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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..420f0e3 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #69602 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69602) diff --git a/old/69602-0.txt b/old/69602-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index aa4a0c7..0000000 --- a/old/69602-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7235 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Riddle Club through the holidays, -by Alice Dale Hardy - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Riddle Club through the holidays - The club and its doings, how the riddles were solved and what the - snowman revealed - -Author: Alice Dale Hardy - -Illustrator: Walter S. Rogers - -Release Date: December 22, 2022 [eBook #69602] - -Language: English - -Produced by: David Edwards, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was - produced from images made available by the HathiTrust - Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RIDDLE CLUB THROUGH THE -HOLIDAYS *** - - -[Illustration: “THIS OUGHT TO SAVE US A MILE,” SAID MR. MARLEY. - -_The Riddle Club Through the Holidays._ _Frontispiece_--(_Page 232_)] - - - - - THE RIDDLE CLUB - THROUGH THE - HOLIDAYS - - The Club and Its Doings - How the Riddles Were Solved - And What the Snowman Revealed - - BY - ALICE DALE HARDY - - AUTHOR OF “THE RIDDLE CLUB AT HOME,” “THE RIDDLE CLUB - IN CAMP,” ETC. - - _ILLUSTRATED BY_ - WALTER S. ROGERS - - NEW YORK - GROSSET & DUNLAP - PUBLISHERS - - Made in the United States of America - - - - -THE RIDDLE CLUB BOOKS - -BY ALICE DALE HARDY - - 12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. - - THE RIDDLE CLUB AT HOME - THE RIDDLE CLUB IN CAMP - THE RIDDLE CLUB THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS - - GROSSET & DUNLAP - Publishers : : New York - - COPYRIGHT, 1924, BY - GROSSET & DUNLAP - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. LOOKING AHEAD 1 - - II. PARTY PLANS 12 - - III. JESS HAS LUCK 21 - - IV. HALLOWE’EN FUN 31 - - V. TABLES TURNED 44 - - VI. POLLY’S PROBLEM 54 - - VII. A POSTPONEMENT 64 - - VIII. MOVING DAY 74 - - IX. THE SECRET IS OUT 84 - - X. IN CAMP AGAIN 94 - - XI. ARTIE’S ADVENTURE 104 - - XII. THE RIDDLE CLUB MEETS 113 - - XIII. FRED WILLIAMSON, BANKER 122 - - XIV. ON POND’S HILL 132 - - XV. DETECTIVE MARGY 141 - - XVI. RIDDLE CHAP 151 - - XVII. LOST TREASURES 161 - - XVIII. A PRACTICAL JOKE 170 - - XIX. THE SPECIAL MEETING 180 - - XX. MERRY CHRISTMAS 190 - - XXI. ANOTHER RACE 199 - - XXII. CAUGHT IN A STORM 209 - - XXIII. MRS. WICKS 219 - - XXIV. HOME AGAIN 229 - - XXV. THE LAST OF THE SNOWMAN 238 - - - - -THE RIDDLE CLUB THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS - - - - -CHAPTER I - -LOOKING AHEAD - - -“I _did_ have ten cents, but I spent it,” explained Ward Larue -carefully. - -Fred Williamson shook the bank he held in his hand till the contents -rattled. - -“What did you spend it for?” he demanded. - -“A magnifying glass,” admitted Ward. “I needed one.” - -“I never saw such a boy for spending money,” complained Fred. “You will -end up in the poorhouse, see if you don’t!” - -“I guess if I paid ten cents in for Riddle Club dues, it wouldn’t save -me from going to the poorhouse,” objected Ward. - -“No, I don’t think it would, either,” said Jess Larue, Ward’s sister. - -Fred gazed at the circle in despair. - -“You don’t any of you have the right idea about these club dues,” he -informed them. “You seem to think I want the money to go off and spend -on myself. There’s no use in having a treasurer, unless you’re willing -to put something in the treasury.” - -“Oh, but, Fred! we are willing,” protested Polly Marley, president of -the Riddle Club. “Of course we’re willing. The only reason I didn’t pay -to-day was because I didn’t have ten cents.” - -“And why didn’t you?” said Fred, for all the world, Ward thought, like -the orators who spoke in River Bend on the Fourth of July. “Why didn’t -you?” - -Polly was not awed by Fred’s rhetoric. She laughed at him. - -“I didn’t have ten cents,” she giggled, “because I loaned it to some -one.” - -“Artie, I suppose,” grumbled Fred. He considered that his position as -treasurer gave him the right to ask any amount of personal questions -when dues were not forthcoming. - -“No-o, it wasn’t Artie,” said Polly, still smiling. - -“But Artie hasn’t paid his dues, either,” declared Fred, fixing that -small boy with a stern eye. “Where’s your ten cents, Artie?” - -Artie Marley, Polly’s brother, wriggled uneasily. - -“Now----” he stammered, “now, I had ten cents. But I haven’t got it -now. I’ll pay you the next meeting, Fred.” - -“What did you do with the dime you had?” asked Fred. - -“I spent it for ink,” said Artie, solemnly. “If I’m going to write a -book, I have to write it in ink, don’t I?” - -Artie Marley was much given to reading books, and now his modest desire -was to write one. - -“I don’t think you need a whole bottle of ink to write a book with,” -said Fred, judiciously. “You could have borrowed your mother’s ink and -saved the ten cents.” - -Artie gazed at him with respect. He had had the same thought himself, -he declared. - -“But when I took the bottle from Mother’s desk, I spilled most of it on -the stairs,” he confided. “And so I had to take half of the new ink I -bought to fill her bottle up so she wouldn’t miss it.” - -“Well, the next time,” Fred instructed him, “you want to buy something, -you pay your dues first. You ought to have some sense of--of--some -sense of duty!” he concluded magnificently. - -“I paid my dues!” exclaimed Fred’s twin sister, Margy. “Didn’t I, Fred?” - -The air with which Margy Williamson said this was too much for Jess. -In spite of Polly’s warning tug at her dress she spoke “right out in -meeting,” as her grandmother would have said. - -“The reason you paid your dues, Margy Williamson,” said Jess, clearly, -“is because you borrowed the money from Polly. That’s why she couldn’t -pay hers.” - -Margy flushed and Fred frowned. - -“I liked lending it to Margy,” said Polly, hurriedly. “If I’d kept it, -likely as not I would have spent it. Margy’s going to pay me back next -week.” - -“What I don’t understand,” announced Fred, still frowning, “is why this -club is so hard up. We paid dues before we went to camp, and though I -won’t say you fell over yourselves to pay, I didn’t have the trouble -I’m having now.” - -And Fred wiped his forehead with his handkerchief, as though he found -his duties almost too much for him. - -“Well, we didn’t pay dues all summer,” said Polly, slowly, “and I think -we forgot--If you get out of a habit, you know, it’s hard to pick it up -again. Didn’t any one pay this time, Fred?” - -“Only Margy,” said Fred, gloomily, “and she borrowed the money.” - -“Didn’t you?” struck in Artie, quickly. - -“Well,” said Fred, lamely, “I had to contribute to the post-card fund -in school. That took my dime.” - -Ward and Artie fell into each other’s arms and tumbled over on the -floor. It was their way of expressing delight. - -“All the same,” declared Fred, raising his voice above the laughter -that greeted his confession, “the next time this club meets, no one is -going to be allowed to leave this room without paying their dues.” - -Polly Marley was a tactful girl, and she knew when to change a subject. - -“We haven’t decided about Hallowe’en,” she reminded them. - -“That’s so,” agreed Fred, with relief. “Are we going to have a party?” - -“Mother doesn’t want Ward and me to dress up and just go around,” said -Jess. “So I think we’d better have a party--just us, you know. We don’t -need any one else.” - -The six members of the Riddle Club smiled at one another. They had -the best of good times when “just us” and no outsiders were invited. -Weren’t they back from a summer in camp where they proved their theory -once more? Their tanned faces and bright eyes showed what a healthful -summer it had been and their good spirits spoke for their happiness. - -“It’s our turn to have a party,” said Margy Williamson, eagerly. “Polly -and Artie had us Hallowe’en last year. We can have the kitchen at our -house and do anything we please.” - -“I thought you’d come to our house; but it’s all right that way,” said -Polly. “Shall we dress up?” - -“Oh, I don’t think it’s one bit of fun unless we dress up and wear -false-faces,” declared Margy. - -“We’ll know each other--can’t help it, with only six of us,” demurred -Fred. - -“That’s all right--we can pretend to be fooled,” said Jess Larue. - -So it was decided to wear costumes and false-faces. - -“Is the window open?” asked Polly, suddenly, with a shiver. - -“Closed,” reported Fred. “Gee! there is a blast coming from somewhere.” - -“The door’s swung open,” said Artie, rising to close it. - -“I think it’s awfully cold up here,” said Margy, with customary -frankness. - -She wore a sweater, and so did the other girls, but there was no -denying the clubroom in the loft of the barn was chilly. - -“I’ve just thought!” went on Margy. “What shall we do when it’s -winter? We’ll freeze to death up here.” - -Jess looked distressed. The room was in her father’s barn, and she had -never considered the advent of cold weather. The Riddle Club had been -formed in the spring, and the meetings had been held--until the trip to -camp--very comfortably in the little room. - -“That’s so,” said Polly now. “We can’t meet here in winter. I don’t see -what we are going to do.” - -“It won’t be winter for perfect ages,” declared the hopeful Jess. -“To-day is what Dora calls an ‘odd day.’ She was saying this morning -that we’ll probably have warm weather again. There’s Indian summer--we -haven’t had that yet. I don’t think it’s really cold up here--do you?” - -“Not really cold,” answered Polly. “But I’m thinking of December. It -will be cold then.” - -“How did the horses and cows keep warm when they stayed in this barn?” -questioned Artie. “Were they cold, too?” - -“Of course not!” retorted Ward. “Horses and cows are never cold. They -like cold weather.” - -“They keep each other warm,” said Fred, remembering something he had -heard. “The animal heat in their bodies keeps them warm. Besides, -farmers put blankets on their horses in the winter time.” - -“We could wrap up in blankets,” suggested Polly. - -“My mother is very particular about her blankets,” said Margy. “She -won’t let us take them for tents, and she has to have them washed a -certain way. I don’t believe she would ever let us have them out here -in the barn.” - -The other members of the Riddle Club were equally sure that their -mothers would object to lending blankets for club meetings. - -“Well, there ought to be some way,” said Ward, thoughtfully. “Couldn’t -we put in a furnace?” - -“A furnace!” chorused the club. “What kind of a furnace?” - -“Oh, a furnace,” repeated Ward. “A regular furnace, you know. That -would keep us nice and warm.” - -“And where,” asked Fred, in some amazement, “would we get the money to -buy a furnace?” - -“I don’t think they cost much,” said Ward. “Perhaps we have enough in -your bank.” - -Fred groaned in anguish and Polly laughed. - -“That’s it,” said Fred, bitterly. “Never want to pay a cent in, but -always willing to let it all go out. Take the last penny in the -bank--what do you care? Why should dues worry you? They’re only -something to throw away.” - -“Don’t spend your old dues, if you don’t want to,” snapped Ward. “I -don’t care whether you put in a furnace or not; I’m never cold. It’s -the girls who are making a fuss.” - -“A furnace costs a heap of money,” put in Polly, wisely. “We never -could afford that. Besides, Mr. Larue wouldn’t let us. We might set -fire to the barn.” - -“Well, how about that old gasolene stove that Mother threw away last -week?” suggested Artie. “There’s nothing the matter with it, except it -leaks.” - -“How much more do you want the matter with it?” inquired Fred. “No -gasolene stove comes into this clubroom while I’m a member.” - -“Then what shall we have?” asked Jess, sadly. - -“I was just thinking that an electric heater wouldn’t be so bad,” said -Fred. “We could run wires from the pole out in front and connect it -with the heater in here. We could light the barn with the same current, -too, and perhaps have meetings at night. That would be fun, wouldn’t -it?” - -“We could have our Hallowe’en party out here,” cried Polly. “Think of -having it in the barn! Such heaps of fun!” - -“I don’t see where you expect to get the money,” said Ward, coldly. -“If we can’t touch those precious old dues, how are you going to have -electric lights? Mr. Brewer had them put in his barn last week and it -cost more than fifty dollars. He told Daddy so. They didn’t have to run -the wires as far as we shall, either.” - -“Have we fifty dollars in the bank?” asked Jess, curiously. - -“Nowhere near,” Fred informed her. “I guess that knocks out the -electric heater idea. The only thing I can see that we can do is to -bring hot water bottles with us, when it is cold.” - -“We can have an ice hut and crawl inside,” giggled Polly. “The Eskimos -manage somehow, and we will, too, I guess.” - -“Anyway, it isn’t cold yet, not real cold,” argued Jess. “And when it -does snow, it will bank the window and make it warmer. I don’t believe -we’ll need any kind of a heater or furnace.” - -“It’s going to be dark earlier every time, too,” said Margy, who had a -habit of looking ahead. “In December it will be pitch dark long before -five o’clock. There’s Mrs. Pepper feeding her hens now. I don’t believe -it’s much after four.” - -“Here, chick, chick, chick!” they could hear Mrs. Pepper, a neighbor, -calling. “Here, chick, chick, chick!” - -“You never catch Carrie feeding those hens,” said Jess, peering through -the window. “Oh, say, what do you know----” Her voice trailed off -without completing the sentence and her dark eyes began to dance. - -Polly was ready to ask her what she was thinking, but the boys wanted -the meeting adjourned. So in a few minutes they were rushing down the -loft ladder, Ward having first carefully locked the clubroom door. - -“Remember, everybody come over to our house after school to-morrow,” -said Margy, as the group separated at the door, the two Larues to go -into their house to supper and the other four to cross the street to -the Marley and the Williamson houses, which were next door to each -other. “We’ll plan about the Hallowe’en party.” - - - - -CHAPTER II - -PARTY PLANS - - -The Riddle Club were very strict about not using their clubroom for -any purpose other than club meetings. The six members were practically -inseparable, going to school together, playing and working together -most of the time outside of school. But no matter what they did, or -what they wanted to play, unless they had a meeting of their Riddle -Club on hand, the clubroom was left in perfect order and kept locked. - -Perhaps you know all about the Riddle Club, but if you don’t, a few -words will introduce you. It had been Polly Marley’s idea--this -club--and she was the president. Fred Williamson was treasurer. Fred -and Margy were twins, Artie was Polly Marley’s younger brother, and -Ward and Jess Larue were brother and sister. Jess was two years older -than Ward. These children lived in River Bend, a town on the Rocio -River. Mr. Larue was the president of the line of steamboats that went -up and down the river, carrying freight and passengers. - -In the first book of this series, named “The Riddle Club at Home,” it -has been told how the Riddle Club flourished and spurred another group -of boys and girls to form a rival dub. This was known as the Conundrum -Club, and Carrie Pepper was its president. They challenged the members -of the Riddle Club to a memorable riddle contest and the latter came -out victors. - -Of course it was not to be thought of that a summer should separate -such close friends, so what could be more natural than for the whole -six to go camping at Lake Bassing? They took the Riddle Club with them, -by-laws, president, treasurer and all, and what happened to them during -a delightful two months, you may read in the second book of the series, -called “The Riddle Club in Camp.” They camped on an island, and above -them lived a queer old hermit on another island, while below their camp -was another island on which the Conundrum Club established themselves. - -Things were bound to happen with such a lively sextette around, and -no one was disappointed. Artie fell over a bluff. The Conundrum Club -suggested another riddle contest, which proved to be not much more to -their advantage than the first. Then the children were able to solve -the mystery of the kind old hermit. Next, as the season was nearly -over, they won the loving cup in the water carnival. Add to all this -the new friends they made and the out-of-door glad days they had, and -you’ll understand that the summer went too quickly to please them. - -But schools will open in September, and the Riddle Club had to come -back to River Bend. They were unexpectedly glad to get back to their -own homes and to the clubroom in the Larue barn. This room had been -given to them from the first meeting, and to the furniture they had -collected for it, they were able to add several interesting trophies -from their summer in camp. - -There was the beautiful silver loving cup; a sketch of the entire club -membership, made by an artist and framed for them by Mrs. Marley; the -pennant they had flown in camp from their flag pole; not to mention -a gun for which Artie had paid a dollar and which wouldn’t shoot but -which, he thought, gave a distinguished touch to the room. - -Jess mentioned the gun when, the next day, the chums met at the -Williamsons’ house to discuss plans for their Hallowe’en party. - -“I think,” she said soberly, “that we ought to give a play Thanksgiving -and let Artie be a Puritan and carry his gun.” - -“Oh, let’s!” cried Margy, with enthusiasm. “Let’s give a play! Mother -gave me her old black lace dress yesterday! I could wear that.” - -If there was one thing Margy loved to do, it was to “dress up” in grown -people’s finery and sweep about and pretend that she was a princess. - -“Who’ll write the play?” demanded Fred. - -“You and Polly,” said Ward so promptly that Fred couldn’t help laughing. - -“I thought you’d say something like that,” declared Fred. “But you -can change your ideas right away. I know what we’re going to do -Thanksgiving, but it isn’t that.” - -“Fred!” said Polly, in a warning voice. “You told me you’d promised you -wouldn’t tell.” - -“Well, who’s telling?” demanded Fred. “I haven’t said a word.” - -Of course that drove the others frantic with curiosity, but though they -teased and coaxed and, finally, Ward and Artie threw themselves on Fred -and got him down on the rug, not another word could they shake from him. - -“You’ll know all about it in plenty of time,” he kept repeating. - -“Does Polly know?” demanded Jess. - -“No,” replied Fred; “not even Polly knows. No one knows but me.” - -“Not Mother or Dad or Dora or----” Ward was beginning in a sing-song -tone, but Fred put a hand gently over his mouth. - -“Do keep still,” he said good-humoredly. “All the mothers and fathers -know. Now stop asking questions.” - -“You said no one knew except you alone,” Artie protested. - -“I meant no one in the Riddle Club except me,” explained Fred. - -“Well, anyway, we have Hallowe’en to think about,” said Polly, the -tactful. “If we’re going to wear costumes, it’s time we planned ’em.” - -“I had a perfectly wonderful idea,” declared Jess. “But I don’t know -that I’ll tell it now; I can keep secrets, too.” - -“Oh, Jess, darling, this isn’t a secret--it won’t be one very long, -at any rate,” said Polly, softly. “We’ll all know soon, and it is -something we’ll just love to do. I’m sure of that. Tell us your idea, -Jess! Please do.” - -It was impossible to resist Polly when she spoke like that, and Jess -yielded. As a matter of fact, she had kept her wonderful idea to -herself about as long as she cared to. She had reached the point where -she was eager to share it with some one. - -“I think it would be a good idea,” she said proudly, “to come to the -party dressed like animals!” - -They stared at her silently, and she was disappointed. She had the plan -so clearly in her own mind, she thought it must be plain to them all. - -“Yes, animals,” Jess repeated. “You know all the people who go to -Hallowe’en parties dress like clowns and gypsies and dancing girls -and Brownies, and like that. Well, at our party, why couldn’t we come -dressed like--like chickens and pigs and things?” - -A shout of laughter interrupted her. - -“Ward would make a handsome pig,” said Artie, a little unkindly. - -Ward was a very fat boy, with a round, good-natured face that flushed -at the slightest exertion. He couldn’t run two blocks without getting -out of breath. - -“I’ll be a pig,” said Ward now, “if you’ll be the goat.” - -Artie reached for him and they went over on the rug in one of their -friendly tussles. Mrs. Williamson had given them the dining-room to -meet in, and had told them to have “all the fun you want.” - -“I’m going to be a chicken,” announced Jess, fearful that some one else -might want to take her character. “I thought of it yesterday when we -were watching Mrs. Pepper feed her chickens.” - -“Where will you get the feathers?” asked the practical Margy. - -“Oh, there must be feathers somewhere,” said Jess, carelessly. “I’ll -fix that part all right.” - -“It would be kind of fun, wouldn’t it?” Fred decided. “I wonder if we -can get animal false-faces? I’m going to ask Dad to-night.” - -Mr. Williamson kept the department store in River Bend, and he always -carried a stock of false-faces for Hallowe’en. Fred was sure that if -there were such things as “animal faces” his father would have them. - -“Let’s not tell what kind of animals we’re going to be,” suggested -Polly. “I love to be surprised.” - -“You’d better tell your mother, Margy,” said Ward. “If she sees a bunch -of animals coming to her house Hallowe’en night, she may think a circus -broke loose somewhere and not let us in.” - -“You can’t scare my mother,” declared Margy, proudly. “I don’t believe -she’d be afraid of an elephant, if she met him. Not on Hallowe’en, at -any rate.” - -“We’re going to have the house to ourselves--did you know that?” said -Fred. “Everything we need for the party will be all ready in the -kitchen, and Mother is going to leave things to eat in the pantry. She -and Dad are going over to Ward’s house. And Mr. and Mrs. Marley, too.” - -“They’ll have a party of their own, I guess,” said Jess. “I don’t -believe it is much fun for them to duck for apples and do the things -we do. They would rather listen to Mrs. Marley play the piano and my -mother play her violin than fuss around with Hallowe’en games.” - -“They’re going to have the radio set that night, too,” Ward announced. -“Fred said he’d take it down from the clubroom and set it up in the -parlor. There’s a big musical program from some city that night.” - -Fred was the wireless expert of the Riddle Club. He had first put up -the handsome radio set the club had been given for their share in the -capture of some radio thieves, and had taken it down and set it up in -camp that summer as well. Then, when the time came to come home, he had -taken down the tree aerials and had brought the set back to the Larue -barn and set it up again in the clubroom. Now for this special night he -would attach a loud speaker and arrange it in the Larue parlor so that -the listening parents might enjoy the concert. - -But the girls and boys could not talk long of this grown-up affair -when their own thrilling party was yet to be arranged. They were used -to planning their parties, and their mothers thought that in this way -they had twice the usual amount of fun. Nearly every one can go to a -party, if invited, but not every one could plan a party if he had to. -The members of the Riddle Club did do both nicely. - -“We’re going to have all the games we can think of,” said Margy. -“Picking a ring out of a plate of flour; trying to bite a marshmallow -on a string; ducking for apples, of course. What else, Fred?” - -“I know,” cried Artie, before Fred could answer. “Go out in the garden -and pull up a cabbage. I read about it in a book.” - - - - -CHAPTER III - -JESS HAS LUCK - - -All of the other members of the Riddle Club stared at Artie in blank -wonder. - -“Cabbages?” cried Fred. - -“What do we pull up a cabbage for?” Margy demanded, curiously. - -“To see whether you’ll be rich or poor,” said Artie, as though that -settled the matter. - -“How will you know whether you’ll be rich and poor?” Ward demanded. - -“Not rich and poor,” Artie corrected him. “Who ever heard of any one -being rich and poor? Rich _or_ poor, silly.” - -“Well, all right,” agreed Ward, amiably. “Rich or poor then. How’ll we -know we’re going to be rich or poor by looking at a cabbage?” - -Artie perceived that he would have to explain. - -“You tell by the dirt,” he said seriously. - -“The dirt?” echoed Margy. “What dirt?” - -“The dirt on the roots of the cabbage,” said Artie. “If a lot of dirt -sticks, that’s a sign you’re going to be rich; if there isn’t much -dirt, you’re going to be poor.” - -“Oh!” said Margy. - -“I think that will be fun,” said Jess, briskly. - -“I call it a fool stunt, but we’ll try it,” Fred decided. “Know any -more, Artie?” - -Artie thought for a moment. - -“I know about making wishes,” he said, and paused. - -“Well, don’t stop,” Polly urged. “Go on and tell us.” - -Artie was as fond of talking as any of the rest, but he had an odd -habit of stopping suddenly, just when his listeners thought he was well -started. - -“You make a wish,” he began again, “and then you must go upstairs and -down twice, outdoors and all around the house and around the barn--Of -course, Mr. Williamson hasn’t any barn,” Artie interrupted himself to -say; “but the summerhouse will do, I guess. The book said an ‘outdoor -building,’ and a summerhouse must be an outdoor building. Say, Fred, -isn’t a summerhouse an outdoor building?” - -“Oh, of course it is,” the impatient Fred assured him. “Hurry up, -Artie, I’m going to sleep.” - -“Where was I?” asked Artie, calmly. - -“The wishes,” Margy prodded. “We make a wish and walk upstairs and -downstairs twice and around the house----” - -“Oh, yes, I remember,” said Artie. “Well, you walk around the house and -the barn and then you come in again.” - -“Then what happens?” asked Ward. - -“Your wishes come true,” Artie said. - -“Well, I call that too queer for anything,” remarked Jess, and the -others were inclined to agree with her. - -“I don’t see how walking around like that can make wishes come true,” -said Fred. - -“It’s the not speaking,” explained Artie. “That does it.” - -Polly stared at her brother. - -“The--the _what_?” she demanded. - -“Not speaking. You know, even if some one calls to you or asks a -question, you can’t say a word till you’ve been all around and come -back,” said Artie. - -“You never said anything about that,” Margy informed him. “Can’t we -speak while we’re walking around the house?” - -“My, no, not a word,” said Artie, placidly. “After you make the wish, -you can’t say another word till you’ve been up- and downstairs and -around the house and barn.” - -“Let’s do that! It sounds awfully spooky,” declared Margy. - -“Be sure you find out about the false-faces to-night, Fred,” said -Polly. “If your father hasn’t any, we’ll have to make some.” - -Nothing ever daunted Polly. If she could not find what she wanted -ready-made, she made it herself. - -“And another thing,” said Margy. “Being the Riddle Club, why can’t we -ask some riddles? I mean short ones--one apiece.” - -“All right,” agreed Jess. - -“Maybe we can get some about animals,” suggested Artie. - -“Oh, any kind of riddle will do,” declared the president of the club. - -The plans for the party made, the six chums made fudge as a grand -wind-up to the afternoon. They went home to supper, where the candy -apparently made little difference in their hearty appetites. - -Hallowe’en was not far away, and if their animal costumes were to be -made, it was necessary to start work upon them at once. Fred’s father -had almost every kind of false-face manufactured, but he had no animal -ones. Perhaps, as Jess proudly said, they were the first to dress up as -animals for Hallowe’en. Anyway, Polly would have to make the faces. -That was clear. - -There was a great deal of laughing and whispering going on every -afternoon after school in each of the three houses on Elm Road. Artie -and Ward shared some joke together, and they might be heard shouting -and laughing soon after they had turned the key in Ward’s or Artie’s -room door, as the case might be. - -“I think they’re dancing,” Jess confided to Polly. “They shake the -ceiling of the dining-room. Ward’s room is right over the dining-room, -you know.” - -“Artie hates to dance,” Polly returned. “You couldn’t make him. No, -it’s something else. I don’t know what. They shake the house when -they’re over here, too.” - -For not even Polly was to know what animals were represented. Every one -was so determined to keep his or her costume a secret that it had been -decided that “any kind of face” was to be worn. - -“Of course they won’t match,” said Jess. “But that will be even more -fun.” - -Jess was having a thrilling time trying to get her costume together. -She had set her heart on going as a chicken, and every one knows that -if there is one thing a chicken cannot do without, it is feathers. - -“I can manage the wings,” she confided to Dora, the good-natured maid -in her mother’s kitchen, “because I can use those two turkey wings we -had left from last Thanksgiving. But where will I get the rest of the -feathers?” - -Good fortune smiled unexpectedly on Jess. At least, she thought it was -good fortune. Passing Mrs. Pepper’s house one morning on her way to the -store for her mother--it was Saturday--Jess spied a barrel standing at -the edge of the drive. It was filled with soft, fluffy chicken feathers! - -“Oh, Mrs. Pepper, are you throwing those feathers _away_?” asked Jess, -in the tone of one who has found a neighbor tossing out a gold mine. - -Mrs. Pepper was raking leaves from her lawn. Carrie usually stayed in -bed late Saturday mornings, and she was not up yet. - -“Why, yes, Jess, I put that barrel out for the junk man. He comes -through town on Saturdays,” answered Mrs. Pepper. “Those feathers -aren’t good enough to save for pillows, and I don’t like to burn them.” - -“Could--could I have them?” asked Jess, her eyes shining. - -“My lands, child! what do you want with them?” exclaimed Mrs. Pepper. -“Take them and welcome, of course; but I’ll need the barrel back. -Barrels are scarce, and I like to make mine last.” - -“I’ll bring the barrel right back,” promised Jess, joyfully. “Thank you -ever so much, Mrs. Pepper.” - -Mrs. Pepper stared at her as the small girl began to roll the barrel -toward her side lawn. The Pepper property joined Mr. Larue’s, and Jess -had not far to go. The feathers, of course, weighed almost nothing, and -the task was not difficult, but Mrs. Pepper stood racking her brains to -think what use Jess could have for the down and bits of feathers she -had thrown away. She was still standing there ten minutes later when -Carrie came out. - -“Jess Larue took those feathers?” Carrie repeated, when her mother told -her. “I don’t see what on earth she wants them for! Why didn’t you make -her tell you before you gave her the barrel?” - -“I believe in minding my own affairs,” said Mrs. Pepper, tartly. - -She kept a great many chickens and sold them dressed; that is, killed -and with the feathers taken off. Her good feathers she saved for -pillows, but the stuff that filled the barrel was down from young -chickens and broken feathers that were of no use to her. - -Jess rolled her barrel up to the side door of the house and reached -the hall before Dora spied her. - -“Where you going, Jess, with that dirty old barrel?” she asked -suspiciously. - -“I’m taking it up to my room,” replied Jess. - -“What’s in it--let me look,” replied Dora. “Feathers! Jess, for -goodness’ sake, roll that barrel outside, quick! If your mother was -to catch you scattering those nasty little pin feathers all over the -house, she’d tell you a thing or two!” - -“I’m not going to scatter them,” Jess argued. “Help me carry the barrel -up to my room, will you, Dora? I have to take it back.” - -When Dora understood that the barrel was to go back to Mrs. Pepper, she -was more determined than ever that Jess should not take it up to her -room. - -“I know exactly what you’d do, Jess,” Dora said. “You’d dump those -feathers out on your bedroom floor and take the empty barrel back; and -in less than five minutes, every rug and carpet in this house, to say -nothing of the chairs and the sofas, would have pin feathers sticking -in them.” - -“Well, where can I put them?” asked Jess, realizing that unless Dora -was willing to help her she could not hope to get the barrel up the -stairs. “I have to have these feathers for Hallowe’en, Dora.” - -“Take them out in the barn, to be sure,” said Dora. “Why you and -Ward don’t want to play in the barn, beats me. Many a child would be -thankful for such a light, clean place to stay in. You can make all the -noise you want, too, and do as you please out there. And you’re forever -hanging around the house.” - -“It’s cold,” said Jess, absently, but her mind was busy with another -problem. She had remembered that she needed flour paste. - -“If I take the feathers out to the barn, Dora,” she said coaxingly, -“how about some flour paste? Let me make some?” - -“You’re too hard on the flour barrel,” declared Dora, good-naturedly. -“Be off to the barn now and leave your barrel there; then go and get -the soap your mother promised me and I’ll have the paste ready for you -when you come back.” - -Jess was willing, and she rolled the barrel out to the barn. She -was glad that Ward was over with Artie Marley, for it gave her an -opportunity to make her Hallowe’en costume without an audience. She -dumped the feathers on the floor of the barn, not minding in the least -that they flew about and lighted, many of them, in her hair and on -her blouse and skirt, then rolled the empty barrel back to the Pepper -driveway. - -Carrie saw her and called to her to wait, but Jess shouted that she -was going to the store and ran off quickly. It was not part of her plan -to have Carrie’s sharp eyes and Carrie’s quick tongue ferret out her -secret. - -True to her promise, Dora had a generous basin of flour paste ready for -Jess when she came back from the store, and the girl took it gratefully -and went out to the barn. She made several trips to the house for -things she needed, scissors, newspapers, and a paper of pins were among -them, but at last she was evidently equipped, for she stayed in the -barn. - -“Where’s Jess?” asked Polly and Margy, half an hour later, at the Larue -back door. - -“Out in the barn--at least, she was a little while ago,” answered Dora. -“I haven’t heard a word from her since I made her a bowl of flour -paste.” - -Polly and Margy went out to the barn. The sliding door was pushed -half-way open, and there on the barn floor they beheld a remarkable -sight. They stared, wondering what it could be. - -“Jess!” called Polly, uncertainly. “Jess! is that you?” - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -HALLOWE’EN FUN - - -“Come away,” whispered Margy. “That isn’t Jess.” - -But it was Jess. The rolling figure sat up and stared at them with -Jess’s own brown eyes. - -“Hello!” said Jess, none too cordially. - -“What in the world are you doing?” asked Margy, more frankly than -politely. - -“I’m busy,” answered Jess. - -“You’re a sight--isn’t she, Polly?” said Margy. - -Polly didn’t wish to agree, but the truth was that Jess was the most -remarkable looking girl she had ever seen. She seemed to be covered -with feathers--her hair and face and hands. They were on her shoes, her -stockings, and parts of her dress. There was almost as much dirt and -dust mixed with the feathers as there was flour paste, and that had -evidently been used in liberal quantities. - -“What _are_ you doing?” asked Polly, helplessly. - -“Well, if you must know,” said Jess, “I’m making my Hallowe’en -costume. Only these mean old feathers aren’t much good,” she added -fretfully. “They won’t stay stuck.” - -She went on to explain that she had cut a chicken out of -newspapers--“both sides and sewed it in the middle”--and had spread the -paste over this. The plan was to roll in the feathers with this on and -in this way the pattern would be covered with feathers which would dry -on. Then, with the addition of the turkey wings, Jess would be ready -for the party. - -“I have a pair of bright yellow stockings I never wore, and I am going -to paint my shoes yellow, too,” she announced, in a burst of confidence. - -Polly wanted to laugh, but she was afraid of hurting Jess’s feelings. - -“It looks pretty messy just now,” said Polly. “But perhaps when it -dries it will be all right. You’re taking a lot of trouble, aren’t you, -Jess?” - -“Well, I like things to be right,” admitted Jess. “I think it will be -fun to have animals at the party. Margy, will you stick a handful of -feathers on that bare place? Here, put some more paste on first.” - -Margy didn’t want to put her hands in the feathers, so Polly had to -come to the rescue. Then she helped Jess take the paper off, which was -difficult, for it was wet and heavy with paste and easily torn. - -“You mustn’t wear it again till the night of the party,” Polly -cautioned the designer. “You’ll wear it out, if you’re not careful.” - -“I won’t touch it till Hallowe’en,” promised Jess. “But now you’ve seen -mine, I think you ought to tell me what you’re going to wear,” she -declared. - -“I’m going to be a leopard,” said Polly, instantly. “It’s because we -had some spotted flannel in the house.” - -“And Mother is going to lend me her old astrakhan coat, so I can be a -lamb,” said Margy. “I think lambs are lovely. I wouldn’t want to be any -kind of homely animal, even for fun.” - -Jess’s dark eyes grew round with curiosity. - -“What do you suppose the boys are going to wear?” she asked. - -But no one knew, and up to the night of the party no one had found out. -It had been agreed among the six friends that each was to go alone to -the Williamson house, so it happened that the three girls and Mr. and -Mrs. Williamson were already in the big, roomy kitchen, where the party -was to be, when some one knocked at the door. - -“That’s Fred! I know it is!” exclaimed Margy. “I just heard him go -down the front stairs and out. He’s come around to the back door.” - -Margy was wearing her mother’s woolly coat, and with her shiny black -shoes and black silk gloves--to represent the forefeet--made a very -cunning and attractive little lamb--till one’s glance reached her face. -Her false-face was that of an old witch, and the contrast between this -grinning old-woman face and the woolly young lamb was too much for Mr. -Williamson. He had gone into fits of laughter as soon as he saw Margy. - -The arrival of Polly, in spotted flannel that covered her hands and -feet much as a sleeping garment would, her face hidden behind a -“Brownie” false-face, made Mr. Williamson laugh, too. But when Jess -arrived, Mrs. Williamson was really alarmed about him. He laughed so -hard he had to take out his handkerchief and wipe his eyes. - -Even Polly and Margy had to laugh at Jess. She wore her feather suit, -as she called the paper and feather costume, and she had rigged up the -turkey wings with string so that they flapped--sometimes--when she -pulled the string. As the nearest thing to a chicken’s head she could -get in a false-face, she had chosen a mask with an extremely long and -hooked nose that, she fondly hoped, looked like a chicken’s beak. She -had taken an old pair of shoes and covered them with bright yellow -paint, buttons and all. - -Mr. and Mrs. Williamson were only waiting to greet the guests before -going over to spend the evening at the Larue house. Answering the knock -at the door, Mr. Williamson opened it and a kangaroo leaped into the -room. For a moment the girls were startled, and then they saw that it -was Fred. - -“I think that’s a fine costume, Fred,” said Polly. “Did you make it?” - -“Mother helped,” replied Fred, hopping around the kitchen the better to -show off his brown flannel suit and long tail. It covered his head and -eyes so that he didn’t need a mask, and when he crouched in a sitting -position, Polly assured him that he looked exactly like the pictures of -kangaroos they had seen in their school geographies. - -Rat-a-tat-tat! went a knock on the door. - -“Bet that’s Artie,” said Fred, confidently. - -“Ward, more likely,” declared Jess. “He was getting ready when I -started to come.” - -Mr. Williamson opened the door, and they all leaned forward to look. - -First a long, long neck stretched itself into the kitchen, then an -ungainly, rather square body, mounted on four legs, followed. This -queer-looking creature was spotted in circles, and had a long, thin -tail. - -“A giraffe!” cried Jess, guessing first. - -“Artie and Ward! Well, what do you know about that!” shouted Fred. “Why -didn’t you tell a fellow?” - -“Wanted to surprise you,” croaked the giraffe. “Guess we did it.” - -And to Fred’s amazement, the long neck twisted several times around his -own neck in what was meant to be an affectionate embrace. - -“Here--let go of me--get out!” cried Fred, trying to back away. “What -kind of a neck have you, a rubber one?” - -The girls giggled and Mr. Williamson untangled the long neck carefully. - -“Don’t let it rip,” begged the giraffe. “If it comes unsewed the whole -thing will be spoiled. That’s the old rubber hose in that neck.” - -“So that’s what you’ve been doing so long,” said Polly. “I see! That’s -why you were shaking the ceiling.” - -[Illustration: “A GIRAFFE!” CRIED JESS, GUESSING FIRST.] - -“Well, if you think it’s easy to walk in this, you ought to try it,” -said Artie’s voice. “Ward had to be the front because he is taller, -and I’m the back legs. At first we walked into each other and couldn’t -turn corners without making a mess of it. But how we do fine.” - -“I don’t know whether it is safe to leave this menagerie or not, -Mother,” said Mr. Williamson, smiling. “But we won’t be so far away -that we can’t get back if we’re needed. Now, youngsters,” he added to -the children, “go as far as you like and have all the fun you want. But -don’t go off the grounds and don’t set the house on fire. Fred, I trust -your good sense to know when to stop.” - -“Good-bye,” cried the animals, crowding to the door. “Good-bye. We’re -going to have a lovely party.” - -Mr. and Mrs. Williamson looked back and laughed. The light from the -kitchen streamed through the doorway and showed a wild-looking group on -the porch. - -“I’m glad they didn’t want any others,” said Mrs. Williamson, as they -reached the Larue house. “They get on so well together that they do not -really need any more to make a party.” - -Left alone, Margy and Fred, as host and hostess, announced that the -games would begin at once. Of course the false-faces had to come off -and the gloves, too, and Fred had to fold back his brown hood, while -Artie and Ward had to step “out of their skin,” as they put it, to duck -for apples. - -This was not Ward’s favorite pastime, for it always made him gasp -dreadfully; but he wouldn’t beg off, and manfully went groping about -under the water till he nearly choked. He never succeeded in getting -hold of an apple, but Fred brought up two and Polly one, while Jess and -Artie each lifted one by the stem, merely to drop it before it reached -the surface. - -Then they tackled the swaying marshmallow on the string, and most of -them were liberally coated with the snowy powder before Margy grasped -the mallow in her strong little white teeth and swallowed it and nearly -swallowed the string, too. - -“Now the plate of flour,” commanded Fred, when the marshmallow was -gone. “Put your hands behind you, every one, and do your best.” - -Ward made a desperate effort, but, unfortunately, opened his eyes when -his face was buried in the flour and coughed and sputtered so much as -he tried to wink them clear again, that Fred pulled him out in great -alarm. - -“Let me try,” begged Artie. - -He took a deep breath, shut his eyes, and ducked into the flour for the -hidden ring. Alas, he had found the ring and was ready to take it in -his teeth when he found he could not hold his breath another minute. -He let it out in one great rush, and the flour flew in all directions, -most of it landing on the interested five standing near. - -“Never mind,” said Margy, kindly, for Artie looked distressed. “We have -plenty more flour, and Mother said she didn’t care how much mess we -made in the kitchen. It’s easy to clean.” - -So the ring was hidden in the flour again, and Jess tried and failed to -find it. Polly was the one who finally brought it to light. - -“And now I guess it is time we had the riddles,” said the president of -the club. “Each girl is to ask a boy a riddle and then each boy is to -do the same thing to a girl. Jess, you can start if you want to.” - -“All right. Artie, what word may be pronounced quicker by adding a -syllable to it?” - -“That’s a real hard one,” grumbled Artie. “Why didn’t you make it -easier?” - -“I know that one,” shouted Ward. - -“Guess, Artie,” said Polly. “Hurry, we don’t want to lose time over the -riddles.” - -“I guess it’s fast, because you add E-R and then it’s faster.” - -“Almost right,” replied Jess. “The word is quick. Add E-R and you have -quicker.” - -“I’ve one for you, Ward,” said Margy. “Why is an egg like a young colt?” - -“Oh, I’ve got you, Margy! The answer is because neither can be used -until broken.” - -“What do you mean--broken?” asked Jess. “I mean of a colt?” - -“Why, a colt is broken to harness,” explained Margy, impatiently. “They -are of no account until they’re broken.” - -“Now it’s my turn,” said Polly. “Fred, here is a real mannish riddle: -What is the best bet made--one covering everything?” - -“Gee, that’s some bet--to cover everything. Must be the heavens.” - -“Is that your guess?” - -“Yes.” - -“Well, you’re wrong. The best bet that covers everything is the -alphabet.” - -“Huh! Why didn’t I think of that?” - -“Now you boys must ask us girls. Fred, go ahead.” - -“I’ll ask you, Polly. Here is a stinger: What’s the difference between -a brand new ten-cent piece and an old-fashion quarter?” - -“The difference is exactly fifteen cents,” replied Polly, placidly. - -“Wow! I guess you read the same riddle book I did.” - -“Here is one for you, Margy,” said Artie. “Why is a lollipop like a -horse?” - -“When he’s the same color,” said Margy, quickly. - -“No, that isn’t the answer. A lollipop is like a horse because the more -you lick it the faster it goes.” - -“Now, Ward, you ask the last riddle,” said Polly. “Then we’ll go on -with our Hallowe’en fun.” - -“Well, Jess, what is the ugliest hood ever brought to light?” - -“Ugly hood? Oh, lots of them are ugly. Sadie Drew has a hood that is a -sickly green and has bright red----” - -“Never mind all that. What is positively the ugliest hood ever thought -of?” - -“I don’t know. What hood is it?” - -“A falsehood,” cried Ward, triumphantly. - -“Oh, well, I guess that’s right.” - -“Now everybody has asked a riddle, let us go on with our Hallowe’en -stunts,” said Polly. “Let us start on the wishes.” - -“Everybody make a wish,” directed Artie. “Then we’ll go upstairs and -down and around the summerhouse and the real house. Remember, nobody is -to say a word.” - -They made their wishes hurriedly and silently, and then, Fred leading -the way, they started. They kept rather close together, for each time -they went up- and downstairs--and they had to do that twice--their -shadows made such queer shapes on the wall that they looked positively -spooky. - -Artie and Ward clumped along in the giraffe suit, and the leopard and -kangaroo looked almost real. Each one wanted to say to some one else, -“Oh, doesn’t it make you feel jumpy?” but that, of course, would have -broken the spell. - -When they had been up and down the stairs twice, Fred led the way -outdoors. Then, indeed, they did keep close together, for the moon was -crossed by scudding clouds and the dry leaves, rattling over the dried -grass, made funny, little scratching noises. Polly said afterward that -she would not have been surprised to have seen a witch come jumping out -at her from behind the summerhouse. - -Around the house they trailed, and around the summerhouse, in perfect -silence. Back to the house they went and into the brightly lighted -kitchen. - -“Well!” said Margy, in great relief. “I guess our wishes are coming -true. No one said a word.” - -“I almost did, though,” declared Jess. “I nearly yelled. Didn’t you see -something back of the summerhouse?” - -“Oh, Jess, you’re getting nervous,” said Fred. “There wasn’t anything -there. We walked all around it.” - -“It was inside,” replied Jess, glancing fearfully over her shoulder. - -“There wasn’t a thing there--not a thing,” insisted Fred. “You imagined -it. Come on now, let’s go pull up the cabbages and see if we’re going -to be rich or poor. Then we’ll have the eats.” - -“Jess,” whispered Polly, as they streamed out again, headed for the -garden patch, “I thought I saw something in the summerhouse, too.” - - - - -CHAPTER V - -TABLES TURNED - - -Jess and Polly looked over their shoulders as they walked to the -garden, which was at one side of the house, but the others marched -briskly along. In the summer Mr. Williamson had a flourishing “truck -patch,” and even now there were some late vegetables still in the -ground. The patch was protected from frost, and Fred sometimes -boasted of getting cabbage or parsnips “from the garden” as late as -Thanksgiving Day. - -“Now, how do we do this stunt, Artie?” asked Fred, when they had -reached the row of cabbages. “You pull one and show us.” - -Artie pulled a fine large cabbage and exhibited its roots to the -interested audience. - -“Lots of dirt on it,” he pointed out--indeed, in his zeal, he had -loosened perhaps half a peck of earth, most of which clung to the -roots--“and that shows I will be very rich some day.” - -“Maybe Fred will,” said Polly, mischievously. “That dirt is from his -father’s garden.” - -“It’s just a sign,” explained Artie, hastily. - -Margy stooped and brought up another cabbage, but as she lifted it she -shook it carefully and nearly all the dirt fell off. - -“There goes your fortune!” cried Jess. “You mustn’t shake it, Margy.” - -“It’s too heavy with all that dirt on it,” Margy complained. - -“Well, if there’s a bag of gold at the bottom of this one, it’s going -to stay right there,” announced Polly, tugging at the nearest cabbage. - -A shriek from Margy startled her. She let go the cabbage in time to -look up and see a tall white figure land in the patch, apparently -from the skies. They all saw it at the same instant, and, cabbages -forgotten, they rushed madly for the house. Margy was crying wildly, -Polly pulled Jess along by the hand, and poor Ward and Artie fell down, -but scrambled up again and managed to get over the ground in spite -of their costume, which was never designed for a running suit. They -reached the back porch, stumbled pell-mell up the steps and into the -kitchen. Margy closed the door with a bang that shook the house. - -“Oh-oo!” she wept, her teeth chattering. “What was it? What was it?” - -“I think--I think it was a ghost,” quavered Jess. - -“It was a million feet high--almost,” said Artie. “Did you see how it -was waving its arms?” - -“There are no such things as ghosts,” declared Polly, firmly. “It -couldn’t have been a ghost, could it----” She had meant to say, “Could -it, Fred?” but at that moment she made an alarming discovery. - -Fred wasn’t in the kitchen with them! - -“Where’s Fred?” asked Polly, anxiously. “Didn’t he come in? Has any one -seen him?” - -“The ghost has carried him off!” cried Margy, in alarm. “He’s gone! Oh, -my, what will Mother say?” - -“It wasn’t a ghost,” said Polly again. “I tell you, there are no -ghosts. And if it was a ghost, it couldn’t carry Fred off--a ghost -can’t carry anything.” - -“You just said there aren’t any ghosts,” objected Margy. - -“Well, I mean if there were ghosts, they couldn’t carry any one off,” -Polly explained. - -“Then where is Fred?” asked Artie, quite as though he thought Polly -would be able to tell him. - -“I don’t know,” Polly admitted. “You don’t suppose he could have fallen -down a hole somewhere, do you? I don’t remember having seen him after -I saw the ghost--and that was just before I started to pull up the -cabbage.” - -No one remembered having seen Fred. - -“But then,” added Ward, “I couldn’t see anything, really. The flannel -slipped down over my eyes and I couldn’t see where I was going, let -alone any one else. I don’t know where Fred went.” - -“I read once about a man who fell down a canyon and was never seen -again,” contributed Artie, helpfully. - -“There isn’t any canyon for Fred to fall down,” declared Jess, with -some scorn. “I think we ought to go over and get Mr. Williamson, -though; perhaps he could find Fred.” - -“But if we go outdoors, that ghost--or whatever it is--will grab us,” -said Margy, fearfully. - -It was what they were all thinking, and no one wanted to be the first -to volunteer to go over to the Larue house and summon aid. - -Ward looked at Artie. They did not think of themselves as brave, but -it really required the strongest kind of courage for them to make the -suggestion that Ward presently offered. - -“We’ll go out and look all over the garden, Artie and I,” he said. -“There’s no use in scaring Mrs. Williamson; we may find Fred and then -everything will be all right.” - -“I can come, too, and hold a lantern for you,” offered Polly, bravely. -“I’d like to do it.” - -“You needn’t come. Girls shouldn’t--shouldn’t--expose themselves to -danger,” said Ward, feeling remarkably like a policeman--or as he -thought a policeman must feel. “But I’d like a lantern. Where is there -one, Margy?” - -“Down cellar,” said Margy, rolling her eyes. - -“I’m afraid to go down cellar,” announced Jess, flatly. “Goodness only -knows what’s down there. It’s as dark as pitch.” - -“We’ll all go down,” suggested Polly. “You can turn on the light at the -head of the stairs, can’t you, Margy?” - -Most of the houses in River Bend were wired for electricity, and there -was a switch at the head of the Williamsons’ cellar stairs. Margy -pressed the button, but even the flood of light which lit the cellar -did not give any of them any great confidence. They went down the steps -slowly, and not for anything in the world would they have looked over -their shoulders. - -Margy found the lantern behind the furnace, and, as they had not -brought matches, there was no reason for staying, since to light it -they would have to go back to the kitchen. Jess led the way upstairs, -and as she gained the top step, she cried out. Fred was just closing -the outside door. - -“Hello!” he said comfortably. “Where’ve you all been?” - -“Where have you been?” Margy countered. “You scared us pretty near into -fits. We thought the ghost had caught you.” - -“Ward and I were coming out to hunt for you,” Artie said, waving the -lantern. “We went down cellar to get this.” - -“Huh, that wasn’t a ghost,” replied Fred. “If you’d hung around a -little, the way I did, you would have found it out pretty quick.” - -Margy switched off the cellar light and shut the door. - -“What was it, if it wasn’t a ghost?” she asked. - -“Joe Anderson,” was Fred’s surprising reply. “He thought he’d be smart. -You haven’t been crying, have you, Margy?” - -“Only a little,” said Margy, hastily. - -“She thought something had happened to you,” said Polly. “What did you -do, Fred? And weren’t you frightened?” - -“I was at first,” acknowledged Fred. “That white thing came up on us -so quietly, it rather took my breath away. But when you all started to -shriek and run, I heard Joe Anderson laugh. I’d know his snicker if I -heard it in China. So I hid behind the pear tree. I thought I’d get a -chance to punch his nose for him.” - -“Did you?” chorused Artie and Ward interestedly. - -“Well, no, I didn’t,” said Fred. “He followed you up to the porch steps -and then came back, but Albert Holmes came out of the summerhouse--he -must have been hiding there with Joe--and they began talking. And -they’re going to try to play another trick on us in a few minutes. I -heard them planning it. They want to wait till we get quieted down -from this scare, and then Joe is going to ring the doorbell. He thinks -whoever comes to the door will have a fit when they see a giant ghost.” - -“A giant ghost?” repeated Polly. - -“Yes, a giant ghost. Albert is going to sit on Joe’s shoulder and that -will make the ghost about eight feet high,” said Fred. “I wish I could -think of something to do that would make them feel cheap.” - -“Let’s go upstairs and pour water out of the window on them when they -ring the bell,” suggested Jess, excitedly. - -Fred shook his head. - -“I wonder----” he said slowly. “Yes, I do believe it will work!” - -“What will work?” demanded Margy, eagerly. “What will work, Fred?” - -“Well, I’ll step into the first half of the giraffe,” explained Fred, -“and Artie can manage the back feet--Ward will get out of breath too -quickly to do what I want done. When the bell rings, we’ll go out the -back door and amble around to the front of the house and just wrap Mr. -Ghost lovingly around with that nice, long, rubber-hose neck. That -ought to give our friends a thrill. They won’t know what has them in -the dark.” - -“Oh, yes,” approved Polly. “I think that’s a fine plan. Hurry, Ward, -and let Fred get into your half; the bell may ring any minute.” - -Ward would have liked to have guided the giraffe’s neck himself, but he -knew as well as Fred that excitement took his breath away as quickly -as running. Fred had the longer arms, too, and would be able to give a -longer reach to the animal’s long neck. - -Fred had hardly slipped into the flannel casing and drawn it tightly -about him and Artie was practicing his best giraffe step, when the -bell over the door leading into the front hall rang sharply. Every one -jumped, though it was a noise they were expecting. - -“Stay right where you are,” Fred directed. “If Joe sees you through the -curtains or the glass door, he’ll be suspicious. Come on, Artie, we’ll -have to hurry.” - -He and Artie loped down the back steps and sped around the side of the -house. A cautious look showed Fred a towering ghost standing on the -front steps, waiting patiently. Tiptoeing, he and Artie stole up to it -and before the ghost knew what was happening, a long slim, tight coil -was fastened about it. - -“Ow! Help! Take it away!” shrieked Joe Anderson’s voice. “Quick, -Albert, take it off! Help! Something’s got me!” - -Albert was sitting on Joe’s shoulders, and in his terror and excitement -he began to kick wildly, hammering the unfortunate Joe on the face and -shoulders unmercifully. Fred couldn’t unwind the length of hose--though -he tried--because the end was pinioned under one of Albert’s arms, and -the more the two boys who formed the ghost struggled, the tighter the -coils seemed to grow. - -“Help! help!” called Joe, beside himself with fear. - -“Ow! Joe! Joe! It’s choking me!” screamed poor Albert, twisting and -turning madly, for his pillow case had slipped too far over his head -and he felt as though he was smothering. - -The other children had rushed to the door when they heard the racket. -Across the street in the Larue house lights were blazing through the -windows as the shades were run up, for the noise had reached the -grown-ups there. - -“Take it off, Fred,” called Artie. “Hurry--take it off! I can’t see a -thing in here.” - -“It--won’t--come--off!” gasped Fred. “Don’t you see me pulling?” - -He took a step backward, his foot caught one of Artie’s, and they went -down together, dragging the kicking ghost on top of them. When Mr. -Williamson and Mr. Larue and Mr. Marley reached the spot a few minutes -later, to their astonishment they saw what looked like a brown and -white animal with spots thrashing about on the ground and apparently -fitted with dozens of legs and arms. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -POLLY’S PROBLEM - - -As this queer animal flopped about, muffled cries and shouts came from -it. Dancing around it were four little figures in the wildest state of -excitement. - -“Here, here, what’s all this?” asked Mr. Williamson. “You’ll have the -whole town here in another minute. What’s that on the ground?” - -“Fred!” said Margy. - -“Artie!” cried Polly. - -“Joe Anderson and Albert Holmes,” piped out Ward. - -“Well, we’ll see if we can sort them out,” said Mr. Williamson, who -seemed to understand. - -He grasped a kicking leg and Mr. Marley caught a waving arm. As for Mr. -Larue, he took a whole handful of spots, and that proved to be most of -Joe Anderson. - -As soon as the boys stopped twisting and turning, they found they were -not so badly mixed as they had thought. They climbed out of their -wrappings, a little the worse for wear, but not much. - -“Think you’re smart, don’t you?” growled Joe Anderson. - -“The hose twisted,” explained Fred, with a grin. “Bet you were scared.” - -“My mother will be as mad--as mad--as anything!” sputtered Albert -Holmes. “She told me not to take her sheets and pillow case, and now -look at them!” - -Alas, for Mrs. Holmes’ good sheet and linen pillow case--they were -covered with dirt and torn in many places. - -“Next time,” said Fred, significantly, “don’t come to a party you’re -not invited to.” - -“I don’t think that’s called for, Fred,” said his father, quietly. “Go -on back into the house and have your fun there. If you think you’ll -be likely to rouse the neighborhood again, one of us will stay, too; -otherwise we’d like to go back and finish our own party.” - -“We’ll be all right,” declared Fred, hastily, and the others echoed his -assurance. - -Mr. Williamson waited till he had seen Joe Anderson and Albert well up -the street on their way home, and then he and the other two fathers -went back to the Larue house. - -“Perhaps,” said Artie, as the girls and boys found themselves in the -kitchen again, “we’d better not try any more stunts outdoors.” - -“Huh, they won’t bother us again--you see if they do!” said Fred, but -Polly and Margy wouldn’t hear of any more trips to the garden. - -“Anyway, it’s time we had the eats,” declared Margy, wisely. - -She knew the boys could never resist that suggestion, and, sure enough, -as she brought out the plates of sandwiches and doughnuts and the -little pumpkin tarts Mrs. Williamson had left for them, no one had to -be dragged to the table. There was milk to drink, and afterward they -popped corn and buttered and ate it. They were surprised when Mr. and -Mrs. Williamson walked in and announced that it was ten o’clock and -time for all parties to be over. - -“I promised your mothers that you’d come home at once,” said Mrs. -Williamson, so there was no excuse for lingering. - -In school the next day, Albert Holmes was not exactly pleasant--his -mother had been much “put out” because of the damage done her linen, -and Albert persisted in blaming the Riddle Club members for this -damage. Joe Anderson spread the report that Fred had nearly broken his -arm. He allowed his listeners to infer that Fred had attacked him, -but most of the boys and girls were too well acquainted with Joe to -believe that all the blame could be on one side. - -“I’ll be glad when it gets real cold,” said Carrie Pepper to her chum, -Mattie Helms. “I hope we have snow up to the windows of the houses and -tons and tons of ice.” - -“Yes,” said Mattie. “I like to go skating, too. But I can’t skate very -well. My ankles are weak.” - -“Who said anything about ice skating?” demanded Carrie. - -“Well, you were talking about ice,” retorted Mattie. - -“I was thinking about the Riddle Club,” said Carrie. “If it will only -get good and cold, they won’t be able to have their silly old meetings.” - -“I don’t see why,” remarked Mattie, wondering what the weather had to -do with club meetings. - -“You would, if you’d do some thinking,” said her chum. “When it gets -too cold to meet in the barn, where’ll they go?” - -“Oh, around to different houses, I suppose,” answered Mattie. “They’ll -do the way we do.” - -“Polly Marley won’t let ’em,” was Carrie’s reply to this. “She doesn’t -like going around to different places to meet. I’ve often heard her say -so. And if they don’t meet in the barn, they won’t meet anywhere. Then, -perhaps, we’ll get a little peace. I do get so sick,” added Carrie, -“of hearing about that old Riddle Club.” - -“So do I,” Mattie responded. “You’d think they had the only club in -River Bend, to hear ’em talk.” - -The question of where they should hold their club meetings in cold -weather was also puzzling Polly. She knew the answer to the puzzle -would have to come from her. Margy would be the first to complain -of the discomfort of the cold barn, but the last to suggest another -meeting place. Jess was hardy and would cheerfully endure a red nose -and cold hands before she would take the trouble to move. As for the -boys, they naturally expected Polly to think things over and work plans -out, and while they would fall in with her suggestions, it was useless -to look to them for ideas. - -November came in cold and gray and the month was not six days old -before the citizens of River Bend looked out one morning to find -feathery flakes floating in the air. Fathers thought of their coal-bins -and children of their sleds, but Polly’s thoughts flew to the clubroom -in the Larue barn. A meeting of the Riddle Club was scheduled for the -next day. - -“Gee, isn’t it cold!” cried Artie as he and Polly started for school. - -They met Jess and Ward and the Williamson twins--as usual--and the -bitter cold wind that stung their faces came straight from the river. - -“I read where a man said this is going to be the coldest winter we’ve -ever had,” related Artie, opening and closing his fingers rapidly in -their woolen gloves to keep the blood circulating. - -“Well, it’s cold enough right now,” declared Ward. “Of course, I like -snow and skating, but I’d rather have the mornings nice and warm.” - -Fred laughed. - -“You’d fix it up so we’d go to school with steam-heated overcoats and -shoes, wouldn’t you, Ward?” he teased. “And then, the moment school -closed, you’d have a nice glassy hill back right up to the door with a -sled on top ready to take you coasting.” - -Ward admitted that he had something like that in mind. - -“What are you thinking about, Polly?” asked Margy, curiously. “You -haven’t said a word for the last five minutes.” - -“I’m wondering what we are going to do about the clubroom,” answered -Polly. “To-morrow it’s going to be as cold as ice in the barn. We -haven’t done a thing about heating it, either, except talk about it.” - -“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t have an oil stove,” declared Fred, -positively. “That won’t cost much, and we can take turns filling it.” - -“Daddy says that we can’t have any kind of a heater in the barn,” said -Jess, mournfully. “He says the most careful children in the world could -burn a barn down without knowing they were doing it.” - -“Well, the only thing I see to do, then,” said Polly, “is to wrap up -extra warm. We can’t freeze solid in an hour or two.” - -“No, but I have a little cold now,” objected Margy, “and I don’t -believe Mother will want me to stay in that cold barn. You can’t be too -careful when you have a little cold.” - -“You say you have a cold,” declared Fred, with brotherly frankness, -“because you want an excuse for borrowing one of Mother’s good -handkerchiefs and putting her new cologne on it.” - -Margy looked at him reproachfully, but forebore to argue. - -All through the morning session Polly studied the problem of a meeting -place. That is, when she was not reciting. She racked her mind to think -of somewhere they could go, but without success. As Carrie Pepper had -shrewdly said, she was not willing to “meet around” at the houses of -the various members. For one thing, Polly knew that this plan usually -meant extra work and trouble for the mothers. - -“We might not always put everything back in place,” reasoned Polly. -“And the boys are _so_ hard on chairs and furniture. They don’t mean to -be, but they can’t help it. With our own furniture, it doesn’t matter, -but just suppose Artie should put his feet on those new satin chairs -Mrs. Larue just had sent home! And if we had anything to eat, I’d want -to run the carpet sweeper over the rug afterward, because I just know -there would be crumbs spilled.” - -Then she was called on to go to the blackboard, and it was twenty -minutes before she had a chance to tackle the problem again. - -“Oh, dear, it is really trying to snow,” said Polly to herself, -glancing from the window as she walked back to her seat. “I hoped maybe -the sun would come out and make it warmer. I don’t see what we’re going -to do with all our lovely things, if we can’t meet in the barn any -longer.” - -Polly meant the treasures the Riddle Club had gathered from various -sources, some by dint of wheedling from parents who had furniture -stored in attics, some from friends made in camp, and some--best of -all--won as trophies. - -“What are you going to do about the Riddle Club?” Carrie Pepper asked -unexpectedly that noon. - -She and Mattie were walking behind Polly and Jess and Margy. - -“Do about it?” repeated Polly, surprised. “What do you mean?” - -“Oh, that barn will be like an icebox now,” said Carrie. “I was just -wondering if you were going to give up having meetings till spring. -It might not be such a bad plan--Miss Elliott said the other day that -nothing ought to be allowed to interfere with our lessons.” - -“The Riddle Club doesn’t interfere with our lessons,” replied Polly, -coldly. “We agreed to stay away from meetings if our marks went below -the average. Mr. Williamson suggested that. But we have good report -cards every time--isn’t that so, Jess?” - -Jess nodded. Carrie always made her feel tongue-tied. - -“Well, our Conundrum Club is going to hold a meeting to-morrow, at Joe -Anderson’s house,” said Carrie. “And his mother is going to give us hot -cocoa and whipped cream and cake. We most always have something to eat -in cold weather.” - -Margy looked at Polly as Carrie turned in at her gate. - -“Whatever we do, we won’t give up our club,” said Margy. - -“Of course we won’t,” promised Polly. - -Artie had an important appointment with Ward before the afternoon -session of school--they each had three cents left over from their hoard -carefully saved for the club dues, which Fred was sure to collect the -next day--and he went back before Polly. When she reached school, -five minutes before the one o’clock bell, her eyes were bright with -excitement. - -“Something--nice--to--tell--you,” she whispered across the room to -Margy, as the bell clanged and the pupils took their seats. This year, -much to the three girls’ delight, Margy had her seat in the same room -as Jess and Polly, though they did not recite together in all their -classes. - -All that afternoon Polly fairly glowed. Her eyes twinkled and nothing -could ruffle her good nature, not even missing a fairly easy word in -spelling, which Carrie immediately spelled after her. - -“Get the boys,” she commanded Margy, as they struggled into their coats -in the cloakroom. “I have the best news in the world to tell you!” - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -A POSTPONEMENT - - -Margy caught Ward and Artie at the gate of the school yard and Polly -herself met Fred as he came down the stairs, his mouth puckered to -whistle as soon as he should be safely out of the door. Whistling -inside the building was forbidden. - -“What is it? What is it?” cried Jess, who had caught the excitement -from Margy. “Hurry up, Polly, and tell us.” - -“Well, you know that room at the back of the house we just had finished -this fall?” demanded Polly. - -“The one your mother is going to have as another spare room?” asked -Jess. - -“With painted furniture and a gray and pink rug?” said Margy. - -“Yes. Only there isn’t going to be any gray and pink rug,” answered -Polly. “Mother told me this noon. She has talked it over with Daddy, -and she wants to wait till spring when he goes off to the Hardware -Convention. She’ll go with him and buy the furniture then and get the -latest--she said so. And what do you think?” - -No one thought. They stared at the sparkling Polly. - -“Mother said,” Polly announced with a rush, “that, as long as she -wasn’t going to use the room, we could have it for our clubroom this -winter!” - -“Polly! How perfectly lovely!” squealed Margy, in delight. - -“When did she say so?” asked Artie, this being the first time he had -heard the news. - -“This noon, after you had gone,” Polly told him. “And it’s the nicest -room--three windows and a window seat and as warm as toast. The -radiator is under the window seat. There isn’t a bit of furniture in -it, so we can move our own stuff in. And it’s over the back hall, so it -won’t matter if we do make a little noise. No one will hear us.” - -“I said last night I wished we had a room we could use,” declared Jess. -“But our house is so little we use every single place. In winter Dora -doesn’t go home to sleep, and that takes an extra room.” - -“My goodness, Jess Larue,” said Polly, “don’t you think you’ve done -enough? We’ve had that perfectly fine room in your barn ever since the -club was started. We’ll never have as nice a place as that, and the -minute it is warm we’ll move back. But I certainly am glad we can have -this room.” - -“I am, too,” declared Fred. “I say three cheers for your mother. Do you -suppose we can meet there to-morrow afternoon, Polly?” - -“Well, we can, if you’re willing to help move this afternoon,” said -Polly. “I think, if every one will help, we can get everything done in -time. If there is one thing I will not stand,” she announced firmly, -“it is to meet in the room before we get our stuff moved in. I’d rather -postpone the meeting.” - -“Come on,” was Fred’s reply to this speech. “What are you all standing -here for? We’ve got to move the table and the chairs and all that junk -before supper time.” - -He started to run, and after him ran the other members of the Riddle -Club. The pavements were wet from the stray snow flakes which had -melted as fast as they fell, and Margy slipped once or twice, but she -never complained. She, too, felt that getting to the barn and starting -the moving was the most important thing to be considered. At a time -like this, mere legs and feet were of little consequence. - -They dashed into the three houses, to tell three mothers that they -were home from school, and then dashed out again and made for the barn. -As Ward complained, pantingly climbing the loft ladder, they acted as -though the barn was on fire and they had to save their furniture from -the flames. - -“Well, it gets dark so soon that we have to hurry,” said Fred. “Hurry -up and unlock the door, Ward.” - -“I haven’t the key,” answered Ward. “It’s in my other pocket.” - -“You mean the pocket of your other coat,” Artie corrected him. - -“Well, isn’t that my other pocket?” argued Ward. “How could I have the -same pocket in my other coat that I have in this one?” - -“We don’t care about your other pocket or this pocket or which pocket -is where,” broke in Fred. “Go get the key, Ward. And hurry. It isn’t -going to be so easy taking this stuff down that ladder as it was to -bring it up.” - -Ward went off to get the key for the padlock, and the others sat down -in the old, dry hay to wait for him. - -“Why don’t we lower the table out of the window?” suggested Artie. -“That’s the way they took the new safe into the lodge hall; they -pulled it up to the second story on a rope. If you can take something -in that way, why can’t you take it out?” - -“Window’s too narrow,” Fred objected. - -“If you can let it out of a window, what’s the matter with lowering it -over the loft on a rope?” said Jess, slowly. - -“We could! Good for you, Jess!” cried Fred. “I’m not anxious to go down -that ladder, let me tell you, with one end of the table and some one -else at the other end liable to let the whole thing slip and knock me -off. Let’s get a rope and let the table down.” - -As Margy had once disconsolately remarked, if there was one thing -that was scarce and hard to find in River Bend, it was a good rope. -It was her complaint that there was never anything on hand to serve -as a jumping rope, and the boys were always discovering that they had -no rope to use when they really needed rope. Mothers guarded their -clotheslines jealously, and woe betide the boy or girl who cut it in -two, or even chopped a tiny length off. “You’d think a clothesline was -made of gold,” to quote the exasperated Margy. - -“I’ll go get a rope,” offered Artie. “Dad has some down at the store, -and he said I could have it, if I came after it. I’ll be back in a -jiffy.” - -“I don’t see what Ward calls it, he is doing,” said Jess, presently. -“Even if he had to stop to get his breath, he’s had time to find that -key and be back. Perhaps I’d better go down and see if he needs me to -help him hunt.” - -Fred and Margy and Polly waited in the loft till the shadows deepened -to such a dark gray that they began to think it must be nearly supper -time. - -“I don’t know what you think,” said Fred. “But I know we’ve waited long -enough. I’m going in.” - -Margy and Polly followed him down the ladder. To the natural shadows -of a wintry afternoon, the heavy gray snow clouds had added a deeper -tinge, and though it was only a little past four, a light in the -sewing-room of the Marley house showed that Polly’s mother had found it -necessary to have the help of artificial light in finishing her work. - -“Let’s go over and look at the room,” suggested Polly, and the three -went in the side door and up the back stairs, which brought them to the -room set aside for their use. - -“It’s fine,” commented Fred. “Just fine, Polly. We’re mighty lucky to -have it. There’s room for everything, and that shelf will be just the -place to put the loving cup.” - -Polly was pleased. She had been so delighted to have the room to offer -the Riddle Club that she had taken their pleasure for granted; and now -Ward and Jess and Artie were apparently making no effort to help her -take possession. However, if the critical Fred approved of the room, it -must be all right. - -“Hello!” said Mrs. Marley, passing through the hall and seeing them -sitting on the window seat. “Why, I thought this was the big afternoon! -Where are all the others? And you haven’t moved a thing!” - -“Ward went to get the key and he didn’t come back,” explained Polly, -dully. “And Artie went down to the store to get some rope, and he -hasn’t come back, either. And we waited and waited and waited for them.” - -“Why, Polly dear, didn’t you go after them?” asked Mrs. Marley, in -surprise. “Of course something has happened. You mustn’t be so ready to -believe that it’s their fault. They’re just as much interested in the -Riddle Club as you are, dear.” - -“No, they’re not,” said Polly. “They like it as long as I’ll do all the -work and the planning, but they won’t do a thing to help.” - -“And this isn’t the first time Ward’s gone off and forgotten to come -back,” declared Margy. “He always thinks there is plenty of time for -everything.” - -“There they are now,” said Mrs. Marley, as the doorbell sounded. “I’ll -go down and send them up.” - -Ward and Jess came stamping up the stairs, with Artie following them. -He carried a large coil of rope over his arm. - -“What you doing up here?” asked Ward. “We went up in the loft and you -weren’t there. Then we went to Williamson’s, and you weren’t there, -either.” - -“How are we going to get anything moved, if you don’t do anything?” -said Jess. - -“Do anything!” exploded Margy. “Where’ve you been all this time? Here -it is half-past four, and you talk about us doing something! Where have -you been all this time?” - -“Is it half-past four?” asked Jess. “Why, Dora was baking cookies and -we stayed to watch her a little while. She said we could scrape the -bowl, but we didn’t wait for that. We hurried back as fast as we could.” - -Polly said nothing at all. Fred glanced at her uncertainly. - -“What happened to you, Artie?” he said. - -“Why, nothing,” Artie replied. “I went down to the store and got the -rope; here it is.” - -“Did it take you an hour?” asked Fred. - -“An hour? I wasn’t gone an hour,” Artie protested. “All I did was to -turn the emery wheel for Mr. Kelper a little while; but it wasn’t an -hour.” - -“Come on and let’s do the moving,” urged Ward. “What are you waiting -for? It’s almost dark now.” - -“It’s too dark to begin getting things down from the loft,” said Polly, -quietly. “And, anyway, there’s no hurry; we can’t have a meeting till -after Thanksgiving.” - -“Why, to-morrow!” said Jess. “It’s our day to-morrow, Polly.” - -“But we won’t be moved,” Polly pointed out. “We can’t get our things -in here and in place and have a meeting, too. And if we go over our -regular day we have to wait till the next meeting. I said I won’t hold -a session without everything in order, and I won’t.” - -“Are you mad, Polly?” asked Jess, anxiously. “Perhaps we didn’t hurry -right back, but we meant to.” - -“No, I’m not mad,” said Polly, calmly. “I’m only telling you that there -won’t be any meeting to-morrow. We can move to-morrow, if you want to.” - -“But let’s move now, Polly,” urged Artie. “I have the rope and -everything. There’s lots of time.” - -“We could start, Polly,” said Fred. - -“I think Polly is exactly right,” declared Margy. “It’s almost dark -now, and we couldn’t see to get up and down the loft ladder. Besides, I -nearly froze to death waiting up there for you. It will serve you right -to have to wait till after Thanksgiving.” - -“Well, you’ll have to wait, too,” Jess retorted. - -Polly, usually the gentlest of girls, could, when aroused, be like “a -little cake of cement,” her father said. If she said that no meeting -of the Riddle Club was to be called till after Thanksgiving, the other -members knew that no amount of persuasion could make her change her -mind. Jess was not exactly easy in her conscience, for she had lingered -beyond all reason; and Ward and Artie, too, knew that they had been -thoughtless and selfish to keep the rest waiting. - -“We’ll start to move the first thing after school to-morrow,” said -Jess. “And I’ll bring the key with me, so we’ll be sure we have it.” - -Fred thought wistfully of the lost dues, but he resisted the temptation -to speak of them. