Ruth Fielding and the Gypsies; Or, The Missing Pearl Necklace

by Alice B. Emerson

  CHAPTER XXIII

  NETTIE PARSONS' FEAST

  Incidentally there was as much fun going on at Briarwood Hall as usualthis fall, but Ruth Fielding did not entirely enjoy any of the frolicsin which she necessarily had a part.

  The work of the Sweetbriar organization was all that really interestedher in this line. Several new girls who entered the school in Septemberwho were old enough, joined the association, besides others who wereadvanced from the lower classes.

  It was an honor--and was so considered by all--to be invited to become aSweetbriar. Within the association was much innocent entertainment.Picnics, musicals, evening parties approved by the school faculty--evenlittle feasts after curfew--were hatched within the membership.

  Nettie Parsons, the daughter of the "sugar king," was destined never tobe very popular in the school. Those girls who hoped to benefit byNettie's wealth soon found that money meant as little to Nettie as toany girl at Briarwood.

  On the other hand, she was no brilliant scholar, and she made friendsslowly. Ruth and Helen determined to help the "poor little rich girl,"as they called her, and they egged her on to give a midnight receptionin the room Nettie occupied with three other girls in the WestDormitory.

  "There's no way so sure to the hearts of these girls than through theirstomachs," Mercy said, when she heard of the plan. "Let poor Net stuffthem full of indigestible 'goodies,' and they will remember her forlife!"

  "Why put it that way, Mercy?" drawled Heavy. "You know, you are fond ofa bit of candy, or a pickle, yourself. The 'goodies' which we do not getat the school table are 'gifts of the gods.' They are unexpectedpleasures. And when eaten after hours, with a blanket for a tableclothand candles for lights, they become 'forbidden fruit,' which is known tobe the sweetest of all!"

  "Listen to Jen going into rhapsodies over eatables!" sniffed The Fox."Give her her way, and every composition she handed in to Miss Gouldwould be a menu."

  "Bah!" scoffed Heavy. "You eat your share when you get a chance, Inotice."

  "When Heavy is free from the scholastic yoke, and bosses her father'shouse for good," said Helen, "every dinner will make old Luculus turn inhis grave and groan with envy----"

  "Or with indigestion," snapped Mercy. "The girl will positively _burst_some day!"

  "I don't care," mourned Heavy, shaking her head. "It isn't what I get toeat at Briarwood that makes me fat--that's sure."

  "No," chuckled Ruth. "You grow plump on the remembrance of what you havealready eaten, dear. Who was it ate three plates of floating island lastnight for supper?"

  "Well!" cried Heavy, with wide open eyes, "you wouldn't want me to leavethem and let them go to waste, would you? Both you and Helen left yourshares, and the cook would have been hurt, if the pudding had come backuntouched."

  "Kind-hearted girl!" said The Fox, with a sniff.

  After-hour parties were frowned upon by Mrs. Tellingham and theteachers, of course; not for the mild breaking of the school rulesentailed, but because the girls' stomachs were apt to suffer.

  In the West Dormitory, too, Miss Picolet was known to be very sharp-eyedand sharp-eared for such occasions. It took some wit to circumvent MissPicolet; perhaps that is why the girls on Ruth's corridor so delightedin holding orgies unbeknown to the little French teacher.

  Miss Scrimp, the matron, was a heavy sleeper. The girls did not worryabout her.

  Nettie Parsons' room was at the very end of the cross-corridor, andfarthest from the stairway. The stairway went up through the middle ofthe big brick dormitory building, and perhaps _that_ was not the bestarrangement in case of fire; but there were plenty of fire escapes onthe outside.

  The question which at once arose, when the sixteen girls Nettie chosehad been invited to the feast, was who should stand guard?

  This was always a matter for discussion--sometimes for heart burnings,too. It was no pleasant task to sit out upon the cold stairway and watchfor the opening of Miss Picolet's door below.

  Sometimes they decided by casting lots. Sometimes some girl who was verygood-natured was inveigled into taking her plate of goodies out there inthe dimly lit corridor. And sometimes one had to be bribed to standwatch for the others.

  Miss Picolet was always known to light her candle when she was disturbedby any sound, or suspicion; then she would come to her door and listen.She never moved about her room without a light, that was one good thing!The girl on watch had warning the instant the French teacher opened herdoor.

