Highacres

g-rock. She could not have found a moment in which to be homesick; twice a week she wrote back to Sweetheart and Little-Dad long scrawly letters that would have disgraced her in the eyes of Miss G

e to Jerry, Cicero was like a beautiful old friend, Gyp was with her in English and history, Ginny Cox was in one of her class

iled to fascinate Jerry; the jolly recess, breaking the school session, when the girls gathered around

retches? Perhaps he had liked that picture; perhaps, to him, his halls were echoing even then to the hum of young voices; perhaps he had felt that these young live

they had to find in the library. Gyp hated to study; the drowsy stillness of the room was broken by th

et's stop. We can ask m

She, too, had found it hard to hold her

--let's go exploring. There are all t

ls and tools and little piles of rubbish, poking inquisitive noses into every corner. Now and then Gyp stopped to ask a workman a few questions. They stumbled around in th

uld see yourself," laughed Gyp a

dirty, too," J

use these rooms. Let's play hide-and-seek. I'll blind and count twenty and you hide and we must

e knew it--to find an opportunity for "fun" in the most unpromising circumstances. No one but Gyp could have known what fun it would be to play hide-a

in the wall at a turn in the corridor. As she rested her face against her arm she felt the picture move ever so slightly under

g-place in a twinkling. "Look--what I did!" Jerry felt as though

erry Travis, it's a secret door!" She put her head through the narrow opening. "Je

so that the girls could make out the narrow winding steps. They wer

Jerry, l

e you----" Jerry suddenly remembered

e panel--there, like that. I'll go first." She l

push and to their amazement the gir

sts of books, piles of magazines and papers, an attic room in any house. The October sunshine filtered in thin bars through the dust-stained windows, cobwebs festooned themselves fantastically overhead. The opening that led t

ecided Gyp, scowling at what she mentally called the "junk"

offer no e

ought to te

w that that imposing portrait of George Washington hid a secret door? Why,

ile. I guess I'm a Westley and I have a right to come up

at and plumped down upon it so hard that it sent a little cloud of dust

hen passed into school history. One of these was the Sphinxes. They were annoyingly mysterious and dark rumors were current that their antics, if known, would not meet, in the least, the approval of

meant to suggest a society that would be like the Sphinxes only in that it was secret. She could not be on

et society that'll stand ready to serve Lincoln with their very live

urse, that Gyp's sugg

ln School forever and ever and we'll have spreads and it'll be such fun ma

Jerry, ashamed that she coul

on't be at all. And a crawly snake is such a dreadful symbol and it's

rls shal

es. They were all girls who wer

e ask Gi

She'd be fun but she's too chummy with Mary Sta

y thought, but she wished Ginn

n? Swear, Jerauld Travis, that burning

n the stairway, moved George Washington carefully back into

ew order. And after the close of school eight pupils elected to remain indoors, ostensibly to study; eight heads bent diligently over the long oak table in the library until a safe passage into the deserted halls above was assured. Then Gyp and Jerry led the new Ravens to the secret door where, in a sepulchr

itself to protect and serve the spirit of Lincoln; then, having dis

turns brin

en shall

es tarts on Tuesday and maybe I can coax her to

is in the gym. then and

es and forks and thing

ident and a

resident." Gyp's

se you ought to be. And Jerry can be secreta

let's each bring a knife,

ouetted on her toes in a most unpa

next Wednesday," declared P

to an end the first meeting of the Ravens. After a merry half-hour they tiptoed down the secret stairway, George Washington went back

to Jerry. She brought one hand, with a little downward, spiral movement

secret sign you

Gyp, putting her spoon in her

y, I'll bet," put in Grah

m's teasing could disturb her. She smile

eautiful dignity. "We're not a society that's organized just for fun!" Which was, of cour

ared, with a withering scorn that

r found a moment in

table at Isobel, "that 'cause you have w

to hold back her anger. "Mother, I should think

ou should have heard Don Blacke in geom. class to-day. He got up and said: 'Two triangles are equal if two sides