"But suppose she had 'gone in' moderately for athletics when she was my age?" suggested Laura.

"There were no such things in either the private or public schools at that time, my dear," said the old gentleman, shaking his head. "They had what they called 'calisthenic drills'; but I guess they did not pay much attention to them, after all. Poor Mabel was always nervous-little things annoyed her so dreadfully. And that is why the screeching of those girls annoys her now," added Colonel Swayne, with a quickening note of anger in his voice. "And it's got to be stopped."

"Oh, please don't say that, Colonel!" begged Laura. "I-I hoped you would be interested in our work in time, and help us. We need so many things, you know!"

"Want my help, do you?" demanded the old gentleman, grimly. "And my daughter not able to sleep for weeks!"

"But, Colonel! we are not on the field at night."

"And she doesn't sleep at all at night. Why, she hasn't had a night's sleep in weeks upon weeks. But sometimes she is able to just lose herself in the afternoon. I allow n.o.body to come to the house, and the servants move about within doors in felt slippers. I do everything not to disturb her-and here you crazy young-ones are raising particular Sam Hill out there in that open lot!"

Under other circ.u.mstances Laura would have been tempted to laugh at the old gentleman's heat. But she knew that he felt for his daughter very deeply-although Laura believed, with the other neighbors, that if Mrs.

Kerrick would rouse herself, she could shake off much of her nervous disorder.

"Hasn't she been attended by Dr. Agnew?" asked Laura patiently.

"Oh, the Doc doesn't seem to realize how sick she is," grunted Colonel Swayne, "He does not give her enough of his attention. I feel sometimes that she ought to have some younger and more up-to-date pract.i.tioner attend her. Agnew thinks she makes her case out worse than it is."

"But if she cannot sleep--"

"And that's another thing. He will not give her anything to make her sleep. Says her heart is too weak to stand it. But the truth is, Doc does not believe in giving drugs much. You know how he is," said the Colonel, finding himself-to his secret surprise-talking to this young girl as though she were grown up!

"But isn't it because she sleeps in the daytime that she cannot sleep at night?" asked Laura, thoughtfully.

"Great heavens! she can't sleep in the daytime with you girls yelling like fiends right next door," cried the Colonel, going back to the subject of his exasperation.

"Now, Colonel! we don't yell like fiends," declared Laura, in a little heat herself. "You know we don't. And we are only there after half past three and until half past five-and sometimes from seven o'clock until dark. And so far the athletic field has been open but four afternoons a week."

"By Jove, though! You make yourselves a nuisance when you _are_ there,"

declared the Colonel.

"We don't mean to, I can a.s.sure you. And if your daughter cannot sleep save during the hours when we can go to the field, I believe the girls would all be willing to make concessions of their time. You surely mean that Mrs. Kerrick is suffering from insomnia?"

"I should say she was," sighed the Colonel. "The last time we had a thunderstorm was-when?"

"Why, we have scarcely any this season. You know for weeks not a drop of rain has fallen. Our lawn is suffering."

"Mine, too," grunted the Colonel. "But that isn't the point. The last night's sleep she had was when we had that thunderstorm. The doctor told us she would sleep better if she removed her bed to the top floor so that she could hear the patter of rain on the roof. She has a big room at the back of the house and not only is the roof right over her head, but the tin roof of the extension is right under her windows. But, since she moved up there, there hasn't been a shower, either day or night! And no prospect of one, so the papers say-what's the matter with you?"

For Laura showed that she was startled and she looked up into his face very earnestly. "Oh, Colonel Swayne!" she murmured.

"What's the matter now?" he demanded.

"Do you really believe she could sleep naturally again if there were thunderstorms at night? Do you really believe it?"

"Why-yes. I know it to be a fact, Miss Laura. And so does the doctor.

With my daughter it is a proven fact. Even when she was a girl she could always sleep calmly if the rain pattered on the roof. There's nothing more soothing for the nervous patient."

"Then, Colonel, I've got an idea!" gasped Laura.

"I hope it is as good an idea as that one you had the day the man got caught on St. Cecelia's steeple," laughed the Colonel.

"It is as good a one," declared Laura, very earnestly.

"Do you mean something about Mrs. Kerrick?" he asked, more eagerly.

"Yes, sir. Something to help her sleep."

"Have you got influence enough with the weather bureau to bring a storm when none is forecast?" he asked, rather whimsically.

"It will amount to the same, sir. I want to try. May I?"

"I don't know what you mean, Miss Laura,"

"I know you don't; but if you'll just be patient and wait until this evening-after supper-I'll show you. Let my brother and me and-yes!-one of his chums, come over to your house. We three will be enough. What time does Mrs. Kerrick retire?"

"Why, she usually goes to bed early."

"Then tell her nothing about our coming. _Can_ we come, Colonel?"

"Why-why-surely! But I don't understand."

"You will, sir, when we arrive. I'll tell you all about it then. We'll be there about dark," promised Laura, and she darted away through a side street, running hard, she was so much in earnest and had so much to do in preparation for the performance she had in mind.

CHAPTER XXII-STAGING A THUNDERSTORM

Somewhere Laura Belding had read of this very thing!

But the idea that Dr. Agnew approved of Mrs. Kerrick sleeping where she could hear the patter of rain drops gave incentive to Laura's thought and set her about following out the idea that had first flashed across her mind.

She found Chet and Lance hard at work cleaning the automobile. That was as much fun for them as it would have been for Laura and Jess to go to a party. Laura took her brother and Lance into her confidence instantly.

At first Chet was inclined to pooh-pooh the idea; but Lance, loyal to Laura, fell in with her plan instantly. And by and by Chet came around, and said he would aid his sister in carrying through what he termed "a crazy idea."

They had to take Mr. and Mrs. Belding into their confidence at the supper table, for they had to get permission to use the car that evening. Mrs. Belding was somewhat doubtful of Laura's scheme, and called it "an escapade." But her father was always an easy captive to his oldest daughter's whimsies, and he cheered her idea enthusiastically.

"And besides," said Chet, slily, "Laura is trying to rope in the old Colonel and make him cough up for the girls' athletic field. I know her!"

"Chetwood!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed his mother. "Is it proper to speak of your sister as a 'roper in'-as though she were a female cowboy? And why should the Colonel contract a bronchial affection for the sake of the girls'

athletics?"

The family a.s.sembled had to laugh at this; but Chet was somewhat abashed, too.

"Don't be so hard on a fellow, Mother," he begged. "I can't remember to shift languages when I come into your presence-it is just impossible. To talk Americanese outside the house and stilted English within-well, it's just impossible. I'm sure to get my wires crossed-there I go again!"