The Orchard Secret Page 25

  CHAPTER XXV Arden Is Convinced

  Silence--a somewhat stunned and portentous silence--followed the dean'sexplanation and remarks. Then a buzz of talk began. It spread all throughthe room, for the orchard mystery had grown to greater proportions thanthe faculty of Cedar Ridge had believed.

  Arden secured the attention of Sim, who was excitedly talking to Terry,and propounded this:

  "Do you seriously think that what Tiddy said just now is true? Or, atleast, do you think it is a logical explanation? It sounds fishy to me.If it was a ram that hurt Tom Scott and the chaplain, the beast plannedhis attacks with almost human cleverness."

  "Oh, I don't know," Sim answered. "I suppose it's possible----"

  "But not probable," Arden interrupted.

  "Oh, let's forget about it," suggested Sim.

  "I wonder," thought Arden as they finished lunch and walked from thedining room to the sun-flooded campus, "I wonder if Sim is going to doanything about the pool? She didn't seem much interested in the way thedean solved the mystery."

  "What do you think?" inquired Terry. "Aren't you satisfied, Arden, withthe dean's statement?"

  "It satisfies me, Arden, m'sweet!" drawled Sim. "I find this sun verysatisfying, too," she went on as she stretched her arms high above herhead and ran her fingers through her thick hair.

  "You, also, Terry?" inquired Arden.

  "Yes," Terry answered. "You'll have to look further for doubters of thedean." She threw herself down on the warm grass and opened her Latingrammar for a last look before class.

  Arden stood over her chums in uncertainty, for now Sim had joined Terryon the grass. The sun was bright, the sky unclouded and of a deep blue.Arden pulled her bright red sweater down lower over her tweed skirt andadjusted a small scarf about her neck. Cedar Ridge was not a particularly"dressy" college, nor did it have a reputation for displaying on itscampus carelessly dressed students. Rather a happy medium was struck.High heels were out of place. One could not make a swift last-minute dashup the boardwalk to Bordmust Hall in open pumps, as several girls hadfound out to their sorrow.

  Arden and her chums dressed in sports clothes, topped, usually, by theinevitable mortar-boards. Now that hazing was over, the college settleddown to a peaceful routine, with not so much stress on the poor freshmen.

  "Well," Arden finally remarked, "I must say you girls show very little ofthe stuff which made our country the great place it is today. You have nocuriosity. That's your trouble!"

  "My trouble is not enough sleep," murmured Sim drowsily.

  "Latin will be the death of me," declared Terry.

  "Then I'll leave you to yourselves," announced Arden, turning away. "I'moff to see what I can see."

  "Not mad, are you?" questioned Sim.

  "No, just curious." Arden was soon beyond talking distance.

  She was a little surprised, though she would not let Sim or Terry knowit, that they took the dean's explanation so calmly and believingly.

  "For my part," reasoned Arden to herself, "I'm going to find out if anold black ram really caused all the scares and trouble."

  Once her mind was made up, Arden acted quickly. Her next class was anhour away. There was time enough, she knew, as she swung off in thedirection of the orchard. She went in through the hedge entrance. It wasdark and gloomy there, even with the sun shining, and for a moment thegirl hesitated. But she kept on, and was soon in the grove of gnarled andfantastic trees. The sun was shining down through their twisted branchesand glinting on the vari-hued apples. Arden drew in a deep breath of atangy perfume.

  She picked up a red and yellow apple, wiped it off on her skirt, and bitinto it. Distinctly it was good. She walked on farther. All was serene.There was no ram, no sign of a ram, though Arden did not really expect tofind one roaming about. But she did think she might see the marks of thebeast's feet. But she saw none.

  "And there's no one lying here unconscious and injured by any blackbeast," said Arden smiling a little at her conceit. She walked over to acorner where stood a shed in which were kept barrels and ladders for theharvesting of the apples. It was nearly time for the harvest now.

  The door, that had been taken off for use as a stretcher the night thechaplain had been attacked, had been replaced. The door swung open, andArden had a glimpse inside the shed of various farm implements.

  "Ho, hum!" she yawned. "I guess the girls and the dean were right.There's no use trying to find anything different. I shall have to admit Iwas wrong, and I don't want to, for really I don't believe in that ramstory. If I could only find something else to bear out my theory."

  She was looking around the orchard, gazing toward distant corners forsomething she could investigate when she was startled by a rustle ofdried leaves caused by some feet pattering rapidly among them. There werea whistling snort and a loud sniff.

  Arden wheeled about and screamed in terror.

  Rushing straight at her, with lowering head and menacing horns curved inthe typical design of such creatures, was an immense black ram. Theanimal must have been hiding behind a tree. Attracted by Arden's presencein the orchard, and perhaps incensed by her red sweater, it had come togive battle.

