CHAPTER XI
MABEL STAYS HOME
The girls teased Mabel considerably for the next few days. One afternoonshe went to her room and was decidedly startled to find a dozen almosthuman objects seated on the floor, their backs braced against the wall.They were pillows stuffed into middy blouses. A large placard held forthby two stuffed sleeves read: "We are orphans. Please stay with us untilLizzie comes."
A night or two afterwards she found her bed occupied by four more almosthuman middy blouse orphans, and one morning a lovely picture of a verystout young person pushing a wide baby carriage full of plump infantsappeared on the assembly room blackboard. Under it was printed "Missing:One Lizzie."
Mabel suspected that Henrietta and Maude Wilder were at the bottom ofthese outrages; and her suspicions were probably correct. But there wereother offenders. Whenever little Jane Pool met her in the corridor shewould cock a wicked black eye at her and say: "Hello, Lizzie," or "How'sLizzie today?"
Even one of the lofty seniors condescended to notice her long enough toask: "Found any more orphans to adopt yet?"
Even tender hearted Bettie could not refrain sometimes from saying:"Anne, Sister Anne, do you see anybody coming?"
Mabel, who was feeling a bit doleful these days, took all this teasingin good part. Indeed, she was glad to be amused. After days of suspenseher punishment for going out of bounds had been meted out to her; andshe felt that she was indeed being punished. On Wednesday evening therewas to be a concert at the Theological Seminary, with ice creamafterwards. Now, the students might and did scramble their prayers andmake hash of their sermons; but they _could_ sing, so it was always ajoy to hear them. And "Ice cream afterwards" sounded wonderfully good toMabel. But for Mabel there was to be no music and no ice cream. She wasto stay at home with poor old Abbie. It was not until Wednesdayafternoon that Mabel learned that Maude also was to stay at home.
"Miss Woodruff did it," explained Maude, her amber eyes twinklingmerrily. "Just after 'Lights out' last night I thought I'd like to dropa cold wet washcloth down Dorothy Miller's neck. It's a long way over tothe North corridor, you know, and the hall doors all squeak; but Ithought I could get away with it. Well, what did I do but run slap banginto Miss Woodruff!"
"Goodness!" gasped Mabel. "What _did_ you do?"
"Well," continued Maude, "I never said a word. I just stared straightahead with my eyes wide open and pretended I was walking in my sleep,with that silly washcloth dripping from my outstretched hand. And I hadher fooled. But just as I reached my own door I just absent-mindedlyturned around and stuck my tongue out at her--you know I always _do_stick my tongue out at her when she isn't looking--but this time I gotcaught. Mean old thing! She switched the light on just in time to getfull benefit, so it was all up with little Maude."
"What did she do then?"
"Oh, she said a lot of awfully cutting things. She's a good teacher andI _do_ respect her for that; but she doesn't have to be so sarcasticwhen folks--well, stick out their tongues. I think it's a mean shame tomake me lose that concert and all that ice cream just for a little thinglike that. Cora says they sing _funny_ songs and there's always cakewith the ice cream. I'm going to get even with Miss Woodruff, see if Idon't. Well, cheer up, Mabel. I'll see you later."
Evening found the two girls with their noses pressed against theirbedroom windows watching the long procession of girls and teachers outof sight down the moonlit road. As usual, the Seniors led and theyounger girls brought up the rear. Mabel looked at the place besideMarjory that should have been hers and sighed. She thought of that icecream and a large tear rolled down her cheek.
Maude, wasting no tears, tiptoed to a room on the fourth floor. A keyclicked in a lock and in two minutes more, naughty Maude was bouncinggleefully on Mabel's bed.
"I've locked poor old Abbie in her bedroom," announced Maude. "And nowlook at this!"
Maude hurled a large scarlet bundle at Mabel's head. Fortunately, it wasa soft bundle.
"Spread it out on the floor," directed Maude. "It's Miss Woodruff'snightgown. Somebody told her that red flannel was a sure cure forrheumatism, so she _wears_ that thing. It's perfectly enormous--it wouldhave to be or it wouldn't fit. Now, let's look in all the Lakevillegirls' sewing baskets for large white buttons and white tape--they won'tmind. We'll just embellish that nightie with a few nice pictures andtack it up on Miss Woodruff's door--the girls will love it. We'll sewthose buttons on tight, too."
Against the brilliant background, the naughty pair outlined grinningfaces with the white tape, making eyes and other features with the largewhite buttons. A blazing sun adorned each wide front and Maudeaccomplished a daring caricature of Miss Woodruff herself in the verycenter of the broad scarlet back. Ordinarily, both Maude and Mabel hatedto sew on buttons; but now they fell upon the task with glee.
