CHAPTER II
THE STRAW RIDE
Uncle Rufus and Alfredia had fallen back from the foot of the stairsunder the impression that it was the garret ghost, rather than thegarret goat, that was charging the mischievous Sammy Pinkney. And thetwo smallest Corner House girls were much too small to catch Sammy infull flight.
So it certainly would have gone hard with that youngster had not otherand more able hands intervened. There was a shout from behind UncleRufus, an echoing bark, and a lean boy with a big dog dashed into theforefront of this exciting adventure.
The boy, if tall and slender, was muscular enough. Indeed, NealeO'Neil was a trained athlete, having begun his training very youngindeed with his uncle, Mr. William Sorber, of Twomley and Sorber'sHerculean Circus and Menagerie. As the big Newfoundland dog chargedupstairs to hold back the goat, Neale, with outspread arms, met Sammyin mid-air.
Neale staggered back, clutching the small boy, and finally tripped andfell on the carpet of the hall. But he was not hurt, nor was Sammy.
"Fo' de good lan' sake!" gasped Uncle Rufus, "what is we a-comin' to?A goat in de attic, an'--Tessie! yo' call off dat dog or he'll eatBilly Bumps, complete an' a-plenty!"
The big dog was barking vociferously, while the goat stamped his hoofsand shook his horns threateningly at the head of the flight of stairs.Tom Jonah and Billy Bumps never had been friends.
Tess called the old dog down while Sammy and Neale O'Neil scrambled upfrom the hall floor. Two older girls appeared, running from the frontof the house--a blonde beauty with fluffy, braided hair, and a moresedate brunette who was older than her sister by two years or more.
"What _is_ the matter?" demanded the blonde girl. "If this CornerHouse isn't the noisiest place in Milton--Ruth, see that goat!"
"Well, Sammy!" exclaimed Ruth Kenway, severely, "why didn't you bringScalawag, the pony, into the house as well? That goat!"
"I was goin' to," confessed the rather abashed Sammy. "But I didn'thave time."
"Don't you ever do such a thing again, Sammy Pinkney!" ordered Ruth,severely.
She had to be severe. Otherwise the younger ones would have completelyoverrun the old Corner House and made it unlivable for more sedate andquiet folk.
The responsibility for the welfare of her three sisters and that ofAunt Sarah Maltby, who lived with them, had early fallen on RuthKenway's shoulders. In a much larger city than Milton the Kenways hadlived in a very poor tenement and had had a hard struggle to get alongon a small pension, their mother and father both being dead, until Mr.Howbridge, administrator of Uncle Peter Stower's estate, had lookedthe sisters up.
At that time there was some uncertainty as to whom the old CornerHouse, standing opposite the Parade Ground in Milton, and the rest ofthe Stower property belonged; for Uncle Peter Stower had died, and hiswill could not be found. That there was a will, Mr. Howbridge knew,for he had drawn it for the miserly old man who had lived alone withhis colored servant, Uncle Rufus, in the old Corner House for so long.
The surrogate, however, finally allowed the guardian of the Kenwaysisters to place them in the roomy old house, with their aunt and withMrs. MacCall as housekeeper, while the court tangle was straightenedout. This last was satisfactorily arranged, as related in the firstbook of this series, entitled "The Corner House Girls."
"Even Ruth could scarcely keep a sober face."]
In successive volumes are related in detail the adventures of the foursisters and their friends since their establishment in the old CornerHouse, telling of their adventures at school, in a summer camp at theseashore, of their taking part in a school play, of the odd find madein the old Corner House garret, and on an automobile tour through theState.
In that sixth volume of the series the Kenways met Luke and CecileShepard, brother and sister, who prove to be delightful friends,especially to Ruth. Agnes, the second Kenway, already had a faithfulchum and companion in Neale O'Neil. But in Luke, Ruth found a mostcharming acquaintance, and in the seventh book, "The Corner HouseGirls Growing Up," the friendship of Ruth and Luke is cemented by aseries of incidents that try both of their characters.
Of course, each month saw the four sisters that many days older. Theywere actually growing up--"growing out of aye ken!" Mrs. MacCall oftensaid. Just the same, they still liked fun and frolic and, especiallythe younger ones, were just as likely to play pranks as ever.
Even Ruth could scarcely keep a sober face when she looked now fromSammy Pinkney's rueful countenance to the goat shaking his head at thetop of the garret stairs.
"Now," she said as severely as possible, "I would like to know how youintend to get him down again."
"More than that, Sam," said Neale: "How did you ever get him upthere?"
"Oh, that was easy!" declared the small boy, his confident grinreturning to his freckled face. "I got a stick and tied to it one ofthose old cabbages that Uncle Rufus has got packed away under theshed. Then," went on the inventive genius, "I went behind Billy andpushed, holding the cabbage ahead of his nose. Say, that goat wouldwalk up the side of a house, let alone three flights of stairs, for acabbage!"
"Can you beat him?" murmured Neale, vastly delighted by thisconfession.