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -MOVING DAY - - -As soon as school was out the next day, the Riddle Club members hurried -to the Larue barn. True to her promise, Jess produced the key and there -was no delay about getting into the clubroom. - -“Br-rr!” shivered Margy, as the door was opened. - -They had not dreamed the room could be so cold. With the window and -door both closed, no fresh air could warm the atmosphere, as it did in -the barn below where, even though there was no heat, it usually felt -several degrees warmer than the outside temperature. - -The threatened snowstorm had not come, but the day was raw and cold, -and each of the children found a sweater under his or her coat most -comfortable. Margy, who perhaps felt the cold more than any of the -others, was silently thankful that they would not have to hold another -meeting in the hayloft room. - -“We’d better take the table first, I think,” said Fred. “That’s the -largest piece of furniture, and if any one gets hurt moving that, we -won’t miss him so much with the other things.” - -“Huh?” inquired Ward, anxiously. - -“Well, you know yourself that if the loving cup fell over and sprained -one of your fingers you wouldn’t be any help in moving the table,” -explained Fred. “But if we let the table fall on you, after it’s on the -barn floor, and it breaks your leg, there’ll still be plenty of us left -to lift the loving cup. Don’t you see?” - -Apparently Ward saw, for he asked no further questions, but helped, at -Fred’s direction, tie the rope about the table and knot it securely. - -“Do we have to take it in the second-story window of the house?” asked -Polly, watching the boys as they fastened the rope. - -“Oh, we can get it up the stairs all right,” Fred assured her. “It’s -only because the loft ladder is so rickety that we’re letting it down -this way.” - -When they came to take the table out through the doorway, a new -obstacle arose. The piece of furniture stuck. - -“It _must_ go through,” said Fred, as though that settled it. - -“It came through,” declared Margy, in quite as positive a tone. “I saw -it come through.” - -“Well, it won’t go through now,” said Ward, wiping his red face with -his handkerchief. “Try it yourself, if you don’t believe me.” - -Jess giggled a little. - -“A table couldn’t grow fat, could it?” she suggested. “Maybe that -table’s gained in weight or something, since we moved it in.” - -“No, I know what the trouble is,” said Polly. “When you brought it up -here, it just scraped through the doorway--don’t you remember? The boys -had to be extra careful not to get their fingers caught, the space was -so narrow between the frame and the table.” - -“But it won’t even scrape through now,” Artie objected, frowning. - -“That’s because you have that great rope wrapped around it,” said -Polly. “It hits the sides of the door frame. You’ll have to take it off -and push the table through.” - -Grumbling, the boys set to work to untie the rope. This was not easy, -for Ward and Artie had put their best efforts into those knots, and -they were fearful and wonderful to behold. Then, too, in the pushing -and shoving exerted by the movers, the rope had twisted, so that the -knots were hard to get at. Artie finally succeeded in unloosening one -and Fred unfastened the other, and they pulled the rope out. - -“Now I’ll push and you two pull,” said Fred, who would not allow the -girls to help. - -The table stuck again. Fred gave a violent shove. Artie and Ward felt a -sharp prod in their ribs, and both went over backward. - -“Laugh if you want to,” said the indignant Artie, rising and looking -reproachfully at the girls, who stood behind Fred. “I don’t see -anything funny myself. It’s a wonder that we don’t go through this fool -floor.” - -The floor of the loft was not tight, and in many places the cracks were -wide enough for a very thin person’s foot. Some parts of the floor -were merely of poles laid closely together to hold the hay. When Ward -had been a very little boy, he had once fallen between these poles and -landed on a pile of hay on the main floor, a much frightened lad. - -“We didn’t mean to laugh,” apologized Polly. “But you looked so funny! -You went down together just like two wooden soldiers.” - -With much pushing and pulling and some scolding from Fred, the table -was dragged to the edge of the loft and the rope again tied around it, -ready to be lowered. - -“What do we tie it to?” asked Fred suddenly. “Haven’t got the -confidence in your gun that you have, Artie.” - -Artie grinned. He had fallen over a bluff in camp the past summer, and -a rope tied to his old gun stuck in the ground had proved to be his -ladder to safety. But even Artie could not trust his gun to stand the -weight of the table. - -“We can hold it,” said Ward, confidently. “The three of us can do it -easily.” - -“If the rope gets to going, it will skin our hands,” Fred warned him. - -“Don’t stand too near the edge, or you’ll be dragged over,” said Polly, -who was eager to help in some way. - -“Dump it over,” Artie advised, carelessly. “You can’t hurt a heavy -table like that.” - -“Much you know about it,” said Fred. “One of these legs is likely to -crack off. Well, I suppose, as Ward says, the three of us can hold it.” - -He dragged the table nearer the edge and took up the rope, standing -back about two feet. Ward and Artie, in the order named, took up the -rope, standing about the same distance from each other. - -“I’ll give you the word,” said Fred, beginning to move the table nearer -and nearer, pushing cautiously with his foot. - -Ward felt a stinging sensation in his eye--a grain of dust, most -likely. He rubbed frantically, while a cousin of the same mischievous -dust atom flew on to Artie and caused him to sneeze tremendously. As -every one will tell you, it is quite impossible to keep your mind on -any job and sneeze at the same time. Small wonder that Artie forgot the -rope, as Ward had done. - -The table teetered a minute over the edge of the loft, then dropped. -Fred felt as though his arms were being pulled from the sockets for one -brief moment, and then the strain slackened. He looked back. The three -girls were holding the rope, their feet braced as they pulled. Ward and -Artie stood staring at him. - -“Grab that rope!” shouted Fred. “What are you thinking of? Grab hold! -Do you want the thing to go bang?” - -Ward and Artie “came to” with a jerk and grasped the rope. Fred -continued to lower the table gently, paying out the rope carefully, -until he felt it touch the barn floor. - -“All right!” he said glumly. “And small thanks to you boys. If it -hadn’t been for the girls, we would have had one smashed table.” - -Ward and Artie were eager to make up for their lapse, and they offered -to carry the table into the house alone. - -“We’ll get everything downstairs first,” Fred decreed. “Then all we’ll -have to do will be to carry the stuff in.” - -“Somebody ought to beat the rug,” said Margy. “Mother always beats her -rugs when she moves them, even if it’s only from one room to another.” - -No one seemed very anxious to do any rug-beating, though Ward offered -to “shake it out of the window.” - -“A good housekeeper doesn’t shake rugs out of the window,” said Polly. -“I’ll clean the rug myself.” - -“Well, housework is girls’ work, anyway,” said Ward, placidly. - -“I won’t clean the rug!” retorted Polly. “Mother has a man come and -beat her rugs--so there.” - -“The rug is clean, so stop fussing,” commanded Fred. “We haven’t used -it much. I’ll get a broom and sweep it off and it will be all right.” - -One by one they carried down the treasures from their clubroom--the -silver loving cup; the six chairs; the framed sketch, made by the -artist, Miss Perry; Artie’s gun; and the radio set. This last was to -go in the Larue living-room for the winter. It would not be needed in -the clubroom, for Artie had his own set, as did Fred. They left the -curtains, because Mrs. Marley had all her windows curtained alike, and -the new room already had ruffled white draperies screening the windows -above the window seat. - -“I hope Carrie Pepper knows we have a clubroom,” said Margy, as she -helped Polly take down the pennant tacked in place on the loft-room -wall. - -“She will know it, if she doesn’t now,” declared Jess. “That girl hears -everything, sooner or later.” - -They could hardly blame Carrie if she learned about the new clubroom, -for ten minutes later Mrs. Pepper came out to feed her hens and -discovered something unusual going on in the barn. - -“What are you doing, Fred Williamson?” she asked Fred, seeing him -start, whistling, for the Marley house, two chairs over his back. - -“We’re moving, Mrs. Pepper,” he answered, politely. - -“Moving? Where to? Is Mr. Larue moving?” asked Mrs. Pepper, forgetting -to sprinkle any more corn. - -“No, Mr. Larue isn’t moving. The Riddle Club is,” Fred explained. -“We’re going to hold our meetings at the Marleys’ till warm weather -comes again. You ought to see the dandy room we’re going to have!” - -“I pity Mrs. Marley with a parcel of young ones racketing over her -house,” sighed Mrs. Pepper. “I suppose she thinks she can keep an eye -on you better. But I wouldn’t give much for her furniture by spring -time.” - -“We have our own furniture,” said Jess, indignantly. She had come -up with Fred in time to hear this last remark. “We stay in our own -clubroom for meetings, and we don’t hurt a thing.” - -“Here, chick, chick,” called Mrs. Pepper, remembering her hungry flock. -“No, I don’t suppose you intend to do any damage. But the time Carrie -had the Conundrum Club at our house, it took me a week to get the place -to rights again; and some of the grease spots never did come out of the -rug.” - -Jess opened her mouth to say that the Riddle Club didn’t spill grease -on any one’s carpets, but she thought in time that that might sound as -though she were criticizing the Conundrum Club. - -“What a nice turkey!” she said instead. - -“He will be nice,” admitted Mrs. Pepper, “when I get him fattened up, -if I ever do. I can’t abide a turkey for Thanksgiving that I don’t -fatten myself. I bought this cheap, because he’s so skinny, but I aim -to have him as fat as butter by Thanksgiving morning.” - -Jess went on with the rug she was carrying, but she had to stop on the -side steps of the Marley house, for the three boys were getting the -table up the stairs with much noise and some laughter. - -“What would they do if they had really to move!” said Polly, joining -Jess on the steps. “And to think we’ll have to go through with this -again in the spring. Did you see Mrs. Pepper’s turkey?” - -“Yes, she says she’s getting it fat,” responded Jess, absently. “Say, -Polly, has your mother said anything about Thanksgiving yet?” - -“No, she hasn’t.” Polly’s reply was prompt. “She hasn’t said a word. -And last year by this time we knew where we were going, didn’t we?” - -Unless one of the families was going away over the holiday or had -invited relatives, it was the custom of the Marleys, the Larues, and -the Williamsons to have Thanksgiving dinner together at one of their -homes. - -“I think it’s kind of queer,” said Jess, soberly. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE SECRET IS OUT - - -The boys came panting downstairs, having landed the table in its new -home safely. They found Polly and Jess on the steps. - -“We’re coming right up,” said Polly, hastily. “We were just talking -about Thanksgiving.” - -Margy joined them, the loving cup in her arms. - -“What about Thanksgiving?” she asked curiously. - -“Oh, we were saying how queer it is we haven’t heard yet where we’re -going for dinner,” said Polly. - -Margy looked at her brother. - -“Fred knows something about Thanksgiving he won’t tell,” she -complained. “I think he’s awfully mean.” - -“What do you know, Fred?” wheedled Polly. “Tell us--please.” - -Fred’s face turned a little red. - -“I don’t believe he knows a thing that we don’t,” said Ward. - -“I do, too!” cried Fred. Then he stopped. - -“I think you might tell,” said Jess, pensively. - -“I promised I wouldn’t. Now will you be quiet?” said the harassed Fred. - -“Is it about all of us? Are we in it?” asked Margy, quickly. - -“How could you be in a Thanksgiving dinner?” asked Fred. - -“Don’t be silly--you know what I mean. Shall we all know what you know -when we do know?” returned Margy. - -“I don’t know what you’re trying to say, but you won’t get a word out -of me,” announced Fred, firmly. “I happened to overhear some talk I -wasn’t supposed to hear, and then Dad told me all the rest of it and -made me promise not to tell.” - -“Will you tell just one thing?” coaxed Artie. - -Fred had a shrewd suspicion that Artie could find out more, if he -wished, than the rest of the children. - -“Don’t you go asking me questions,” he ordered. “I said I wasn’t going -to tell, and that settles it.” - -“But, Fred, tell us just this one thing,” insisted Artie: “When shall -we know about--about it?” - -“The week before Thanksgiving. Now I hope you’re satisfied,” Fred -retorted. “I don’t see any reason for standing here talking all day; -if we’re going to move, why not move?” - -Acting on this gentle hint, they went to work again, and before dark -the new clubroom was in apple-pie order. Very trim and clean and neat -it looked, too, and very warm and cozy it was. Fond as they all were -of the little loft room in the barn, they could not deny that it was a -bleak place in winter. - -Mrs. Marley had given the key to Polly, and had assured her that not an -outsider would be allowed over the threshold. - -“That means, of course,” she told her daughter, “that you’ll have to -take care of the room. You girls will have to get together and clean it -now and then, but a room that isn’t used regularly will stay clean a -long time. You can dust it thoroughly before each meeting.” - -Polly loyally passed over the key to Ward, because he had always locked -the padlock on the barn-room door. She knew he liked this duty and felt -proud to be intrusted with it. - -It was fortunate that the Riddle Club knew they were to have news the -week before Thanksgiving, because they would have found it hard work -waiting. As it was, each time “Thanksgiving” was mentioned in school or -at home they looked anxious. - -“I do think it is _too_ queer,” said Jess, for the twentieth time, as -she walked home from school with Margy and Polly. “Carrie Pepper’s -mother is going to have six aunts come to their house to dinner. And we -don’t know a thing.” - -As she spoke, they saw Fred come dashing from the house and give the -signal that never failed to produce Artie and Ward if they were within -hearing distance. It was a piercing whistle produced in some mysterious -manner by putting three fingers in one’s mouth. - -Two ear-splitting blasts answered Fred’s whistle, and Artie and Ward -shot out of the Larue barn, where they had been engaged in some -interesting experiment. Artie always had an experiment or two on hand. - -“Hurry up! He wants us,” said Polly, as Fred spied them and waved. - -The three girls ran the rest of the way and reached the Williamson gate -breathless. - -“You know Thanksgiving?” said Fred. - -They nodded, dumbly. - -“Well, we’re going up to Tom’s Island!” said Fred, who certainly did -not believe in wasting words. - -“Tom’s Island!” echoed Polly. “But it’s winter!” - -“All the more fun. Wait till you hear,” said Fred. “We’re going up in -the car Wednesday night and stay over till Sunday. Think of the sport! -If the lake is frozen, we can skate or walk on the ice, and maybe we -can rig up a sail and have ice boating.” - -“I’d rather have it snow,” said Artie, seriously. “Let’s take our -sleds.” - -Margy shivered. - -“It will be awfully cold,” she complained. “There isn’t any heater. -How’ll we keep from freezing?” - -“Oh, we’ll run all day and take a hot brick to bed at night,” said the -practical Jess. - -“I think it will be great! Is that your secret, Fred?” asked Polly. - -“Yes,” admitted Fred. - -“You see,” he went on, “I was back of the sofa, hunting for my cap, -when Mother and Dad came into the parlor and began talking about it. I -heard some before I could wriggle out, and then they told me the rest -and I promised not to tell. They wanted to get all the plans fixed -before they let us know.” - -“And we’re all going? What a lark!” cried Jess. “We never did that -before.” - -“Well, you’re all going,” said Fred. “But Mr. and Mrs. Larue and Mr. -and Mrs. Marley are going to Rye to have dinner with Mr. Field and -his sister and his two cousins--you know, Mr. Kirby and Mr. Adams. Mr. -Kirby planned it. He wrote and asked us all to come, every single one -of us.” - -“My goodness, that would have been--two--six--ten of us; no, twelve,” -said Margy, calculating swiftly. - -“That’s what Mother said--that twelve was too many,” Fred replied. “So -she talked it over with the other mothers, and at first, Mother told -me, they thought they’d all go and leave us at home. Then they decided -that was kind of mean on Thanksgiving, so Mother and Dad offered to -take us all to the island. You know Dad likes to be outdoors. Mr. Kirby -wrote and said that plan was all right, but Dad and Mother must come -to dinner New Year’s. He asked them for Christmas, but of course they -couldn’t go away from home on Christmas.” - -“Of course not,” echoed Polly. “So we’re going with your father and -mother in the car. I’m so excited, I can hardly wait!” - -“I’m glad to know what we’re going to do,” said Margy, sighing as -though a burden had been taken from her shoulders. - -“Now don’t----” Polly instructed her younger brother, “don’t, Artie, -whatever you do, tell any one who belongs to the Conundrum Club where -we’re going. It would be just like them to want to go, too.” - -Artie said he would be careful, but it was lucky he had to memorize a -verse to recite at the Thanksgiving exercises. Artie loved to talk, and -he was apt to talk to any friendly listener. - -It was not till the Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving Day that -Carrie Pepper heard of the plan. School was to close at noon, and Mr. -and Mrs. Larue and Mr. and Mrs. Marley had gone off in the Larue car at -seven o’clock that morning. Rye was over the state line and some two -hundred miles from River Bend. - -“I saw your folks going off,” remarked Carrie, sociably, joining the -six chums as they set off for school at half-past eight. “What are you -going to do for dinner to-morrow?” - -“My mother’s at home,” said Margy, with dignity. “And so is Dad.” - -“Oh! Then are they all coming to your house?” asked Carrie. “My mother -is going to have a lot of company, too. She’s going to kill the turkey -this afternoon. He’s nice and fat, too.” - -“We’re going to carry the turkey with us,” said Artie, innocently. That -was enough for Carrie. - -“Carry it with you?” she asked. “Why, where are you going?” - -“Up to Tom’s Island,” said Fred, darting a severe look at Artie. “We’re -going up in the car and stay till Sunday.” - -“I never heard of going to a summer camp in the winter time,” declared -Carrie. “You’ll probably freeze, and it will serve you right.” - -But the minute she reached school she told Mattie Helms and Joe -Anderson, and in less than an hour every girl and boy in the school -knew where the Riddle Club intended to spend Thanksgiving. - -The six members hurried home as soon as school was dismissed. They were -to leave at half-past three, and there was still some packing to be -done. Mrs. Williamson had set her heart on taking a full Thanksgiving -dinner, and there were enough cooking utensils left at the camp, safely -packed in strong, dry boxes, to cook it properly. The last thing Mr. -Marley had ordered done before leaving the island in the summer, was to -have Mr. Mains bring a load of firewood and stack it under a shelter. -He had foreseen that they might wish to visit the camp in winter. - -Each member of the club was to take a flannel sleeping bag, a hot water -bottle, a pair of blankets, and rubber boots. Even the girls in River -Bend owned rubber boots, for they wore them to school during the winter -storms. Mr. Williamson said they would be taken for gypsies if any one -saw the back of the car, for comfortables and blankets were piled high -around the suitcases and the one sled that Fred had insisted must go. - -“I ought to be thankful, I suppose, that you don’t each clamor to take -a sled,” said Mr. Williamson, good-naturedly. “No, Artie, positively no -ice skates allowed. It won’t be cold enough for that. It may snow, but -even if the lake froze over, it wouldn’t be thick enough to bear you so -early in the season.” - -So the skates were left out, and that gave room enough--so Mrs. -Williamson always declared--to put the six children in. - -Jess and Ward were upstairs, getting into their heavy sweaters, and Mr. -Williamson was backing the heavily loaded car out of the garage, when -they heard Mrs. Pepper shrieking. - -“Catch him! Catch him! There he goes!” they heard her cry. - -Then came the sharp tinkle of broken glass. - -“What’s the matter?” cried Ward, running for the stairs and down them -as fast as he could go, Jess at his heels. - -Mrs. Pepper met him on the lawn. She presented a terrifying sight, for -the shawl, in which she had muffled her head, had slipped over one -ear and gave her a reckless look. In her right hand she carried a -hatchet--a “tomahawk” the excited Ward dubbed it--and this she waved -fiercely. - -“Where’d he go?” she demanded of the frightened children. - -“Where’d what go?” stammered Jess, for Ward, as usual, had lost his -breath. - -“The turkey! I tipped the coop over--I’ve had him shut up for a week to -give him the final fattening--and he was off like a streak. He came in -this direction. I saw him fly over the hedge.” - -“I heard glass breaking,” said Jess, doubtfully, turning to stare at -the house. - -Down the steps of the Marley house came Polly and Artie, and around -from behind the car in front of their house, came Fred and Margy. - -“Most ready?” they called. “Mother’s putting her hat on.” - -“One of the parlor windows is broken,” said Jess, suddenly. “Do you -suppose the turkey did that?” - - - - -CHAPTER X - -IN CAMP AGAIN - - -Though Ward was sure a turkey couldn’t break a window pane and Fred and -Polly and Margy and Artie, who joined them, were doubtful, Mrs. Pepper -said that, for her part, she knew the turkey was in the Larue house. - -“And you’ll just have to help me get him out,” said she. “I have -company coming to-morrow and I have to get that turkey killed and -dressed to-night. Carrie is off with some of her friends--instead of -helping me--and Mr. Pepper won’t be home till the late boat. I’ll pay -for the broken glass, of course; but you’ll have to help me take that -turkey away.” - -A turkey hunt promised some excitement, and the six children went into -the house determined to find the missing bird. Mrs. Pepper implored -them not to chase him, when they found him, “for,” she said, “I’ve been -feeding him on English walnuts and chocolates for a week, and I don’t -want him to lose his fat. A scrawny turkey is something I can’t abide.” - -“I feel as though I was hunting for a burglar,” Polly whispered to -Margy, as they tiptoed through the lower rooms. - -“So do I,” answered Margy. “Oh! What was that?” - -It was nothing but a window shade that had rattled against the pane, -blown by the draft which came through the broken window. Dora, the -Larue maid, had gone to her own home to stay over the holiday, and -there was no one but the searchers in the house. - -“Well, he isn’t on the first floor,” said Fred, when all the rooms had -been carefully examined. “Artie and I will go up to the attic and have -a look around there. A turkey might feel more at home in an attic.” - -Mrs. Pepper didn’t seem convinced, but she went on with her hunt -and Fred and Artie went to the attic. The door opening on the steep -stairway was half open, and as Fred jerked it back, something flapped -in his face. - -Fred was no coward, but he jumped back with a startled cry. A large -turkey scuttled up the attic stairs. - -“He’s up here!” shouted Fred. “Come on--we’ll get him! He’s up here!” - -The other children came running, and Mrs. Pepper toiled after them. - -“Don’t chase it,” she kept saying. “Don’t chase it. You’ll run all the -fat off it.” - -“You stay down here, Ward, to head him off,” directed Fred. “We’ll go -up and get him started, and when you hear me telling you to open the -door, you do it slowly. We only want to drive him back to the coop.” - -Ward seemed to understand. He took up his station by the door which -Fred closed as he followed the rest up the attic stairs. - -“There’s Mr. Williamson whistling,” said Ward. “I’ll bet he’s ready to -go. He doesn’t know where we are.” - -“I’ll go and tell him,” promised Mrs. Pepper. “You stay right where you -are, Ward. He’ll wait for you when he knows you’re doing something to -help me. I couldn’t get that turkey out of the attic alone in a month -of Sundays.” - -Mrs. Pepper hurried off. She was short and stout, and Ward had to admit -that she would have found turkey-chasing hard work with no younger feet -and hands to help her. - -Ward, listening at the door, heard the sound of quick footsteps over -his head, a shout from Fred and a burst of laughter from Artie. Then -the footsteps began to run, and Ward guessed correctly that they were -chasing the turkey over the attic floor. Margy gave an excited shriek, -and then an avalanche seemed to be coming down the uncarpeted stairs. - -“Open the door!” called Fred. “Open it, quick!” - -Ward was so excited that he forgot to open the door slowly. He flung it -back with a jerk and an angry and frightened turkey spread its wings -and sailed over his head, while Fred, stumbling, fell over Artie and -the two boys and Jess came down in a heap on the protesting Ward. - -“Catch him!” cried Polly, from the top of the stairs. “He’s going -downstairs again. Catch him!” - -In a moment the three boys and Jess were on their feet, and, joined by -Margy and Polly, they rushed pell-mell down the front stairs. The door -in the hall was open and Mrs. Pepper stood talking to Mr. Williamson on -the porch. The grown-ups caught a glimpse of a flying brown body and -then a colorful flash as six gay-colored sweaters dashed past them. -Then the chase headed for the Pepper yard. - -“Corn!” cried Mrs. Pepper. “Show him some corn and he’ll walk into the -chicken house.” - -Polly dashed around to the chicken house and caught up a measure of -corn lying on a grain bin. She ran out into the yard and shook this -invitingly. Dozens of hens gathered around her, and, sure enough, the -fugitive came, too. - -Careful not to spill a grain, Polly walked backward into the chicken -house, and the moment the gobbler stepped over the sill, she scattered -the corn with a lavish hand. As his long neck bent to eat the grains, -Polly slipped out and bolted the door. - -They were half an hour late in starting, but the richer by an extra -fruit cake Mrs. Pepper pressed upon them. - -The drive to Lake Bassing was made in good time. It was a cold day, but -tucked in the tonneau with the robes, the girls and boys were warm and -comfortable. - -Lake Bassing, in the winter, was a very different town from the one -they had known in the summer season. Some of the houses were closed, -and there was no cheerful Dick Hare and his bus to greet them. Mr. -Williamson did not stop in town, but drove straight to the bridge that -led to Tom’s Island. - -“It feels like snow,” he explained, as he helped them out, “and we want -to get settled in camp before it is pitch dark. What’s the matter, -Polly? Stiff?” - -Polly was a little cramped and cold from sitting still so long, but -as soon as she got down and began to walk, she was all right. They all -helped to carry the things across the bridge, and then Fred and his -father ran the car down to the Meade farm, where they were to keep it -in the farmer’s garage. - -By the time they had walked back to the island, Mrs. Williamson had a -fire built in the kitchen stove and one in the funny little wood stove -that had been set up in the mess-house. The girls were spreading the -blankets on the cots, and Artie and Ward, having brought in wood, were -pumping two pails of fresh water. - -They were all so sleepy that they decided to tumble into bed and -forego the campfire that night. With the hot water bottles, which -Mrs. Williamson filled from the teakettle, and the sleeping bags and -blankets, they were as comfortable as could be, when tucked in, and -were asleep almost before they had finished saying “good-night.” - -Artie was the first to wake in the morning. He opened one eye, glanced -around, trying to remember where he was, and then, happening to see -through the open end of the tent, he shrieked in delight. - -“Fred! Ward! Wake up! It snowed!” he cried. - -That roused the camp, and the six chums dressed in such haste it is -doubtful if they missed the steam heat of their bedrooms at home. The -girls came out of their tent at the same moment the boys stepped from -theirs, and a royal snowball fight was on before breakfast. - -“Could you consider an armistice--for flap-jacks?” called Mr. -Williamson, from the door of the kitchen lean-to. - -Could they? You might have thought they had never had anything to eat -since the summer before, to see them at that breakfast table. Mrs. -Williamson insisted on baking cakes till no one could eat a morsel -more, and then the boys made her sit down, while Polly, under her -directions, mixed more batter and baked a fresh and hot supply for -the jolly cook. The three boys took turns carrying them in, and Mrs. -Williamson said she felt as a queen must feel with some one to wait on -her. - -After breakfast there was the dinner to be considered. Mrs. Williamson -had done nearly everything at home the day before, and after more wood -and water had been brought in and Polly and Margy had set the table -with a clean cloth and the pretty favors Mr. Marley had given them in -a box before he left, the children were told to go off and coast till -they were called. - -“I’ll ring the old cowbell as a signal,” said Mrs. Williamson, -pointing to an old bell that hung on a nail in the kitchen. - -Mr. Williamson stayed with her, and the rest went off with Fred’s sled -to find a good coasting hill. - -“We can’t go off the island, or we won’t hear the bell,” said Polly. - -Artie was for coasting down the bluff he had fallen over. “That,” he -remarked, engagingly, “would be even more exciting.” - -“Yes, and when you landed in that cold water, I guess you’d find it -exciting,” observed Fred. “We couldn’t pull you out with a rope, -either, because you’d drown before we could get a rope.” - -However, it was not necessary to go over the bluff, for they found -that the gradual ascent to it formed a hill that was steep enough -to offer good coasting. Taking turns with the sled, they coasted to -their hearts’ content, and when the cowbell called them to dinner they -brought rosy cheeks and huge appetites to the table. - -The turkey was the brownest, the cranberry jelly the reddest, that -they had ever seen. And they were allowed both kinds of pie--mince and -pumpkin--because Mr. Williamson said that playing outdoors so much -would keep them from getting ill, no matter how much dinner they ate. -Wasn’t that an understanding remark? As Artie said, it just showed you -what kind of a man Mr. Williamson was! - -There was a long hill back of the Meade farmhouse, and here Mr. -Williamson took them all that afternoon. It was the kind of hill that -took your breath away, going down it on a sled, long and steep and with -a dip in the middle that made your heart come up in your mouth, so -Margy said. The girls couldn’t help screaming each time they went down, -but they wouldn’t have stayed away for the world. - -When it was too dark to coast any longer, they went back to camp and -the boys built a huge bonfire. They had cocoa, steaming hot, in their -tin cups and had turkey sandwiches and ate outdoors, grouped around the -fire “just like explorers,” Artie said. - -“The nicest Thanksgiving I ever had,” said Ward, sleepily, getting into -his flannel bag that night. - -And Artie echoed him, more sleepily still. - -Perhaps it was the snow that made Artie dream of Christmas. At any -rate, he sat up in bed the next morning and shouted across to Fred that -he heard sleighbells. - -“Go to sleep,” said Fred, drowsily. “You’re dreaming.” - -“I do, too, hear ’em!” Artie insisted. “There, Fred Williamson! I -guess you’ll believe me now!” - -“Hello! Hello!” bellowed a hearty voice, and sleighbells crashed as the -voice shouted “Whoa!” - -“It isn’t Christmas,” Fred heard Artie mutter to himself, and that sent -the older boy into fits of laughter. - -“You bet it isn’t Christmas,” Fred declared, and not for anything in -the world would he have admitted that the same thought had crossed his -mind--a picture of gay and gallant Santa Claus, clad in a jolly red -suit, driving his reindeer over the snow. - -Ward, who didn’t mind the cold, had hopped out of his cot and was -leaping, like an antelope, toward the tent door, his sleeping bag a -decided handicap. - -“It’s Mr. Meade,” he reported, after a brief look. “He’s got two horses -harnessed to a long bobsled--at least it looks like a bobsled. Mr. -Williamson is down talking to him. Hurry and get dressed!” - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -ARTIE’S ADVENTURE - - -The way those boys shot into their clothes would have been a revelation -to their mothers, who sometimes had to call them three times before -they came down to breakfast on a school morning. In less than five -minutes they were down at the bridge and across it. - -“Morning!” said Mr. Meade, heartily. “Thought you’d be up. I’m going -up in the woods to cut logs, and I says to my wife, ‘If those children -haven’t been up in the woods in a deep snow, they might like the trip.’” - -“They haven’t had breakfast yet,” said Mr. Williamson, smiling. - -“I’ll wait,” returned Mr. Meade. “Winter time we can wait and be -neighborly, but, I declare, in the summer I don’t have a moment to -spare to go to a wedding!” - -He tied his horses and went back to the camp where Mrs. Williamson and -the girls had breakfast ready. They insisted he must eat with them, -and as he had had the first meal by lamp-light, he was able to eat a -second breakfast comfortably. - -“Mother packed us a lunch, so you don’t have to bother,” he told Mrs. -Williamson, and, sure enough, there was a large basket under the seat -of the sleigh. - -What a trip that was--along snow-covered roads, the sleighbells ringing -and the children singing in tune to the bells. They met few teams and -they each took turns driving the steady pair of farm horses whose -flying feet seemed to skim the white roadway. - -“How awfully still it is!” said Margy, when they turned into the narrow -trail that led through the woods. - -It was still and it was beautiful--a mantle of spotless snow over the -ground and every little twig and bush draped in white. There were -the tracks of little wood creatures between some of the trees, and a -squirrel dived into a stump as Fred came suddenly upon it. - -“Are you going to chop Christmas trees?” asked Artie, who couldn’t get -away from the idea of Christmas. - -“No, I’m going to haul down wood to be chopped up. That’s my main -winter work,” Mr. Meade explained. - -The logs had been cut earlier in the year, and the sled had to be -driven slowly through the woods, stopping at each pile of timber which -Mr. Meade loaded on. Fred was allowed to drive and very proud he felt. -He had intended to have a boat on the river when he grew up, but now he -felt that he might like to be a farmer and “get the wood out” in the -depth of winter. - -When the sled was fairly well loaded, Mr. Meade built a fire and they -sat around it to eat their lunch. The horses had feed-bags and ate -placidly, apparently not affected by the cold. - -Lunch over, the fire was carefully put out, every trace of it buried -deep under the snow, and they drove on. They stopped to get two more -piles of logs, and then drove out without turning. - -“It’s a longer way around, but the road’s pretty,” said Mr. Meade, who -seemed to be having as good a time as any of the children. - -The six sat perched up on the logs--having solemnly promised not to -fall off--and pretended they were explorers going through a new country. - -“I wonder if it snowed in River Bend,” said Ward. - -“Probably not,” Mr. Meade answered. “Your town is kind of protected, -and you don’t get near the sweep of weather we do. It’s always from -three to five degrees colder up here at the lake than it is down with -you.” - -Polly looked around suddenly at Ward. - -“I thought Artie was sitting next to you,” she said. - -“He--why, he _was_!” cried Ward. “He must have fallen off! Mr. Meade! -Oh, Mr. Meade!” - -The farmer looked up calmly. He was sitting down under the logs, which -projected beyond his head. - -“Well?” he inquired pleasantly. - -“Artie Marley!” gasped Ward. “He’s fallen off.” - -Mr. Meade reined in his team and stood up, his eyes searching the road -which they had just come over. The children stood up, too, and tried to -see, but there was nothing but an unbroken expanse of whiteness. - -“I don’t see how he could fall off without saying a word,” observed Mr. -Meade. “But if he isn’t here, he must be somewhere else. Hang on now, -because I’m going to make the turn--if I can,” he added. - -He tried, but the long, loaded sled wouldn’t swing easily, and it -couldn’t be backed as a wagon could. Then, too, the farmer was afraid -the load might shift, and he couldn’t risk overturning five children -and having a pile of heavy logs fall on top of them. - -“Can’t make it,” he said, when he had pulled the front runners around -so that the road was blocked. “Some one will have to go back and hunt -for him. I don’t dare leave you alone with the team, or I’d go. I think -you two boys will be the ones. Don’t go off the road, and if you need -help, shout and I’ll hear you.” - -“We’ll all go,” said the anxious Polly. “Perhaps he’s buried in a drift -and can’t get out.” - -“There are no bad drifts,” Mr. Meade assured her. “It snowed nearly all -night, but there wasn’t any wind. I wouldn’t say there was enough snow -to even cover a boy, let alone bury him.” - -The five children set off over the road they had just traveled, to -search for the missing Artie. It seemed a very lonely road, now that -they were walking on it, instead of being mounted high on a pile of -wood. - -“I don’t know what Mother will say if we come back without Artie,” -worried Margy. “I must say, Ward, I think you ought to have been -watching him.” - -“Oh, Margy, Ward isn’t to blame,” protested Polly. “Artie always takes -care of himself. I think a branch of a tree has swept him off. He’s -so thin, and if he happened to be thinking about something else, he’d -forget to hold fast, as Mr. Meade told us to do.” - -Fred looked back. A turn in the road had already hidden the sleigh from -sight. - -“I don’t believe he is hurt a bit,” said Jess stoutly. “Artie doesn’t -get hurt easily. Remember the time he fell off the bluff?” - -“He’s always falling off some place,” declared Fred, gloomily. “I never -saw such a boy for mooning around when he ought to be paying attention.” - -Artie was rather given to meditation at the wrong time, none of them -could deny that. In school he often chose a recitation period in which -to think, and as he seldom thought about the lesson which was being -recited, he had often been marked “zero” for questions to which he -really knew the answers. - -“Well, we just have to find him,” said Polly. “That’s all there is to -that. A boy can’t disappear off the face of the earth.” - -But by the time they had tramped along for the length of another turn, -they began to think that almost anything could happen to a boy. There -was no sign of Artie anywhere, and no trace that might suggest what had -become of him. - -“Listen!” said Fred suddenly, holding up his hand. - -A twig cracked under Ward’s foot and Fred frowned. - -“Do be still, can’t you?” he asked quickly. - -Jess sneezed at this point. Perhaps you’ve noticed that when one is -trying to have perfect silence, a flood of little noises seems to be -let free. - -“Excuse me,” said Jess, politely. “I didn’t mean to.” - -“Oh, for pity’s sake!” cried the exasperated Fred. “Can’t you listen a -minute? I thought I heard something.” - -They listened intently. - -“Hallo! Hal-lo!” came a call. “Come--back. Come--back!” - -“That’s Mr. Meade,” said Fred. “Come on, we have to go back.” - -“But we haven’t found Artie,” protested Polly, ready to cry. - -“Got to go back and see what he says,” said Fred, firmly. “Come on. -Perhaps he has found Artie.” - -Polly didn’t see how this could possibly be, but she followed the rest -as they turned. Fred tried to run a little, but they had walked fast, -and Ward, especially, had no extra breath to expend, even in a dog-trot. - -“How could he find Artie, when he fell off back here somewhere?” asked -Jess of Polly, slipping along the glassy depressions left by sleigh -runners. - -“He couldn’t,” Margy answered before Polly could. “I never heard of -such a silly idea in my life!” she added. - -“All right--silly idea, is it?” said Fred. “Then who’s that?” - -He pointed up the road, and Polly gasped while Ward’s mouth opened and -stayed that way from sheer surprise. - -Coming toward them, waving his hands and evidently most pleased to see -them, was the missing Artie! - -“Artie Marley! where were you?” cried Polly, while he was still two -yards away. - -“Did you think I was lost?” beamed Artie, in reply. - -“We didn’t think anything about it,” said Fred, grimly. “You weren’t on -that load, so we knew you’d fallen off. But where did you tumble?” - -“I didn’t,” said Artie, walking back with them--they had rounded the -second turn by now and could see Mr. Meade waiting with the team. “I -didn’t fall off,” declared Artie, earnestly. - -“Next, I suppose, you’ll say you were sitting next to me all the time,” -said Ward, suspiciously. - -“No, I was down in that hole where the lunch basket is,” explained -Artie. “My feet got cold and I climbed down there and--and I went to -sleep, I guess.” - -And that was all the mystery of his disappearance. He had crawled into -the hole left in the center of the wood pile, made comfortable by heavy -horse blankets, and had promptly gone to sleep. When the sleigh stopped -he had wakened and had amazed the waiting Mr. Meade by crawling out -behind him and asking where the “other children” were. - -The rest of the way home Mr. Meade insisted on turning every few miles -and solemnly counting the boys and girls to make sure there were six of -them. And when he set them down at the island bridge, before he would -let them thank him for the happy day, he carefully counted them and -“added them to make six,” as he said. He didn’t intend to spill any -more of them out or have another one go to sleep and be counted missing. - -The next day the Riddle Club campers went home, to be ready for school -on Monday morning. Ready for something else that was important, too. - -“Our first meeting in the new clubroom,” said Polly, happily. “Monday -afternoon, as soon as school is out! Won’t it be fun!” - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE RIDDLE CLUB MEETS - - -Although Polly had been so eager when she spoke of the meeting, she was -the last one to come to the clubroom after school the next afternoon. - -She looked flushed and excited, and, without knowing why, the others -felt a little thrill of excitement, too. - -Polly called the meeting to order and asked for unfinished business. -There was none. - -“New business?” she asked. - -Fred rose, the bank prominently displayed in his hand. - -“The treasurer,” he announced, rattling the “treasure” cheerfully, -“would like to remind you that the dues are due.” - -“Oh, for pity’s sake,” grumbled Ward. “It’s too soon after -Thanksgiving. No one has any money this time of year.” - -Fred gave him an exasperated glance. - -“I only wish,” he said coldly, “that you’d let me know the time of year -you want to pay your dues. In summer you say you need the money for -ice-cream and in winter you need it for--for--icicles, I suppose!” - -Ward giggled and Margy sighed. - -“Now they’ll argue over that for half an hour,” she whispered to Polly. - -But Fred was in no mood for argument. He felt that he had a duty to -perform and he intended to perform it, whether or not his friends -enjoyed the performance. - -“If you think I enjoy prying you loose from ten cents, Ward Larue,” -said Fred, “or you either, Artie Marley, you’re mistaken. But as long -as we have a club and a treasurer and I’m the treasurer, you’re going -to pay your dues and pay ’em at the right time.” - -“I guess you can’t collect the money if I haven’t got it,” retorted -Ward. - -“Then you’ll lose your standing,” said Fred, making a wild guess at the -“by-laws.” The Riddle Club had never bothered much with by-laws. - -But Polly thought it time to interfere. - -“I think you boys are too silly for words,” she pronounced. “Of -course Fred has to collect the dues--that’s his work. But you know, -Fred, that if you didn’t pitch into Ward, he’d hand you the ten cents -without coaxing. Why you want to argue and get cross is more than I can -understand.” - -Ward scowled and Fred laughed good-naturedly. - -“There’s the bank,” he said. “You can put your money in it or leave it -alone. But let me tell you, no club lasts very long without dues.” - -“We haven’t spent a cent yet,” grumbled Ward, but he slipped his dime -into the bank in something like haste. - -The other dimes tinkled merrily after, and the sound was music in -Fred’s ears. Whatever he chose to do, he did with all his might, and -the matter of club dues was a serious matter with him. - -“What are we going to spend the money for?” asked Artie, to whom, like -Ward, the bank seemed to hold a fortune. - -“We’re not going to spend it for anything,” Polly informed him, “till -we need something very much.” - -“We could buy Christmas presents with it,” suggested Artie, wistfully. - -“Artie Marley, I’m surprised!” said Polly. “That money doesn’t belong -to us any more. It is club money, and has to be spent for the good of -the club. Don’t you understand?” - -“Well, I’m glad,” remarked Artie, “that the dues aren’t more than ten -cents.” - -Fred was ready with a retort, but Polly forestalled him. - -“Is there any other business before the club?” she asked quickly. - -Apparently there was not. - -“Let’s begin and ask riddles, then,” said Margy. - -“I have something to tell, first,” announced Polly. “Wait a minute.” - -From her blouse pocket she took six tiny boxes, each wrapped in white -paper and fastened with an elastic band. - -“What in the world----” began Margy, but Jess said: - -“Sh!” - -“There’s one apiece,” said Polly, her voice trembling a little with -eagerness. “Your names are written on the boxes. Here, Margy.” - -She handed Margy one of the boxes and, in rapid succession, Jess, Fred, -Ward and Artie received theirs. One was left for Polly. - -“Do we open them?” asked Jess, and at Polly’s nod six pairs of hands -went to work. - -“Gee!” said Artie simply, when he had opened his box. - -The contents were the same. In each box, on a bed of pink cotton, lay -a shining pin. Dark blue enamel with a tiny “question mark” inlaid -in gold. Margy turned hers over. On the back “Margy Williamson” was -engraved. - -[Illustration: “YOU ARE GOING TO PAY YOUR DUES.”] - -“And our names on the back!” said Jess, in a tone of awe, turning her -pin over. - -“Did Mr. Kirby send them?” asked Fred. - -“He gave them to Mother to bring back with her,” explained Polly. -“Aren’t they lovely? I never saw such a darling pin!” - -“And there isn’t another like it, anywhere!” murmured Margy. “We can -wear them to school to-morrow.” - -“Don’t we have to thank Mr. Kirby, or something?” asked Artie, -seriously, and though they laughed at him, they knew what he meant. - -“I can write a letter,” said Polly, “and we’ll all sign it.” - -And a day or two later a “round robin” letter went to Rye, signed by -each member of the Riddle Club, a letter that left no doubt in Mr. -Kirby’s mind as to the pleasure his pins had given the lucky boys and -girls who received them. - -“Now,” said Polly, when the pins were fastened in a conspicuous place -on each blouse or coat, “we can have our riddles.” - -“I’ve got a riddle for Fred,” announced Ward: “How much money does the -moon represent?” - -“Huh, that’s easy,” retorted Fred, confidently. “Quarters, of course.” - -“That isn’t how much,” said Ward. - -“Well, give me time to think and I’ll tell you,” answered Fred. “The -moon has four quarters--and four quarters--four quarters make a dollar. -Ah-ha, Mr. Larue, the moon represents a dollar.” - -Ward was divided between admiration for Fred’s mathematical abilities -and chagrin that he had solved the riddle. The former won. - -“You did get it,” he said generously. “You certainly are good at -guessing riddles, Fred.” - -Fred was determined to show that he could be generous, too. - -“I took two guesses,” he said, “and that really isn’t fair. I think -only one guess should be allowed.” - -“I think so, too,” decided Polly. “If each one takes two or three -guesses, we use up the afternoon arguing.” - -Artie’s easy giggle hinted that he rather enjoyed the argument, but -Margy and Jess were loudly in favor of the single guess. - -“Your turn now, Margy,” said Polly. - -“Why is your nose in the middle of your face, Ward?” asked Margy, with -startling suddenness. - -Ward had been day-dreaming, and the question caught him unprepared. For -the moment he forgot that they were solving riddles. - -“Where else would my nose be?” he demanded. - -“That’s a riddle,” Margy explained, laughing. “Why is your nose in the -center of your face?” - -Polly choked and turned it into a cough. - -Ward felt of his nose thoughtfully. - -“It’s in the middle of your face,” said Margy, hastily. “Why?” - -“You don’t have to keep telling me,” Ward announced, with dignity. “I -heard you. My nose is in the middle of my face because--because a nose -knows where it ought to be.” - -“Not bad,” said Fred. - -“I told you the answer myself, and Polly nearly gave it away by -laughing,” said Margy. “The reason your nose is in the middle of your -face, Ward, is because it is the scenter.” - -“The center of what?” asked the suspicious Ward. - -“The center is the middle--that’s one kind,” said Margy, patiently. -“And then it’s the scenter--your nose is--because you use it to smell -with.” - -Ward considered this in silence for a few moments. - -“Well, maybe,” he admitted reluctantly. - -“There’s no maybe about it,” said Margy. “Are you going to pay a -forfeit?” - -“I don’t mind,” said Ward. - -“Then I’d like three of the stuffed dates you have in your pocket,” -announced Margy, calmly. - -“Your nose is a good scenter,” Fred told her. “How did you know Ward -had stuffed dates with him?” - -“Because I saw him eating one,” said the calm Margy. - -Ward had the grace to blush a little, and, jerking the box from a -pocket already stuffed to the bursting point, he silently passed it to -Margy. She opened it, took out three dates and gave it back to him. - -“One apiece,” she said, handing a date to Polly, another to Jess, and -popping the third into her own mouth. - -There were three dates left, by good luck, and Ward distributed these -to Artie and Fred and peace reigned again. - -“Your turn, Artie,” said Polly, who wanted to laugh, but decided that -Margy didn’t. - -“Mine’s about a nose, too,” said Artie. “Jess, what have noses but -smell not?” - -“Teapots,” said Jess, with a beaming smile. - -Artie looked disappointed. - -“Bet you can’t guess this, Polly,” said Fred: “What is that which we -often return but never borrow?” - -“Why, Fred Williamson, that’s my own pet riddle,” protested Polly. “I -was saving it up to ask you.” - -“What don’t you borrow?” asked Jess, curiously. - -“Thanks,” said Polly. - -“What for? I didn’t do anything,” replied Jess, bewildered. - -“That’s the answer to the riddle,” said Polly, merrily. - -“I want to ask Margy a riddle,” Jess said. “What word will, if you take -away the first letter, make you sick?” - -“You always pick out riddles with arithmetic in them,” Margy -complained. “And I can’t spell long words, either.” - -“This isn’t a long word,” Jess encouraged her. “It’s a short one.” - -“Wait a minute,” said Polly, rising. “Some one is knocking on the door.” - -“Is it mince pie?” asked Margy, in a desperate effort to give the -answer before she should be interrupted. “Is it mince pie, Jess?” - -“It certainly is not!” said Jess, and at that moment Polly flung the -door open and visitors appeared on the threshold. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -FRED WILLIAMSON, BANKER - - -Mrs. Marley, Mrs. Larue and Mrs. Williamson stood in the doorway. It -was Mrs. Marley who asked: - -“May we come in?” - -Fred and Artie brought chairs and Ward scrambled over on the window -seat, leaving his place vacant. - -“We thought the meeting would be over,” said Mrs. Marley. “And we -wanted to see how you looked in your new quarters. But don’t let us -interrupt. I don’t believe you’ve adjourned.” - -“We have only a couple more riddles to ask,” said Polly. “That won’t -take long.” - -“The meeting would have been over,” Margy explained, “only it took Fred -so long to argue about the dues.” - -Mrs. Marley laughed and glanced at the other two mothers. - -“My sympathy is with Fred,” Mrs. Larue declared. “I’ve been treasurer, -Fred, and I know what it is to have to send bills out three times for -one collection. If I had to go and ask verbally for the money--well, I -don’t believe there would be much money collected in our organization.” - -“Oh, we always pay our dues,” said Ward, easily. - -“Yes, you pay ’em--after I’ve made myself hoarse asking you,” Fred -exploded. - -“Dear me, I think we’d better go on with the meeting,” said Polly, -wishing that Margy had never mentioned the subject of dues. - -“All right--I’m ready,” announced Jess. “I asked Margy a riddle: ‘What -word will, if you take away the first letter, make you sick?’ But Margy -used up her first guess--she thought it was mince pie.” - -“I didn’t really think it was mince pie,” explained Margy, carefully. -“I just said that because I was in a hurry.” - -“Then do you want another guess?” asked Polly. “She may have another -one, Jess, the knocking at the door _did_ hurry her.” - -Jess was willing, so Margy tried again. - -“If I could spell, I wouldn’t mind,” said Margy, after thinking deeply -for a moment. “Is the word pill?” - -Most of the Riddle Club members thought Margy had guessed it. Polly -knew the answer, but the boys were sure Margy had the right word. They -were surprised to see Jess shake her head. - -“But if you’re ill you’re sick,” Margy argued. “Why isn’t that right, -Jess?” - -“Because,” said Jess, “the word is music. Take away the first letter, -and you have U-sick. Don’t you see?” - -“Oh, well, I call that a foolish riddle,” sighed poor Margy. “But I’ll -pay a forfeit. What shall it be, Jess?” - -“You don’t have to pay much of a forfeit,” Jess assured her. “You -almost had the riddle, so I’ll give you an easy one to pay--nothing to -redeem. The red beads, please.” - -Margy and Polly laughed. The string of red beads Margy was wearing -belonged to Jess, and she was merely taking her own property as a -forfeit. - -“Now I’ll ask Artie,” Polly said, when the beads had changed hands. -“Then we can adjourn the meeting.” - -“Artie,” she said quickly, “on what side of the pitcher is the handle?” - -Artie sat in perfect silence for what seemed a long time. No one moved, -so fearful were they of disturbing his train of thought. It must have -been three minutes--and a long three minutes it was--before he spoke. - -“The outside,” said Artie, sweetly. - -He looked around, and his irrepressible grin broke out. In a minute -Ward was on top of him, and they were rolling joyously about on the -window seat. - -“You knew it all the time!” Ward accused his chum. “You sat there like -a chump, just pretending.” - -Artie did not deny the charge. His twinkling blue eyes spoke for him -and he was distinctly pleased with his joke that had kept a roomful of -people silent for three minutes or so. - -“Sit up and behave,” President Polly commanded sternly. “Is there any -other riddle to be asked? No? Some one make the motion to adjourn.” - -Fred made the motion, Jess seconded it, and the meeting was over. - -Mrs. Williamson looked smilingly at Polly. - -“Perhaps I should have spoken of this before your meeting was over,” -she said. “But to tell you the truth, I’ve only just now remembered it. -Mr. Williamson would like to offer another riddle with a prize for the -answer.” - -The Riddle Club had had these prize riddles before. It was always fun -to try to get the answer, and the prize was always worth while. - -“If you’ll write it down, Polly,” suggested Mrs. Williamson, “I’ll -give it to you now. The answers are to be read at your next regular -meeting and the prize will be five dollars.” - -Mrs. Marley whispered to her. - -“Oh, yes, I forgot to say that the prize is to go to the Riddle Club -bank--not to an individual,” said Mrs. Williamson. - -Fred rattled the bank and its contents in delight. - -“Gee,” he said, in heart-felt delight, “that’s great!” - -To be sure, the prizes the various children had won before this had -always gone into the Riddle Club bank, but this was the first time the -prize had been offered directly for the bank. - -“I don’t see what good that money is going to do us,” said Ward now. -“Fred will never let us spend a cent.” - -“If we’d spent it every time you wanted to, there wouldn’t be a cent -left in there to-day,” declared Fred, with truth on his side. - -“Don’t bicker,” Mrs. Marley warned them. “Better take down the riddle, -Polly. And whatever you do, don’t argue over the five dollars before it -is won; none of you may be able to guess Mr. Williamson’s puzzle.” - -Polly took her pencil and paper and Mrs. Williamson pulled a little -book from her knitting bag. - -“This is the riddle, Polly,” she said. “Stop me, if I read too fast.” - -Then slowly and carefully, she read aloud, while Polly wrote it down: - -“Why do pianos bear the noblest characters?” - -“Go on,” said Polly. “I have that.” - -“That’s the entire riddle,” Mrs. Williamson answered. “There is no -more.” - -The members of the Riddle Club stared. The other prize riddles had been -complicated ones, some rhymed, all contained more words. This sounded -so simple that it must be a mistake. - -“But that’s such an easy riddle!” said Ward, unguardedly. “Most any one -can guess that.” - -“Go ahead, Ward,” Mrs. Williamson encouraged him. “Guess it and win the -five dollars for the club.” - -“Pianos bear the noblest characters,” recited Ward, with confidence, -“because--because--because--well, of course, I’d have to think about -it,” he ended lamely. “But I don’t believe it’s hard.” - -Mrs. Williamson laughed. - -“I don’t know the answer myself,” she told them, “but I do know Mr. -Williamson. And something tells me he hasn’t chosen a very easy riddle -for you to guess. However, you may succeed in surprising him.” - -Then Mrs. Larue said she had something to tell. - -“I’ve been admiring your lovely clubroom ever since I came in,” she -said pleasantly, “and I can’t see that you need a single thing more -than you have. But before I came away this afternoon, Mr. Larue gave me -a silver dollar to spend as his contribution for the club. He thought -I would put another dollar with it and buy something nice for your -clubroom.” - -“And I have two silver dollars I was commissioned to spend in the same -way,” added Mrs. Williamson. - -Mrs. Marley said she had the same amount in her purse. - -“Of course, we wouldn’t dream of buying without first coming to see -your clubroom,” she told the children; “and now we’ve seen it, the -problem is worse than ever. You really have as much furniture as would -be comfortable, and your decorations mean far more than any you could -buy.” - -“Don’t you think it would be a good plan,” asked Mrs. Larue, gently, -“to put the six dollars in the bank, along with the club dues? Then, -any time you wished to spend it, it would be waiting for you.” - -The Riddle Club accepted this plan with enthusiasm. They were even able -to understand something of Fred’s pride in the bank as the six shining -round silver dollars slipped into the slip at the side and rang merrily -against the other coins. - -“We’re really getting wealthy,” said Margy, soberly. - -Fred was so proud of the bank and the money in it that he was reluctant -to leave it long enough to go downstairs at Mrs. Marley’s invitation, -where hot chocolate and little sweet cakes were awaiting them as Mrs. -Marley’s treat. - -“Don’t lock the door, Ward,” Fred said, as they went downstairs. “I’ll -come back and get the bank.” - -Fred kept the bank in his own room, and usually he buried it under a -pile of magazines in his clothes closet. - -Margy’s seat in the dining-room was near the window, and, happening to -glance out, she saw something that made her forget even the cake with -the walnut in the center, which she had coveted when they first sat -down. - -“It’s snowing!” she cried. “Look--real snow!” - -It really was snowing. River Bend had not had the snowstorm which -covered Lake Bassing with a white blanket over Thanksgiving Day, and -their schoolmates had listened enviously when they heard of the fun the -Riddle Club had had in camp. The snow now falling was the first of the -winter for the little town. - -“Well, I suppose winter has really set in,” sighed Mrs. Marley. “You -children will be glad to see the snow, but I don’t care for it as much -as I did when I was your age.” - -“I hope it will snow all night,” declared Fred. “We haven’t had any -coasting in an age.” - -But the prospect of coasting to-morrow did not interfere with his -enjoyment of a second cup of the chocolate and another cake when Mrs. -Marley insisted that he have more. - -After the cakes had disappeared, Fred went back to get his bank, and -then, as it was too dark--so the mothers said--to go out and play in -the snow, which by now covered the pavements and lawns with a thin, -white covering, the Larues and the Williamsons went home. - -Mr. Williamson was reading before the living-room fire, and Fred went -in to tell him about the club meeting and to thank him for the prize -riddle offer and the silver dollar he had sent the club fund. - -“By the way, Fred,” Mr. Williamson said presently, “wouldn’t you rather -open an account in the bank in the name of the Riddle Club? That iron -bank of yours must be heavy to carry around, and besides you have too -much money in it now to allow yourself to be careless.” - -“Oh, I like to take care of it, Daddy,” was Fred’s answer. “Nothing -will happen to it; I’m not careless.” - -“Fred, I just found your bank on the hall table,” said his mother, -coming into the room. “That isn’t the place to leave it.” - -Fred looked a little confused. - -“I was on my way upstairs, Mother,” he said, with dignity. “I stopped -to speak to Daddy.