Part 10 (1/2)

Miss Sarah was at the farther end of the room setting copies slowly, very slowly. She did not look up, and Miss Pike had no time to go and speak to her; the only thing she could do was to walk quietly up to the desk and ring the bell. That meant, ”Put up your books.” A strange order while a cla.s.s was reciting; but it was obeyed instantly.

”Star-spangled Banner,” said Miss Pike, calmly. She could see the little tongues of flame running along the ceiling now, but she looked as if she was thinking of nothing but music and waiting for Miss Sarah to pitch the tune. Miss Sarah dropped her pen and did it of course, wondering why; and all the sixty voices joined in it, clear and loud, as they had often done before; while in time to the music the whole sixty children marched in orderly file out of the room.

”_Now, run!_” cried Miss Pike, the moment the last child was in the entry, ”run and tell everybody the schoolhouse is on fire!”

She had a pail of water in her hand. The children rushed through the streets screaming; the bells began to ring; the Hilltop fire-engine came out; and all the people and horses and dogs in the village. But Miss Pike was the first to pour water on the flames, and everybody said it was she who saved the schoolhouse.

There was a black hole in the wall, and another in the roof; the books were, many of them, soaked and ruined; the floor an inch deep with water, and it would take a whole week to set things to rights. But the schoolhouse was saved.

”Why, how did it take fire?” asked Uncle Ben, who had been out of town and did not come back till all was over.

The boys looked another way, the twin cousins hung their heads. Aunt Charlotte did not answer. She was wondering which child would speak first.

It was Flaxie Frizzle. Her face was very pale, and her eyes were fixed on the carpet.

”We've got something _orful_ to tell you,” said she, her voice trembling; ”we baked our biscuits, and Johnny built a house out there with a stove-pipe in, and we oughtn't to taken any matches. You better believe we cried!”

”Well, well, you young rogues; so _you_ set the schoolhouse afire? And who saved it?”

”Miss Pike!” broke forth all the children in chorus.

”Yes,” said Johnny; ”but she marched us all out first, so the little ones wouldn't get burnt. Never said a word about the fire till we got out!”

”She always does things just right. She's one of G.o.d's girls,” cried Freddy.

”Yes,” broke in Flaxie, strongly excited; ”I don't care if I can't see her soul. I've seen it s.h.i.+ne! Oh, it's beautiful to be homely!”

n.o.body smiled--they all thought Flaxie was right.

”Yes, it is beautiful to be homely in just Miss Pike's way,” said Aunt Charlotte.

And then they went out to supper, and, as the twin cousins looked broken-hearted, nothing more was said about the house that Jack built.

”Oh, Flaxie, _do_ you s'pose we've suffered enough?” asked little Milly that night after they had said their prayers and were lying in bed looking at the pure soft moonlight which shone on the far-away hills.

”I don' know. I feel as if I had a pain, don't you? Oh dear!”

”Yes, that's just the way I feel; a pain way in deep,” replied Milly, heaving a sorrowful sigh. ”And I ought to, I'm glad of it.”

”Glad, Milly Allen? How queer! Why, _I_ don't like to feel bad!”

”I don't either,” said Milly, sitting up in bed and speaking very earnestly. ”But don't you 'member what Auntie Prim said that time we ran away from the party? She said children ought to suffer for their naughtiness; it's the only way they can learn to behave better.”

”Well, any way,” said Flaxie, rolling her eyes uneasily, ”'twas Johnny that put in the stove-pipe, and he ought to feel the worst. I'm going to ask Preston about that, see 'f I don't.”

Two days after this Flaxie went home, and her little frizzled head was not seen at Hilltop any more till the next December. Then her dear Grandma Gray had rheumatic fever, and though Flaxie pitied her all she could, she made too much noise in the house, and had to be sent away.

But I will tell you about that in the next chapter.

CHAPTER VII.