Chapter XIX
WHITE STAR
The taffy pull was most successful. With due secrecy Gale and Phyllishad managed to get out of Happiness House and into their friends'dormitory without being discovered. What really might happen if theywere found would be serious but they were skylarking and they did notthink of the consequences of their act. They were too intent on having agood time.
The high spot of the evening came when Carol's hands were both occupiedwith pulling the golden strands of sticky mass.
"Ooooo," she cried, "my ear itches. What'll I do?"
"Scratch it," Janet suggested practically.
"And get my golden curls all full of molasses?" Carol demanded. "Thinkof something else. Only hurry up--ooooooo!"
Valerie came to the rescue. She was the only one who had available ahand which was not entangled in the taffy.
After that they ate and pulled to their hearts' content. The eveningflew away. When the lights-out bell rang Gale and Phyllis decided it washigh time for them to be getting back to Happiness House. It would bequite a puzzle for them to get safely back to their room unseen. Theyhoped the door was not yet locked.
With the stealth of criminals they left the dormitory house. Once on thecampus they paused in the shade of the trees to breathe freely. From awindow Janet and Carol waved to their two friends and silentlydisappeared within the darkness of their room. The girls on the campusstrolled leisurely toward the darkened Happiness House. They were reallyin no hurry and it was such a nice evening.
Some imp of mischief whispered in their ear and they turned toward thelake. They stood on the shore and watched the moonlight make little goldripples on the waves. They explored the dark shadows of the thick growthof trees along the lake and shivered at the eerie noises.
Finally Gale became sleepy and they decided that they really must goback to their room. Tomorrow they had a difficult examination to pass,for which they had studied for days and days. It was important that theyshould be fresh in the morning.
"We really shouldn't have gone to that party tonight," Phyllis yawned."I haven't a blessed Geometry thought in my head."
"We had fun though," Gale said. "I never ate so much taffy in my life."
"What would happen if we were caught in another dormitory house?"Phyllis wanted to know. "We wouldn't be expelled, would we?"
Gale made a wry face. "Why must you think of those things?"
Phyllis put a hand on Gale's arm. In the darkness of the trees theystood listening. They could hear the gentle lapping of the lake wateralmost at their feet. From over their head an eerie voice demanded:
"Who-o-o-o."
A pair of eyes glared down at them like green electric light bulbssuddenly flashed on and turned off then flashed on again as an owlblinked through the night.
"Doesn't he scare you?" Phyllis shivered. "He reminds me of a Hallowe'engoblin."
"We really should go to bed," Gale said once more, "as much as I hate toadmit it."
"We've had a lot of fun this term, haven't we?" Phyllis sighed. "It ishard to believe that our Freshman year is almost over."
"Fun!" Gale echoed. "I wouldn't say you had so much fun," she added.
"On the whole I did," Phyllis declared, "and I even found a father! Heis going to Marchton to see Miss Fields and move all my belongings," shecontinued.
"He is! What is going to happen to Miss Fields?" Gale asked.
"I asked him not to do anything about her," Phyllis said. "All I want isnever to have to go back there."
"Then we won't see you much this summer," Gale sighed. "Marchton willseem different."
"Oh, I'll see you all right," Phyllis said but she did not explainfurther then.
The girls had left the wood shore line behind them and come out againupon the campus. Now they could see the stars above them twinklinglyclose.
"Look at that red glow back of the Chemistry Hall," Gale said suddenly."What do you suppose it is?"
"I can't imagine," Phyllis said. "Something at the stables. Let'sinvestigate."
Keeping in the shadows so as to be out of sight of any wandering teacherthe girls crept around the Chemistry Hall. What they saw froze themmomentarily to the spot with horror. Flames were curling around thecorner of the main stable and smoke was pouring from a shattered window.From the groom's quarters stumbled one of the attendants. The otherregular man was not on the grounds today.
"Gale," Phyllis said urgently, "there is a fire alarm attached to CarverHall. Sound it! Tell the Dean----"
"Right!" Gale said promptly, not waiting to hear any more, and spedaway.
Phyllis ran forward. "Are you all right?" she demanded of the man.
"The smoke----" he choked.
A frightened whinny from the stables brought Phyllis up short. The poortrapped horses! She couldn't stand there and do nothing!
"Get the fire apparatus working!" she shouted and dashed for thestables. Madly she dashed back again. "Got a knife?" she asked thegroom.
Dazed from the smoke and the sudden confusion, where an hour ago hadbeen peace, the man nodded his head and struggled to get a pen knifefrom his pocket. Once it was secured Phyllis dashed again to the neareststall. The horses were trampling, rearing, whinnying in fright. Thesmoke was thick and it was impossible to breathe freely.
