CHAPTER V
WORSE AND WORSE
Two weeks passed, and still Billie Bradley had found no solution toher problem. The broken statue seemed as far from being paid for asever, and, as far as she was concerned, the summer vacation wascompletely spoiled.
In this frame of mind she crushed a soft straw hat down over her brownhair one day and set out to find her chums, feeling the need of theirsympathy. And how was she to know, poor Billie, that the news the girlswould have to tell her would serve only to make her mood the blacker?
As she neared the Farrington home, Violet herself came rushing out tomeet her, looking unusually and feverishly excited.
"Oh, Billie, what do you think?" she cried, encircling Billie with herarm and fairly dragging her up on the porch. "I have the most wonderfulnews to tell you!"
"What?" gasped Billie, for the unexpected onslaught had literallytaken her breath away. "Goodness! you might as well kill me as scareme to death."
"Oh, but, Billie, you won't mind when I tell you," cried Violet,regarding her friend with dancing eyes. "The folks have decided to sendme to Three Towers Hall!" Three Towers was a boarding school somedistance from North Bend. "Laura is going too," Violet continuedbreathlessly. "And of course you will--" But something in Billie's facestopped her and she drew in her breath sharply.
"Oh, Billie," she cried, her face falling, "you're never going to tell meyou can't go!"
"I guess that's just what I am going to tell you," said Billie, her fistsclasped so tightly that the knuckles showed white. "I might have stoodsome chance if it hadn't been for that old statue. Now I can't get enoughmoney to pay for that--much less go to Three Towers."
"Oh, that old statue!" cried Violet desperately, adding, while her facegrew longer and longer: "What fun will there be, I'd like to know, ingoing to Three Towers if you can't go with us? And oh, Billie, I wasmaking such wonderful plans!"
Billie had to turn away to hide the tears that sprang to her eyes. For togo to Three Towers Hall had long been the ambition of the chums, and nowit was doubly hard to see her chance snatched away by an accident thatcould have been so easily avoided. If only she had not been so foolish!
Violet came over and put a loving arm about her friend.
"Never mind, honey," she said consolingly, forgetting her owndisappointment in Billie's. "We'll find some way to get to Three Towers."
Billie smiled a wry little smile and made an effort to look as if therewere still something to live for in the world.
"Laura told me that you thought your uncle might help you," said Violet,after an interval of unhappily trying to think of some way out of theirtrouble. "Neither Laura nor I will stir a step without you, that's asure thing."
"Why, of course you will," said Billie, stopping the swing short andlooking at her chum in amazement. "I'm sure your folks aren't going tolet you stay at home from the school they've decided on just because Ican't go with you. Although," and her voice broke a little, "it's justwonderful of you, Vi, to feel that way. You will go, of course, and youcan write me beautiful letters about the wonderful times you are having."
"I won't do it!" cried Violet, springing to her feet. "I'm not going toThree Towers without you, and that settles it. I don't care if I had athousand parents. Who's that turning the corner?" she interrupted herselfto ask. "There's something familiar about that walk."
"Why, it's Ferd Stowing," said Billie, getting to her feet for a betterview. "My, but he looks happy about something. I wonder what's up."
The next moment Ferd Stowing, one of the best-liked boys in the town,came rushing up the steps like a whirlwind, and it did not take the girlslong to find out "what was up."
"Hooray!" he cried, flinging his hat high in the air. "Wuxtry! All aboutFerd Stowing and Ted Jordon!"
"For goodness' sake, stop bellowing and behave," Billie commanded. "Whathave you and Teddy been doing now?"
"Plenty. But that's nothing to what we're going to do," crowed Ferdexultantly. "He and I have at last persuaded our reluctant parents tosend us to the military school. You know--the one that is only a littleover a mile from Three Towers where you girls are going."
Again Billie felt as if she had been treated to a shower of ice water.Teddy and Ferd were going to Boxton Military Academy, and Chet--herdarling, loyal Chet--would not be able to go with them. Her owndisappointment seemed nothing at all beside this new tragedy.
"I was just on my way over to your house," Billie was conscious that Ferdwas addressing her. "We haven't had a chance to get in touch with Chetyet. But the old boy will of course go with us, won't he? It wouldn't beany fun without Chet."
Almost the very words Violet had said to her, thought Billie, as shetried to swallow a sob and only succeeded in turning it into a funnylittle cough.
"He will, won't he?" Ferd was insisting, while Violet watched them withtroubled eyes.
"Why--why--I don't know, Ferd," Billie stammered, trying to make hervoice sound natural. "I do know one thing, and that is that Chet is crazyto go and will if he gets half a chance."
"Then I guess it's all right," said Ferd, leaning back with a sigh ofrelief. "Gee, I was afraid you were going to say he couldn't go, and sospoil everything. Say, can't you see the good times we're going to havewith you girls at Three Towers Hall and we fellows such a little way offthat we can see each other every once in a while? I can't make up mymind that it's real yet--" And so on and on, rapturously, whileBillie's heart sank lower and lower and Violet's own warm one ached forher friend.
Then just as Ferd started to go he spied Chet coming up the street andhailed him joyfully.
"Just the fellow I wanted to see," he declared fervently. "Come on uphere, old man, and hear the glad news."
Billie groaned inwardly and seemed about to speak, but Violet stopped herwith a hand on her arm.
"Might as well get it over with," she whispered. "Chet is sure to hearof it later if he doesn't now."
So Billie waited, but her heart ached as she watched Chet march upsmilingly to hear "the glad news."
"We're going to Boxton Military Academy." Ferd fairly shouted it at him."How about it, old timer, are you going with us, or are you going toleave us in the lurch?"
The glad tidings staggered Chet for a minute, but he came on quietly andperched himself upon the railing, one foot swinging idly.
"You said you were going to the military academy?" he asked, his voice asquiet as his manner, but Billie noticed that the smile was gone. "By thatI suppose you mean you and Teddy."
"And you," added Ferd, beaming upon him. "Billie said you werecrazy to go."
Chet looked at Billie's unhappy face and tried to smile.
"Crazy to go!" he repeated. "I'll say I am. But--"
"But me no buts, Chet, my lad," broke in the impetuous Ferd. "I didn'task you anything. I merely stated a fact."
"I--I'd give almost anything I own to make it a fact," said Chet, hiseyes on the ground. "But I'm very much afraid you'll have to guessagain, old man."
"Guess again? Well, I should say not!" cried Ferd, getting to his feetindignantly. "Why, the thing can't be done without you, Chet. Didn'tBillie say--"
"Billie only said," interrupted Violet, coming to Billie's rescue, "thatChet was crazy to go and would if he had half a chance."
Ferd sank back in his chair, too dismayed to speak.
"Well, of all--Say, old man, you've got to go," and he turned to Chetpleadingly. "What sort of a party do you think this is going to beanyway, with Billie at Three Towers Hall and you back here in North Bend?It's not fair."
"Not fair," flared Billie. "You don't suppose I'd go to Three Towers andleave Chet here, do you?"
"Then you're not going either?" cried Ferd, seeing all his castles in theair coming down about his ears with a crash.
Billie shook her head unhappily.
"No, I'm not going either," she said.