Grace Harlowe's Plebe Year at High School

by Josephine Chase

  CHAPTER XV

  TOM GRAY

  The company which met around the breakfast table, next morning, wasentirely restored to its old gayety. There was not one member of thehouse party, including Mrs. Gray herself, who did not feel unboundedrelief that the place was so well rid of Tom Gray.

  David was glad there had been no arrest, and that the mistress of thehouse had with so much dignity and spirit turned out the culprit. Itwould have been a bad business, testifying in court against Mrs. Gray'snephew when he had been visiting in her house.

  "Mrs. Gray," suggested Grace, "if you haven't made any plans thismorning for us, I think we had better spend an hour or so rehearsing oursurprise."

  "Very well, my dear, you may spend as much time as you like at it; butif I peep over the transom, or listen through a crack in the door, youmustn't scold. I don't know that I can wait much longer to find out whatit is."

  "No, no! You're not to come near the third story," protested Grace. "Weshall nail down the transom and stuff the keyhole with soap if you do."

  "I never could stand suspense," exclaimed the old lady, shaking her headuntil her lace breakfast cap, with its little bows of lavender ribbon,quivered all over. "I fear I shall be tempted to break into the roombefore Christmas night and unearth the whole business. But tell me thismuch. Who is in the surprise?"

  "All of us," declared Nora. "But now we'll have to get somebody to takethe place of----"

  She paused and blushed scarlet.

  "Mr. Thomas Gray," announced the old butler at the door, with a peculiarexpression on his countenance.

  There was a dead silence. Mrs. Gray sat as if turned to stone, whileDavid half rose from his seat and Hippy seized a bread and butter knifeto plunge into the heart of his enemy, if necessary.

  "Aunt Rose," cried a voice outside, "aren't you glad to see me?"

  A broad-shouldered, well-built young man walked into the room and kissedthe old lady right in the mouth, before she could say a word. He had asunburned, wholesome face, kindly gray eyes, light-brown hair, and worea heavy suit of rough, blue cloth. He carried no cane; neither were hisshoes pointed at the toes, and there wasn't a tinge of English in hisaccent except that his enunciation was unusually good.

  Mrs. Gray rose from her chair and examined the young man long andcarefully.

  "The very image of your uncle," she cried at last, and gave him a goodhug. "The very image, my dear Tom. Your old aunty has been a mostegregious fool. Why didn't you come last night?"

  "Didn't you get my telegram? I sent it in good time. I was delayed andhad to take the night train up. I am awfully sorry if it inconveniencedyou."

  "You haven't inconvenienced me, my boy, except for a slight loss ofsleep, and a fright and a narrow of escape from losing the familysilver, which David and Grace, here, prevented."

  Then Mrs. Gray sat down and burst out laughing. The others joined in andfor a few minutes the breakfast table was in an uproar.

  The real Tom Gray, who was the image of his uncle's portrait over thesideboard, looked from one to another of the strange faces and thenbegan to laugh too, since it seemed to be the proper thing to do. He hadone of those delightful, hearty laughs that ring out in a whole roomfulof voices. When Mrs. Gray heard it she stopped short, patting her nephewon the cheek; for he was sitting beside her now in a place hastilyarranged by the butler.

  "Exactly your uncle's laugh. It's good to hear it again. You're a Gray,every inch of you; and, thank God, you're a fine fellow! If you had comedown here with an English accent and no 'h's' and a monocle, I shouldhave shut the door in your face. I should, indeed."

  "Who, me?" demanded her nephew, forgetting his grammar in his surpriseat such a state of affairs. "Not me, dear aunt. America's good enoughfor me. I've had lots of good times with my English cousins, butAmerica's my home and country."

  "Hurrah!" cried Hippy, dashing around the table and seizing the youngman's hand. "We're glad to know you. We're proud and happy to make youracquaintance."

  There was such an uproar of fun and laughter at this that Tom Gray beganat last to see that something had really happened, and that his suddenand unheralded appearance had brought immense relief to the assembledcompany.

  "Don't you think it's time somebody put me on?" he asked finally whenthe noise had quieted down a little.

  "Tom," replied his aunt, "did you tell anyone you were coming to Oakdalefor Christmas to visit me!"

  "Why, yes," answered Tom after a moment's thought. "I believe I did. Infact I know I did. I was staying for a week in New York, with an Englishfriend, Arthur Butler. I told him all about it. It was on his accountthat I stayed over one night. I sent the telegram by his servant,Richards."

  "Ah, ha!" cried Mrs. Gray. "And pray tell us what that wretch of aservant looked like."

  Tom laughed.

  "Richards is quite an unusual fellow, a good servant I believe, butrather effeminate and a kind of a dandy----"

  "That's the man!"

  "He's the one!"

  "The very fellow!"

  Half a dozen voices interrupted at once.

  Then Mrs. Gray explained the rather serious adventure of the nightbefore. She ended by saying:

  "I never, in my heart of hearts, really believed he was you, Tom, dear."

  "The scoundrel!" exclaimed the young man. "Can't we set the police onhim?"

  "The police in Oakdale are slow, Tom," replied his aunt. "Slow from lackof occupation. Robbers do not flock here in great numbers."

  "At least, I'll telegraph to Arthur Butler," said Tom, "and warn him.They may catch him from that end."

