CHAPTER XII
POLLY'S HEROISM
"Miss King, don't you think I might be carried to the game tonight?"pleaded Polly early Saturday morning as the nurse was bathing her faceand hands.
"We'll see; perhaps we can arrange it if you have no fever," answeredMiss King, and Polly had to be content.
After study hour Lois and Betty flew up to the infirmary.
"Everything's going beautifully," announced Lois excitedly, "and webrought you up the green and white ribbons; here, let me tie them onyour arm."
"How's the ankle? Do you think you can get over to the game?" askedBetty eagerly.
"If I have no fever, Miss King says she'll see. I hate people to saythey will see; Aunt Hannah always did, and it always meant 'no,'" poutedPolly. "When does the other team arrive?"
"The train's due at 12:03, luncheon at 12:30, and the game's called for2 o'clock," Lois told her.
Just then Angela and Connie appeared in the doorway.
"May we come in? How's the invalid?" Connie asked.
"Oh, hello. Of course come in. I'm awfully glad to see you. I am feelingvery fine this morning," responded Polly.
Angela was looking dolefully at the big lump the bandaged foot madeunder the covers, and her eyes were misty.
"Polly," she began, "can you ever forgive--"
"Angela, you're going to say something about those slippers, and if youdo--" Polly interrupted threateningly.
"All right, I won't, but I'll think of it for the rest of my life."
After a few minutes of excited conversation the girls left--Lois andBetty for the gym and Angela and Connie for the schoolroom to practicesongs with the rest.
Polly, left alone, retied and patted the green and white ribbon Lois hadgiven her; then she tossed and turned and fretted until the doctorarrived an hour later. He declared the ankle greatly improved, but hedid not like the patient's nervous condition, and to Polly's plea to becarried to the gym, he gave a decided "No."
Miss King was all sympathy, and offered to read aloud, tell stories, or,in fact, do anything to amuse her heartbroken little patient, but Pollyrefused to be comforted.
After luncheon Lois and Betty arrived for a last word; they were intheir gym suits and Betty's hands were ice cold. Polly tried to beencouraging and cheerful.
"Do be careful of those lines, Bet," she advised, "and don't run withthe ball."
"Run with the ball! I probably won't have a chance to even get my handson it let alone run with it. Oh, I tell you, I'm in a sweet funk!"groaned Betty.
"Will you stop talking like that, Betty Thompson," commanded Lois. "Youought to be ashamed of yourself. Why, if you can't play against thatinsignificant Whitehead center, all my little faith in man is gone."
"Do tell me something about the other team," Polly begged. "I heard yougiving them the cheer as they arrived. Do they look very dreadful?"
"No, I think we are pretty evenly matched. Their guards are tall--butthere goes the bell; we'll have to fly. Polly, darling, I'll come andtell you all about it the second the game's over," promised Lois, as sheand Betty ran down to the schoolroom to join the team.
As Polly lay listening she heard the girls tramping over to the gym. Thesound came faintly at first, then louder, and finally halted underneaththe infirmary window:
"Oh, there is a girl who's known in these parts. Her name is Polly Pendleton, and she's won our hearts! Oh, we'd like to know a girl with more go, And we will stand by her to the end--O!"
sang fifty voices, and then the tramping started once more and grewfainter as the girls neared the gym.
Poor Polly buried her head in the pillow and sobbed:
"To think of my having a chance to play in the big game and then notbeing able to! Why, I can't even watch it!" she cried. "Why didn't I seethose hateful steps?"
Miss King came in and asked if there was anything she could do.
"I am quite at your service," she assured her.
"Do you really mean that?" answered Polly. "Then go over to the gym andwatch the game for a little while and come back and tell me how it'sgoing, and if we have a chance. I promise to be good," she added.
Miss King thought it over and decided to go. It would please her unhappypatient, and besides she loved to see a good game herself.
"I won't stay very long," she said. "If you want anything you can reachthe bell that rings in the other house."
"Don't come back unless we are winning," called Polly as she watched thewhite nurse's cap disappear down the long flight of steps that led fromthe infirmary to the ground. They had been built so that if there wereany contagious cases in the infirmary, the girls could reach the groundswithout going into any other part of the buildings.
Then, tired from the excitement of the day, she sank back in the pillowsto rest until Miss King's return. She dozed off to sleep for aboutfifteen minutes, and when she next opened her eyes she was conscious ofthe smell of smoke.
She raised herself on her elbow and looked out of the dormer windowbeside her bed. From there she could see the Bridge of Sighs which, asyou know, connected the two buildings of the school. A thin spiral ofsmoke was pouring out from the top of the middle window.
Her first thought was the bell. She rang it violently, but with nosuccess, for the maids were in the laundry gossiping over a cup of tea,and the bell clanged to an empty kitchen.
Something had to be done and Polly realized that that something restedwith her. As quickly as her ankle would permit--it was, of course,paining her terribly--she got into such of her clothes as she could findin the infirmary, threw Miss King's cape around her, and thrust herstockinged feet once again into Angela's Chinese slippers.
