CHAPTER XV
NORMA MAKES REPAIRS
This had to content the Tucker twin who took Bobby's chaffinggood-humoredly.
Bob Henderson did indeed look very well. The uniform was most becoming,and though he was studying hard to make up for lack of preparation, hisclear eyes and skin and firm muscles told of a wise schedule thatincluded plenty of outdoor exercise.
"We want you girls to come over to a practice game," announced TommyTucker presently. "We've got rather jolly rooms, and we thought if youbrought Miss Thingumbob along we could have you in for tea and show youthe sights. Do you think the powers that be will say yes?"
"Well, I don't know," answered Betty thoughtfully. "I didn't know youSalsette boys had much to do with girls. Of course the whole school goesto the big football games, but asking us to see a practice game issomething new. Of course it will be difficult to get an afternoon whenevery one is free--"
"Every one!" exploded Bob. "Who said anything about every one? We don'twant the whole school--just you and Bobby and Louise and Frances andLibbie and the Guerin girls."
"Sure, the same bunch that came up on the train," said Tommy Tucker."Lead me to Mrs. Eustice and I'll ask her."
"Mrs. Eustice is not in this afternoon," announced an extremely cold anddisapproving voice. "Have you permission, young ladies, to see theseer--callers?"
It was the elderly teacher whom Tommy had tormented on the train!
For once in his life that young man was thoroughly abashed. He threwBetty an appealing look that asked her to save him.
"Miss Prettyman, may I present my friends?" said the girl with theformality that is subtly flattering to an older woman. "This is BobHenderson, who came from the West with me and who is really like mybrother, since my uncle is his guardian. And this is Tommy Tucker, wholives in Washington."
"How do you do, Robert and Thomas?" said Miss Prettyman austerely. "DidMrs. Eustice know you had callers?" she persisted, turning to the girls."She took the last bus to Edentown."
"Yes, she knew. It is all right. Caroline said so," babbled Betty, infrantic terror lest the boys make the mistake of telling Miss Prettymanabout the proposed visit.
"What was it you wanted to ask Mrs. Eustice, young man?" the teacherdemanded next. "I am her secretary and try to save her work wheneverpossible. Perhaps I can answer your question."
Behind Miss Prettyman's narrow back Betty signaled wildly.
"Don't tell--hush!" she wig-wagged, laying her finger against her lips.
Tommy stared at her idiotically, his mouth gaping.
"Thank you, but only Mrs. Eustice could really give us an answer," saidBob, coming to the rescue of his stricken chum. "Betty, will you deliverour message and perhaps you can telephone the answer?"
"No Shadyside girl is allowed to telephone Salsette Academy," announcedMiss Prettyman, with grim satisfaction.
Betty had not known of this rule, but she realized it was undoubtedly inexistence.
"We'll let you know some way," she promised.
Still pursued by Miss Prettyman's icy glare, the wretched boys backed outof the room and the unfortunate Tommy walked into a handsome chinajardiniere with disastrous results. There was a sickening crash, aladylike scream from Miss Prettyman, and Betty heard Bob's voice in atone of suppressed fury: "You've done it now, you idiot!"
Bobby giggled, of course, but Miss Prettyman, who had followed the boysinto the hall ("I think she thought we'd steal something on the way out,"Bob confided later to Betty) maintained her poise.
"I'm--I'm awfully sorry," faltered the culprit. "I hope it wasn't veryexpensive. I'll pay Mrs. Eustice, of course, or buy her another one--"
"That jardiniere happened to be imported from Nippon," remarked MissPrettyman coldly. "I doubt if it can ever be replaced. It has stood inthat exact spot for seven years. But then, naturally, our callers areaccustomed to leaving a room gracefully. I'm sure I--"
The agonized Tommy tried to get in a word, failed, and took a step towardthe door. His foot caught in the rug, and for one dreadful moment hethought he was doomed to create another scene. As he recovered hisbalance, Ada Nansen came down the stairs.
"What was that noise we heard a few minutes ago?" she asked sweetly,looking at the boys.
Betty and Bobby, laughing in the doorway of the reception room, theunyielding Miss Prettyman, and the cool and curious Ada swam beforeTommy's eyes. Bob retained his presence of mind and, opening the doorwith one hand and pushing Tommy before him with the other, managed toeffect their exit.
"Gosh, Bob, wasn't that awful!" sighed poor Tommy, when they were finallyclear of the school portal. "Don't I always have bad luck? How could Iknow we were going to walk smack into that dame? She remembered us, too."
"She remembered you," said Bob significantly. "And you were within one ofasking her to let the girls come over to the game, too! Didn't you know,you poor fish, that she would jump for joy if she could have a chance toturn you down?"