"I feel sometimes as though I would like to beat him," answered Ruth."See if you can get Billy Bumps out to his proper quarters, Neale."
But that was not easy, and it took an hour's work and finally thetying of Billy Bumps "hand and foot" before the sturdy goat wasovercome and returned to his pen.
By this time, however, the snow had stopped. Lunch was served in thebig Corner House dining-room, Neale and Sammy being guests.
It was an hilarious meal, of course. With such a crowd of young folksabout the table--and on Saturday, too!--a sedate time was notpossible. But Ruth tried to keep the younger ones from talking tooloud or being too careless in their table manners.
Aunt Sarah Maltby, sitting at one end of the table, shook her headsolemnly about midway of the meal at Sammy Pinkney.
"Young man," she said in her severest way, "what do you suppose willbecome of you? You are the most mischievous boy I have ever seen--andI have seen a good many in my time."
"Yes'm," said Sammy, hanging his head, for he was afraid of AuntSarah.
"You should think of the future," admonished the old lady. "There issomething besides fun in this world."
"Yes'm," again came from the abashed, if not repentant, Sammy.
"Think what you might make of yourself, young man, if you desired. Doyou realize that every boy born in this country has a chance to bepresident?"
"Huh!" ejaculated Sammy, suddenly looking up. "Be president, MissMaltby? Huh! I tell you what: I'll sell you my chance for a quarter."
The irrepressible laugh from the other young folks that followed mighthave offended Aunt Sarah had not the front door bell rung at that verymoment. Agnes, who was nearest, and much quicker than rheumatic UncleRufus, ran to answer the summons.
"Oh, Ruthie!" her clear voice instantly sounded as far as thedining-room, "here's Mr. Howbridge's man, and he's got a great bigsleigh at the gate, and--Why, there's Mr. Howbridge himself!"
Not only the oldest Kenway ran to join her sister at the door, but allthe other young folks trooped out. They forgot their plates at theannouncement of the appearance of the girls' guardian.
"Did you e'er see such bairns before?" demanded the housekeeper ofAunt Sarah. "They have neither appetite nor manners on a Saturday!"
In the big front hall the girls and boys were delightedly greeting Mr.Howbridge, while the coach-man plowed back to the gate through thesnow to hold the frisky pair of bay horses harnessed to the big pung.Bits of straw clung to the lawyer's clothing, and he was rosy andsmiling.
"I did not know but what you would already be out, young folks," Mr.Howbridge announced. "Although I had John harness up just as soon asthe weather broke."
"Oh, Mr. Howbridge," Ruth said, remembering her "manners" after all,"won't you come in?"
"Won't you come out, Miss Ruth?" responded
the man, laughing.
"Oh! _Oh!_ OH!" cried Tess, in crescendo, peering out of the opendoor. "That sleigh of Mr. Howbridge's is full of straw."
"A straw-ride!" gasped Agnes, clasping her hands. "Oh, Mr. Howbridge!have you come to take us out?"
"Of course. All of you. The more the merrier," said their guardian,who was very fond indeed of his wards and their young friends, andmissed no chance to give them pleasure.
At that statement there was a perfect rout while the young people ranfor their wraps and overshoes. The dessert was forgotten, although itwas Mrs. MacCall's famous "whangdoodle pudding and lallygag sauce."
"Never mind the eats now, Mrs. Mac!" cried Agnes, struggling into herwarm coat. "Have an extra big dinner. We'll come home tonight ashungry as crows--see if we don't!"
In ten minutes the whole party, the four Kenway sisters, Neale, andSammy, and Tom Jonah, had tumbled into the body of the big sleighwhich was so heaped with clean straw that they burrowed right into itjust like mice! The big bay horses were eager to start, and tossedtheir heads and made the little silver bells on the harness jingle toa merry tune indeed.
Mr. Howbridge and Ruth sat up on the wide front seat--the onlyseat--with the driver, John. The guardian wished to talk in privatewith the oldest Kenway girl. He considered her a very bright girl,with a very well-balanced mind.
While the younger folks shouted and joked and snowballed each other asthe horses sped along the almost unbroken track, Ruth and her guardianwere quite seriously engaged in conversation.
"I want to get some good advice from you, Miss Ruth Kenway," said thelawyer, smiling sideways at her. "I know that you have an abundantsupply."
"You are a flatterer," declared the girl, her eyes sparklingnevertheless. She was always proud to be taken into his confidence."Is it something about the estate?"
"No, my dear. Nothing about the Stower estate."
"I was afraid we might be spending too much money," said the girl,laughing. "You know, I do think we are extravagant."
"Not in your personal expenditures," answered their guardian. "Only inthe Kenways' charities do I sometimes feel like putting on the brake.But this," he added, "is something different."
"What is it, Mr. Howbridge? I am sure I shall be glad to help you if Ican," Ruth said earnestly.
"Well, now, Miss Ruth," said the lawyer, a quizzical smile wreathinghis lips. "What would you do, for instance, if a pair of twins hadbeen left to you?"