"White! Geewhillikins, Laurie, that makes it harder, doesn't it? We'd have to put on two coats!"

"Think so?" Laurie frowned. "I guess we would. That would take twice as long, eh? Look here; maybe-maybe I can get Polly to change her mind!"

"That's likely, you chump!" Ned scowled thoughtfully. Finally, "I tell you what," he said. "Suppose we went around there sometime, and talked with Mrs. Deane, and told her how nice we think blue looks and how sort of-of distinctive! Gee, it wouldn't be any trick at all to make it blue; but white-" He shook his head despondently.

"Cheer up!" said Laurie. "I've got the dope, partner! Listen. We'll tell them that it ought to be blue because blue's the school color and all that. Mrs. Deane thinks a heap of Hillman's, and she'll fall for it as sure as shooting. So'll Polly! Come on! Let's find George and get the thing started!"

"Better get Bob to go with us, too. He said something about wanting to pay his share of it, so we'd better let him in right from the start.

After all, we don't want to hog it, Laurie!"

A fortnight later the exodus came. Of the four-score lads who lived at Hillman's, all but eight took their departure that Wednesday morning, and Ned and Laurie and George watched the last group drive off for the station with feelings of genuine satisfaction. Life at school during the eleven days of recess promised to be busy and enjoyable, and they were eager to see the decks cleared, so to speak, and to start the new way of living. Ned and Laurie had had plenty of invitations for Christmas week.

Both Kewpie and Lee Murdock had earnestly desired their society at their respective homes, and there had been others less insistent but possibly quite as cordial invitations. But neither one had weakened. George half promised one of the boys to visit him for a few days after Christmas, but later he canceled his acceptance.

Besides George and the twins, there remained at school five other fellows who, because they lived at a distance and railway fares were high, or for other reasons, found it expedient to accept Doctor Hillman's hospitality. None of the five, two juniors, one lower middler, and two upper middlers, were known to the twins more than casually when recess began; but eating together three times a day and being thrown in one another's society at other times soon made the acquaintance much closer, and all proved to be decent, likable chaps.

Meals were served at a corner table in West Hall, and during recess there were seldom fewer than three of the faculty present. That may sound depressing, but in vacation-time an instructor becomes quite a human, jovial person, and the scant dozen around the table enjoyed themselves hugely. In the evening Doctor Hillman held open house, and Miss Tabitha showed a genius for providing methods of entertainment.

Sometimes they popped corn in the fireplace in the cozy living-room, sometimes they roasted apples. Once it was chestnuts that jumped on the hearth. Then, too, Miss Tabitha was a past mistress in the art of making fudge, and on two occasions Mr. Barrett, the mathematics instructor, displayed such a sweet tooth that the boys lost the last of their awe and "ragged" him without mercy. Several times the Doctor read aloud, choosing, to the boys' surprise, a corking detective novel that had them squirming on the edges of their chairs. Toward the last of the vacation, Laurie confided to Ned and George that he wished recess was just beginning.

To Ned's and Laurie's great disappointment, neither snow nor ice appeared and the weather remained merely briskly cold, with sometimes a day like Indian summer. But I am getting ahead of my story, which really comes to an end on Christmas Day.

More than a week before the closing of school, the four conspirators had finished their preparations for the task that was to provide the Widow Deane with a novel Christmas present. In Bob's cellar were many cans containing blue paint, white paint, linseed oil, and turpentine. There were brushes there, too, and a sc.r.a.per, and a roll of cotton rags provided by Polly. For, in the end, it had become necessary to acquaint Polly with the project. Against Bob's back fence reposed all the ladders, of varying lengths, that the neighborhood afforded. Wednesday evening Ned and Laurie and George herded the other boys into George's room, and explained the scheme and asked for volunteers. They got five most enthusiastic ones.

Nine o'clock the next morning was set as the time for the beginning of the work, and at that hour nine rather disreputably-attired youths appeared in Mrs. Deane's yard, arriving by way of the back fence, and began their a.s.sault. The first the Widow knew of what was happening was when, being then occupied with the task of tidying up the sleeping-room on the second floor, she was startled to see the head and shoulders of a boy appear outside her window. Her exclamation of alarm gave place to murmurs of bewilderment as the supposed burglar contented himself with lifting the two shutters from their hinges and pa.s.sing them down the ladder to some unseen accomplice. Mrs. Deane looked forth. In the garden was what at first glimpse looked like a convention of tramps. They were armed with ladders and brushes and pots of paint, and they were already very busy. Across two trestles set on the gra.s.s plot, the stolen shutters were laid as fast as they were taken down. One boy, flourishing a broad-bladed implement, sc.r.a.ped the rough surfaces. A second plied a big round brush, dusting diligently. Numbers three and four, as soon as the first two operatives retired, attacked with brushes dripping with white paint. In almost no time at all the first shutter was off the trestles and leaning, fresh and spotless, against the fence. Every instant another shutter appeared. Mrs. Deane gazed in fascinated amazement. One after another, she recognized the miscreants: the two Turner boys, George Watson, Mr. Starling's son, Hal Goring, the Stanton boy, and the rest; but, although recognition brought rea.s.surance, bewilderment remained, and she hurried downstairs as fast as ever she could go.

