Rosalie did not know that the
teacher was to leave Tinkletown surreptitiously until after the
spelling-bee. The sly, blushing announcement came as a shock, but she
was loyal to her friend, and not a word in exposure escaped from her
lips. Of course, she knew nothing of the sensational developments that
followed the uncalled-for flight of Elsie Banks.
Shortly after the supper dishes had been cleared away Rosalie came
downstairs and announced that she was going over to read to old Mrs.
Luce, who was bedridden. Her guardian's absence was not explained to
her, and she did not in the least suspect that he had been away all day
on a fool's errand. Roscoe and Bud accompanied her to Mrs. Luce's front
door, heavily bound by promises to hold their tongues regarding Miss
Banks.
"We left her there at old Mis' Luce's," related Roscoe, "an' then went
over to Robertson's Pond to skate. She tole us to stop in fer her about
nine o'clock, didn't she, Bud? Er was it eight?" He saw the necessity
for accuracy.
"Ten," corrected Bud deliberately.
"Well, pop, we stopped fer her, an'--an'--"
"Stop yer blubberin', Roscoe," commanded Anderson as harshly as he
could.
"An' got her," concluded Roscoe. "She put on her shawl an' mittens an'
said she'd run us a race all the way home. We all got ready to start
right in front of old Mis' Luce's gate.
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