CHAPTER II.
CARRYING OUT HER PLAN.
"Of course I would dare," answered Ruby, positively. "I am not such acoward as you are, Ruthy. You see, even if your mamma would let youcome over and stay at my house, so you could be in the plan, it wouldn't be of any use, for it would be just like you to get afraid as soonas it was dark, and then you would cry and want to go back into thehouse."
"I am afraid I would," Ruthy answered meekly, not resenting theaccusation of cowardice. "I should think you would be afraid too,Ruby; and then what will your papa and mamma think when they find outin the night that you are gone."
"They won't find out," answered Ruby, easily disposing of thatobjection. "You see I shall wait till after they think I have gone tosleep to go out to my hut. I will get most undressed to-night atbed-time and then put my nightie on over the rest of my clothes, andwhen papa comes in to kiss me good-night he will never think of mygetting up again. Then I will creep downstairs as softly as a mouse,and out into the yard. It will be such fun to roll up in the blankets,and pretend that they are the skins of wild animals, and I shall lieawake for ever so long listening to hear if any bears come around, orlions. Oh, it will be such fun," and Ruby's eyes sparkled. Ruthylooked troubled.
"I don't think it will be a bit nice," she said presently. "I don'tbelieve your mamma would like it one single bit; and suppose somebodyshould carry you off when you are out there all by yourself."
"You just can't make me afraid, I guess, Ruthy Warren," sniffed Ruby,scornfully. "You are such a 'fraid-cat that you never want to doanything in all your life but play paper dolls. I might have known youwould n't see what fun it is to play Swiss Family Robinson. Now don'tyou dare tell any one a single word about it. Remember you promisedacross your heart."
"I sha'n't tell," Ruthy answered, "but I do wish you would n't do it,Ruby. Why, I shall be as scared as anything if I wake up in the nightand think that you are out there in your house all alone in the pitchdark. I should be so frightened if I was you that I would just screamand scream till some one heard me and came and got me."
"I would n't have such a baby as you to stay with me," Ruby said. "Iam going to do it just as sure as anything, Ruthy Warren, and if youbreathe a word of it to any one so I don't get let to do it, I willnever, never speak to you again as long as I live and breathe."
"Of course I sha'n't tell when I promised," Ruthy replied, a littlehurt at Ruby's doubting her word. "Maybe you won't do it after all,though. Perhaps when it gets dark you will be frightened."
"I never get frightened," Ruby said, tossing her head. "Now I must gohome, Ruthy. Come and walk part way with me, won't you?"
"I'll ask mamma," Ruthy answered, and gathering up her paper dolls sheran into the house, coming back in a few minutes with two red-cheekedapples for the little girls to eat on their way, and permission to goas far as the corner with Ruby.
Ruby could talk and think of nothing but her great plan for the night,and Ruthy pleaded with her in vain to give it up. The little girl wasso troubled about it that she wished Ruby had not told her about it.She did not see how she would ever be able to go to bed that night, andgo to sleep, thinking of her little friend out alone in her littlehouse down by the barn. In the bottom of her heart she wished thatRuby would be caught by Ann on her way out of the house, and preventedfrom carrying out her plan, but she did not dare whisper this wish toRuby, as she knew how angry it would make her to think of her plansbeing thwarted.
By the time Ruby reached home another plan occurred to her busy brain.Nora was not far from right when she said that Ruby could think up moremischief than any three children could carry out. Suppose it should becold in the night. Ruby could not quite remember what time in the yearit was when the Swiss Family Robinson were shipwrecked, but she knewthey had to make a fire. She would get some shavings and some littlesticks, and get a fire all ready to light in her hut, and then if itshould be cold, and she should want to light a fire, it would be allready.
This new idea added a great charm to the thought of staying out thereall night. She was quite sure that she would need a fire, and shebustled around very busily when she got home, gathering up shavingsfrom the place where the carpenters had been at work, and gettinglittle sticks to lay upon them so that the fire would burn up readily.Then she went back to the house, and going up into the spare room, tookdown the match-box from the tall chest of drawers, and carried it outto the hut where it would be all ready for the night. When this wasdone she felt as if she could hardly wait for the sun to go down andbedtime to come. She was so excited over her grand plan that her eyesshone like stars, and her cheeks were so flushed that when her fathercame in, he put his hand on her cheeks to see whether she had anyfever. If he had only known what a naughty plan was in Ruby's mind, hewould have been more sorry than to have had his little girl sick.
Of course I need not tell you that Ruby knew just how wrong it was toplan something which she knew very well her father and mother would notpermit for a moment if they knew of it. But in all the years that youhave known her she had not grown any less self-willed, I am sorry tosay, and so she thought of nothing but of getting her own way, whetherit was naughty or not.
The longest day will have an end at last, and though it seemed to Rubyas if a day had never passed so slowly, yet finally the sun went down.Ruby had had her supper, had kissed mamma good-night, and bed-time hadcome. She took off her shoes, and her dress, and then slipping herlittle white night-dress on over her other clothes, she scrambled intobed, and waited for her papa to come and kiss her good-night, her heartbeating so loudly with excitement that she was afraid he would hear it,and wonder what was the matter with her. I think if it had been hermother who had come in she would have wondered why only Ruby's dressand shoes were to be seen, and why the little girl had such a flushed,guilty look, and held the bed-clothes tucked up so tightly under herchin; but Ruby's papa did not notice any of these things, so Ruby wasnot hindered from carrying out her naughty plan.