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -ON POND’S HILL - - -Fred took his bank upstairs and hid it in the usual place. That night -he dreamed he was president of a bank and the members of the Riddle -Club came to him to pay their dues faster than he could take the -money in. There seemed to be a great many more members than six, and -presently Fred discovered the reason--the Conundrum Club members had -joined! - -The shock of this discovery woke him up. It was morning, but so gray -and dull that Fred was ready to turn over and go to sleep. Then he -remembered that it had begun to snow the night before and he hopped out -of bed and pattered to the window. It was still snowing and everything -in sight was well covered. - -Of course there was no sleep for Fred after that, and not much for -the rest of the Williamson family. Usually Fred waited till his -father called him before he started to dress, but this morning he was -downstairs and prancing about on the porch when his father came to look -for him. - -“Here, here, can’t you wait till after breakfast?” asked Mr. -Williamson. “Mother is going to bake hot cakes, and the boy who appears -with his hair combed and his necktie straight is going to have the -first one.” - -Fred dashed back to his room and hastily brushed his hair. He and -Margy felt a deep interest in hot cakes, but it must be confessed they -were also “crazy” about the snow. They could hardly wait to eat their -breakfast, bundle themselves into coats and hats and woolly scarfs, and -plunge into that beautiful whiteness. - -“Hello!” called Artie, from his porch, as he saw the Williamsons about -to start for school. “Wait a minute!” - -The Marley front steps had not been brushed off, and Artie had no idea -of the depth of the snow. He took one step and sank into a feathery, -fluffy bed up to his neck. - -“Gee, I missed that next step,” he said, with perfect good humor, -rising and brushing himself off. “Here comes Polly.” - -Polly and the Larues joined the others, and, running and laughing, they -began the walk to school. The flying flakes stung their eyes and melted -on their faces, and it was fun to make snowballs and hurl them at the -fences and trees they passed and, yes, at each other. - -“We’ll go coasting this afternoon, sure,” said Fred, as they reached -the school-yard gate. - -Home they raced at the close of the afternoon session to get out the -sleds hidden in attic and cellar since the winter before. - -The boys had each a sled, and Polly and Jess had their own, but Margy -preferred to claim a share in Fred’s long racer. She could never be -induced to go down the hill alone, and most of the time she coasted -with Polly. - -“Everybody’s here,” said Ward, cheerfully, when they reached Pond’s -Hill, a beautiful slope on the other side of town. - -It was still snowing fitfully, but the flakes were larger, an -indication that the storm was beginning to let up. Artie and Ward -wished it would snow for a week, but the older folk thought that a day -and a night should satisfy any one. - -“There’s Carrie Pepper,” whispered Polly to Margy. - -“And Mattie Helms,” added Jess. - -“And Joe Anderson,” said Artie. “He has a new sled.” - -Fred heard and turned to look. Sure enough, Joe had a new sled and it -was a beauty, long and low and with the flexible steering gear of the -best make of sled. Harry Worden, a post-graduate student in the high -school, was examining Joe’s possession in evident admiration. - -“Some sled!” was his verdict. - -Then he saw Fred and waved to him. The Riddle Club members knew Harry -Worden very well. The spring before, when he was a high school senior, -he had served as referee at a riddle contest held between their club -and the Conundrum Club. They liked him very much. - -“Hello, Fred,” called Harry. “Come on over here and look at this.” - -Fred went over to the other side of the road, glad of a chance to see -the new sled more closely. - -“It’s a peach!” he told Joe, heartily. “Present?” - -“Got it for my birthday,” Joe answered. “This sled cost a lot, and it’s -better than any one else’s. I’ll bet I can beat any one on the hill -now.” - -“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” drawled Harry Worden, lazily. “It -isn’t always the sled that wins a race. Something depends on the boy -who does the steering.” - -“Bet you I can beat any one on the hill,” Joe boasted. - -Harry only laughed and turned away and Fred went back to his friends. - -“Take Margy down first, Fred,” Polly suggested. “She has more fun -before her feet get cold.” - -Margy was apt to complain, midway in her outdoor sport, that her feet -were “freezing.” - -Fred obligingly took his sister on behind him, but neither one could -be said to enjoy the ride down the hill. Margy shut her eyes tight and -Fred declared she pinched him. - -“I didn’t!” said the indignant Margy. “I had to hang on to something, -didn’t I? Anyway, Fred Williamson, you go too fast.” - -Polly said Margy should coast with her next, and amicable relations -were restored, as Fred shot down the hill alone, deftly curving in and -out to avoid the sleds that were flying down at the same time. - -“I wish I could steer as well as Fred can,” sighed Polly, taking her -place on her own sled with Margy back of her. “It’s because he isn’t -afraid to take a chance. He will go around a sled or almost into the -ditch. But I’m always thinking of a smash-up.” - -Ward and Artie were enjoying themselves in their own way, which was a -peculiar one, to say the least. Ward liked to lie flat on his sled with -Artie perched on top of him, and if one or the other rolled off in the -course of the descent, why, that was nothing at all! Snow, argued Ward -and Artie, was soft and comfortable, and one could always get out of -the way of an approaching sled by tumbling over and over till safe from -the danger of being run down. - -Jess, too, had a method, and she followed it faithfully. Hers was a -sober enjoyment, for she went down the hill on her sled, turned around -and trudged back, to do the same thing again. Left alone, Jess would -coast contentedly a whole morning or afternoon, without mishap or -apparent excitement. - -Polly and Fred liked to try experiments. They tried Polly’s sled with -Fred steering, and Fred’s sled with Polly guiding it. They went down -backward once and landed in the ditch. They tried to see how many -children they could pile on the two sleds, and they raced each other -with enthusiasm. - -It was when they were returning from one of these races that Harry -Worden hailed them. - -“Hey, Fred, want some fun?” he shouted. - -Fred did, and he and Polly ran over to where Harry stood. - -“Joe Anderson wants a race,” said Harry. “He thinks your sled is -probably the fastest on the hill, next to his. Want to try a race?” - -“Sure,” answered Fred, quickly. “I’m willing.” - -The news of the proposed race spread in a moment, and a crowd of boys -and girls gathered around Fred and Joe. - -“Go to it, Fred,” some cried. “You can win.” - -“Joe has the best sled,” others insisted. “No one can win against that -flier. It’s a peach.” - -“Oh, I don’t know--Fred can get a lot of speed out of his old boat,” -said one of the boys. - -Albert Holmes sniffed. - -“Old boat, is right,” he said. “It’s about fifty years old.” - -Fred grinned good-naturedly. His sled wasn’t new, but it wasn’t falling -apart yet, he assured them. - -“I’m going down to the foot of the hill to watch the finish,” announced -Harry Worden. “Billy Pierce will give you the word to start.” - -Jess and Artie and Ward decided to stay at the top of the hill, but -Polly tagged along after Harry, and Margy went with her. As soon as -they reached the foot of the hill, Harry waved his arm as a signal to -Billy Pierce to give the word to the racers. - -“There they go!” cried Polly, as the two black specks at the top of the -hill suddenly shot down. - -The snow had stopped half an hour before, and the hill was well packed -from the sleds and the feet of the coasters. It was cold, but even -Margy forgot that in the excitement of the moment. - -The sleds seemed to be evenly matched half of the distance, then one -pulled slightly ahead. - -“It’s Fred!” said Polly, in a half-whisper. “I know him by his cap.” - -Fred’s sled, if it was Fred’s sled, kept the lead. The other did not -gain. - -“Fred shot around that well in the road, I guess, and Joe must have -gone in and out--that takes time,” said Harry. “But you’re likely to -land in the ditch, going around.” - -The watchers could see now that it was Fred who was ahead. Margy -thought she felt a flake of snow and looked up at the sky, while Harry -allowed his gaze to wander past the racing sleds to the top of the -hill. It was but a moment, but Polly was the only one to see what -happened in that moment. - -“He turned him!” she cried. “I saw him do it! That Joe Anderson would -do anything to win! Don’t let him, Harry. Please, don’t let him!” - -Harry Worden looked at the sleds, now near enough to be plainly -distinguished. Joe Anderson was in the lead, grinning triumphantly, and -Fred was just swinging his sled back on the course. - -“Told you I could do it!” said Joe, as his sled swept past Polly and -Margy and Harry. “Can’t beat this sled!” - -“You cheated!” Polly accused him, almost beside herself with anger. “I -saw you! You put out your hand and shoved Fred over to the left. That -isn’t fair, and don’t you dare----” - -Fred tumbled off his sled and came up to them. He looked angry, but -when he saw Polly he tried to grin. - -“I won!” said Joe Anderson, boastfully. “You did pretty well, Fred. But -of course your steering gear is out of date.” - -“You cheated!” said Polly again. - -Harry Worden looked troubled. - -“Of course, I wasn’t looking,” he said slowly, “and I didn’t see what -happened. But Polly seems to think----” - -Fred turned to Polly and blazed at her, to her utmost astonishment, for -he had never spoken to her like that in his life. - -“You keep still!” he cried angrily. “I lost the race, and that’s all -there is to it.” - -“No, that isn’t all there is to it,” Harry Worden corrected him. “You -race again, and this time I intend to know what is going on.” - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -DETECTIVE MARGY - - -“I promised my mother I’d go home at half-past four,” said Joe, -uneasily. - -“You can stay another ten or fifteen minutes,” Harry informed him. “You -go back and tell Billy Pierce I say this race is to be done over. Tell -him there’s no decision.” - -“I’ll tell him you wouldn’t give a decision,” said Joe, hotly. “I won, -and you’re afraid to say so, just because Polly Marley----” - -“I haven’t much doubt about your cheating, Joe,” said Harry, as coolly -as he usually spoke. “But as I didn’t see what happened with my own -eyes, I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt. You’re lucky, if you’d -only see it the right way.” - -Joe turned sullenly away and began to plod up the hill, dragging his -sled after him. At the top of the hill Billy Pierce held the eager -coasters back, for he could see that some sort of argument was taking -place below. - -“Just a minute, Fred,” said Harry, as Fred turned to go back. “Are you -willing to race again?” - -“Sure,” said Fred, looking everywhere but at Harry or Polly. - -“Were you knocked off the road?” asked Harry, a little hesitantly. - -“I lost the race, and that’s all there is to it,” said Fred, doggedly. - -“All right, go on,” Harry dismissed him. - -“Joe put out his hand and gave him a big push,” said Polly, watching -Fred as he trudged up the hill. “If I was Fred I’d tell him what a -cheat he is. I never could stand that Joe Anderson.” - -“I didn’t see him do anything,” declared Margy, mildly. - -“You never do see anything,” retorted Polly, for, gentle as she was, -any unfairness always roused her, and once “woke up,” as Jess called -it, she was not easily soothed. - -“I’m afraid we were asleep at the switch, Margy,” said Harry Worden -ruefully. “This time I mean to glue my eyes on the road and keep them -there.” - -“But Fred must know he cheated,” argued Polly. - -“Well, you see, Fred’s idea of a good loser is one who doesn’t grunt,” -Harry tried to explain. “He’d rather say nothing than be thought -complaining because he failed to win.” - -Polly was not convinced, but she said nothing more. And she and Harry -and Margy stared at the white road till their eyes ached, waiting for -the two black specks to come toward them. - -It was a long hill, and when the boys reached the top there were -explanations to be made to Billy Pierce and the curious boys and girls -who wanted to know what had happened. Seated at last on their sleds, -Joe made a start before the signal was given and had to be brought -back. The next time he sulked and did not start at all, and it was Fred -who had to turn around. - -At last, though, they got off, and those at the foot of the hill saw -the two dots swooping downward. There was one bad spot in the road--the -depression Harry had mentioned--and Fred grimly swung his sled around, -grazing the deep ditch and even trembling a fraction of a second on -the edge before he threw his weight to the right and shot back to the -center of the road. - -Joe had decided to take the hole, changed his mind too late, and went -into it sideways as a result of his effort to swing to the left as -Fred had done. He almost upset his sled, but righted it in time and -was out of the hole a half yard behind the flying Fred. As the boys -had discovered, it was Fred’s quick judgment and willingness to “take -a chance” that gave him the advantage. He had strong wrists, too, and -could change his course as easily as Joe could change his mind. - -That was Joe’s great drawback--this habit of changing his mind. It -interfered seriously with his steering, for if there is one place where -it is not wise to change your mind, it is on a steep hill. Having once -decided on his course, the wise coaster sticks to it. Joe’s indecision -was reflected in the wobbly movements of his sled, and this time he -came in a yard behind Fred. - -“No doubt about that,” said Harry, with relief. “You win, Fred.” - -“I won the other--only you wouldn’t play fair,” said Joe, hardily. - -“It’s getting dark, but there’s still time for another race if you want -to call it a tie,” declared Harry, swiftly. “Is it a tie, Joe?” - -“Oh, let Fred have it--I don’t care,” Joe mumbled. - -“I’ll race again,” said Fred, after a moment’s silence. - -“No, the others are coasting now,” decided Harry. “We can’t hold them -up any longer, for it’s getting dark. Fred wins, and if I were you, -Joe, I wouldn’t go around making any uncalled-for remarks.” - -Joe took his sled and went back without a word. Harry Worden followed -him to make sure that a truthful report was spread around, and Polly -and Fred ploughed slowly up the road, at one side, pulling Margy on -Fred’s sled. - -“I didn’t mean to snap at you, Polly,” said Fred, a little shyly. “I -guess I sounded pretty cranky.” - -“Oh, that’s all right,” declared Polly, determined not to let him know -he had hurt her feelings. “I didn’t mind that, Fred. But I saw Joe -Anderson push you--I certainly did.” - -“Well, you want to forget that and forget it for good,” said Fred, -stopping in the snow and speaking very earnestly. “I don’t care if he -tipped me off and rode over me. When I lose a race I’m not going to -parade any excuses.” - -“I’ll never say a word about it, Fred, if that’s the way you feel,” -Polly promised. “But I do think boys are too queer for anything.” - -“Of course they are,” observed Margy from her seat of state. “I’ve -always said they were funny, but you would never believe it.” - -For once in their lives, the children in River Bend had enough snow. -After the coasters went home, more snow fell, and it continued to -snow at intervals all night. As a result a whole new world, without a -footprint from the day before left on it, was ready for inspection the -next morning. - -“Tell you what let’s do,” remarked Artie, as they came home from school -at noon. “Build a snowman!” - -“I don’t think that’s so much fun,” Margy maintained. - -“Oh, I don’t mean just a snowman,” explained Artie. “Not one of those -little ones the kids build. I mean a great, big giant of a snowman with -a head higher than a house!” - -“How would we build a snowman as high as that?” demanded Fred. “Get in -a tree and put his head on?” - -“We could use a stepladder,” said Artie. - -Though inclined at first to laugh at this scheme, the more they -discussed it, the better it sounded. - -“They had an enormous snowman over in Stockton,” said Artie, naming -a neighboring town. “Daddy read about it. They built him in the main -square, and every one helped. He had electric lights for eyes and -clothes and everything.” - -“I’ll bet we could build one just as good,” declared Ward. “We’ll make -ours the tallest snowman River Bend ever saw.” - -“Let’s make him a big hat with R.C. on it,” suggested Polly. “Then -every one will know he belongs to the Riddle Club.” - -This idea was pronounced “great,” and the Riddle Club could hardly wait -till school was out to begin their statue. - -A snowball fight was in progress in the school yard when they went back -after lunch, and the battle continued furiously till the one o’clock -bell rang. Flushed and warm, the pupils marched up to their classrooms, -and on the stairs Polly made a distressing discovery. - -Her precious Riddle Club pin was missing! - -These pins had been envied or admired by every pupil in the school, and -there was probably nothing Polly owned which possessed more value in -her eyes. - -She thought the loss warranted writing a note to Margy, though the -teacher severely discouraged this practice. - -“Lost your pin!” Margy’s lips echoed silently, when she had read the -note. “How perfectly awful! Where?” - -Polly shook her head to show she did not know. But she was afraid she -had lost it in the midst of the snowball battle, and the prospects of -recovering it were exceedingly dim. - -Now Margy had sharp eyes when she chose to use them, and she could be -counted on to be interested in what went on outside her books. While -poor Polly was trying to forget her troubles in the writing lesson, -Margy’s dark eyes were roving over the room in search of amusement. - -Carrie Pepper sat near her, over two aisles, and she, too, was -apparently little interested in the lesson. When the teacher’s back was -turned, Carrie swiftly passed something to Mattie Helms, who sat behind -her. - -“I wonder what she has,” thought Margy, idly. - -Mattie’s head bent over something as she examined it, then she dropped -her pencil. It rolled under the desks and Mattie stooped to get it. -As she straightened up, she dropped the something lightly on Joe -Anderson’s writing book. - -Margy could not see, from where she sat, what the something was, but, -like a flash, she guessed. - -“Polly’s pin!” She almost said the words aloud. “Polly’s pin! Carrie -was right behind her coming up the stairs this noon. I’ll bet she found -the pin, and she’s so mean, she won’t give it back.” - -Margy hastily took her pen and attacked the writing lesson. She wanted -to think. Apparently absorbed in the work before her, she was planning -to find out whether Carrie had really found the missing pin. - -“It’s something so small it doesn’t show when she has it in her hand,” -Margy reasoned. “And she is showing it to Mattie and Joe, who aren’t -exactly crazy about Polly or our club. I do believe it is Polly’s pin, -and I intend to find out.” - -Margy’s writing lesson may have left something to be desired that day, -but by three o’clock she had a clever plan worked out to solve the -mystery. - -“Wait a minute,” she said to the impatient five, who waited for her -in the hall. “Yes, I know you want to get to work on the snowman, but -Polly lost her club pin this noon, and I think I’ve found it.” - -“Lost her pin?” echoed Jess. “Where?” - -“You haven’t found it?” gasped Polly. - -“Well, of course I’m not sure,” said Margy, modestly, “but I think I -have. I noticed Carrie walked right behind you this noon, as you were -going upstairs. I didn’t think anything of that till I saw her passing -something around this afternoon. I couldn’t see what it was, but she -showed it to Mattie Helms and to Joe Anderson.” - -“It might be anything,” said Polly, gloomily. - -“If it is the pin, what are you going to do about it?” Fred asked his -sister. “You can’t go up and accuse her of taking Polly’s pin.” - -“I could, but I don’t intend to,” said Margy. “I might ask her and she -would say she ‘found’ it. But I know a better way than that. I’m going -back to our room now and you go out in the yard and wait for me. It -will take me a little while.” - -“Look here, what are you up to?” said Fred, a little quickly. - -“I’m going through Carrie’s desk,” returned Margy, placidly. - -“Oh--suppose some one finds you?” said Jess, with a shiver of fear. - -“They won’t. That’s why you have to wait,” said Margy, who had thought -out her plan carefully. “You see, I figure that if Carrie found the pin -she won’t dare wear it and she won’t take it home to show her mother, -because she would make her give it back. She can’t do a thing with it, -but keep it to plague Polly and show the Conundrum Club. So I think -she’ll leave it in her desk, and I mean to take it out.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -RIDDLE CHAP - - -Of course it wasn’t the right thing to do--to go through Carrie’s -desk. Margy herself had the feeling that she was in the wrong, but she -certainly didn’t mean to let Carrie keep Polly’s pin if she had it. -Neither did Margy like the idea of telling the teacher and asking her -to have Carrie search her desk. - -“I’m the one to get that pin back, and I’m going to do it,” thought -Margy, as she marched upstairs, leaving five sober-faced children to -wait for her. - -Luckily, there was no one in the classroom when Margy entered it. She -supposed a burglar must feel as she did when she thrust her right -hand into Carrie’s desk. Two pencils, a box of candy cough drops, a -handkerchief with a gingham border--Margy’s fingers touched the back of -the desk. There, far up in one corner, she felt something that pricked -her. - -“Ouch!” she said, and drew out the pin. - -Waiting only to return the things she had taken out, Margy flew down -the stairs and presented the pin to an astonished and delighted Polly. - -“And don’t lose it again,” she lectured her. “I might not be able to -find it so easily a second time.” - -“I’ll be careful,” promised Polly. - -“Did Carrie really have it in her desk?” asked Jess, round-eyed. - -“She certainly did!” replied Margy, as they started to walk home. “I -was almost sure she’d keep it there.” - -“Say, what will she say when she can’t find it to-morrow morning?” said -Artie. “And if she sees Polly wearing it, what will she think?” - -“I don’t care what she thinks,” broke in Fred. “The point is, she can’t -say anything. She won’t dare go around saying some one went through her -desk, because she’d sound nice saying that some one took a Riddle Club -pin she found on the stairs, wouldn’t she?” - -“Perhaps she wasn’t sure it _was_ my pin,” suggested Polly. - -But the others laughed at this idea. The new pins Mr. Kirby had sent -them were quite unlike any other pins in the town of River Bend and -certainly Carrie knew them as well as the pins of her own Conundrum -Club. Besides, wasn’t Polly’s name on the back? - -“Let’s take our pins off before we begin to build the snowman,” said -Polly, when they came in sight of their homes. “We might easily lose -one in the snow.” - -This was hailed as a wise precaution, and they ran in to put their -individual pins in safe places. - -Fred stopped short in surprise when he saw his room. The rug had been -taken up, the bed was rolled in one corner, and his closet door was -wide open. A row of his shoes stood on a newspaper spread on the window -sill and in the center of his rocking chair sat the precious bank. A -strange woman was down on her hands and knees, mopping the floor with -hot water. - -“I guess you’re Fred,” she said, smilingly. “Your ma set me to cleaning -this room this afternoon. I’ll put things back just the way you had -them.” - -Fred put his pin on the cushion on his bureau--which was covered with a -white towel to protect it from dust--and then glanced at his bank. He -didn’t like to leave it there. - -“I’ll take it over to the clubroom and leave it there, I guess,” he -said to himself. “It won’t hurt to leave it there all night.” - -It had been decided to build the gigantic snowman between the Marley -and the Williamson house, because they had the advantage of two large -yards filled with snow. Fred found that Ward and Artie had already -started to roll a ball for the body of the snowman. - -“I’ve been thinking,” said Fred, joining them: “What shall we make the -letters R.C. of? If we do them in snow they won’t show up very well.” - -“We can get red flannel or something,” said the resourceful Polly. - -“I think red and white would be pretty, because Christmas is coming.” - -“Maybe we can give him a little Christmas tree to hold,” said Jess. -“That would look fine, wouldn’t it? A great, big snowman, holding a -Christmas tree.” - -“There--this is a good place to stand him,” declared Fred. “Don’t roll -the ball any larger. We can begin to build now.” - -They had a fair sized ball of snow rolled, and Fred had chosen a spot -near the walk to have him stand. - -“Get all the snow you can and plaster it against this ball,” directed -Fred. “We’ll have a fat snowman while we’re about it.” - -River Bend was a happy town in which to live, if you happened to be -fond of playing in the snow. There was no limit to the quantities you -could collect, if you were willing to work and the storm had been a -heavy one. Jess and Ward got out the wheel-barrow and trundled loads -of the white stuff from their own lawn. As Ward said, it was a pity to -“let it waste.” - -“Wait a minute,” said Fred, suddenly. “We’re forgetting his legs. If we -build him sitting down, he won’t be nearly tall enough. We must start -two columns, and use them for legs, and then put the ball of snow on -top of them.” - -So they set to work and soon had two large, squatty columns of snow -that looked like the piling in Ward’s father’s wharf. - -“The snow packs fine, doesn’t it?” said Polly to Margy. - -The girls were as busy as the boys, hauling snow and packing it down -firmly, and never a word did Margy say about cold feet. She was far too -interested to pay attention to her feet. - -“Now we’ll have to lift that ball somehow,” said Fred, when the legs -were pronounced finished. “You and Polly get on one side, Margy, and -Ward and Artie get over here. Jess and I’ll take this side.” - -The snow was not very heavy to lift, but it was hard to handle, and so -cold that they felt it through their gloves. With some difficulty, -they finally had it in place, and the statue already looked like a -snowman, Artie declared, stepping back to view their handiwork. - -“Well, we’ve come to the place where we’ll have to have a stepladder,” -said Fred. - -“Why don’t we use the loft ladder?” asked Jess. “That’s light and easy -to carry.” - -“We can’t lean it against the snowman--he’d topple over,” replied Fred. -“We have a stepladder, but I noticed it up in our hall. The cleaning -woman was probably using it.” - -“I’ll get ours,” offered Polly. “I know where it is--on the back porch. -I can bring it.” - -Fred and Artie went with her and brought the ladder back. Then it had -to be set up with care, for every one knows that a stepladder takes -delight in falling over just as you reach the top step. Fred opened it -and fastened the bars and ran lightly up to the top to test it. - -“That’s all right,” he said. “Say, this is fun. We can pretend we’re -brick-layers and bring up hods filled with snow.” - -“We haven’t any hods,” Ward reminded him. - -“That flat board will do,” said Fred. “Here, give it to me; I’ll show -you.” - -He took a flat light board that happened to be on the ground and -scooped two handfuls of snow on it. Then he mounted the ladder, -carrying the board and the snow, and deposited them on the square -little shelf that was under the top step. - -“Here you are, Riddle Chap,” he addressed the snowman’s body. “We are -going to make you the best looking chap for miles around.” - -“Riddle Chap!” cried Artie. “That’s fine, Fred. We’ll call him that. -His initials stand for Riddle Chap, don’t they?” - -“Well, of course, he has to have a name,” Fred chuckled. “If we’re -going to make him as large as life, he’ll need a name so we can -introduce him to our friends.” - -Each of the boys and girls took turns going up and down the ladder -and each added some new beauty to the snowman. He had buttons on his -waistcoat, and arms that crooked at the elbows--that was Polly’s idea. -She had taken two pieces of old rubber hose and bent them to look like -arms. The snow had been carefully packed around and over these. - -Ward and Artie made the neck, and they all shaped the head with its -peaked cap. Margy insisted that the initials were not to go on till the -head was in place, and this proved a wise plan, for they dropped the -head three times and had to do it over before Fred and Artie finally -succeeded in putting it on the neck. - -“Oh, for pity’s sake!” cried Polly, watching from the ground. “You have -it turned all the way around! The poor snowman is looking backward.” - -Slowly and carefully, Fred turned the head till it faced in the right -direction. Then Margy handed up the letters cut from strips of red -flannel, and Fred put them on the visor of the cap. The snowman had -coal black eyes, a mouth like a red pepper, and ears that bore a -resemblance to orange peel. He was very tall indeed--far taller than -any of those who had made him--and when his makers looked at him they -were agreed that he was quite the largest statue they had ever tried to -build. - -“If it’s cold to-night, we can throw water over it and let it freeze,” -said Fred, standing off a little to admire his handiwork. - -“There’s Carrie,” said Jess, in a low tone. “See her coming out? I -guess she is going to the post-office.” - -“What are you doing?” Carrie called, from across the street. “What’s -that funny thing?” - -Before they could answer her, she had crossed over and was staring at -the snowman. - -“Well, of all the queer things to do!” said Carrie. “Regular child -play, I call it, building a snowman.” - -“That’s some snowman you have there!” called a hearty voice, and Harry -Worden crossed from the other side of the street. “I’ll take a picture -of him to-morrow for you, when the sun is out. I don’t think I ever saw -as large a one as that.” - -“Is it as large as the one they had in Stockton last year?” asked -Artie, hopefully. - -“Much taller,” replied Harry. “I’d like to get a snapshot of this one. -Don’t let anything happen to him, and I’ll be around in the afternoon -as soon as school is out.” - -Carrie went on to the post-office. It was nearly dark, and in a few -minutes the five o’clock whistle would sound. - -“Gee, it will be nice to have a picture of our snowman,” said Artie. -“We can frame it and have it in our clubroom.” - -Fred looked a little startled. - -“Speaking of the clubroom reminds me of something,” he said hurriedly. -“Mind if I go over to your house, Artie?” - -“Sure, come on,” replied Artie, hospitably. “Want that book I said I’d -lend you?” - -“I want to go up to the clubroom a minute,” explained Fred. - -But when he went upstairs with Artie, the clubroom door was locked. -Ward had the key as usual. - -“I started to bring the bank over here this afternoon,” said Fred, a -little worried frown between his eyes. “I thought I did it. But if I -didn’t, what _did_ I do with the bank?” - -“Maybe you left it in your own room,” said Artie, comfortably. - -“I’m sure I didn’t,” Fred answered. “But it won’t hurt to go and look. -I might have put it down again without thinking.” - -“Lots of times I think I’ve done a thing and haven’t,” observed Artie, -trotting beside Fred, as he went back to the Williamson house. “And -sometimes I think I didn’t do a thing and it turns out that I did.” - -But neither of these “thinks” proved of much help to Fred. The bank was -not in his room, now in perfect, shining order with his things in their -accustomed places. It was not on the hall table where he had once left -it. In fact, the sad fact dawned on Fred, slowly and unhappily, that he -had lost the bank and its precious contents. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -LOST TREASURES - - -“Let’s go out and look in the snow,” suggested Artie. “You must have -dropped it between your house and ours.” - -As the two boys opened the front door a whirl of snow flew in their -faces. In the brief time they had been within doors a new snowstorm had -gained headway. - -“Who’s that?” called Fred, suddenly. - -“Who’s that yourself?” Carrie Pepper’s voice retorted. “Your old -snowman is enough to scare any one going by--they’ll think it is a -giant.” - -Carrie hurried across the street with the mail, and Fred tried not to -think she might have been hunting around the snowman. - -“She _was_ stooped over,” he said to himself. “But she may have dropped -a letter. Anyway, I don’t suppose she would take the bank if she found -it.” - -Then he remembered Polly’s pin. - -“She might think it would plague me,” he thought. And he had to admit -that if that was Carrie’s plan--always provided she had found the -bank--she could not think of a better plan for teasing him. - -“Well, it isn’t here, that’s all,” declared Artie, brushing the snow -off his gloves after an unsuccessful grubbing about in the snow. “I -don’t see what you could have done with it, Fred.” - -“Oh, Fred!” Jess’s voice came to them out of the storm. “Is that you? I -came back to look for my glove. I don’t suppose you’ve seen it?” - -“Your glove?” repeated Fred. “Is that lost?” - -“Yes, it is, and it’s a brand new one,” returned Jess, ready to cry. -“Mother got them for me when she went to the city. They’re brushed -wool, and they’re gauntlets, and they cost six dollars!” - -“Gee, that’s tough luck,” said Artie, sympathetically. “But I don’t -believe you lost it around here, Jess. I’ve been all around the snowman -on my hands and knees, and I would have found it if it had been -anywhere around.” - -“Did you lose something, too?” asked Jess, surprised. - -Fred was in no mood to hide his troubles. - -“I’ve lost the bank,” he said abruptly. “And all the club money in it. -I had it before we started to build the snowman, and now I can’t find -it.” - -“Isn’t it in your house?” asked Jess. - -Fred explained where he and Artie had looked. - -“Well, I never heard of such a thing!” said Jess. “My good glove and -your bank gone! Somebody must have picked them up--that’s all.” - -“Carrie Pepper was out here when we started to look,” Artie announced. - -“Then she found it!” cried Jess. “I’m going right over now to her house -and ask her to give me back my glove. You come along, Fred, and make -her give you the bank. That’s the same as stealing, to take things like -that.” - -“It isn’t stealing to take one glove,” protested Artie. - -“’Tis, too,” insisted Jess. “What good is one glove? No good at all! -Carrie Pepper knows those gloves are new. She has to give it back to -me, that’s all there is to it.” - -“Well, you take my advice and go mighty slow about accusing any one of -taking your glove,” said Fred, earnestly. “I’d no more go to her and -ask her for the bank than I’d fly. I might as well come right out and -say she stole it.” - -“She took Polly’s pin, didn’t she?” Jess demanded. - -“That’s different. Lots of people might take a pin, and they wouldn’t -take money. Besides, how do we know Carrie didn’t intend to give the -pin back to Polly? Margy didn’t give her a chance to return it.” - -“Jess! Jessie! Come in right away!” called Mrs. Larue. - -Jess had to go in to supper without her glove, and Artie went home, -too. Fred looked around in the snow for a few minutes longer, but the -storm was increasing and he finally gave up. He could hardly touch his -supper, and afterward he told his father what had happened. - -“I’m sorry I didn’t put the money in the bank, as you said,” poor Fred -concluded his story. “But I never thought I could lose a thing like a -bank.” - -“Well, Fred, it seems as though it must turn up,” Mr. Williamson said, -trying to speak cheerfully. “I don’t see, myself, how a bank and its -money contents could disappear, unless some one has stolen it. And we -won’t think that.” - -“Try to remember where you had it last, Fred,” his mother suggested. - -“Why, I _thought_ I took it over to the Marleys’ to leave in the -clubroom,” said Fred. “I can’t remember letting it out of my hand. But -the room was locked and Ward hadn’t been near it.” - -“Perhaps you left it somewhere else in the Marleys’,” said Mrs. -Williamson, “and you were in such a hurry to get out and build the -snowman, you did not notice. If Artie or Polly find it, they’ll be over -to tell you.” - -But neither Polly nor Artie found the bank. Fred went over there -before going to bed--and had to plough through several inches of fresh -snow--but none of the Marley family had seen the bank. - -In the morning the window sills were banked high with snow and there -were no foot prints around the snowman, who stood tall and strong, a -handsome guard for the street. - -“We’ll give him a tree to hold before Harry Worden comes to take his -picture,” said Ward, eagerly. - -But Fred felt little interest in the snowman. He could think of nothing -but the missing bank. - -“I’ll resign as treasurer,” he said to Polly, on their way to school. - -The sun was out and the snow had stopped. A white world, brilliant and -beautiful, was spread before their eyes. - -“I’ll resign,” said Fred. “I’m not fit to be treasurer and take care of -other people’s money. I’m too careless. And I’ll save every cent of my -allowance and pay all the money back to the club.” - -“Don’t be silly, Fred,” Polly told him loyally. “We don’t want you to -resign. No one will be as good a treasurer as you are.” - -“I’m no good at all,” said Fred, bitterly. - -“Yes, you are, too!” flashed Polly. “You’re fine. It isn’t exactly your -fault that the bank is lost. Every one is likely to lose things. You -don’t have to have to make the money up, either. If one of us had lost -it, you wouldn’t make him pay the money back. Besides, Mother says she -is sure the bank will be found.” - -“Did she say that?” asked Fred, hopefully. “Daddy thought so, too. I -wish it would be found, but I feel it is gone for good. And the worst -of it is, I can’t remember putting it down anywhere.” - -“What do you suppose Carrie Pepper will say when she sees me wearing my -pin?” said Polly, hoping to take Fred’s mind off his troubles. - -Instead, she only succeeded in starting his thoughts on another tack. -Had Carrie Pepper found anything in the snow the night before? Or was -she merely feeling around for a letter or parcel she might have dropped? - -“I hate these ugly old mittens,” Jess was complaining to Margy. -“They’re not a bit pretty, and they’re not nearly as warm as my lovely -gloves. Mother says maybe she’ll get me a new pair for my birthday in -February, but I’ll have to wear these horrid old things till then, -because I’m so careless.” - -Margy, not having lost any treasure, felt free to keep an eye on -Carrie and observe the effect of Polly’s pin on her. Polly had the pin -in its usual place--above the pocket of her middy blouse, and Carrie -apparently did not notice it until Polly went to the board during the -arithmetic lesson. - -“There--she’s seen it,” said Margy to herself, as Carrie stared. - -Then, heedless of the lesson, Carrie began to rummage through her desk. -She pulled out the box of cough drops, the pencils, the handkerchief, -and an apple she had brought for recess. Then, keeping her eye on the -board as though she were following the example, her hands began to -explore the desk. She was feeling for the pin. - -Perhaps the intensity of Margy’s gaze made her glance over her -shoulder. Margy’s eyes were dancing. A sudden, deep flush spread over -Carrie’s face. - -“Now she knows,” said Margy to herself. “And the next time she finds -anything that doesn’t belong to her, I hope she’ll give it up.” - -Harry Worden came that afternoon and took a picture of “Riddle Chap,” -but Fred could think only of his bank and Jess was looking for her -glove all the time the snapshots were being taken. It was lucky that -something happened to distract their attention and, in the case of -Fred, it was doubly welcome. He felt so bad to think he had lost the -money belonging to the club that his mother was afraid he would worry -himself sick. - -“You try to get the prize riddle, Fred,” Mrs. Williamson told him. -“That will give the treasury a good start again.” - -Fred said he would try, but that noon he came home from school, excited -and eager. - -“The principal was telling us this morning in assembly, Mother,” said -Fred, “that there is a family in River Bend who is just about starving -to death. The town is going to take care of them, but there are six -children in the family and they want to give them a real Christmas. The -day before school closes they’re going to take up a collection.” - -“And I suppose you want me to tell you and Margy how to earn some -money,” said Mrs. Williamson, smiling. - -“No, I have a new scheme,” said Fred. “We’re going to have a session of -the Riddle Club before Christmas. I haven’t had a chance to talk this -over with Polly yet, but I thought it would be fine if we had an open -meeting and asked the fathers and mothers to come. The way you did in -camp this summer, you know.” - -“I don’t see what that has to do with the Christmas collection,” said -Margy, who was listening. - -“It has a lot to do with it,” Fred retorted. “I thought that, instead -of paying forfeits when Mother and the others missed a riddle, they -could pay money, and we could give the money to the poor children. And -if we missed riddles, we’d pay, too.” - -“Why, Fred, I like that plan very much,” said his mother. “I’m sure -Polly will like it, too. Tell her as soon as you can, so you’ll all -have time to study up hard riddles.” - -“You won’t mind not being able to guess them, will you, Mother?” -laughed Margy. “You like to help people along.” - -When Mr. Williamson heard of this plan, he was even more enthusiastic -than his wife. He said he had a plan of his own, but that he would keep -it a secret till the meeting. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -A PRACTICAL JOKE - - -Polly approved of Fred’s plan the moment she heard it; and the -Riddle Club members fell upon the riddle books--well-worn by this -time--old scrap books, and clippings and even went about among their -acquaintances, collecting difficult riddles. - -“For we must make them as hard as we can,” said Polly, earnestly. “Then -no one will be able to guess them and we’ll have heaps of money to take -to school for the collection.” - -But, of course, they couldn’t think of riddles every hour in the day, -no matter how interested they were in the coming meeting. There was, as -Artie observed, “a good deal of weather going on,” and it alternately -rained and snowed for three days. This added to the beauty of the -snowman, for he grew a little icicle beard, and he wore earrings, too, -formed of the melted and frozen snow. - -“I think we ought to break those off,” said Ward, much scandalized. “I -never saw a man wear earrings.” - -“Don’t touch that snowman,” ordered Fred. “If he wants to wear -earrings, let him! Every one says he is the biggest snow statue we ever -had in River Bend, and we’re not going to spoil him picking on him.” - -The pictures Harry Worden had taken turned out beautifully, and he -had had an enlargement made for the Riddle Club clubroom. Mrs. Marley -cleverly framed it in an old frame that fitted exactly, and the snowman -hung on the wall of the pretty clubroom and was much admired. - -Though Fred had searched diligently for his bank and never ceased to -mourn it, he could not find it, nor even a trace of where it might have -been. Jess sympathized with him deeply--as indeed they all did, for -Fred had been so very proud of the money saved. - -“I’d give anything, if I could find that bank,” said Fred, twenty times -a day. “I don’t see what I could have done with it. And why can’t I -remember where I put it down or where I had it last?” - -“I don’t know,” Jess would sigh. “I don’t see, myself, how you could -lose a whole bank. But then, I lost my lovely glove, and the one that’s -left isn’t a bit of good. And they cost six dollars--they were real -brushed wool. Oh, dear, it’s awful to lose things, isn’t it?” - -“I wouldn’t care if I’d lost a glove,” said Fred. “I wouldn’t mind -losing anything of mine, even my new stickpin Aunt Katherine sent me. -Because that would be mine and it wouldn’t affect any one else. But -here I’ve gone and lost all the money that belongs to the Riddle Club! -I’m saving my allowance, but it will be a million years before I get -enough saved to make up for what I lost. What’s a glove, compared to a -bank?” - -Along about this time of year school began to be what Jess called -“exciting.” The classes stayed after school several afternoons to make -decorations for the auditorium, where a Christmas party was always -held. This year Polly had learned how to make pretty red flowers, and -Miss Elliott, her teacher, suggested that if long wreaths were braided -of crêpe paper strands and these flowers placed at intervals, the -effect would be very pretty. - -“It’s a good deal of work,” Miss Elliott said; “but the festoons will -stay up till we come back to school after the holidays. There’ll be a -good many visitors at the school, just before Christmas, and we’d like -the auditorium to look its best. If you’ll make the flowers, Polly, -we’ll all help braid.” - -Polly was glad to make the flowers, and she stayed after school for an -hour or two every afternoon, cutting and pasting. - -“I’m so sick of braiding this silly old paper,” Carrie Pepper -complained to Mattie Helms. “I think it’s mean we never have any of -the fun. All Polly Marley has to do is to sit there and make flowers. -Any one can make flowers, and it’s interesting. Not like braiding this -stuff.” - -“I don’t think her flowers are much,” commented Mattie. “Do you?” - -“No, nothing extra,” said Carrie. “There goes Fred Williamson. He looks -at me so funny, every time he sees me.” - -Carrie did not know it, but Fred was almost sure she had taken his -bank. He could not see her without wondering if she really would do a -thing like that. He did not believe, for an instant, that she would -take the bank and use the money, for that would be stealing; but he -thought she might keep it, as she had Polly’s pin, to torment him. He -tried to imagine what she would say if he should walk up to her some -day and ask her to hand back the bank. But he never did ask her, for -his common sense told him he had nothing to uphold his suspicions and -that it would be rather foolish to accuse Carrie of taking anything -when he had no proof. - -Polly worked on the flowers one afternoon till she had two dozen ready, -all but the long green stems. - -“I think I’ll take these home,” she said to Miss Elliott. “I can wrap -the wire there and finish them easily.” - -“That’s a good plan,” Miss Elliott replied. “Here’s a pasteboard box to -carry them in. But don’t try to do them all to-night, Polly--you ought -to play outdoors an hour before you have supper. It’s a shame to miss -all this good coasting.” - -Polly put her flowers and the things she would need to finish them into -the box her teacher gave her. She had just reached the steps when some -one hailed her. - -“Hey, Polly!” her brother shouted. “Come on over here! We’re firing at -targets!” - -Polly looked. The boys had tacked up an empty tin can on one of the -trees in the school yard and they were firing snowballs into it--that -is, if a snowball went into it, it counted a bull’s-eye. - -“You watch me, Polly!” cried Artie, as Polly put her box down on the -step and came running across the yard. “Bet you I hit it this time!” - -He packed a firm, damp snowball, took careful aim, and fired. - -“Did it!” he shrieked. “Told you so!” - -Fred laughed and handed a ready-made ball to Polly. - -“You try,” he said. - -Polly stepped back a few feet, shut her eyes, and threw the ball. It -struck the tree a few feet above the tin can. - -“Don’t shut your eyes,” instructed Fred. “You want to aim. Here, try -again,” and he gave her a second ball. - -This time Polly hit the tree below the can. But her third trial was -more successful, and the snowball went neatly into the can, scoring -what Artie enthusiastically informed her was “a peach of a bull’s-eye.” - -“I can’t stay another minute,” said Polly, when they asked her to try -again. “Where’s Jess and Margy? I have to go on home and finish some -more flowers.” - -“Jess had to go to the dentist and Margy went to take a music lesson,” -Fred recited. - -“Oh, of course--yes, I remember,” said Polly. “Margy is coming over -to-night to practice our duet.” - -Polly and Margy were to play a duet at the Christmas party in school. - -Picking up the box she had left on the steps, Polly hurried off home, -while the boys continued to hurl snowballs at the tomato can with -varying success but unwaning enthusiasm. - -“I wouldn’t work on those flowers now, Polly,” said Mrs. Marley, when -she saw her daughter. “You’ve been indoors all day, and you’ll feel -much better if you take your sled and have a coast or two before it’s -dark. I’ll help you with the flowers after supper and we’ll get them -done in less than an hour.” - -So Polly went out again and met Margy, now through with her lesson, and -they had four trips down the hill and back with their sleds before the -five o’clock whistle sounded. - -When Polly came in, she went upstairs to brush her hair. She had left -the box of flowers on the bed in her room, and she was surprised to -find a dark stain spreading over the counterpane. - -“What in the world is that?” she said, in astonishment. - -She lifted the box hastily. It was heavy with water, and it was water -that had seeped through the pasteboard and made the stain. - -Polly tore off the lid--melted snow! - -“Some one put it there!” she cried. “But where are my flowers? I had -them in the box--I never took them out--I don’t see----” - -She called her mother, and together they puzzled over it as they -changed the bed clothes, for even the blankets were soaked through -from the water. - -“Some one has played a trick on you,” said Mrs. Marley, spreading clean -sheets. “The paper flowers were light, so they could substitute snow -without making a difference in weight. Where did you leave the box?” - -“I didn’t leave it----” Polly began. - -Then she remembered. - -“I put it down on the school steps while I tried to throw a snowball -into the tomato can,” she said. “But there was no one in the school -yard, except the boys, Mother.” - -“Nevertheless, that is when the trick was done,” declared Mrs. Marley. -“Some one took out the flowers and the paper and wires and filled the -box with snow. It’s a mean thing to do, I’ll admit; but I don’t suppose -they thought you’d put the box on the bed. They must have counted on -your opening the box as soon as you reached home.” - -“But I promised Miss Elliott to bring her the flowers in the morning,” -said poor Polly, looking very much as though she might cry. “She wants -them to put in the new rope that’s already braided.” - -“Don’t cry, Polly,” said her mother. “You’ll have the flowers. I have -always said that the best way to pay a practical joker back, is not -to let him know his joke has been a success. We’ll get Artie and Jess -and Ward and Fred and Margy to come and help, and, working together, -we can make and finish two dozen flowers this evening. Then, when you -take them to school, don’t say a word about the missing ones. Whoever -played the trick will be waiting to hear you complain, and if you act -as though nothing had happened they’ll be more surprised than you were -when you opened this box.” - -When the others heard what had happened, they were eager to help. -Fortunately, Polly had the materials for making the flowers on hand, -and as soon as supper was over the six chums set busily to work. Polly -and her mother cut the flower patterns and helped start them, but the -others soon learned how to fold and paste, and they refused to stop and -rest until the full two dozen flowers were finished and neatly packed -in another box. - -“And here’s a little ice-cream,” said Mr. Marley, coming in as the -scissors were being put away. “I thought the least I could do for such -an industrious circle was to get them a little refreshment, since I -have no talent for making paper flowers.” - -The next morning Carrie Pepper and Mattie Helms watched to see what -Polly would say when Miss Elliott came. To their intense surprise, -Polly marched up to the desk and put down a pasteboard box. - -“I finished the flowers, Miss Elliott,” she said clearly. - -Carrie looked at Mattie. They both felt a little foolish. And though -neither would admit it, they admired Polly, who, instead of complaining -and “fussing,” had evidently managed in some mysterious way to get her -flowers finished on time. - -“Thank goodness, that’s done,” said Polly, with a sigh of relief, as -she went back to her seat. “Now we can have the Riddle Club meeting -to-night and enjoy ourselves.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -THE SPECIAL MEETING - - -That night it began to snow again, the fine, steady snow that always -promises a real storm. When Mr. Marley came home to supper, his -overcoat was covered with the white flakes. - -“It’s lucky that every one lives near,” said Mrs. Marley, lighting -another electric lamp to make the dining-room more cheerful. “No one -would want to go very far on a night like this.” - -“Oh, they would, Mother, if they were going to the Riddle Club,” Artie -assured her. “I’d go anywhere to a Riddle Club meeting.” - -Mrs. Marley laughed and said she was thankful she didn’t have to tramp -through a snowstorm to reach the meeting. - -“Isn’t it lovely to have this room?” said Polly to Artie, when, a -little later, they went upstairs to the warm, well-lighted, pretty -clubroom. Artie had borrowed the key from Ward, because they wanted to -make sure the heat was turned on before the guests arrived. - -“Think how it would be out in the barn on a night like this,” remarked -Artie, breathing on the window panes so that he could see out. “Gee, -Polly, it’s snowing yet.” - -A stamping and scuffling on the porch announced that the members and -guests of the Riddle Club had arrived. The Williamsons, of course, -had come from no further away than the next house and the Larues from -across the street, but they were covered with the snow. They took -off their coats and shook them on the porch, and even then, when Mr. -Williamson took off his hat inside the house, a powdery shower of white -fell to the rug. - -Polly glanced at her mother as though to remind her of something. - -“You’ll want to have a business meeting before we come upstairs,” said -Mrs. Marley, pleasantly. “So run on up, children, and when you are -ready for us, let Artie call.” - -Polly led the way up to the clubroom and called the meeting to order -promptly. - -“This is to be a short business meeting,” she said gravely. “We have no -unfinished business to consider and so there is only one thing to do.” - -“What’s that?” asked the unsuspecting Fred. - -“Collect the dues,” said Polly, holding out a new copper bank to the -club treasurer. - -Margy declared afterward that she thought Fred was going to cry. His -face got very red, and for a moment he did not say anything. - -“You want me to collect the dues?” he asked, when he did speak. “Dues -from you, after I lost all the club money?” - -“Don’t be silly,” said Jess, from her corner. “Everybody knows you -didn’t lose the bank purposely. We’ve all brought our money, and it’s -up to you to collect it.” - -And Jess walked over and put a shining new dime in the slit in the -bank. Artie followed her. - -Never had Fred, in his experience as treasurer, found it so easy to -collect dues from the entire membership. Even Ward did not argue, but -insisted on paying his dime. And none of them would hear of Fred giving -the bank to any one else to take care of, or leaving it in the clubroom. - -“You’re the treasurer, and you take care of it,” said Polly. “You suit -us, and if we don’t fuss about the money that’s lost I don’t see why -you should. Artie, go call the folks to come up.” - -The grown-ups came in and sat down in the chairs provided for them. -Polly, who was now used to talking “standing up,” as she said, thought -it best to explain the purpose of the meeting again. - -“This is a special kind of session of the Riddle Club,” she said -earnestly. “Instead of forfeits, the ones who fail to guess a riddle -must pay money, and the money collected is going to school, to be used -for a poor family. But don’t try flunking the riddles, because that -isn’t fair.” - -“You’d rather have good sportsmanship than a tray full of money, -Polly?” asked Mr. Williamson, smiling. - -Polly nodded. - -“If we win the prize riddle to-night, we’re going to give that to the -collection, too,” she said. - -“That reminds me of something I have to say,” Mr. Williamson declared. -“I said I had a secret for you, and this is it: I’ll pay ten cents to -the school collection for every riddle that is guessed correctly here -to-night and an extra five dollars if the prize riddle is solved, the -extra money to go in the club bank.” - -Polly saw that Mr. Williamson had chosen that way of helping Fred make -up the money lost, and she thought it was a most generous way. She -didn’t say so, but she smiled at Mr. Williamson and he knew that she -understood what he was trying to do. - -“I thought we’d open the answers to the prize riddle first,” said Polly. - -Choosing from the six folded papers on the table before her, she opened -one and read it aloud. - -“The riddle was, ‘Why do pianos bear the noblest characters?’ And this -answer says, ‘Because they’re always cheerful.’” - -“They’re not,” said Margy, positively. “I guess I ought to know.” - -“No piano is cheerful when you’re practicing your music lesson on it,” -agreed Mrs. Williamson, smiling. - -“The second answer reads, ‘Because they keep in tune,’” read Polly. - -“Not so bad,” said Mr. Williamson. “But it doesn’t happen to be the one -we’re after.” - -Polly picked up a third paper. - -“This one says, ‘Because pianos are expensive.’” She tried not to laugh -when she read this. She recognized the writing as Artie’s. - -“Here’s another,” she said hurriedly. “‘Pianos bear the noblest -characters because they are grand, upright, and square.’ Why, that must -be right!” added Polly, in surprise. - -“Correct!” said Mr. Williamson. “See if that last paper has solved it, -too. No? Well, then, will the prize winner please step forward and -receive the prize?” - -To the utter astonishment of the roomful, Margy came forward. - -“Margy Williamson, you never guessed a riddle, did you?” gasped her -mother. - -If it had been Fred, no one would have wondered. But Margy! She who -always complained that every riddle was too hard, that she couldn’t -spell the words in them or do the arithmetic they demanded of her. -Margy! - -“It isn’t very complimentary to be so upset, Margy,” said her daddy, -putting a little white box in her hand; “but I must say you are the -last member of the Riddle Club I thought would solve a prize riddle.” - -Margy grinned and opened her box. In it were two beautiful five dollar -gold pieces. - -“One goes in the bank,” she said, slipping it in as she spoke, “and -the other goes on the tray for the school collection,” and she put the -gold piece on the silver tray Mrs. Marley had loaned for this special -occasion. - -“How did you ever guess it?” Ward asked respectfully. - -It was a question that each one had wanted to ask. - -“Well, you see,” Margy explained, “I can’t guess riddles unless I have -time to think about ’em. I thought and thought and _thought_ about this -one. Every time I sat down to practice, I thought some more. Then I -heard Miss Elliott talking to the music supervisor one day, and she -said something about our school piano being out of date. - -“‘No school uses the old square pianos if they can get uprights,’ she -said. - -“I looked ‘upright’ up in the dictionary,” Margy went on, “and I found -there was more than one meaning and one meant ‘honest and square’; so -I guessed both words could count. And Mattie Helms told me one day in -school that she was going to take music lessons as soon as her mother -bought a grand piano--and there I had another word to use. They all -fitted in, so I just used them.” - -“Good for you, Margy!” cried Mr. Larue, clapping his hands. “You -deserve to win the prize.” - -They all clapped Margy, and she settled down happily again on the -window seat, between Artie and Jess. - -“Now we’ll ask the riddle,” said Polly. “Margy, you begin, because you -won.” - -“Daddy Williamson,” said Margy, seriously, “What is that which by -losing an eye has nothing left but a nose?” - -“A one-eyed man?” guessed Mr. Williamson. - -“Forfeit!” cried Ward, so excited that he couldn’t keep still. “It’s -noise.” - -“Well, let Margy tell her own answers to her own riddles, Ward,” -reproved Polly. - -“How much is the forfeit to be?” asked Mr. Williamson. - -“I don’t think you ought to pay any,” said Polly. “You gave us ten -dollars, and that’s enough.” - -“Oh, I want to pay a forfeit,” Mr. Williamson insisted. “Like my -daughter, I don’t seem to be able to spell without thinking. Suppose we -pay ten cents for the riddles we miss?” - -The others were willing, so Mr. Williamson put ten cents on the silver -tray. - -“Mother,” said Ward, at a sign from Polly, “What is the difference -between a schoolmaster and an engineer?” - -“One trains the mind, the other minds the train,” answered Mrs. Larue, -with a smile. “That was a pet riddle of mine years ago, Ward.” - -“I guess you told it to me,” admitted Ward, “but I forgot.” - -“Ten cents for the collection,” said Mr. Williamson, putting down a -dime on the tray. - -It was Jess’s turn to ask her father. - -“What is that which never asks questions, yet requires many answers?” -asked Jess, eagerly. - -“I should say a-a-a- oh, Jess, I’ll pay ten cents gladly for the -answer,” said Mr. Larue, placing two nickels with the other change. - -“It’s a doorbell,” said Jess. - -“Artie,” nodded Polly. “Your turn.” - -“What mechanic never turns to the left, Mother?” he asked hopefully. - -“The bricklayer?” she suggested. - -“Forfeit!” cried Artie. “It’s the wheelwright.” - -Mrs. Marley paid her money and explained to Ward what a wheelwright -was, and then Fred was ready to tackle his mother. - -“Bet you can’t guess this, Mother,” he said. “Of what trade were all -the presidents of the United States?” - -“Why, Fred, cabinet makers, of course,” replied Mrs. Williamson. - -“Here’s the ten cents for you, Mother,” said Mr. Williamson, gleefully. -“I’m glad one of us solved a riddle.” - -“Polly’s last,” said Ward. “Go on, Polly, ask your dad.” - -“Why is an egg lightly boiled like one boiled too much, Daddy?” asked -Polly, smiling. - -“I know nothing about cooking,” said Mr. Marley, pretending to frown. -“Is it because you can’t eat it?” - -“Forfeit, Daddy!” cried Artie. “He’s wrong, isn’t he, Polly?” - -“The answer is, ‘Because it is hardly done,’” said Polly, holding out -her hand for the ten cents. - -They had planned to ask each other riddles, but when Mrs. Marley -suggested they all go down to the kitchen and make molasses candy and -cool it in the snow, the members of the Riddle Club decided that they -had had enough riddles. - -“We put our five dollars into the collection, so we are not being -selfish,” said Polly, soberly. “How much money have we for the poor -family, Fred?” - -“Counting the five dollars, we have five dollars and sixty cents,” said -Fred. - -“That’s fine!” said Polly and Jess together, and Mr. Larue added forty -cents more to make the fund six dollars. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -MERRY CHRISTMAS - - -The molasses candy was a great success and so was the school collection -the next day. When Polly told Miss Elliott how they had collected the -six dollars, the teacher thought it was such an interesting story that -she asked Polly to tell it before the assembly. Polly was too shy, but -Fred was persuaded, and when he had finished speaking, the principal -had a few words to say. - -“I’d like the Riddle Club to know,” he said, “that we all admire their -energy and generosity. They could have asked their parents for the -money, but instead they held this novel meeting. And the girl who won -the prize for the riddle could have kept the money for something else, -but she chose to send it to girls who have nothing. To-day is the first -time I have heard in detail of the Riddle Club, but I shall always -remember it after this morning.” - -Dear, dear, wasn’t the Riddle Club pleased and embarrassed and proud, -all at once! - -“Carrie Pepper looked as though she could cheerfully bite you, Polly,” -said Jess, at recess. “I don’t believe she liked to hear us talked -about that way.” - -“Oh, she’s all right,” said Polly. “If you don’t look out, Jess, you’ll -be like Fred. He can’t say one good thing about Carrie. I don’t believe -he even speaks to her now.” - -School closed two days before Christmas, and the party, which the -entire school attended, was one long two hours of fun and laughter. -Margy and Polly played their duet and there were recitations. A huge -Christmas tree was trimmed entirely with things to eat. Popcorn and -peanuts and strings of cranberries and doughnuts tied on with red -ribbons, cookies strung together like necklaces, red apples, oranges -cut in fancy shapes, net bags of candy, bars of chocolate done up to -look like presents--that tree looked as any Christmas tree would look -trimmed for a party, but there wasn’t a single decoration on it that -couldn’t be eaten. - -The children ate everything on it, too, before going home, and then it -was carried out in the school yard and planted in the snow to serve as -a dinner table for the birds. The older boys climbed it and fastened -bits of suet to the highest branches, and Christmas morning those who -passed the yard saw flocks of hungry birds enjoying a holiday feast. - -“We must fix Riddle Chap up for Christmas,” suggested Polly, as they -walked home after the party. - -Riddle Chap had had his tree to hold long ago, but as Polly pointed -out, there was nothing on it. - -“He needs a cheerful necktie,” Fred declared. “I’ll get him that red -one with purple spots that Daddy never wears.” - -“We’ll put suet in the tree for the birds,” said Jess. “They’ll like -that. And we can hang a wreath around his neck.” - -“We’ll trim him all over!” cried Polly, joyously. “Give him a wreath -and wind ground pine around his body and stick a holly spray in his -hat.” - -They were as good as their word, and Riddle Chap, on Christmas Eve, was -as gay as any snowman who ever had Christmas dreams. He wore a wreath -about his throat, a fearfully bright necktie under his chin, holly in -his hat, and his arms and legs were wound with ropes of ground pine. - -Polly and Margy liked to consider themselves almost grown up--at -times--and Fred was sure he was much older than Ward and Artie. Jess, -who was a year older than Margy, liked to romp too well to desire -“grown-upness,” as she called it. But when Christmas Eve came, each -member of the Riddle Club discovered that hanging up one’s stocking was -half the fun of Christmas, and Polly and Margy and Fred were just as -eager as Artie and Jess and Ward. - -“Come over early,” they told each other when they said good-night, -after the snowman was arrayed. “Come over early and see our things.” - -Artie may have started for Ward’s house--at least, that is what he -always said he was doing, though his mother declared he must have -been dreaming. Anyway, long before daylight, the Marley household was -awakened by a tremendous crash. - -Mr. and Mrs. Marley rushed out from their room, meeting Polly in the -hall. - -“Where’s Artie?” she gasped. - -“Here he is,” called Artie, sweetly. “I guess I kind of fell -downstairs. The globe fell off the lamp on the newel post.” - -Artie wasn’t hurt--though it was a wonder, for the broken glass from -the globe was strewn all around him--and he did not seem to be sleepy -at all. Perhaps the fall had awakened him. However, his father said -that no one was to think of opening Christmas presents at half-past -three in the morning, and Artie had to go back to bed and wait till -daylight for further excitement. - -Just as soon as it was light, Artie and Polly were downstairs to -examine their stockings. Whoever had filled them, knew exactly how the -job should be done and Ward and Jess, and Margy and Fred, had the same -report to make. - -There were the red beads Polly wanted in the toe of hers; packed in -among the candy and nuts in his, Artie found the jackknife he had -long coveted; Ward, who had once said he never had enough to eat, was -delighted with a stocking stuffed from toe to top with nothing but food -of one sort or another; Jess found a new pair of gloves rolled up in -hers, to take the place of the missing one. Margy had beads, too, only -hers were blue; and Fred had a fountain pen with his initials on it in -gold. - -After the stockings came breakfast, and then it was time to see the -larger presents. Later, Polly and Artie went to the Williamsons and -helped Fred and Margy try on their new skates, then the four went to -the Larues to help Jess and Ward admire the two new sleds, and then -they all went back to the Marley house where Polly and Artie displayed -a jumble of new skates, sweaters and muff and games and books that made -one wonder what these children would have left to wish for another -Christmas. - -“We’ll all go to the post-office,” said Polly. “The mail is in now.” - -And it was, a delightfully exciting mail which held cards and letters -and packages for every one in the three families, from cousins and -aunts and uncles who lived far away. - -“Oh, my!” gasped Artie, when the packages were sorted out and he had -his in his arms. “Look! Here’s something from Mr. Kirby!” - -Well, there was a package for each member of the Riddle Club from Mr. -Kirby. They knew he had sent them, for his name and address were on the -outside wrapper. Each box was exactly alike in shape and size. What -_could_ be in them? - -“Let’s open them,” said Artie, sensibly. - -There were a number of wrappers, and from the last one tumbled a small -white box and a card that read, “With best Christmas wishes to Artie -Marley, from his friends, Tony Kirby and Will Adams.” - -Each card said the same thing, substituting the various names of the -Riddle Club members. - -“Oh! Oh! Oh!” cried Polly, the moment she had opened her box. “How -perfectly lovely!” - -The little box was lined with blue velvet, and on the blue velvet lay -a gold signet ring. There were two letters engraved on the face. They -were R.C. Polly lifted out the ring and turned it over. Inside it was -engraved with her name and the date. - -“And they fit!” said Margy, in surprise, as six rings were slipped on -six fingers. “He must have asked our mothers what size we wear!” - -And that was exactly what Mr. Kirby had done. He had written to find -out what ring sizes to order, and the three mothers had kept his secret -carefully. - -“He gave us our lovely club pins, and now we have club rings,” said -Polly. “I never knew any one so nice!” - -“Let’s hurry and write him a letter right away, and Mrs. Williamson can -take it to-morrow,” suggested Artie. - -Mr. and Mrs. Williamson were supposed to spend New Year’s with the -Kirbys in Rye, because they had not gone at Thanksgiving time. But Mrs. -Williamson had discovered that she couldn’t go away from home for New -Year’s Day, and now they were to leave the next day and have a little -visit during holiday week. Fred and Margy were to stay with the Marleys -while their parents were away. - -The next morning, when Mr. and Mrs. Williamson set off for Rye, they -carried a letter signed by all the Riddle Club members, thanking Mr. -Kirby and Mr. Adams for their gifts and telling them how much happiness -they had given. - -“Gee, isn’t it cold,” said Fred, as the Williamson automobile -disappeared around the turn in Elm Road. “I’ll bet you it is thirty -degrees below zero.” - -Mr. Larue overheard him and laughed. - -“You wouldn’t be standing there so complacently, Fred, if it were as -cold as that,” he said. “This is just good skating weather.” - -It was so cold and clear that Jess declared she saw “miles and miles” -when she looked across the river, now frozen over. The ground was -covered with snow, of course, and at every step this crunched under -foot. When a wagon went past the wheels screeched, a sure sign of a -cold day. - -“Isn’t it great!” bubbled Ward. “We have new skates and there’ll be -skating as soon as they get the river swept off; there isn’t any -school, so we can have all the fun we want; and there’s good coasting, -too, and some of us have new sleds. And I haven’t eaten all my candy -up, either,” he added. - -“You’re one satisfied person,” commented Fred, blinking, for the sun -on the snow was dazzling. “Let’s go down and watch them sweep off the -river. Maybe they won’t let us on yet.” - -But “they” were willing for River Bend folk to go skating, for the -ice was firm and thick. Later it would be cut to fill ice-houses, but -as a rule the children could count on good skating through January. A -group of men were busily at work this morning, with brooms, brushes and -horse-drawn scrapers, taking the snow off the ice and getting it ready -for the skaters. The sun was helping, too, and the Riddle Club members -decided that by noon the river would be in fine condition. - -“We’re going up to the pond, Mother,” said Polly, at the lunch table. -“No, we’ll not be cold. You never get cold skating.” - -“Don’t be late for supper,” cautioned Mrs. Marley. “And be sure you are -dressed warmly. It will be much colder toward night.” - -“It’s cold enough now,” grumbled Margy, who would have liked to go -skating in July, if that had been possible. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -ANOTHER RACE - - -Although Margy refused to be enthusiastic about cold weather, nothing -would induce her to miss a skating party. She could skate well, as -indeed could nearly every child in River Bend. With a river at hand, -it would have been strange if they had failed to learn as soon as they -could buckle on their skates. The Riddle Club members could hardly -remember the time when they had not gone skating. - -“Wouldn’t it have been a shame,” said Fred, striking off up the ice -with long, even swings, “if the first skating of the year had come -while we had to go to school?” - -“Yes, it would,” agreed Ward. “I think they ought to cut out school in -the winter, anyway. I don’t mind it so much in March, because half the -time it rains and you can’t have much fun in the rain; but winter is -the best time of year to be outdoors.” - -Ward looked as though he was thoroughly enjoying himself. He was -puffing slightly--he couldn’t help getting out of breath when he -exercised--but his eyes were beaming and he showed his even, white -teeth in a delighted grin. - -“I don’t think it’s as cold as it was,” said Jess to Polly. - -“That’s because you’ve warmed up,” declared Polly wisely. “I’m never -cold when I’m skating.” - -“Just the same, it is warmer,” insisted Jess. - -“Sure it is,” Fred flung over his shoulder. “It’s turned warmer since -we came out.” - -Though Polly had announced that they were going up to the pond, they -did not start right away. The river was fairly well covered with -skaters by this time, and presently a string of skaters appeared, seven -boys and seven girls, each wearing a white woolly sweater with a large -“C.C.” stitched across the front. - -“Look at the Conundrum Club!” cried Polly. “They have sweaters just -alike. Do you suppose they’re Christmas presents?” - -The sweaters were Christmas gifts. Carrie herself told Polly, when she -skated up a few minutes later and asked to see the Riddle Club rings. - -“How did you know we had rings?” Polly asked, surprised. - -“Oh, some girl told me,” said Carrie. “I suppose they’re plated. But -the monogram is kind of nice, only I think signet rings are rather old -fashioned, don’t you?” - -Polly wanted to laugh, for Carrie was trying the ring on as she spoke. -Carrie seldom praised another’s possessions, but it was easy to see -that she admired the new ring. - -“I say, Fred,” called Joe Anderson, skating up, “let’s have a race. Bet -you I can beat you to the bend and back.” - -Margy pulled violently on Fred’s sweater. - -“Don’t do it,” she whispered. “He cheats! Remember the time you -coasted?” - -Fred did remember, but a challenge was a challenge. - -“All right, I’ll race you,” he said shortly. - -“Why don’t we all race?” asked Carrie, shrilly. “Let’s make it a -Conundrum Club against the Riddle Club race.” - -“Go on--that will be fun!” cried some of the other boys and girls -skating about the circle. “And the winners have to race again.” - -That was the way it was finally decided--that six of the Conundrum Club -members should race the members of the Riddle Club. Joe Anderson chose -the ones he wanted to represent the Conundrum Club--besides himself and -Carrie, there were Mattie Helms, Albert Holmes, Ben Asher and Stella -Dorman. - -“We’ll line up and start when Edith counts three,” said Joe, who, -having planned the race, did not seem to think he was obliged, as a -matter of courtesy, to consult the wishes of any one else. - -Edith Spencer was a member of the Conundrum Club. She was a girl who -easily became excited, and the first time she tried to count three she -stuttered so badly that no one could tell what she was trying to say. -The second time she did better and at the word “Three!” the skaters -dashed off, Joe Anderson in the lead. - -“I wish I was bigger!” thought Artie, skating bravely. “I’d like to -win--but just the same if I can’t beat that Albert Holmes, I’d like to -know the reason!” - -The bend in the river had been designated as the turning point, and Joe -Anderson reached it first, with Fred close behind him. Fred was saving -his speed for the spurt he wanted to make on the return way. Polly was -ahead of Carrie and Mattie had just passed Margy when Jess stumbled and -fell. - -“Don’t stop!” she cried, as Ward and Artie came up with her. “Go on! -Hurry!” - -But Ward and Artie pulled her to her feet, and then the three tried -desperately to regain the ground lost. It was too much of a handicap, -however, and Albert Holmes and Ben Asher both came in ahead of Artie, -who had set his heart on beating Albert. - -It was almost a tie between Fred and Joe, and Polly was a half yard -ahead of Carrie, so another race was planned between these four. - -Fred had a plan all his own which he hoped would work. He had carefully -refrained from fast skating in the first race, being contented to keep -up with Joe. He knew that the second race would be harder, because he -would not be as fresh. This time he was determined to skate at top -speed. - -At the signal they started, Polly in the lead. A flash passed her; it -was Fred, head bent, eyes on his skates. Try as he would, Joe could not -pass him, and Fred held his lead to the bend and back to the starting -point, winning by a good yard. - -“Well, anyway, Carrie beat Polly,” said Stella Dorman, as Carrie shot -in ahead of Polly, who had lost time in making the turn. “No one can -say the Riddle Club skaters are better than we are.” - -Fred was satisfied to have it that way. - -“Come on, we’re going somewhere,” he said, beckoning to his chums. -“Race you again some time, Joe.” - -The Riddle Club waved good-bye and went on up the river. They skated -more slowly now, for they were just a little tired from the excitement -and the fast skating. Polly’s cheeks were crimson and Ward was panting. - -“Let’s sit down a minute,” suggested Jess. “I want to see if I skinned -my knee when I fell down.” - -They skated into the shore and sat down on the bank. Jess discovered -that her knee was not badly hurt, after all, and Ward was grateful for -the rest. - -“Looks like more snow,” said Fred, pointing to the sky, now gray and -overcast. - -“Why can’t you be cheerful?” scolded Margy. “We’ve had all the snow we -want for a long time. It’s going to be clear weather--the paper said -so,” and Margy looked triumphantly at her brother. - -“You have to take the kind of weather you get,” said Artie, sagely. “It -doesn’t make any difference what you want.” - -“Well, I don’t think it’s going to snow,” announced Polly, rising. -“Come on--if we’re going to Jackson’s Pond, we’d better get there. We -haven’t reached the fork, yet.” - -[Illustration: FRED HELD HIS LEAD, WINNING BY A YARD.] - -To reach the pond, it was necessary to skate to a point where the -river forked. Two miles up this arm, one came to Jackson’s Pond, a -place much used for picnics in summer and the scene of evening skating -parties in the winter. It had long been an ambition of Fred’s to skate -all the way to this pond, because he had always gone by automobile -before. - -The children skated steadily and soon reached the fork where they -turned into the narrow “arm” that lay through a rather desolate -country. There were no houses to be seen, but here and there smoke -drifted from a chimney and indicated the presence of a farm. - -“I wouldn’t like to live up here, would you?” said Artie. - -“No, River Bend is much nicer,” agreed Jess. - -“Still, we could skate to school if we lived here,” suggested Polly. -“That must be the schoolhouse over there.” - -She pointed to a small building set in a fenced yard. There was a flag -pole, but no flag was flying. - -“Closed for the holidays,” commented Fred. “There! Who said it wasn’t -going to snow?” he added triumphantly. - -A stinging wet flake struck Margy’s upturned face. - -“It’s just a flurry,” she said comfortably. - -“Perhaps we’d better turn around and go back,” said Polly. “We’ll be -skating against the wind, anyway, and it will take us longer to get -home than it has to come.” - -“Oh, come on, we want to be able to say we’ve skated as far as the -pond,” urged Fred. “You’re not afraid of a little snow, are you, Polly?” - -“No, I’m not, but I don’t want to be caught in a big storm, miles away -from any house,” said Polly, sensibly. - -“This won’t be a big storm,” declared Artie. - -But the snow continued to come faster and the wind rose, growling. - -“I wonder if it’s late?” said Margy, suddenly. - -“No, it can’t be,” answered Fred. “We started right after lunch, and it -was only half-past twelve.” - -A sudden gust of wind struck Margy sharply in the face. - -“It’s so dark!” she gasped, swallowing a mouthful of snow. - -And it was dark. The clouds were heavy and they seemed so near that -Jess was sure she could touch them. The wind had risen steadily, and -as the six children rounded a bend in the stream, it caught them full -force. - -“I can’t breathe!” screamed Jess, in a sudden panic. - -“Turn around!” shouted Fred. - -They turned their backs to the storm and waited a moment. - -“There’s no use trying to go back,” cried Fred to Polly, as another -gust of wind swooped upon them. “It’s blowing from all directions at -once. We’d better try to get in somewhere.” - -“Is it a blizzard?” asked Jess. - -“It’s a storm,” said Fred, trying to speak cheerfully. “Come on, we’ll -take off our skates and walk. There’s no use trying to skate in a wind -like this.” - -They managed to get their skates off, and then climbed the low bank. - -“We’ll follow the river,” Fred decided, “because if we get back in the -country we might get lost.” - -Fred was a very comforting person to have around when things didn’t -go right, Polly thought, trudging after him. He could always think of -something to do, and his plans were usually good. Instead of being -undecided, or standing around in the teeth of the wind while he thought -of what they should do, he kept them moving, and moving was so much -better than standing still. You felt as though you were going toward -help, at least. - -“Do you see anything over there, Ward?” Fred shouted, suddenly, -breaking in on Polly’s thoughts. - -“Where?” cried Ward, peering through the whirling film of snow. - -“There--across the river,” answered Fred, pointing. - -Ward stared. Yes, the dim outlines of a building certainly could be -seen. - -“It’s a house!” shouted Fred. “We’ll have to cross over.” - -“I hope they have some kind of a fire. I’m almost frozen stiff!” -muttered Margy. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -CAUGHT IN A STORM - - -The boys helped the three girls down the bank and, slipping and -sliding, they made their way across the river to the other side. -Scrambling up this bank, they found the building was further back than -they had supposed. - -“I’m so co-old!” shivered Margy. “I don’t see any smoke coming out of a -chimney. I don’t believe any one lives there.” - -“I don’t see any chimney,” declared Ward, trying to brush the snow away -from before his face so that he could see clearly--a hopeless task. - -“Well, some one must live there,” said Fred, impatiently. “Hurry up, or -we’ll freeze standing here.” - -It was dark now, and they were stiff and tired. Their clothes were damp -and their gloves soaked through. Worse still, they were hungry, and -Artie, who had often sighed to be an explorer, began to wonder whether -he was going to starve to death in the snow. - -Fred led the way toward the building and the others followed him, -longing for the sight of a bright fire and a lighted lamp. The ground -was humpy, and Margy began to cry when she fell down. - -“I’m so tired,” she sniffed, as Polly pulled her up. “If any one lives -in that house they’re not at home, because it’s dark.” - -“Perhaps there’s a light at the back,” said Fred. “Maybe they only have -a light in the kitchen.” - -“Do you know what I think, Fred?” called Polly, raising her voice above -the wind which still buffeted them unmercifully. “I think that is a -barn! It doesn’t look like a house to me.” - -“If it’s a barn, that means there’s a house near here,” shouted Fred. -“That’s good luck.” - -But when they had reached the barn--for it was a barn, after -all--another disappointment awaited them. The building was open on both -sides, and the wind swept through the wide doorways and hurled the snow -into the corners, where it lay in heaps. - -The barn was an old one, evidently abandoned years before! - -“Come on in,” said Fred, refusing to be discouraged. “It can’t be as -cold as it is outside. And because the barn isn’t used is no sign -there isn’t a house near. There must be a house!” - -The six forlorn chums stepped inside the dark doorway and found -themselves in a cavern, or so it seemed to them. - -“Be careful,” warned Polly. “Some of the boards may be rotten and we -might step through them, or fall into a hole.” - -They felt their way carefully, following the wall, till they were well -back from the doorway through which they had entered. Protected in a -measure from the wind, they felt warmer at once. - -“You stand still,” commanded Fred. “I’m going over to that other -doorway and look out.” - -He felt his way around slowly, and when he felt the wind blow full in -his face he knew he had reached the other doorway. - -“Say, I see a light!” he called to the others. “A little light, and -that must be in a house. It looks a mile away, but I’ll bet you it is a -house.” - -“I won’t go another step,” declared Margy, sitting down on the floor. -“Not another step. I’m too tired to move.” - -“But you’ll freeze here,” said Polly. “Won’t she, Fred?” - -“I’d just as lief freeze as to break my leg walking over that humpy -ground again,” retorted Margy, bitterly. - -“Well, I’d rather stay here, too,” announced Jess. “You don’t know -positively that that light is in a house. And if it is in a house, it -may be miles and miles away. I’d rather stay here till morning.” - -They were all so tired and cold that a quarrel might easily have -developed, had not Polly proposed a plan. - -“I tell you what let’s do,” she said good-temperedly. “Let Jess and -Margy stay here and Ward and Artie take care of them; then I’ll go with -you, Fred, and we’ll see if that light is in a house. Perhaps we’ll -find the house that goes with this barn first, and that will be nearer.” - -Ward and Artie wanted to go with Polly and Fred, but were finally -persuaded to remain with the two girls. - -“Don’t stay all night,” begged Artie, as Polly whispered to him to be -good and not let Margy get frightened. - -“Say, Polly, you’re all right,” Fred told her, striking off in the -direction of the twinkling light. “I know you’re dead tired and cold, -too, but you don’t grunt. Uh!” and Fred gave a grunt himself. - -“What’s the matter?” cried Polly, anxiously. “What is it, Fred?” - -“I walked into something,” said Fred. “Nearly knocked my teeth out. -Don’t know what it is, but it feels like a tower of some sort.” - -“I know,” cried Polly, feeling the “tower.” “It’s one of the brick -foundations of a porch, Fred. Feel the loose bricks under the snow? -This is probably where the house that goes with that old barn stood, -and it either burned down or fell down.” - -“I guess you’re right,” said Fred. “See, here’s the cellar. I won’t -grumble because I walked into that column of bricks--if I hadn’t we -might have both stepped into that cellar, and that wouldn’t have been -any fun.” - -Carefully and feeling each step of the way, they skirted the open -cellar. The wind and the snow made going very slow, and the twinkling -light seemed to come no nearer. - -“Want to stop and get your breath, Polly?” asked Fred, a little -anxiously, when they had been walking some minutes in silence. - -“I’m--all--right,” gasped Polly. “But I’ve got my scarf tied over my -mouth to keep the wind out. I can’t talk.” - -They plodded on after that, and to Fred’s delight the light came nearer -and nearer at last. Soon they could see that it shone from the window -of a house and streamed feebly out on a broken picket fence. - -“At least they’re at home,” said Fred, thankfully. “You can stay and -get warm, Polly, and I’ll go back and get the others.” - -He was sure their troubles were over, and he rapped loudly on the door -with visions of a hot supper dancing before his eyes. - -No one answered his knock, and he rapped again. Still silence. - -“We’ll both knock,” said Polly, and the two of them beat a tattoo on -the door. - -“Some one’s coming,” whispered Polly. “Hark!” - -They heard a bolt drawn back and a key in the lock turned. Then the -door opened slowly and an old woman peered out. - -“Who’s there?” she asked. “What do you want?” - -“Please, we’re caught in the storm,” said Polly. “May we come in and -get warm?” - -“Why, you’re children!” said the old woman, in astonishment. “Come -in--come in. Though you can’t get warm, I’m thinking. I got out of bed -to answer your knock, and there’s no wood in the house to make a fire.” - -She opened the door wider and beckoned them to come in. They saw a -square room, neatly furnished and evidently used as a combination -sitting room and kitchen. - -“You must be chilled through,” said the old woman. “I can fix a fire -for you, if this boy will go out to the woodshed and get some wood; -there’s plenty cut there, but I couldn’t go out in the storm. My -rheumatism took me this afternoon, and I had to go to bed.” - -“There are four more of us, waiting in a barn,” explained Polly, as -Fred went out to find the woodshed, carrying a lantern the old woman -gave him. “We were out skating this afternoon and lost our way.” - -“Dear, dear, you must be hungry, too! Now, if you could cook, there’s -eggs in that bowl on the shelf and bread and butter and jam a-plenty. I -have cold baked beans left over, too.” - -The old woman could hardly walk, and Polly said at once that she would -cook the eggs. - -“Then let your brother build up a good fire and put a kettle of water -on to heat, and you set the table and get the supper ready. I’ll tell -you where to find things. I declare, I feel better already, having some -one to talk to. And that fire feels good, too. I won’t be caught this -way again; I’ll fill up my woodbox when I have a chance, and then when -I’m flat on my back I won’t have to worry.” - -Fred built a roaring fire in the stove, filled the woodbox, and then, -not stopping to dry his gloves--to say nothing of his shoes, which -were soaked through--he set off to the barn to bring the rest back with -him. - -While he was gone, Polly first made some tea and boiled an egg -for their kind hostess. Then she set the table at the old woman’s -directions, told her who they were and explained about the Riddle Club -and that Fred was not her brother. She cut the bread and scrambled -the eggs, and when Fred and the others returned they found a cheerful -picture awaiting them--a warm kitchen and a table set with six bowls -of milk and a mound of bread already buttered, not to mention a pan -of baked beans, the reddest of red currant jam, and the yellowest of -golden eggs sizzling in a pan on the stove. - -“Take off your wet things,” ordered the old woman. “I guess I have -enough bedroom slippers to go round. I have ten nieces, and every -blessed one of them has, at some time or other, knit me a pair of -bedroom slippers. They don’t seem to think I wear anything else.” - -The girls and boys laughed, but when they had taken off their heavy, -wet shoes, the red and pink and blue and purple wool knitted slippers -felt very cozy and warm to their tired feet. Their gloves and mittens -were hung on a line behind the stove and the shoes arranged in a row on -the hearth, and then they sat down to enjoy their belated supper. - -“I suppose your folks will be worried to death about you, but we can’t -help it,” said the old woman. Her name, she told them, was Mrs. Wicks. -“There’s a telephone in a house about half a mile away, but a storm -like this always breaks down the wires, even if you were fit to go out -again to-night, which you’re not. I never saw a storm come up quicker -than this one did, and it’s lucky for me you came along. I haven’t a -fancy to have a rheumatic attack and no wood for a fire in the house.” - -Artie and Ward went to sleep at the table, and that brought up the -question of where they were to sleep. - -“I’ve got two bedrooms, besides mine,” said Mrs. Wicks. “But they -haven’t been used this winter. I’m afraid they’re damp.” - -“That will be all right,” said Polly, politely. - -“No, it won’t be all right,” declared Mrs. Wicks, with vigor. “I don’t -aim to have you take cold, sleeping in damp sheets. I can’t get the -things out, but you go in and bring the sheets and blankets off those -two beds and hang ’em on chairs before the fire; that will dry them. -You can put the two little fellows on my bed till theirs is ready.” - -But neither Polly nor Fred would hear to this, so Artie and Ward were -finally shaken awake and set to work carrying out blankets while the -girls washed the dishes. Mrs. Wicks had had a nap before their arrival, -and she was enjoying herself, but Polly and Margy confided to each -other that never, never, never had they been half so tired and sleepy. - -Finally the blankets and sheets were pronounced dry, the beds made up -again, and, leaning on Fred and Polly, Mrs. Wicks hobbled to her own -room. In two minutes after they had lain down, the six members of the -Riddle Club were fast asleep, and though the wind howled all night and -shook the windows and rattled loose shutters, not a sound did they -hear. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -MRS. WICKS - - -Polly was the first to wake in the morning. She opened one eye -sleepily, saw her dress hanging over a chair back, caught a glimpse of -unfamiliar wall paper on the side of the room, and sat up with a jerk. - -“What’s the matter?” asked Jess, drowsily. - -“Oh!” said Polly. “I remember now. We’re here. Say, Jess, it must be -late; the sun is shining.” - -“Then it’s stopped snowing,” said Jess. “We can go home. Let’s get -dressed in a jiffy.” - -Margy woke up, and it did not take the three girls long to dress, for -they had slept in their underclothes, having removed only their dresses -and stockings. - -Polly peeped out into the kitchen and saw Fred pumping water at the -sink. - -“Want to wash your face?” he whispered. “Here’s a towel. It’s stopped -snowing, but you ought to see the snow!” - -Polly stood on tiptoe to glance out of the window over the sink. The -sun was dazzling, and trees and fences and outbuildings were plastered -with drifts of snow, flung against them by the wind. - -“Isn’t it pretty!” cried Polly, in delight. - -“It won’t be so pretty to walk home,” said Ward, who joined them. - -“Are you children up?” called Mrs. Wicks. “I wish one of you girls -would help me get dressed. My knee isn’t any worse, but then it isn’t -any better.” - -“I’ll help her,” offered Margy, hastily. “You build the fire, Fred, -because it’s freezing cold in this kitchen.” - -Fred and Artie went out to get more wood, for Fred suggested that they -leave the woodbox untouched, and Margy went to help the old woman get -dressed. - -By the time she was ready, the kitchen was warm and Polly and Jess set -the breakfast table, while Mrs. Wicks stirred up griddle cakes and -showed them how to make oatmeal. - -“The man on the next farm always brings me milk,” the old lady -explained, “and it shows how deep the snow must be, if he can’t get -here. It’s lucky I have some milk left from yesterday.” - -They had a cheerful breakfast, and when it was over Polly asked if -there wasn’t something they could do to help. - -“We can’t walk home through the snow while it is as deep as this,” she -said sensibly, “and perhaps we can help you, if you’ll tell us how. -What would you do if you weren’t lame this morning?” - -“I’d feed my chickens and shovel some paths around the house and down -to the mail-box,” said Mrs. Wicks, promptly. “Then I’d sit down and -sew.” - -Fred and Artie and Ward said they could do the outdoor work, and they -went at it with a will. Though before that they found that their shoes -were so stiff it wasn’t easy to get them on. But Mrs. Wicks brought -out some grease and showed them how to rub it in, and that made the -leather pliable again. Fred did the girls’ shoes for them, and Margy -was especially grateful, for she loved to be comfortable and she had -been dreading to put on her stiffened shoes. - -The three girls washed and dried the dishes, swept and straightened up -the kitchen, made the beds and watered the geranium that Mrs. Wicks -said couldn’t be killed, for no matter how cold the kitchen was, it -lived, winter after winter, if protected by a paper at night. - -“I wish you’d come and live with me all winter,” the old lady said, -when Ward brought in six eggs he had found in the henhouse and Fred and -Artie reported that a path had been swept out to the mail-box. “I like -company. One of my nieces comes to stay with me part of the time, and -she’s coming the day after New Year’s. But she isn’t young like you.” - -Fred asked about the barn in which they had stayed, and Mrs. Wicks told -them that the place had once been a prosperous farm. - -“The house burned down one summer, and the people farmed it for a time, -living in the barn and using it as a house,” she said. “Then they sold -the place and moved away, and the new owner never did anything with it. -One by one the outbuildings fell to pieces, and they say one good wind -will blow the barn over, if it gets it in the right corner.” - -“There’s rats in it!” shuddered Margy. “I was sitting on the floor last -night, waiting for Fred to come back, and a horrid rat ran right across -my lap!” - -“She let out a yell that could be heard in River Bend,” said Ward, -grinning. “And then she rushed outdoors and wouldn’t come back. Fred -found her standing in the snow, crying.” - -“Well, I’d cry, too, if a rat ran over me,” said Jess, stoutly. “Ugly, -horrid things!” - -Mrs. Wicks got out her box of patchwork and showed the gay-colored -patches to her visitors. Like many lonely old ladies, she was fond of -telling stories about her girlhood, and with a brand new audience the -temptation was too great to be resisted. - -“You girls don’t sew patchwork nowadays, do you?” she asked, smiling. - -“We can knit,” offered Polly, apologetically. “But none of us ever made -a quilt. My grandmother did, when she was a little girl, though.” - -“Ward speaking of the rat that frightened Margy, reminded me of a scare -I had when I was a little girl,” said Mrs. Wicks. - -“I had gone to visit my Aunt Deborah, of whom I was very fond. Aunt had -a son, about sixteen--I was then eleven--and, dear me, what a tease -Coburn was! He called me ‘Miss Prim’ and pulled my hair whenever he had -a chance. I was supposed to sew on my patchwork every afternoon, even -when visiting, and Coburn thought that a girl cousin who spent hours -sewing wasn’t much fun to have around. He would have liked me to be a -boy cousin and climb trees with him.” - -“But we girls climb trees!” put in Jess. But Mrs. Wicks paid no -attention to the remark, and went on with her story. - -“Well, I was sitting quietly with my little sewing basket one -afternoon, in the parlor window. Aunt Deborah kept the parlor tightly -closed most of the time, and there must have been some special reason -why I was allowed to sit there and sew, but I don’t recall it. Perhaps -because I was company. The parlor window overlooked the road, and, -girl-like, I was interested in the various teams that drove past. I -liked to see what people were doing as much as any one. Coburn wasn’t -anywhere around, and Aunt Deborah was still upstairs finishing her nap. - -“A spic and span, shiny new buggy went past with a girl dressed in -white driving, and I leaned forward to look, at the same time putting -out my hand to take a spool of thread from the basket. I felt something -move under my hand, but I thought it was the spool of thread rolling -from my fingers. Unconsciously I took a firmer clutch, and something -squeaked. I had picked up a little white mouse!” - -“Ugh! How awful! Didn’t you scream?” asked Margy. - -“Scream! I should think I did!” returned Mrs. Wicks, smiling at the -recollection. “To my startled eyes that basket seemed alive with white -mice, and I threw it across the room in one direction and my patchwork -and thimble in another. Then I fled, still screaming. - -“Aunt Deborah came downstairs on the run, and Coburn mysteriously -appeared from some secret place. He caught me as I came rushing out of -the door and, with some difficulty, calmed me. I think he was a little -frightened, for I couldn’t stop crying at first and nothing would -induce me to go into the parlor or touch my work basket again. Aunt -Deborah made Coburn pick up the scattered spools and put the basket -in order. As for his three pet mice, no one ever knew what became of -them--they may have run off to live with their relations. Anyway, they -never came back and Aunt Deborah declared it served Coburn right for -playing such a trick.” - -Margy said that she thought mice were the worst animals that ever -lived, except rats, while Fred contended that mice were all right when -you knew them. This started an argument that lasted till Mrs. Wicks -suggested they go down to the mail-box and see if the postman had got -through the drifts. - -“If we’d only brought our sleds, instead of the skates, we could get -home,” said Ward. - -“But it wasn’t snowing when we left,” said Polly. “Oh, dear, I do hope -the folks aren’t worrying about us.” - -“If we had some snowshoes, we could walk home, on top of the snow,” -said Artie. “Why couldn’t we make some?” - -“Out of what?” asked Fred, promptly. - -“Barrel staves,” replied Artie. - -“I think stilts would be better,” declared Ward. “Stilts would hold us -up, out of the drifts.” - -“Snowshoes are what we need,” decreed Fred. “Perhaps we could make them -out of barrels. Let’s see if Mrs. Wicks has any barrels she doesn’t -want.” - -“Barrels?” said Mrs. Wicks, when they asked her. “Oh, my, yes! plenty -of barrels out in the woodshed. Do anything you like with them.” - -With the three girls as interested, if not hopeful, spectators (Polly -was sure she couldn’t walk on snowshoes after they were made and -Margy said frankly she didn’t think they would ever be made) the boys -ripped two barrels apart and sandpapered the staves. The sandpaper was -worn pretty smooth--it was all Mrs. Wicks had--and the staves were -remarkably rough, but they did the best they could. - -“You try them first, Fred,” suggested Artie. “How are you going to keep -these snowshoes on?” - -“Skate straps,” said Fred, briefly. - -He managed to strap a stave to each of his feet, using his skate -straps, and then, slowly and gingerly, stepped out of the woodshed. - -“The way to walk on snowshoes,” he announced, “is not to lift your feet -and put ’em down again. You glide along.” - -“All right, let’s see you glide,” said Artie, eagerly. - -Fred struck out with what he fondly believed to be a gliding motion. He -sunk one foot deeply into the snow, balanced there a precarious moment -with his other foot waving wildly in the air and then crashed over into -a handy drift. - -“Of course there’s a knack in getting used to them,” he gasped, as the -others pulled him out. “I’ll get it after a while.” - -“Well, if I have to walk on those things to get home, I’m going to stay -here,” said Jess. - -“There’s the postman!” cried Margy. “Look, he’s putting something in -the box!” - -They ran down the path they had shoveled, Fred discarding his -“snowshoes” as hindrances, and found the postman to be a jolly person -wrapped in many mufflers and driving a large white horse harnessed to -an old-fashioned sleigh. - -“Say, there’s some one looking for you kids,” he said, as soon as -he saw the children. “I met a team about a mile back, two men in a -sleigh. They asked me if I’d seen anything of three boys and three -girls. And then I hadn’t, and told them so.” - -“Daddy!” cried Polly. “It must be Daddy and Mr. Larue. Whereabouts did -you see them?” - -“They were following this road,” said the postman. “Looks like them -coming now. I’ve had to make so many stops I guess they’ve caught up -with me. Yes, they’re waving to you. See ’em?” - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -HOME AGAIN - - -The children needed no snowshoes to lend them speed as they ran down -the road. Driving toward them were Mr. Marley and Mr. Larue in a sleigh -drawn by a horse Fred recognized as “Old Tom,” one of Mr. Davis’s -horses. - -“Well, you certainly have upset the family,” said Mr. Marley, as Artie -hurled himself into his lap and the others tried to find a place on the -runners. - -“Did Mother worry?” asked Polly, anxiously. “We were all right, only we -couldn’t get home.” - -“Of course we worried,” answered Mr. Marley. “I don’t think any one has -had a wink of sleep all night. We went up the river as far as Jackson’s -Pond, hunting for you, but the wind forced us to give up there.” - -“Where did you spend the night?” asked Mr. Larue, his arm around Jess. - -“Oh, we stayed at Mrs. Wicks’ house,” said Ward, cheerfully. - -“And who is Mrs. Wicks?” asked Mr. Larue, in surprise. - -“She’s an old lady--she lives there,” said Polly, pointing to the -house. “She had rheumatism in her knee, but she told us what to do and -we had good things to eat and everything was lovely.” - -“Except staying in the barn,” amended Margy. “A rat ran over me, Mr. -Marley.” - -“We’ll drive on to Mrs. Wicks’ house,” said Mr. Marley, “and thank her -for her kindness. I don’t suppose she has a telephone, and if she had, -the wires would probably be down. I’d like to tell the worried mothers -that we have found you, safe and sound.” - -Mrs. Wicks hobbled to the door to greet her visitors. She seemed -delighted to have more company, and she would not hear of their -starting back before she had cooked dinner for them. - -Mr. Marley and Mr. Larue knew that she spoke wisely. The roads were -badly drifted and, in spite of the sunshine, it was bitingly cold. -If they had dinner before they started, the ride would be much more -comfortable for them all. - -So they said they would stay, and Mrs. Wicks hobbled about, delighted -to have what she called “a full table.” - -“It’s something like!” she said, when they sat down three-quarters of -an hour later to a steaming hot dinner. “Something like, to have nine -at the table.” - -While the girls helped her with the dishes--for anxious as the fathers -were to start home they would not leave the old lady with all the extra -work to do alone--the boys carried in a great pile of wood, filling the -woodbox to overflowing and stacking the sticks on the floor beside it. -They fed and watered the chickens, so that a trip out to the henhouse -that night would be unnecessary, saw that the lamps were filled, -went down to the road to get the milk the neighboring farmer finally -brought, and so left Mrs. Wicks assured of a comfortable night. - -“We could have brought her home with us, I suppose,” said Mr. Marley, -as he tucked the children in under the heavy robes, “but she wouldn’t -be happy away from her own home. And she says her niece is coming in a -few days to stay with her for the rest of the winter. But we mustn’t -forget her. We’ll have to come and see her, often.” - -“She isn’t poor, is she, Daddy?” asked Polly, thoughtfully, cuddling up -to the heated brick Mrs. Wicks had given her. - -The old lady had filled the bottom of the sleigh with hot bricks, -wrapped in burlap. They were as good as stoves, the children declared. - -“No, Mrs. Wicks isn’t poor--not what we call poor,” answered Mr. -Marley, who was driving. “She has money enough to live on and owns -her house, she tells me. But she is lonely, and sometimes people need -friends more than they need money.” - -The dazzling sunshine made the fields and laden trees very beautiful -to see, but there was a cold wind, and the snow seemed to have melted -very little. For some distance the traveling was fairly good, for the -postman’s sleigh had broken the road, but when they turned into another -road, unbroken drifts confronted them. - -“This ought to save us a mile, so I think it’s worth trying,” said -Mr. Marley, as the horse began to flounder. “The way we came was the -longer, but we were following the river to find the children.” - -Old Tom didn’t care if the road was a shorter one. He didn’t like the -big drifts, and he saw no reason why he should pretend he did. He shook -his head and snorted and finally stood still. - -“We’ll have to get out and encourage him,” said Mr. Larue, cheerfully. -“You stay in, Marley, and the boys and I will show old Tom how easy it -is to wade through snow, if you make up your mind it can be done.” - -Mr. Larue got out and the six chums tumbled after him. The girls begged -to help, too, for they were cramped from sitting under the robes. The -sleigh was pretty well filled when they were all in it. - -“Gee, it is deep, isn’t it!” exclaimed Artie, as he went in to his -waist. “But look at that bare spot, over there on the field!” - -“That’s what the wind did,” Mr. Larue explained. “It blew all the -drifts over into this road and left the fields lightly covered.” - -“Why don’t we drive over the fields then?” asked Fred. - -“That isn’t such a bad idea, Fred,” called Mr. Marley, who had -overheard. “I’ll see if I can turn old Tom and get through the ditch.” - -“Easy on the turn,” cautioned Mr. Larue. “The deepest snow is there in -the ditch.” - -“You’ll tip over!” cried Margy, in alarm. “Do be careful, Mr. Marley!” - -Mr. Marley laughed and promised not to tip the sleigh over. He turned -the horse’s head toward the ditch and called to him encouragingly. Old -Tom merely shook his ears. - -“Doesn’t want to try it,” said Mr. Larue. “I’ll see if I can lead him. -Here, boy, you’re all right. Come on, that’s a good fellow.” - -Talking soothingly to the horse, Mr. Larue took hold of the bridle and -pulled gently. The horse pulled also, but the other way. - -“He won’t go. Try taking him straight ahead,” Mr. Marley advised. “Look -out, Polly--you’re standing in the way.” - -Polly took a step backward, lost her balance, and went over full-length -into a beautiful snow bank. Her feet, coming up with such startling -suddenness were too much for old Tom. With a wild snort he started -forward, nearly pulling Mr. Marley from the seat. Plunging and panting, -the horse plowed ahead, and in a few minutes had worked his way out of -the worst of the drifts. - -“Polly! are you all right?” cried Margy, rushing to her chum’s rescue. - -“I guess so,” said Polly, a little uncertainly. “Where’s the horse and -sleigh?” she asked, in surprise, as Fred and Margy pulled her out and -set her on her feet. - -“All right, Polly?” asked Mr. Larue, hurrying up. “Yes, you seem to be. -Well, that certainly was a novel way to persuade a horse, but it seems -to have given us results.” - -Polly had to laugh when she heard that her tumble had made old Tom -change his mind. She said she wasn’t willing to fall over all the rest -of the way home, though; but her father said he didn’t think it would -be necessary. - -They climbed into the sleigh again, warm and rosy from their tramping -in the drifts, and old Tom started off as though he had made up his -mind to do his best without further protest. - -This time Mr. Larue drove, for Mr. Marley’s hands were stiff from the -cold. Though old Tom was willing, they could not drive fast, and before -they reached the stretch of state road that would take them to River -Bend, the heat had gone from the bricks provided by Mrs. Wicks and -Margy was crying with cold. Polly and Jess were far from comfortable, -but they and the boys were determined to “stick it out.” - -“Say, Larue, these youngsters are purple with cold,” said Mr. Marley, -suddenly. “We’ll have to stop for a moment and give them some exercise.” - -Margy didn’t want to move, but Mr. Marley lifted her out and put her -down in the road. The rest followed, and Mr. Larue tied old Tom to a -tree. - -“Now we have to run,” said Mr. Marley. “From the sleigh to that big -maple tree and back, six times. No one can beg off, and the sooner you -get through with it, the quicker we’ll be home.” - -Margy’s feet were like lead and Polly was sure she had no feet at all. -The tree was some distance from the sleigh, and the prospect of running -there and back six times loomed like an impossible task. However, Mr. -Marley started off, and they could do no less than follow. - -“I know my feet are broken off!” thought Polly, limping along. “I won’t -look, but I know they’re gone. My mother will be sorry if I come home -without any feet.” - -Behind her, Margy was still crying, wiping her eyes on her glove as she -tried to run. The boys kept at it doggedly, their eyes on the ground. - -When she had touched the tree three times, Polly made an interesting -discovery--her feet were where they ought to be, right in her shoes. -Better, they felt comfortable, and even warm. - -By the time they had completed the six trips, every one was in a -glow--even Margy was smiling. - -“Now another hour, and we’ll be home,” said Mr. Marley. “Tumble in, -children, and we’ll be home before you know it.” - -The state road provided much easier going. There had been more travel -over it since the storm, and occasionally they passed a sleigh or a -motor truck. But the horse was sadly tired before they came to River -Bend, and they found it easy to believe when reports came in from the -surrounding country that the storm had been the worst, from the point -of view of blocking traffic, that the country had experienced in years. - -“Are you frozen? Are you hungry? Where on earth did you stay all night? -Are you sure you haven’t frozen your ears or your toes?” cried the two -mothers together, flying down the steps as the sleigh at last drew up -before the Marley house. - -And even after they had heard the story and assured themselves that -none of the six had suffered from hunger or exposure, the mothers -couldn’t rest. They heard the story over and over again, and Mrs. -Marley made her husband promise to take her to see Mrs. Wicks as soon -as the roads were fairly open. Mrs. Larue said she would go, too, and -long after the children were in bed they sat up planning the kind of -box they would pack and what they would put in it to please the old -lady. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -THE LAST OF THE SNOWMAN - - -It seemed like another Christmas to the members of the Riddle Club, the -day after their experience in getting home. Every one was so glad to -see them that they were allowed to please themselves pretty much, till -Ward made himself sick with too much candy and Margy and Fred quarreled -because they wanted to go skating and coasting at the same time; that -is, each wanted the other to do his or her way. - -“Say, it’s beginning to melt,” Fred reported, coming into the house for -lunch. “Hear it drip!” - -Mrs. Marley had invited Jess and Ward, and the six chums were together -at the table. - -“Thawing!” cried Polly. “It will spoil the skating.” - -“But it will take a lot to spoil the coasting,” said Artie. “Let’s go -this afternoon.” - -Mr. and Mrs. Williamson were expected back on New Year’s Day, early in -the morning, so Fred and Margy were still staying with the Marleys. - -As soon as lunch was over, they got the sleds out and set off for the -hill. - -“Gee, when it begins to melt, it sure does start!” observed Ward. - -Little rivers of water were running off the roofs and householders were -out opening the gutters. - -“It’s the January thaw,” said Margy, wisely. - -“It isn’t January till to-morrow,” retorted Jess. - -“Does it always thaw in January?” asked Artie, athirst for information. - -“Yes, of course,” said Margy. “Some time in January it will thaw. -Always. Mattie Helms told me.” - -“Well, I guess it thaws some time in every month,” declared Fred. -“Every winter month, that is,” he added, remembering the changing -seasons. - -“Well, this is the January thaw,” insisted Margy. “It will be January -to-morrow, and so it is really time.” - -When they reached the hill, they found a number of coasters, though it -was more slush than snow. The runners sent up fine streams of water as -the sleds raced down, and in the ditches on either side of the road a -rushing stream of snow water was pouring. - -“Maybe it’s spring,” gasped Jess, as a splash of water struck her in -the face. - -“No, we’ll have lots more snow and ice yet,” said Fred. “But I don’t -call this much fun, do you? Let’s go home and go up in the clubroom.” - -They were half-soaked already, and no one made any objections to -returning home. Mrs. Marley made them take off their wet shoes and -put on dry ones, and then they went upstairs to play parcheesi in the -clubroom. - -“There won’t be much left of Riddle Chap after this,” remarked Polly, -happening to glance from the window while waiting her turn to play. - -“Say, he has gone down, hasn’t he?” said Jess, in surprise. - -“He’s wasting away,” giggled Polly. “Poor old Riddle Chap! But he’s had -a pretty long life for a snowman.” - -The poor snowman was visibly melting. Trickles of water ran over him -and he seemed to be sinking into the ground. - -“I’ll be glad when he’s gone,” said Jess. “He brought me bad luck--made -me lose my glove.” - -“There’s no such thing as good luck or bad luck,” declared Fred. “You -lost your glove because you didn’t take care of it. Don’t blame that -on poor old Riddle Chap.” - -“Don’t you call it bad luck that you lost the bank?” asked Jess, -heedless of Polly’s warning frown. - -“No, of course that wasn’t bad luck,” said Fred, stoutly. “That was my -own fault. I put it down somewhere, but I’ll never tell you where. And -Dad wanted me to open a savings-bank account with it, too. I ought to -have taken his advice.” - -“You haven’t lost the new bank,” said Artie, who meant to be comforting. - -“No, I haven’t,” agreed Fred. “And that isn’t good luck, either. It’s -good care. I look at the bank first thing every night and morning, to -make sure it is in the right place.” - -“Perhaps some one took the other bank,” suggested Margy. - -Fred glanced at her sharply. She was watching the board and apparently -had just said that without thinking. - -“I don’t see how any one could have taken it,” said Fred, and then it -was his turn to play. - -He still thought, now and then, that Carrie Pepper knew more about the -bank than she cared to tell. But Fred had made up his mind not to -say anything until he had more than suspicions to back him, and he -resolutely refused to put his thought into words. - -That night it turned a little colder, as it usually does, and the -melting snow froze in little lace ruffles on the edges of the roofs. -Riddle Chap had an icicle on what was left of his nose, and Polly was -hopeful that he would stay as he was and not shrink any more. Alas! -New Year’s Day dawned with a burst of sunlight that started the little -streams running again, turned the coasting hill to a sea of slush, and -hastened the sure disappearance of the once handsome Riddle Chap. - -“It’s a good thing we have his picture,” said Polly, mournfully, at -breakfast. - -“You can build another snowman, when another snow comes,” said Mr. -Marley, cheerfully. - -But Polly said it wouldn’t be Riddle Chap, and of course no one could -deny that. - -However, it was impossible to feel sober on such a bright morning, and -“Happy New Year!” sounded up and down Elm Road as the children greeted -each other. School would open the day after to-morrow, and they were -determined to have as much fun as possible before the holidays were -definitely over. - -Breakfast was barely finished when the Williamson car came down the -road, bringing Mr. and Mrs. Williamson back to their home. They had -much to tell about their visit in Rye and messages from “the old -hermit,” as the youngsters still called Mr. Field, as well as from his -sister, whom they had never seen, but who knew them quite well through -Mr. Kirby’s and Mr. Adams’ descriptions. The two cousins had sent a -large box of chocolates to be shared by the six chums. - -“Mother thinks,” said Mr. Williamson, watching Artie trying to swallow -a chocolate covered cherry that threatened to drown him in syrup, -“that, since it is so warm to-day, we might drive out and see Mrs. -Wicks.” - -“Come on! Let’s go!” cried Fred. “We’ll take her some of the -chocolates--maybe she likes candy.” - -Mr. Williamson laughed. - -“I don’t doubt it,” he said. “But, Fred, stop and consider the car a -moment. It is a seven-passenger, but how am I going to pack twelve into -the space reserved for seven?” - -“It would be kind of crowded,” admitted Fred. “I’m willing to stay at -home, Dad. Let the others go.” - -“Suppose we arrange it this way,” said Mrs. Williamson: “You children -all stay at home this time--you’ll find plenty to do to amuse -yourselves. We won’t go till after lunch and we’ll be back in time for -supper. We feel that we’d like to visit with Mrs. Wicks and take her a -little something, and it really wouldn’t be very interesting for you. -Then next time Daddy will take the whole Riddle Club, and we grown-ups -will stay at home.” - -So that was the way the plan was finally made, and after an early lunch -the fathers and mothers drove off with baskets and boxes of goodies for -Mrs. Wicks, including some of the delicious chocolates the children had -insisted on sending her. - -“Let’s tip old Riddle Chap over,” proposed Artie, aching for a little -exercise. “There’s no use in waiting for him to melt away. Doesn’t he -look seedy, though?” - -In truth, the old snowman did look seedy. He had long ago lost his hat -and his pine tree lay on the ground at his feet. Gone were the letters, -R.C. In fact, he looked like a regular tramp of a snowman. - -“One, two, three!” called Fred, as the boys leaned against the rapidly -melting wreck. - -At “three!” they gave a mighty push. Over went the ball that had formed -the snowman’s body. - -“Look how soft it is!” cried Polly, poking it with her toe. “It’s -nothing but slush and water.” - -“What’s that?” Jess’s sharp eyes had caught a glimpse of something dark. - -She swooped down upon the pile of soft snow and seized the something. A -sharp tug, and she had pulled out--her missing glove! - -“Look! Look!” she shouted. “Look! Here’s the glove I lost! It was in -the snowman all the time!” - -The same thought came to Polly and Fred, and they leaped for the fallen -snowman’s body. - -Fred reached it first, and his shoe hit something that gave back a -metallic sound. - -He stooped and cleared away some of the slush. Slowly he straightened -up, something in his hands. - -“It’s the bank!” screamed Margy. “Fred found the bank! Look! Polly! -Jess! Ward! Artie! Look! Fred’s found the bank!” - -Her excited clamor brought Carrie Pepper from her house. As they -crowded around him, Fred saw Carrie come running through the snow. - -“So she didn’t know a thing about it,” he thought. “I’m glad I didn’t -say anything.” - -“Is the money there?” Ward kept asking. “Are the dues inside, Fred?” - -Well, the money was safe enough, Fred soon discovered. And Jess’s -glove, dried carefully behind the kitchen range, was pronounced as good -as new. - -While Fred wouldn’t say that good luck had brought the bank back, he -said he was willing Jess should say good luck brought back her glove. - -When the grown-ups came home at dusk, they were astonished to have the -car surrounded by six dancing Indians who came tumbling out of the -Marley house without hats or coats. These Indians danced madly around -the car, singing a chorus that at first could not be understood. - -“The bank! The bank!” warbled the singers. “Fred found the bank! And -Jess’s glove--that’s found, too! And the money is all right! And the -glove is dry and it isn’t hurt a bit!” - -But when they finally understood, the fathers and mothers were almost -as excited as the members of the Riddle Club. - -The next morning Mr. Williamson took Fred and the recovered bank and -the other five members of the club down to the bank, where an account -was opened in the name of the Riddle Club. - -“And wait!” said Fred, when he was the proud custodian of the -green-covered bankbook. “Wait till the Conundrum Club hears of this!” - - -THE END - - - - -SIX LITTLE BUNKERS SERIES - -By LAURA LEE HOPE - -Author of The Bobbsey Twins Books, The Bunny Brown Series, The -Make-Believe Series, Etc. - - =Durably Bound. Illustrated. Uniform Style of Binding.= - =Every Volume Complete in Itself.= - -Delightful stories for little boys and girls which sprung into -immediate popularity. To know the six little Bunkers is to take them -at once to your heart, they are so intensely human, so full of fun and -cute sayings. Each story has a little plot of its own--one that can be -easily followed--and all are written in Miss Hope’s most entertaining -manner. Clean, wholesome volumes which ought to be on the bookshelf of -every child in the land. - - SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT GRANDMA BELL’S - SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT AUNT JO’S - SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT COUSIN TOM’S - SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT GRANDPA FORD’S - SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT UNCLE FRED’S - SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT CAPTAIN BEN’S - SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT COWBOY JACK’S - SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT MAMMY JUNE’S - SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT FARMER JOEL’S - SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT MILLER NED’S - - GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK - - - - -THE BUNNY BROWN SERIES - -By LAURA LEE HOPE - -Author of the Popular “Bobbsey Twins” Books, Etc. - - =Durably Bound. Illustrated. Uniform Style of Binding.= - =Every Volume Complete in Itself.= - -These stories by the author of the “Bobbsey Twins” Books are eagerly -welcomed by the little folks from about five to ten years of age. Their -eyes fairly dance with delight at the lively doings of inquisitive -little Bunny Brown and his cunning, trustful sister Sue. - - BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE - BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE ON GRANDPA’S FARM - BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE PLAYING CIRCUS - BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT CAMP REST-A-WHILE - BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT AUNT LU’S CITY HOME - BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE IN THE BIG WOODS - BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE ON AN AUTO TOUR - BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AND THEIR SHETLAND PONY - BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE GIVING A SHOW - BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT CHRISTMAS TREE COVE - BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE IN THE SUNNY SOUTH - BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE KEEPING STORE - BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AND THEIR TRICK DOG - BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT A SUGAR CAMP - - GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK - - - - -THE BOBBSEY TWINS BOOKS - -For Little Men and Women - -By LAURA LEE HOPE - -Author of “The Bunny Brown Series,” Etc. - - =Durably Bound. Illustrated. Uniform Style of Binding.= - =Every Volume Complete in Itself.= - -These books for boys and girls between the ages of three and ten stands -among children and their parents of this generation where the books of -Louisa May Alcott stood in former days. The haps and mishaps of this -inimitable pair of twins, their many adventures and experiences are a -source of keen delight to imaginative children everywhere. - - THE BOBBSEY TWINS - THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE COUNTRY - THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT THE SEASHORE - THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SCHOOL - THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SNOW LODGE - THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON A HOUSEBOAT - THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT MEADOW BROOK - THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT HOME - THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN A GREAT CITY - THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON BLUEBERRY ISLAND - THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON THE DEEP BLUE SEA - THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE GREAT WEST - THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP - THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT THE COUNTY FAIR - THE BOBBSEY TWINS CAMPING OUT - THE BOBBSEY TWINS AND BABY MAY - - GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK - - - - -THE MAKE-BELIEVE STORIES - -(Trademark Registered.) - -By LAURA LEE HOPE - -Author of THE BOBBSEY TWINS BOOKS, ETC. - -Colored Wrappers and Illustrations by HARRY L. SMITH - -In this fascinating line of books Miss Hope has the various toys come -to life “when nobody is looking” and she puts them through a series of -adventures as interesting as can possibly be imagined. - -THE STORY OF A SAWDUST DOLL - - How the toys held a party at the Toy Counter; how the Sawdust Doll - was taken to the home of a nice little girl, and what happened to her - there. - -THE STORY OF A WHITE ROCKING HORSE - - He was a bold charger and a man purchased him for his son’s birthday. - Once the Horse had to go to the Toy Hospital, and my! what sights he - saw there. - -THE STORY OF A LAMB ON WHEELS - - She was a dainty creature and a sailor bought her and took her to a - little girl relative and she had a great time. - -THE STORY OF A BOLD TIN SOLDIER - - He was Captain of the Company and marched up and down in the store at - night. Then he went to live with a little boy and had the time of his - life. - -THE STORY OF A CANDY RABBIT - - He was continually in danger of losing his life by being eaten up. - But he had plenty of fun, and often saw his many friends from the Toy - Counter. - -THE STORY OF A MONKEY ON A STICK - - He was mighty lively and could do many tricks. The boy who owned him - gave a show, and many of the Monkey’s friends were among the actors. - -THE STORY OF A CALICO CLOWN - - He was a truly comical chap and all the other toys loved him greatly. - -THE STORY OF A NODDING DONKEY - - He made happy the life of a little lame boy and did lots of other - good deeds. - -THE STORY OF A CHINA CAT - - The China Cat had many adventures, but enjoyed herself most of the - time. - -THE STORY OF A PLUSH BEAR - - This fellow came from the North Pole, stopped for a while at the toy - store, and was then taken to the seashore by his little master. - -THE STORY OF A STUFFED ELEPHANT - - He was a wise looking animal and had a great variety of adventures. - - GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK - - - - -LITTLE JOURNEYS TO HAPPYLAND - -(Trademark Registered) - -By DAVID CORY - -Individual Colored Wrappers. Profusely Illustrated - -=Printed in large type--easy to read. For children from 4 to 8 years.= - -A new series of exciting adventures by the author of LITTLE JACK RABBIT -books. - - The Happyland is reached by various routes: If you should happen to - miss the Iceberg Express maybe you can take the Magic Soap Bubble, or - in case that has already left, the Noah’s Ark may be waiting for you. - - This series is unique in that it deals with unusual and exciting - adventures on land and sea and in the air. - -=The Cruise of the Noah’s Ark= - - This is a good rainy day story. On just such a day Mr. Noah invites - Marjorie to go for a trip in the Noah’s Ark. She gets aboard just in - time and away it floats out into the big wide world. - -=The Magic Soap Bobble= - - The king of the gnomes has a magic pipe with which he blows a - wonderful bubble and taking Ed. with him they both have a delightful - time in Gnomeland. - -=The Iceberg Express= - - The Mermaid’s magic comb changes little Mary Louise into a mermaid. - The Polar Bear Porter on the iceberg Express invites her to take a - trip with him and away they go on a little journey to Happyland. - - GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK - - - - -LITTLE JACK RABBIT BOOKS - -(Trademark Registered) - -By DAVID CORY - -Author of LITTLE JOURNEYS TO HAPPYLAND - -=Colored Wrappers With Text Illustrations= - -A new and unique series about the furred and feathered little people of -the wood and meadow. - -Children will eagerly follow the doings of little Jack Rabbit, who, -every morning as soon as he has polished the front door knob and fed -the canary, sets out from his little house in the bramble patch to meet -his friends in the Shady Forest and Sunny Meadow. And the clever way he -escapes from his three enemies, Danny Fox, Mr. Wicked Weasel and Hungry -Hawk will delight the youngsters. - - LITTLE JACK RABBIT’S ADVENTURES - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND DANNY FOX - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND THE SQUIRREL BROTHERS - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND CHIPPY CHIPMUNK - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND THE BIG BROWN BEAR - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND UNCLE JOHN HARE - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND PROFESSOR CROW - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND OLD MAN WEASEL - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND MR. WICKED WOLF - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND HUNGRY HAWK - - GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - - - Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. - - Emboldened text is surrounded by equals signs: =bold=. - - Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - - Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized. - - Archaic or variant spelling has been retained. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RIDDLE CLUB THROUGH THE -HOLIDAYS *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Riddle Club through the holidays</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em;'>The club and its doings, how the riddles were solved and what the snowman revealed</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Alice Dale Hardy</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Illustrator: Walter S. Rogers</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: December 22, 2022 [eBook #69602]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: David Edwards, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RIDDLE CLUB THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter hide"><img src="images/coversmall.jpg" width="450" alt="cover"></div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/frontis.jpg" alt="THIS OUGHT TO SAVE US A MILE, SAID MR. MARLEY"></div> -<p class="caption">“THIS OUGHT TO SAVE US A MILE,” SAID MR. MARLEY.<br> - -<i>The Riddle Club Through the Holidays.</i> <i>Frontispiece</i>—(<i>Page <a href="#Page_232">232</a></i>)</p> -</div> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/titlepage.jpg" alt="titlepage"></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1> -THE RIDDLE CLUB<br> -THROUGH THE<br> -HOLIDAYS</h1> - -<p>The Club and Its Doings<br> -How the Riddles Were Solved<br> -And What the Snowman Revealed</p> - -<p>BY<br> -<span class="large">ALICE DALE HARDY</span><br> - -AUTHOR OF “THE RIDDLE CLUB AT HOME,” “THE RIDDLE CLUB<br> -IN CAMP,” ETC.</p> - -<p><i>ILLUSTRATED BY</i><br> -WALTER S. ROGERS</p> - -<p>NEW YORK<br> -<span class="large">GROSSET & DUNLAP</span><br> -PUBLISHERS</p> - -<hr class="tiny"> -<p>Made in the United States of America</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="bbox"> -<p class="ph1">THE RIDDLE CLUB BOOKS</p> - -<p class="center">BY ALICE DALE HARDY</p> - -<p class="center">12mo. Cloth. Illustrated.</p> - -<p> -<span class="smcap">The Riddle Club at Home</span><br> -<span class="smcap">The Riddle Club in Camp</span><br> -<span class="smcap">The Riddle Club through the Holidays</span><br> -</p> - -<p class="center">GROSSET & DUNLAP<br> -Publishers       :   :       New York</p> -</div> -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Copyright, 1924, by</span><br> -GROSSET & DUNLAP</p> -</div></div></div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_iii">[iii]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<table> - -<tr><td class="tdr"><small>CHAPTER</small></td><td class="tdr" colspan="2"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">I.</td><td> <span class="smcap">Looking Ahead</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_1"> 1</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">II.</td><td> <span class="smcap">Party Plans</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_12"> 12</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">III.</td><td> <span class="smcap">Jess Has Luck</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_21"> 21</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">IV.</td><td> <span class="smcap">Hallowe’en Fun</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_31"> 31</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">V.</td><td> <span class="smcap">Tables Turned</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_44"> 44</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">VI.</td><td> <span class="smcap">Polly’s Problem</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_54"> 54</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">VII.</td><td> <span class="smcap">A Postponement</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_64"> 64</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">VIII.</td><td> <span class="smcap">Moving Day</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_74"> 74</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">IX.</td><td> <span class="smcap">The Secret is Out</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_84"> 84</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">X.</td><td> <span class="smcap">In Camp Again</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_94"> 94</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XI.</td><td> <span class="smcap">Artie’s Adventure</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_104"> 104</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XII.</td><td> <span class="smcap">The Riddle Club Meets</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_113"> 113</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XIII.</td><td> <span class="smcap">Fred Williamson, Banker</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_122"> 122</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XIV.</td><td> <span class="smcap">On Pond’s Hill</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_132"> 132</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XV.</td><td> <span class="smcap">Detective Margy</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_141"> 141</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XVI.</td><td> <span class="smcap">Riddle Chap</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_151"> 151</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XVII.</td><td> <span class="smcap">Lost Treasures</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_161"> 161</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XVIII.</td><td> <span class="smcap">A Practical Joke</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_170"> 170</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XIX.</td><td> <span class="smcap">The Special Meeting</span><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_180"> 180</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XX.</td><td> <span class="smcap">Merry Christmas</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_190"> 190</a><span class="pagenum" id="Page_iv">[iv]</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXI.</td><td> <span class="smcap">Another Race</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_199"> 199</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXII.</td><td> <span class="smcap">Caught in a Storm</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_209"> 209</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXIII.</td><td> <span class="smcap">Mrs. Wicks</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_219"> 219</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXIV.</td><td> <span class="smcap">Home Again</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_229"> 229</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXV.</td><td> <span class="smcap">The Last of the Snowman</span>    </td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_238"> 238</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_1">[1]</span> - -<p class="ph2">THE RIDDLE CLUB THROUGH<br> -THE HOLIDAYS</p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER I<br> - -<small>LOOKING AHEAD</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>“I <i>did</i> have ten cents, but I spent it,” explained -Ward Larue carefully.</p> - -<p>Fred Williamson shook the bank he held in -his hand till the contents rattled.</p> - -<p>“What did you spend it for?” he demanded.</p> - -<p>“A magnifying glass,” admitted Ward. “I -needed one.”</p> - -<p>“I never saw such a boy for spending money,” -complained Fred. “You will end up in the poorhouse, -see if you don’t!”</p> - -<p>“I guess if I paid ten cents in for Riddle Club -dues, it wouldn’t save me from going to the poorhouse,” -objected Ward.</p> - -<p>“No, I don’t think it would, either,” said Jess -Larue, Ward’s sister.</p> - -<p>Fred gazed at the circle in despair.</p> - -<p>“You don’t any of you have the right idea<span class="pagenum" id="Page_2">[2]</span> -about these club dues,” he informed them. “You -seem to think I want the money to go off and -spend on myself. There’s no use in having a -treasurer, unless you’re willing to put something -in the treasury.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, but, Fred! we are willing,” protested -Polly Marley, president of the Riddle Club. “Of -course we’re willing. The only reason I didn’t -pay to-day was because I didn’t have ten cents.”</p> - -<p>“And why didn’t you?” said Fred, for all the -world, Ward thought, like the orators who spoke -in River Bend on the Fourth of July. “Why -didn’t you?”</p> - -<p>Polly was not awed by Fred’s rhetoric. She -laughed at him.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t have ten cents,” she giggled, “because -I loaned it to some one.”</p> - -<p>“Artie, I suppose,” grumbled Fred. He considered -that his position as treasurer gave him the -right to ask any amount of personal questions -when dues were not forthcoming.</p> - -<p>“No-o, it wasn’t Artie,” said Polly, still smiling.</p> - -<p>“But Artie hasn’t paid his dues, either,” declared -Fred, fixing that small boy with a stern -eye. “Where’s your ten cents, Artie?”</p> - -<p>Artie Marley, Polly’s brother, wriggled uneasily.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_3">[3]</span>“Now——” he stammered, “now, I had ten -cents. But I haven’t got it now. I’ll pay you -the next meeting, Fred.”</p> - -<p>“What did you do with the dime you had?” -asked Fred.</p> - -<p>“I spent it for ink,” said Artie, solemnly. “If -I’m going to write a book, I have to write it in ink, -don’t I?”</p> - -<p>Artie Marley was much given to reading books, -and now his modest desire was to write one.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think you need a whole bottle of ink -to write a book with,” said Fred, judiciously. -“You could have borrowed your mother’s ink and -saved the ten cents.”</p> - -<p>Artie gazed at him with respect. He had had -the same thought himself, he declared.</p> - -<p>“But when I took the bottle from Mother’s -desk, I spilled most of it on the stairs,” he confided. -“And so I had to take half of the new ink -I bought to fill her bottle up so she wouldn’t miss -it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, the next time,” Fred instructed him, -“you want to buy something, you pay your dues -first. You ought to have some sense of—of—some -sense of duty!” he concluded magnificently.</p> - -<p>“I paid my dues!” exclaimed Fred’s twin sister, -Margy. “Didn’t I, Fred?”</p> - -<p>The air with which Margy Williamson said this<span class="pagenum" id="Page_4">[4]</span> -was too much for Jess. In spite of Polly’s warning -tug at her dress she spoke “right out in meeting,” -as her grandmother would have said.</p> - -<p>“The reason you paid your dues, Margy Williamson,” -said Jess, clearly, “is because you borrowed -the money from Polly. That’s why she -couldn’t pay hers.”</p> - -<p>Margy flushed and Fred frowned.</p> - -<p>“I liked lending it to Margy,” said Polly, hurriedly. -“If I’d kept it, likely as not I would have -spent it. Margy’s going to pay me back next -week.”</p> - -<p>“What I don’t understand,” announced Fred, -still frowning, “is why this club is so hard up. -We paid dues before we went to camp, and though -I won’t say you fell over yourselves to pay, I -didn’t have the trouble I’m having now.”</p> - -<p>And Fred wiped his forehead with his handkerchief, -as though he found his duties almost too -much for him.</p> - -<p>“Well, we didn’t pay dues all summer,” said -Polly, slowly, “and I think we forgot—If you get -out of a habit, you know, it’s hard to pick it up -again. Didn’t any one pay this time, Fred?”</p> - -<p>“Only Margy,” said Fred, gloomily, “and she -borrowed the money.”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t you?” struck in Artie, quickly.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Fred, lamely, “I had to contribute<span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">[5]</span> -to the post-card fund in school. That took my -dime.”</p> - -<p>Ward and Artie fell into each other’s arms and -tumbled over on the floor. It was their way of -expressing delight.</p> - -<p>“All the same,” declared Fred, raising his voice -above the laughter that greeted his confession, -“the next time this club meets, no one is going to -be allowed to leave this room without paying their -dues.”</p> - -<p>Polly Marley was a tactful girl, and she knew -when to change a subject.</p> - -<p>“We haven’t decided about Hallowe’en,” she -reminded them.</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” agreed Fred, with relief. “Are -we going to have a party?”</p> - -<p>“Mother doesn’t want Ward and me to dress -up and just go around,” said Jess. “So I think -we’d better have a party—just us, you know. We -don’t need any one else.”</p> - -<p>The six members of the Riddle Club smiled at -one another. They had the best of good times -when “just us” and no outsiders were invited. -Weren’t they back from a summer in camp where -they proved their theory once more? Their -tanned faces and bright eyes showed what a -healthful summer it had been and their good -spirits spoke for their happiness.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">[6]</span>“It’s our turn to have a party,” said Margy -Williamson, eagerly. “Polly and Artie had us -Hallowe’en last year. We can have the kitchen -at our house and do anything we please.”</p> - -<p>“I thought you’d come to our house; but it’s all -right that way,” said Polly. “Shall we dress -up?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t think it’s one bit of fun unless -we dress up and wear false-faces,” declared -Margy.</p> - -<p>“We’ll know each other—can’t help it, with -only six of us,” demurred Fred.</p> - -<p>“That’s all right—we can pretend to be -fooled,” said Jess Larue.</p> - -<p>So it was decided to wear costumes and false-faces.</p> - -<p>“Is the window open?” asked Polly, suddenly, -with a shiver.</p> - -<p>“Closed,” reported Fred. “Gee! there is a -blast coming from somewhere.”</p> - -<p>“The door’s swung open,” said Artie, rising to -close it.</p> - -<p>“I think it’s awfully cold up here,” said Margy, -with customary frankness.</p> - -<p>She wore a sweater, and so did the other girls, -but there was no denying the clubroom in the loft -of the barn was chilly.</p> - -<p>“I’ve just thought!” went on Margy. “What<span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">[7]</span> -shall we do when it’s winter? We’ll freeze to -death up here.”</p> - -<p>Jess looked distressed. The room was in her -father’s barn, and she had never considered the -advent of cold weather. The Riddle Club had -been formed in the spring, and the meetings had -been held—until the trip to camp—very comfortably -in the little room.</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” said Polly now. “We can’t meet -here in winter. I don’t see what we are going to -do.”</p> - -<p>“It won’t be winter for perfect ages,” declared -the hopeful Jess. “To-day is what Dora calls an -‘odd day.’ She was saying this morning that -we’ll probably have warm weather again. There’s -Indian summer—we haven’t had that yet. I -don’t think it’s really cold up here—do you?”</p> - -<p>“Not really cold,” answered Polly. “But I’m -thinking of December. It will be cold then.”</p> - -<p>“How did the horses and cows keep warm when -they stayed in this barn?” questioned Artie. -“Were they cold, too?”</p> - -<p>“Of course not!” retorted Ward. “Horses -and cows are never cold. They like cold -weather.”</p> - -<p>“They keep each other warm,” said Fred, remembering -something he had heard. “The animal -heat in their bodies keeps them warm. Besides,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">[8]</span> -farmers put blankets on their horses in the -winter time.”</p> - -<p>“We could wrap up in blankets,” suggested -Polly.</p> - -<p>“My mother is very particular about her -blankets,” said Margy. “She won’t let us take -them for tents, and she has to have them washed -a certain way. I don’t believe she would ever let -us have them out here in the barn.”</p> - -<p>The other members of the Riddle Club were -equally sure that their mothers would object to -lending blankets for club meetings.</p> - -<p>“Well, there ought to be some way,” said -Ward, thoughtfully. “Couldn’t we put in a furnace?”</p> - -<p>“A furnace!” chorused the club. “What kind -of a furnace?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, a furnace,” repeated Ward. “A regular -furnace, you know. That would keep us nice -and warm.”</p> - -<p>“And where,” asked Fred, in some amazement, -“would we get the money to buy a furnace?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think they cost much,” said Ward. -“Perhaps we have enough in your bank.”</p> - -<p>Fred groaned in anguish and Polly laughed.</p> - -<p>“That’s it,” said Fred, bitterly. “Never want -to pay a cent in, but always willing to let it all go -out. Take the last penny in the bank—what<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">[9]</span> -do you care? Why should dues worry you? -They’re only something to throw away.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t spend your old dues, if you don’t want -to,” snapped Ward. “I don’t care whether you -put in a furnace or not; I’m never cold. It’s the -girls who are making a fuss.”</p> - -<p>“A furnace costs a heap of money,” put in -Polly, wisely. “We never could afford that. -Besides, Mr. Larue wouldn’t let us. We might -set fire to the barn.”</p> - -<p>“Well, how about that old gasolene stove that -Mother threw away last week?” suggested Artie. -“There’s nothing the matter with it, except it -leaks.”</p> - -<p>“How much more do you want the matter with -it?” inquired Fred. “No gasolene stove comes -into this clubroom while I’m a member.”</p> - -<p>“Then what shall we have?” asked Jess, sadly.</p> - -<p>“I was just thinking that an electric heater -wouldn’t be so bad,” said Fred. “We could run -wires from the pole out in front and connect it -with the heater in here. We could light the barn -with the same current, too, and perhaps have -meetings at night. That would be fun, wouldn’t -it?”</p> - -<p>“We could have our Hallowe’en party out -here,” cried Polly. “Think of having it in the -barn! Such heaps of fun!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">[10]</span>“I don’t see where you expect to get the money,” -said Ward, coldly. “If we can’t touch those -precious old dues, how are you going to have electric -lights? Mr. Brewer had them put in his -barn last week and it cost more than fifty dollars. -He told Daddy so. They didn’t have to run the -wires as far as we shall, either.”</p> - -<p>“Have we fifty dollars in the bank?” asked -Jess, curiously.</p> - -<p>“Nowhere near,” Fred informed her. “I guess -that knocks out the electric heater idea. The only -thing I can see that we can do is to bring hot -water bottles with us, when it is cold.”</p> - -<p>“We can have an ice hut and crawl inside,” giggled -Polly. “The Eskimos manage somehow, -and we will, too, I guess.”</p> - -<p>“Anyway, it isn’t cold yet, not real cold,” argued -Jess. “And when it does snow, it will -bank the window and make it warmer. I don’t -believe we’ll need any kind of a heater or furnace.”</p> - -<p>“It’s going to be dark earlier every time, too,” -said Margy, who had a habit of looking ahead. -“In December it will be pitch dark long before -five o’clock. There’s Mrs. Pepper feeding her -hens now. I don’t believe it’s much after four.”</p> - -<p>“Here, chick, chick, chick!” they could hear<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">[11]</span> -Mrs. Pepper, a neighbor, calling. “Here, chick, -chick, chick!”</p> - -<p>“You never catch Carrie feeding those hens,” -said Jess, peering through the window. “Oh, -say, what do you know——” Her voice trailed -off without completing the sentence and her dark -eyes began to dance.</p> - -<p>Polly was ready to ask her what she was thinking, -but the boys wanted the meeting adjourned. -So in a few minutes they were rushing down the -loft ladder, Ward having first carefully locked -the clubroom door.</p> - -<p>“Remember, everybody come over to our house -after school to-morrow,” said Margy, as the group -separated at the door, the two Larues to go into -their house to supper and the other four to cross -the street to the Marley and the Williamson -houses, which were next door to each other. -“We’ll plan about the Hallowe’en party.”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">[12]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER II<br> - -<small>PARTY PLANS</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">The Riddle Club</span> were very strict about not -using their clubroom for any purpose other than -club meetings. The six members were practically -inseparable, going to school together, playing and -working together most of the time outside of -school. But no matter what they did, or what -they wanted to play, unless they had a meeting of -their Riddle Club on hand, the clubroom was left -in perfect order and kept locked.</p> - -<p>Perhaps you know all about the Riddle Club, -but if you don’t, a few words will introduce you. -It had been Polly Marley’s idea—this club—and -she was the president. Fred Williamson was -treasurer. Fred and Margy were twins, Artie -was Polly Marley’s younger brother, and Ward -and Jess Larue were brother and sister. Jess was -two years older than Ward. These children lived -in River Bend, a town on the Rocio River. Mr. -Larue was the president of the line of steamboats -that went up and down the river, carrying freight -and passengers.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">[13]</span>In the first book of this series, named “The -Riddle Club at Home,” it has been told how the -Riddle Club flourished and spurred another group -of boys and girls to form a rival dub. This -was known as the Conundrum Club, and Carrie -Pepper was its president. They challenged the -members of the Riddle Club to a memorable riddle -contest and the latter came out victors.</p> - -<p>Of course it was not to be thought of that a -summer should separate such close friends, so -what could be more natural than for the whole -six to go camping at Lake Bassing? They took -the Riddle Club with them, by-laws, president, -treasurer and all, and what happened to them -during a delightful two months, you may read in -the second book of the series, called “The Riddle -Club in Camp.” They camped on an island, and -above them lived a queer old hermit on another -island, while below their camp was another island -on which the Conundrum Club established themselves.