"He"s lovely," praised Polly, but she scowled a little, her eyes following David. "I wish he hadn"t gone off so quick," she added regretfully; "I wanted you to know each other."
"I like him," admired Patricia, "and I like my new cousin," she giggled, squeezing Polly"s arm, "I just love her!"
So for the moment David was forgotten, and the boy, viewing them from a little distance behind, saw them enter the school yard in high glee.
Laughter was far from his face as he followed. He wished that Patricia Illingworth had stayed in Nevada.
At the foot of the staircase the two girls met Ilga Barron. The Senator"s daughter instantly seized upon Patricia with a playful reprimand.
"You ran away from me last night!"
"Yes, I went to carry my cousin home," retorted Patricia roguishly.
"Who, I"d like to know? n.o.body in this school!"
"Yes, she"s right here!" laughed the other, enjoying Ilga"s puzzled stare. "Allow me to present my cousin, Polly Dudley!" She drew Polly forward.
"Huh, not much! You can"t make me swallow that!"
"It"s true! Isn"t it, Polly? We"re third cousins! I found it in the Genealogy last night! Her mother was an Illingworth!"
Ilga"s face lighted.
"Oh, you"re "way off!" she broke out. "She isn"t related to her mother at all. She"s only an adopted child."
"But I mean her real mother!" returned Patricia indignantly. "Her own mother was Phebe Illingworth, and was second cousin to my father--as if I didn"t know!"
"I don"t care!" Ilga retorted. And she ran up the stairs.
Some of the girls, standing by, snickered; but Polly and Patricia gazed soberly at each other. Then they walked over to the rows of hooks, unb.u.t.toning their coats as they went.
"I think Ilga Barron"s just horrid!" whispered Patricia. "I didn"t like her yesterday, and to-day I hate her!"
"Oh, you mustn"t!" objected Polly.
"Why not?"
"Because we ought to love everybody, I s"pose," Polly answered slowly.
"Do you love her?" demanded Patricia. "Do you, honest?"
Polly shook her head. "I"m afraid I don"t now," she admitted; "but maybe I can some time."
Patricia laughed. "I don"t b"lieve I shall--ever," she declared; "you can love her enough for us both."
A flock of girls came in from outside, and confidences were hushed, the two presently going upstairs arm in arm.
"Don"t forget that you are to go home with me right after school to-night!" whispered Patricia, just before they reached the upper door.
"I couldn"t," was the smiling answer. And Polly went to her seat, still thinking of the pleasure ahead.
At noon David lingered behind until the girls were gone, and hurried off in advance of them on the way back, trying to satisfy his conscience with the argument that they wouldn"t want him "tagging on anyway." So the new friends were left for the greater share of the walk quite to themselves, Polly, when not too much interested in tales of the pet broncho back in Silverton, keeping a lookout for David, and wondering where he could possibly be. She even went so far as to wish, away down in her secret heart, that David were going with her on the first visit to her new cousin.
Opening from the princ.i.p.al schoolroom was a deep, narrow closet where the working supplies were kept. To reach the shelves at the back one must pa.s.s through the pinched little door, an easy matter for a sprite like Polly, who flitted in and out at any angle; but an occasional plump pupil was obliged to slip in sideways or be unpleasantly squeezed.
The afternoon was half through when extra paper was needed, and Miss Carpenter, an a.s.sistant teacher, asked Ilga Barron to fetch some.
"One of those large packages on the third shelf," she explained, as the girl started.
Strangely enough, Ilga had never been to the closet, and was unprepared for its cramped dimensions. A bit elated with the importance of her errand, she went heedlessly forward, b.u.mping against the mouldings as she entered, and flushing with vexation on hearing a giggle from one of the boys. In her confusion she grabbed two packages instead of one, and attempted to make her exit; but to her dismay she found that with the bulky parcels in her arms the return pa.s.sage was to be difficult if not impossible. Scarlet with mortification, yet holding blindly to her bundles, she twisted this way and that, while the children, bubbling with suppressed mirth, watched her breathlessly. To add to her discomfiture, several distinguished-looking visitors were approaching from the next room, whither the teacher had gone to meet them, and Polly, throbbing with sympathy, saw that she was on the verge of tears.
