by Nell Speed
CHAPTER IX.
ECCLESIASTICAL POWER.
"Girls! Girls! Zebedee has gone and done it!" yelled Dee, bursting inthe door of 117 and waving a lettergram wildly over her head.
"Done what?" I gasped. Dee was so excited that I could not tell whethershe was overcome with joy or grief. I had a terrible feeling way down inmy bed-room slippers that maybe Zebedee had gone and got himselfmarried.
It was quite early in the morning, at least ten minutes beforebreakfast, and we were just getting into our clothes when Dee, the lastone coming from the bath, had run against the maid in the hall, bringingup this mysterious message from Zebedee.
"Oh, it is just like him!"
"What's just like him?" and Dum snatched the telegram from her sister,and read: "'By wire-pulling, leg-pulling and visits to the Bishop andother clergy, have obtained a special dispensation for Tweedles, Page,Annie and Mary to be in Richmond for Thanksgiving game. Am wiringspondulix to Miss Plympton. Pack duds and take first train you cancatch. I am treating the crowd. Zebedee.'"
We performed a Lobster Quadrille then and there in honour of Zebedee andthen we gave the mystic rap for Annie and Mary. Of course Annie did notthink she should accept the railroad trip from Zebedee and wondered whather father would say, but we simply overrode her objections. All thetime we were getting into our clothes as fast as we could, as there wasan ominous sound below of breakfast on the way, and in a moment the gongboomed forth and we raced down stairs, I still in my bedroom slippersand Dum with her plait on the inside of her middy, hoping to conceal thefact that she had not combed her hair, only smoothed it over.
Miss Plympton was not very gracious over our going. It was not usualfor pupils to leave the school on Thanksgiving. That feast comes soclose to Christmas it is quite an interruption to the education of theyoung; but what was she to do but comply? A special delivery letter fromthe Bishop, a telegram from two preachers and one from the Board ofDirectors of Gresham were certainly compelling, and there was nothingfor her to do but consent.
It was Wednesday and the next day was Thanksgiving. It seemed to me asthough that day would never pass. We had to go to classes as usual andmake a show of paying attention and reciting. Our train did not leaveuntil six in the evening, at least, that was the one Miss Plymptondecided we were to take, although we had hoped against hope that shewould let us get off at noon. She was adamant on that score, however,and we had to be thankful that she would let us take that instead ofkeeping us over until the next morning, which would have meant arisingat dawn and going breakfastless to a six a. m. local.
Miss Plympton had been rather nicer to us since the episode in the lastchapter. She had almost mastered the difference between Dum and Dee, andabout once out of three times called them by their right names. She hadalways been rather nicer to me than to my chums and now she was, in away, quite pleasant to me. This summons from Mr. Tucker had upset herrecently acquired politeness and all day she found something to pick onour quintette. She chose as a subject of her history lecture thepernicious effect of arbitrary ecclesiastical power, which drew from mean involuntary smile. I thought she was off on a satisfying hobby andlet my thoughts wander to the delights of our proposed trip to Richmondand a real blood and thunder football match between Carolina andVirginia. Suddenly I was awakened from my dream of bliss by MissPlympton's addressing a remark to me:
"Miss Allison, why were the Estates General convoked but rarely underCharles VI and VII?"
"Estates General?" I gasped for time. What was the woman talking aboutanyhow? I thought she was off on arbitrary ecclesiastical power and hereshe was firing Estates General at me and raking up old scandals onCharles VI and VII. I couldn't answer on the spur of the moment, so Ijust giggled.
"Miss Allison, I have been an instructor of history for many years and Ihave never yet found a pupil who could giggle her way through it. It isone subject that requires study."
I took the reprimand like a lamb and tried to concentrate, but Mr.Tucker's cheerful countenance kept forcing its way in front of EstatesGeneral, and what that history lesson was about I do not know to thisday.
Six o'clock came at last and we piled on the train, the envy of all thegirls at Gresham who had not had somebody pull wires and legs of theBishop and other Clergy so they could go spend Thanksgiving in Richmondand see the famous game.
Our train did not puff into the station at Richmond until way into thenight and we were tired and very hungry. Our food since a one o'clockdinner had been nothing but stacks of chocolate and crackers and chewinggum and fruit we had purchased from the train butcher, who passed usevery five minutes of the journey with a fresh supply of tempting wares.
"Hello, girls!" Zebedee embraced all of us with his kind eyes, butTweedles with his arms. "Geewhilikins! but I am glad to see you! I wasafraid you were never coming. Train an hour late and I know you arestarving."
"Starving? Starved!" exclaimed Dum.
"Well, I've had some eats sent up to the apartment and maybe you canmake out until morning on what I have there."
We packed ourselves two deep in the faithful Henry. We were tired andhungry but sleep was a million miles from the thought of any of us. Whenwe arrived at the Tuckers' apartment and had satisfied the cravings ofour inner men with the very substantial food that our host had providedfor us, we decided that we might as well make a night of it, so we satup to the wee small hours regaling the delighted Zebedee with tales ofGresham and Miss Plympton's chins.
"I declare, you girls tell so many stirring tales of adventure I shouldthink you would write a book about it. If it were possible for a mereman to do such a thing, I'd write a book for girls and put all of you init."
"Please don't," I begged, "because I am going to do that very thingmyself just as soon as I get through with school. 'Bright, clean,juvenile fiction,' as the ads say, that's what I mean to make of it."
"Are you going to put me in?" he pleaded.
"Of course! Aren't you in it? How could I make a book of all of uswithout you?"
"Well, if I am going to be in the great book of books as a hero ofromance, I think I'd best go to bed and get some beauty sleep so I canmake a good appearance in fiction. I've had a cot put up for myself inan empty apartment on the floor below so you young ladies can have thefreedom of the flat. I'm going to let you sleep until luncheon. We haveto get an early start for the ball park so we can get a good place.Speaking of romance,--did I tell you that Miss Mabel Binks is making avisit with your Cousin Park Garnett, Page?"
"Heavens!" tweedled the twins. "Old Mabel Binks is always around."
"She is looking very handsome, and is quite toned down. She is having aripping time in society and Mrs. Garnett is doing a lot for her, dinnerparties, teas and such."
"I bet you have been to them and are being nice to her!" stormed Dum.
"Well, I have been so-so nice to her but not so terribly attentive. Sheis not my style exactly." But Dum and Dee would not be satisfied untilZebedee promised he would not be any nicer to Mabel Binks in the futurethan common politeness demanded, and that they were to be the judge ofwhat common politeness did demand. Zebedee went off laughing to seek hislowly cot in the vacant apartment and we were soon asleep, but the lastthing Tweedles said was: "Horrid old Mabel Binks!" And certainly thelast thing I thought before slumber held me was the same thing.
