TRIX SEVERN IN PERIL
That cold spell in January was a long one. The young folk of Milton had plenty of sledding, and some skating. But the snow-ice on Milton Pond was "hubbly" and not nice to skate on, while there were only a few patches of smooth ice anywhere in town.
Therefore the boys never failed to flood the interior of the snow castle each night before they went home. They did this easily by means of a short piece of fire-hose attached to the nearby hydrant.
Taking pattern of this idea, Neale O 'Neil made a small pond for the two youngest Corner House girls in the big garden at the rear of the house. Here Tess could practise skating to her heart's content, and even Dot essayed the art.
But the latter liked better to be drawn about on her sled, with the Alice-doll in her arms, or perhaps one of the cats.
Bungle, Dot's own particular pet among Sandyface's children, was now a great lazy cat; but he was gentle. Dorothy could do anything with him—and with Popocatepetl, as well.
One day the doctor's wife came to call at the old Corner House. The doctor and his wife were a childless couple and that was why, perhaps, they both had developed such a deep interest in the four girls who made the old Stower homestead so bright and lively.
Dr. Forsyth never met Dot on the street with the Alice-doll without stopping to ask particularly after the latter's health. He said he felt himself to be consultant in general and family physician for all Dot's brood of doll-babies, for the Kenway sisters were far too healthy to need his attention in any degree.
"If all my customers were like you girls," he declared, in his jovial way, "I'd have to take my pills and powders to another shop."
Ruth knew that Mr. Howbridge had insisted at first that Dr. Forsyth "look over" the Corner House girls, once in so often. But just for himself, she was always glad to see the doctor's ruddy, smiling face approaching. The girls were all fond of Mrs. Forsyth, too, for she did not come professionally. On the occasion referred to, Mrs. Forsyth was ushered by Mrs. MacCall, quite unexpectedly, into the back parlor, or sitting-room, which the family used a good deal nowadays.
The lady had been out for an airing in the doctor's two-seated sleigh and she brought in with her a cunning little Pomeranian dog of which she was very fond.
It was a pretty, harmless little beast and the Corner House girls thought Tootsie awfully cunning. Other members of the household did not look upon the Pomeranian, however, in the same light.
Dot was apparently the single occupant of the sitting-room when Mrs. Forsyth bustled in. "I'll tell the girls," Mrs. MacCall said, briskly, and she shut the visitor into the room, for on this cold day the big front hall was draughty.
Mrs. Forsyth put the Pomeranian down at once and advanced toward the register. "Well, my dear!" she cried, seeing Dot. "How do you do, child? Come give Auntie Forsyth a kiss. I declare! I get hungry for little girl's kisses, so few of them come my way."
"Goodness! what have you there?"
For what she had supposed to be two gaily dressed dolls sitting side by side upon the sofa behind Dot, had suddenly moved. Mrs. Forsyth was a little near-sighted, anyway, and now she was without her glasses, while her eyes were watering because of the cold.
"Why," said Dot, in a most matter-of-fact way, "it's only Bungle and Popocatepetl."
"Popo——who?" gasped Mrs. Forsyth, at that amazing name.
Dot repeated it. She had learned to pronounce it perfectly and was rather proud of the accomplishment.
There was another movement on the sofa. The two cats were dressed in doll clothes, and their activities were somewhat restricted, but they had sensed the presence of the dog the instant it had come into the room.
"Oh! oh!" cried Dot, suddenly. "Bungle! you be good. Petal! don't you dare move!"
The cheerful little dog, quite unsuspicious of harm, had trotted after its mistress. Despite the clinging doll clothes, the tails of Bungle and Popocatepetl swelled, their backs went up, and they began to spit!
"Tootsie!" screamed the doctor's wife in alarm.
Dot shouted at the cats, too, but neither they, nor the dog, were in a mood to obey. The Pomeranian was too scared, and Bungle and Popocatepetl were too angry.