Phyllis was hurled against the side of the stall as the horse rose onhis hind legs pawing the air wildly with his forehoofs, straining at therope which tied his bridle to the stall. She picked herself up from thestraw mumbling unintelligible things when she discovered she had droppedthe knife. Her fingers found the rope but it was impossible under suchconditions to untie the knot. Quite by accident, a lucky accident, herfoot came in contact with the knife as she dodged another flying hoof.She picked it up and cut the rope. Pulling and coaxing she got the horseinto the open air. She tied him securely to the hitching post where thegirls were wont to dismount after their classes. It was a sufficientdistance away from the burning stables to make him safe. It wasabsolutely necessary to tie him, although it wasted several preciousminutes. Otherwise, with the queer trait of his breed, he wouldimmediately have dashed back into the building.
Once more Phyllis returned to the stable. The groom had disappeared,probably in search of help and fire extinguishers. The uproar of thehorses beat in her ears. Their frightened whinnies were even morepitiful than human cries might have been. The animals were so helpless!The second horse was led and tied to the post beside the first. She feltbruised where another flying forefoot had caught her off guard. Theflames were roaring like a furnace now. The straw in the stables wouldbe excellent food for the flames. Luckily the fire had started in thegroom's quarter and must work up through the harness room. If it hadstarted in the heart of the stables themselves she would never have beenable to get near the horses.
One by one Phyllis brought the horses out. When the last one was secureshe leaned weakly against the post. The alarm bell was tolling now. Ithad been ringing for several minutes but in her absorption she had notheard it. Soon the girls would be on the scene and the fire apparatuswould be in play. Phyllis felt as if she would never again get the smellof smoke out of her system.
One--two--three--she counted the horses neighing and rearing at theirposts. Nine! There should be ten! With a sinking of heart she looked atthem all again. White Star was not there! White Star! The best of thegroup! How could she possibly have missed him?
Without another thought but that of her favorite mount Phyllis dashedback into the stables. One--two--three--stalls empty. Nothing butsilence and the crackling of flames--flames creeping closer, destroying,and smoke.
Her head was whirling and she felt choked. Once she stumbled wildly oversomething and fell to her knees in the straw. She sat there severalseconds, dazed. She had better find White Star soon or they would bothbe trapped! Why didn't help come? Though only a few minutes could haveelapsed since she and Gale first sighted the fire it seemed like hours.Wh
at was that?
An excited whinny came to her, followed by the sound of crashing blowsagainst wood. White Star! And he was trying to kick his stall to pieces!Despite the terribly desperate situation Phyllis could not help butsmile. White Star proposed to fight! She stumbled to her feet and wenton prowling through the smoke until she came to the stall in which allthe uproar was taking place. She felt as though all the strength in herbody was leaving her. White Star was bucking and kicking with all hismight. The smoke was like a blanket smothering everything and throughwhich Phyllis felt her way to White Star's head. She took hold of hisbridle and he nuzzled against her shoulder affectionately. He seemed torecognize his friend. With her last remaining strength Phyllis cut therope that held White Star. She turned him around and gave him a stingingblow.
"Go it, boy!"
The horse reared and plunged out through the door of his stall, leavingPhyllis a huddled figure on the straw.
* * * * *
Gale, after turning the electric switch that automatically sounded thefire alarm, had sped to the Dean's office. She found Dean Travis workinglate. After excitedly blurting out the news Gale dashed again to thestables, stopping for nothing. She was just in time to see White Starappear.
The horse bounded out of the smoke into the cool night air. He stoppedshort, raised his head and whinnied, pawing the ground with hisforehoof. He glanced at the other horses, straining at their ropes,tossed his head, and turning, dashed back for the burning stable.
"Phyl----" Gale shouted.
There was no reply. Gale saw the groom and another man playing a streamof water upon the flames on one side of the building. She went closer.Through the smoke she could see White Star.
Gale could not explain White Star's actions. She had read of how horsesalways dashed back into the burning building from which they wererescued, unless they were tied outside. It was evident that Phyllis hadtied the others, why not White Star? This was her favorite!
Gale looked at the other struggling horses and wondered at the strengthof her friend. Horses were strong at any time--frightened, terrorized asthey were now, she did not see how Phyllis had managed to get them allout.
White Star appeared out of the smoke and almost ran her down. He stoodfor a second looking at her, pawing the ground and tossing his head.
Gale remembered seeing a wonder horse in the movies who acted like thiswhen he was summoning help for his master. Was it possible---- WhiteStar was a magnificent animal. She had always acknowledged that, but shehad never actually credited him with super intelligence. However, nowhis eyes seemed to be pleading with her; the crazy way he dashed aboutmade her think he was trying to tell her something.