</p> - -<p>Things were bound to happen with such a lively -sextette around, and no one was disappointed. -Artie fell over a bluff. The Conundrum Club -suggested another riddle contest, which proved to -be not much more to their advantage than the -first. Then the children were able to solve the -mystery of the kind old hermit. Next, as the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">[14]</span> -season was nearly over, they won the loving cup -in the water carnival. Add to all this the new -friends they made and the out-of-door glad days -they had, and you’ll understand that the summer -went too quickly to please them.</p> - -<p>But schools will open in September, and the -Riddle Club had to come back to River Bend. -They were unexpectedly glad to get back to their -own homes and to the clubroom in the Larue barn. -This room had been given to them from the first -meeting, and to the furniture they had collected -for it, they were able to add several interesting -trophies from their summer in camp.</p> - -<p>There was the beautiful silver loving cup; a -sketch of the entire club membership, made by -an artist and framed for them by Mrs. Marley; -the pennant they had flown in camp from their -flag pole; not to mention a gun for which Artie -had paid a dollar and which wouldn’t shoot but -which, he thought, gave a distinguished touch to -the room.</p> - -<p>Jess mentioned the gun when, the next day, the -chums met at the Williamsons’ house to discuss -plans for their Hallowe’en party.</p> - -<p>“I think,” she said soberly, “that we ought to -give a play Thanksgiving and let Artie be a Puritan -and carry his gun.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">[15]</span>“Oh, let’s!” cried Margy, with enthusiasm. -“Let’s give a play! Mother gave me her old -black lace dress yesterday! I could wear that.”</p> - -<p>If there was one thing Margy loved to do, it -was to “dress up” in grown people’s finery and -sweep about and pretend that she was a princess.</p> - -<p>“Who’ll write the play?” demanded Fred.</p> - -<p>“You and Polly,” said Ward so promptly that -Fred couldn’t help laughing.</p> - -<p>“I thought you’d say something like that,” declared -Fred. “But you can change your ideas -right away. I know what we’re going to do -Thanksgiving, but it isn’t that.”</p> - -<p>“Fred!” said Polly, in a warning voice. “You -told me you’d promised you wouldn’t tell.”</p> - -<p>“Well, who’s telling?” demanded Fred. “I -haven’t said a word.”</p> - -<p>Of course that drove the others frantic with -curiosity, but though they teased and coaxed and, -finally, Ward and Artie threw themselves on -Fred and got him down on the rug, not another -word could they shake from him.</p> - -<p>“You’ll know all about it in plenty of time,” he -kept repeating.</p> - -<p>“Does Polly know?” demanded Jess.</p> - -<p>“No,” replied Fred; “not even Polly knows. -No one knows but me.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">[16]</span>“Not Mother or Dad or Dora or——” -Ward was beginning in a sing-song tone, but Fred -put a hand gently over his mouth.</p> - -<p>“Do keep still,” he said good-humoredly. “All -the mothers and fathers know. Now stop asking -questions.”</p> - -<p>“You said no one knew except you alone,” Artie -protested.</p> - -<p>“I meant no one in the Riddle Club except me,” -explained Fred.</p> - -<p>“Well, anyway, we have Hallowe’en to think -about,” said Polly, the tactful. “If we’re going -to wear costumes, it’s time we planned ’em.”</p> - -<p>“I had a perfectly wonderful idea,” declared -Jess. “But I don’t know that I’ll tell it now; I -can keep secrets, too.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Jess, darling, this isn’t a secret—it won’t -be one very long, at any rate,” said Polly, softly. -“We’ll all know soon, and it is something we’ll -just love to do. I’m sure of that. Tell us your -idea, Jess! Please do.”</p> - -<p>It was impossible to resist Polly when she spoke -like that, and Jess yielded. As a matter of fact, -she had kept her wonderful idea to herself about -as long as she cared to. She had reached the -point where she was eager to share it with some -one.</p> - -<p>“I think it would be a good idea,” she said<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">[17]</span> -proudly, “to come to the party dressed like animals!”</p> - -<p>They stared at her silently, and she was disappointed. -She had the plan so clearly in her own -mind, she thought it must be plain to them all.</p> - -<p>“Yes, animals,” Jess repeated. “You know all -the people who go to Hallowe’en parties dress -like clowns and gypsies and dancing girls and -Brownies, and like that. Well, at our party, why -couldn’t we come dressed like—like chickens and -pigs and things?”</p> - -<p>A shout of laughter interrupted her.</p> - -<p>“Ward would make a handsome pig,” said -Artie, a little unkindly.</p> - -<p>Ward was a very fat boy, with a round, good-natured -face that flushed at the slightest exertion. -He couldn’t run two blocks without getting out of -breath.</p> - -<p>“I’ll be a pig,” said Ward now, “if you’ll be -the goat.”</p> - -<p>Artie reached for him and they went over on -the rug in one of their friendly tussles. Mrs. -Williamson had given them the dining-room to -meet in, and had told them to have “all the fun -you want.”</p> - -<p>“I’m going to be a chicken,” announced Jess, -fearful that some one else might want to take her -character. “I thought of it yesterday when we<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">[18]</span> -were watching Mrs. Pepper feed her chickens.”</p> - -<p>“Where will you get the feathers?” asked the -practical Margy.</p> - -<p>“Oh, there must be feathers somewhere,” said -Jess, carelessly. “I’ll fix that part all right.”</p> - -<p>“It would be kind of fun, wouldn’t it?” Fred -decided. “I wonder if we can get animal false-faces? -I’m going to ask Dad to-night.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Williamson kept the department store in -River Bend, and he always carried a stock of -false-faces for Hallowe’en. Fred was sure that -if there were such things as “animal faces” his -father would have them.</p> - -<p>“Let’s not tell what kind of animals we’re going -to be,” suggested Polly. “I love to be surprised.”</p> - -<p>“You’d better tell your mother, Margy,” said -Ward. “If she sees a bunch of animals coming -to her house Hallowe’en night, she may think a -circus broke loose somewhere and not let us in.”</p> - -<p>“You can’t scare my mother,” declared Margy, -proudly. “I don’t believe she’d be afraid of an -elephant, if she met him. Not on Hallowe’en, -at any rate.”</p> - -<p>“We’re going to have the house to ourselves—did -you know that?” said Fred. “Everything -we need for the party will be all ready in the -kitchen, and Mother is going to leave things to eat<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">[19]</span> -in the pantry. She and Dad are going over to -Ward’s house. And Mr. and Mrs. Marley, too.”</p> - -<p>“They’ll have a party of their own, I guess,” -said Jess. “I don’t believe it is much fun for -them to duck for apples and do the things we do. -They would rather listen to Mrs. Marley play -the piano and my mother play her violin than fuss -around with Hallowe’en games.”</p> - -<p>“They’re going to have the radio set that night, -too,” Ward announced. “Fred said he’d take it -down from the clubroom and set it up in the -parlor. There’s a big musical program from -some city that night.”</p> - -<p>Fred was the wireless expert of the Riddle Club. -He had first put up the handsome radio set the -club had been given for their share in the capture -of some radio thieves, and had taken it down and -set it up in camp that summer as well. Then, -when the time came to come home, he had taken -down the tree aerials and had brought the set -back to the Larue barn and set it up again in the -clubroom. Now for this special night he would -attach a loud speaker and arrange it in the Larue -parlor so that the listening parents might enjoy -the concert.</p> - -<p>But the girls and boys could not talk long of -this grown-up affair when their own thrilling party -was yet to be arranged. They were used to planning<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">[20]</span> -their parties, and their mothers thought that -in this way they had twice the usual amount of -fun. Nearly every one can go to a party, if invited, -but not every one could plan a party if he -had to. The members of the Riddle Club did do -both nicely.</p> - -<p>“We’re going to have all the games we can -think of,” said Margy. “Picking a ring out of a -plate of flour; trying to bite a marshmallow on a -string; ducking for apples, of course. What else, -Fred?”</p> - -<p>“I know,” cried Artie, before Fred could answer. -“Go out in the garden and pull up a cabbage. -I read about it in a book.”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">[21]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER III<br> - -<small>JESS HAS LUCK</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">All</span> of the other members of the Riddle Club -stared at Artie in blank wonder.</p> - -<p>“Cabbages?” cried Fred.</p> - -<p>“What do we pull up a cabbage for?” Margy -demanded, curiously.</p> - -<p>“To see whether you’ll be rich or poor,” said -Artie, as though that settled the matter.</p> - -<p>“How will you know whether you’ll be rich and -poor?” Ward demanded.</p> - -<p>“Not rich and poor,” Artie corrected him. -“Who ever heard of any one being rich and poor? -Rich <i>or</i> poor, silly.”</p> - -<p>“Well, all right,” agreed Ward, amiably. -“Rich or poor then. How’ll we know we’re going -to be rich or poor by looking at a cabbage?”</p> - -<p>Artie perceived that he would have to explain.</p> - -<p>“You tell by the dirt,” he said seriously.</p> - -<p>“The dirt?” echoed Margy. “What dirt?”</p> - -<p>“The dirt on the roots of the cabbage,” said -Artie. “If a lot of dirt sticks, that’s a sign you’re<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">[22]</span> -going to be rich; if there isn’t much dirt, you’re -going to be poor.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” said Margy.</p> - -<p>“I think that will be fun,” said Jess, briskly.</p> - -<p>“I call it a fool stunt, but we’ll try it,” Fred -decided. “Know any more, Artie?”</p> - -<p>Artie thought for a moment.</p> - -<p>“I know about making wishes,” he said, and -paused.</p> - -<p>“Well, don’t stop,” Polly urged. “Go on and -tell us.”</p> - -<p>Artie was as fond of talking as any of the rest, -but he had an odd habit of stopping suddenly, -just when his listeners thought he was well -started.</p> - -<p>“You make a wish,” he began again, “and then -you must go upstairs and down twice, outdoors -and all around the house and around the barn—Of -course, Mr. Williamson hasn’t any barn,” -Artie interrupted himself to say; “but the summerhouse -will do, I guess. The book said an ‘outdoor -building,’ and a summerhouse must be an -outdoor building. Say, Fred, isn’t a summerhouse -an outdoor building?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, of course it is,” the impatient Fred assured -him. “Hurry up, Artie, I’m going to -sleep.”</p> - -<p>“Where was I?” asked Artie, calmly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">[23]</span>“The wishes,” Margy prodded. “We make a -wish and walk upstairs and downstairs twice and -around the house——”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, I remember,” said Artie. “Well, -you walk around the house and the barn and then -you come in again.”</p> - -<p>“Then what happens?” asked Ward.</p> - -<p>“Your wishes come true,” Artie said.</p> - -<p>“Well, I call that too queer for anything,” remarked -Jess, and the others were inclined to agree -with her.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see how walking around like that can -make wishes come true,” said Fred.</p> - -<p>“It’s the not speaking,” explained Artie. “That -does it.”</p> - -<p>Polly stared at her brother.</p> - -<p>“The—the <i>what</i>?” she demanded.</p> - -<p>“Not speaking. You know, even if some one -calls to you or asks a question, you can’t say a -word till you’ve been all around and come back,” -said Artie.</p> - -<p>“You never said anything about that,” Margy -informed him. “Can’t we speak while we’re -walking around the house?”</p> - -<p>“My, no, not a word,” said Artie, placidly. -“After you make the wish, you can’t say another -word till you’ve been up- and downstairs and -around the house and barn.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">[24]</span>“Let’s do that! It sounds awfully spooky,” -declared Margy.</p> - -<p>“Be sure you find out about the false-faces to-night, -Fred,” said Polly. “If your father hasn’t -any, we’ll have to make some.”</p> - -<p>Nothing ever daunted Polly. If she could not -find what she wanted ready-made, she made it -herself.</p> - -<p>“And another thing,” said Margy. “Being the -Riddle Club, why can’t we ask some riddles? I -mean short ones—one apiece.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” agreed Jess.</p> - -<p>“Maybe we can get some about animals,” suggested -Artie.</p> - -<p>“Oh, any kind of riddle will do,” declared the -president of the club.</p> - -<p>The plans for the party made, the six chums -made fudge as a grand wind-up to the afternoon. -They went home to supper, where the candy apparently -made little difference in their hearty appetites.</p> - -<p>Hallowe’en was not far away, and if their -animal costumes were to be made, it was necessary -to start work upon them at once. Fred’s -father had almost every kind of false-face manufactured, -but he had no animal ones. Perhaps, -as Jess proudly said, they were the first to dress -up as animals for Hallowe’en. Anyway, Polly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">[25]</span> -would have to make the faces. That was clear.</p> - -<p>There was a great deal of laughing and whispering -going on every afternoon after school in -each of the three houses on Elm Road. Artie and -Ward shared some joke together, and they might -be heard shouting and laughing soon after they -had turned the key in Ward’s or Artie’s room -door, as the case might be.</p> - -<p>“I think they’re dancing,” Jess confided to -Polly. “They shake the ceiling of the dining-room. -Ward’s room is right over the dining-room, -you know.”</p> - -<p>“Artie hates to dance,” Polly returned. “You -couldn’t make him. No, it’s something else. I -don’t know what. They shake the house when -they’re over here, too.”</p> - -<p>For not even Polly was to know what animals -were represented. Every one was so determined -to keep his or her costume a secret that it had been -decided that “any kind of face” was to be worn.</p> - -<p>“Of course they won’t match,” said Jess. “But -that will be even more fun.”</p> - -<p>Jess was having a thrilling time trying to get -her costume together. She had set her heart on -going as a chicken, and every one knows that if -there is one thing a chicken cannot do without, it -is feathers.</p> - -<p>“I can manage the wings,” she confided to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">[26]</span> -Dora, the good-natured maid in her mother’s -kitchen, “because I can use those two turkey -wings we had left from last Thanksgiving. But -where will I get the rest of the feathers?”</p> - -<p>Good fortune smiled unexpectedly on Jess. At -least, she thought it was good fortune. Passing -Mrs. Pepper’s house one morning on her way to -the store for her mother—it was Saturday—Jess -spied a barrel standing at the edge of the drive. -It was filled with soft, fluffy chicken feathers!</p> - -<p>“Oh, Mrs. Pepper, are you throwing those -feathers <i>away</i>?” asked Jess, in the tone of one -who has found a neighbor tossing out a gold mine.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Pepper was raking leaves from her lawn. -Carrie usually stayed in bed late Saturday mornings, -and she was not up yet.</p> - -<p>“Why, yes, Jess, I put that barrel out for the -junk man. He comes through town on Saturdays,” -answered Mrs. Pepper. “Those feathers -aren’t good enough to save for pillows, and I don’t -like to burn them.”</p> - -<p>“Could—could I have them?” asked Jess, her -eyes shining.</p> - -<p>“My lands, child! what do you want with -them?” exclaimed Mrs. Pepper. “Take them -and welcome, of course; but I’ll need the barrel -back. Barrels are scarce, and I like to make -mine last.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">[27]</span>“I’ll bring the barrel right back,” promised -Jess, joyfully. “Thank you ever so much, Mrs. -Pepper.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Pepper stared at her as the small girl began -to roll the barrel toward her side lawn. The -Pepper property joined Mr. Larue’s, and Jess -had not far to go. The feathers, of course, -weighed almost nothing, and the task was not difficult, -but Mrs. Pepper stood racking her brains -to think what use Jess could have for the down -and bits of feathers she had thrown away. She -was still standing there ten minutes later when -Carrie came out.</p> - -<p>“Jess Larue took those feathers?” Carrie repeated, -when her mother told her. “I don’t see -what on earth she wants them for! Why didn’t -you make her tell you before you gave her the -barrel?”</p> - -<p>“I believe in minding my own affairs,” said Mrs. -Pepper, tartly.</p> - -<p>She kept a great many chickens and sold them -dressed; that is, killed and with the feathers taken -off. Her good feathers she saved for pillows, -but the stuff that filled the barrel was down from -young chickens and broken feathers that were of -no use to her.</p> - -<p>Jess rolled her barrel up to the side door of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">[28]</span> -the house and reached the hall before Dora spied -her.</p> - -<p>“Where you going, Jess, with that dirty old -barrel?” she asked suspiciously.</p> - -<p>“I’m taking it up to my room,” replied Jess.</p> - -<p>“What’s in it—let me look,” replied Dora. -“Feathers! Jess, for goodness’ sake, roll that -barrel outside, quick! If your mother was to -catch you scattering those nasty little pin feathers -all over the house, she’d tell you a thing or two!”</p> - -<p>“I’m not going to scatter them,” Jess argued. -“Help me carry the barrel up to my room, will -you, Dora? I have to take it back.”</p> - -<p>When Dora understood that the barrel was to -go back to Mrs. Pepper, she was more determined -than ever that Jess should not take it up to her -room.</p> - -<p>“I know exactly what you’d do, Jess,” Dora -said. “You’d dump those feathers out on your -bedroom floor and take the empty barrel back; -and in less than five minutes, every rug and carpet -in this house, to say nothing of the chairs and the -sofas, would have pin feathers sticking in them.”</p> - -<p>“Well, where can I put them?” asked Jess, -realizing that unless Dora was willing to help her -she could not hope to get the barrel up the stairs. -“I have to have these feathers for Hallowe’en, -Dora.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">[29]</span>“Take them out in the barn, to be sure,” said -Dora. “Why you and Ward don’t want to play -in the barn, beats me. Many a child would be -thankful for such a light, clean place to stay in. -You can make all the noise you want, too, and -do as you please out there. And you’re forever -hanging around the house.”</p> - -<p>“It’s cold,” said Jess, absently, but her mind -was busy with another problem. She had remembered -that she needed flour paste.</p> - -<p>“If I take the feathers out to the barn, Dora,” -she said coaxingly, “how about some flour paste? -Let me make some?”</p> - -<p>“You’re too hard on the flour barrel,” declared -Dora, good-naturedly. “Be off to the barn now -and leave your barrel there; then go and get the -soap your mother promised me and I’ll have the -paste ready for you when you come back.”</p> - -<p>Jess was willing, and she rolled the barrel out -to the barn. She was glad that Ward was over -with Artie Marley, for it gave her an opportunity -to make her Hallowe’en costume without an audience. -She dumped the feathers on the floor of -the barn, not minding in the least that they flew -about and lighted, many of them, in her hair and -on her blouse and skirt, then rolled the empty barrel -back to the Pepper driveway.</p> - -<p>Carrie saw her and called to her to wait, but<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">[30]</span> -Jess shouted that she was going to the store and -ran off quickly. It was not part of her plan to -have Carrie’s sharp eyes and Carrie’s quick tongue -ferret out her secret.</p> - -<p>True to her promise, Dora had a generous -basin of flour paste ready for Jess when she came -back from the store, and the girl took it gratefully -and went out to the barn. She made several -trips to the house for things she needed, scissors, -newspapers, and a paper of pins were among -them, but at last she was evidently equipped, for -she stayed in the barn.</p> - -<p>“Where’s Jess?” asked Polly and Margy, half -an hour later, at the Larue back door.</p> - -<p>“Out in the barn—at least, she was a little while -ago,” answered Dora. “I haven’t heard a word -from her since I made her a bowl of flour paste.”</p> - -<p>Polly and Margy went out to the barn. The -sliding door was pushed half-way open, and there -on the barn floor they beheld a remarkable sight. -They stared, wondering what it could be.</p> - -<p>“Jess!” called Polly, uncertainly. “Jess! is -that you?”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">[31]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER IV<br> - -<small>HALLOWE’EN FUN</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Come</span> away,” whispered Margy. “That isn’t -Jess.”</p> - -<p>But it was Jess. The rolling figure sat up and -stared at them with Jess’s own brown eyes.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” said Jess, none too cordially.</p> - -<p>“What in the world are you doing?” asked -Margy, more frankly than politely.</p> - -<p>“I’m busy,” answered Jess.</p> - -<p>“You’re a sight—isn’t she, Polly?” said Margy.</p> - -<p>Polly didn’t wish to agree, but the truth was -that Jess was the most remarkable looking girl -she had ever seen. She seemed to be covered -with feathers—her hair and face and hands. -They were on her shoes, her stockings, and parts -of her dress. There was almost as much dirt and -dust mixed with the feathers as there was flour -paste, and that had evidently been used in liberal -quantities.</p> - -<p>“What <i>are</i> you doing?” asked Polly, helplessly.</p> - -<p>“Well, if you must know,” said Jess, “I’m making<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">[32]</span> -my Hallowe’en costume. Only these mean -old feathers aren’t much good,” she added fretfully. -“They won’t stay stuck.”</p> - -<p>She went on to explain that she had cut a -chicken out of newspapers—“both sides and sewed -it in the middle”—and had spread the paste over -this. The plan was to roll in the feathers with -this on and in this way the pattern would be covered -with feathers which would dry on. Then, -with the addition of the turkey wings, Jess would -be ready for the party.</p> - -<p>“I have a pair of bright yellow stockings I never -wore, and I am going to paint my shoes yellow, -too,” she announced, in a burst of confidence.</p> - -<p>Polly wanted to laugh, but she was afraid of -hurting Jess’s feelings.</p> - -<p>“It looks pretty messy just now,” said Polly. -“But perhaps when it dries it will be all right. -You’re taking a lot of trouble, aren’t you, Jess?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I like things to be right,” admitted Jess. -“I think it will be fun to have animals at the party. -Margy, will you stick a handful of feathers on -that bare place? Here, put some more paste on -first.”</p> - -<p>Margy didn’t want to put her hands in the -feathers, so Polly had to come to the rescue. -Then she helped Jess take the paper off, which was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">[33]</span> -difficult, for it was wet and heavy with paste and -easily torn.</p> - -<p>“You mustn’t wear it again till the night of the -party,” Polly cautioned the designer. “You’ll -wear it out, if you’re not careful.”</p> - -<p>“I won’t touch it till Hallowe’en,” promised -Jess. “But now you’ve seen mine, I think you -ought to tell me what you’re going to wear,” she -declared.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to be a leopard,” said Polly, instantly. -“It’s because we had some spotted flannel -in the house.”</p> - -<p>“And Mother is going to lend me her old astrakhan -coat, so I can be a lamb,” said Margy. “I -think lambs are lovely. I wouldn’t want to be -any kind of homely animal, even for fun.”</p> - -<p>Jess’s dark eyes grew round with curiosity.</p> - -<p>“What do you suppose the boys are going to -wear?” she asked.</p> - -<p>But no one knew, and up to the night of the -party no one had found out. It had been agreed -among the six friends that each was to go alone -to the Williamson house, so it happened that the -three girls and Mr. and Mrs. Williamson were -already in the big, roomy kitchen, where the party -was to be, when some one knocked at the door.</p> - -<p>“That’s Fred! I know it is!” exclaimed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">[34]</span> -Margy. “I just heard him go down the front -stairs and out. He’s come around to the back -door.”</p> - -<p>Margy was wearing her mother’s woolly coat, -and with her shiny black shoes and black silk -gloves—to represent the forefeet—made a very -cunning and attractive little lamb—till one’s -glance reached her face. Her false-face was -that of an old witch, and the contrast between this -grinning old-woman face and the woolly young -lamb was too much for Mr. Williamson. He -had gone into fits of laughter as soon as he saw -Margy.</p> - -<p>The arrival of Polly, in spotted flannel that -covered her hands and feet much as a sleeping -garment would, her face hidden behind a -“Brownie” false-face, made Mr. Williamson -laugh, too. But when Jess arrived, Mrs. Williamson -was really alarmed about him. He -laughed so hard he had to take out his handkerchief -and wipe his eyes.</p> - -<p>Even Polly and Margy had to laugh at Jess. -She wore her feather suit, as she called the paper -and feather costume, and she had rigged up the -turkey wings with string so that they flapped—sometimes—when -she pulled the string. As the -nearest thing to a chicken’s head she could get -in a false-face, she had chosen a mask with an<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">[35]</span> -extremely long and hooked nose that, she fondly -hoped, looked like a chicken’s beak. She had -taken an old pair of shoes and covered them with -bright yellow paint, buttons and all.</p> - -<p>Mr. and Mrs. Williamson were only waiting to -greet the guests before going over to spend the -evening at the Larue house. Answering the -knock at the door, Mr. Williamson opened it and -a kangaroo leaped into the room. For a moment -the girls were startled, and then they saw that it -was Fred.</p> - -<p>“I think that’s a fine costume, Fred,” said Polly. -“Did you make it?”</p> - -<p>“Mother helped,” replied Fred, hopping -around the kitchen the better to show off his -brown flannel suit and long tail. It covered his -head and eyes so that he didn’t need a mask, and -when he crouched in a sitting position, Polly assured -him that he looked exactly like the pictures -of kangaroos they had seen in their school geographies.</p> - -<p>Rat-a-tat-tat! went a knock on the door.</p> - -<p>“Bet that’s Artie,” said Fred, confidently.</p> - -<p>“Ward, more likely,” declared Jess. “He was -getting ready when I started to come.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Williamson opened the door, and they all -leaned forward to look.</p> - -<p>First a long, long neck stretched itself into the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">[36]</span> -kitchen, then an ungainly, rather square body, -mounted on four legs, followed. This queer-looking -creature was spotted in circles, and had a long, -thin tail.</p> - -<p>“A giraffe!” cried Jess, guessing first.</p> - -<p>“Artie and Ward! Well, what do you know -about that!” shouted Fred. “Why didn’t you -tell a fellow?”</p> - -<p>“Wanted to surprise you,” croaked the giraffe. -“Guess we did it.”</p> - -<p>And to Fred’s amazement, the long neck twisted -several times around his own neck in what was -meant to be an affectionate embrace.</p> - -<p>“Here—let go of me—get out!” cried Fred, -trying to back away. “What kind of a neck have -you, a rubber one?”</p> - -<p>The girls giggled and Mr. Williamson untangled -the long neck carefully.</p> - -<p>“Don’t let it rip,” begged the giraffe. “If it -comes unsewed the whole thing will be spoiled. -That’s the old rubber hose in that neck.”</p> - -<p>“So that’s what you’ve been doing so long,” -said Polly. “I see! That’s why you were shaking -the ceiling.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/p036.jpg" alt="A GIRAFFE! CRIED JESS, GUESSING FIRST"></div> -<p class="caption">“A GIRAFFE!” CRIED JESS, GUESSING FIRST.</p> - -<p>“Well, if you think it’s easy to walk in this, -you ought to try it,” said Artie’s voice. “Ward -had to be the front because he is taller, and I’m<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[37]</span> -the back legs. At first we walked into each other -and couldn’t turn corners without making a mess -of it. But how we do fine.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know whether it is safe to leave this -menagerie or not, Mother,” said Mr. Williamson, -smiling. “But we won’t be so far away that we -can’t get back if we’re needed. Now, youngsters,” -he added to the children, “go as far as -you like and have all the fun you want. But don’t -go off the grounds and don’t set the house on fire. -Fred, I trust your good sense to know when to -stop.”</p> - -<p>“Good-bye,” cried the animals, crowding to the -door. “Good-bye. We’re going to have a lovely -party.”</p> - -<p>Mr. and Mrs. Williamson looked back and -laughed. The light from the kitchen streamed -through the doorway and showed a wild-looking -group on the porch.</p> - -<p>“I’m glad they didn’t want any others,” said -Mrs. Williamson, as they reached the Larue -house. “They get on so well together that they -do not really need any more to make a party.”</p> - -<p>Left alone, Margy and Fred, as host and hostess, -announced that the games would begin at -once. Of course the false-faces had to come off -and the gloves, too, and Fred had to fold back<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[38]</span> -his brown hood, while Artie and Ward had to -step “out of their skin,” as they put it, to duck for -apples.</p> - -<p>This was not Ward’s favorite pastime, for it -always made him gasp dreadfully; but he wouldn’t -beg off, and manfully went groping about under -the water till he nearly choked. He never succeeded -in getting hold of an apple, but Fred -brought up two and Polly one, while Jess and -Artie each lifted one by the stem, merely to drop -it before it reached the surface.</p> - -<p>Then they tackled the swaying marshmallow on -the string, and most of them were liberally coated -with the snowy powder before Margy grasped -the mallow in her strong little white teeth and -swallowed it and nearly swallowed the string, -too.</p> - -<p>“Now the plate of flour,” commanded Fred, -when the marshmallow was gone. “Put your -hands behind you, every one, and do your best.”</p> - -<p>Ward made a desperate effort, but, unfortunately, -opened his eyes when his face was buried -in the flour and coughed and sputtered so much as -he tried to wink them clear again, that Fred pulled -him out in great alarm.</p> - -<p>“Let me try,” begged Artie.</p> - -<p>He took a deep breath, shut his eyes, and -ducked into the flour for the hidden ring. Alas,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[39]</span> -he had found the ring and was ready to take it -in his teeth when he found he could not hold his -breath another minute. He let it out in one great -rush, and the flour flew in all directions, most of it -landing on the interested five standing near.</p> - -<p>“Never mind,” said Margy, kindly, for Artie -looked distressed. “We have plenty more flour, -and Mother said she didn’t care how much mess -we made in the kitchen. It’s easy to clean.”</p> - -<p>So the ring was hidden in the flour again, and -Jess tried and failed to find it. Polly was the -one who finally brought it to light.</p> - -<p>“And now I guess it is time we had the riddles,” -said the president of the club. “Each girl is to -ask a boy a riddle and then each boy is to do the -same thing to a girl. Jess, you can start if -you want to.”</p> - -<p>“All right. Artie, what word may be pronounced -quicker by adding a syllable to it?”</p> - -<p>“That’s a real hard one,” grumbled Artie. -“Why didn’t you make it easier?”</p> - -<p>“I know that one,” shouted Ward.</p> - -<p>“Guess, Artie,” said Polly. “Hurry, we don’t -want to lose time over the riddles.”</p> - -<p>“I guess it’s fast, because you add E-R and then -it’s faster.”</p> - -<p>“Almost right,” replied Jess. “The word is -quick. Add E-R and you have quicker.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">[40]</span>“I’ve one for you, Ward,” said Margy. “Why -is an egg like a young colt?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ve got you, Margy! The answer is because -neither can be used until broken.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean—broken?” asked Jess. -“I mean of a colt?”</p> - -<p>“Why, a colt is broken to harness,” explained -Margy, impatiently. “They are of no account -until they’re broken.”</p> - -<p>“Now it’s my turn,” said Polly. “Fred, here is -a real mannish riddle: What is the best bet made—one -covering everything?”</p> - -<p>“Gee, that’s some bet—to cover everything. -Must be the heavens.”</p> - -<p>“Is that your guess?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you’re wrong. The best bet that covers -everything is the alphabet.”</p> - -<p>“Huh! Why didn’t I think of that?”</p> - -<p>“Now you boys must ask us girls. Fred, go -ahead.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll ask you, Polly. Here is a stinger: -What’s the difference between a brand new ten-cent -piece and an old-fashion quarter?”</p> - -<p>“The difference is exactly fifteen cents,” replied -Polly, placidly.</p> - -<p>“Wow! I guess you read the same riddle -book I did.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[41]</span>“Here is one for you, Margy,” said Artie. -“Why is a lollipop like a horse?”</p> - -<p>“When he’s the same color,” said Margy, -quickly.</p> - -<p>“No, that isn’t the answer. A lollipop is like -a horse because the more you lick it the faster it -goes.”</p> - -<p>“Now, Ward, you ask the last riddle,” said -Polly. “Then we’ll go on with our Hallowe’en -fun.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Jess, what is the ugliest hood ever -brought to light?”</p> - -<p>“Ugly hood? Oh, lots of them are ugly. -Sadie Drew has a hood that is a sickly green and -has bright red——”</p> - -<p>“Never mind all that. What is positively the -ugliest hood ever thought of?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. What hood is it?”</p> - -<p>“A falsehood,” cried Ward, triumphantly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, I guess that’s right.”</p> - -<p>“Now everybody has asked a riddle, let us go -on with our Hallowe’en stunts,” said Polly. “Let -us start on the wishes.”</p> - -<p>“Everybody make a wish,” directed Artie. -“Then we’ll go upstairs and down and around -the summerhouse and the real house. Remember, -nobody is to say a word.”</p> - -<p>They made their wishes hurriedly and silently,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">[42]</span> -and then, Fred leading the way, they started. -They kept rather close together, for each time -they went up- and downstairs—and they had to do -that twice—their shadows made such queer shapes -on the wall that they looked positively spooky.</p> - -<p>Artie and Ward clumped along in the giraffe -suit, and the leopard and kangaroo looked almost -real. Each one wanted to say to some one else, -“Oh, doesn’t it make you feel jumpy?” but that, -of course, would have broken the spell.</p> - -<p>When they had been up and down the stairs -twice, Fred led the way outdoors. Then, indeed, -they did keep close together, for the moon was -crossed by scudding clouds and the dry leaves, rattling -over the dried grass, made funny, little -scratching noises. Polly said afterward that she -would not have been surprised to have seen a -witch come jumping out at her from behind the -summerhouse.</p> - -<p>Around the house they trailed, and around the -summerhouse, in perfect silence. Back to the -house they went and into the brightly lighted -kitchen.</p> - -<p>“Well!” said Margy, in great relief. “I guess -our wishes are coming true. No one said a word.”</p> - -<p>“I almost did, though,” declared Jess. “I -nearly yelled. Didn’t you see something back of -the summerhouse?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">[43]</span>“Oh, Jess, you’re getting nervous,” said Fred. -“There wasn’t anything there. We walked all -around it.”</p> - -<p>“It was inside,” replied Jess, glancing fearfully -over her shoulder.</p> - -<p>“There wasn’t a thing there—not a thing,” insisted -Fred. “You imagined it. Come on now, -let’s go pull up the cabbages and see if we’re going -to be rich or poor. Then we’ll have the eats.”</p> - -<p>“Jess,” whispered Polly, as they streamed out -again, headed for the garden patch, “I thought I -saw something in the summerhouse, too.”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">[44]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER V<br> - -<small>TABLES TURNED</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Jess</span> and Polly looked over their shoulders as -they walked to the garden, which was at one side -of the house, but the others marched briskly along. -In the summer Mr. Williamson had a flourishing -“truck patch,” and even now there were some late -vegetables still in the ground. The patch was -protected from frost, and Fred sometimes boasted -of getting cabbage or parsnips “from the garden” -as late as Thanksgiving Day.</p> - -<p>“Now, how do we do this stunt, Artie?” asked -Fred, when they had reached the row of cabbages. -“You pull one and show us.”</p> - -<p>Artie pulled a fine large cabbage and exhibited -its roots to the interested audience.</p> - -<p>“Lots of dirt on it,” he pointed out—indeed, in -his zeal, he had loosened perhaps half a peck of -earth, most of which clung to the roots—“and -that shows I will be very rich some day.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe Fred will,” said Polly, mischievously. -“That dirt is from his father’s garden.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">[45]</span>“It’s just a sign,” explained Artie, hastily.</p> - -<p>Margy stooped and brought up another cabbage, -but as she lifted it she shook it carefully and -nearly all the dirt fell off.</p> - -<p>“There goes your fortune!” cried Jess. “You -mustn’t shake it, Margy.”</p> - -<p>“It’s too heavy with all that dirt on it,” Margy -complained.</p> - -<p>“Well, if there’s a bag of gold at the bottom -of this one, it’s going to stay right there,” announced -Polly, tugging at the nearest cabbage.</p> - -<p>A shriek from Margy startled her. She let -go the cabbage in time to look up and see a tall -white figure land in the patch, apparently from the -skies. They all saw it at the same instant, and, -cabbages forgotten, they rushed madly for the -house. Margy was crying wildly, Polly pulled -Jess along by the hand, and poor Ward and Artie -fell down, but scrambled up again and managed to -get over the ground in spite of their costume, -which was never designed for a running suit. -They reached the back porch, stumbled pell-mell -up the steps and into the kitchen. Margy closed -the door with a bang that shook the house.</p> - -<p>“Oh-oo!” she wept, her teeth chattering. -“What was it? What was it?”</p> - -<p>“I think—I think it was a ghost,” quavered -Jess.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">[46]</span>“It was a million feet high—almost,” said -Artie. “Did you see how it was waving its -arms?”</p> - -<p>“There are no such things as ghosts,” declared -Polly, firmly. “It couldn’t have been a ghost, -could it——” She had meant to say, “Could it, -Fred?” but at that moment she made an alarming -discovery.</p> - -<p>Fred wasn’t in the kitchen with them!</p> - -<p>“Where’s Fred?” asked Polly, anxiously. -“Didn’t he come in? Has any one seen him?”</p> - -<p>“The ghost has carried him off!” cried Margy, -in alarm. “He’s gone! Oh, my, what will -Mother say?”</p> - -<p>“It wasn’t a ghost,” said Polly again. “I tell -you, there are no ghosts. And if it was a ghost, -it couldn’t carry Fred off—a ghost can’t carry anything.”</p> - -<p>“You just said there aren’t any ghosts,” objected -Margy.</p> - -<p>“Well, I mean if there were ghosts, they -couldn’t carry any one off,” Polly explained.</p> - -<p>“Then where is Fred?” asked Artie, quite as -though he thought Polly would be able to tell him.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” Polly admitted. “You don’t -suppose he could have fallen down a hole somewhere, -do you? I don’t remember having seen<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">[47]</span> -him after I saw the ghost—and that was just before -I started to pull up the cabbage.”</p> - -<p>No one remembered having seen Fred.</p> - -<p>“But then,” added Ward, “I couldn’t see anything, -really. The flannel slipped down over my -eyes and I couldn’t see where I was going, let alone -any one else. I don’t know where Fred went.”</p> - -<p>“I read once about a man who fell down a -canyon and was never seen again,” contributed -Artie, helpfully.</p> - -<p>“There isn’t any canyon for Fred to fall down,” -declared Jess, with some scorn. “I think we -ought to go over and get Mr. Williamson, though; -perhaps he could find Fred.”</p> - -<p>“But if we go outdoors, that ghost—or whatever -it is—will grab us,” said Margy, fearfully.</p> - -<p>It was what they were all thinking, and no one -wanted to be the first to volunteer to go over to -the Larue house and summon aid.</p> - -<p>Ward looked at Artie. They did not think of -themselves as brave, but it really required the -strongest kind of courage for them to make the -suggestion that Ward presently offered.</p> - -<p>“We’ll go out and look all over the garden, -Artie and I,” he said. “There’s no use in scaring -Mrs. Williamson; we may find Fred and then -everything will be all right.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">[48]</span>“I can come, too, and hold a lantern for you,” -offered Polly, bravely. “I’d like to do it.”</p> - -<p>“You needn’t come. Girls shouldn’t—shouldn’t—expose -themselves to danger,” said -Ward, feeling remarkably like a policeman—or -as he thought a policeman must feel. “But I’d -like a lantern. Where is there one, Margy?”</p> - -<p>“Down cellar,” said Margy, rolling her eyes.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid to go down cellar,” announced Jess, -flatly. “Goodness only knows what’s down there. -It’s as dark as pitch.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll all go down,” suggested Polly. “You -can turn on the light at the head of the stairs, -can’t you, Margy?”</p> - -<p>Most of the houses in River Bend were wired -for electricity, and there was a switch at the head -of the Williamsons’ cellar stairs. Margy pressed -the button, but even the flood of light which lit the -cellar did not give any of them any great confidence. -They went down the steps slowly, and not -for anything in the world would they have looked -over their shoulders.</p> - -<p>Margy found the lantern behind the furnace, -and, as they had not brought matches, there was -no reason for staying, since to light it they would -have to go back to the kitchen. Jess led the way -upstairs, and as she gained the top step, she cried -out. Fred was just closing the outside door.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">[49]</span>“Hello!” he said comfortably. “Where’ve -you all been?”</p> - -<p>“Where have you been?” Margy countered. -“You scared us pretty near into fits. We thought -the ghost had caught you.”</p> - -<p>“Ward and I were coming out to hunt for you,” -Artie said, waving the lantern. “We went down -cellar to get this.”</p> - -<p>“Huh, that wasn’t a ghost,” replied Fred. “If -you’d hung around a little, the way I did, you -would have found it out pretty quick.”</p> - -<p>Margy switched off the cellar light and shut the -door.</p> - -<p>“What was it, if it wasn’t a ghost?” she asked.</p> - -<p>“Joe Anderson,” was Fred’s surprising reply. -“He thought he’d be smart. You haven’t been -crying, have you, Margy?”</p> - -<p>“Only a little,” said Margy, hastily.</p> - -<p>“She thought something had happened to you,” -said Polly. “What did you do, Fred? And -weren’t you frightened?”</p> - -<p>“I was at first,” acknowledged Fred. “That -white thing came up on us so quietly, it rather took -my breath away. But when you all started to -shriek and run, I heard Joe Anderson laugh. I’d -know his snicker if I heard it in China. So I hid -behind the pear tree. I thought I’d get a chance -to punch his nose for him.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">[50]</span>“Did you?” chorused Artie and Ward interestedly.</p> - -<p>“Well, no, I didn’t,” said Fred. “He followed -you up to the porch steps and then came back, -but Albert Holmes came out of the summerhouse—he -must have been hiding there with Joe—and -they began talking. And they’re going to try to -play another trick on us in a few minutes. I -heard them planning it. They want to wait till -we get quieted down from this scare, and then Joe -is going to ring the doorbell. He thinks whoever -comes to the door will have a fit when they -see a giant ghost.”</p> - -<p>“A giant ghost?” repeated Polly.</p> - -<p>“Yes, a giant ghost. Albert is going to sit on -Joe’s shoulder and that will make the ghost about -eight feet high,” said Fred. “I wish I could think -of something to do that would make them feel -cheap.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s go upstairs and pour water out of the -window on them when they ring the bell,” suggested -Jess, excitedly.</p> - -<p>Fred shook his head.</p> - -<p>“I wonder——” he said slowly. “Yes, I do -believe it will work!”</p> - -<p>“What will work?” demanded Margy, eagerly. -“What will work, Fred?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll step into the first half of the giraffe,”<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">[51]</span> -explained Fred, “and Artie can manage the back -feet—Ward will get out of breath too quickly to -do what I want done. When the bell rings, we’ll -go out the back door and amble around to the -front of the house and just wrap Mr. Ghost lovingly -around with that nice, long, rubber-hose -neck. That ought to give our friends a thrill. -They won’t know what has them in the dark.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes,” approved Polly. “I think that’s a -fine plan. Hurry, Ward, and let Fred get into -your half; the bell may ring any minute.”</p> - -<p>Ward would have liked to have guided the -giraffe’s neck himself, but he knew as well as Fred -that excitement took his breath away as quickly -as running. Fred had the longer arms, too, and -would be able to give a longer reach to the animal’s -long neck.</p> - -<p>Fred had hardly slipped into the flannel casing -and drawn it tightly about him and Artie was -practicing his best giraffe step, when the bell over -the door leading into the front hall rang sharply. -Every one jumped, though it was a noise they -were expecting.</p> - -<p>“Stay right where you are,” Fred directed. “If -Joe sees you through the curtains or the glass -door, he’ll be suspicious. Come on, Artie, we’ll -have to hurry.”</p> - -<p>He and Artie loped down the back steps and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">[52]</span> -sped around the side of the house. A cautious -look showed Fred a towering ghost standing on -the front steps, waiting patiently. Tiptoeing, he -and Artie stole up to it and before the ghost knew -what was happening, a long slim, tight coil was -fastened about it.</p> - -<p>“Ow! Help! Take it away!” shrieked Joe Anderson’s -voice. “Quick, Albert, take it off! -Help! Something’s got me!”</p> - -<p>Albert was sitting on Joe’s shoulders, and in -his terror and excitement he began to kick wildly, -hammering the unfortunate Joe on the face and -shoulders unmercifully. Fred couldn’t unwind -the length of hose—though he tried—because the -end was pinioned under one of Albert’s arms, and -the more the two boys who formed the ghost -struggled, the tighter the coils seemed to grow.</p> - -<p>“Help! help!” called Joe, beside himself with -fear.</p> - -<p>“Ow! Joe! Joe! It’s choking me!” screamed -poor Albert, twisting and turning madly, for his -pillow case had slipped too far over his head and -he felt as though he was smothering.</p> - -<p>The other children had rushed to the door when -they heard the racket. Across the street in the -Larue house lights were blazing through the windows -as the shades were run up, for the noise had -reached the grown-ups there.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">[53]</span>“Take it off, Fred,” called Artie. “Hurry—take -it off! I can’t see a thing in here.”</p> - -<p>“It—won’t—come—off!” gasped Fred. “Don’t -you see me pulling?”</p> - -<p>He took a step backward, his foot caught one -of Artie’s, and they went down together, dragging -the kicking ghost on top of them. When Mr. -Williamson and Mr. Larue and Mr. Marley -reached the spot a few minutes later, to their -astonishment they saw what looked like a brown -and white animal with spots thrashing about on -the ground and apparently fitted with dozens of -legs and arms.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">[54]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VI<br> - -<small>POLLY’S PROBLEM</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">As this</span> queer animal flopped about, muffled -cries and shouts came from it. Dancing around -it were four little figures in the wildest state of -excitement.</p> - -<p>“Here, here, what’s all this?” asked Mr. Williamson. -“You’ll have the whole town here in -another minute. What’s that on the ground?”</p> - -<p>“Fred!” said Margy.</p> - -<p>“Artie!” cried Polly.</p> - -<p>“Joe Anderson and Albert Holmes,” piped -out Ward.</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ll see if we can sort them out,” said -Mr. Williamson, who seemed to understand.</p> - -<p>He grasped a kicking leg and Mr. Marley -caught a waving arm. As for Mr. Larue, he took -a whole handful of spots, and that proved to be -most of Joe Anderson.</p> - -<p>As soon as the boys stopped twisting and turning, -they found they were not so badly mixed as -they had thought. They climbed out of their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">[55]</span> -wrappings, a little the worse for wear, but not -much.</p> - -<p>“Think you’re smart, don’t you?” growled Joe -Anderson.</p> - -<p>“The hose twisted,” explained Fred, with a -grin. “Bet you were scared.”</p> - -<p>“My mother will be as mad—as mad—as anything!” -sputtered Albert Holmes. “She told me -not to take her sheets and pillow case, and now -look at them!”</p> - -<p>Alas, for Mrs. Holmes’ good sheet and linen -pillow case—they were covered with dirt and torn -in many places.</p> - -<p>“Next time,” said Fred, significantly, “don’t -come to a party you’re not invited to.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think that’s called for, Fred,” said his -father, quietly. “Go on back into the house and -have your fun there. If you think you’ll be likely -to rouse the neighborhood again, one of us will -stay, too; otherwise we’d like to go back and finish -our own party.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll be all right,” declared Fred, hastily, and -the others echoed his assurance.</p> - -<p>Mr. Williamson waited till he had seen Joe Anderson -and Albert well up the street on their way -home, and then he and the other two fathers went -back to the Larue house.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps,” said Artie, as the girls and boys<span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">[56]</span> -found themselves in the kitchen again, “we’d better -not try any more stunts outdoors.”</p> - -<p>“Huh, they won’t bother us again—you see if -they do!” said Fred, but Polly and Margy -wouldn’t hear of any more trips to the garden.</p> - -<p>“Anyway, it’s time we had the eats,” declared -Margy, wisely.</p> - -<p>She knew the boys could never resist that suggestion, -and, sure enough, as she brought out the -plates of sandwiches and doughnuts and the little -pumpkin tarts Mrs. Williamson had left for them, -no one had to be dragged to the table. There -was milk to drink, and afterward they popped -corn and buttered and ate it. They were surprised -when Mr. and Mrs. Williamson walked in -and announced that it was ten o’clock and time -for all parties to be over.</p> - -<p>“I promised your mothers that you’d come -home at once,” said Mrs. Williamson, so there -was no excuse for lingering.</p> - -<p>In school the next day, Albert Holmes was not -exactly pleasant—his mother had been much “put -out” because of the damage done her linen, and -Albert persisted in blaming the Riddle Club members -for this damage. Joe Anderson spread the -report that Fred had nearly broken his arm. He -allowed his listeners to infer that Fred had attacked -him, but most of the boys and girls were<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">[57]</span> -too well acquainted with Joe to believe that all the -blame could be on one side.</p> - -<p>“I’ll be glad when it gets real cold,” said Carrie -Pepper to her chum, Mattie Helms. “I hope -we have snow up to the windows of the houses -and tons and tons of ice.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Mattie. “I like to go skating, too. -But I can’t skate very well. My ankles are -weak.”</p> - -<p>“Who said anything about ice skating?” demanded -Carrie.</p> - -<p>“Well, you were talking about ice,” retorted -Mattie.</p> - -<p>“I was thinking about the Riddle Club,” said -Carrie. “If it will only get good and cold, they -won’t be able to have their silly old meetings.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see why,” remarked Mattie, wondering -what the weather had to do with club meetings.</p> - -<p>“You would, if you’d do some thinking,” said -her chum. “When it gets too cold to meet in the -barn, where’ll they go?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, around to different houses, I suppose,” answered -Mattie. “They’ll do the way we do.”</p> - -<p>“Polly Marley won’t let ’em,” was Carrie’s reply -to this. “She doesn’t like going around to -different places to meet. I’ve often heard her -say so. And if they don’t meet in the barn, they -won’t meet anywhere. Then, perhaps, we’ll get<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">[58]</span> -a little peace. I do get so sick,” added Carrie, -“of hearing about that old Riddle Club.”</p> - -<p>“So do I,” Mattie responded. “You’d think -they had the only club in River Bend, to hear ’em -talk.”</p> - -<p>The question of where they should hold their -club meetings in cold weather was also puzzling -Polly. She knew the answer to the puzzle would -have to come from her. Margy would be the -first to complain of the discomfort of the cold -barn, but the last to suggest another meeting place. -Jess was hardy and would cheerfully endure a red -nose and cold hands before she would take the -trouble to move. As for the boys, they naturally -expected Polly to think things over and work plans -out, and while they would fall in with her suggestions, -it was useless to look to them for ideas.</p> - -<p>November came in cold and gray and the month -was not six days old before the citizens of River -Bend looked out one morning to find feathery -flakes floating in the air. Fathers thought of their -coal-bins and children of their sleds, but Polly’s -thoughts flew to the clubroom in the Larue barn. -A meeting of the Riddle Club was scheduled for -the next day.</p> - -<p>“Gee, isn’t it cold!” cried Artie as he and Polly -started for school.</p> - -<p>They met Jess and Ward and the Williamson<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">[59]</span> -twins—as usual—and the bitter cold wind that -stung their faces came straight from the river.</p> - -<p>“I read where a man said this is going to be -the coldest winter we’ve ever had,” related Artie, -opening and closing his fingers rapidly in their -woolen gloves to keep the blood circulating.</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s cold enough right now,” declared -Ward. “Of course, I like snow and skating, but -I’d rather have the mornings nice and warm.”</p> - -<p>Fred laughed.</p> - -<p>“You’d fix it up so we’d go to school with steam-heated -overcoats and shoes, wouldn’t you, -Ward?” he teased. “And then, the moment -school closed, you’d have a nice glassy hill back -right up to the door with a sled on top ready to -take you coasting.”</p> - -<p>Ward admitted that he had something like that -in mind.</p> - -<p>“What are you thinking about, Polly?” asked -Margy, curiously. “You haven’t said a word for -the last five minutes.”</p> - -<p>“I’m wondering what we are going to do about -the clubroom,” answered Polly. “To-morrow it’s -going to be as cold as ice in the barn. We haven’t -done a thing about heating it, either, except talk -about it.”</p> - -<p>“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t have an -oil stove,” declared Fred, positively. “That<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">[60]</span> -won’t cost much, and we can take turns filling it.”</p> - -<p>“Daddy says that we can’t have any kind of a -heater in the barn,” said Jess, mournfully. “He -says the most careful children in the world could -burn a barn down without knowing they were doing -it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, the only thing I see to do, then,” said -Polly, “is to wrap up extra warm. We can’t -freeze solid in an hour or two.”</p> - -<p>“No, but I have a little cold now,” objected -Margy, “and I don’t believe Mother will want -me to stay in that cold barn. You can’t be too -careful when you have a little cold.”</p> - -<p>“You say you have a cold,” declared Fred, with -brotherly frankness, “because you want an excuse -for borrowing one of Mother’s good handkerchiefs -and putting her new cologne on it.”</p> - -<p>Margy looked at him reproachfully, but forebore -to argue.</p> - -<p>All through the morning session Polly studied -the problem of a meeting place. That is, when -she was not reciting. She racked her mind to -think of somewhere they could go, but without -success. As Carrie Pepper had shrewdly said, -she was not willing to “meet around” at the houses -of the various members. For one thing, Polly -knew that this plan usually meant extra work and -trouble for the mothers.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">[61]</span>“We might not always put everything back in -place,” reasoned Polly. “And the boys are <i>so</i> -hard on chairs and furniture. They don’t mean -to be, but they can’t help it. With our own furniture, -it doesn’t matter, but just suppose Artie -should put his feet on those new satin chairs Mrs. -Larue just had sent home! And if we had anything -to eat, I’d want to run the carpet sweeper -over the rug afterward, because I just know there -would be crumbs spilled.”</p> - -<p>Then she was called on to go to the blackboard, -and it was twenty minutes before she had a chance -to tackle the problem again.</p> - -<p>“Oh, dear, it is really trying to snow,” said -Polly to herself, glancing from the window as she -walked back to her seat. “I hoped maybe the -sun would come out and make it warmer. I -don’t see what we’re going to do with all our -lovely things, if we can’t meet in the barn any -longer.”</p> - -<p>Polly meant the treasures the Riddle Club had -gathered from various sources, some by dint of -wheedling from parents who had furniture stored -in attics, some from friends made in camp, and -some—best of all—won as trophies.</p> - -<p>“What are you going to do about the Riddle -Club?” Carrie Pepper asked unexpectedly that -noon.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">[62]</span>She and Mattie were walking behind Polly and -Jess and Margy.</p> - -<p>“Do about it?” repeated Polly, surprised. -“What do you mean?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that barn will be like an icebox now,” said -Carrie. “I was just wondering if you were going -to give up having meetings till spring. It might -not be such a bad plan—Miss Elliott said the other -day that nothing ought to be allowed to interfere -with our lessons.”</p> - -<p>“The Riddle Club doesn’t interfere with our -lessons,” replied Polly, coldly. “We agreed to -stay away from meetings if our marks went below -the average. Mr. Williamson suggested that. -But we have good report cards every time—isn’t -that so, Jess?”</p> - -<p>Jess nodded. Carrie always made her feel -tongue-tied.</p> - -<p>“Well, our Conundrum Club is going to hold a -meeting to-morrow, at Joe Anderson’s house,” -said Carrie. “And his mother is going to give us -hot cocoa and whipped cream and cake. We -most always have something to eat in cold -weather.”</p> - -<p>Margy looked at Polly as Carrie turned in at -her gate.</p> - -<p>“Whatever we do, we won’t give up our club,” -said Margy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">[63]</span>“Of course we won’t,” promised Polly.</p> - -<p>Artie had an important appointment with Ward -before the afternoon session of school—they each -had three cents left over from their hoard carefully -saved for the club dues, which Fred was sure -to collect the next day—and he went back before -Polly. When she reached school, five minutes before -the one o’clock bell, her eyes were bright -with excitement.</p> - -<p>“Something—nice—to—tell—you,” she whispered -across the room to Margy, as the bell -clanged and the pupils took their seats. This -year, much to the three girls’ delight, Margy had -her seat in the same room as Jess and Polly, -though they did not recite together in all their -classes.</p> - -<p>All that afternoon Polly fairly glowed. Her -eyes twinkled and nothing could ruffle her good nature, -not even missing a fairly easy word in spelling, -which Carrie immediately spelled after her.</p> - -<p>“Get the boys,” she commanded Margy, as they -struggled into their coats in the cloakroom. “I -have the best news in the world to tell you!”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">[64]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VII<br> - -<small>A POSTPONEMENT</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Margy</span> caught Ward and Artie at the gate of -the school yard and Polly herself met Fred as he -came down the stairs, his mouth puckered to whistle -as soon as he should be safely out of the door. -Whistling inside the building was forbidden.</p> - -<p>“What is it? What is it?” cried Jess, who had -caught the excitement from Margy. “Hurry up, -Polly, and tell us.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you know that room at the back of the -house we just had finished this fall?” demanded -Polly.</p> - -<p>“The one your mother is going to have as another -spare room?” asked Jess.</p> - -<p>“With painted furniture and a gray and pink -rug?” said Margy.</p> - -<p>“Yes. Only there isn’t going to be any gray -and pink rug,” answered Polly. “Mother told -me this noon. She has talked it over with Daddy, -and she wants to wait till spring when he goes -off to the Hardware Convention. She’ll go with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">[65]</span> -him and buy the furniture then and get the latest—she -said so. And what do you think?”</p> - -<p>No one thought. They stared at the sparkling -Polly.</p> - -<p>“Mother said,” Polly announced with a rush, -“that, as long as she wasn’t going to use the room, -we could have it for our clubroom this winter!”</p> - -<p>“Polly! How perfectly lovely!” squealed -Margy, in delight.</p> - -<p>“When did she say so?” asked Artie, this being -the first time he had heard the news.</p> - -<p>“This noon, after you had gone,” Polly told -him. “And it’s the nicest room—three windows -and a window seat and as warm as toast. The -radiator is under the window seat. There isn’t a -bit of furniture in it, so we can move our own -stuff in. And it’s over the back hall, so it won’t -matter if we do make a little noise. No one will -hear us.”</p> - -<p>“I said last night I wished we had a room we -could use,” declared Jess. “But our house is so -little we use every single place. In winter Dora -doesn’t go home to sleep, and that takes an extra -room.”</p> - -<p>“My goodness, Jess Larue,” said Polly, “don’t -you think you’ve done enough? We’ve had that -perfectly fine room in your barn ever since the -club was started. We’ll never have as nice a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">[66]</span> -place as that, and the minute it is warm we’ll -move back. But I certainly am glad we can have -this room.”</p> - -<p>“I am, too,” declared Fred. “I say three -cheers for your mother. Do you suppose we can -meet there to-morrow afternoon, Polly?”</p> - -<p>“Well, we can, if you’re willing to help move -this afternoon,” said Polly. “I think, if every -one will help, we can get everything done in time. -If there is one thing I will not stand,” she announced -firmly, “it is to meet in the room before -we get our stuff moved in. I’d rather postpone -the meeting.”</p> - -<p>“Come on,” was Fred’s reply to this speech. -“What are you all standing here for? We’ve -got to move the table and the chairs and all that -junk before supper time.”</p> - -<p>He started to run, and after him ran the other -members of the Riddle Club. The pavements -were wet from the stray snow flakes which had -melted as fast as they fell, and Margy slipped -once or twice, but she never complained. She, -too, felt that getting to the barn and starting the -moving was the most important thing to be considered. -At a time like this, mere legs and feet -were of little consequence.</p> - -<p>They dashed into the three houses, to tell three<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">[67]</span> -mothers that they were home from school, and -then dashed out again and made for the barn. -As Ward complained, pantingly climbing the loft -ladder, they acted as though the barn was on fire -and they had to save their furniture from the -flames.</p> - -<p>“Well, it gets dark so soon that we have to -hurry,” said Fred. “Hurry up and unlock the -door, Ward.”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t the key,” answered Ward. “It’s in -my other pocket.”</p> - -<p>“You mean the pocket of your other coat,” -Artie corrected him.</p> - -<p>“Well, isn’t that my other pocket?” argued -Ward. “How could I have the same pocket in -my other coat that I have in this one?”</p> - -<p>“We don’t care about your other pocket or this -pocket or which pocket is where,” broke in Fred. -“Go get the key, Ward. And hurry. It isn’t -going to be so easy taking this stuff down that ladder -as it was to bring it up.”</p> - -<p>Ward went off to get the key for the padlock, -and the others sat down in the old, dry hay to -wait for him.</p> - -<p>“Why don’t we lower the table out of the window?” -suggested Artie. “That’s the way they -took the new safe into the lodge hall; they pulled<span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">[68]</span> -it up to the second story on a rope. If you can -take something in that way, why can’t you take it -out?”</p> - -<p>“Window’s too narrow,” Fred objected.</p> - -<p>“If you can let it out of a window, what’s the -matter with lowering it over the loft on a rope?” -said Jess, slowly.</p> - -<p>“We could! Good for you, Jess!” cried Fred. -“I’m not anxious to go down that ladder, let me -tell you, with one end of the table and some one -else at the other end liable to let the whole thing -slip and knock me off. Let’s get a rope and let -the table down.”</p> - -<p>As Margy had once disconsolately remarked, -if there was one thing that was scarce and hard to -find in River Bend, it was a good rope. It was -her complaint that there was never anything on -hand to serve as a jumping rope, and the boys -were always discovering that they had no rope to -use when they really needed rope. Mothers -guarded their clotheslines jealously, and woe betide -the boy or girl who cut it in two, or even -chopped a tiny length off. “You’d think a -clothesline was made of gold,” to quote the exasperated -Margy.</p> - -<p>“I’ll go get a rope,” offered Artie. “Dad has -some down at the store, and he said I could have -it, if I came after it. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">[69]</span>“I don’t see what Ward calls it, he is doing,” -said Jess, presently. “Even if he had to stop -to get his breath, he’s had time to find that key -and be back. Perhaps I’d better go down and see -if he needs me to help him hunt.”</p> - -<p>Fred and Margy and Polly waited in the loft -till the shadows deepened to such a dark gray that -they began to think it must be nearly supper time.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what you think,” said Fred. -“But I know we’ve waited long enough. I’m going -in.”</p> - -<p>Margy and Polly followed him down the ladder. -To the natural shadows of a wintry afternoon, -the heavy gray snow clouds had added a -deeper tinge, and though it was only a little past -four, a light in the sewing-room of the Marley -house showed that Polly’s mother had found it -necessary to have the help of artificial light in -finishing her work.</p> - -<p>“Let’s go over and look at the room,” suggested -Polly, and the three went in the side door -and up the back stairs, which brought them to the -room set aside for their use.</p> - -<p>“It’s fine,” commented Fred. “Just fine, Polly. -We’re mighty lucky to have it. There’s room for -everything, and that shelf will be just the place to -put the loving cup.”</p> - -<p>Polly was pleased. She had been so delighted<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">[70]</span> -to have the room to offer the Riddle Club that -she had taken their pleasure for granted; and now -Ward and Jess and Artie were apparently making -no effort to help her take possession. However, -if the critical Fred approved of the room, it must -be all right.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” said Mrs. Marley, passing through -the hall and seeing them sitting on the window -seat. “Why, I thought this was the big afternoon! -Where are all the others? And you -haven’t moved a thing!”</p> - -<p>“Ward went to get the key and he didn’t come -back,” explained Polly, dully. “And Artie went -down to the store to get some rope, and he hasn’t -come back, either. And we waited and waited -and waited for them.”</p> - -<p>“Why, Polly dear, didn’t you go after them?” -asked Mrs. Marley, in surprise. “Of course -something has happened. You mustn’t be so -ready to believe that it’s their fault. They’re just -as much interested in the Riddle Club as you are, -dear.”</p> - -<p>“No, they’re not,” said Polly. “They like it -as long as I’ll do all the work and the planning, -but they won’t do a thing to help.”</p> - -<p>“And this isn’t the first time Ward’s gone off -and forgotten to come back,” declared Margy.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">[71]</span> -“He always thinks there is plenty of time for -everything.”</p> - -<p>“There they are now,” said Mrs. Marley, as -the doorbell sounded. “I’ll go down and send -them up.”</p> - -<p>Ward and Jess came stamping up the stairs, -with Artie following them. He carried a large -coil of rope over his arm.</p> - -<p>“What you doing up here?” asked Ward. -“We went up in the loft and you weren’t there. -Then we went to Williamson’s, and you weren’t -there, either.”</p> - -<p>“How are we going to get anything moved, if -you don’t do anything?” said Jess.</p> - -<p>“Do anything!” exploded Margy. “Where’ve -you been all this time? Here it is half-past four, -and you talk about us doing something! Where -have you been all this time?”</p> - -<p>“Is it half-past four?” asked Jess. “Why, -Dora was baking cookies and we stayed to watch -her a little while. She said we could scrape the -bowl, but we didn’t wait for that. We hurried -back as fast as we could.”</p> - -<p>Polly said nothing at all. Fred glanced at her -uncertainly.</p> - -<p>“What happened to you, Artie?” he said.</p> - -<p>“Why, nothing,” Artie replied. “I went down -to the store and got the rope; here it is.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">[72]</span>“Did it take you an hour?” asked Fred.</p> - -<p>“An hour? I wasn’t gone an hour,” Artie protested. -“All I did was to turn the emery wheel -for Mr. Kelper a little while; but it wasn’t an -hour.”</p> - -<p>“Come on and let’s do the moving,” urged -Ward. “What are you waiting for? It’s almost -dark now.”</p> - -<p>“It’s too dark to begin getting things down -from the loft,” said Polly, quietly. “And, anyway, -there’s no hurry; we can’t have a meeting -till after Thanksgiving.”</p> - -<p>“Why, to-morrow!” said Jess. “It’s our day -to-morrow, Polly.”</p> - -<p>“But we won’t be moved,” Polly pointed out. -“We can’t get our things in here and in place and -have a meeting, too. And if we go over our regular -day we have to wait till the next meeting. I -said I won’t hold a session without everything in -order, and I won’t.”</p> - -<p>“Are you mad, Polly?” asked Jess, anxiously. -“Perhaps we didn’t hurry right back, but we meant -to.”</p> - -<p>“No, I’m not mad,” said Polly, calmly. “I’m -only telling you that there won’t be any meeting -to-morrow. We can move to-morrow, if you -want to.”</p> - -<p>“But let’s move now, Polly,” urged Artie. “I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">[73]</span> -have the rope and everything. There’s lots of -time.”</p> - -<p>“We could start, Polly,” said Fred.</p> - -<p>“I think Polly is exactly right,” declared -Margy. “It’s almost dark now, and we couldn’t -see to get up and down the loft ladder. Besides, -I nearly froze to death waiting up there for you. -It will serve you right to have to wait till after -Thanksgiving.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you’ll have to wait, too,” Jess retorted.</p> - -<p>Polly, usually the gentlest of girls, could, when -aroused, be like “a little cake of cement,” her -father said. If she said that no meeting of the -Riddle Club was to be called till after Thanksgiving, -the other members knew that no amount of -persuasion could make her change her mind. Jess -was not exactly easy in her conscience, for she -had lingered beyond all reason; and Ward and -Artie, too, knew that they had been thoughtless -and selfish to keep the rest waiting.</p> - -<p>“We’ll start to move the first thing after school -to-morrow,” said Jess. “And I’ll bring the key -with me, so we’ll be sure we have it.”</p> - -<p>Fred thought wistfully of the lost dues, but he -resisted the temptation to speak of them.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">[74]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VIII<br> - -<small>MOVING DAY</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">As soon</span> as school was out the next day, the -Riddle Club members hurried to the Larue barn. -True to her promise, Jess produced the key and -there was no delay about getting into the clubroom.</p> - -<p>“Br-rr!” shivered Margy, as the door was -opened.</p> - -<p>They had not dreamed the room could be so -cold. With the window and door both closed, no -fresh air could warm the atmosphere, as it did in -the barn below where, even though there was no -heat, it usually felt several degrees warmer than -the outside temperature.