CHAPTER IX--ONLY GIRLS
Barbara and Ruth both awoke with a feeling that a light had flashed overtheir faces, but neither of them spoke nor moved. How long they hadslept they could not know. It seemed almost morning, but not a ray ofdaylight came through the closed blinds.
Across the room the flash shone for an instant, then darted on like awill-o'-the-wisp. Both girls dimly saw the outline of a man crouching inthe shadow along the wall. His hand slid cautiously up the sides of thebureau, fingering, for a moment, the toilet articles on the dresser.Then the search-light for an instant darted along the mantel and turnedto the bed again. The girls were nearly fainting with terror. Ruthremembered that, for once, she had locked her money and her jewels inher trunk.
The man stood absolutely still and listened. Not a sound!
So quiet lay both girls that neither one knew the other had wakened.
The man continued his search, but plainly this was not the room hesought. Still moving, his feet making absolutely no sound, the darkfigure with the lantern crept out of the girls' room, to the front ofthe corridor, and turned down the narrow, private hallway.
"Aunt Sallie!" Ruth thought with a gasp. She had said she would leaveher door open, so she might hear if the girls called her in the night.And Aunt Sallie carried a large sum of money for the expenses of thetrip, and her own jewelry as well.
It may be that Ruth made a sound, anyway Barbara knew that her roommatewas awake. Both had the same thought at just the same instant.
Noiselessly, without a word, on bare feet, both girls sped down the hallto Miss Sallie's open door. What they would do when they got thereneither of them knew. It was time for action, not for thought! At theopen door they paused and knelt in the shadow. Black darkness was aboutthem, save in Aunt Sallie's room, where a dark lantern flashed itsuncanny light. The girls were alert in every faculty. Now they could seemore distinctly the form of the man who carried the lantern. He was ofmedium height and slender. Over his face he wore a black mask throughwhich gleamed his eyes, narrowed to two fine points of steel.
Should the girls cry out? The man was armed and it might mean death toAunt Sallie or themselves.
Evidently the burglar meant to make a thorough search of the room beforehe went to the bed, where, he guessed, the valuables were probably kept;but he must know first. The room was bare of treasure. He walkedcautiously to where Miss Sallie still slept in complete unconsciousness,this time holding his lantern down, that its light should not waken thesleeping woman.
As he drew near her Ruth could bear the suspense no longer. She saw himdrag out a bag from under Miss Sallie's head and could not refrain fromuttering a low cry. It was enough. The man dashed the lantern to theground and made a rush for the door.
There was no time for Ruth and Barbara to plan. They were only girls;but as the man ran toward them in the darkness, striking out fiercely,Barbara seized one of his legs, Ruth the other. Together, the three ofthem went down in the blackness. The girls had not the robber'sstrength, but they had taken him by surprise and they meant to fight itout.
He kicked violently to free himself, then turned and tore at Barbara'shands, but she clung to him. He raised the butt end of his pistol andstruck with all his force. As the blow fell with a terrific thud,Barbara relaxed her hold, and tumbled over in the darkness.
By this time Miss Sallie realized what was happening. Yet, in thedarkness, she could only cry for help, and moan: "Let him alone, girls!Let him go!"
With one leg free it seemed a simple task to get away. The noises werearousing the sleeping hotel guests. Another minute, and the burglar knewthat he would be lost! With a violent wrench he tore himself away, andstarted down the hall, Ruth after him. If she could delay him a fewseconds help would come!
The outside door leading from their private hall into the main one wasnearly closed; in reaching to open it there was a second's delay. Ruthflung herself forward, caught the man's coat and clung desperately, butthe burglar was too clever for her. In less than a second he slipped outof his coat, ran quickly to the window leading to the fire escape, andwas gone! When assistance arrived, Ruth was standing in the front hallholding a man's coat in her hand.
"Oh, come!" she said in horror. "A light, please! Aunt Sallie has beenrobbed, and I am afraid Barbara has been killed!"