She waited for what seemed to her a very long time, and then she heardthe wheels of her father's buggy going out of the yard, and knew he hadgone somewhere to see a patient. She was glad, for that made oneperson less who would be likely to hear her when she went out. Hermamma she was sure would not hear her, for her door was closed, and ifshe could only get past the kitchen door without Ann discovering her,she would be safe. When she could not hear any one stirring, she gotup and crept softly over to the door. The house was very still, soeven the rustle of her night-dress seemed to make a noise as shestepped along the hall. Down the stairs she crept like a little thief,and at last she reached the door. Ann had been sitting with her backto the kitchen door reading when Ruby went past, so she had not noticedthe little figure gliding along.
Ruby stepped through the open door out upon the back porch. It wasdark, and the noise of the tree toads and frogs seemed to make it morelonely than she had thought it would be. For a moment she was almostwilling to give up her plan and go back to bed like a good little girl,but then she thought of Ruthy, and how she would hate to confess to herthe next day that she had given up her plan after all; so she went on.Ruby was not inclined to be timid about anything, so, although it didnot seem as delightful as she had imagined it would, yet she was notafraid as she ran down the yard to her little house. She was glad,however, that it was not upon a desert island. It was very nice toknow that she was not surrounded by great rolling waves on every side,and that if she wished to go back to her home and her mother she coulddo so in a very few minutes.
She crept into her hut, and finding the bedclothes rolled herself up inthem. Oh, why was n't it as nice as she had thought it would be? Rubywas provoked with herself for wishing that she was back in the housecurled up in her own little bed, instead of being out here in the nightalone. She would not give up and go back, though, she said over andover again to herself. No; she had said that she would stay out allnight, and she meant to keep her word, whether sh
e liked it or not.
If Ruby had only been half as determined to keep her good resolutionsas she was to keep her bad ones, she would never have found herself insuch scrapes.
She rolled herself up in a little ball and drew the blanket closelyabout her,--not because she was cold, but because it seemed lesslonesome. While she was listening to all the music of a summer'snight, she fell asleep, and dreamed a very remarkable dream aboutsleeping in a nest swung from a cocoanut-tree, with a monkey for abed-fellow.
In the mean time very unexpected events were taking place at the house.A little while after Ruby's father had gone out to see his patient acarriage drove up from the station with a visitor.
It was Ruby's Aunt Emma, who had come to make a visit of a few days,and who had written to say that she was coming, but had only discoveredat the last moment that her letter had not been mailed in time for herbrother to receive it before her arrival.
After she had had a little talk with Ruby's mother, she was veryimpatient to see her little niece.
"I wish I could have reached here in time to see her before she went tosleep," she said.
"I am afraid if she woke up now and found you were here she would notgo to sleep again all night," said Ruby's mother.
"I won't wake her, but I will just go and peep at her while she isasleep," said Aunt Emma; and lighting a candle, she followed Ann intothe room where Ruby was supposed to be fast asleep in her trundle-bed.
Of course there was no Ruby there. The little girl was curled up inher blankets out in the yard, under her little tent of boards; andthere was only a little crumpled place in the pillow to show where herhead had nestled.
"Why, where can she be, I wonder?" said Ann in surprise.
"Hush! don't let her mother hear, or she will be worried," said AuntEmma, who knew how easily the invalid would be alarmed. "Perhaps shehas gone downstairs to get a drink of water or something."
"No, I am sure she has n't been downstairs, for I have been sittingright there in the kitchen all the evening," said Ann, positively."Oh, Miss Emma, she has got to be the witchiest girl ever you did see.She's always up to some piece of mischief or another, and it's morethan any one but her mother can do to keep her in order. I try mybest, but it ain't any use at all. She does just as she likes for allof me, unless I tell her father; and then it worries him so that Idon't like to, when he has so much else on his mind."
"I should like to know where she is now," said Miss Emma, looking verymuch puzzled. "There comes her father," she went on, as she heard thesound of wheels coming into the yard. "Perhaps he will know." Shewent downstairs softly, and met the doctor who, was very much surprisedat this unexpected visitor. After he had told her how glad he was tosee her, she told him that Ruby was not upstairs in her bed, and thatAnn did not know where she was, and asked him if he knew what hadbecome of the little girl.
He looked very anxious.
"Why, no, I have not the least idea," he said gravely. "I kissed hergood-night just before I went out to make a call, and she was all rightin her bed then. I do not see what could have become of her. I hopewe can keep it from her mother, or she will be sadly frightened if shehears Ruby is not to be found at this hour of the night."
Of course no one could imagine where Ruby had gone, and although theyhunted all over the house, there was not a trace of the little girl tobe seen.
"Perhaps she has been walking in her sleep," suggested Aunt Emma. "Shemay have wandered downstairs and out into the yard while she wasasleep, and been too frightened when she woke up to know how to findher way back into the house. I have heard of children doing suchthings."
"But she could n't have gone past the door without my seeing her," saidAnn, very positively. "I have been sitting right there in the kitchenall the evening, and I am sure I would have heard her, if she had gonepast. I never knew Ruby to walk in her sleep; but then I would n't sayshe might n't have done it this time, only I know she did n't walk pastthe kitchen door and go out that way."
"Could she have gone out the front door?" asked Aunt Emma.
The doctor shook his head.
"No; that would be too heavy for her to open alone, after it was lockedup for the night. I fastened it myself before I went out, and it isfastened now; so she could not have gone out that way. There is hermother calling. I hope she will not ask for Ruby. She must not havethis anxiety if we can spare her."
Ruby at School Page 2
