The Corner House Girls at School
passages and corridors of the old Corner House. Deep shadows lay in certain corners
room. He wanted to get square with Agnes, whom he
rom the outside Neale could easily have identified the girls' room. He had seen A
He did not know that he had been put to sleep in another wing from that in which the girls' rooms
his was more brilliantly lighted by the electric lamp on the street. He stepped li
rls sleep, I bet!" whi
as a little rustling sound wi
he thick, hard variety known in New England as "Boston" crackers. He
cker through the open transom. There was a slig
ng was repeated, and Neale kept up the bombardment believing that, although
e all discharged. Not a sound now from the bombarded quarters. Chuckling, Ne
of the house, he spied a candle wit
ant out here, Neal
ll of tickle over his jok
hat smart sister of yours in
smart s
, Ag
t h
de his bed. "Nobody but Aggie would be up to such a trick, I know," c
Ruth, in dismay. "Whe
and Neale pointed. "Isn't that
h, awe-struck. "What have you done, N
n in. Her candle but dimly revealed the apartment; but it ga
h reached almost to the rag carpet that covered the floor. A cracker crunched under Ruth's slipper-shod foot.
r of the counterpane and peered under. A pair of bare heels were r
Sarah! do come o
lady. "This rickety old shebang is a-fallin' to piec
hen she remembered Neale and knew if she told the s
pick up the crackers. She collected most of them that were whole easily
er the far side of the bed. She was ready to retire,
she explained that the first missile had landed upon her h
nother landed in the small of my back, and I went over into that corner. But pieces of the ceil
poor, dea
in' down, this ain't no place fo
urged Ruth. "But if you'd li
been aired in a dog's age?" sna
leep with me? Aggie can go
re there ain't no
sitive,
But I allus told Peter this old place was bound t
ll asleep. Then the girl scrambled for the remainder of the broken
he top step of the front stai
t me savage enough to bite, at supper. What's she going to
th, overcome with laug
there. I was giving Aggie her
room. Agnes had had nothing to do with it. "I guess the joke is
t terrible
t know what she'll say to-morrow when she
f her windows was dropped down half way from the top. She was sure that some "rascally boy" outside (she glared at Neale
en--" She shook her head grimly and
to make peace with Aunt Sarah. It would have been
Neale about it unmercifully, and he showed himself to be better-n
he old Corner House were busy ones indeed. School would open th
out cobwebs, and the first and second floors of the ol
ttens in search of mice. As for the great garret that ran the full width of the front of the house, that had been cleaned so recently (
f of inestimable value in the work in hand. Uncle Rufus was saved many a groan by t
ernoon, chattering like magpies, when suddenly Neale O'Neil s
" demanded he. "Is it a
ribbon!" g
is Alfredia Blossom. And what a great bow of ribbon sh
use afire," comm
ace was recognizable under the fl
other, Petunia Blossom, washes for us, and Alfredi
s tied in front at the roots of her kinky hair into a bow, the wi
in at the side gate, drawin
ie? How-do, Tessie and Dottie? Yo
Alfredia," proclaimed
said Alfredia, rolling her
know?" asked Ag
ear, honey. Got ter look mighty fe
t bow on your head?" giggled Agne
' red sash-bow up da
peated Ruth. "Why do you w
anter, Mis
y do you
will look
ut Ruth pursued her inquiry. She wish
olks to look at yo
n' dey is Mammy's shoes, anyway. Do you 'spects I kin git by
let the colored girl go away without a pair of half-worn f
we can afford to give some away," sighed Agnes.
to breakfast with a most woebegone face, and tenderly caressing her jaw. Sh
" she wailed, when she
rnestly. "That tooth is just a little wab
u touch it!"
was reaching for some more butte
lest Kenway; "it just jumps
and go with sister to th
thie! I can't
nd it, and you pull it out yourself
he back fence into Mr. Murphy's premises and obtained a waxed-end of the cobbler. This, he
nd it's all over!
ore, and the nerve telegraphed a sense of acute pain to Dot'
her end of that waxed-end to a doorknob, and sit down and wait. Somebod
gasp
" urged Agnes. "I'm afraid
eel very badly. She betook herself to another part
behind, Dot?" whispered Tess. "I
now. And I don't want to know who is going t
take a hassock, put it behind the sitting-room door that was seldom opened, and after tyi
in at the windows, the bees buzzed, and Dot grew drowsy. Fina