</p> - -<p>The threatened snowstorm had not come, but -the day was raw and cold, and each of the children -found a sweater under his or her coat most comfortable. -Margy, who perhaps felt the cold -more than any of the others, was silently thankful -that they would not have to hold another -meeting in the hayloft room.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">[75]</span>“We’d better take the table first, I think,” said -Fred. “That’s the largest piece of furniture, -and if any one gets hurt moving that, we won’t -miss him so much with the other things.”</p> - -<p>“Huh?” inquired Ward, anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Well, you know yourself that if the loving cup -fell over and sprained one of your fingers you -wouldn’t be any help in moving the table,” explained -Fred. “But if we let the table fall on -you, after it’s on the barn floor, and it breaks your -leg, there’ll still be plenty of us left to lift the -loving cup. Don’t you see?”</p> - -<p>Apparently Ward saw, for he asked no further -questions, but helped, at Fred’s direction, tie the -rope about the table and knot it securely.</p> - -<p>“Do we have to take it in the second-story window -of the house?” asked Polly, watching the -boys as they fastened the rope.</p> - -<p>“Oh, we can get it up the stairs all right,” Fred -assured her. “It’s only because the loft ladder is -so rickety that we’re letting it down this way.”</p> - -<p>When they came to take the table out through -the doorway, a new obstacle arose. The piece of -furniture stuck.</p> - -<p>“It <i>must</i> go through,” said Fred, as though -that settled it.</p> - -<p>“It came through,” declared Margy, in quite as -positive a tone. “I saw it come through.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">[76]</span>“Well, it won’t go through now,” said Ward, -wiping his red face with his handkerchief. “Try -it yourself, if you don’t believe me.”</p> - -<p>Jess giggled a little.</p> - -<p>“A table couldn’t grow fat, could it?” she suggested. -“Maybe that table’s gained in weight or -something, since we moved it in.”</p> - -<p>“No, I know what the trouble is,” said Polly. -“When you brought it up here, it just scraped -through the doorway—don’t you remember? -The boys had to be extra careful not to get their -fingers caught, the space was so narrow between -the frame and the table.”</p> - -<p>“But it won’t even scrape through now,” Artie -objected, frowning.</p> - -<p>“That’s because you have that great rope -wrapped around it,” said Polly. “It hits the -sides of the door frame. You’ll have to take it -off and push the table through.”</p> - -<p>Grumbling, the boys set to work to untie the -rope. This was not easy, for Ward and Artie -had put their best efforts into those knots, and -they were fearful and wonderful to behold. -Then, too, in the pushing and shoving exerted -by the movers, the rope had twisted, so that the -knots were hard to get at. Artie finally succeeded -in unloosening one and Fred unfastened -the other, and they pulled the rope out.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">[77]</span>“Now I’ll push and you two pull,” said Fred, -who would not allow the girls to help.</p> - -<p>The table stuck again. Fred gave a violent -shove. Artie and Ward felt a sharp prod in their -ribs, and both went over backward.</p> - -<p>“Laugh if you want to,” said the indignant -Artie, rising and looking reproachfully at the girls, -who stood behind Fred. “I don’t see anything -funny myself. It’s a wonder that we don’t go -through this fool floor.”</p> - -<p>The floor of the loft was not tight, and in many -places the cracks were wide enough for a very thin -person’s foot. Some parts of the floor were -merely of poles laid closely together to hold the -hay. When Ward had been a very little boy, he -had once fallen between these poles and landed -on a pile of hay on the main floor, a much frightened -lad.</p> - -<p>“We didn’t mean to laugh,” apologized Polly. -“But you looked so funny! You went down together -just like two wooden soldiers.”</p> - -<p>With much pushing and pulling and some scolding -from Fred, the table was dragged to the edge -of the loft and the rope again tied around it, ready -to be lowered.</p> - -<p>“What do we tie it to?” asked Fred suddenly. -“Haven’t got the confidence in your gun that you -have, Artie.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">[78]</span>Artie grinned. He had fallen over a bluff in -camp the past summer, and a rope tied to his old -gun stuck in the ground had proved to be his ladder -to safety. But even Artie could not trust his -gun to stand the weight of the table.</p> - -<p>“We can hold it,” said Ward, confidently. -“The three of us can do it easily.”</p> - -<p>“If the rope gets to going, it will skin our -hands,” Fred warned him.</p> - -<p>“Don’t stand too near the edge, or you’ll be -dragged over,” said Polly, who was eager to help -in some way.</p> - -<p>“Dump it over,” Artie advised, carelessly. -“You can’t hurt a heavy table like that.”</p> - -<p>“Much you know about it,” said Fred. “One -of these legs is likely to crack off. Well, I suppose, -as Ward says, the three of us can hold it.”</p> - -<p>He dragged the table nearer the edge and took -up the rope, standing back about two feet. Ward -and Artie, in the order named, took up the rope, -standing about the same distance from each -other.</p> - -<p>“I’ll give you the word,” said Fred, beginning -to move the table nearer and nearer, pushing cautiously -with his foot.</p> - -<p>Ward felt a stinging sensation in his eye—a -grain of dust, most likely. He rubbed frantically, -while a cousin of the same mischievous dust atom<span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">[79]</span> -flew on to Artie and caused him to sneeze tremendously. -As every one will tell you, it is quite -impossible to keep your mind on any job and -sneeze at the same time. Small wonder that -Artie forgot the rope, as Ward had done.</p> - -<p>The table teetered a minute over the edge of -the loft, then dropped. Fred felt as though his -arms were being pulled from the sockets for one -brief moment, and then the strain slackened. He -looked back. The three girls were holding the -rope, their feet braced as they pulled. Ward -and Artie stood staring at him.</p> - -<p>“Grab that rope!” shouted Fred. “What are -you thinking of? Grab hold! Do you want the -thing to go bang?”</p> - -<p>Ward and Artie “came to” with a jerk and -grasped the rope. Fred continued to lower the -table gently, paying out the rope carefully, until -he felt it touch the barn floor.</p> - -<p>“All right!” he said glumly. “And small -thanks to you boys. If it hadn’t been for the -girls, we would have had one smashed table.”</p> - -<p>Ward and Artie were eager to make up for -their lapse, and they offered to carry the table into -the house alone.</p> - -<p>“We’ll get everything downstairs first,” Fred -decreed. “Then all we’ll have to do will be to -carry the stuff in.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">[80]</span>“Somebody ought to beat the rug,” said Margy. -“Mother always beats her rugs when she moves -them, even if it’s only from one room to another.”</p> - -<p>No one seemed very anxious to do any rug-beating, -though Ward offered to “shake it out -of the window.”</p> - -<p>“A good housekeeper doesn’t shake rugs out -of the window,” said Polly. “I’ll clean the rug -myself.”</p> - -<p>“Well, housework is girls’ work, anyway,” said -Ward, placidly.</p> - -<p>“I won’t clean the rug!” retorted Polly. -“Mother has a man come and beat her rugs—so -there.”</p> - -<p>“The rug is clean, so stop fussing,” commanded -Fred. “We haven’t used it much. I’ll get a -broom and sweep it off and it will be all right.”</p> - -<p>One by one they carried down the treasures -from their clubroom—the silver loving cup; the -six chairs; the framed sketch, made by the artist, -Miss Perry; Artie’s gun; and the radio set. This -last was to go in the Larue living-room for the -winter. It would not be needed in the clubroom, -for Artie had his own set, as did Fred. They left -the curtains, because Mrs. Marley had all her -windows curtained alike, and the new room already<span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">[81]</span> -had ruffled white draperies screening the -windows above the window seat.</p> - -<p>“I hope Carrie Pepper knows we have a clubroom,” -said Margy, as she helped Polly take down -the pennant tacked in place on the loft-room wall.</p> - -<p>“She will know it, if she doesn’t now,” declared -Jess. “That girl hears everything, sooner or -later.”</p> - -<p>They could hardly blame Carrie if she learned -about the new clubroom, for ten minutes later -Mrs. Pepper came out to feed her hens and discovered -something unusual going on in the barn.</p> - -<p>“What are you doing, Fred Williamson?” she -asked Fred, seeing him start, whistling, for the -Marley house, two chairs over his back.</p> - -<p>“We’re moving, Mrs. Pepper,” he answered, -politely.</p> - -<p>“Moving? Where to? Is Mr. Larue moving?” -asked Mrs. Pepper, forgetting to sprinkle -any more corn.</p> - -<p>“No, Mr. Larue isn’t moving. The Riddle -Club is,” Fred explained. “We’re going to hold -our meetings at the Marleys’ till warm weather -comes again. You ought to see the dandy room -we’re going to have!”</p> - -<p>“I pity Mrs. Marley with a parcel of young ones -racketing over her house,” sighed Mrs. Pepper.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">[82]</span> -“I suppose she thinks she can keep an eye on you -better. But I wouldn’t give much for her furniture -by spring time.”</p> - -<p>“We have our own furniture,” said Jess, indignantly. -She had come up with Fred in time -to hear this last remark. “We stay in our own -clubroom for meetings, and we don’t hurt a thing.”</p> - -<p>“Here, chick, chick,” called Mrs. Pepper, remembering -her hungry flock. “No, I don’t suppose -you intend to do any damage. But the time -Carrie had the Conundrum Club at our house, it -took me a week to get the place to rights again; -and some of the grease spots never did come out -of the rug.”</p> - -<p>Jess opened her mouth to say that the Riddle -Club didn’t spill grease on any one’s carpets, but -she thought in time that that might sound as -though she were criticizing the Conundrum Club.</p> - -<p>“What a nice turkey!” she said instead.</p> - -<p>“He will be nice,” admitted Mrs. Pepper, -“when I get him fattened up, if I ever do. I can’t -abide a turkey for Thanksgiving that I don’t fatten -myself. I bought this cheap, because he’s so -skinny, but I aim to have him as fat as butter by -Thanksgiving morning.”</p> - -<p>Jess went on with the rug she was carrying, but -she had to stop on the side steps of the Marley -house, for the three boys were getting the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">[83]</span> -table up the stairs with much noise and some -laughter.</p> - -<p>“What would they do if they had really to -move!” said Polly, joining Jess on the steps. -“And to think we’ll have to go through with this -again in the spring. Did you see Mrs. Pepper’s -turkey?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, she says she’s getting it fat,” responded -Jess, absently. “Say, Polly, has your mother -said anything about Thanksgiving yet?”</p> - -<p>“No, she hasn’t.” Polly’s reply was prompt. -“She hasn’t said a word. And last year by this -time we knew where we were going, didn’t we?”</p> - -<p>Unless one of the families was going away over -the holiday or had invited relatives, it was the -custom of the Marleys, the Larues, and the Williamsons -to have Thanksgiving dinner together at -one of their homes.</p> - -<p>“I think it’s kind of queer,” said Jess, soberly.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">[84]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER IX<br> - -<small>THE SECRET IS OUT</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> boys came panting downstairs, having -landed the table in its new home safely. They -found Polly and Jess on the steps.</p> - -<p>“We’re coming right up,” said Polly, hastily. -“We were just talking about Thanksgiving.”</p> - -<p>Margy joined them, the loving cup in her arms.</p> - -<p>“What about Thanksgiving?” she asked curiously.</p> - -<p>“Oh, we were saying how queer it is we haven’t -heard yet where we’re going for dinner,” said -Polly.</p> - -<p>Margy looked at her brother.</p> - -<p>“Fred knows something about Thanksgiving -he won’t tell,” she complained. “I think he’s -awfully mean.”</p> - -<p>“What do you know, Fred?” wheedled Polly. -“Tell us—please.”</p> - -<p>Fred’s face turned a little red.</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe he knows a thing that we -don’t,” said Ward.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">[85]</span>“I do, too!” cried Fred. Then he stopped.</p> - -<p>“I think you might tell,” said Jess, pensively.</p> - -<p>“I promised I wouldn’t. Now will you be -quiet?” said the harassed Fred.</p> - -<p>“Is it about all of us? Are we in it?” asked -Margy, quickly.</p> - -<p>“How could you be in a Thanksgiving dinner?” -asked Fred.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be silly—you know what I mean. Shall -we all know what you know when we do know?” -returned Margy.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what you’re trying to say, but -you won’t get a word out of me,” announced Fred, -firmly. “I happened to overhear some talk I -wasn’t supposed to hear, and then Dad told me -all the rest of it and made me promise not to -tell.”</p> - -<p>“Will you tell just one thing?” coaxed Artie.</p> - -<p>Fred had a shrewd suspicion that Artie could -find out more, if he wished, than the rest of the -children.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you go asking me questions,” he ordered. -“I said I wasn’t going to tell, and that -settles it.”</p> - -<p>“But, Fred, tell us just this one thing,” insisted -Artie: “When shall we know about—about it?”</p> - -<p>“The week before Thanksgiving. Now I hope -you’re satisfied,” Fred retorted. “I don’t see any<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">[86]</span> -reason for standing here talking all day; if we’re -going to move, why not move?”</p> - -<p>Acting on this gentle hint, they went to work -again, and before dark the new clubroom was in -apple-pie order. Very trim and clean and neat it -looked, too, and very warm and cozy it was. -Fond as they all were of the little loft room in the -barn, they could not deny that it was a bleak place -in winter.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Marley had given the key to Polly, and -had assured her that not an outsider would be -allowed over the threshold.</p> - -<p>“That means, of course,” she told her daughter, -“that you’ll have to take care of the room. -You girls will have to get together and clean it -now and then, but a room that isn’t used regularly -will stay clean a long time. You can dust it -thoroughly before each meeting.”</p> - -<p>Polly loyally passed over the key to Ward, because -he had always locked the padlock on the -barn-room door. She knew he liked this duty -and felt proud to be intrusted with it.</p> - -<p>It was fortunate that the Riddle Club knew -they were to have news the week before Thanksgiving, -because they would have found it hard -work waiting. As it was, each time “Thanksgiving” -was mentioned in school or at home they -looked anxious.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">[87]</span>“I do think it is <i>too</i> queer,” said Jess, for the -twentieth time, as she walked home from school -with Margy and Polly. “Carrie Pepper’s mother -is going to have six aunts come to their house to -dinner. And we don’t know a thing.”</p> - -<p>As she spoke, they saw Fred come dashing from -the house and give the signal that never failed to -produce Artie and Ward if they were within hearing -distance. It was a piercing whistle produced -in some mysterious manner by putting three fingers -in one’s mouth.</p> - -<p>Two ear-splitting blasts answered Fred’s whistle, -and Artie and Ward shot out of the Larue -barn, where they had been engaged in some interesting -experiment. Artie always had an experiment -or two on hand.</p> - -<p>“Hurry up! He wants us,” said Polly, as Fred -spied them and waved.</p> - -<p>The three girls ran the rest of the way and -reached the Williamson gate breathless.</p> - -<p>“You know Thanksgiving?” said Fred.</p> - -<p>They nodded, dumbly.</p> - -<p>“Well, we’re going up to Tom’s Island!” said -Fred, who certainly did not believe in wasting -words.</p> - -<p>“Tom’s Island!” echoed Polly. “But it’s winter!”</p> - -<p>“All the more fun. Wait till you hear,” said<span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">[88]</span> -Fred. “We’re going up in the car Wednesday -night and stay over till Sunday. Think of the -sport! If the lake is frozen, we can skate or -walk on the ice, and maybe we can rig up a sail -and have ice boating.”</p> - -<p>“I’d rather have it snow,” said Artie, seriously. -“Let’s take our sleds.”</p> - -<p>Margy shivered.</p> - -<p>“It will be awfully cold,” she complained. -“There isn’t any heater. How’ll we keep from -freezing?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we’ll run all day and take a hot brick to -bed at night,” said the practical Jess.</p> - -<p>“I think it will be great! Is that your secret, -Fred?” asked Polly.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” admitted Fred.</p> - -<p>“You see,” he went on, “I was back of the sofa, -hunting for my cap, when Mother and Dad came -into the parlor and began talking about it. I -heard some before I could wriggle out, and then -they told me the rest and I promised not to tell. -They wanted to get all the plans fixed before they -let us know.”</p> - -<p>“And we’re all going? What a lark!” cried -Jess. “We never did that before.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you’re all going,” said Fred. “But Mr. -and Mrs. Larue and Mr. and Mrs. Marley are -going to Rye to have dinner with Mr. Field and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">[89]</span> -his sister and his two cousins—you know, Mr. -Kirby and Mr. Adams. Mr. Kirby planned it. -He wrote and asked us all to come, every single -one of us.”</p> - -<p>“My goodness, that would have been—two—six—ten -of us; no, twelve,” said Margy, calculating -swiftly.</p> - -<p>“That’s what Mother said—that twelve was -too many,” Fred replied. “So she talked it over -with the other mothers, and at first, Mother told -me, they thought they’d all go and leave us at -home. Then they decided that was kind of mean -on Thanksgiving, so Mother and Dad offered to -take us all to the island. You know Dad likes -to be outdoors. Mr. Kirby wrote and said that -plan was all right, but Dad and Mother must come -to dinner New Year’s. He asked them for -Christmas, but of course they couldn’t go away -from home on Christmas.”</p> - -<p>“Of course not,” echoed Polly. “So we’re going -with your father and mother in the car. I’m -so excited, I can hardly wait!”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad to know what we’re going to do,” -said Margy, sighing as though a burden had been -taken from her shoulders.</p> - -<p>“Now don’t——” Polly instructed her younger -brother, “don’t, Artie, whatever you do, tell any -one who belongs to the Conundrum Club where<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">[90]</span> -we’re going. It would be just like them to want -to go, too.”</p> - -<p>Artie said he would be careful, but it was lucky -he had to memorize a verse to recite at the -Thanksgiving exercises. Artie loved to talk, and -he was apt to talk to any friendly listener.</p> - -<p>It was not till the Wednesday morning before -Thanksgiving Day that Carrie Pepper heard of -the plan. School was to close at noon, and Mr. -and Mrs. Larue and Mr. and Mrs. Marley had -gone off in the Larue car at seven o’clock that -morning. Rye was over the state line and some -two hundred miles from River Bend.</p> - -<p>“I saw your folks going off,” remarked Carrie, -sociably, joining the six chums as they set off for -school at half-past eight. “What are you going -to do for dinner to-morrow?”</p> - -<p>“My mother’s at home,” said Margy, with dignity. -“And so is Dad.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! Then are they all coming to your -house?” asked Carrie. “My mother is going to -have a lot of company, too. She’s going to kill -the turkey this afternoon. He’s nice and fat, -too.”</p> - -<p>“We’re going to carry the turkey with us,” said -Artie, innocently. That was enough for Carrie.</p> - -<p>“Carry it with you?” she asked. “Why, where -are you going?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">[91]</span>“Up to Tom’s Island,” said Fred, darting a -severe look at Artie. “We’re going up in the -car and stay till Sunday.”</p> - -<p>“I never heard of going to a summer camp in -the winter time,” declared Carrie. “You’ll probably -freeze, and it will serve you right.”</p> - -<p>But the minute she reached school she told Mattie -Helms and Joe Anderson, and in less than an -hour every girl and boy in the school knew where -the Riddle Club intended to spend Thanksgiving.</p> - -<p>The six members hurried home as soon as -school was dismissed. They were to leave at half-past -three, and there was still some packing to be -done. Mrs. Williamson had set her heart on taking -a full Thanksgiving dinner, and there were -enough cooking utensils left at the camp, safely -packed in strong, dry boxes, to cook it properly. -The last thing Mr. Marley had ordered done before -leaving the island in the summer, was to have -Mr. Mains bring a load of firewood and stack it -under a shelter. He had foreseen that they might -wish to visit the camp in winter.</p> - -<p>Each member of the club was to take a flannel -sleeping bag, a hot water bottle, a pair of blankets, -and rubber boots. Even the girls in River Bend -owned rubber boots, for they wore them to school -during the winter storms. Mr. Williamson said -they would be taken for gypsies if any one saw<span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">[92]</span> -the back of the car, for comfortables and blankets -were piled high around the suitcases and the one -sled that Fred had insisted must go.</p> - -<p>“I ought to be thankful, I suppose, that you -don’t each clamor to take a sled,” said Mr. Williamson, -good-naturedly. “No, Artie, positively -no ice skates allowed. It won’t be cold enough -for that. It may snow, but even if the lake froze -over, it wouldn’t be thick enough to bear you so -early in the season.”</p> - -<p>So the skates were left out, and that gave room -enough—so Mrs. Williamson always declared—to -put the six children in.</p> - -<p>Jess and Ward were upstairs, getting into their -heavy sweaters, and Mr. Williamson was backing -the heavily loaded car out of the garage, when -they heard Mrs. Pepper shrieking.</p> - -<p>“Catch him! Catch him! There he goes!” -they heard her cry.</p> - -<p>Then came the sharp tinkle of broken glass.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” cried Ward, running for -the stairs and down them as fast as he could go, -Jess at his heels.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Pepper met him on the lawn. She presented -a terrifying sight, for the shawl, in which -she had muffled her head, had slipped over one ear -and gave her a reckless look. In her right hand<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">[93]</span> -she carried a hatchet—a “tomahawk” the excited -Ward dubbed it—and this she waved fiercely.</p> - -<p>“Where’d he go?” she demanded of the frightened -children.</p> - -<p>“Where’d what go?” stammered Jess, for -Ward, as usual, had lost his breath.</p> - -<p>“The turkey! I tipped the coop over—I’ve -had him shut up for a week to give him the final -fattening—and he was off like a streak. He came -in this direction. I saw him fly over the hedge.”</p> - -<p>“I heard glass breaking,” said Jess, doubtfully, -turning to stare at the house.</p> - -<p>Down the steps of the Marley house came Polly -and Artie, and around from behind the car in -front of their house, came Fred and Margy.</p> - -<p>“Most ready?” they called. “Mother’s putting -her hat on.”</p> - -<p>“One of the parlor windows is broken,” said -Jess, suddenly. “Do you suppose the turkey did -that?”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">[94]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER X<br> - -<small>IN CAMP AGAIN</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Though</span> Ward was sure a turkey couldn’t -break a window pane and Fred and Polly and -Margy and Artie, who joined them, were doubtful, -Mrs. Pepper said that, for her part, she knew -the turkey was in the Larue house.</p> - -<p>“And you’ll just have to help me get him out,” -said she. “I have company coming to-morrow -and I have to get that turkey killed and dressed -to-night. Carrie is off with some of her friends—instead -of helping me—and Mr. Pepper won’t -be home till the late boat. I’ll pay for the broken -glass, of course; but you’ll have to help me take -that turkey away.”</p> - -<p>A turkey hunt promised some excitement, and -the six children went into the house determined to -find the missing bird. Mrs. Pepper implored -them not to chase him, when they found him, -“for,” she said, “I’ve been feeding him on English -walnuts and chocolates for a week, and I don’t -want him to lose his fat. A scrawny turkey is -something I can’t abide.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">[95]</span>“I feel as though I was hunting for a burglar,” -Polly whispered to Margy, as they tiptoed through -the lower rooms.</p> - -<p>“So do I,” answered Margy. “Oh! What -was that?”</p> - -<p>It was nothing but a window shade that had -rattled against the pane, blown by the draft which -came through the broken window. Dora, the -Larue maid, had gone to her own home to stay -over the holiday, and there was no one but the -searchers in the house.</p> - -<p>“Well, he isn’t on the first floor,” said Fred, -when all the rooms had been carefully examined. -“Artie and I will go up to the attic and have a -look around there. A turkey might feel more -at home in an attic.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Pepper didn’t seem convinced, but she -went on with her hunt and Fred and Artie went -to the attic. The door opening on the steep stairway -was half open, and as Fred jerked it back, -something flapped in his face.</p> - -<p>Fred was no coward, but he jumped back with -a startled cry. A large turkey scuttled up the -attic stairs.</p> - -<p>“He’s up here!” shouted Fred. “Come on—we’ll -get him! He’s up here!”</p> - -<p>The other children came running, and Mrs. -Pepper toiled after them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">[96]</span>“Don’t chase it,” she kept saying. “Don’t -chase it. You’ll run all the fat off it.”</p> - -<p>“You stay down here, Ward, to head him off,” -directed Fred. “We’ll go up and get him started, -and when you hear me telling you to open the -door, you do it slowly. We only want to drive -him back to the coop.”</p> - -<p>Ward seemed to understand. He took up his -station by the door which Fred closed as he followed -the rest up the attic stairs.</p> - -<p>“There’s Mr. Williamson whistling,” said -Ward. “I’ll bet he’s ready to go. He doesn’t -know where we are.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll go and tell him,” promised Mrs. Pepper. -“You stay right where you are, Ward. He’ll -wait for you when he knows you’re doing something -to help me. I couldn’t get that turkey out -of the attic alone in a month of Sundays.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Pepper hurried off. She was short and -stout, and Ward had to admit that she would -have found turkey-chasing hard work with no -younger feet and hands to help her.</p> - -<p>Ward, listening at the door, heard the sound -of quick footsteps over his head, a shout from -Fred and a burst of laughter from Artie. Then -the footsteps began to run, and Ward guessed -correctly that they were chasing the turkey over<span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">[97]</span> -the attic floor. Margy gave an excited shriek, -and then an avalanche seemed to be coming down -the uncarpeted stairs.</p> - -<p>“Open the door!” called Fred. “Open it, -quick!”</p> - -<p>Ward was so excited that he forgot to open the -door slowly. He flung it back with a jerk and an -angry and frightened turkey spread its wings and -sailed over his head, while Fred, stumbling, fell -over Artie and the two boys and Jess came down -in a heap on the protesting Ward.</p> - -<p>“Catch him!” cried Polly, from the top of the -stairs. “He’s going downstairs again. Catch -him!”</p> - -<p>In a moment the three boys and Jess were on -their feet, and, joined by Margy and Polly, they -rushed pell-mell down the front stairs. The door -in the hall was open and Mrs. Pepper stood talking -to Mr. Williamson on the porch. The grown-ups -caught a glimpse of a flying brown body and -then a colorful flash as six gay-colored sweaters -dashed past them. Then the chase headed for -the Pepper yard.</p> - -<p>“Corn!” cried Mrs. Pepper. “Show him some -corn and he’ll walk into the chicken house.”</p> - -<p>Polly dashed around to the chicken house and -caught up a measure of corn lying on a grain bin.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">[98]</span> -She ran out into the yard and shook this invitingly. -Dozens of hens gathered around her, and, sure -enough, the fugitive came, too.</p> - -<p>Careful not to spill a grain, Polly walked backward -into the chicken house, and the moment the -gobbler stepped over the sill, she scattered the -corn with a lavish hand. As his long neck bent to -eat the grains, Polly slipped out and bolted the -door.</p> - -<p>They were half an hour late in starting, but the -richer by an extra fruit cake Mrs. Pepper pressed -upon them.</p> - -<p>The drive to Lake Bassing was made in good -time. It was a cold day, but tucked in the tonneau -with the robes, the girls and boys were warm -and comfortable.</p> - -<p>Lake Bassing, in the winter, was a very different -town from the one they had known in the summer -season. Some of the houses were closed, and -there was no cheerful Dick Hare and his bus to -greet them. Mr. Williamson did not stop in -town, but drove straight to the bridge that led -to Tom’s Island.</p> - -<p>“It feels like snow,” he explained, as he helped -them out, “and we want to get settled in camp -before it is pitch dark. What’s the matter, -Polly? Stiff?”</p> - -<p>Polly was a little cramped and cold from sitting<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">[99]</span> -still so long, but as soon as she got down and -began to walk, she was all right. They all helped -to carry the things across the bridge, and then -Fred and his father ran the car down to the -Meade farm, where they were to keep it in the -farmer’s garage.</p> - -<p>By the time they had walked back to the island, -Mrs. Williamson had a fire built in the kitchen -stove and one in the funny little wood stove that -had been set up in the mess-house. The girls -were spreading the blankets on the cots, and Artie -and Ward, having brought in wood, were pumping -two pails of fresh water.</p> - -<p>They were all so sleepy that they decided to -tumble into bed and forego the campfire that night. -With the hot water bottles, which Mrs. Williamson -filled from the teakettle, and the sleeping bags -and blankets, they were as comfortable as could -be, when tucked in, and were asleep almost before -they had finished saying “good-night.”</p> - -<p>Artie was the first to wake in the morning. He -opened one eye, glanced around, trying to remember -where he was, and then, happening to -see through the open end of the tent, he shrieked -in delight.</p> - -<p>“Fred! Ward! Wake up! It snowed!” he -cried.</p> - -<p>That roused the camp, and the six chums<span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">[100]</span> -dressed in such haste it is doubtful if they missed -the steam heat of their bedrooms at home. The -girls came out of their tent at the same moment the -boys stepped from theirs, and a royal snowball -fight was on before breakfast.</p> - -<p>“Could you consider an armistice—for flap-jacks?” -called Mr. Williamson, from the door of -the kitchen lean-to.</p> - -<p>Could they? You might have thought they -had never had anything to eat since the summer -before, to see them at that breakfast table. Mrs. -Williamson insisted on baking cakes till no one -could eat a morsel more, and then the boys made -her sit down, while Polly, under her directions, -mixed more batter and baked a fresh and hot -supply for the jolly cook. The three boys took -turns carrying them in, and Mrs. Williamson said -she felt as a queen must feel with some one to -wait on her.</p> - -<p>After breakfast there was the dinner to be -considered. Mrs. Williamson had done nearly -everything at home the day before, and after -more wood and water had been brought in and -Polly and Margy had set the table with a clean -cloth and the pretty favors Mr. Marley had given -them in a box before he left, the children were -told to go off and coast till they were called.</p> - -<p>“I’ll ring the old cowbell as a signal,” said Mrs.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">[101]</span> -Williamson, pointing to an old bell that hung on -a nail in the kitchen.</p> - -<p>Mr. Williamson stayed with her, and the rest -went off with Fred’s sled to find a good coasting -hill.</p> - -<p>“We can’t go off the island, or we won’t hear -the bell,” said Polly.</p> - -<p>Artie was for coasting down the bluff he had -fallen over. “That,” he remarked, engagingly, -“would be even more exciting.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and when you landed in that cold water, -I guess you’d find it exciting,” observed Fred. -“We couldn’t pull you out with a rope, either, -because you’d drown before we could get a rope.”</p> - -<p>However, it was not necessary to go over the -bluff, for they found that the gradual ascent to -it formed a hill that was steep enough to offer -good coasting. Taking turns with the sled, they -coasted to their hearts’ content, and when the -cowbell called them to dinner they brought rosy -cheeks and huge appetites to the table.</p> - -<p>The turkey was the brownest, the cranberry -jelly the reddest, that they had ever seen. And -they were allowed both kinds of pie—mince and -pumpkin—because Mr. Williamson said that playing -outdoors so much would keep them from getting -ill, no matter how much dinner they ate. -Wasn’t that an understanding remark? As<span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">[102]</span> -Artie said, it just showed you what kind of a man -Mr. Williamson was!</p> - -<p>There was a long hill back of the Meade farmhouse, -and here Mr. Williamson took them all -that afternoon. It was the kind of hill that took -your breath away, going down it on a sled, long -and steep and with a dip in the middle that made -your heart come up in your mouth, so Margy said. -The girls couldn’t help screaming each time they -went down, but they wouldn’t have stayed away -for the world.</p> - -<p>When it was too dark to coast any longer, they -went back to camp and the boys built a huge bonfire. -They had cocoa, steaming hot, in their tin -cups and had turkey sandwiches and ate outdoors, -grouped around the fire “just like explorers,” -Artie said.</p> - -<p>“The nicest Thanksgiving I ever had,” said -Ward, sleepily, getting into his flannel bag that -night.</p> - -<p>And Artie echoed him, more sleepily still.</p> - -<p>Perhaps it was the snow that made Artie dream -of Christmas. At any rate, he sat up in bed the -next morning and shouted across to Fred that he -heard sleighbells.</p> - -<p>“Go to sleep,” said Fred, drowsily. “You’re -dreaming.”</p> - -<p>“I do, too, hear ’em!” Artie insisted. “There,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">[103]</span> -Fred Williamson! I guess you’ll believe me -now!”</p> - -<p>“Hello! Hello!” bellowed a hearty voice, and -sleighbells crashed as the voice shouted “Whoa!”</p> - -<p>“It isn’t Christmas,” Fred heard Artie mutter -to himself, and that sent the older boy into fits of -laughter.</p> - -<p>“You bet it isn’t Christmas,” Fred declared, -and not for anything in the world would he have -admitted that the same thought had crossed his -mind—a picture of gay and gallant Santa Claus, -clad in a jolly red suit, driving his reindeer over -the snow.</p> - -<p>Ward, who didn’t mind the cold, had hopped -out of his cot and was leaping, like an antelope, -toward the tent door, his sleeping bag a decided -handicap.</p> - -<p>“It’s Mr. Meade,” he reported, after a brief -look. “He’s got two horses harnessed to a long -bobsled—at least it looks like a bobsled. Mr. -Williamson is down talking to him. Hurry and -get dressed!”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">[104]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XI<br> - -<small>ARTIE’S ADVENTURE</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> way those boys shot into their clothes -would have been a revelation to their mothers, -who sometimes had to call them three times before -they came down to breakfast on a school -morning. In less than five minutes they were -down at the bridge and across it.</p> - -<p>“Morning!” said Mr. Meade, heartily. -“Thought you’d be up. I’m going up in the woods -to cut logs, and I says to my wife, ‘If those children -haven’t been up in the woods in a deep snow, -they might like the trip.’”</p> - -<p>“They haven’t had breakfast yet,” said Mr. -Williamson, smiling.</p> - -<p>“I’ll wait,” returned Mr. Meade. “Winter -time we can wait and be neighborly, but, I declare, -in the summer I don’t have a moment to spare to -go to a wedding!”</p> - -<p>He tied his horses and went back to the camp -where Mrs. Williamson and the girls had breakfast -ready. They insisted he must eat with them,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">[105]</span> -and as he had had the first meal by lamp-light, he -was able to eat a second breakfast comfortably.</p> - -<p>“Mother packed us a lunch, so you don’t have -to bother,” he told Mrs. Williamson, and, sure -enough, there was a large basket under the seat -of the sleigh.</p> - -<p>What a trip that was—along snow-covered -roads, the sleighbells ringing and the children singing -in tune to the bells. They met few teams and -they each took turns driving the steady pair of -farm horses whose flying feet seemed to skim the -white roadway.</p> - -<p>“How awfully still it is!” said Margy, when -they turned into the narrow trail that led through -the woods.</p> - -<p>It was still and it was beautiful—a mantle of -spotless snow over the ground and every little -twig and bush draped in white. There were the -tracks of little wood creatures between some of -the trees, and a squirrel dived into a stump as -Fred came suddenly upon it.</p> - -<p>“Are you going to chop Christmas trees?” -asked Artie, who couldn’t get away from the idea -of Christmas.</p> - -<p>“No, I’m going to haul down wood to be -chopped up. That’s my main winter work,” Mr. -Meade explained.</p> - -<p>The logs had been cut earlier in the year, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">[106]</span> -the sled had to be driven slowly through the -woods, stopping at each pile of timber which Mr. -Meade loaded on. Fred was allowed to drive -and very proud he felt. He had intended to have -a boat on the river when he grew up, but now he -felt that he might like to be a farmer and “get the -wood out” in the depth of winter.</p> - -<p>When the sled was fairly well loaded, Mr. -Meade built a fire and they sat around it to eat -their lunch. The horses had feed-bags and ate -placidly, apparently not affected by the cold.</p> - -<p>Lunch over, the fire was carefully put out, every -trace of it buried deep under the snow, and they -drove on. They stopped to get two more piles -of logs, and then drove out without turning.</p> - -<p>“It’s a longer way around, but the road’s -pretty,” said Mr. Meade, who seemed to be having -as good a time as any of the children.</p> - -<p>The six sat perched up on the logs—having -solemnly promised not to fall off—and pretended -they were explorers going through a new country.</p> - -<p>“I wonder if it snowed in River Bend,” said -Ward.</p> - -<p>“Probably not,” Mr. Meade answered. “Your -town is kind of protected, and you don’t get near -the sweep of weather we do. It’s always from -three to five degrees colder up here at the lake -than it is down with you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">[107]</span>Polly looked around suddenly at Ward.</p> - -<p>“I thought Artie was sitting next to you,” she -said.</p> - -<p>“He—why, he <i>was</i>!” cried Ward. “He must -have fallen off! Mr. Meade! Oh, Mr. -Meade!”</p> - -<p>The farmer looked up calmly. He was sitting -down under the logs, which projected beyond -his head.</p> - -<p>“Well?” he inquired pleasantly.</p> - -<p>“Artie Marley!” gasped Ward. “He’s fallen -off.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Meade reined in his team and stood up, his -eyes searching the road which they had just come -over. The children stood up, too, and tried to -see, but there was nothing but an unbroken expanse -of whiteness.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see how he could fall off without saying -a word,” observed Mr. Meade. “But if he -isn’t here, he must be somewhere else. Hang on -now, because I’m going to make the turn—if I -can,” he added.</p> - -<p>He tried, but the long, loaded sled wouldn’t -swing easily, and it couldn’t be backed as a wagon -could. Then, too, the farmer was afraid the load -might shift, and he couldn’t risk overturning five -children and having a pile of heavy logs fall on -top of them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">[108]</span>“Can’t make it,” he said, when he had pulled -the front runners around so that the road was -blocked. “Some one will have to go back and -hunt for him. I don’t dare leave you alone with -the team, or I’d go. I think you two boys will -be the ones. Don’t go off the road, and if you -need help, shout and I’ll hear you.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll all go,” said the anxious Polly. “Perhaps -he’s buried in a drift and can’t get out.”</p> - -<p>“There are no bad drifts,” Mr. Meade assured -her. “It snowed nearly all night, but there wasn’t -any wind. I wouldn’t say there was enough snow -to even cover a boy, let alone bury him.”</p> - -<p>The five children set off over the road they had -just traveled, to search for the missing Artie. It -seemed a very lonely road, now that they were -walking on it, instead of being mounted high on -a pile of wood.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what Mother will say if we come -back without Artie,” worried Margy. “I must -say, Ward, I think you ought to have been watching -him.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Margy, Ward isn’t to blame,” protested -Polly. “Artie always takes care of himself. I -think a branch of a tree has swept him off. He’s -so thin, and if he happened to be thinking about -something else, he’d forget to hold fast, as Mr. -Meade told us to do.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">[109]</span>Fred looked back. A turn in the road had already -hidden the sleigh from sight.</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe he is hurt a bit,” said Jess -stoutly. “Artie doesn’t get hurt easily. Remember -the time he fell off the bluff?”</p> - -<p>“He’s always falling off some place,” declared -Fred, gloomily. “I never saw such a boy for -mooning around when he ought to be paying attention.”</p> - -<p>Artie was rather given to meditation at the -wrong time, none of them could deny that. In -school he often chose a recitation period in which -to think, and as he seldom thought about the lesson -which was being recited, he had often been -marked “zero” for questions to which he really -knew the answers.</p> - -<p>“Well, we just have to find him,” said Polly. -“That’s all there is to that. A boy can’t disappear -off the face of the earth.”</p> - -<p>But by the time they had tramped along for the -length of another turn, they began to think that -almost anything could happen to a boy. There -was no sign of Artie anywhere, and no trace that -might suggest what had become of him.</p> - -<p>“Listen!” said Fred suddenly, holding up his -hand.</p> - -<p>A twig cracked under Ward’s foot and Fred -frowned.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">[110]</span>“Do be still, can’t you?” he asked quickly.</p> - -<p>Jess sneezed at this point. Perhaps you’ve -noticed that when one is trying to have perfect -silence, a flood of little noises seems to be let free.</p> - -<p>“Excuse me,” said Jess, politely. “I didn’t -mean to.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, for pity’s sake!” cried the exasperated -Fred. “Can’t you listen a minute? I thought -I heard something.”</p> - -<p>They listened intently.</p> - -<p>“Hallo! Hal-lo!” came a call. “Come—back. -Come—back!”</p> - -<p>“That’s Mr. Meade,” said Fred. “Come on, -we have to go back.”</p> - -<p>“But we haven’t found Artie,” protested Polly, -ready to cry.</p> - -<p>“Got to go back and see what he says,” said -Fred, firmly. “Come on. Perhaps he has found -Artie.”</p> - -<p>Polly didn’t see how this could possibly be, but -she followed the rest as they turned. Fred tried -to run a little, but they had walked fast, and -Ward, especially, had no extra breath to expend, -even in a dog-trot.</p> - -<p>“How could he find Artie, when he fell off back -here somewhere?” asked Jess of Polly, slipping -along the glassy depressions left by sleigh runners.</p> - -<p>“He couldn’t,” Margy answered before Polly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">[111]</span> -could. “I never heard of such a silly idea in my -life!” she added.</p> - -<p>“All right—silly idea, is it?” said Fred. -“Then who’s that?”</p> - -<p>He pointed up the road, and Polly gasped while -Ward’s mouth opened and stayed that way from -sheer surprise.</p> - -<p>Coming toward them, waving his hands and -evidently most pleased to see them, was the missing -Artie!</p> - -<p>“Artie Marley! where were you?” cried Polly, -while he was still two yards away.</p> - -<p>“Did you think I was lost?” beamed Artie, in -reply.</p> - -<p>“We didn’t think anything about it,” said Fred, -grimly. “You weren’t on that load, so we knew -you’d fallen off. But where did you tumble?”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t,” said Artie, walking back with them—they -had rounded the second turn by now and -could see Mr. Meade waiting with the team. “I -didn’t fall off,” declared Artie, earnestly.</p> - -<p>“Next, I suppose, you’ll say you were sitting -next to me all the time,” said Ward, suspiciously.</p> - -<p>“No, I was down in that hole where the lunch -basket is,” explained Artie. “My feet got cold -and I climbed down there and—and I went to -sleep, I guess.”</p> - -<p>And that was all the mystery of his disappearance.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">[112]</span> -He had crawled into the hole left in the -center of the wood pile, made comfortable by -heavy horse blankets, and had promptly gone to -sleep. When the sleigh stopped he had wakened -and had amazed the waiting Mr. Meade by crawling -out behind him and asking where the “other -children” were.</p> - -<p>The rest of the way home Mr. Meade insisted -on turning every few miles and solemnly counting -the boys and girls to make sure there were six of -them. And when he set them down at the island -bridge, before he would let them thank him for -the happy day, he carefully counted them and -“added them to make six,” as he said. He didn’t -intend to spill any more of them out or have another -one go to sleep and be counted missing.</p> - -<p>The next day the Riddle Club campers went -home, to be ready for school on Monday morning. -Ready for something else that was important, too.</p> - -<p>“Our first meeting in the new clubroom,” said -Polly, happily. “Monday afternoon, as soon as -school is out! Won’t it be fun!”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">[113]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XII<br> - -<small>THE RIDDLE CLUB MEETS</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Although</span> Polly had been so eager when she -spoke of the meeting, she was the last one to come -to the clubroom after school the next afternoon.</p> - -<p>She looked flushed and excited, and, without -knowing why, the others felt a little thrill of excitement, -too.</p> - -<p>Polly called the meeting to order and asked for -unfinished business. There was none.</p> - -<p>“New business?” she asked.</p> - -<p>Fred rose, the bank prominently displayed in -his hand.</p> - -<p>“The treasurer,” he announced, rattling the -“treasure” cheerfully, “would like to remind you -that the dues are due.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, for pity’s sake,” grumbled Ward. “It’s -too soon after Thanksgiving. No one has any -money this time of year.”</p> - -<p>Fred gave him an exasperated glance.</p> - -<p>“I only wish,” he said coldly, “that you’d let -me know the time of year you want to pay your -dues. In summer you say you need the money for<span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">[114]</span> -ice-cream and in winter you need it for—for—icicles, -I suppose!”</p> - -<p>Ward giggled and Margy sighed.</p> - -<p>“Now they’ll argue over that for half an hour,” -she whispered to Polly.</p> - -<p>But Fred was in no mood for argument. He -felt that he had a duty to perform and he intended -to perform it, whether or not his friends enjoyed -the performance.</p> - -<p>“If you think I enjoy prying you loose from -ten cents, Ward Larue,” said Fred, “or you either, -Artie Marley, you’re mistaken. But as long as -we have a club and a treasurer and I’m the treasurer, -you’re going to pay your dues and pay ’em -at the right time.”</p> - -<p>“I guess you can’t collect the money if I haven’t -got it,” retorted Ward.</p> - -<p>“Then you’ll lose your standing,” said Fred, -making a wild guess at the “by-laws.” The Riddle -Club had never bothered much with by-laws.</p> - -<p>But Polly thought it time to interfere.</p> - -<p>“I think you boys are too silly for words,” she -pronounced. “Of course Fred has to collect the -dues—that’s his work. But you know, Fred, that -if you didn’t pitch into Ward, he’d hand you the -ten cents without coaxing. Why you want to -argue and get cross is more than I can understand.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">[115]</span>Ward scowled and Fred laughed good-naturedly.</p> - -<p>“There’s the bank,” he said. “You can put -your money in it or leave it alone. But let me tell -you, no club lasts very long without dues.”</p> - -<p>“We haven’t spent a cent yet,” grumbled Ward, -but he slipped his dime into the bank in something -like haste.</p> - -<p>The other dimes tinkled merrily after, and the -sound was music in Fred’s ears. Whatever he -chose to do, he did with all his might, and the -matter of club dues was a serious matter with him.</p> - -<p>“What are we going to spend the money for?” -asked Artie, to whom, like Ward, the bank seemed -to hold a fortune.</p> - -<p>“We’re not going to spend it for anything,” -Polly informed him, “till we need something very -much.”</p> - -<p>“We could buy Christmas presents with it,” -suggested Artie, wistfully.</p> - -<p>“Artie Marley, I’m surprised!” said Polly. -“That money doesn’t belong to us any more. It -is club money, and has to be spent for the good of -the club. Don’t you understand?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m glad,” remarked Artie, “that the -dues aren’t more than ten cents.”</p> - -<p>Fred was ready with a retort, but Polly forestalled -him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">[116]</span>“Is there any other business before the club?” -she asked quickly.</p> - -<p>Apparently there was not.</p> - -<p>“Let’s begin and ask riddles, then,” said Margy.</p> - -<p>“I have something to tell, first,” announced -Polly. “Wait a minute.”</p> - -<p>From her blouse pocket she took six tiny boxes, -each wrapped in white paper and fastened with an -elastic band.</p> - -<p>“What in the world——” began Margy, but -Jess said:</p> - -<p>“Sh!”</p> - -<p>“There’s one apiece,” said Polly, her voice -trembling a little with eagerness. “Your names -are written on the boxes. Here, Margy.”</p> - -<p>She handed Margy one of the boxes and, in -rapid succession, Jess, Fred, Ward and Artie received -theirs. One was left for Polly.</p> - -<p>“Do we open them?” asked Jess, and at Polly’s -nod six pairs of hands went to work.</p> - -<p>“Gee!” said Artie simply, when he had opened -his box.</p> - -<p>The contents were the same. In each box, on -a bed of pink cotton, lay a shining pin. Dark -blue enamel with a tiny “question mark” inlaid in -gold. Margy turned hers over. On the back -“Margy Williamson” was engraved.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/p116.jpg" alt="YOU ARE GOING TO PAY YOUR DUES"></div> -<p class="caption">“YOU ARE GOING TO PAY YOUR DUES.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">[117]</span>“And our names on the back!” said Jess, in a -tone of awe, turning her pin over.</p> - -<p>“Did Mr. Kirby send them?” asked Fred.</p> - -<p>“He gave them to Mother to bring back with -her,” explained Polly. “Aren’t they lovely? I -never saw such a darling pin!”</p> - -<p>“And there isn’t another like it, anywhere!” -murmured Margy. “We can wear them to school -to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t we have to thank Mr. Kirby, or something?” -asked Artie, seriously, and though they -laughed at him, they knew what he meant.</p> - -<p>“I can write a letter,” said Polly, “and we’ll all -sign it.”</p> - -<p>And a day or two later a “round robin” letter -went to Rye, signed by each member of the Riddle -Club, a letter that left no doubt in Mr. Kirby’s -mind as to the pleasure his pins had given the -lucky boys and girls who received them.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Polly, when the pins were fastened -in a conspicuous place on each blouse or coat, -“we can have our riddles.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got a riddle for Fred,” announced Ward: -“How much money does the moon represent?”</p> - -<p>“Huh, that’s easy,” retorted Fred, confidently. -“Quarters, of course.”</p> - -<p>“That isn’t how much,” said Ward.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">[118]</span>“Well, give me time to think and I’ll tell you,” -answered Fred. “The moon has four quarters—and -four quarters—four quarters make a dollar. -Ah-ha, Mr. Larue, the moon represents a dollar.”</p> - -<p>Ward was divided between admiration for -Fred’s mathematical abilities and chagrin that he -had solved the riddle. The former won.</p> - -<p>“You did get it,” he said generously. “You -certainly are good at guessing riddles, Fred.”</p> - -<p>Fred was determined to show that he could be -generous, too.</p> - -<p>“I took two guesses,” he said, “and that really -isn’t fair. I think only one guess should be allowed.”</p> - -<p>“I think so, too,” decided Polly. “If each one -takes two or three guesses, we use up the afternoon -arguing.”</p> - -<p>Artie’s easy giggle hinted that he rather enjoyed -the argument, but Margy and Jess were -loudly in favor of the single guess.</p> - -<p>“Your turn now, Margy,” said Polly.</p> - -<p>“Why is your nose in the middle of your face, -Ward?” asked Margy, with startling suddenness.</p> - -<p>Ward had been day-dreaming, and the question -caught him unprepared. For the moment he forgot -that they were solving riddles.</p> - -<p>“Where else would my nose be?” he demanded.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">[119]</span>“That’s a riddle,” Margy explained, laughing. -“Why is your nose in the center of your face?”</p> - -<p>Polly choked and turned it into a cough.</p> - -<p>Ward felt of his nose thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>“It’s in the middle of your face,” said Margy, -hastily. “Why?”</p> - -<p>“You don’t have to keep telling me,” Ward announced, -with dignity. “I heard you. My nose -is in the middle of my face because—because a -nose knows where it ought to be.”</p> - -<p>“Not bad,” said Fred.</p> - -<p>“I told you the answer myself, and Polly nearly -gave it away by laughing,” said Margy. “The -reason your nose is in the middle of your face, -Ward, is because it is the scenter.”</p> - -<p>“The center of what?” asked the suspicious -Ward.</p> - -<p>“The center is the middle—that’s one kind,” -said Margy, patiently. “And then it’s the scenter—your -nose is—because you use it to smell with.”</p> - -<p>Ward considered this in silence for a few moments.</p> - -<p>“Well, maybe,” he admitted reluctantly.</p> - -<p>“There’s no maybe about it,” said Margy. -“Are you going to pay a forfeit?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t mind,” said Ward.</p> - -<p>“Then I’d like three of the stuffed dates you -have in your pocket,” announced Margy, calmly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">[120]</span>“Your nose is a good scenter,” Fred told her. -“How did you know Ward had stuffed dates with -him?”</p> - -<p>“Because I saw him eating one,” said the calm -Margy.</p> - -<p>Ward had the grace to blush a little, and, jerking -the box from a pocket already stuffed to the -bursting point, he silently passed it to Margy. -She opened it, took out three dates and gave it -back to him.</p> - -<p>“One apiece,” she said, handing a date to Polly, -another to Jess, and popping the third into her -own mouth.</p> - -<p>There were three dates left, by good luck, and -Ward distributed these to Artie and Fred and -peace reigned again.</p> - -<p>“Your turn, Artie,” said Polly, who wanted to -laugh, but decided that Margy didn’t.</p> - -<p>“Mine’s about a nose, too,” said Artie. “Jess, -what have noses but smell not?”</p> - -<p>“Teapots,” said Jess, with a beaming smile.</p> - -<p>Artie looked disappointed.</p> - -<p>“Bet you can’t guess this, Polly,” said Fred: -“What is that which we often return but never -borrow?”</p> - -<p>“Why, Fred Williamson, that’s my own pet -riddle,” protested Polly. “I was saving it up -to ask you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">[121]</span>“What don’t you borrow?” asked Jess, curiously.</p> - -<p>“Thanks,” said Polly.</p> - -<p>“What for? I didn’t do anything,” replied -Jess, bewildered.</p> - -<p>“That’s the answer to the riddle,” said Polly, -merrily.</p> - -<p>“I want to ask Margy a riddle,” Jess said. -“What word will, if you take away the first letter, -make you sick?”</p> - -<p>“You always pick out riddles with arithmetic -in them,” Margy complained. “And I can’t spell -long words, either.”</p> - -<p>“This isn’t a long word,” Jess encouraged her. -“It’s a short one.”</p> - -<p>“Wait a minute,” said Polly, rising. “Some -one is knocking on the door.”</p> - -<p>“Is it mince pie?” asked Margy, in a desperate -effort to give the answer before she should be interrupted. -“Is it mince pie, Jess?”</p> - -<p>“It certainly is not!” said Jess, and at that moment -Polly flung the door open and visitors appeared -on the threshold.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">[122]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XIII<br> - -<small>FRED WILLIAMSON, BANKER</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Mrs. Marley</span>, Mrs. Larue and Mrs. Williamson -stood in the doorway. It was Mrs. Marley -who asked:</p> - -<p>“May we come in?”</p> - -<p>Fred and Artie brought chairs and Ward scrambled -over on the window seat, leaving his place -vacant.</p> - -<p>“We thought the meeting would be over,” said -Mrs. Marley. “And we wanted to see how you -looked in your new quarters. But don’t let us interrupt. -I don’t believe you’ve adjourned.”</p> - -<p>“We have only a couple more riddles to ask,” -said Polly. “That won’t take long.”</p> - -<p>“The meeting would have been over,” Margy -explained, “only it took Fred so long to argue -about the dues.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Marley laughed and glanced at the other -two mothers.</p> - -<p>“My sympathy is with Fred,” Mrs. Larue declared. -“I’ve been treasurer, Fred, and I know<span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">[123]</span> -what it is to have to send bills out three times for -one collection. If I had to go and ask verbally -for the money—well, I don’t believe there would -be much money collected in our organization.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we always pay our dues,” said Ward, -easily.</p> - -<p>“Yes, you pay ’em—after I’ve made myself -hoarse asking you,” Fred exploded.</p> - -<p>“Dear me, I think we’d better go on with the -meeting,” said Polly, wishing that Margy had -never mentioned the subject of dues.</p> - -<p>“All right—I’m ready,” announced Jess. “I -asked Margy a riddle: ‘What word will, if you -take away the first letter, make you sick?’ But -Margy used up her first guess—she thought it was -mince pie.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t really think it was mince pie,” explained -Margy, carefully. “I just said that because -I was in a hurry.”</p> - -<p>“Then do you want another guess?” asked -Polly. “She may have another one, Jess, the -knocking at the door <i>did</i> hurry her.”</p> - -<p>Jess was willing, so Margy tried again.</p> - -<p>“If I could spell, I wouldn’t mind,” said Margy, -after thinking deeply for a moment. “Is the -word pill?”</p> - -<p>Most of the Riddle Club members thought -Margy had guessed it. Polly knew the answer,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">[124]</span> -but the boys were sure Margy had the right word. -They were surprised to see Jess shake her head.</p> - -<p>“But if you’re ill you’re sick,” Margy argued. -“Why isn’t that right, Jess?”</p> - -<p>“Because,” said Jess, “the word is music. -Take away the first letter, and you have U-sick. -Don’t you see?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, I call that a foolish riddle,” sighed -poor Margy. “But I’ll pay a forfeit. What -shall it be, Jess?”</p> - -<p>“You don’t have to pay much of a forfeit,” Jess -assured her. “You almost had the riddle, so I’ll -give you an easy one to pay—nothing to redeem. -The red beads, please.”</p> - -<p>Margy and Polly laughed. The string of red -beads Margy was wearing belonged to Jess, and -she was merely taking her own property as a forfeit.</p> - -<p>“Now I’ll ask Artie,” Polly said, when the -beads had changed hands. “Then we can adjourn -the meeting.”</p> - -<p>“Artie,” she said quickly, “on what side of the -pitcher is the handle?”</p> - -<p>Artie sat in perfect silence for what seemed a -long time. No one moved, so fearful were they -of disturbing his train of thought. It must have -been three minutes—and a long three minutes it -was—before he spoke.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">[125]</span>“The outside,” said Artie, sweetly.</p> - -<p>He looked around, and his irrepressible grin -broke out. In a minute Ward was on top of him, -and they were rolling joyously about on the window -seat.</p> - -<p>“You knew it all the time!” Ward accused his -chum. “You sat there like a chump, just pretending.”</p> - -<p>Artie did not deny the charge. His twinkling -blue eyes spoke for him and he was distinctly -pleased with his joke that had kept a roomful of -people silent for three minutes or so.</p> - -<p>“Sit up and behave,” President Polly commanded -sternly. “Is there any other riddle to be -asked? No? Some one make the motion to adjourn.”</p> - -<p>Fred made the motion, Jess seconded it, and the -meeting was over.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Williamson looked smilingly at Polly.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps I should have spoken of this before -your meeting was over,” she said. “But to tell -you the truth, I’ve only just now remembered it. -Mr. Williamson would like to offer another riddle -with a prize for the answer.”</p> - -<p>The Riddle Club had had these prize riddles before. -It was always fun to try to get the answer, -and the prize was always worth while.</p> - -<p>“If you’ll write it down, Polly,” suggested Mrs.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">[126]</span> -Williamson, “I’ll give it to you now. The answers -are to be read at your next regular meeting -and the prize will be five dollars.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Marley whispered to her.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, I forgot to say that the prize is to -go to the Riddle Club bank—not to an individual,” -said Mrs. Williamson.</p> - -<p>Fred rattled the bank and its contents in delight.</p> - -<p>“Gee,” he said, in heart-felt delight, “that’s -great!”</p> - -<p>To be sure, the prizes the various children had -won before this had always gone into the Riddle -Club bank, but this was the first time the prize had -been offered directly for the bank.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see what good that money is going to -do us,” said Ward now. “Fred will never let us -spend a cent.”</p> - -<p>“If we’d spent it every time you wanted to, -there wouldn’t be a cent left in there to-day,” declared -Fred, with truth on his side.</p> - -<p>“Don’t bicker,” Mrs. Marley warned them. -“Better take down the riddle, Polly. And whatever -you do, don’t argue over the five dollars before -it is won; none of you may be able to guess -Mr. Williamson’s puzzle.”</p> - -<p>Polly took her pencil and paper and Mrs. Williamson -pulled a little book from her knitting bag.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">[127]</span>“This is the riddle, Polly,” she said. “Stop -me, if I read too fast.”</p> - -<p>Then slowly and carefully, she read aloud, -while Polly wrote it down:</p> - -<p>“Why do pianos bear the noblest characters?”</p> - -<p>“Go on,” said Polly. “I have that.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the entire riddle,” Mrs. Williamson -answered. “There is no more.”</p> - -<p>The members of the Riddle Club stared. The -other prize riddles had been complicated ones, -some rhymed, all contained more words. This -sounded so simple that it must be a mistake.</p> - -<p>“But that’s such an easy riddle!” said Ward, -unguardedly. “Most any one can guess that.”</p> - -<p>“Go ahead, Ward,” Mrs. Williamson encouraged -him. “Guess it and win the five dollars for -the club.”</p> - -<p>“Pianos bear the noblest characters,” recited -Ward, with confidence, “because—because—because—well, -of course, I’d have to think about it,” -he ended lamely. “But I don’t believe it’s hard.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Williamson laughed.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know the answer myself,” she told -them, “but I do know Mr. Williamson. And -something tells me he hasn’t chosen a very easy -riddle for you to guess. However, you may succeed -in surprising him.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_128">[128]</span>Then Mrs. Larue said she had something to -tell.</p> - -<p>“I’ve been admiring your lovely clubroom ever -since I came in,” she said pleasantly, “and I can’t -see that you need a single thing more than you -have. But before I came away this afternoon, -Mr. Larue gave me a silver dollar to spend as his -contribution for the club. He thought I would -put another dollar with it and buy something nice -for your clubroom.”</p> - -<p>“And I have two silver dollars I was commissioned -to spend in the same way,” added Mrs. -Williamson.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Marley said she had the same amount in -her purse.</p> - -<p>“Of course, we wouldn’t dream of buying without -first coming to see your clubroom,” she told the -children; “and now we’ve seen it, the problem is -worse than ever. You really have as much furniture -as would be comfortable, and your decorations -mean far more than any you could buy.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you think it would be a good plan,” -asked Mrs. Larue, gently, “to put the six dollars -in the bank, along with the club dues? Then, any -time you wished to spend it, it would be waiting -for you.”</p> - -<p>The Riddle Club accepted this plan with enthusiasm. -They were even able to understand<span class="pagenum" id="Page_129">[129]</span> -something of Fred’s pride in the bank as the six -shining round silver dollars slipped into the slip at -the side and rang merrily against the other coins.</p> - -<p>“We’re really getting wealthy,” said Margy, -soberly.</p> - -<p>Fred was so proud of the bank and the money -in it that he was reluctant to leave it long enough -to go downstairs at Mrs. Marley’s invitation, -where hot chocolate and little sweet cakes were -awaiting them as Mrs. Marley’s treat.</p> - -<p>“Don’t lock the door, Ward,” Fred said, as -they went downstairs. “I’ll come back and get -the bank.”</p> - -<p>Fred kept the bank in his own room, and usually -he buried it under a pile of magazines in his clothes -closet.</p> - -<p>Margy’s seat in the dining-room was near the -window, and, happening to glance out, she saw -something that made her forget even the cake -with the walnut in the center, which she had coveted -when they first sat down.</p> - -<p>“It’s snowing!” she cried. “Look—real -snow!”</p> - -<p>It really was snowing. River Bend had not -had the snowstorm which covered Lake Bassing -with a white blanket over Thanksgiving Day, and -their schoolmates had listened enviously when -they heard of the fun the Riddle Club had had in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_130">[130]</span> -camp. The snow now falling was the first of the -winter for the little town.</p> - -<p>“Well, I suppose winter has really set in,” -sighed Mrs. Marley. “You children will be glad -to see the snow, but I don’t care for it as much -as I did when I was your age.”</p> - -<p>“I hope it will snow all night,” declared Fred. -“We haven’t had any coasting in an age.”</p> - -<p>But the prospect of coasting to-morrow did not -interfere with his enjoyment of a second cup of the -chocolate and another cake when Mrs. Marley -insisted that he have more.</p> - -<p>After the cakes had disappeared, Fred went -back to get his bank, and then, as it was too dark—so -the mothers said—to go out and play in the -snow, which by now covered the pavements and -lawns with a thin, white covering, the Larues and -the Williamsons went home.</p> - -<p>Mr. Williamson was reading before the living-room -fire, and Fred went in to tell him about the -club meeting and to thank him for the prize riddle -offer and the silver dollar he had sent the club -fund.</p> - -<p>“By the way, Fred,” Mr. Williamson said presently, -“wouldn’t you rather open an account in the -bank in the name of the Riddle Club? That iron -bank of yours must be heavy to carry around, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_131">[131]</span> -besides you have too much money in it now to allow -yourself to be careless.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I like to take care of it, Daddy,” was -Fred’s answer. “Nothing will happen to it; I’m -not careless.”</p> - -<p>“Fred, I just found your bank on the hall -table,” said his mother, coming into the room. -“That isn’t the place to leave it.”</p> - -<p>Fred looked a little confused.</p> - -<p>“I was on my way upstairs, Mother,” he said, -with dignity. “I stopped to speak to Daddy.”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_132">[132]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XIV<br> - -<small>ON POND’S HILL</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Fred</span> took his bank upstairs and hid it in the -usual place. That night he dreamed he was president -of a bank and the members of the Riddle -Club came to him to pay their dues faster than he -could take the money in. There seemed to be a -great many more members than six, and presently -Fred discovered the reason—the Conundrum Club -members had joined!</p> - -<p>The shock of this discovery woke him up. It -was morning, but so gray and dull that Fred was -ready to turn over and go to sleep. Then he remembered -that it had begun to snow the night before -and he hopped out of bed and pattered to the -window. It was still snowing and everything in -sight was well covered.</p> - -<p>Of course there was no sleep for Fred after -that, and not much for the rest of the Williamson -family. Usually Fred waited till his father -called him before he started to dress, but this -morning he was downstairs and prancing about on -the porch when his father came to look for him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_133">[133]</span>“Here, here, can’t you wait till after breakfast?” -asked Mr. Williamson. “Mother is going -to bake hot cakes, and the boy who appears with -his hair combed and his necktie straight is going -to have the first one.”</p> - -<p>Fred dashed back to his room and hastily -brushed his hair. He and Margy felt a deep interest -in hot cakes, but it must be confessed they -were also “crazy” about the snow. They could -hardly wait to eat their breakfast, bundle themselves -into coats and hats and woolly scarfs, and -plunge into that beautiful whiteness.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” called Artie, from his porch, as he -saw the Williamsons about to start for school. -“Wait a minute!”</p> - -<p>The Marley front steps had not been brushed -off, and Artie had no idea of the depth of the -snow. He took one step and sank into a feathery, -fluffy bed up to his neck.</p> - -<p>“Gee, I missed that next step,” he said, with -perfect good humor, rising and brushing himself -off. “Here comes Polly.”</p> - -<p>Polly and the Larues joined the others, and, -running and laughing, they began the walk to -school. The flying flakes stung their eyes and -melted on their faces, and it was fun to make -snowballs and hurl them at the fences and trees -they passed and, yes, at each other.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_134">[134]</span>“We’ll go coasting this afternoon, sure,” said -Fred, as they reached the school-yard gate.</p> - -<p>Home they raced at the close of the afternoon -session to get out the sleds hidden in attic and cellar -since the winter before.</p> - -<p>The boys had each a sled, and Polly and Jess -had their own, but Margy preferred to claim a -share in Fred’s long racer. She could never be -induced to go down the hill alone, and most of the -time she coasted with Polly.</p> - -<p>“Everybody’s here,” said Ward, cheerfully, -when they reached Pond’s Hill, a beautiful slope -on the other side of town.</p> - -<p>It was still snowing fitfully, but the flakes were -larger, an indication that the storm was beginning -to let up. Artie and Ward wished it would snow -for a week, but the older folk thought that a day -and a night should satisfy any one.</p> - -<p>“There’s Carrie Pepper,” whispered Polly to -Margy.</p> - -<p>“And Mattie Helms,” added Jess.</p> - -<p>“And Joe Anderson,” said Artie. “He has a -new sled.”</p> - -<p>Fred heard and turned to look. Sure enough, -Joe had a new sled and it was a beauty, long and -low and with the flexible steering gear of the best -make of sled. Harry Worden, a post-graduate<span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">[135]</span> -student in the high school, was examining Joe’s -possession in evident admiration.</p> - -<p>“Some sled!” was his verdict.</p> - -<p>Then he saw Fred and waved to him. The -Riddle Club members knew Harry Worden very -well. The spring before, when he was a high -school senior, he had served as referee at a riddle -contest held between their club and the Conundrum -Club. They liked him very much.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Fred,” called Harry. “Come on over -here and look at this.”</p> - -<p>Fred went over to the other side of the road, -glad of a chance to see the new sled more closely.</p> - -<p>“It’s a peach!” he told Joe, heartily. “Present?”</p> - -<p>“Got it for my birthday,” Joe answered. “This -sled cost a lot, and it’s better than any one else’s. -I’ll bet I can beat any one on the hill now.