"Well, anyway," replied Tommy more contentedly, "Betty will let us know.She can find a way."
Betty lost no time in putting the invitation before Mrs. Eunice when shereturned from her town expedition. The principal knew all about Bobthrough Mr. Gordon's letters and those from Mrs. Littell, and she knewmost of the parents of the other lads Betty mentioned.
"I see no reason, my dear," she said graciously when she heard of themorning's visit, "why you should not go. Get the consent of yourchaperone and then settle on the afternoon. How many of you are invited?"
"Seven," answered Betty truthfully. "But I want Constance Howard to go,Mrs. Eustice. The boys didn't know about her. She is Louise's roommateyou see, and we eight always do everything together."
"All right, Constance may go, too," acquiesced Mrs. Eustice.
Betty thanked her warmly and danced off to find Bobby. Then they flew toask Miss Anderson to be their chaperone, a duty that young woman assumedcordially, and before bedtime Betty had written Bob a note to say thatthey would be over Friday afternoon about half-past four.
Watched a little enviously by the others, the eight piled into the schoolbus the next Friday afternoon. Miss Anderson tripped down the steps, tookher place among them, and they were off.
"Did you see that lovely blouse Ada had on?" Norma Guerin whispered toBetty. "I do wish I could have one like that to wear with my suit."
"You look fifty times prettier than she does," flared Betty loyally. "Andyou know I've told you to borrow anything of mine whenever you want to."
"I know it," admitted Norma. "But I can't borrow clothes! Silly or not, Ijust can't seem to! I don't mean to complain all the time, either, but Idon't believe mother or granny realized how difficult it was going to be.Alice cried so hard this afternoon when she started to get dressed Ithought she'd never get her eyes right again. They look red yet."
Sure enough, Alice's eyes were suspiciously pink about the corners. Bettyknew that the Guerin girls were unhappy, not alone because they could nothave as many or as pretty frocks as the other girls, but because theywere constantly worried about financial affairs at home. They had bothbeen made the confidantes of their parents to a greater degree than iscustomary in many families, and Betty shrewdly suspected that Norma hadkept her father's books for him.
"I wish I could get hold of that treasure, or a part of it," Bettythought. "Isn't it maddening to think of a string of pearls at thebottom of a chasm and the girls to whom it should go struggling along onnext to nothing!"
They were half-way around the lake when the motor slowed down and thebus stopped.
"What's the matter, George?" Miss Anderson asked.
"Don't know, Ma'am," answered the driver, a rather sleepy-lookingmiddle-aged man. "Guess I'll have to investigate her."
Scratching his head, he proceeded to "investigate," and at the end offifteen minutes hazarded an opinion that they were "out of luck."
"Looks like I'll have to go back to the school garage and get 'em tosend us a tow," he announced pleasantly.
r /> "We want to go to the Academy!" chorused the girls. "We're late now. Oh,George, can't you fix it?"
"Betty, don't you know anything about cars?" appealed Miss Anderson,who had discovered that Betty was apt to be invaluable in an emergencyof any kind.
Betty had to confess that her experience had been confined to horses. TheLittell girls had been used to cars all their lives, but like themajority of such fortunates, knew nothing about them beyond the colorssuitable for upholstery.
"I've helped my dad with his car," ventured Norma diffidently. "Thisisn't the same make, but perhaps I can tell what the matter is."
The beautiful, expensive school bus was in fact another type than theshabby, rattly affair Dr. Guerin made spin over the rough country roads.However, Betty remembered at least one night, and she knew her experiencehad been duplicated by many others, when the noise of the asthmaticlittle car had been like sweetest music in her ears.
The doctor's daughter took off her plain jacket, rolled back her whitecuffs, and bent over the engine. George regarded her respectfully, andMiss Anderson and the girls watched anxiously. If Norma could not sendthem on their way it meant the trip must be given up.
Norma put her slim hands down among the oily plugs, selected a tool fromthe kit George held out to her, and did something mysterious to the"innards."
"Start her," she commanded briefly.
Obediently George took the wheel and touched the self-starter. The enginepurred contentedly.
"By gum!" cried George inelegantly, "she's done it!"
He produced a towel from the box for Norma, who managed to rub off mostof the grease from her hands. She put on her jacket and climbed into herplace between Betty and her sister. George proceeded to make up for losttime at a speed that left them breathless.
"Here's the girl who got us here!" said Betty to Bob, when the group ofcadets met their bus at the athletic field where several cars were drawnup on the sidelines.
"Then she shall have my fur coat and my best curly chrysanthemum,"announced Tommy Tucker gallantly, throwing a handsome raccoon fur coatover Norma's shoulders and presenting her with a magnificent yellowchrysanthemum.