CHAPTER x.x.xIV
A MIDNIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT
JUANITA STERLING was forced to hear much bantering in regard to her prolonged ride with the Home president; but she received it with the utmost good humor. Not even to Mrs. Albright did she hint of the happiness that had come to her. It would be known soon enough; to-day the joy was hers and hers alone.
"What would Blanche Puddicombe have said to see you go gallivant"n"
off to Bryston with her lover!" cried Miss Crilly. "I wish she could have, I just wish she could have! "T would have been a picnic, sure! Are you goin" again, Miss Sterling?"
Juanita Sterling laughed, her cheeks coloring prettily. "He didn"t ask me to go to-day."
"Too bad!" cried the tease. "But she blushes, so I guess she"ll go when he does ask her."
"Perhaps she"s trying to cut out Miss Puddicombe," suggested Miss Major.
"She hasn"t told us a thing he said to her," winked Miss Mullaly.
"They had time for lots of love scenes all those long miles""
"An auto isn"t the best place in the world for love-makin","
giggled Miss Crilly.
"Now you stop bothering her!" cried Mrs. Albright. "We"d every one of us give our eye-teeth for such a ride with the president, and you know it!"
"My! I guess we would!" Miss Crilly performed a pirouette. "I"d run my feet off to get into the car!"
"Well, what did you talk about?" queried Miss Mullaly coaxingly.
"Yes, we want to hear," urged Miss Crilly; "so when we go with him we shall know what to say."
"No danger of your not knowing what to say!" laughed Miss Major.
"Some of the time we talked about Belgian hare," answered Miss Sterling demurely.
"Belgian hare!" grinned Miss Crilly. "I bet you didn"t talk five or six hours about Belgian hare!"
Juanita Sterling chuckled gayly. "He asked what I had for dinner yesterday, and I told him""
"Honest?" gasped Miss Mullaly.
"Yes," nodded the other.
"What did he say?"
"I don"t remember just what; but he was surprised."
"I guess he was! I hope it will set him to thinking."
"Well, if I stay here fooling away all the forenoon, I shan"t get a credit mark for having my bed made early!" And Miss Crilly tripped off.
The rest soon scattered, and Miss Sterling was left alone to dream over her joy and to wonder what her friends would say when the truth came out.
In the afternoon she called at Dr. Dudley"s, and was disappointed not to find Polly. The day was cold, with a raw wind, very unlike the day before; so after a short walk she returned home.
Mrs. Albright met her in the upper hall.
"Miss Crilly is sick," she said anxiously. "She is in terrible pain, and nothing relieves her. She wants Dr. Dudley; but Miss Sniffen says it is not necessary. I don"t know what to do!"
"Sh!" Miss Sterling held her answer to listen. "I thought I heard a footstep," she whispered. "Is Miss Sniffen downstairs?"
"She went down. I don"t care if she does hear me! I"m getting desperate."
"She ought to have a doctor," Miss Sterling said, with wrinkled forehead. "I wonder if I can be of any use--I"ll come right up."
The combined resources of the two were of no avail. Miss Crilly grew worse,
"I shall die--I know I shall!--just as poor Miss Twining is going to!" wailed the sufferer.
"No, you won"t!" returned Mrs. Albright. "You haven"t any heart trouble."
"I"ve got something!" insisted Miss Crilly, writhing with pain.
Miss Sniffen appeared at the door with a bowl of steaming water and a bundle of cloths. "I"m going to put these on," she announced briskly.
"I tried hot water first thing," said Mrs. Albright. "It didn"t do any good."
The superintendent gave no response. She was busy administering the remedy.
"Don"t make such a fuss!" she reprimanded. "Pain never killed anybody yet."
"You"d better go back to your room, Miss Sterling," she turned to say. "No need of your staying here."
There did not seem to be, and the request was obeyed without reply.
Later Mrs. Albright came upstairs to say that Miss Crilly was a little easier. "I think she"s going to get on now," she concluded.
"I hope so," was the reply; "but call me if she should grow worse."
"Yes, I will,--though you couldn"t do any good," she amended.
"I could get a doctor for her."
"I don"t see how!" Mrs. Albright gazed questioningly into the steady gray eyes. This was a new Miss Sterling. "You can"t do anything with Miss Sniffen."
"There are other people in the world besides Miss Sniffen. If she needs a doctor she shall have one. So let me know if the pain comes on again."
Miss Sterling had been abed an hour or more when she was awakened by a gentle rap.
Mrs. Albright softly opened the door.