Suddenly, with no thought save of Ilga herself, Polly sprang to her feet, and running lightly over to the prisoner put out her hands for the parcels. But Ilga, misinterpreting the motive, drew back in anger, muttering something about wishing "folks would mind their own business." Polly, however, loyal to her aim, followed into the closet, and in an earnest whisper urged the other to give up the paper, that she might pa.s.s out in freedom. Finally, just as Miss Carpenter appeared, to learn the cause of the commotion, Ilga emerged, red-faced and sullen.
"What is all this fuss about? Polly, how came you here without permission?"
"To help Ilga," she faltered.
"I have never known a girl to need a.s.sistance in getting a ream of paper," the teacher replied severely, "especially so big a girl as Ilga."
A t.i.tter ran through the room, and an uncontrollable smile flickered on Polly"s lips.
Nettled by this show of levity, for which she discerned no cause, Miss Carpenter"s sentence upon the supposed culprit was instant and merciless.
"Go to your seat, and stay there until six o"clock!"
Hands waved frantically, David"s and Patricia"s wildly beat the air; but the young teacher either was too much occupied with her visitors or did not choose to notice, and the would-be defenders were soon called to recitation.
Polly sat still in her chair, dazed by the suddenness and injustice of it. She had meant only to spare Ilga further mortification--and had lost her expected treat. She took up her history with a long sigh.
It was a weary afternoon, and not alone to Polly. The children were distraught and restless, and things went wrong. The bell for dismissal struck a note of relief.
Polly had a faint, a very faint hope that Ilga would explain the matter, and she watched her furtively as she pa.s.sed out; but the Senator"s daughter walked straight by the teacher"s desk without turning her head, and as Polly saw her plump figure disappear in the stairway she went back to her examples, philosophically thinking that, at any rate, she could get her lessons for the next day, and so have the evening free to enjoy with mother. If there were a best to any situation, Polly was sure to find it.
But to-night clouds gathered early about the sun, and presently the schoolroom grew dusky. Soon it was too dark to read, and with regret Polly shut her book. She looked at her little watch which she usually wore, the "wedding" gift of Colonel Gresham, and was surprised to find it to be after five. She did not put it directly back in its pocket, but held it in her hand, fingering it lovingly, thinking of David"s uncle, and then of the "stormy midnight" and the "sunshiny morning"
which the little timepiece commemorated.
So absorbed was she that the opening of the door caused her to start; but she smiled when she recognized through the dimness Miss Cordelia, the younger of the two Townsend sisters who kept the school.
"My dear," exclaimed Miss Cordelia"s soft voice, "I am so sorry this has happened. David Collins has been telling me how it was."
"David?" repeated Polly in a glad tone. "But, Miss Cordelia, I went without permission."
"Yes, dear; but a kind action is its own excuse. You were doubtless thinking only of Ilga."
"That"s every single thing I thought of," Polly a.s.sured her. "It seemed funny she didn"t put the paper out first and then come herself; but I s"pose she was fl.u.s.tered and didn"t think. I felt so sorry for her, and the next thing I knew I was racing over there. I didn"t mean to break the rule, truly I didn"t, Miss Cordelia!"
"I can easily believe you, dear, and I am sure Miss Carpenter was not intentionally unjust. She could not have understood. Somebody said she was not feeling well, and that she went home directly after school.
She must have forgotten what she told you; her memory is treacherous at times. Please say to your father and mother, dear, that my sister and I are very much grieved over the occurrence, and that we shall endeavor to let nothing of the kind ever happen again. We will have that closet door widened; it has made too much trouble already. Run down to David now; he is waiting for you." And with a kiss from the stately little lady Polly was dismissed.
David was found on the walk leading from the pupils" entrance executing a double shuffle, to keep his feet warm, for the air was growing keen.