Tootsie saw her enemies just as the cats leaped. Hampered by the garments Dot had put upon them, both Bungle and Popocatepetl went head-over-heels when they first landed on the floor, and with a frightened "ki, yi!" Tootsie distanced them to the far end of the room.
There was no cover there for the terrified pup, and when the two cats—clawing at the dresses and threatening vengeance—came after the dog, Tootsie tried to crawl under the three-sided walnut "whatnot" that stood in the corner between the windows.
The whatnot was shaky, having only three short, spindle legs. Tootsie darted under and then darted out again. Bungle got in one free-handed slap at the little dog as she went under, while Popocatepetl caught her on the rebound as Tootsie came out.
The long, silky hair of the dog saved her from any injury. But she was so scared that she yelped as though the claws of both cats had torn her.
"Oh! my poor Tootsie!" wailed the doctor's wife. "They will kill her."
Dot stood, open mouthed. She could not quench the fury of the angered cats.
"That—that's my Alice-doll's next-to-best dress, Bungle!" she managed to say. "You're tearing it! you're tearing it!"
Just then the door opened. Uncle Rufus came tottering in with the feather duster. The old man's rheumatism still troubled him and he was not steady on his feet.
Tootsie saw a way of escape. She darted between Uncle Rufus' legs, still yelping as loudly as she could.
"Wha' fo' dat? wha' fo' dat?" ejaculated Uncle Rufus, and he fell back against the door which closed with a slam. If Tootsie had possessed a long tail it certainly would have been caught.
"Git erway f'om yere, you pesky cats!" shouted Uncle Rufus as Bungle and Popocatepetl charged the door on the trail of the terrified dog.
"Oh, dear me! Don't let them out," begged Dot, "till I can get my doll's clothes off."
"My poor Tootsie!" cried Mrs. Forsyth again.
"Hush yo'! hush yo'!" said Uncle Rufus, kindly. "Dar's a do' shet 'twixt dat leetle fice an' dem crazy cats. Dar's sho' nuff wot de papahs calls er armerstice 'twixt de berlig'rant pahties—ya-as'm! De berry wust has happen' already, so yo' folkses might's well git ca'm—git ca'm."
The old colored man's philosophy delighted the doctor's wife so much that she had to laugh. Yet she was not wholly assured that Tootsie was not hurt until the older girls had trailed the Pomeranian under the bed in one of the chambers. She had only been hurt in her feelings.
The cats could not seem to calm down either, and Uncle Rufus had to hold one after the other while Dot removed what remained of the doll's clothes, in which she had decked out her favorites.
"I guess I don't want cats for doll-babies any more," Dot said, with gravity, examining a scratch on her plump wrist, after supper that evening. "They don't seem able to learn the business—not good."
Agnes laughed, and sing-songed:
"Cats delight
To scratch and bite,
For 'tis their nature to;
But pretty dolls
With curly polls,
Have something else to do."
"I think our Aggie is going to be a poetess," said Tess, to Ruth, secretly. "She rhymes so easy!"
"I'd rather have her learn to pick up her things and put them properly away," said Ruth, who was trying to find her own out-door clothing on the back hall rack. "My goodness! everything I put my hand on belongs to Agnes."
"That's because I'm rich," returned Agnes cheerfully. "For once in my life I have a multitude of clothes," and she started off, cheerfully whistling and swinging her skates. Ruth had almost to run to catch up with her before she struck across into the Parade.
The weather had moderated that day, and at noon the gutters were flooded and the paths ran full streams. The boys, however, had pronounced the ice in the snow castle to be in fine shape.
"Perhaps this will be the last night we can skate there," Ruth said as they tramped along the Parade walk, side by side.
"Oh, I hope not!" cried Agnes.
"But Neale says the weight of the towers and the roof of the castle will maybe make the walls slump right down there, if it begins to thaw."