  The telegram was accordingly sent. Likewise the police were notified,but Richards, who turned out to be a well-known English crook, made goodhis escape and was heard from no more.

  It did not take our young people long to make the acquaintance of thereal Tom Gray, nor to decide he was a fine fellow and one they couldadmit to their circle without regret.

  "He's like a breath of fresh air," thought Grace, and indeed it wasdisclosed later that he intended to study forestry because he loved thecountry and the open air, and spent all his vacations camping out andtaking long walking trips. But there was nothing of the gypsy in him. Hewas full of energy and ambition and infused such a wholesome vigor intowhatever he did that the young people felt a new enthusiasm in hispresence.

  "I propose to celebrate the return of the real Tom Gray," announced Mrs.Gray, "by sending my boys and girls off on a sleighing party thisafternoon. The big old sleigh holds exactly eight. Reddy, you may drive,since the roads are so familiar to you. You must all be back at sixo'clock, for, remember, to-night we decorate the Christmas tree andevery girl freshman in Oakdale High School must have a present on it."

  Just after lunch, therefore, after a hard morning's work over Mrs.Gray's "surprise," the young people bundled into the big side-seatedsleigh, and tucked the buffalo robes tightly around them. The horsessnorted in the crisp, dry air; there was a jingle of merry sleigh bellsas off they started down the street toward the open country.

  Jingle bells, jingle bells, Jingle all the way. Oh, what fun 'tis to ride In a one-horse open sleigh.

  they sang as they bowled over the well-beaten track; and Tom Graybreathed a sigh of pure delight.

  "Isn't this great!" he exclaimed. "Wouldn't you rather do this thanwrite an essay or study Latin prose composition?"

  "Next to riding in an airship and skating, it's the finest thing I knowof," answered David.

  "Have you ever ridden in an airship?" demanded Tom.

  "No, but I intend to," replied the other; for David had never for amoment relinquished his pet scheme, but worked on his experimentswhenever he had a spare moment; little dreaming that one day he was tobecome the talk of the town.

  As the sleigh passed the Nesbit house, Miriam and some of her friendswere just entering her front gate. She saw the party and a shadow ofblack jealousy darkened her face.

  "Why don't we do the same thing?" she exclaimed aloud,
and in anothertwenty minutes she had bundled her own guests into the Nesbit sleigh,while she herself took the reins and guided the pair of spirited blackhorses.

  "Miriam, I do wish you would let one of the boys drive," said hermother, who had come to the door to see her off.

  "I prefer to do the driving, mother," replied the spoiled girl, and witha crack of the whip, the second sleighful was off after the first. Itwas not long before the Nesbit sleigh had met and passed the other,which was not going at a very great rate of speed. Mrs. Gray's carriagehorses were much older and more staid than Miriam's pair of youngblacks.

  "Who is the girl in front?" asked Tom, as the sleigh flashed past.

  "My sister," answered David shortly.

  "She must be a pretty good driver," observed Tom.

  David made no reply. He knew perfectly well that Miriam was not strongenough to hold in the black team, once the horses got the upper hand;but he hoped one of the boys would take the reins if they showed anysymptoms of running away.

  The early twilight was just falling when the Gray house party came to anarrow, rickety old bridge spanning the bed of a creek. Here theystopped the horses for a time, while Grace and Hippy gathered somebranches of evergreen growing on the edge of a wood, just over thebridge.

  Suddenly the stillness was broken by the sound of bells ringing soviolently that it seemed as if all Bedlam had broken loose. Around acurve and down the road in front of them loomed Miriam's blacks, makingstraight for the other group. They were going like the wind, and theempty sleigh, lying on its side, was clattering behind them.

  "Jump, girls!" cried Tom, while with the other boys he started to crossthe bridge to intercept the horses.

  If Grace had paused to reflect she might never have attemptedaccomplishing the daring deed that suggested itself to her. Quicklysnatching off her scarlet cape, she dashed into the middle of the road,waving it before her. Perhaps the horses also thought Bedlam had beenlet loose. At sight of the terrifying apparition, they slackened up,snorted and reared backward.

  "She is a brave girl," thought Tom Gray, as he leaped at the nearestrearing, plunging animal, while David seized the other. Far down theroad came the sound of a faint halloo.

  "I'll pick up the others. I suppose they are in a drift," said Reddy, ashe drove off and in a few minutes returned carrying Miriam and herparty. Miriam herself looked white and frightened, although shepretended to treat the affair lightly.

  "A rabbit scared the horses," was all she said. "I'll let one of theboys drive us home."

  "Indeed, I shan't go back in that sleigh," cried Julia Crosby.

  "Perhaps you'll accept a ride in the freshman sleigh, Miss Crosby,"suggested Nora; and the other girl, somewhat ashamed, was obliged toplace herself at the mercy of her enemies.

  "All of you girls get into Mrs. Gray's sleigh," commanded David, "andTom and I will drive the other sleigh back." No one ever cared todisobey David when he spoke in this tone. Even his wilful sister tookher seat between Grace and Anne without a word and never spoke duringthe entire drive back, except to say good night at her own front gate.

  But Grace could not refrain from one sharp little thrust.

  "You seem to be unlucky with sleighs and sleds both, Miriam," she said.