Polly was on the back porch, a very disturbed and somewhat indignant Towser in her arms, evidently a party to the undertaking, and to her Mrs. Deane breathlessly appealed.

"Polly! What are they doing?" she gasped.

"You'll have to ask the boys, Mama." Polly's eyes were dancing. "Nid, here's Mama, and she wants to know what you're doing!"

Nid hurried up, a dripping brush in one hand and a smear of white paint across one cheek, followed by Laurie. The others paused at their various tasks to watch smilingly.

"Painting the house, Mrs. Deane!"

"Painting the house! My house? Why-why-what-who-"

"Yes'm. There's the blue paint. It's as near like the old as we could find. You don't think it's too dark, do you?"

"But I don't understand, Nid Turner!" said Mrs. Deane helplessly. "Who told you to? Who's going to pay for it?"

"It's all paid for, ma'am. It-it's a sort of Christmas present from us-from the school. You-you don't mind, do you?"

"Well, I never did!" Mrs. Deane looked from Ned to Laurie, her mouth quivering. "I-I don't know what to say. I guess I'll-I'll go see if any one's-in the shop, Polly. Did you think you-heard the bell?" Mrs.

Deane's eyes were frankly wet as she turned hurriedly away and disappeared inside. Ned viewed Polly anxiously.

"Do you think she-doesn't like it?" he half whispered.

Polly shook her head and laughed softly, although her own eyes were not quite dry. "Of course she likes it, you stupid boy! She just didn't know what to say. She'll be back pretty soon, after she's had a little cry."

"Oh!" said Ned and Laurie in chorus, their faces brightening; and Laurie added apologetically: "Gee, we didn't want to make her cry, Polly!"

"That sort of a cry doesn't hurt," said Polly.

Afterward Mrs. Deane said a great deal, and said it very sweetly, and the boys got more or less embarra.s.sed, and were heartily glad when she drew Ned to her and kissed him, much to that youth's distress, and the incident ended in laughter. By noon the shutters were done, and nine industrious amateur painters were swarming over the back of the little house. I'm not going to tell you that the job was done as perfectly as Sprague and Currie, Painters and Paper-hangers, would have done it, but you're to believe that it was done much quicker and at a far greater saving of money! And when it was finished no one except a professional would ever have known the difference. Perhaps there was more blue and white paint scattered around the landscape than was absolutely necessary, and it always remained a mystery how Antoinette managed to get her right ear looking like a bit of Italian sky, for every one professed ignorance and Antoinette was apparently well protected from spatters. (It took Polly more than a week to restore the rabbit to her original appearance.)

When the early winter twilight fell and it became necessary to knock off work for the day, the blue painting was more than half done and, unless weather prevented, it was certain that the entire task would be finished by to-morrow evening. Mrs. Deane served five-o'clock tea,-only it happened to be four-o'clock tea instead,-and nine very, very hungry lads did full justice to the repast, and the little room behind the store held a merry party. Perhaps the prevailing odor of paint detracted somewhat from Mrs. Deane's and Polly's enjoyment of the refreshments, but you may be certain they made no mention of the fact.

That night the boys viewed the cloudy sky apprehensively. Laurie, who knew little about it, declared dubiously that it smelt like snow. But when morning came, although the cloudiness persisted most of the day, the weather remained kindly, with just enough frost in the air to chill feet and nip idle fingers and to give an added zest to labor. Very little time was wasted on luncheon, and at two o'clock the last slap of blue paint had been applied and the more difficult work of doing the white trim began. Fortunately, there were only eleven windows and two doors, and although "drawing" the sashes was slow and finicking work, with nine willing hands hard at it the end came shortly after dusk, when, watched by eight impatient companions, young Haskell, one of the junior cla.s.s boys, with trembling fingers drew his brush along the last few inches of a front window, and then, because he was quite keyed up and because it was much too dark to see well, celebrated the culmination of his efforts by putting a foot squarely into a can of white paint!

When first-aid methods had been applied, he was allowed, on promise to put only one foot to the floor, to accompany the rest inside and announce to a delighted and slightly tremulous Mrs. Deane that the work was completed. There was a real celebration then, with more piping-hot tea and lots of perfectly scrumptious cream-puffs,-besides less enticing bread-and-b.u.t.ter sandwiches,-and Mrs. Deane tried hard to thank the boys and couldn't quite do it, and Polly failed almost as dismally, and Laurie made a wonderful speech that no one understood very well, except for the general meaning, and nine flushed and very happy youths cheered long and loudly for Mrs. Deane, and finally departed merrily into the winter twilight, calling back many a "Merry Christmas"

as they went.