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” drawled -Harry Worden, lazily. “It isn’t always the sled -that wins a race. Something depends on the boy -who does the steering.”</p> - -<p>“Bet you I can beat any one on the hill,” Joe -boasted.</p> - -<p>Harry only laughed and turned away and Fred -went back to his friends.</p> - -<p>“Take Margy down first, Fred,” Polly suggested.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">[136]</span> -“She has more fun before her feet get -cold.”</p> - -<p>Margy was apt to complain, midway in her outdoor -sport, that her feet were “freezing.”</p> - -<p>Fred obligingly took his sister on behind him, -but neither one could be said to enjoy the ride -down the hill. Margy shut her eyes tight and -Fred declared she pinched him.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t!” said the indignant Margy. “I had -to hang on to something, didn’t I? Anyway, Fred -Williamson, you go too fast.”</p> - -<p>Polly said Margy should coast with her next, -and amicable relations were restored, as Fred -shot down the hill alone, deftly curving in and -out to avoid the sleds that were flying down at -the same time.</p> - -<p>“I wish I could steer as well as Fred can,” -sighed Polly, taking her place on her own sled with -Margy back of her. “It’s because he isn’t afraid -to take a chance. He will go around a sled or -almost into the ditch. But I’m always thinking of -a smash-up.”</p> - -<p>Ward and Artie were enjoying themselves in -their own way, which was a peculiar one, to say -the least. Ward liked to lie flat on his sled with -Artie perched on top of him, and if one or the -other rolled off in the course of the descent, why, -that was nothing at all! Snow, argued Ward and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">[137]</span> -Artie, was soft and comfortable, and one could -always get out of the way of an approaching sled -by tumbling over and over till safe from the danger -of being run down.</p> - -<p>Jess, too, had a method, and she followed it -faithfully. Hers was a sober enjoyment, for she -went down the hill on her sled, turned around and -trudged back, to do the same thing again. Left -alone, Jess would coast contentedly a whole morning -or afternoon, without mishap or apparent excitement.</p> - -<p>Polly and Fred liked to try experiments. They -tried Polly’s sled with Fred steering, and Fred’s -sled with Polly guiding it. They went down -backward once and landed in the ditch. They -tried to see how many children they could pile on -the two sleds, and they raced each other with -enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>It was when they were returning from one of -these races that Harry Worden hailed them.</p> - -<p>“Hey, Fred, want some fun?” he shouted.</p> - -<p>Fred did, and he and Polly ran over to where -Harry stood.</p> - -<p>“Joe Anderson wants a race,” said Harry. -“He thinks your sled is probably the fastest on -the hill, next to his. Want to try a race?”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” answered Fred, quickly. “I’m willing.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_138">[138]</span>The news of the proposed race spread in a moment, -and a crowd of boys and girls gathered -around Fred and Joe.</p> - -<p>“Go to it, Fred,” some cried. “You can win.”</p> - -<p>“Joe has the best sled,” others insisted. “No -one can win against that flier. It’s a peach.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know—Fred can get a lot of speed -out of his old boat,” said one of the boys.</p> - -<p>Albert Holmes sniffed.</p> - -<p>“Old boat, is right,” he said. “It’s about fifty -years old.”</p> - -<p>Fred grinned good-naturedly. His sled wasn’t -new, but it wasn’t falling apart yet, he assured -them.</p> - -<p>“I’m going down to the foot of the hill to watch -the finish,” announced Harry Worden. “Billy -Pierce will give you the word to start.”</p> - -<p>Jess and Artie and Ward decided to stay at the -top of the hill, but Polly tagged along after -Harry, and Margy went with her. As soon as -they reached the foot of the hill, Harry waved his -arm as a signal to Billy Pierce to give the word to -the racers.</p> - -<p>“There they go!” cried Polly, as the two black -specks at the top of the hill suddenly shot down.</p> - -<p>The snow had stopped half an hour before, and -the hill was well packed from the sleds and the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_139">[139]</span> -feet of the coasters. It was cold, but even Margy -forgot that in the excitement of the moment.</p> - -<p>The sleds seemed to be evenly matched half of -the distance, then one pulled slightly ahead.</p> - -<p>“It’s Fred!” said Polly, in a half-whisper. “I -know him by his cap.”</p> - -<p>Fred’s sled, if it was Fred’s sled, kept the lead. -The other did not gain.</p> - -<p>“Fred shot around that well in the road, I -guess, and Joe must have gone in and out—that -takes time,” said Harry. “But you’re likely to -land in the ditch, going around.”</p> - -<p>The watchers could see now that it was Fred -who was ahead. Margy thought she felt a flake -of snow and looked up at the sky, while Harry -allowed his gaze to wander past the racing sleds -to the top of the hill. It was but a moment, but -Polly was the only one to see what happened in -that moment.</p> - -<p>“He turned him!” she cried. “I saw him do -it! That Joe Anderson would do anything to -win! Don’t let him, Harry. Please, don’t let -him!”</p> - -<p>Harry Worden looked at the sleds, now near -enough to be plainly distinguished. Joe Anderson -was in the lead, grinning triumphantly, and Fred -was just swinging his sled back on the course.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_140">[140]</span>“Told you I could do it!” said Joe, as his sled -swept past Polly and Margy and Harry. “Can’t -beat this sled!”</p> - -<p>“You cheated!” Polly accused him, almost beside -herself with anger. “I saw you! You put -out your hand and shoved Fred over to the left. -That isn’t fair, and don’t you dare——”</p> - -<p>Fred tumbled off his sled and came up to them. -He looked angry, but when he saw Polly he tried -to grin.</p> - -<p>“I won!” said Joe Anderson, boastfully. “You -did pretty well, Fred. But of course your steering -gear is out of date.”</p> - -<p>“You cheated!” said Polly again.</p> - -<p>Harry Worden looked troubled.</p> - -<p>“Of course, I wasn’t looking,” he said slowly, -“and I didn’t see what happened. But Polly -seems to think——”</p> - -<p>Fred turned to Polly and blazed at her, to her -utmost astonishment, for he had never spoken to -her like that in his life.</p> - -<p>“You keep still!” he cried angrily. “I lost the -race, and that’s all there is to it.”</p> - -<p>“No, that isn’t all there is to it,” Harry Worden -corrected him. “You race again, and this time -I intend to know what is going on.”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_141">[141]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XV<br> - -<small>DETECTIVE MARGY</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">I promised</span> my mother I’d go home at half-past -four,” said Joe, uneasily.</p> - -<p>“You can stay another ten or fifteen minutes,” -Harry informed him. “You go back and tell -Billy Pierce I say this race is to be done over. -Tell him there’s no decision.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell him you wouldn’t give a decision,” said -Joe, hotly. “I won, and you’re afraid to say so, -just because Polly Marley——”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t much doubt about your cheating, -Joe,” said Harry, as coolly as he usually spoke. -“But as I didn’t see what happened with my own -eyes, I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt. -You’re lucky, if you’d only see it the right way.”</p> - -<p>Joe turned sullenly away and began to plod -up the hill, dragging his sled after him. At the -top of the hill Billy Pierce held the eager coasters -back, for he could see that some sort of argument -was taking place below.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_142">[142]</span>“Just a minute, Fred,” said Harry, as Fred -turned to go back. “Are you willing to race -again?”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” said Fred, looking everywhere but at -Harry or Polly.</p> - -<p>“Were you knocked off the road?” asked -Harry, a little hesitantly.</p> - -<p>“I lost the race, and that’s all there is to it,” -said Fred, doggedly.</p> - -<p>“All right, go on,” Harry dismissed him.</p> - -<p>“Joe put out his hand and gave him a big push,” -said Polly, watching Fred as he trudged up the -hill. “If I was Fred I’d tell him what a cheat he -is. I never could stand that Joe Anderson.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t see him do anything,” declared -Margy, mildly.</p> - -<p>“You never do see anything,” retorted Polly, -for, gentle as she was, any unfairness always -roused her, and once “woke up,” as Jess called it, -she was not easily soothed.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid we were asleep at the switch, -Margy,” said Harry Worden ruefully. “This -time I mean to glue my eyes on the road and keep -them there.”</p> - -<p>“But Fred must know he cheated,” argued -Polly.</p> - -<p>“Well, you see, Fred’s idea of a good loser is -one who doesn’t grunt,” Harry tried to explain.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_143">[143]</span> -“He’d rather say nothing than be thought complaining -because he failed to win.”</p> - -<p>Polly was not convinced, but she said nothing -more. And she and Harry and Margy stared at -the white road till their eyes ached, waiting for -the two black specks to come toward them.</p> - -<p>It was a long hill, and when the boys reached -the top there were explanations to be made to -Billy Pierce and the curious boys and girls who -wanted to know what had happened. Seated at -last on their sleds, Joe made a start before the -signal was given and had to be brought back. -The next time he sulked and did not start at all, -and it was Fred who had to turn around.</p> - -<p>At last, though, they got off, and those at the -foot of the hill saw the two dots swooping downward. -There was one bad spot in the road—the -depression Harry had mentioned—and Fred -grimly swung his sled around, grazing the deep -ditch and even trembling a fraction of a second -on the edge before he threw his weight to the -right and shot back to the center of the road.</p> - -<p>Joe had decided to take the hole, changed his -mind too late, and went into it sideways as a result -of his effort to swing to the left as Fred had -done. He almost upset his sled, but righted it in -time and was out of the hole a half yard behind -the flying Fred. As the boys had discovered, it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_144">[144]</span> -was Fred’s quick judgment and willingness to -“take a chance” that gave him the advantage. -He had strong wrists, too, and could change his -course as easily as Joe could change his mind.</p> - -<p>That was Joe’s great drawback—this habit of -changing his mind. It interfered seriously with -his steering, for if there is one place where it is -not wise to change your mind, it is on a steep hill. -Having once decided on his course, the wise -coaster sticks to it. Joe’s indecision was reflected -in the wobbly movements of his sled, and this time -he came in a yard behind Fred.</p> - -<p>“No doubt about that,” said Harry, with relief. -“You win, Fred.”</p> - -<p>“I won the other—only you wouldn’t play -fair,” said Joe, hardily.</p> - -<p>“It’s getting dark, but there’s still time for another -race if you want to call it a tie,” declared -Harry, swiftly. “Is it a tie, Joe?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, let Fred have it—I don’t care,” Joe mumbled.</p> - -<p>“I’ll race again,” said Fred, after a moment’s -silence.</p> - -<p>“No, the others are coasting now,” decided -Harry. “We can’t hold them up any longer, for -it’s getting dark. Fred wins, and if I were you, -Joe, I wouldn’t go around making any uncalled-for -remarks.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_145">[145]</span>Joe took his sled and went back without a word. -Harry Worden followed him to make sure that a -truthful report was spread around, and Polly and -Fred ploughed slowly up the road, at one side, -pulling Margy on Fred’s sled.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t mean to snap at you, Polly,” said -Fred, a little shyly. “I guess I sounded pretty -cranky.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s all right,” declared Polly, determined -not to let him know he had hurt her feelings. -“I didn’t mind that, Fred. But I saw Joe -Anderson push you—I certainly did.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you want to forget that and forget it -for good,” said Fred, stopping in the snow and -speaking very earnestly. “I don’t care if he -tipped me off and rode over me. When I lose a -race I’m not going to parade any excuses.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll never say a word about it, Fred, if that’s -the way you feel,” Polly promised. “But I do -think boys are too queer for anything.”</p> - -<p>“Of course they are,” observed Margy from -her seat of state. “I’ve always said they were -funny, but you would never believe it.”</p> - -<p>For once in their lives, the children in River -Bend had enough snow. After the coasters went -home, more snow fell, and it continued to snow at -intervals all night. As a result a whole new -world, without a footprint from the day before<span class="pagenum" id="Page_146">[146]</span> -left on it, was ready for inspection the next morning.</p> - -<p>“Tell you what let’s do,” remarked Artie, as -they came home from school at noon. “Build a -snowman!”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think that’s so much fun,” Margy -maintained.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t mean just a snowman,” explained -Artie. “Not one of those little ones the kids -build. I mean a great, big giant of a snowman -with a head higher than a house!”</p> - -<p>“How would we build a snowman as high as -that?” demanded Fred. “Get in a tree and put -his head on?”</p> - -<p>“We could use a stepladder,” said Artie.</p> - -<p>Though inclined at first to laugh at this scheme, -the more they discussed it, the better it sounded.</p> - -<p>“They had an enormous snowman over in -Stockton,” said Artie, naming a neighboring town. -“Daddy read about it. They built him in the -main square, and every one helped. He had electric -lights for eyes and clothes and everything.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet we could build one just as good,” declared -Ward. “We’ll make ours the tallest -snowman River Bend ever saw.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s make him a big hat with R.C. on it,” suggested -Polly. “Then every one will know he belongs -to the Riddle Club.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_147">[147]</span>This idea was pronounced “great,” and the -Riddle Club could hardly wait till school was out -to begin their statue.</p> - -<p>A snowball fight was in progress in the school -yard when they went back after lunch, and the battle -continued furiously till the one o’clock bell -rang. Flushed and warm, the pupils marched up -to their classrooms, and on the stairs Polly made a -distressing discovery.</p> - -<p>Her precious Riddle Club pin was missing!</p> - -<p>These pins had been envied or admired by every -pupil in the school, and there was probably nothing -Polly owned which possessed more value in -her eyes.</p> - -<p>She thought the loss warranted writing a note -to Margy, though the teacher severely discouraged -this practice.</p> - -<p>“Lost your pin!” Margy’s lips echoed silently, -when she had read the note. “How perfectly awful! -Where?”</p> - -<p>Polly shook her head to show she did not know. -But she was afraid she had lost it in the midst of -the snowball battle, and the prospects of recovering -it were exceedingly dim.</p> - -<p>Now Margy had sharp eyes when she chose to -use them, and she could be counted on to be interested -in what went on outside her books. While -poor Polly was trying to forget her troubles in the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_148">[148]</span> -writing lesson, Margy’s dark eyes were roving -over the room in search of amusement.</p> - -<p>Carrie Pepper sat near her, over two aisles, and -she, too, was apparently little interested in the lesson. -When the teacher’s back was turned, Carrie -swiftly passed something to Mattie Helms, who -sat behind her.</p> - -<p>“I wonder what she has,” thought Margy, idly.</p> - -<p>Mattie’s head bent over something as she examined -it, then she dropped her pencil. It rolled -under the desks and Mattie stooped to get it. As -she straightened up, she dropped the something -lightly on Joe Anderson’s writing book.</p> - -<p>Margy could not see, from where she sat, what -the something was, but, like a flash, she guessed.</p> - -<p>“Polly’s pin!” She almost said the words -aloud. “Polly’s pin! Carrie was right behind -her coming up the stairs this noon. I’ll bet she -found the pin, and she’s so mean, she won’t give -it back.”</p> - -<p>Margy hastily took her pen and attacked the -writing lesson. She wanted to think. Apparently -absorbed in the work before her, she was -planning to find out whether Carrie had really -found the missing pin.</p> - -<p>“It’s something so small it doesn’t show when -she has it in her hand,” Margy reasoned. “And -she is showing it to Mattie and Joe, who aren’t<span class="pagenum" id="Page_149">[149]</span> -exactly crazy about Polly or our club. I do believe -it is Polly’s pin, and I intend to find out.”</p> - -<p>Margy’s writing lesson may have left something -to be desired that day, but by three o’clock she -had a clever plan worked out to solve the mystery.</p> - -<p>“Wait a minute,” she said to the impatient five, -who waited for her in the hall. “Yes, I know you -want to get to work on the snowman, but Polly -lost her club pin this noon, and I think I’ve found -it.”</p> - -<p>“Lost her pin?” echoed Jess. “Where?”</p> - -<p>“You haven’t found it?” gasped Polly.</p> - -<p>“Well, of course I’m not sure,” said Margy, -modestly, “but I think I have. I noticed Carrie -walked right behind you this noon, as you were -going upstairs. I didn’t think anything of that -till I saw her passing something around this afternoon. -I couldn’t see what it was, but she showed -it to Mattie Helms and to Joe Anderson.”</p> - -<p>“It might be anything,” said Polly, gloomily.</p> - -<p>“If it is the pin, what are you going to do about -it?” Fred asked his sister. “You can’t go up and -accuse her of taking Polly’s pin.”</p> - -<p>“I could, but I don’t intend to,” said Margy. -“I might ask her and she would say she ‘found’ it. -But I know a better way than that. I’m going -back to our room now and you go out in the yard -and wait for me. It will take me a little while.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_150">[150]</span>“Look here, what are you up to?” said Fred, a -little quickly.</p> - -<p>“I’m going through Carrie’s desk,” returned -Margy, placidly.</p> - -<p>“Oh—suppose some one finds you?” said Jess, -with a shiver of fear.</p> - -<p>“They won’t. That’s why you have to wait,” -said Margy, who had thought out her plan carefully. -“You see, I figure that if Carrie found the -pin she won’t dare wear it and she won’t take it -home to show her mother, because she would -make her give it back. She can’t do a thing with -it, but keep it to plague Polly and show the Conundrum -Club. So I think she’ll leave it in her desk, -and I mean to take it out.”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_151">[151]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVI<br> - -<small>RIDDLE CHAP</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Of</span> course it wasn’t the right thing to do—to go -through Carrie’s desk. Margy herself had the -feeling that she was in the wrong, but she certainly -didn’t mean to let Carrie keep Polly’s pin -if she had it. Neither did Margy like the idea of -telling the teacher and asking her to have Carrie -search her desk.</p> - -<p>“I’m the one to get that pin back, and I’m going -to do it,” thought Margy, as she marched upstairs, -leaving five sober-faced children to wait for -her.</p> - -<p>Luckily, there was no one in the classroom -when Margy entered it. She supposed a burglar -must feel as she did when she thrust her right hand -into Carrie’s desk. Two pencils, a box of candy -cough drops, a handkerchief with a gingham border—Margy’s -fingers touched the back of the -desk. There, far up in one corner, she felt something -that pricked her.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_152">[152]</span>“Ouch!” she said, and drew out the pin.</p> - -<p>Waiting only to return the things she had taken -out, Margy flew down the stairs and presented -the pin to an astonished and delighted Polly.</p> - -<p>“And don’t lose it again,” she lectured her. “I -might not be able to find it so easily a second -time.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be careful,” promised Polly.</p> - -<p>“Did Carrie really have it in her desk?” asked -Jess, round-eyed.</p> - -<p>“She certainly did!” replied Margy, as they -started to walk home. “I was almost sure she’d -keep it there.”</p> - -<p>“Say, what will she say when she can’t find it -to-morrow morning?” said Artie. “And if she -sees Polly wearing it, what will she think?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t care what she thinks,” broke in Fred. -“The point is, she can’t say anything. She won’t -dare go around saying some one went through -her desk, because she’d sound nice saying that -some one took a Riddle Club pin she found on -the stairs, wouldn’t she?”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps she wasn’t sure it <i>was</i> my pin,” suggested -Polly.</p> - -<p>But the others laughed at this idea. The new -pins Mr. Kirby had sent them were quite unlike -any other pins in the town of River Bend and -certainly Carrie knew them as well as the pins of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_153">[153]</span> -her own Conundrum Club. Besides, wasn’t -Polly’s name on the back?</p> - -<p>“Let’s take our pins off before we begin to -build the snowman,” said Polly, when they came -in sight of their homes. “We might easily lose -one in the snow.”</p> - -<p>This was hailed as a wise precaution, and they -ran in to put their individual pins in safe places.</p> - -<p>Fred stopped short in surprise when he saw -his room. The rug had been taken up, the bed -was rolled in one corner, and his closet door was -wide open. A row of his shoes stood on a newspaper -spread on the window sill and in the center -of his rocking chair sat the precious bank. A -strange woman was down on her hands and knees, -mopping the floor with hot water.</p> - -<p>“I guess you’re Fred,” she said, smilingly. -“Your ma set me to cleaning this room this afternoon. -I’ll put things back just the way you had -them.”</p> - -<p>Fred put his pin on the cushion on his bureau—which -was covered with a white towel to protect -it from dust—and then glanced at his bank. He -didn’t like to leave it there.</p> - -<p>“I’ll take it over to the clubroom and leave it -there, I guess,” he said to himself. “It won’t -hurt to leave it there all night.”</p> - -<p>It had been decided to build the gigantic snowman<span class="pagenum" id="Page_154">[154]</span> -between the Marley and the Williamson -house, because they had the advantage of two -large yards filled with snow. Fred found that -Ward and Artie had already started to roll a -ball for the body of the snowman.</p> - -<p>“I’ve been thinking,” said Fred, joining them: -“What shall we make the letters R.C. of? If -we do them in snow they won’t show up very -well.”</p> - -<p>“We can get red flannel or something,” said the -resourceful Polly.</p> - -<p>“I think red and white would be pretty, because -Christmas is coming.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe we can give him a little Christmas -tree to hold,” said Jess. “That would look fine, -wouldn’t it? A great, big snowman, holding a -Christmas tree.”</p> - -<p>“There—this is a good place to stand him,” declared -Fred. “Don’t roll the ball any larger. -We can begin to build now.”</p> - -<p>They had a fair sized ball of snow rolled, and -Fred had chosen a spot near the walk to have him -stand.</p> - -<p>“Get all the snow you can and plaster it against -this ball,” directed Fred. “We’ll have a fat -snowman while we’re about it.”</p> - -<p>River Bend was a happy town in which to live, -if you happened to be fond of playing in the snow.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_155">[155]</span> -There was no limit to the quantities you could -collect, if you were willing to work and the storm -had been a heavy one. Jess and Ward got out -the wheel-barrow and trundled loads of the white -stuff from their own lawn. As Ward said, it was -a pity to “let it waste.”</p> - -<p>“Wait a minute,” said Fred, suddenly. “We’re -forgetting his legs. If we build him sitting down, -he won’t be nearly tall enough. We must start -two columns, and use them for legs, and then put -the ball of snow on top of them.”</p> - -<p>So they set to work and soon had two large, -squatty columns of snow that looked like the piling -in Ward’s father’s wharf.</p> - -<p>“The snow packs fine, doesn’t it?” said Polly -to Margy.</p> - -<p>The girls were as busy as the boys, hauling -snow and packing it down firmly, and never a -word did Margy say about cold feet. She was -far too interested to pay attention to her feet.</p> - -<p>“Now we’ll have to lift that ball somehow,” -said Fred, when the legs were pronounced finished. -“You and Polly get on one side, Margy, -and Ward and Artie get over here. Jess and -I’ll take this side.”</p> - -<p>The snow was not very heavy to lift, but it -was hard to handle, and so cold that they felt -it through their gloves. With some difficulty,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_156">[156]</span> -they finally had it in place, and the statue already -looked like a snowman, Artie declared, stepping -back to view their handiwork.</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ve come to the place where we’ll -have to have a stepladder,” said Fred.</p> - -<p>“Why don’t we use the loft ladder?” asked -Jess. “That’s light and easy to carry.”</p> - -<p>“We can’t lean it against the snowman—he’d -topple over,” replied Fred. “We have a stepladder, -but I noticed it up in our hall. The -cleaning woman was probably using it.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll get ours,” offered Polly. “I know where -it is—on the back porch. I can bring it.”</p> - -<p>Fred and Artie went with her and brought the -ladder back. Then it had to be set up with care, -for every one knows that a stepladder takes delight -in falling over just as you reach the top step. -Fred opened it and fastened the bars and ran -lightly up to the top to test it.</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” he said. “Say, this is fun. -We can pretend we’re brick-layers and bring up -hods filled with snow.”</p> - -<p>“We haven’t any hods,” Ward reminded him.</p> - -<p>“That flat board will do,” said Fred. “Here, -give it to me; I’ll show you.”</p> - -<p>He took a flat light board that happened to -be on the ground and scooped two handfuls of -snow on it. Then he mounted the ladder, carrying<span class="pagenum" id="Page_157">[157]</span> -the board and the snow, and deposited them -on the square little shelf that was under the top -step.</p> - -<p>“Here you are, Riddle Chap,” he addressed -the snowman’s body. “We are going to make -you the best looking chap for miles around.”</p> - -<p>“Riddle Chap!” cried Artie. “That’s fine, -Fred. We’ll call him that. His initials stand -for Riddle Chap, don’t they?”</p> - -<p>“Well, of course, he has to have a name,” Fred -chuckled. “If we’re going to make him as large -as life, he’ll need a name so we can introduce -him to our friends.”</p> - -<p>Each of the boys and girls took turns going -up and down the ladder and each added some -new beauty to the snowman. He had buttons on -his waistcoat, and arms that crooked at the elbows—that -was Polly’s idea. She had taken two -pieces of old rubber hose and bent them to look -like arms. The snow had been carefully packed -around and over these.</p> - -<p>Ward and Artie made the neck, and they all -shaped the head with its peaked cap. Margy insisted -that the initials were not to go on till the -head was in place, and this proved a wise plan, -for they dropped the head three times and had -to do it over before Fred and Artie finally succeeded -in putting it on the neck.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_158">[158]</span>“Oh, for pity’s sake!” cried Polly, watching -from the ground. “You have it turned all the -way around! The poor snowman is looking -backward.”</p> - -<p>Slowly and carefully, Fred turned the head -till it faced in the right direction. Then Margy -handed up the letters cut from strips of red flannel, -and Fred put them on the visor of the cap. -The snowman had coal black eyes, a mouth like -a red pepper, and ears that bore a resemblance -to orange peel. He was very tall indeed—far -taller than any of those who had made him—and -when his makers looked at him they were agreed -that he was quite the largest statue they had ever -tried to build.</p> - -<p>“If it’s cold to-night, we can throw water over -it and let it freeze,” said Fred, standing off a little -to admire his handiwork.</p> - -<p>“There’s Carrie,” said Jess, in a low tone. -“See her coming out? I guess she is going to -the post-office.”</p> - -<p>“What are you doing?” Carrie called, from -across the street. “What’s that funny thing?”</p> - -<p>Before they could answer her, she had crossed -over and was staring at the snowman.</p> - -<p>“Well, of all the queer things to do!” said Carrie. -“Regular child play, I call it, building a -snowman.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_159">[159]</span>“That’s some snowman you have there!” called -a hearty voice, and Harry Worden crossed from -the other side of the street. “I’ll take a picture -of him to-morrow for you, when the sun is out. -I don’t think I ever saw as large a one as that.”</p> - -<p>“Is it as large as the one they had in Stockton -last year?” asked Artie, hopefully.</p> - -<p>“Much taller,” replied Harry. “I’d like to -get a snapshot of this one. Don’t let anything -happen to him, and I’ll be around in the afternoon -as soon as school is out.”</p> - -<p>Carrie went on to the post-office. It was nearly -dark, and in a few minutes the five o’clock whistle -would sound.</p> - -<p>“Gee, it will be nice to have a picture of our -snowman,” said Artie. “We can frame it and -have it in our clubroom.”</p> - -<p>Fred looked a little startled.</p> - -<p>“Speaking of the clubroom reminds me of -something,” he said hurriedly. “Mind if I go -over to your house, Artie?”</p> - -<p>“Sure, come on,” replied Artie, hospitably. -“Want that book I said I’d lend you?”</p> - -<p>“I want to go up to the clubroom a minute,” -explained Fred.</p> - -<p>But when he went upstairs with Artie, the clubroom -door was locked. Ward had the key as -usual.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_160">[160]</span>“I started to bring the bank over here this afternoon,” -said Fred, a little worried frown between -his eyes. “I thought I did it. But if I -didn’t, what <i>did</i> I do with the bank?”</p> - -<p>“Maybe you left it in your own room,” said -Artie, comfortably.</p> - -<p>“I’m sure I didn’t,” Fred answered. “But it -won’t hurt to go and look. I might have put it -down again without thinking.”</p> - -<p>“Lots of times I think I’ve done a thing and -haven’t,” observed Artie, trotting beside Fred, as -he went back to the Williamson house. “And -sometimes I think I didn’t do a thing and it turns -out that I did.”</p> - -<p>But neither of these “thinks” proved of much -help to Fred. The bank was not in his room, -now in perfect, shining order with his things in -their accustomed places. It was not on the hall -table where he had once left it. In fact, the sad -fact dawned on Fred, slowly and unhappily, that -he had lost the bank and its precious contents.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_161">[161]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVII<br> - -<small>LOST TREASURES</small></h2> -</div> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Let’s</span> go out and look in the snow,” suggested -Artie. “You must have dropped it between your -house and ours.”</p> - -<p>As the two boys opened the front door a whirl -of snow flew in their faces. In the brief time -they had been within doors a new snowstorm had -gained headway.</p> - -<p>“Who’s that?” called Fred, suddenly.</p> - -<p>“Who’s that yourself?” Carrie Pepper’s voice -retorted. “Your old snowman is enough to scare -any one going by—they’ll think it is a giant.”</p> - -<p>Carrie hurried across the street with the mail, -and Fred tried not to think she might have been -hunting around the snowman.</p> - -<p>“She <i>was</i> stooped over,” he said to himself. -“But she may have dropped a letter. Anyway, I -don’t suppose she would take the bank if she found -it.”</p> - -<p>Then he remembered Polly’s pin.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_162">[162]</span>“She might think it would plague me,” he -thought. And he had to admit that if that was -Carrie’s plan—always provided she had found -the bank—she could not think of a better plan -for teasing him.</p> - -<p>“Well, it isn’t here, that’s all,” declared Artie, -brushing the snow off his gloves after an unsuccessful -grubbing about in the snow. “I don’t see -what you could have done with it, Fred.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Fred!” Jess’s voice came to them out of -the storm. “Is that you? I came back to look -for my glove. I don’t suppose you’ve seen it?”</p> - -<p>“Your glove?” repeated Fred. “Is that lost?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it is, and it’s a brand new one,” returned -Jess, ready to cry. “Mother got them for me -when she went to the city. They’re brushed -wool, and they’re gauntlets, and they cost six dollars!”</p> - -<p>“Gee, that’s tough luck,” said Artie, sympathetically. -“But I don’t believe you lost it around -here, Jess. I’ve been all around the snowman -on my hands and knees, and I would have found -it if it had been anywhere around.”</p> - -<p>“Did you lose something, too?” asked Jess, surprised.</p> - -<p>Fred was in no mood to hide his troubles.</p> - -<p>“I’ve lost the bank,” he said abruptly. “And -all the club money in it. I had it before we<span class="pagenum" id="Page_163">[163]</span> -started to build the snowman, and now I can’t -find it.”</p> - -<p>“Isn’t it in your house?” asked Jess.</p> - -<p>Fred explained where he and Artie had looked.</p> - -<p>“Well, I never heard of such a thing!” said -Jess. “My good glove and your bank gone! -Somebody must have picked them up—that’s all.”</p> - -<p>“Carrie Pepper was out here when we started -to look,” Artie announced.</p> - -<p>“Then she found it!” cried Jess. “I’m going -right over now to her house and ask her to give -me back my glove. You come along, Fred, and -make her give you the bank. That’s the same as -stealing, to take things like that.”</p> - -<p>“It isn’t stealing to take one glove,” protested -Artie.</p> - -<p>“’Tis, too,” insisted Jess. “What good is one -glove? No good at all! Carrie Pepper knows -those gloves are new. She has to give it back to -me, that’s all there is to it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you take my advice and go mighty slow -about accusing any one of taking your glove,” said -Fred, earnestly. “I’d no more go to her and ask -her for the bank than I’d fly. I might as well -come right out and say she stole it.”</p> - -<p>“She took Polly’s pin, didn’t she?” Jess demanded.</p> - -<p>“That’s different. Lots of people might take<span class="pagenum" id="Page_164">[164]</span> -a pin, and they wouldn’t take money. Besides, -how do we know Carrie didn’t intend to give the -pin back to Polly? Margy didn’t give her a -chance to return it.”</p> - -<p>“Jess! Jessie! Come in right away!” called -Mrs. Larue.</p> - -<p>Jess had to go in to supper without her glove, -and Artie went home, too. Fred looked around -in the snow for a few minutes longer, but the -storm was increasing and he finally gave up. He -could hardly touch his supper, and afterward he -told his father what had happened.</p> - -<p>“I’m sorry I didn’t put the money in the bank, -as you said,” poor Fred concluded his story. -“But I never thought I could lose a thing like a -bank.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Fred, it seems as though it must turn -up,” Mr. Williamson said, trying to speak cheerfully. -“I don’t see, myself, how a bank and its -money contents could disappear, unless some one -has stolen it. And we won’t think that.”</p> - -<p>“Try to remember where you had it last, -Fred,” his mother suggested.</p> - -<p>“Why, I <i>thought</i> I took it over to the Marleys’ -to leave in the clubroom,” said Fred. “I can’t -remember letting it out of my hand. But the -room was locked and Ward hadn’t been near it.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you left it somewhere else in the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_165">[165]</span> -Marleys’,” said Mrs. Williamson, “and you were -in such a hurry to get out and build the snowman, -you did not notice. If Artie or Polly find it, -they’ll be over to tell you.”</p> - -<p>But neither Polly nor Artie found the bank. -Fred went over there before going to bed—and -had to plough through several inches of fresh -snow—but none of the Marley family had seen -the bank.</p> - -<p>In the morning the window sills were banked -high with snow and there were no foot prints -around the snowman, who stood tall and strong, a -handsome guard for the street.</p> - -<p>“We’ll give him a tree to hold before Harry -Worden comes to take his picture,” said Ward, -eagerly.</p> - -<p>But Fred felt little interest in the snowman. -He could think of nothing but the missing bank.</p> - -<p>“I’ll resign as treasurer,” he said to Polly, on -their way to school.</p> - -<p>The sun was out and the snow had stopped. A -white world, brilliant and beautiful, was spread -before their eyes.</p> - -<p>“I’ll resign,” said Fred. “I’m not fit to be -treasurer and take care of other people’s money. -I’m too careless. And I’ll save every cent of my -allowance and pay all the money back to the club.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be silly, Fred,” Polly told him loyally.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_166">[166]</span> -“We don’t want you to resign. No one will be -as good a treasurer as you are.”</p> - -<p>“I’m no good at all,” said Fred, bitterly.</p> - -<p>“Yes, you are, too!” flashed Polly. “You’re -fine. It isn’t exactly your fault that the bank is -lost. Every one is likely to lose things. You -don’t have to have to make the money up, either. -If one of us had lost it, you wouldn’t make him -pay the money back. Besides, Mother says she -is sure the bank will be found.”</p> - -<p>“Did she say that?” asked Fred, hopefully. -“Daddy thought so, too. I wish it would be -found, but I feel it is gone for good. And the -worst of it is, I can’t remember putting it down -anywhere.”</p> - -<p>“What do you suppose Carrie Pepper will say -when she sees me wearing my pin?” said Polly, -hoping to take Fred’s mind off his troubles.</p> - -<p>Instead, she only succeeded in starting his -thoughts on another tack. Had Carrie Pepper -found anything in the snow the night before? -Or was she merely feeling around for a letter or -parcel she might have dropped?</p> - -<p>“I hate these ugly old mittens,” Jess was complaining -to Margy. “They’re not a bit pretty, -and they’re not nearly as warm as my lovely -gloves. Mother says maybe she’ll get me a new -pair for my birthday in February, but I’ll have to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_167">[167]</span> -wear these horrid old things till then, because I’m -so careless.”</p> - -<p>Margy, not having lost any treasure, felt free -to keep an eye on Carrie and observe the effect -of Polly’s pin on her. Polly had the pin in its -usual place—above the pocket of her middy -blouse, and Carrie apparently did not notice it until -Polly went to the board during the arithmetic -lesson.</p> - -<p>“There—she’s seen it,” said Margy to herself, -as Carrie stared.</p> - -<p>Then, heedless of the lesson, Carrie began to -rummage through her desk. She pulled out the -box of cough drops, the pencils, the handkerchief, -and an apple she had brought for recess. Then, -keeping her eye on the board as though she were -following the example, her hands began to explore -the desk. She was feeling for the pin.</p> - -<p>Perhaps the intensity of Margy’s gaze made -her glance over her shoulder. Margy’s eyes -were dancing. A sudden, deep flush spread over -Carrie’s face.</p> - -<p>“Now she knows,” said Margy to herself. -“And the next time she finds anything that doesn’t -belong to her, I hope she’ll give it up.”</p> - -<p>Harry Worden came that afternoon and took a -picture of “Riddle Chap,” but Fred could think -only of his bank and Jess was looking for her<span class="pagenum" id="Page_168">[168]</span> -glove all the time the snapshots were being taken. -It was lucky that something happened to distract -their attention and, in the case of Fred, it was -doubly welcome. He felt so bad to think he had -lost the money belonging to the club that his -mother was afraid he would worry himself sick.</p> - -<p>“You try to get the prize riddle, Fred,” Mrs. -Williamson told him. “That will give the treasury -a good start again.”</p> - -<p>Fred said he would try, but that noon he came -home from school, excited and eager.</p> - -<p>“The principal was telling us this morning in -assembly, Mother,” said Fred, “that there is a -family in River Bend who is just about starving -to death. The town is going to take care of -them, but there are six children in the family and -they want to give them a real Christmas. The -day before school closes they’re going to take up -a collection.”</p> - -<p>“And I suppose you want me to tell you and -Margy how to earn some money,” said Mrs. Williamson, -smiling.</p> - -<p>“No, I have a new scheme,” said Fred. -“We’re going to have a session of the Riddle -Club before Christmas. I haven’t had a chance -to talk this over with Polly yet, but I thought it -would be fine if we had an open meeting and asked<span class="pagenum" id="Page_169">[169]</span> -the fathers and mothers to come. The way you -did in camp this summer, you know.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see what that has to do with the Christmas -collection,” said Margy, who was listening.</p> - -<p>“It has a lot to do with it,” Fred retorted. “I -thought that, instead of paying forfeits when -Mother and the others missed a riddle, they could -pay money, and we could give the money to the -poor children. And if we missed riddles, we’d -pay, too.”</p> - -<p>“Why, Fred, I like that plan very much,” said -his mother. “I’m sure Polly will like it, too. -Tell her as soon as you can, so you’ll all have time -to study up hard riddles.”</p> - -<p>“You won’t mind not being able to guess them, -will you, Mother?” laughed Margy. “You like -to help people along.”</p> - -<p>When Mr. Williamson heard of this plan, he -was even more enthusiastic than his wife. He -said he had a plan of his own, but that he would -keep it a secret till the meeting.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_170">[170]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVIII<br> - -<small>A PRACTICAL JOKE</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Polly</span> approved of Fred’s plan the moment she -heard it; and the Riddle Club members fell upon -the riddle books—well-worn by this time—old -scrap books, and clippings and even went about -among their acquaintances, collecting difficult riddles.</p> - -<p>“For we must make them as hard as we can,” -said Polly, earnestly. “Then no one will be able -to guess them and we’ll have heaps of money to -take to school for the collection.”</p> - -<p>But, of course, they couldn’t think of riddles -every hour in the day, no matter how interested -they were in the coming meeting. There was, as -Artie observed, “a good deal of weather going -on,” and it alternately rained and snowed for -three days. This added to the beauty of the -snowman, for he grew a little icicle beard, and he -wore earrings, too, formed of the melted and -frozen snow.</p> - -<p>“I think we ought to break those off,” said<span class="pagenum" id="Page_171">[171]</span> -Ward, much scandalized. “I never saw a man -wear earrings.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t touch that snowman,” ordered Fred. -“If he wants to wear earrings, let him! Every -one says he is the biggest snow statue we ever -had in River Bend, and we’re not going to spoil -him picking on him.”</p> - -<p>The pictures Harry Worden had taken turned -out beautifully, and he had had an enlargement -made for the Riddle Club clubroom. Mrs. Marley -cleverly framed it in an old frame that fitted -exactly, and the snowman hung on the wall of the -pretty clubroom and was much admired.</p> - -<p>Though Fred had searched diligently for his -bank and never ceased to mourn it, he could not -find it, nor even a trace of where it might have -been. Jess sympathized with him deeply—as -indeed they all did, for Fred had been so very -proud of the money saved.</p> - -<p>“I’d give anything, if I could find that bank,” -said Fred, twenty times a day. “I don’t see what -I could have done with it. And why can’t I remember -where I put it down or where I had it -last?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” Jess would sigh. “I don’t -see, myself, how you could lose a whole bank. -But then, I lost my lovely glove, and the one -that’s left isn’t a bit of good. And they cost six<span class="pagenum" id="Page_172">[172]</span> -dollars—they were real brushed wool. Oh, dear, -it’s awful to lose things, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t care if I’d lost a glove,” said Fred. -“I wouldn’t mind losing anything of mine, even -my new stickpin Aunt Katherine sent me. Because -that would be mine and it wouldn’t affect -any one else. But here I’ve gone and lost all the -money that belongs to the Riddle Club! I’m saving -my allowance, but it will be a million years -before I get enough saved to make up for what -I lost. What’s a glove, compared to a bank?”</p> - -<p>Along about this time of year school began to -be what Jess called “exciting.” The classes stayed -after school several afternoons to make decorations -for the auditorium, where a Christmas party -was always held. This year Polly had learned -how to make pretty red flowers, and Miss Elliott, -her teacher, suggested that if long wreaths were -braided of crêpe paper strands and these flowers -placed at intervals, the effect would be very -pretty.</p> - -<p>“It’s a good deal of work,” Miss Elliott said; -“but the festoons will stay up till we come back -to school after the holidays. There’ll be a good -many visitors at the school, just before Christmas, -and we’d like the auditorium to look its best. -If you’ll make the flowers, Polly, we’ll all help -braid.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_173">[173]</span>Polly was glad to make the flowers, and she -stayed after school for an hour or two every -afternoon, cutting and pasting.</p> - -<p>“I’m so sick of braiding this silly old paper,” -Carrie Pepper complained to Mattie Helms. “I -think it’s mean we never have any of the fun. All -Polly Marley has to do is to sit there and make -flowers. Any one can make flowers, and it’s interesting. -Not like braiding this stuff.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think her flowers are much,” commented -Mattie. “Do you?”</p> - -<p>“No, nothing extra,” said Carrie. “There -goes Fred Williamson. He looks at me so funny, -every time he sees me.”</p> - -<p>Carrie did not know it, but Fred was almost -sure she had taken his bank. He could not see -her without wondering if she really would do a -thing like that. He did not believe, for an instant, -that she would take the bank and use the -money, for that would be stealing; but he thought -she might keep it, as she had Polly’s pin, to torment -him. He tried to imagine what she would -say if he should walk up to her some day and ask -her to hand back the bank. But he never did ask -her, for his common sense told him he had nothing -to uphold his suspicions and that it would be -rather foolish to accuse Carrie of taking anything -when he had no proof.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_174">[174]</span>Polly worked on the flowers one afternoon till -she had two dozen ready, all but the long green -stems.</p> - -<p>“I think I’ll take these home,” she said to -Miss Elliott. “I can wrap the wire there and -finish them easily.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a good plan,” Miss Elliott replied. -“Here’s a pasteboard box to carry them in. But -don’t try to do them all to-night, Polly—you -ought to play outdoors an hour before you have -supper. It’s a shame to miss all this good coasting.”</p> - -<p>Polly put her flowers and the things she would -need to finish them into the box her teacher gave -her. She had just reached the steps when some -one hailed her.</p> - -<p>“Hey, Polly!” her brother shouted. “Come -on over here! We’re firing at targets!”</p> - -<p>Polly looked. The boys had tacked up an -empty tin can on one of the trees in the school -yard and they were firing snowballs into it—that -is, if a snowball went into it, it counted a bull’s-eye.</p> - -<p>“You watch me, Polly!” cried Artie, as Polly -put her box down on the step and came running -across the yard. “Bet you I hit it this time!”</p> - -<p>He packed a firm, damp snowball, took careful -aim, and fired.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_175">[175]</span>“Did it!” he shrieked. “Told you so!”</p> - -<p>Fred laughed and handed a ready-made ball to -Polly.</p> - -<p>“You try,” he said.</p> - -<p>Polly stepped back a few feet, shut her eyes, -and threw the ball. It struck the tree a few feet -above the tin can.</p> - -<p>“Don’t shut your eyes,” instructed Fred. -“You want to aim. Here, try again,” and he -gave her a second ball.</p> - -<p>This time Polly hit the tree below the can. But -her third trial was more successful, and the snowball -went neatly into the can, scoring what Artie -enthusiastically informed her was “a peach of a -bull’s-eye.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t stay another minute,” said Polly, when -they asked her to try again. “Where’s Jess and -Margy? I have to go on home and finish some -more flowers.”</p> - -<p>“Jess had to go to the dentist and Margy went -to take a music lesson,” Fred recited.</p> - -<p>“Oh, of course—yes, I remember,” said Polly. -“Margy is coming over to-night to practice our -duet.”</p> - -<p>Polly and Margy were to play a duet at the -Christmas party in school.</p> - -<p>Picking up the box she had left on the steps, -Polly hurried off home, while the boys continued<span class="pagenum" id="Page_176">[176]</span> -to hurl snowballs at the tomato can with varying -success but unwaning enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t work on those flowers now, Polly,” -said Mrs. Marley, when she saw her daughter. -“You’ve been indoors all day, and you’ll feel much -better if you take your sled and have a coast or -two before it’s dark. I’ll help you with the flowers -after supper and we’ll get them done in less -than an hour.”</p> - -<p>So Polly went out again and met Margy, now -through with her lesson, and they had four trips -down the hill and back with their sleds before the -five o’clock whistle sounded.</p> - -<p>When Polly came in, she went upstairs to brush -her hair. She had left the box of flowers on the -bed in her room, and she was surprised to find a -dark stain spreading over the counterpane.</p> - -<p>“What in the world is that?” she said, in astonishment.</p> - -<p>She lifted the box hastily. It was heavy with -water, and it was water that had seeped through -the pasteboard and made the stain.</p> - -<p>Polly tore off the lid—melted snow!</p> - -<p>“Some one put it there!” she cried. “But -where are my flowers? I had them in the box—I -never took them out—I don’t see——”</p> - -<p>She called her mother, and together they puzzled -over it as they changed the bed clothes, for<span class="pagenum" id="Page_177">[177]</span> -even the blankets were soaked through from the -water.</p> - -<p>“Some one has played a trick on you,” said -Mrs. Marley, spreading clean sheets. “The paper -flowers were light, so they could substitute -snow without making a difference in weight. -Where did you leave the box?”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t leave it——” Polly began.</p> - -<p>Then she remembered.</p> - -<p>“I put it down on the school steps while I tried -to throw a snowball into the tomato can,” she -said. “But there was no one in the school yard, -except the boys, Mother.”</p> - -<p>“Nevertheless, that is when the trick was -done,” declared Mrs. Marley. “Some one took -out the flowers and the paper and wires and filled -the box with snow. It’s a mean thing to do, I’ll -admit; but I don’t suppose they thought you’d put -the box on the bed. They must have counted on -your opening the box as soon as you reached -home.”</p> - -<p>“But I promised Miss Elliott to bring her the -flowers in the morning,” said poor Polly, looking -very much as though she might cry. “She wants -them to put in the new rope that’s already -braided.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t cry, Polly,” said her mother. “You’ll -have the flowers. I have always said that the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_178">[178]</span> -best way to pay a practical joker back, is not to -let him know his joke has been a success. We’ll -get Artie and Jess and Ward and Fred and -Margy to come and help, and, working together, -we can make and finish two dozen flowers this -evening. Then, when you take them to school, -don’t say a word about the missing ones. Whoever -played the trick will be waiting to hear you -complain, and if you act as though nothing had -happened they’ll be more surprised than you were -when you opened this box.”</p> - -<p>When the others heard what had happened, -they were eager to help. Fortunately, Polly had -the materials for making the flowers on hand, and -as soon as supper was over the six chums set busily -to work. Polly and her mother cut the flower -patterns and helped start them, but the others -soon learned how to fold and paste, and they refused -to stop and rest until the full two dozen -flowers were finished and neatly packed in another -box.</p> - -<p>“And here’s a little ice-cream,” said Mr. Marley, -coming in as the scissors were being put away. -“I thought the least I could do for such an industrious -circle was to get them a little refreshment, -since I have no talent for making paper -flowers.”</p> - -<p>The next morning Carrie Pepper and Mattie<span class="pagenum" id="Page_179">[179]</span> -Helms watched to see what Polly would say when -Miss Elliott came. To their intense surprise, -Polly marched up to the desk and put down a -pasteboard box.</p> - -<p>“I finished the flowers, Miss Elliott,” she said -clearly.</p> - -<p>Carrie looked at Mattie. They both felt a -little foolish. And though neither would admit -it, they admired Polly, who, instead of complaining -and “fussing,” had evidently managed in some -mysterious way to get her flowers finished on -time.</p> - -<p>“Thank goodness, that’s done,” said Polly, with -a sigh of relief, as she went back to her seat. -“Now we can have the Riddle Club meeting to-night -and enjoy ourselves.”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_180">[180]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XIX<br> - -<small>THE SPECIAL MEETING</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">That</span> night it began to snow again, the fine, -steady snow that always promises a real storm. -When Mr. Marley came home to supper, his -overcoat was covered with the white flakes.</p> - -<p>“It’s lucky that every one lives near,” said Mrs. -Marley, lighting another electric lamp to make -the dining-room more cheerful. “No one would -want to go very far on a night like this.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, they would, Mother, if they were going -to the Riddle Club,” Artie assured her. “I’d go -anywhere to a Riddle Club meeting.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Marley laughed and said she was thankful -she didn’t have to tramp through a snowstorm -to reach the meeting.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t it lovely to have this room?” said Polly -to Artie, when, a little later, they went upstairs -to the warm, well-lighted, pretty clubroom. Artie -had borrowed the key from Ward, because -they wanted to make sure the heat was turned on -before the guests arrived.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_181">[181]</span>“Think how it would be out in the barn on a -night like this,” remarked Artie, breathing on the -window panes so that he could see out. “Gee, -Polly, it’s snowing yet.”</p> - -<p>A stamping and scuffling on the porch announced -that the members and guests of the Riddle -Club had arrived. The Williamsons, of -course, had come from no further away than the -next house and the Larues from across the street, -but they were covered with the snow. They took -off their coats and shook them on the porch, and -even then, when Mr. Williamson took off his -hat inside the house, a powdery shower of white -fell to the rug.</p> - -<p>Polly glanced at her mother as though to remind -her of something.</p> - -<p>“You’ll want to have a business meeting before -we come upstairs,” said Mrs. Marley, pleasantly. -“So run on up, children, and when you are ready -for us, let Artie call.”</p> - -<p>Polly led the way up to the clubroom and called -the meeting to order promptly.</p> - -<p>“This is to be a short business meeting,” she -said gravely. “We have no unfinished business -to consider and so there is only one thing to do.”</p> - -<p>“What’s that?” asked the unsuspecting Fred.</p> - -<p>“Collect the dues,” said Polly, holding out a -new copper bank to the club treasurer.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_182">[182]</span>Margy declared afterward that she thought -Fred was going to cry. His face got very red, -and for a moment he did not say anything.</p> - -<p>“You want me to collect the dues?” he asked, -when he did speak. “Dues from you, after I -lost all the club money?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be silly,” said Jess, from her corner. -“Everybody knows you didn’t lose the bank purposely. -We’ve all brought our money, and it’s -up to you to collect it.”</p> - -<p>And Jess walked over and put a shining new -dime in the slit in the bank. Artie followed her.</p> - -<p>Never had Fred, in his experience as treasurer, -found it so easy to collect dues from the entire -membership. Even Ward did not argue, but insisted -on paying his dime. And none of them -would hear of Fred giving the bank to any one -else to take care of, or leaving it in the clubroom.</p> - -<p>“You’re the treasurer, and you take care of it,” -said Polly. “You suit us, and if we don’t fuss -about the money that’s lost I don’t see why you -should. Artie, go call the folks to come up.”</p> - -<p>The grown-ups came in and sat down in the -chairs provided for them. Polly, who was now -used to talking “standing up,” as she said, thought -it best to explain the purpose of the meeting again.</p> - -<p>“This is a special kind of session of the Riddle -Club,” she said earnestly. “Instead of forfeits,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_183">[183]</span> -the ones who fail to guess a riddle must pay -money, and the money collected is going to school, -to be used for a poor family. But don’t try -flunking the riddles, because that isn’t fair.”</p> - -<p>“You’d rather have good sportsmanship than -a tray full of money, Polly?” asked Mr. Williamson, -smiling.</p> - -<p>Polly nodded.</p> - -<p>“If we win the prize riddle to-night, we’re going -to give that to the collection, too,” she said.</p> - -<p>“That reminds me of something I have to say,” -Mr. Williamson declared. “I said I had a secret -for you, and this is it: I’ll pay ten cents to the -school collection for every riddle that is guessed -correctly here to-night and an extra five dollars if -the prize riddle is solved, the extra money to go -in the club bank.”</p> - -<p>Polly saw that Mr. Williamson had chosen that -way of helping Fred make up the money lost, and -she thought it was a most generous way. She -didn’t say so, but she smiled at Mr. Williamson -and he knew that she understood what he was -trying to do.</p> - -<p>“I thought we’d open the answers to the prize -riddle first,” said Polly.</p> - -<p>Choosing from the six folded papers on the -table before her, she opened one and read it -aloud.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_184">[184]</span>“The riddle was, ‘Why do pianos bear the -noblest characters?’ And this answer says, ‘Because -they’re always cheerful.’”</p> - -<p>“They’re not,” said Margy, positively. “I -guess I ought to know.”</p> - -<p>“No piano is cheerful when you’re practicing -your music lesson on it,” agreed Mrs. Williamson, -smiling.</p> - -<p>“The second answer reads, ‘Because they keep -in tune,’” read Polly.</p> - -<p>“Not so bad,” said Mr. Williamson. “But it -doesn’t happen to be the one we’re after.”</p> - -<p>Polly picked up a third paper.</p> - -<p>“This one says, ‘Because pianos are expensive.’” -She tried not to laugh when she read this. -She recognized the writing as Artie’s.</p> - -<p>“Here’s another,” she said hurriedly. “‘Pianos -bear the noblest characters because they are -grand, upright, and square.’ Why, that must be -right!” added Polly, in surprise.</p> - -<p>“Correct!” said Mr. Williamson. “See if that -last paper has solved it, too. No? Well, then, -will the prize winner please step forward and receive -the prize?”</p> - -<p>To the utter astonishment of the roomful, -Margy came forward.</p> - -<p>“Margy Williamson, you never guessed a riddle, -did you?” gasped her mother.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_185">[185]</span>If it had been Fred, no one would have wondered. -But Margy! She who always complained -that every riddle was too hard, that she -couldn’t spell the words in them or do the arithmetic -they demanded of her. Margy!</p> - -<p>“It isn’t very complimentary to be so upset, -Margy,” said her daddy, putting a little white -box in her hand; “but I must say you are the last -member of the Riddle Club I thought would solve -a prize riddle.”</p> - -<p>Margy grinned and opened her box. In it -were two beautiful five dollar gold pieces.</p> - -<p>“One goes in the bank,” she said, slipping it in -as she spoke, “and the other goes on the tray for -the school collection,” and she put the gold piece -on the silver tray Mrs. Marley had loaned for -this special occasion.</p> - -<p>“How did you ever guess it?” Ward asked respectfully.</p> - -<p>It was a question that each one had wanted to -ask.</p> - -<p>“Well, you see,” Margy explained, “I can’t -guess riddles unless I have time to think about -’em. I thought and thought and <i>thought</i> about -this one. Every time I sat down to practice, I -thought some more. Then I heard Miss Elliott -talking to the music supervisor one day, and she<span class="pagenum" id="Page_186">[186]</span> -said something about our school piano being out -of date.</p> - -<p>“‘No school uses the old square pianos if they -can get uprights,’ she said.</p> - -<p>“I looked ‘upright’ up in the dictionary,” -Margy went on, “and I found there was more -than one meaning and one meant ‘honest and -square’; so I guessed both words could count. -And Mattie Helms told me one day in school -that she was going to take music lessons as soon -as her mother bought a grand piano—and there -I had another word to use. They all fitted in, -so I just used them.”</p> - -<p>“Good for you, Margy!” cried Mr. Larue, -clapping his hands. “You deserve to win the -prize.”</p> - -<p>They all clapped Margy, and she settled down -happily again on the window seat, between Artie -and Jess.</p> - -<p>“Now we’ll ask the riddle,” said Polly. -“Margy, you begin, because you won.”</p> - -<p>“Daddy Williamson,” said Margy, seriously, -“What is that which by losing an eye has nothing -left but a nose?”</p> - -<p>“A one-eyed man?” guessed Mr. Williamson.</p> - -<p>“Forfeit!” cried Ward, so excited that he -couldn’t keep still. “It’s noise.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_187">[187]</span>“Well, let Margy tell her own answers to her -own riddles, Ward,” reproved Polly.</p> - -<p>“How much is the forfeit to be?” asked Mr. -Williamson.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think you ought to pay any,” said -Polly. “You gave us ten dollars, and that’s -enough.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I want to pay a forfeit,” Mr. Williamson -insisted. “Like my daughter, I don’t seem to be -able to spell without thinking. Suppose we pay -ten cents for the riddles we miss?”</p> - -<p>The others were willing, so Mr. Williamson -put ten cents on the silver tray.</p> - -<p>“Mother,” said Ward, at a sign from Polly, -“What is the difference between a schoolmaster -and an engineer?”</p> - -<p>“One trains the mind, the other minds the -train,” answered Mrs. Larue, with a smile. -“That was a pet riddle of mine years ago, Ward.”</p> - -<p>“I guess you told it to me,” admitted Ward, -“but I forgot.”</p> - -<p>“Ten cents for the collection,” said Mr. Williamson, -putting down a dime on the tray.</p> - -<p>It was Jess’s turn to ask her father.</p> - -<p>“What is that which never asks questions, yet -requires many answers?” asked Jess, eagerly.</p> - -<p>“I should say a-a-a- oh, Jess, I’ll pay ten cents<span class="pagenum" id="Page_188">[188]</span> -gladly for the answer,” said Mr. Larue, placing -two nickels with the other change.</p> - -<p>“It’s a doorbell,” said Jess.</p> - -<p>“Artie,” nodded Polly. “Your turn.”</p> - -<p>“What mechanic never turns to the left, -Mother?” he asked hopefully.</p> - -<p>“The bricklayer?” she suggested.</p> - -<p>“Forfeit!” cried Artie. “It’s the wheelwright.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Marley paid her money and explained to -Ward what a wheelwright was, and then Fred was -ready to tackle his mother.</p> - -<p>“Bet you can’t guess this, Mother,” he said. -“Of what trade were all the presidents of the -United States?”</p> - -<p>“Why, Fred, cabinet makers, of course,” replied -Mrs. Williamson.</p> - -<p>“Here’s the ten cents for you, Mother,” said -Mr. Williamson, gleefully. “I’m glad one of us -solved a riddle.”</p> - -<p>“Polly’s last,” said Ward. “Go on, Polly, ask -your dad.”</p> - -<p>“Why is an egg lightly boiled like one boiled -too much, Daddy?” asked Polly, smiling.</p> - -<p>“I know nothing about cooking,” said Mr. -Marley, pretending to frown. “Is it because you -can’t eat it?”</p> - -<p>“Forfeit, Daddy!” cried Artie. “He’s wrong, -isn’t he, Polly?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_189">[189]</span>“The answer is, ‘Because it is hardly done,’” -said Polly, holding out her hand for the ten cents.</p> - -<p>They had planned to ask each other riddles, -but when Mrs. Marley suggested they all go -down to the kitchen and make molasses candy and -cool it in the snow, the members of the Riddle -Club decided that they had had enough riddles.</p> - -<p>“We put our five dollars into the collection, so -we are not being selfish,” said Polly, soberly. -“How much money have we for the poor family, -Fred?”</p> - -<p>“Counting the five dollars, we have five dollars -and sixty cents,” said Fred.</p> - -<p>“That’s fine!” said Polly and Jess together, -and Mr. Larue added forty cents more to make -the fund six dollars.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_190">[190]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XX<br> - -<small>MERRY CHRISTMAS</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> molasses candy was a great success and -so was the school collection the next day. When -Polly told Miss Elliott how they had collected the -six dollars, the teacher thought it was such an interesting -story that she asked Polly to tell it before -the assembly. Polly was too shy, but Fred -was persuaded, and when he had finished speaking, -the principal had a few words to say.</p> - -<p>“I’d like the Riddle Club to know,” he said, -“that we all admire their energy and generosity. -They could have asked their parents for the -money, but instead they held this novel meeting. -And the girl who won the prize for the riddle -could have kept the money for something else, -but she chose to send it to girls who have nothing. -To-day is the first time I have heard in detail of -the Riddle Club, but I shall always remember it -after this morning.”</p> - -<p>Dear, dear, wasn’t the Riddle Club pleased and -embarrassed and proud, all at once!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_191">[191]</span>“Carrie Pepper looked as though she could -cheerfully bite you, Polly,” said Jess, at recess. -“I don’t believe she liked to hear us talked about -that way.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, she’s all right,” said Polly. “If you -don’t look out, Jess, you’ll be like Fred. He can’t -say one good thing about Carrie. I don’t believe -he even speaks to her now.”</p> - -<p>School closed two days before Christmas, and -the party, which the entire school attended, was -one long two hours of fun and laughter. Margy -and Polly played their duet and there were recitations. -A huge Christmas tree was trimmed -entirely with things to eat. Popcorn and peanuts -and strings of cranberries and doughnuts tied -on with red ribbons, cookies strung together like -necklaces, red apples, oranges cut in fancy shapes, -net bags of candy, bars of chocolate done up to -look like presents—that tree looked as any -Christmas tree would look trimmed for a party, -but there wasn’t a single decoration on it that -couldn’t be eaten.</p> - -<p>The children ate everything on it, too, before -going home, and then it was carried out in the -school yard and planted in the snow to serve as -a dinner table for the birds. The older boys -climbed it and fastened bits of suet to the highest -branches, and Christmas morning those who<span class="pagenum" id="Page_192">[192]</span> -passed the yard saw flocks of hungry birds enjoying -a holiday feast.</p> - -<p>“We must fix Riddle Chap up for Christmas,” -suggested Polly, as they walked home after the -party.</p> - -<p>Riddle Chap had had his tree to hold long ago, -but as Polly pointed out, there was nothing on -it.</p> - -<p>“He needs a cheerful necktie,” Fred declared. -“I’ll get him that red one with purple spots that -Daddy never wears.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll put suet in the tree for the birds,” said -Jess. “They’ll like that. And we can hang a -wreath around his neck.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll trim him all over!” cried Polly, joyously. -“Give him a wreath and wind ground -pine around his body and stick a holly spray in -his hat.”</p> - -<p>They were as good as their word, and Riddle -Chap, on Christmas Eve, was as gay as any snowman -who ever had Christmas dreams. He wore -a wreath about his throat, a fearfully bright necktie -under his chin, holly in his hat, and his arms -and legs were wound with ropes of ground pine.</p> - -<p>Polly and Margy liked to consider themselves -almost grown up—at times—and Fred was sure -he was much older than Ward and Artie. Jess,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_193">[193]</span> -who was a year older than Margy, liked to romp -too well to desire “grown-upness,” as she called -it. But when Christmas Eve came, each member -of the Riddle Club discovered that hanging up -one’s stocking was half the fun of Christmas, and -Polly and Margy and Fred were just as eager as -Artie and Jess and Ward.</p> - -<p>“Come over early,” they told each other when -they said good-night, after the snowman was arrayed. -“Come over early and see our things.”</p> - -<p>Artie may have started for Ward’s house—at -least, that is what he always said he was doing, -though his mother declared he must have been -dreaming. Anyway, long before daylight, the -Marley household was awakened by a tremendous -crash.</p> - -<p>Mr. and Mrs. Marley rushed out from their -room, meeting Polly in the hall.</p> - -<p>“Where’s Artie?” she gasped.</p> - -<p>“Here he is,” called Artie, sweetly. “I guess -I kind of fell downstairs. The globe fell off the -lamp on the newel post.”</p> - -<p>Artie wasn’t hurt—though it was a wonder, for -the broken glass from the globe was strewn all -around him—and he did not seem to be sleepy at -all. Perhaps the fall had awakened him. However, -his father said that no one was to think of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_194">[194]</span> -opening Christmas presents at half-past three in -the morning, and Artie had to go back to bed and -wait till daylight for further excitement.</p> - -<p>Just as soon as it was light, Artie and Polly -were downstairs to examine their stockings. -Whoever had filled them, knew exactly how the -job should be done and Ward and Jess, and -Margy and Fred, had the same report to make.</p> - -<p>There were the red beads Polly wanted in -the toe of hers; packed in among the candy and -nuts in his, Artie found the jackknife he had -long coveted; Ward, who had once said he -never had enough to eat, was delighted with -a stocking stuffed from toe to top with nothing -but food of one sort or another; Jess found a new -pair of gloves rolled up in hers, to take the place -of the missing one. Margy had beads, too, only -hers were blue; and Fred had a fountain pen with -his initials on it in gold.</p> - -<p>After the stockings came breakfast, and then it -was time to see the larger presents. Later, Polly -and Artie went to the Williamsons and helped -Fred and Margy try on their new skates, then -the four went to the Larues to help Jess and -Ward admire the two new sleds, and then they all -went back to the Marley house where Polly and -Artie displayed a jumble of new skates, sweaters -and muff and games and books that made one<span class="pagenum" id="Page_195">[195]</span> -wonder what these children would have left to -wish for another Christmas.</p> - -<p>“We’ll all go to the post-office,” said Polly. -“The mail is in now.”</p> - -<p>And it was, a delightfully exciting mail which -held cards and letters and packages for every one -in the three families, from cousins and aunts and -uncles who lived far away.</p> - -<p>“Oh, my!” gasped Artie, when the packages -were sorted out and he had his in his arms. -“Look! Here’s something from Mr. Kirby!”</p> - -<p>Well, there was a package for each member of -the Riddle Club from Mr. Kirby. They knew -he had sent them, for his name and address were -on the outside wrapper. Each box was exactly -alike in shape and size. What <i>could</i> be in them?</p> - -<p>“Let’s open them,” said Artie, sensibly.</p> - -<p>There were a number of wrappers, and from -the last one tumbled a small white box and a -card that read, “With best Christmas wishes to -Artie Marley, from his friends, Tony Kirby and -Will Adams.”</p> - -<p>Each card said the same thing, substituting the -various names of the Riddle Club members.</p> - -<p>“Oh! Oh! Oh!” cried Polly, the moment -she had opened her box. “How perfectly -lovely!”</p> - -<p>The little box was lined with blue velvet, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_196">[196]</span> -on the blue velvet lay a gold signet ring. There -were two letters engraved on the face. They -were R.C. Polly lifted out the ring and turned -it over. Inside it was engraved with her name -and the date.