"I've thought of something else," announced Maude, when this task wasfinished. "Miss Woodruff hates tobacco smoke. There are several packagesof horrible cigarettes in Madame Bolande's room. You get the tin pailthat stands on the back porch. After awhile I'll build a tiny fire inthat and burn a bunch of those cigarettes just inside Miss Woodruff'sdoor."
"Oh Maude--"
"We've been so bad now that we might as well keep on," said Maude,recklessly. "There's one thing sure; the next time they punish us theywon't leave us home--they won't _dare_. We'll have to keep Abbie lockedin until the very last minute so she won't undo any of our work. NowI'll get a pitcher of water so we can keep the fire in our pail fromdoing any harm; and anyway a little dampness will make that tobaccosmell worse."
Maude and Mabel were in their beds and very sound asleep when the schoolreturned. Miss Woodruff went to the library to find a book beforeascending to her room; so most of the West Corridor girls had a finechance to see the strange and ludicrous object nailed to the poor lady'sdoor. Such a shout of laughter went up that Mrs. Rhodes hurried to thecorridor and Doctor Rhodes, startled at the unusual sound, followedafter. Poor Miss Woodruff arrived a moment later to find even DoctorRhodes convulsed with mirth.
In one of his brief speeches to the school, Doctor Rhodes had once said"Incapatiated" when he meant "Incapacitated." Perhaps he was rememberingthe superior manner in which Miss Woodruff had corrected him. At anyrate, he now seemed able to enjoy a joke on that rather severe lady.
Maude spent the next day in solitary confinement in the big lonely roomat the end of the North Corridor, far away from all her friends. She wasto stay there until she apologized. For some reason, Doctor Rhodesfailed to connect Mabel with the wicked doings of the previous night; itis possible that Maude had shouldered all the blame; but when the secondday dawned, with Maude still obdurate, Mabel, without consulting any ofher friends, marched down to Doctor Rhodes's office.
"Doctor Rhodes," said she, "I think you ought to know--that is, I think Iought to _tell_ you--that _I_ sewed just as many buttons on that rednightgown as Maude did; and I ought to be punished just as much."
"Did _you_ take Miss Woodruff's silver cardcase?"
"Why, no!" returned Mabel, indignantly. "Of _course_ I didn't."
"Or Madame's cigarettes?"
"No."
"Or five dollars out of Madame's everyday hat?"
"Oh, _no_. And Maude didn't touch the money or the card case. I'm sureof that."
"What about the cigarettes?"
"She did take those and we both took the buttons and the tape; butnothing else."
"And you think you ought to be punished?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Perhaps you could suggest a suitable penalty?"
"You might put me in solitary confinement in that room with Maude."
Doctor Rhodes laughed and Mabel wondered why.
"You'd better look up the meaning of the word 'Solitary,'" said he. "Ifear there are other reasons why your plan wouldn't work. You and Maudeare a pretty lively team. I think,"--with a shrewd glance at Mabel'splump figure--"that this is a better punishment for you. No dessert fordinner for a whole week."
> "Yes, Sir," said Mabel, looking as if a week seemed a pretty long time.
"And you must apologize to Miss Woodruff."
"I don't mind that," said Mabel. "I'm always having to apologize tosomebody, so I've had lots of practice."
"That's an honest youngster," said Doctor Rhodes to himself when thedoor had closed behind Mabel. "I'm sure she didn't take either thatcardcase or that money. And I don't believe that naughty Wilder girl dideither. Mabel is just a cheerful blunderer and Maude is just franklywillful. They're both honest. But I'd give something to know who it isthat isn't--with all this smoke there must be _some_ fire."
After Maude had spent two long days in the North Corridor bedroom, MissWoodruff thinking it was time for repentance to set in, tapped at thedoor. Maude, supposing it was Annie or Mary with her supper tray, hoppedinto the large black walnut wardrobe that stood against the wall anddrew the door shut, meaning to spring forth at the right moment and say"Boo!"--but not until the tray was safe on the table.
The room was dimly lighted. Miss Woodruff, thinking that the dark shadowin the corner was Maude, stepped into the room and said, with dignity:"Maude, I am ready to accept your apology."
This, of course, was rather sudden. The culprit had no apology at hertongue's end. Still, she had _something_--irrepressible Maude was never_entirely_ at a loss. She opened the wardrobe door, smiled sweetly atMiss Woodruff and said:
"_Nous avons les raisins blancs et noirs mais pas de cerises._"
Apparently Miss Woodruff didn't care whether there were cherries or not.She went out and slammed the door.
Girls of Highland Hall: Further Adventures of the Dandelion Cottagers Page 12