"Now," she thought, as she limped painfully down the steps, "the thingto do is to get one of the teachers' attention without letting the girlsknow anything is wrong."
The fifty feet to the gym seemed as many miles to Polly. At first theexcitement of her errand kept her up, but as she neared the gym theburning pain in her ankle forced her to stop every few feet to rest.
When at last she stumbled up the steps of the gym, she was met at thedoor by Mrs. Baird and Miss King, who were just leaving.
"Polly, what is it?" gasped both women, hurrying to her side.
"The Bridge of Sighs is on fire--no one answered the bell--I had tocome--don't tell the girls!" And Polly, her message delivered, fainteddead away in Miss King's arms and was carried back unconscious to theinfirmary.
The fire was soon under control. Mrs. Baird called the stablemen, andtogether with the fire extinguishers it was over almost at once. It hadstarted by two wires crossing and, fortunately, on the bridge. It mighteasily have spread to both buildings had it not been for Polly's timelywarning. So quietly and quickly had it happened that the girls in thegym knew nothing of it.
When Polly next opened her eyes, Mrs. Baird and Miss King were standingon either side of her bed.
"Is it out?" she asked, turning to Mrs. Baird.
"Yes, dear, it is; thanks to you and your splendid courage," Mrs. Bairdreplied, taking her hand in hers and patting it.
"And the game?" demanded Polly, now thoroughly conscious. "Is it over?"
A prolonged shout from the gym answered her question.
"It must be just over," explained Miss King, "and that shout sounds asif we had won. How is the ankle, dear? Very painful?"
"Yes, it is kind of sore," Polly admitted, "but I want to know thescore," she insisted.
Mrs. Baird gave her hand a tight squeeze and smiled down at her as sheanswered:
"I'll go this minute and find out; they are probably waiting for me topresent the cup. I will send you the score at once," she promised as sheleft the room.
Seddon Hall had made a hard fight and when the time was up the score onthe board was 10 to 8 in their favor. Betty had surprised everybody byher good work. She had not given the other center a chance at the balland she had made only one foul. Perhaps the thought of Polly waitinganxiously in the infirm
ary for news of the game had spurred her on.Before the game started she had said to Lois:
"I may be in a blue funk, but won this game shall be, if I have anythingto say about it. Polly shan't be disappointed."
And Betty had kept her word. She had managed the passes so well thatLouise, who at the beginning of the game had been in a fever ofapprehension, had almost wept with joy.
As Mrs. Baird entered they were cheering the losing team. With a fewwell-chosen words of congratulations, she presented the cup to LouisePreston, and finished with a brief account of the fire and the partPolly had played in it.
Useless to try to describe the girls' enthusiasm; they cheered andcheered. Mrs. Baird dispatched Lois and Betty to tell Polly the score,and the rest of the girls stood under the infirmary window and sang toher until their throats were hoarse.
Betty and Lois, still in their gym suits, sat on the end of her bed andtold her all about the game.
"Betty, darling, if you were not so hot and dirty I think I could eatyou," Polly exclaimed. "Think of your making only one little foul. Oh,but I'm proud of you!"
"Well, you see, you told Louise to put me on the team in your place,"Betty explained, "and I had to make good."
Polly turned to Lois:
"I am awfully sorry you didn't get a chance to play," she said.
"I'm kind of glad," Lois replied. "Now, perhaps, we will both play onField Day."
"Here, here, what are you daring to suggest?" demanded Louise Prestonfrom the doorway. She was followed by the rest of the team. They hadwaited to see the Whitehead girls off and then changed from their gymsuits before coming to see the heroine of the day.
"Oh, I was only hoping a couple of you big team girls would give us subsa chance on Field Day. You are dreadfully selfish, you know," Loisreplied.
Polly smiled happily at her captain.
"Well, you did win the game without me, Louise, didn't you?" she asked.
"How do you make that out?" Florence Guile demanded. "I think you had apretty big hand in it. If you hadn't been so plucky and kept so stillabout the fire, we'd have all been frightened to death and the gamenever would have been even finished."
"Florence is right," agreed everybody. "Three long cheers for pluckyPolly!"
"To the victor belongs the spoils," laughed Louise. When the girls hadstopped cheering: "Here's the cup. I brought it up to show you, and youmay keep it as long as you like."
Polly took it reverently in her hands and looked at it for a long time.Finally she said:
"What a funny day it's been. Please don't any one talk any more aboutthe fire. I'm sick of it, and besides it was the game that counted."Then as she caught sight of Angela among the crowd of girls at the doorshe said:
"Come here, Angela. I have something to tell you, you must apologize toyour slippers; they have atoned for their crime; they carried me safelyall the way to the gym."
Miss King appeared at the door as the girls were laughing at Polly'sremark.
"Is this a reception by any chance?" she inquired. "I'm sorry tointerrupt, but you'll all have to leave. Polly's supper is on its wayfrom the kitchen and I'm sure she doesn't want an audience while she iseating it."
The girls left after more congratulations and promises to come back thefirst thing next day, and Polly was left alone to gaze happily at thebig silver loving cup which, in a measure, she had helped win for SeddonHall.