“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.