Three Towers,
although most of the girls did like her, at that. Billie wasn't taking
_her_ place. And she dug still more viciously at the ice.
"Better not do that," said Caroline, bringing her eyes back from the
flying figures and looking at the ugly ridges Rose had made. "Somebody's
apt to tumble over them and get hurt."
"I wish they would," said Rose savagely, then added with a mean little
smile that suddenly reminded Caroline of Amanda Peabody: "I suppose
Billie would like to fall so that Teddy Jordon would have a chance to
pick her up."
"Rose, stop saying such things!" Caroline said. But further speech was
prevented when a girl's voice hailed them excitedly. They turned to see
Nellie Bane running toward them at full speed.
"Girls, the most awful thing has happened!" she panted when she came
within speaking distance. "Miss Race was coming home from town a few
minutes ago, and suddenly a man stepped out from the bushes near the
road and held her up."
"Held her up!" they gasped, and Caroline added sharply:
"Do you mean she was robbed?"
"Yes," answered Nellie, still panting and with eyes wide with excitement
"And from what she said, I'm sure it was the 'Codfish.'"
At that minute the skaters sped down upon them, Teddy and Billie winning
triumphantly by about a yard. Caroline skated over to them, calling her
story as she went. It was a minute or two before she could make them
understand.
"You say one of the teachers was robbed?" asked Ferd.
Then Caroline told the story all over again, while Nellie shouted to
them from the shore--for Nellie had on no skates and did not dare
venture out on the ice without them. Before she had finished the boys
were tearing wildly for the bank with the girls close behind them.
There they sat down and tore their skates off, asking questions all the
while.
"Did you say it was just the other side of the gate?" Chet asked. "Say,
if we hurry, fellows, we may have a chance to find him. Who would ever
have thought of that old Codfish turning up again?"
"Don't talk--work," cried Teddy, getting rid of his skates and stamping
his numbed feet to get the blood back into them. "We missed that fellow
once before, and we're not going to miss him again if we can help it.
Ready, fellows?"
"You bet!" Ferd and Chet cried, and the three were off on a run, the
first of the boys to start. Behind them the girls were still fumbling
with numbed fingers at their skates.