CHAPTER XXIII-THE SECRET Pa.s.sAGE

Christmas Day dawned clear and mild, a green Christmas if ever there was one. And yet, in spite of the absence of such traditional accompaniments as snow and ice, the spirit of the season was there in abundance. Ned and Laurie, wakening early to the sound of church bells, felt Christmasy right from the first conscious moment. When they hastened down the hall for their baths, they could hear George and Hal Goring on the floor below uniting in what they fondly believed was song. Later, at breakfast, beside a perfectly wonderful repast in which chicken and little crisp sausages and hot, crisp waffles played leading roles, the Doctor and Miss Tabitha had placed at each plate a Christmas card tied by a tiny blue ribbon to a diminutive painter's brush! Later on there was to be a tree in the Doctor's living-room. In fact, the tree was already there, and the boys had spent much of the preceding evening tr.i.m.m.i.n.g it and placing around its base inexpensive gifts of a joking nature for one another and the Doctor and Miss Tabitha and the two instructors who were there.

Laurie and Ned had exchanged presents with each other and had received several from home, not the least welcome of which was a check from their father. And they had bought small gifts for George and Bob. Also, though you needn't tell it around school, Laurie had purchased a most odoriferous and ornate bottle of perfume for Polly! So when, shortly after breakfast, Ned suggested that Laurie take Bob's present over to him, Laurie evinced entire willingness to perform the errand. That he carried not one gift but two in his pockets was, however, beyond Ned's knowledge. A cheerful whistling from the back of the house drew Laurie past the front entrance, and he found Bob, attired in any but festal garments, swinging open the bulkhead doors. A pair of old gray trousers and a disreputable brown sweater formed most of his costume. At sight of Laurie he gave a joyful whoop.

"Merry Christmas!" he called. "I was going over to see you in a minute.

Thomas is in bed with a cold or something, and I'm furnace-man and general factotle-"

"Factotum, you mean," laughed Laurie.

"All right! As you fellows say, what do I care? I don't own it. Now you're here, you can just give me a hand with this load of junk. Dad says it doesn't look shipshape for Christmas." Bob indicated more than a dozen paint-cans, empty, partly empty, or unopened, and a mess of brushes, paddles, and rags that they had set there last evening. "I suppose a lot of these might as well be thrown away, but we'll dump the whole caboodle down in the cellar for now."

"All right," agreed Laurie. "First, though, here's something that Ned and I thought you might like. It isn't anything much, you know, Bob; just a-a trinket."

"For me?" Bob took the little packet, and removed the paper and then the lid, disclosing a pair of silver cuff-links lying in a nest of cotton-wool. As Laurie said, they weren't much, but they were neat and the jeweler had made a very good job of the three plain block letters, R. D. S., that he had engraved on them. "Gee, they're corking!"

exclaimed Bob, with unmistakable sincerity. "I needed them, too, Nod. I lost one of a pair just the other day, and-"

"I know you did. That's why we got those."

"Well, I'm awfully much obliged. They're great. I've got a couple of little things upstairs for you chaps. They aren't nearly so nice as these, but I'll get 'em-"

"Wait till we finish this job," said Laurie. "Grab a handful and come on. Is Thomas very sick?"

"I guess not," replied Bob, as he followed the other down the steps. "He ate some breakfast, but aunt thought he'd better stay in bed. I had a great time with the furnace this morning. Got up at half-past six and shoveled coal to beat the band!"

"Where do you want to put these?" asked Laurie.

"Anywhere, I guess. Hold on; let's dump 'em on the shelves in the closet there. Then they'll be out of the way. Some day we'll clean the cans all out, and maybe we'll get enough to paint that arbor we're going to build. Here you are."

Bob led the way to a small room built against the rear wall of the big cellar. Designed for a preserve closet, its shelves had probably long been empty of aught save dust, and the door, wide open, hung from one hinge. It was some six feet broad and perhaps five feet deep, built of matched boards. Before Bob entered the cobwebby doorway with his load of cans, its only contents were an acc.u.mulation of empty preserve-jars in a wooden box set on the cement floor beneath a lower shelf at the back.

There were eight shelves across the rear wall, divided in the center by a vertical board into two tiers. Bob placed his load on a lower shelf and Laurie put his on the shelf above. As he drew away he noticed that the shelf appeared to have worked out from the boards at the back, and he gave it a blow on the edge with the flat of one hand. It slipped back into place, but, to his surprise, it came forward again an inch or two, and all the other shelves in that tier came with it!