  But of the sixteen girls Nettie Parsons had chosen, not one wanted toplay sentinel. Some of them said they would rather not attend thejamboree at all!

  The season was far enough advanced for the nights to be cold, and thecorridors were not warm after the steam went down. The party was calledfor ten o'clock. By that time frost would most likely be gathering onthe window panes.

  "Catch _me_ bundling up in a fur coat and mittens and stopping out therein that draughty place!" cried The Fox, "while the rest of you arestuffing yourself to repletion in a nice warm room."

  "Thought you didn't care for the goodies?" demanded Heavy, slily.

  "I don't care for catching my death of cold, Miss!" snapped Mary Cox.

  Neither Lluella, nor Belle, would "be the goat." Of course, it wasunderstood that Heavy herself could never be out of reach of the cakeplates! Nettie would not hear of Ruth being on watch.

  "I have it!" said Ruth, at last. "Leave it to me. I'll find a new guard,and I know he will not fail us."

  "Who is that?" demanded her chum.

  "Roberto."

  "Goodness me!" exclaimed Nettie. "Not that boy who helps Foyle?"

  "That's the one. And he'll do anything for Ruth," declared Helen,promptly.

  "Anything but talk!" thought Ruth, to herself, but she did not say italoud.

  "I don't see how _he_ can help us," Ann Hicks said. "He can't come intothe dormitory."

  "I--guess--not!" cried Helen.

  "But he won't mind watching outside," Ruth explained. "At least, I'llask him----"

  "But what good will _that_ do?" demanded Heavy. "If Miss Picolet gets upout of her warm nest, _he_ won't know it."

  "Yes, he will," said Ruth, nodding.

  The Fox began to laugh. "Don't let _her_ hear you say that, Fielding.Picolet is an awful old maid. She would be horrified, if she thought amale person even imagined her in bed!"

  "But how will he know?" demanded Ann.

  "That's easy," laughed Ruth. "He will stand where he can watch herwindow. If he sees her candle lit, he will give the alarm."

  "How?" asked Nettie.

  "We'll rig a 'tick-tack'--you know what I mean?"

  "Oh, don't I!" giggled Heavy.

  "Roberto can pull the string below, and that will make a tick-tack rapon Nettie's window."

  "Splendid!" cried the giver of the feast. "You just see if he will doit, Miss Fielding. And I'll give him a dollar--or more, if he wantsit."

  "A dollar will be a lot of money for Roberto," laughed Helen. "But hewon't do it for that."

  "No?"

  "Of course not. He'll only do it because Ruth asks him."

  Which was really the fact. Roberto understood well enough what wasdesired of him. Ruth pointed out the French teacher's window, and thewindows of Nettie Parsons' quartette room. From one of them would hang aweighted string on that night. Everything was agreed, and the feastplanned.

  It was a starlight night, when it arrived, but Roberto could find aplace to hide in the shrubbery, where he could watch both windows, asagreed. He slept in a little back room of Tony Foyle's suite in thebasement of the main building, and could get out and in withoutdisturbing Mr. and Mrs. Foyle.

  If he were caught out of his room after hours, Ruth knew that Tony wouldbe angry, but she had great influence with the little Irishman andpromised Roberto that she would "make it all right" for him, if he werecaught.

  The hour of the party came. The West Dormitory had apparently been "inthe arms of Morpheus" for half an hour, at least.

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nbsp; "But Mr. Murphy didn't get a strangle hold on us to-night," giggledHeavy, as she led the procession from her room.

  The girls were all in their kimonas, and many brought plates, knives andforks, cups, and other paraphernalia for the feast. There was to be hotchocolate and there were two alcohol lamps and two pots.

  The Fox presided over one lamp and Heavy bossed the other one. There wassomething wrong with the plump girl's lamp; either it had been filledtoo full, or it leaked. From the start it kept flaring and frighteningthe girls.

  "I really wish you would not use that old contraption!" exclaimed AnnHicks. "It's just as uncertain as a pinto pony."

  "Never you mind," snapped Heavy. "I guess I know----"

  Pouf!

  The flames flared suddenly. Heavy leaped back, stumbled over anothergirl, and went sprawling. The flames did not touch her, but they _did_ignite the curtain at the window.

  There was a great squealing as the girls ran. Nobody dared tear down theblazing curtain, and the flames leaped higher and higher each instant.

  Then one of the most frightened of the company jerked open the door, puther head out into the corridor, and shrieked "Fire!"