"Oh! I don't believe it," said Agnes, who did not want to believe it. "It looks just as strong!"
They could see the gaily illuminated snow castle through the branches of the leafless trees. The fiery star above it and the lights below shining through the ice-windows, made it very brilliant indeed.
"Well," Ruth said, with a sigh, "if the boys say it isn't safe, we mustn't go in to-night, Agnes."
There were only a few young folk already assembled about the castle when the Corner House girls arrived. A man in a blue uniform with silver buttons, had just come out of the castle with Joe Eldred and Neale O'Neil.
"I don't know whether it's safe, or not," the fireman was saying. "Give me a frame building, and I can tell all right and proper. But I never ran to a fire in a snowhouse, and I don't know much about them—that's a fact," and he laughed.
Neale looked serious when he walked over to the two Corner House girls.
"What's the matter, Sir Lachrymose?" demanded Agnes, gaily.
"I believe the further wall of this snowhouse has slumped," he said. "Maybe there is no danger, but I don't know."
"Oh, nobody will go in, of course," Ruth cried.
"Sure they will, Ruth. Don't be a goose," said Agnes, sharply.
"I certainly will not," her sister said. "It was real warm this noon and maybe the house is just tottering. Isn't that so, Neale?"
"I don't know," said the boy. "Wish I did."
"Let's go in and find out," said Agnes, the reckless.
"Wait," drawled Neale. "I'd rather find out, out here than in there—especially if the thing is coming down."
"There goes Trix Severn—and Wilbur Ketchell," said Agnes, rather crossly. "They're going to risk it."
"Let them go, Aggie," said Neale. "I'm not going into that place until I'm sure."
"Nor am I," Ruth announced, with emphasis.
"Well, I don't see——" Agnes began, when Neale exclaimed:
"Wait. Joe's stopped them."
Eldred had interfered when Trix and her escort started into the snow castle. The Corner House girls and Neale drew near.
"I don't care!" Trix was saying in her loud voice. "I'm going to skate. Oh! don't bother to tell me it isn't safe, Joe Eldred. You just want to keep me off the ice."
She was already sitting on a rough bench that had been drawn there by the boys, and Wilbur was putting on her skates.
"You always do know it all, Trix," Joe said, sharply, "but I advise you to go slow——"
The obstinate girl stood up as Wilbur finished with the last strap. She laughed in Joe's face.
"You make me tired, Joe Eldred," she observed, and without waiting for further parley she shot away into the otherwise empty castle.
"Oh! why didn't you stop her?" cried Ruth, anxiously.
"I'd like to see anybody stop that girl," growled Joe.
"She's as reckless as she can be," said Neale.
"Aw, say!" exclaimed Wib, as they called young Ketchell, "is the roof really unsafe?"
"We don't know," Neale said, in a worried tone. Then suddenly there was a sharp crack from inside the snow castle.
"Crickey! it's coming down!" exclaimed Wilbur.
"What was that, Neale?" demanded Joe Eldred.
"That pillar's gone!" exclaimed Neale O'Neil, pointing to one of the wooden supports by which the roof of planks and snow was partly upheld.
On the tail of his declaration there was another crash and a second support, farther down the hall, was splintered.
"The roof's coming down, Trix! Come back! come back!" shrieked Agnes.
Trix was at the far end. She had turned swiftly and they could see her face. The wooden supports giving way between her and the exit frightened the reckless girl immeasurably.
"Come back, Trix!" Ruth added her cry to her sister's.
The electric lights began to quiver. The whole mass of the roof must be sagging down. Ketchell kicked off his skates and picked them up, preparatory to getting out of the way.
And perhaps it was just as well that he had showed no heroism. Had he skated in for the girl, he could not have aided her in any way.
Trix started for the front of the snow castle. They saw her stoop forward and put on speed, and then—in a flash—the middle of the roof settled and crashed to the floor—and the sound of the wreck almost deafened the onlookers!