Ten or twelve people came running down the hall. The hotel proprietorand several servants made for the fire escape. Grace and Mollie, clad inkimonos, had joined Ruth in the hall, and were shaking with terror.Neither of them had spoken a word, but Grace silently handed Ruth herbath robe.
They turned and the three girls followed the rescuers, who werehastening toward Aunt Sallie's room. That elderly woman had alreadyrisen, struck a light and was in her kimono.
Barbara was leaning against a chair, white as a sheet, but unhurt!
"O Bab!" said Ruth, flying toward her, forgetting everything else in herrelief, "I thought you were killed!"
"I thought so, too," nodded Barbara, calmly smiling, as she reached forone of the blankets and wrapped herself in its folds, "but I wasn't.When the burglar raised the end of his pistol to strike me, I knew whatwas coming and ducked. He struck the side of the chair, and I tumbledover under it."
The hotel proprietor came into the room carrying a chamois bag.
"Madam," he asked, "is this your property? I found it outside here.Evidently the man dropped it in trying to make his escape. I cannotunderstand what has happened. The hotel is securely locked. The fireescape goes down into a closed court. The man could not have made hisway down five stories, without being seen when we reached the window. Itis incredible!"
By this time the halls were swarming with frightened visitors.
Grace had gone out to speak to them, and came in holding the burglar'scoat in her hand. "How curious!" she said, handing the garment to theproprietor. "This is a gentleman's coat. I can tell by the lining andthe whole appearance of it. It was not worn by a common thief!"
"Ruth, my child, and Barbara," said Aunt Sallie, when everyone had lefttheir apartments, "I shall never forgive you!"
"Why not, Aunt Sallie?" both girls exclaimed, at once.
"Because, my dears, you didn't just scream and let the wretch escape atonce. In my day girls would never have behaved as you did!"
"But, Aunt Sallie," protested Ruth, "the jewels and money are both safe,and neither Barbara nor I am hurt. I don't see how we could have doneany better, even in your day."
"Kiss me," said Aunt Sallie, "and go back to bed at once. It is nearlymorning."
When Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright drew up in front of the New Haven hotel, ata little after two o'clock next day, they found Miss Sallie and the fourgirls surrounded by a circle of college boys. With them stood apoliceman.
"What has happened?" said Mrs. Cartwright in astonishment, jumping outof her car, as Donald Cartwright, Hugh Post and Ralph Ewing came down tomeet her. "Are those my girls, to whom I am to introduce you to-day?"
"Goodness!" demanded Hugh. "Did you think we would wait twelve hours foran introduction! Do come and hear all that has happened."
Miss Stuart, looking a good deal shaken by her adventures, came forwardto meet Mrs. Cartwright. "Listen!" she said dramatically, for Barbarawas talking to the policeman.
"No, we would neither of us know him, because neither my friend nor Iever saw him before. It was dark and he was masked. But he wasslight--not a big, rough kind of man--and his hands were soft, but strongas steel. I don't believe," she leaned over and whispered, "he couldhave been a servant, or an ordinary burglar."
"We have discovered, miss, that no entrance was made from the outside.Any guests who left the hotel this morning will be followed andexamined. The chief will report to you later," the policeman said, witha low bow to Miss Sallie.
"Well, is this the way you see a nice, quiet, old college town?" Mrs.Cartwright inquired. "I suppose you mean to take the next train forhome."
"No such thing!" retorted Ruth, smiling, and looking as bright and
freshas ever. "We don't mind a few weeny adventures, do we, Aunt Sallie?"
Miss Sallie held up her hands in horror. "Weeny adventures! What shallwe expect next! However, I've promised the girls to go on. I think weneed the trip, now, more than ever, and I want to ask Mr. Cartwright tokeep the matter as quiet as possible. I do not wish my brother to know."
"Do please come on," said Hugh Post, turning to Ruth. "We are going," heexplained, "out to the athletic grounds in our motor cars. The girlscame to see the university, and we haven't shown them a blooming thing."
"We are going to the dance to-night, just the same," announced Mollie toMrs. Cartwright. "Aunt Sallie is to rest this afternoon, so she will beequal to it. We wouldn't miss it for anything."
Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright joined the party, and, in a few minutes, the twomotor cars had covered the two miles between the college campus and thethirty acres Yale devotes to college sports. The visitors saw theathletic grounds thoroughly; here the football champions of the worldhad been trained, and there was the baseball diamond.
"Ralph's the crack oarsman of the lot," said Donald Cartwright;"but--great Scott! We can't show these girls anything, after the way theytackled the burglar last night."
"We'll get up a regatta in your honor, if you'll come again next year,Miss Thurston," said Ralph.
Barbara only laughed at him. "Look out," she warned. "I may make youkeep your promise."
"Barbara," said Mollie that night, as they were getting ready for thedance which was to take place in the Old Alumni Hall, "are you sure youfeel well enough for the ball to-night?"
"Nonsense, child, why shouldn't I? I feel as fine as a fiddle. It isn'tdoing things that uses one up, even tackling a burglar; it is thinkingabout them. Ruth and I didn't have any time to think about our burglar."
"Well," said Mollie, a little wistfully, smoothing the folds of hermuslin dress, "I don't believe I am as anxious to go to the dance as Ithought I was. Does this dress look _very_ shabby? I wouldn't go, now,only it seems kind of hateful of me to refuse Mrs. Cartwright'sinvitation."
"Now, Molliekins," Barbara answered quite seriously, "it's your dress,isn't it? Of course, I have thought about mine, too. These are justsimple muslins that we have worn before; but, when we left home, weneither of us dreamed we would go to a party in them. Let's just makethe best of things. Anyhow, I've made up my mind to one thing, and Iwish you would, too. You and I must not worry about being poor while weare on this trip. Let us not pretend that we are rich, because everybodywe meet seems to be. Ruth knows we are poor, knows about our littlecottage and not keeping a servant, and she doesn't mind. I don't believereally nice people care whether young girls are rich or poor, if theyhappen to like them. I don't mean to preach." Barbara put her arm aroundMollie and waltzed her around the room. "Let us pretend we are bothCinderellas before the arrival of the fairy godmother."
Mollie didn't answer; but she tucked some pink roses in her belt. "Itdoesn't really matter about me, anyway," she decided. "I can't expectthese grown-up boys to dance with me. I will just stay by Miss Sallie."
"All right, little Miss Wall-flower," laughed Bab, as she pinned on aknot of blue that Ralph Ewing had asked her to wear, as a tribute to theYale colors.
It was Mollie, after all, who was the belle of the party. Perhaps thiswas because the other girls whispered to their partners that Mollie wasafraid nobody would dance with her; or, perhaps, because she was theyoungest, and the best dancer among them all.
"I am going to take this little lady under my special protection atNewport," Mrs. Cartwright said to Miss Stuart, late that evening. "Idon't mean my 'butterfly girl' to be losing her beauty sleep."
Mollie looked at her "lovely lady" with eyes as blue as myrtle blossoms.Mrs. Cartwright was so exquisite, so young and so wealthy, she seemed toMollie to have stepped out of a book.
Miss Sallie was vainly trying to collect her four charges all at once,in order to take them home.
"Aunt Sallie," Hugh Post said roguishly, as that lady made a lastdetermined stand, and gathered her girls together, "you know, from yourexperience yesterday, that Miss Ruth can't handle a motor car, eventhough she can tackle a burglar. So we are going to follow you in myautomobile to-morrow and see that you get to New London all right."
"Oh, no, you're not," protested Ruth. "This I will have you know is anautomobile girls' excursion and nary a man allowed."
"This one time, kindly permit us to follow you at a respectful distance,won't you?" Hugh urged. "It's only a short trip to New London. To tellyou the truth, the governor's yacht is over there and I hope to be ableto persuade you to go aboard. It is not disrespectful of me, MissStuart, to speak so of my father; he was once governor of the state, andhe rather likes to be reminded of it. Mother has a number of friends onboard the yacht, and we shall be cruising up to Newport in a few days. Ithink it would be jolly for father and mother to know you."