"Phyllis!" Gale shouted again.
"Ahoy." Carol and Janet dashed up breathlessly.
"We got here first because we didn't have to stop to dress seeing thatwe weren't yet undressed--if you understand me," Janet said.
"We might have known you would be here," added Carol. "Where's Phyl?"
"Look at that horse!"
The groom had taken it into his head to rescue White Star and tie himbeside the other horses. But White Star had other ideas. He raced madlypast the flames and into the smoke.
"I think I know what he wants!" Gale cried and the next time White Stardashed into sight she followed him.
"The crazy----" Carol began. "Gale, come back!"
Gale bumped into White Star. She was unable to see him clearly, thesmoke hurt her eyes, and she was choking for breath. With one hand onhis bridle she let him pull her along. The horse trotted forward untilhe came to his stall. There he stopped.
"W-What now?" Gale coughed. Dimly through the smoke she became aware ofa figure lying on the ground. "Phyl!" she screamed. "Phyl!"
A burning rafter crashed to the ground at some little distance. WhiteStar reared and plunged away but a second later he was back, tremblingand whinnying. Gale lifted Phyllis and put her across White Star's back.Necessity and fear had lent her strength and now she pulled White Star'shead down to her shoulder. With a tight grip on his bridle she startedforward at a run. The horse plunged after her. How she managed to dashout through the smoke Gale didn't quite know but thankfully she had comeat last to her friend.
Chapter XX
THE END OF THE TERM
"I am personally going to buy White Star a whole box of sugar for hisvery own," Carol said positively. "The horse is a hero."
"And he speaks a language all his own," added Janet. "Gale understoodhim but we didn't."
"It is lucky for me that Gale did understand him," Phyllis said lazily.
It was the last day of classes, weeks after the fire at the stables. Thegirls were gathered on the campus after their last classroom session,discussing the high points of their college term. The miraculous wayWhite Star had summoned help for Phyllis never ceased to be a thing ofwonder to them. Neither Phyllis nor Gale had suffered other than aslight sickness from smoke. New stables had been erected and ridingclasses had gone on as before, with the exception of White Star'ssensational rise in popularity.
"All the girls want to ride him," Madge laughed, "but he seems to preferPhyllis."
"Ah, yes, brothers under the skin," Carol giggled daringly. "What isthis power you have over horses, Phyl?"
"The same you have over Chemistry professors," Phyllis retorted. "What Iwant to know is, why did Professor Lukens pass you?"
"Because I'm brilliant," Carol said modestly.
"More likely because he wanted to be rid of you," Janet put in. "Youasked more questions in class than----"
"Let's go down to the village and get a soda at the drug store," Madgeproposed peacefully.
"An excellent suggestion," Carol said immediately. "Why don't you thinkof things like that?" she asked Janet.
"Because walking doesn't appeal to me," Janet said promptly. "Nowif--behold!" she said in astonishment.
The girls were at the edge of the college grounds. Mounting the hill tothe gate was a new, shiny bus which declared in broad white letters onthe side "Briarhurst College." At the wheel was the same old fellow whohad met them in his dilapidated contraption when they arrived atBriarhurst and who had been so against the new Dean because she wantedto buy him a new bus.
"Say, did somebody leave you money?" Janet shouted.
He stopped the bus and opened the door. "Want a ride to the village?Ain't she a beauty?" he asked next when the girls had accepted hisinvitation with alacrity and tumbled into the vehicle. "The new Dean'sresponsible. Course," he added condescendingly, "she ain't as good asold Lizzie but she's sure spiffy!"
Janet and Carol chortled with glee.
"Spiffy is exactly the word!" Carol declared.
At the foot of the hill he let them out and went on his way.
"Miracle number two," Carol laughed. "Remember how fond of his old bushe was?"
"Now he is even more proud of this one," Madge agreed.
"Lead me to the drug store," Janet said firmly.
"What are we going to do this summer?" Valerie asked over her chocolatesoda.
"Let's go camping," Madge proposed. "We can have a lot of adventuresthat way."
"Hm," Janet agreed unenthusiastically.
"My dad," Phyllis said slowly, "has offered to let us use his boat--ifwe want to."
"If we want to," Janet echoed gleefully.
"Carol Carter! Did you suggest it to Doctor Elton?" Gale asked, tryingto be stern but failing.
"Well," Carol murmured, "it might have slipped out in my conversationwith him. You see I----"
"We see," Valerie laughed.
Suppose we leave the Adventure Girls here, discussing their plans forthe summer. We shall join them again for more excitement in TheAdventure Girls on Vacation.
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