</p> - -<p>“And they fit!” said Margy, in surprise, as -six rings were slipped on six fingers. “He must -have asked our mothers what size we wear!”</p> - -<p>And that was exactly what Mr. Kirby had done. -He had written to find out what ring sizes to -order, and the three mothers had kept his secret -carefully.</p> - -<p>“He gave us our lovely club pins, and now we -have club rings,” said Polly. “I never knew any -one so nice!”</p> - -<p>“Let’s hurry and write him a letter right away, -and Mrs. Williamson can take it to-morrow,” -suggested Artie.</p> - -<p>Mr. and Mrs. Williamson were supposed to -spend New Year’s with the Kirbys in Rye, because -they had not gone at Thanksgiving time. But -Mrs. Williamson had discovered that she couldn’t -go away from home for New Year’s Day, and -now they were to leave the next day and have a -little visit during holiday week. Fred and -Margy were to stay with the Marleys while their -parents were away.</p> - -<p>The next morning, when Mr. and Mrs. Williamson<span class="pagenum" id="Page_197">[197]</span> -set off for Rye, they carried a letter -signed by all the Riddle Club members, thanking -Mr. Kirby and Mr. Adams for their gifts -and telling them how much happiness they had -given.</p> - -<p>“Gee, isn’t it cold,” said Fred, as the Williamson -automobile disappeared around the turn in -Elm Road. “I’ll bet you it is thirty degrees below -zero.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Larue overheard him and laughed.</p> - -<p>“You wouldn’t be standing there so complacently, -Fred, if it were as cold as that,” he said. -“This is just good skating weather.”</p> - -<p>It was so cold and clear that Jess declared she -saw “miles and miles” when she looked across -the river, now frozen over. The ground was -covered with snow, of course, and at every step -this crunched under foot. When a wagon went -past the wheels screeched, a sure sign of a cold -day.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t it great!” bubbled Ward. “We have -new skates and there’ll be skating as soon as they -get the river swept off; there isn’t any school, so -we can have all the fun we want; and there’s -good coasting, too, and some of us have new -sleds. And I haven’t eaten all my candy up, -either,” he added.</p> - -<p>“You’re one satisfied person,” commented Fred,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_198">[198]</span> -blinking, for the sun on the snow was dazzling. -“Let’s go down and watch them sweep off the -river. Maybe they won’t let us on yet.”</p> - -<p>But “they” were willing for River Bend folk -to go skating, for the ice was firm and thick. -Later it would be cut to fill ice-houses, but as a -rule the children could count on good skating -through January. A group of men were busily -at work this morning, with brooms, brushes and -horse-drawn scrapers, taking the snow off the -ice and getting it ready for the skaters. The sun -was helping, too, and the Riddle Club members -decided that by noon the river would be in fine -condition.</p> - -<p>“We’re going up to the pond, Mother,” said -Polly, at the lunch table. “No, we’ll not be cold. -You never get cold skating.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be late for supper,” cautioned Mrs. -Marley. “And be sure you are dressed warmly. -It will be much colder toward night.”</p> - -<p>“It’s cold enough now,” grumbled Margy, who -would have liked to go skating in July, if that had -been possible.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_199">[199]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXI<br> - -<small>ANOTHER RACE</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Although</span> Margy refused to be enthusiastic -about cold weather, nothing would induce her to -miss a skating party. She could skate well, as -indeed could nearly every child in River Bend. -With a river at hand, it would have been strange -if they had failed to learn as soon as they could -buckle on their skates. The Riddle Club members -could hardly remember the time when they -had not gone skating.</p> - -<p>“Wouldn’t it have been a shame,” said Fred, -striking off up the ice with long, even swings, “if -the first skating of the year had come while we -had to go to school?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it would,” agreed Ward. “I think they -ought to cut out school in the winter, anyway. I -don’t mind it so much in March, because half the -time it rains and you can’t have much fun in the -rain; but winter is the best time of year to be outdoors.”</p> - -<p>Ward looked as though he was thoroughly enjoying<span class="pagenum" id="Page_200">[200]</span> -himself. He was puffing slightly—he -couldn’t help getting out of breath when he exercised—but -his eyes were beaming and he -showed his even, white teeth in a delighted grin.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think it’s as cold as it was,” said Jess -to Polly.</p> - -<p>“That’s because you’ve warmed up,” declared -Polly wisely. “I’m never cold when I’m skating.”</p> - -<p>“Just the same, it is warmer,” insisted Jess.</p> - -<p>“Sure it is,” Fred flung over his shoulder. -“It’s turned warmer since we came out.”</p> - -<p>Though Polly had announced that they were -going up to the pond, they did not start right -away. The river was fairly well covered with -skaters by this time, and presently a string of -skaters appeared, seven boys and seven girls, each -wearing a white woolly sweater with a large -“C.C.” stitched across the front.</p> - -<p>“Look at the Conundrum Club!” cried Polly. -“They have sweaters just alike. Do you suppose -they’re Christmas presents?”</p> - -<p>The sweaters were Christmas gifts. Carrie -herself told Polly, when she skated up a few -minutes later and asked to see the Riddle Club -rings.</p> - -<p>“How did you know we had rings?” Polly -asked, surprised.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_201">[201]</span>“Oh, some girl told me,” said Carrie. “I suppose -they’re plated. But the monogram is kind -of nice, only I think signet rings are rather old -fashioned, don’t you?”</p> - -<p>Polly wanted to laugh, for Carrie was trying -the ring on as she spoke. Carrie seldom praised -another’s possessions, but it was easy to see that -she admired the new ring.</p> - -<p>“I say, Fred,” called Joe Anderson, skating -up, “let’s have a race. Bet you I can beat you to -the bend and back.”</p> - -<p>Margy pulled violently on Fred’s sweater.</p> - -<p>“Don’t do it,” she whispered. “He cheats! -Remember the time you coasted?”</p> - -<p>Fred did remember, but a challenge was a challenge.</p> - -<p>“All right, I’ll race you,” he said shortly.</p> - -<p>“Why don’t we all race?” asked Carrie, shrilly. -“Let’s make it a Conundrum Club against the -Riddle Club race.”</p> - -<p>“Go on—that will be fun!” cried some of the -other boys and girls skating about the circle. -“And the winners have to race again.”</p> - -<p>That was the way it was finally decided—that -six of the Conundrum Club members should race -the members of the Riddle Club. Joe Anderson -chose the ones he wanted to represent the Conundrum -Club—besides himself and Carrie, there<span class="pagenum" id="Page_202">[202]</span> -were Mattie Helms, Albert Holmes, Ben Asher -and Stella Dorman.</p> - -<p>“We’ll line up and start when Edith counts -three,” said Joe, who, having planned the race, did -not seem to think he was obliged, as a matter of -courtesy, to consult the wishes of any one else.</p> - -<p>Edith Spencer was a member of the Conundrum -Club. She was a girl who easily became -excited, and the first time she tried to count three -she stuttered so badly that no one could tell what -she was trying to say. The second time she did -better and at the word “Three!” the skaters -dashed off, Joe Anderson in the lead.</p> - -<p>“I wish I was bigger!” thought Artie, skating -bravely. “I’d like to win—but just the same if -I can’t beat that Albert Holmes, I’d like to know -the reason!”</p> - -<p>The bend in the river had been designated as -the turning point, and Joe Anderson reached it -first, with Fred close behind him. Fred was saving -his speed for the spurt he wanted to make on -the return way. Polly was ahead of Carrie and -Mattie had just passed Margy when Jess -stumbled and fell.</p> - -<p>“Don’t stop!” she cried, as Ward and Artie -came up with her. “Go on! Hurry!”</p> - -<p>But Ward and Artie pulled her to her feet, -and then the three tried desperately to regain the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_203">[203]</span> -ground lost. It was too much of a handicap, -however, and Albert Holmes and Ben Asher both -came in ahead of Artie, who had set his heart on -beating Albert.</p> - -<p>It was almost a tie between Fred and Joe, and -Polly was a half yard ahead of Carrie, so another -race was planned between these four.</p> - -<p>Fred had a plan all his own which he hoped -would work. He had carefully refrained from -fast skating in the first race, being contented to -keep up with Joe. He knew that the second race -would be harder, because he would not be as -fresh. This time he was determined to skate at -top speed.</p> - -<p>At the signal they started, Polly in the lead. -A flash passed her; it was Fred, head bent, eyes -on his skates. Try as he would, Joe could not -pass him, and Fred held his lead to the bend and -back to the starting point, winning by a good yard.</p> - -<p>“Well, anyway, Carrie beat Polly,” said Stella -Dorman, as Carrie shot in ahead of Polly, who -had lost time in making the turn. “No one can -say the Riddle Club skaters are better than we -are.”</p> - -<p>Fred was satisfied to have it that way.</p> - -<p>“Come on, we’re going somewhere,” he said, -beckoning to his chums. “Race you again some -time, Joe.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_204">[204]</span>The Riddle Club waved good-bye and went on -up the river. They skated more slowly now, for -they were just a little tired from the excitement -and the fast skating. Polly’s cheeks were crimson -and Ward was panting.</p> - -<p>“Let’s sit down a minute,” suggested Jess. “I -want to see if I skinned my knee when I fell -down.”</p> - -<p>They skated into the shore and sat down on the -bank. Jess discovered that her knee was not -badly hurt, after all, and Ward was grateful for -the rest.</p> - -<p>“Looks like more snow,” said Fred, pointing -to the sky, now gray and overcast.</p> - -<p>“Why can’t you be cheerful?” scolded Margy. -“We’ve had all the snow we want for a long -time. It’s going to be clear weather—the paper -said so,” and Margy looked triumphantly at her -brother.</p> - -<p>“You have to take the kind of weather you -get,” said Artie, sagely. “It doesn’t make any -difference what you want.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t think it’s going to snow,” announced -Polly, rising. “Come on—if we’re going -to Jackson’s Pond, we’d better get there. -We haven’t reached the fork, yet.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/p204.jpg" alt="FRED HELD HIS LEAD, WINNING BY A YARD"></div> -<p class="caption">FRED HELD HIS LEAD, WINNING BY A YARD.</p> - -<p>To reach the pond, it was necessary to skate -to a point where the river forked. Two miles up<span class="pagenum" id="Page_205">[205]</span> -this arm, one came to Jackson’s Pond, a place -much used for picnics in summer and the scene -of evening skating parties in the winter. It had -long been an ambition of Fred’s to skate all the -way to this pond, because he had always gone by -automobile before.</p> - -<p>The children skated steadily and soon reached -the fork where they turned into the narrow “arm” -that lay through a rather desolate country. -There were no houses to be seen, but here and -there smoke drifted from a chimney and indicated -the presence of a farm.</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t like to live up here, would you?” -said Artie.</p> - -<p>“No, River Bend is much nicer,” agreed Jess.</p> - -<p>“Still, we could skate to school if we lived -here,” suggested Polly. “That must be the -schoolhouse over there.”</p> - -<p>She pointed to a small building set in a fenced -yard. There was a flag pole, but no flag was -flying.</p> - -<p>“Closed for the holidays,” commented Fred. -“There! Who said it wasn’t going to snow?” -he added triumphantly.</p> - -<p>A stinging wet flake struck Margy’s upturned -face.</p> - -<p>“It’s just a flurry,” she said comfortably.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps we’d better turn around and go<span class="pagenum" id="Page_206">[206]</span> -back,” said Polly. “We’ll be skating against the -wind, anyway, and it will take us longer to get -home than it has to come.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, come on, we want to be able to say we’ve -skated as far as the pond,” urged Fred. “You’re -not afraid of a little snow, are you, Polly?”</p> - -<p>“No, I’m not, but I don’t want to be caught -in a big storm, miles away from any house,” said -Polly, sensibly.</p> - -<p>“This won’t be a big storm,” declared Artie.</p> - -<p>But the snow continued to come faster and the -wind rose, growling.</p> - -<p>“I wonder if it’s late?” said Margy, suddenly.</p> - -<p>“No, it can’t be,” answered Fred. “We -started right after lunch, and it was only half-past -twelve.”</p> - -<p>A sudden gust of wind struck Margy sharply -in the face.</p> - -<p>“It’s so dark!” she gasped, swallowing a -mouthful of snow.</p> - -<p>And it was dark. The clouds were heavy and -they seemed so near that Jess was sure she could -touch them. The wind had risen steadily, and -as the six children rounded a bend in the stream, -it caught them full force.</p> - -<p>“I can’t breathe!” screamed Jess, in a sudden -panic.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_207">[207]</span>“Turn around!” shouted Fred.</p> - -<p>They turned their backs to the storm and -waited a moment.</p> - -<p>“There’s no use trying to go back,” cried Fred -to Polly, as another gust of wind swooped upon -them. “It’s blowing from all directions at once. -We’d better try to get in somewhere.”</p> - -<p>“Is it a blizzard?” asked Jess.</p> - -<p>“It’s a storm,” said Fred, trying to speak -cheerfully. “Come on, we’ll take off our skates -and walk. There’s no use trying to skate in a -wind like this.”</p> - -<p>They managed to get their skates off, and then -climbed the low bank.</p> - -<p>“We’ll follow the river,” Fred decided, “because -if we get back in the country we might get -lost.”</p> - -<p>Fred was a very comforting person to have -around when things didn’t go right, Polly thought, -trudging after him. He could always think of -something to do, and his plans were usually good. -Instead of being undecided, or standing around -in the teeth of the wind while he thought of what -they should do, he kept them moving, and moving -was so much better than standing still. You -felt as though you were going toward help, at -least.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_208">[208]</span>“Do you see anything over there, Ward?” Fred -shouted, suddenly, breaking in on Polly’s -thoughts.</p> - -<p>“Where?” cried Ward, peering through the -whirling film of snow.</p> - -<p>“There—across the river,” answered Fred, -pointing.</p> - -<p>Ward stared. Yes, the dim outlines of a building -certainly could be seen.</p> - -<p>“It’s a house!” shouted Fred. “We’ll have -to cross over.”</p> - -<p>“I hope they have some kind of a fire. I’m -almost frozen stiff!” muttered Margy.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_209">[209]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXII<br> - -<small>CAUGHT IN A STORM</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> boys helped the three girls down the bank -and, slipping and sliding, they made their way -across the river to the other side. Scrambling -up this bank, they found the building was further -back than they had supposed.</p> - -<p>“I’m so co-old!” shivered Margy. “I don’t -see any smoke coming out of a chimney. I don’t -believe any one lives there.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see any chimney,” declared Ward, -trying to brush the snow away from before his -face so that he could see clearly—a hopeless task.</p> - -<p>“Well, some one must live there,” said Fred, -impatiently. “Hurry up, or we’ll freeze standing -here.”</p> - -<p>It was dark now, and they were stiff and tired. -Their clothes were damp and their gloves soaked -through. Worse still, they were hungry, and -Artie, who had often sighed to be an explorer, began -to wonder whether he was going to starve to -death in the snow.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_210">[210]</span>Fred led the way toward the building and the -others followed him, longing for the sight of a -bright fire and a lighted lamp. The ground was -humpy, and Margy began to cry when she fell -down.</p> - -<p>“I’m so tired,” she sniffed, as Polly pulled her -up. “If any one lives in that house they’re not -at home, because it’s dark.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps there’s a light at the back,” said -Fred. “Maybe they only have a light in the -kitchen.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know what I think, Fred?” called -Polly, raising her voice above the wind which -still buffeted them unmercifully. “I think that is -a barn! It doesn’t look like a house to me.”</p> - -<p>“If it’s a barn, that means there’s a house -near here,” shouted Fred. “That’s good luck.”</p> - -<p>But when they had reached the barn—for it -was a barn, after all—another disappointment -awaited them. The building was open on both -sides, and the wind swept through the wide doorways -and hurled the snow into the corners, where -it lay in heaps.</p> - -<p>The barn was an old one, evidently abandoned -years before!</p> - -<p>“Come on in,” said Fred, refusing to be discouraged. -“It can’t be as cold as it is outside. -And because the barn isn’t used is no sign there<span class="pagenum" id="Page_211">[211]</span> -isn’t a house near. There must be a house!”</p> - -<p>The six forlorn chums stepped inside the dark -doorway and found themselves in a cavern, or -so it seemed to them.</p> - -<p>“Be careful,” warned Polly. “Some of the -boards may be rotten and we might step through -them, or fall into a hole.”</p> - -<p>They felt their way carefully, following the -wall, till they were well back from the doorway -through which they had entered. Protected in -a measure from the wind, they felt warmer at -once.</p> - -<p>“You stand still,” commanded Fred. “I’m going -over to that other doorway and look out.”</p> - -<p>He felt his way around slowly, and when he -felt the wind blow full in his face he knew he had -reached the other doorway.</p> - -<p>“Say, I see a light!” he called to the others. -“A little light, and that must be in a house. It -looks a mile away, but I’ll bet you it is a house.”</p> - -<p>“I won’t go another step,” declared Margy, -sitting down on the floor. “Not another step. -I’m too tired to move.”</p> - -<p>“But you’ll freeze here,” said Polly. “Won’t -she, Fred?”</p> - -<p>“I’d just as lief freeze as to break my leg walking -over that humpy ground again,” retorted -Margy, bitterly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_212">[212]</span>“Well, I’d rather stay here, too,” announced -Jess. “You don’t know positively that that light -is in a house. And if it is in a house, it may be -miles and miles away. I’d rather stay here till -morning.”</p> - -<p>They were all so tired and cold that a quarrel -might easily have developed, had not Polly proposed -a plan.</p> - -<p>“I tell you what let’s do,” she said good-temperedly. -“Let Jess and Margy stay here and -Ward and Artie take care of them; then I’ll go -with you, Fred, and we’ll see if that light is in -a house. Perhaps we’ll find the house that goes -with this barn first, and that will be nearer.”</p> - -<p>Ward and Artie wanted to go with Polly and -Fred, but were finally persuaded to remain with -the two girls.</p> - -<p>“Don’t stay all night,” begged Artie, as Polly -whispered to him to be good and not let Margy -get frightened.</p> - -<p>“Say, Polly, you’re all right,” Fred told her, -striking off in the direction of the twinkling light. -“I know you’re dead tired and cold, too, but you -don’t grunt. Uh!” and Fred gave a grunt himself.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” cried Polly, anxiously. -“What is it, Fred?”</p> - -<p>“I walked into something,” said Fred.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_213">[213]</span> -“Nearly knocked my teeth out. Don’t know -what it is, but it feels like a tower of some sort.”</p> - -<p>“I know,” cried Polly, feeling the “tower.” -“It’s one of the brick foundations of a porch, -Fred. Feel the loose bricks under the snow? -This is probably where the house that goes with -that old barn stood, and it either burned down -or fell down.”</p> - -<p>“I guess you’re right,” said Fred. “See, here’s -the cellar. I won’t grumble because I walked -into that column of bricks—if I hadn’t we might -have both stepped into that cellar, and that -wouldn’t have been any fun.”</p> - -<p>Carefully and feeling each step of the way, -they skirted the open cellar. The wind and the -snow made going very slow, and the twinkling -light seemed to come no nearer.</p> - -<p>“Want to stop and get your breath, Polly?” -asked Fred, a little anxiously, when they had been -walking some minutes in silence.</p> - -<p>“I’m—all—right,” gasped Polly. “But I’ve -got my scarf tied over my mouth to keep the wind -out. I can’t talk.”</p> - -<p>They plodded on after that, and to Fred’s delight -the light came nearer and nearer at last. -Soon they could see that it shone from the window -of a house and streamed feebly out on a -broken picket fence.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_214">[214]</span>“At least they’re at home,” said Fred, thankfully. -“You can stay and get warm, Polly, and -I’ll go back and get the others.”</p> - -<p>He was sure their troubles were over, and he -rapped loudly on the door with visions of a hot -supper dancing before his eyes.</p> - -<p>No one answered his knock, and he rapped -again. Still silence.</p> - -<p>“We’ll both knock,” said Polly, and the two -of them beat a tattoo on the door.</p> - -<p>“Some one’s coming,” whispered Polly. -“Hark!”</p> - -<p>They heard a bolt drawn back and a key in -the lock turned. Then the door opened slowly -and an old woman peered out.</p> - -<p>“Who’s there?” she asked. “What do you -want?”</p> - -<p>“Please, we’re caught in the storm,” said Polly. -“May we come in and get warm?”</p> - -<p>“Why, you’re children!” said the old woman, -in astonishment. “Come in—come in. Though -you can’t get warm, I’m thinking. I got out of -bed to answer your knock, and there’s no wood -in the house to make a fire.”</p> - -<p>She opened the door wider and beckoned them -to come in. They saw a square room, neatly -furnished and evidently used as a combination -sitting room and kitchen.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_215">[215]</span>“You must be chilled through,” said the old -woman. “I can fix a fire for you, if this boy will -go out to the woodshed and get some wood; -there’s plenty cut there, but I couldn’t go out in -the storm. My rheumatism took me this afternoon, -and I had to go to bed.”</p> - -<p>“There are four more of us, waiting in a barn,” -explained Polly, as Fred went out to find the -woodshed, carrying a lantern the old woman gave -him. “We were out skating this afternoon and -lost our way.”</p> - -<p>“Dear, dear, you must be hungry, too! Now, -if you could cook, there’s eggs in that bowl on the -shelf and bread and butter and jam a-plenty. I -have cold baked beans left over, too.”</p> - -<p>The old woman could hardly walk, and Polly -said at once that she would cook the eggs.</p> - -<p>“Then let your brother build up a good fire and -put a kettle of water on to heat, and you set the -table and get the supper ready. I’ll tell you -where to find things. I declare, I feel better already, -having some one to talk to. And that fire -feels good, too. I won’t be caught this way -again; I’ll fill up my woodbox when I have a -chance, and then when I’m flat on my back I won’t -have to worry.”</p> - -<p>Fred built a roaring fire in the stove, filled the -woodbox, and then, not stopping to dry his gloves—to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_216">[216]</span> -say nothing of his shoes, which were soaked -through—he set off to the barn to bring the rest -back with him.</p> - -<p>While he was gone, Polly first made some tea -and boiled an egg for their kind hostess. Then -she set the table at the old woman’s directions, -told her who they were and explained about the -Riddle Club and that Fred was not her brother. -She cut the bread and scrambled the eggs, and -when Fred and the others returned they found a -cheerful picture awaiting them—a warm kitchen -and a table set with six bowls of milk and a mound -of bread already buttered, not to mention a pan -of baked beans, the reddest of red currant jam, -and the yellowest of golden eggs sizzling in a pan -on the stove.</p> - -<p>“Take off your wet things,” ordered the old -woman. “I guess I have enough bedroom slippers -to go round. I have ten nieces, and every -blessed one of them has, at some time or other, -knit me a pair of bedroom slippers. They don’t -seem to think I wear anything else.”</p> - -<p>The girls and boys laughed, but when they had -taken off their heavy, wet shoes, the red and pink -and blue and purple wool knitted slippers felt very -cozy and warm to their tired feet. Their gloves -and mittens were hung on a line behind the stove -and the shoes arranged in a row on the hearth,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_217">[217]</span> -and then they sat down to enjoy their belated -supper.</p> - -<p>“I suppose your folks will be worried to death -about you, but we can’t help it,” said the old woman. -Her name, she told them, was Mrs. Wicks. -“There’s a telephone in a house about half a mile -away, but a storm like this always breaks down -the wires, even if you were fit to go out again to-night, -which you’re not. I never saw a storm -come up quicker than this one did, and it’s lucky -for me you came along. I haven’t a fancy to -have a rheumatic attack and no wood for a fire -in the house.”</p> - -<p>Artie and Ward went to sleep at the table, -and that brought up the question of where they -were to sleep.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got two bedrooms, besides mine,” said -Mrs. Wicks. “But they haven’t been used this -winter. I’m afraid they’re damp.”</p> - -<p>“That will be all right,” said Polly, politely.</p> - -<p>“No, it won’t be all right,” declared Mrs. -Wicks, with vigor. “I don’t aim to have you -take cold, sleeping in damp sheets. I can’t get -the things out, but you go in and bring the -sheets and blankets off those two beds and -hang ’em on chairs before the fire; that will dry -them. You can put the two little fellows on -my bed till theirs is ready.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_218">[218]</span>But neither Polly nor Fred would hear to this, -so Artie and Ward were finally shaken awake -and set to work carrying out blankets while the -girls washed the dishes. Mrs. Wicks had had -a nap before their arrival, and she was enjoying -herself, but Polly and Margy confided to -each other that never, never, never had they -been half so tired and sleepy.</p> - -<p>Finally the blankets and sheets were pronounced -dry, the beds made up again, and, leaning -on Fred and Polly, Mrs. Wicks hobbled -to her own room. In two minutes after they -had lain down, the six members of the Riddle -Club were fast asleep, and though the wind -howled all night and shook the windows and -rattled loose shutters, not a sound did they -hear.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_219">[219]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXIII<br> - -<small>MRS. WICKS</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Polly</span> was the first to wake in the morning. -She opened one eye sleepily, saw her dress hanging -over a chair back, caught a glimpse of unfamiliar -wall paper on the side of the room, and -sat up with a jerk.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” asked Jess, drowsily.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” said Polly. “I remember now. We’re -here. Say, Jess, it must be late; the sun is -shining.”</p> - -<p>“Then it’s stopped snowing,” said Jess. “We -can go home. Let’s get dressed in a jiffy.”</p> - -<p>Margy woke up, and it did not take the three -girls long to dress, for they had slept in their -underclothes, having removed only their dresses -and stockings.</p> - -<p>Polly peeped out into the kitchen and saw Fred -pumping water at the sink.</p> - -<p>“Want to wash your face?” he whispered. -“Here’s a towel. It’s stopped snowing, but you -ought to see the snow!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_220">[220]</span>Polly stood on tiptoe to glance out of the window -over the sink. The sun was dazzling, and -trees and fences and outbuildings were plastered -with drifts of snow, flung against them by the -wind.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t it pretty!” cried Polly, in delight.</p> - -<p>“It won’t be so pretty to walk home,” said -Ward, who joined them.</p> - -<p>“Are you children up?” called Mrs. Wicks. -“I wish one of you girls would help me get -dressed. My knee isn’t any worse, but then it -isn’t any better.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll help her,” offered Margy, hastily. “You -build the fire, Fred, because it’s freezing cold in -this kitchen.”</p> - -<p>Fred and Artie went out to get more wood, for -Fred suggested that they leave the woodbox untouched, -and Margy went to help the old woman -get dressed.</p> - -<p>By the time she was ready, the kitchen was -warm and Polly and Jess set the breakfast table, -while Mrs. Wicks stirred up griddle cakes and -showed them how to make oatmeal.</p> - -<p>“The man on the next farm always brings me -milk,” the old lady explained, “and it shows how -deep the snow must be, if he can’t get here. It’s -lucky I have some milk left from yesterday.”</p> - -<p>They had a cheerful breakfast, and when it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_221">[221]</span> -was over Polly asked if there wasn’t something -they could do to help.</p> - -<p>“We can’t walk home through the snow while -it is as deep as this,” she said sensibly, “and perhaps -we can help you, if you’ll tell us how. -What would you do if you weren’t lame this -morning?”</p> - -<p>“I’d feed my chickens and shovel some paths -around the house and down to the mail-box,” said -Mrs. Wicks, promptly. “Then I’d sit down and -sew.”</p> - -<p>Fred and Artie and Ward said they could do -the outdoor work, and they went at it with a will. -Though before that they found that their shoes -were so stiff it wasn’t easy to get them on. But -Mrs. Wicks brought out some grease and showed -them how to rub it in, and that made the leather -pliable again. Fred did the girls’ shoes for them, -and Margy was especially grateful, for she loved -to be comfortable and she had been dreading to -put on her stiffened shoes.</p> - -<p>The three girls washed and dried the dishes, -swept and straightened up the kitchen, made the -beds and watered the geranium that Mrs. Wicks -said couldn’t be killed, for no matter how cold -the kitchen was, it lived, winter after winter, if -protected by a paper at night.</p> - -<p>“I wish you’d come and live with me all winter,”<span class="pagenum" id="Page_222">[222]</span> -the old lady said, when Ward brought in -six eggs he had found in the henhouse and Fred -and Artie reported that a path had been swept -out to the mail-box. “I like company. One of -my nieces comes to stay with me part of the time, -and she’s coming the day after New Year’s. But -she isn’t young like you.”</p> - -<p>Fred asked about the barn in which they had -stayed, and Mrs. Wicks told them that the place -had once been a prosperous farm.</p> - -<p>“The house burned down one summer, and -the people farmed it for a time, living in the barn -and using it as a house,” she said. “Then they -sold the place and moved away, and the new -owner never did anything with it. One by one -the outbuildings fell to pieces, and they say one -good wind will blow the barn over, if it gets it in -the right corner.”</p> - -<p>“There’s rats in it!” shuddered Margy. “I -was sitting on the floor last night, waiting for -Fred to come back, and a horrid rat ran right -across my lap!”</p> - -<p>“She let out a yell that could be heard in River -Bend,” said Ward, grinning. “And then she -rushed outdoors and wouldn’t come back. Fred -found her standing in the snow, crying.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’d cry, too, if a rat ran over me,” said -Jess, stoutly. “Ugly, horrid things!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_223">[223]</span>Mrs. Wicks got out her box of patchwork and -showed the gay-colored patches to her visitors. -Like many lonely old ladies, she was fond of telling -stories about her girlhood, and with a brand -new audience the temptation was too great to -be resisted.</p> - -<p>“You girls don’t sew patchwork nowadays, do -you?” she asked, smiling.</p> - -<p>“We can knit,” offered Polly, apologetically. -“But none of us ever made a quilt. My grandmother -did, when she was a little girl, though.”</p> - -<p>“Ward speaking of the rat that frightened -Margy, reminded me of a scare I had when I was -a little girl,” said Mrs. Wicks.</p> - -<p>“I had gone to visit my Aunt Deborah, of -whom I was very fond. Aunt had a son, about -sixteen—I was then eleven—and, dear me, what a -tease Coburn was! He called me ‘Miss Prim’ -and pulled my hair whenever he had a chance. -I was supposed to sew on my patchwork every -afternoon, even when visiting, and Coburn -thought that a girl cousin who spent hours sewing -wasn’t much fun to have around. He would -have liked me to be a boy cousin and climb trees -with him.”</p> - -<p>“But we girls climb trees!” put in Jess. But -Mrs. Wicks paid no attention to the remark, and -went on with her story.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_224">[224]</span>“Well, I was sitting quietly with my little sewing -basket one afternoon, in the parlor window. -Aunt Deborah kept the parlor tightly closed most -of the time, and there must have been some special -reason why I was allowed to sit there and sew, -but I don’t recall it. Perhaps because I was company. -The parlor window overlooked the road, -and, girl-like, I was interested in the various -teams that drove past. I liked to see what people -were doing as much as any one. Coburn wasn’t -anywhere around, and Aunt Deborah was still upstairs -finishing her nap.</p> - -<p>“A spic and span, shiny new buggy went past -with a girl dressed in white driving, and I leaned -forward to look, at the same time putting out my -hand to take a spool of thread from the basket. -I felt something move under my hand, but I -thought it was the spool of thread rolling from -my fingers. Unconsciously I took a firmer clutch, -and something squeaked. I had picked up a little -white mouse!”</p> - -<p>“Ugh! How awful! Didn’t you scream?” -asked Margy.</p> - -<p>“Scream! I should think I did!” returned -Mrs. Wicks, smiling at the recollection. “To my -startled eyes that basket seemed alive with white -mice, and I threw it across the room in one direction<span class="pagenum" id="Page_225">[225]</span> -and my patchwork and thimble in another. -Then I fled, still screaming.</p> - -<p>“Aunt Deborah came downstairs on the run, -and Coburn mysteriously appeared from some -secret place. He caught me as I came rushing -out of the door and, with some difficulty, calmed -me. I think he was a little frightened, for I -couldn’t stop crying at first and nothing would -induce me to go into the parlor or touch my work -basket again. Aunt Deborah made Coburn pick -up the scattered spools and put the basket in order. -As for his three pet mice, no one ever -knew what became of them—they may have -run off to live with their relations. Anyway, -they never came back and Aunt Deborah declared -it served Coburn right for playing such a -trick.”</p> - -<p>Margy said that she thought mice were the -worst animals that ever lived, except rats, while -Fred contended that mice were all right when you -knew them. This started an argument that -lasted till Mrs. Wicks suggested they go down -to the mail-box and see if the postman had got -through the drifts.</p> - -<p>“If we’d only brought our sleds, instead of the -skates, we could get home,” said Ward.</p> - -<p>“But it wasn’t snowing when we left,” said<span class="pagenum" id="Page_226">[226]</span> -Polly. “Oh, dear, I do hope the folks aren’t -worrying about us.”</p> - -<p>“If we had some snowshoes, we could walk -home, on top of the snow,” said Artie. “Why -couldn’t we make some?”</p> - -<p>“Out of what?” asked Fred, promptly.</p> - -<p>“Barrel staves,” replied Artie.</p> - -<p>“I think stilts would be better,” declared Ward. -“Stilts would hold us up, out of the drifts.”</p> - -<p>“Snowshoes are what we need,” decreed Fred. -“Perhaps we could make them out of barrels. -Let’s see if Mrs. Wicks has any barrels she -doesn’t want.”</p> - -<p>“Barrels?” said Mrs. Wicks, when they asked -her. “Oh, my, yes! plenty of barrels out in the -woodshed. Do anything you like with them.”</p> - -<p>With the three girls as interested, if not hopeful, -spectators (Polly was sure she couldn’t walk -on snowshoes after they were made and Margy -said frankly she didn’t think they would ever be -made) the boys ripped two barrels apart and -sandpapered the staves. The sandpaper was -worn pretty smooth—it was all Mrs. Wicks had—and -the staves were remarkably rough, but they -did the best they could.</p> - -<p>“You try them first, Fred,” suggested Artie. -“How are you going to keep these snowshoes -on?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_227">[227]</span>“Skate straps,” said Fred, briefly.</p> - -<p>He managed to strap a stave to each of his -feet, using his skate straps, and then, slowly and -gingerly, stepped out of the woodshed.</p> - -<p>“The way to walk on snowshoes,” he announced, -“is not to lift your feet and put ’em -down again. You glide along.”</p> - -<p>“All right, let’s see you glide,” said Artie, -eagerly.</p> - -<p>Fred struck out with what he fondly believed -to be a gliding motion. He sunk one foot deeply -into the snow, balanced there a precarious moment -with his other foot waving wildly in the air -and then crashed over into a handy drift.</p> - -<p>“Of course there’s a knack in getting used to -them,” he gasped, as the others pulled him out. -“I’ll get it after a while.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if I have to walk on those things to -get home, I’m going to stay here,” said Jess.</p> - -<p>“There’s the postman!” cried Margy. “Look, -he’s putting something in the box!”</p> - -<p>They ran down the path they had shoveled, -Fred discarding his “snowshoes” as hindrances, -and found the postman to be a jolly person -wrapped in many mufflers and driving a large -white horse harnessed to an old-fashioned sleigh.</p> - -<p>“Say, there’s some one looking for you kids,” -he said, as soon as he saw the children. “I met<span class="pagenum" id="Page_228">[228]</span> -a team about a mile back, two men in a sleigh. -They asked me if I’d seen anything of three boys -and three girls. And then I hadn’t, and told -them so.”</p> - -<p>“Daddy!” cried Polly. “It must be Daddy -and Mr. Larue. Whereabouts did you see them?”</p> - -<p>“They were following this road,” said the postman. -“Looks like them coming now. I’ve had -to make so many stops I guess they’ve caught up -with me. Yes, they’re waving to you. See -’em?”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_229">[229]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXIV<br> - -<small>HOME AGAIN</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> children needed no snowshoes to lend -them speed as they ran down the road. Driving -toward them were Mr. Marley and Mr. Larue -in a sleigh drawn by a horse Fred recognized as -“Old Tom,” one of Mr. Davis’s horses.</p> - -<p>“Well, you certainly have upset the family,” -said Mr. Marley, as Artie hurled himself into -his lap and the others tried to find a place on -the runners.</p> - -<p>“Did Mother worry?” asked Polly, anxiously. -“We were all right, only we couldn’t get home.”</p> - -<p>“Of course we worried,” answered Mr. Marley. -“I don’t think any one has had a wink of -sleep all night. We went up the river as far as -Jackson’s Pond, hunting for you, but the wind -forced us to give up there.”</p> - -<p>“Where did you spend the night?” asked Mr. -Larue, his arm around Jess.</p> - -<p>“Oh, we stayed at Mrs. Wicks’ house,” said -Ward, cheerfully.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_230">[230]</span>“And who is Mrs. Wicks?” asked Mr. Larue, -in surprise.</p> - -<p>“She’s an old lady—she lives there,” said Polly, -pointing to the house. “She had rheumatism in -her knee, but she told us what to do and we had -good things to eat and everything was lovely.”</p> - -<p>“Except staying in the barn,” amended Margy. -“A rat ran over me, Mr. Marley.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll drive on to Mrs. Wicks’ house,” said -Mr. Marley, “and thank her for her kindness. -I don’t suppose she has a telephone, and if she -had, the wires would probably be down. I’d like -to tell the worried mothers that we have found -you, safe and sound.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Wicks hobbled to the door to greet her -visitors. She seemed delighted to have more -company, and she would not hear of their starting -back before she had cooked dinner for them.</p> - -<p>Mr. Marley and Mr. Larue knew that she -spoke wisely. The roads were badly drifted and, -in spite of the sunshine, it was bitingly cold. If -they had dinner before they started, the ride -would be much more comfortable for them all.</p> - -<p>So they said they would stay, and Mrs. Wicks -hobbled about, delighted to have what she called -“a full table.”</p> - -<p>“It’s something like!” she said, when they sat -down three-quarters of an hour later to a steaming<span class="pagenum" id="Page_231">[231]</span> -hot dinner. “Something like, to have nine -at the table.”</p> - -<p>While the girls helped her with the dishes—for -anxious as the fathers were to start home they -would not leave the old lady with all the extra -work to do alone—the boys carried in a great pile -of wood, filling the woodbox to overflowing and -stacking the sticks on the floor beside it. They -fed and watered the chickens, so that a trip out -to the henhouse that night would be unnecessary, -saw that the lamps were filled, went down to the -road to get the milk the neighboring farmer finally -brought, and so left Mrs. Wicks assured of a -comfortable night.</p> - -<p>“We could have brought her home with us, I -suppose,” said Mr. Marley, as he tucked the children -in under the heavy robes, “but she wouldn’t -be happy away from her own home. And she -says her niece is coming in a few days to stay with -her for the rest of the winter. But we mustn’t -forget her. We’ll have to come and see her, -often.”</p> - -<p>“She isn’t poor, is she, Daddy?” asked Polly, -thoughtfully, cuddling up to the heated brick Mrs. -Wicks had given her.</p> - -<p>The old lady had filled the bottom of the -sleigh with hot bricks, wrapped in burlap. They -were as good as stoves, the children declared.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_232">[232]</span>“No, Mrs. Wicks isn’t poor—not what we call -poor,” answered Mr. Marley, who was driving. -“She has money enough to live on and owns her -house, she tells me. But she is lonely, and sometimes -people need friends more than they need -money.”</p> - -<p>The dazzling sunshine made the fields and -laden trees very beautiful to see, but there was a -cold wind, and the snow seemed to have melted -very little. For some distance the traveling was -fairly good, for the postman’s sleigh had broken -the road, but when they turned into another road, -unbroken drifts confronted them.</p> - -<p>“This ought to save us a mile, so I think it’s -worth trying,” said Mr. Marley, as the horse -began to flounder. “The way we came was the -longer, but we were following the river to find -the children.”</p> - -<p>Old Tom didn’t care if the road was a shorter -one. He didn’t like the big drifts, and he saw -no reason why he should pretend he did. He -shook his head and snorted and finally stood still.</p> - -<p>“We’ll have to get out and encourage him,” -said Mr. Larue, cheerfully. “You stay in, Marley, -and the boys and I will show old Tom how -easy it is to wade through snow, if you make up -your mind it can be done.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_233">[233]</span>Mr. Larue got out and the six chums tumbled -after him. The girls begged to help, too, for -they were cramped from sitting under the robes. -The sleigh was pretty well filled when they were -all in it.</p> - -<p>“Gee, it is deep, isn’t it!” exclaimed Artie, as -he went in to his waist. “But look at that bare -spot, over there on the field!”</p> - -<p>“That’s what the wind did,” Mr. Larue explained. -“It blew all the drifts over into this -road and left the fields lightly covered.”</p> - -<p>“Why don’t we drive over the fields then?” -asked Fred.</p> - -<p>“That isn’t such a bad idea, Fred,” called Mr. -Marley, who had overheard. “I’ll see if I can -turn old Tom and get through the ditch.”</p> - -<p>“Easy on the turn,” cautioned Mr. Larue. -“The deepest snow is there in the ditch.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll tip over!” cried Margy, in alarm. -“Do be careful, Mr. Marley!”</p> - -<p>Mr. Marley laughed and promised not to tip -the sleigh over. He turned the horse’s head toward -the ditch and called to him encouragingly. -Old Tom merely shook his ears.</p> - -<p>“Doesn’t want to try it,” said Mr. Larue. -“I’ll see if I can lead him. Here, boy, you’re all -right. Come on, that’s a good fellow.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_234">[234]</span>Talking soothingly to the horse, Mr. Larue -took hold of the bridle and pulled gently. The -horse pulled also, but the other way.</p> - -<p>“He won’t go. Try taking him straight -ahead,” Mr. Marley advised. “Look out, Polly—you’re -standing in the way.”</p> - -<p>Polly took a step backward, lost her balance, -and went over full-length into a beautiful snow -bank. Her feet, coming up with such startling -suddenness were too much for old Tom. With a -wild snort he started forward, nearly pulling Mr. -Marley from the seat. Plunging and panting, -the horse plowed ahead, and in a few minutes -had worked his way out of the worst of the -drifts.</p> - -<p>“Polly! are you all right?” cried Margy, rushing -to her chum’s rescue.</p> - -<p>“I guess so,” said Polly, a little uncertainly. -“Where’s the horse and sleigh?” she asked, in -surprise, as Fred and Margy pulled her out and -set her on her feet.</p> - -<p>“All right, Polly?” asked Mr. Larue, hurrying -up. “Yes, you seem to be. Well, that certainly -was a novel way to persuade a horse, but -it seems to have given us results.”</p> - -<p>Polly had to laugh when she heard that her -tumble had made old Tom change his mind. She -said she wasn’t willing to fall over all the rest<span class="pagenum" id="Page_235">[235]</span> -of the way home, though; but her father said he -didn’t think it would be necessary.</p> - -<p>They climbed into the sleigh again, warm and -rosy from their tramping in the drifts, and old -Tom started off as though he had made up his -mind to do his best without further protest.</p> - -<p>This time Mr. Larue drove, for Mr. Marley’s -hands were stiff from the cold. Though old Tom -was willing, they could not drive fast, and before -they reached the stretch of state road that would -take them to River Bend, the heat had gone from -the bricks provided by Mrs. Wicks and Margy -was crying with cold. Polly and Jess were far -from comfortable, but they and the boys were -determined to “stick it out.”</p> - -<p>“Say, Larue, these youngsters are purple with -cold,” said Mr. Marley, suddenly. “We’ll have -to stop for a moment and give them some exercise.”</p> - -<p>Margy didn’t want to move, but Mr. Marley -lifted her out and put her down in the road. -The rest followed, and Mr. Larue tied old Tom -to a tree.</p> - -<p>“Now we have to run,” said Mr. Marley. -“From the sleigh to that big maple tree and back, -six times. No one can beg off, and the sooner -you get through with it, the quicker we’ll be -home.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_236">[236]</span>Margy’s feet were like lead and Polly was sure -she had no feet at all. The tree was some distance -from the sleigh, and the prospect of running -there and back six times loomed like an impossible -task. However, Mr. Marley started off, -and they could do no less than follow.</p> - -<p>“I know my feet are broken off!” thought -Polly, limping along. “I won’t look, but I know -they’re gone. My mother will be sorry if I -come home without any feet.”</p> - -<p>Behind her, Margy was still crying, wiping -her eyes on her glove as she tried to run. The -boys kept at it doggedly, their eyes on the ground.</p> - -<p>When she had touched the tree three times, -Polly made an interesting discovery—her feet -were where they ought to be, right in her shoes. -Better, they felt comfortable, and even warm.</p> - -<p>By the time they had completed the six trips, -every one was in a glow—even Margy was smiling.</p> - -<p>“Now another hour, and we’ll be home,” said -Mr. Marley. “Tumble in, children, and we’ll -be home before you know it.”</p> - -<p>The state road provided much easier going. -There had been more travel over it since the -storm, and occasionally they passed a sleigh or a -motor truck. But the horse was sadly tired before -they came to River Bend, and they found it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_237">[237]</span> -easy to believe when reports came in from the surrounding -country that the storm had been the -worst, from the point of view of blocking traffic, -that the country had experienced in years.</p> - -<p>“Are you frozen? Are you hungry? Where -on earth did you stay all night? Are you sure -you haven’t frozen your ears or your toes?” cried -the two mothers together, flying down the steps -as the sleigh at last drew up before the Marley -house.</p> - -<p>And even after they had heard the story and -assured themselves that none of the six had suffered -from hunger or exposure, the mothers -couldn’t rest. They heard the story over and -over again, and Mrs. Marley made her husband -promise to take her to see Mrs. Wicks as soon as -the roads were fairly open. Mrs. Larue said -she would go, too, and long after the children -were in bed they sat up planning the kind of box -they would pack and what they would put in it -to please the old lady.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_238">[238]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXV<br> - -<small>THE LAST OF THE SNOWMAN</small></h2> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">It</span> seemed like another Christmas to the members -of the Riddle Club, the day after their experience -in getting home. Every one was so glad -to see them that they were allowed to please -themselves pretty much, till Ward made himself -sick with too much candy and Margy and Fred -quarreled because they wanted to go skating and -coasting at the same time; that is, each wanted -the other to do his or her way.</p> - -<p>“Say, it’s beginning to melt,” Fred reported, -coming into the house for lunch. “Hear it drip!”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Marley had invited Jess and Ward, and -the six chums were together at the table.</p> - -<p>“Thawing!” cried Polly. “It will spoil the -skating.”</p> - -<p>“But it will take a lot to spoil the coasting,” -said Artie. “Let’s go this afternoon.”</p> - -<p>Mr. and Mrs. Williamson were expected back -on New Year’s Day, early in the morning, so<span class="pagenum" id="Page_239">[239]</span> -Fred and Margy were still staying with the Marleys.</p> - -<p>As soon as lunch was over, they got the sleds -out and set off for the hill.</p> - -<p>“Gee, when it begins to melt, it sure does -start!” observed Ward.</p> - -<p>Little rivers of water were running off the -roofs and householders were out opening the gutters.</p> - -<p>“It’s the January thaw,” said Margy, wisely.</p> - -<p>“It isn’t January till to-morrow,” retorted Jess.</p> - -<p>“Does it always thaw in January?” asked -Artie, athirst for information.</p> - -<p>“Yes, of course,” said Margy. “Some time in -January it will thaw. Always. Mattie Helms -told me.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess it thaws some time in every -month,” declared Fred. “Every winter month, -that is,” he added, remembering the changing -seasons.</p> - -<p>“Well, this is the January thaw,” insisted -Margy. “It will be January to-morrow, and so -it is really time.”</p> - -<p>When they reached the hill, they found a number -of coasters, though it was more slush than -snow. The runners sent up fine streams of water -as the sleds raced down, and in the ditches on<span class="pagenum" id="Page_240">[240]</span> -either side of the road a rushing stream of snow -water was pouring.</p> - -<p>“Maybe it’s spring,” gasped Jess, as a splash -of water struck her in the face.</p> - -<p>“No, we’ll have lots more snow and ice yet,” -said Fred. “But I don’t call this much fun, do -you? Let’s go home and go up in the clubroom.”</p> - -<p>They were half-soaked already, and no one -made any objections to returning home. Mrs. -Marley made them take off their wet shoes and -put on dry ones, and then they went upstairs to -play parcheesi in the clubroom.</p> - -<p>“There won’t be much left of Riddle Chap -after this,” remarked Polly, happening to glance -from the window while waiting her turn to play.</p> - -<p>“Say, he has gone down, hasn’t he?” said Jess, -in surprise.</p> - -<p>“He’s wasting away,” giggled Polly. “Poor -old Riddle Chap! But he’s had a pretty long -life for a snowman.”</p> - -<p>The poor snowman was visibly melting. -Trickles of water ran over him and he seemed -to be sinking into the ground.</p> - -<p>“I’ll be glad when he’s gone,” said Jess. “He -brought me bad luck—made me lose my glove.”</p> - -<p>“There’s no such thing as good luck or bad -luck,” declared Fred. “You lost your glove because<span class="pagenum" id="Page_241">[241]</span> -you didn’t take care of it. Don’t blame -that on poor old Riddle Chap.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you call it bad luck that you lost the -bank?” asked Jess, heedless of Polly’s warning -frown.</p> - -<p>“No, of course that wasn’t bad luck,” said -Fred, stoutly. “That was my own fault. I put -it down somewhere, but I’ll never tell you where. -And Dad wanted me to open a savings-bank account -with it, too. I ought to have taken his -advice.”</p> - -<p>“You haven’t lost the new bank,” said Artie, -who meant to be comforting.</p> - -<p>“No, I haven’t,” agreed Fred. “And that -isn’t good luck, either. It’s good care. I look -at the bank first thing every night and morning, -to make sure it is in the right place.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps some one took the other bank,” suggested -Margy.</p> - -<p>Fred glanced at her sharply. She was watching -the board and apparently had just said that -without thinking.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see how any one could have taken it,” -said Fred, and then it was his turn to play.</p> - -<p>He still thought, now and then, that Carrie -Pepper knew more about the bank than she cared -to tell. But Fred had made up his mind not to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_242">[242]</span> -say anything until he had more than suspicions -to back him, and he resolutely refused to put his -thought into words.</p> - -<p>That night it turned a little colder, as it usually -does, and the melting snow froze in little -lace ruffles on the edges of the roofs. Riddle -Chap had an icicle on what was left of his nose, -and Polly was hopeful that he would stay as he -was and not shrink any more. Alas! New -Year’s Day dawned with a burst of sunlight that -started the little streams running again, turned -the coasting hill to a sea of slush, and hastened -the sure disappearance of the once handsome -Riddle Chap.</p> - -<p>“It’s a good thing we have his picture,” said -Polly, mournfully, at breakfast.</p> - -<p>“You can build another snowman, when another -snow comes,” said Mr. Marley, cheerfully.</p> - -<p>But Polly said it wouldn’t be Riddle Chap, and -of course no one could deny that.</p> - -<p>However, it was impossible to feel sober on -such a bright morning, and “Happy New Year!” -sounded up and down Elm Road as the children -greeted each other. School would open the day -after to-morrow, and they were determined to -have as much fun as possible before the holidays -were definitely over.</p> - -<p>Breakfast was barely finished when the Williamson<span class="pagenum" id="Page_243">[243]</span> -car came down the road, bringing Mr. -and Mrs. Williamson back to their home. They -had much to tell about their visit in Rye and messages -from “the old hermit,” as the youngsters -still called Mr. Field, as well as from his sister, -whom they had never seen, but who knew them -quite well through Mr. Kirby’s and Mr. Adams’ -descriptions. The two cousins had sent a large -box of chocolates to be shared by the six chums.</p> - -<p>“Mother thinks,” said Mr. Williamson, watching -Artie trying to swallow a chocolate covered -cherry that threatened to drown him in syrup, -“that, since it is so warm to-day, we might drive -out and see Mrs. Wicks.”</p> - -<p>“Come on! Let’s go!” cried Fred. “We’ll -take her some of the chocolates—maybe she likes -candy.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Williamson laughed.</p> - -<p>“I don’t doubt it,” he said. “But, Fred, stop -and consider the car a moment. It is a seven-passenger, -but how am I going to pack twelve into -the space reserved for seven?”</p> - -<p>“It would be kind of crowded,” admitted Fred. -“I’m willing to stay at home, Dad. Let the -others go.”</p> - -<p>“Suppose we arrange it this way,” said Mrs. -Williamson: “You children all stay at home -this time—you’ll find plenty to do to amuse yourselves.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_244">[244]</span> -We won’t go till after lunch and we’ll be -back in time for supper. We feel that we’d like -to visit with Mrs. Wicks and take her a little -something, and it really wouldn’t be very interesting -for you. Then next time Daddy will take -the whole Riddle Club, and we grown-ups will -stay at home.”</p> - -<p>So that was the way the plan was finally made, -and after an early lunch the fathers and mothers -drove off with baskets and boxes of goodies for -Mrs. Wicks, including some of the delicious chocolates -the children had insisted on sending her.</p> - -<p>“Let’s tip old Riddle Chap over,” proposed -Artie, aching for a little exercise. “There’s no -use in waiting for him to melt away. Doesn’t he -look seedy, though?”</p> - -<p>In truth, the old snowman did look seedy. He -had long ago lost his hat and his pine tree lay -on the ground at his feet. Gone were the letters, -R.C. In fact, he looked like a regular -tramp of a snowman.</p> - -<p>“One, two, three!” called Fred, as the boys -leaned against the rapidly melting wreck.</p> - -<p>At “three!” they gave a mighty push. Over -went the ball that had formed the snowman’s -body.</p> - -<p>“Look how soft it is!” cried Polly, poking it -with her toe. “It’s nothing but slush and water.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_245">[245]</span>“What’s that?” Jess’s sharp eyes had caught -a glimpse of something dark.</p> - -<p>She swooped down upon the pile of soft snow -and seized the something. A sharp tug, and she -had pulled out—her missing glove!</p> - -<p>“Look! Look!” she shouted. “Look! -Here’s the glove I lost! It was in the snowman -all the time!”</p> - -<p>The same thought came to Polly and Fred, and -they leaped for the fallen snowman’s body.</p> - -<p>Fred reached it first, and his shoe hit something -that gave back a metallic sound.</p> - -<p>He stooped and cleared away some of the slush. -Slowly he straightened up, something in his hands.</p> - -<p>“It’s the bank!” screamed Margy. “Fred -found the bank! Look! Polly! Jess! Ward! -Artie! Look! Fred’s found the bank!”</p> - -<p>Her excited clamor brought Carrie Pepper -from her house. As they crowded around him, -Fred saw Carrie come running through the snow.</p> - -<p>“So she didn’t know a thing about it,” he -thought. “I’m glad I didn’t say anything.”</p> - -<p>“Is the money there?” Ward kept asking. -“Are the dues inside, Fred?”</p> - -<p>Well, the money was safe enough, Fred soon -discovered. And Jess’s glove, dried carefully behind -the kitchen range, was pronounced as good -as new.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_246">[246]</span>While Fred wouldn’t say that good luck had -brought the bank back, he said he was willing Jess -should say good luck brought back her glove.</p> - -<p>When the grown-ups came home at dusk, they -were astonished to have the car surrounded by -six dancing Indians who came tumbling out of -the Marley house without hats or coats. These -Indians danced madly around the car, singing a -chorus that at first could not be understood.</p> - -<p>“The bank! The bank!” warbled the singers. -“Fred found the bank! And Jess’s glove—that’s -found, too! And the money is all right! And -the glove is dry and it isn’t hurt a bit!”</p> - -<p>But when they finally understood, the fathers -and mothers were almost as excited as the members -of the Riddle Club.</p> - -<p>The next morning Mr. Williamson took Fred -and the recovered bank and the other five members -of the club down to the bank, where an account -was opened in the name of the Riddle -Club.</p> - -<p>“And wait!” said Fred, when he was the proud -custodian of the green-covered bankbook. -“Wait till the Conundrum Club hears of this!”</p> - -<p class="center">THE END</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p class="ph2">SIX LITTLE BUNKERS SERIES</p> - -<p class="center">By LAURA LEE HOPE</p> - -<p class="center">Author of The Bobbsey Twins Books, The Bunny<br> -Brown Series, The Make-Believe Series, Etc.</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="drt"><b>Durably Bound. Illustrated. Uniform Style of Binding.</b></span><br> -<span class="drb"><span class="gap"><b>Every Volume Complete in Itself.</b></span></span></p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>Delightful stories for little boys and girls which sprung -into immediate popularity. To know the six little Bunkers -is to take them at once to your heart, they are so intensely -human, so full of fun and cute sayings. Each story has a -little plot of its own—one that can be easily followed—and -all are written in Miss Hope’s most entertaining manner. -Clean, wholesome volumes which ought to be on the bookshelf -of every child in the land.</p> -</div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - -<p>SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT GRANDMA BELL’S<br> -SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT AUNT JO’S<br> -SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT COUSIN TOM’S<br> -SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT GRANDPA FORD’S<br> -SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT UNCLE FRED’S<br> -SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT CAPTAIN BEN’S<br> -SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT COWBOY JACK’S<br> -SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT MAMMY JUNE’S<br> -SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT FARMER JOEL’S<br> -SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT MILLER NED’S</p> -</div></div> - -<p class="center"><span class="drtb"> -<span class="smcap">Grosset & Dunlap</span>,       <span class="smcap">Publishers</span>,       <span class="smcap">New York</span></span></p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p class="ph2">THE BUNNY BROWN SERIES</p> - -<p class="center">By LAURA LEE HOPE</p> - -<p class="center">Author of the Popular “Bobbsey Twins” Books, Etc.</p> -</div> -<p class="center"><span class="drt"> -<b>Durably Bound. Illustrated. Uniform Style of Binding.</b></span><br> -<span class="drb"><span class="gap"><b>Every Volume Complete in Itself.</b></span></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>These stories by the author of the “Bobbsey Twins” -Books are eagerly welcomed by the little folks from about -five to ten years of age. Their eyes fairly dance with delight -at the lively doings of inquisitive little Bunny Brown -and his cunning, trustful sister Sue.</p> -</div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<p>BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE<br> -BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE ON GRANDPA’S FARM<br> -BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE PLAYING CIRCUS<br> -BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT CAMP REST-A-WHILE<br> -BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT AUNT LU’S CITY HOME<br> -BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE IN THE BIG WOODS<br> -BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE ON AN AUTO TOUR<br> -BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AND THEIR SHETLAND PONY<br> -BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE GIVING A SHOW<br> -BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT CHRISTMAS TREE COVE<br> -BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE IN THE SUNNY SOUTH<br> -BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE KEEPING STORE<br> -BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AND THEIR TRICK DOG<br> -BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT A SUGAR CAMP</p> -</div></div> - -<p class="center"><span class="drtb"> -<span class="smcap">Grosset & Dunlap</span>,       <span class="smcap">Publishers</span>,       <span class="smcap">New York</span></span></p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p class="ph2">THE BOBBSEY TWINS BOOKS</p> - -<p class="center">For Little Men and Women</p> - -<p class="center">By LAURA LEE HOPE</p> - -<p class="center">Author of “The Bunny Brown Series,” Etc.</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="drt"> -<b>Durably Bound. Illustrated. Uniform Style of Binding.</b></span><br> -<span class="drb"><span class="gap"><b>Every Volume Complete in Itself.</b></span></span></p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>These books for boys and girls between the ages of three -and ten stands among children and their parents of this -generation where the books of Louisa May Alcott stood in -former days. The haps and mishaps of this inimitable pair -of twins, their many adventures and experiences are a -source of keen delight to imaginative children everywhere.</p> -</div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<p>THE BOBBSEY TWINS<br> -THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE COUNTRY<br> -THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT THE SEASHORE<br> -THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SCHOOL<br> -THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SNOW LODGE<br> -THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON A HOUSEBOAT<br> -THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT MEADOW BROOK<br> -THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT HOME<br> -THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN A GREAT CITY<br> -THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON BLUEBERRY ISLAND<br> -THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON THE DEEP BLUE SEA<br> -THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE GREAT WEST<br> -THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP<br> -THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT THE COUNTY FAIR<br> -THE BOBBSEY TWINS CAMPING OUT<br> -THE BOBBSEY TWINS AND BABY MAY</p> -</div></div> - -<p class="center"><span class="drtb"> -<span class="smcap">Grosset & Dunlap</span>,       <span class="smcap">Publishers</span>,       <span class="smcap">New York</span></span></p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p class="ph2">THE MAKE-BELIEVE STORIES</p> - -<p class="center">(Trademark Registered.)</p> - -<p class="center">By LAURA LEE HOPE</p> - -<p class="center">Author of THE BOBBSEY TWINS BOOKS, ETC.</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="drtb">Colored Wrappers and Illustrations by HARRY L. SMITH</span></p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>In this fascinating line of books Miss Hope has the -various toys come to life “when nobody is looking” and -she puts them through a series of adventures as interesting -as can possibly be imagined.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="tb"> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>THE STORY OF A SAWDUST DOLL</p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>How the toys held a party at the Toy Counter; how the Sawdust Doll was -taken to the home of a nice little girl, and what happened to her there.</p> -</div> - -<p>THE STORY OF A WHITE ROCKING HORSE</p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>He was a bold charger and a man purchased him for his son’s birthday. Once -the Horse had to go to the Toy Hospital, and my! what sights he saw there.</p> -</div> - -<p>THE STORY OF A LAMB ON WHEELS</p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>She was a dainty creature and a sailor bought her and took her to a little girl -relative and she had a great time.</p> -</div> - -<p>THE STORY OF A BOLD TIN SOLDIER</p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>He was Captain of the Company and marched up and down in the store at -night. Then he went to live with a little boy and had the time of his life.</p> -</div> - -<p>THE STORY OF A CANDY RABBIT</p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>He was continually in danger of losing his life by being eaten up. But he -had plenty of fun, and often saw his many friends from the Toy Counter.</p> -</div> - -<p>THE STORY OF A MONKEY ON A STICK</p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>He was mighty lively and could do many tricks. The boy who owned him -gave a show, and many of the Monkey’s friends were among the actors.</p> -</div> - -<p>THE STORY OF A CALICO CLOWN</p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>He was a truly comical chap and all the other toys loved him greatly.</p> -</div> - -<p>THE STORY OF A NODDING DONKEY</p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>He made happy the life of a little lame boy and did lots of other good deeds.</p> -</div> - -<p>THE STORY OF A CHINA CAT</p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>The China Cat had many adventures, but enjoyed herself most of the time.</p> -</div> - -<p>THE STORY OF A PLUSH BEAR</p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>This fellow came from the North Pole, stopped for a while at the toy store, -and was then taken to the seashore by his little master.</p> -</div> - -<p>THE STORY OF A STUFFED ELEPHANT</p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>He was a wise looking animal and had a great variety of adventures.</p> -</div></div> - -<p class="center"><span class="drtb"> -<span class="smcap">Grosset & Dunlap</span>,       <span class="smcap">Publishers</span>,       <span class="smcap">New York</span></span></p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p class="ph2">LITTLE<br> -JOURNEYS TO HAPPYLAND</p> - -<p class="center">(Trademark Registered)</p> - -<p class="center">By DAVID CORY</p> - -<p class="center">Individual Colored Wrappers. Profusely Illustrated</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="drtb"><b>Printed in large type—easy to read. For children from 4 to 8 years.</b></span></p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>A new series of exciting adventures by the author of LITTLE JACK RABBIT books.</p> - -<p>The Happyland is reached by various routes: If you should happen to -miss the Iceberg Express maybe you can take the Magic Soap Bubble, or in -case that has already left, the Noah’s Ark may be waiting for you.</p> - -<p>This series is unique in that it deals with unusual and exciting adventures -on land and sea and in the air.</p> - -<p><b>The Cruise of the Noah’s Ark</b></p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>This is a good rainy day story. On just such a day Mr. Noah invites -Marjorie to go for a trip in the Noah’s Ark. She gets aboard just in time -and away it floats out into the big wide world.</p> -</div> - -<p><b>The Magic Soap Bobble</b></p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>The king of the gnomes has a magic pipe with which he blows a wonderful -bubble and taking Ed. with him they both have a delightful time in -Gnomeland.</p> -</div> - -<p><b>The Iceberg Express</b></p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>The Mermaid’s magic comb changes little Mary Louise into a mermaid. -The Polar Bear Porter on the iceberg Express invites her to take a trip with -him and away they go on a little journey to Happyland.</p> -</div></div> - -<p class="center"><span class="drtb"> -<span class="smcap">Grosset & Dunlap</span>,       <span class="smcap">Publishers</span>,       <span class="smcap">New York</span></span></p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p class="ph2">LITTLE JACK RABBIT<br> -BOOKS</p> - -<p class="center">(Trademark Registered)</p> - -<p class="center">By DAVID CORY</p> - -<p class="center">Author of LITTLE JOURNEYS TO HAPPYLAND</p> - -<p class="center"><span class="drtb"><b>Colored Wrappers With Text Illustrations</b></span></p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>A new and unique series about the furred and feathered -little people of the wood and meadow.</p> - -<p>Children will eagerly follow the doings of little Jack -Rabbit, who, every morning as soon as he has polished the -front door knob and fed the canary, sets out from his little -house in the bramble patch to meet his friends in the Shady -Forest and Sunny Meadow. And the clever way he escapes -from his three enemies, Danny Fox, Mr. Wicked -Weasel and Hungry Hawk will delight the youngsters.</p> -</div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<p>LITTLE JACK RABBIT’S ADVENTURES<br> -LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND DANNY FOX<br> -LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND THE SQUIRREL BROTHERS<br> -LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND CHIPPY CHIPMUNK<br> -LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND THE BIG BROWN BEAR<br> -LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND UNCLE JOHN HARE<br> -LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND PROFESSOR CROW<br> -LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND OLD MAN WEASEL<br> -LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND MR. WICKED WOLF<br> -LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND HUNGRY HAWK</p> -</div></div> -<p class="center"><span class="drtb"> -<span class="smcap">Grosset & Dunlap</span>,       <span class="smcap">Publishers</span>,       <span class="smcap">New York</span></span></p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="transnote"> -<p class="ph1">TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:</p> - -<p>Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.</p> - -<p>Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.</p> - -<p>Archaic or variant spelling has been retained.</p> -</div></div> -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RIDDLE CLUB THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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