  Snorting in rage, like a miniature bull, and scattering the leaves withhis pounding feet, the ram was coming on, Arden thought, like an expresstrain. For one wild moment she felt resentful against the dean who hadsaid the beast was now securely penned. Then Arden turned and made a jumpfor the tool shed.

  She got inside just in time, pulling the door after her. And a momentlater the whole structure was shaken as the ram butted his horns againstthe thin portal.

  "Oh, my gosh!" gasped Arden. And as there followed a moment of silenceand inaction on the part of the creature, she saw a hook on the inside ofthe door and slipped it into the staple.

  Then came another butting attack on the door.

  "He'll break it in!" cried Arden, her heart beating fast. "It isn't verystrong. Oh, what shall I do? What shall I do?"

  The ram was snorting, puffing, and blowing outside the shed. Arden couldhear him pawing in the dried leaves. Then for the third time he rushedwith those heavy curved horns at the barrier which kept him from thehuman he wanted to attack.

  "No wonder Tom Scott and the chaplain were hurt with such a creature asthat rushing at them!" gasped Arden. "Oh, dear! I wish I'd taken thedean's word. It's a ram all right. A terrible ram!"

  She wondered if a human voice in command would have any effect on thecreature. She would try.

  "Go away! Get out of here!" she ordered through a crack in the door. Shewaited. She heard nothing. Perhaps the beast had gone. She loosed thehook a little, making a crack wide enough out of which she could look.The ram hadn't gone. He was balefully eyeing the shed from a littledistance, and when he saw the door move again he lowered his head andbutted it harder than before.

  "Oh, this is awful!" groaned Arden. "I guess I'll have to stay in hereuntil he goes away or falls asleep. I suppose rams do sleep, sometimes.This is what I get for doubting Tiddy. I wonder if there is a back doorthat I could sneak out of while he's butting the front one?"

  But there was no rear exit, as Arden discovered when she peered throughthe jumble of ladders, barrels, and tools. Sheds aren't usually builtwith two doors.

  There was nothing to be done but to wait for a rescue or until the ramshould get weary of the siege and raise it.

  "When the girls find out about this they'll have the laugh on me allright!" Arden ruefully mused.

  The ram was quiet again, but Arden thought it useless again to give anyorders or to tantalize the brute by partly opening the door. Time waspassing. It was getting late. She would soon be due at her class. If shedid not appear, her chums might think something had happened to her andstart a search.

  "But I didn't tell them where I was going," Arden reflected. "They don'tknow where to start looking, and they'll never imagine I came to theorchard after all that's happened.

  "'Oh, t
o be in England, now that Spring is there'--or any old place butin this shed," the imprisoned girl murmured. She was getting panicky.Almost without knowing what she was doing, Arden found herself shouting:

  "Go away, ram! Go away!"

  She paused and caught her breath suddenly. She heard voices outside; mentalking. The sounds came nearer. Someone said:

  "That certainly was a mighty poor job you did on that pen, Anson. The ramgot out without half trying. There he is now, down by the tool shed. Andby Jove, Anson, I believe he's got someone penned in there! He wouldn'tact that way unless there was someone in the shed. Look, there he goes,butting the door!"

  It was Tom Scott. Arden recognized the voice. And Anson Yaeger, the grimfarmer, answered:

  "I did as good a job as I could with the wood I had. I'd like to see youor anybody else----"

  "Never mind that now!" interrupted Tom. "The thing to do now is to catchthat ram again! He's dangerous. Come on!"

  Arden could hear footsteps running now, and though the ram once morebutted the door, nearly cracking some of the boards, she knew that rescuewas on the way.

  There was silence outside the shed for a moment, and then Tom Scott said:

  "You slip around back, Anson, and sort of hold his attention by peeringout at him around the corner. While you're doing that, I can slip upbehind him and get this rope around him. I'll lasso him, and we'llhog-tie him, cowboy fashion."

  "Very well," agreed the farmer.

  Arden could not see what they did, but she was told, later. Tom, who hadprovided himself with a noosed rope when he and Anson started out insearch of the escaped ram, skillfully tossed it over the beast's headfrom the rear. The noose fell in a choking loop around the ram's neck,and Tom pulled tight.

  The surprised animal turned to charge Tom, but by this time Ansonattacked him with a heavy timber, knocked him down, and both men threwthemselves upon the creature. He struggled and bleated, but was soon welltied so he could not move.

  "Good work, Anson!" complimented Tom.

  "Hum!" was the grunted answer. The farmer was winded.

  Arden was debating with herself whether to come out and show who the ramhad imprisoned or to wait until the men had taken the beast away. But shehad no choice, for Tom said:

  "Now we'll see what unfortunate this ram was after."

  "I'm going out," Arden told herself and unhooked the door.

  Tom Scott and Anson fairly jumped with surprise as they saw her.

  "He chased me in here," she volunteered. "I got in just in time, but Ididn't dare come out again."

  "No, it's wise you didn't," said Tom, smiling at her. "This is adangerous beast. I thought he was after someone, the way he stood nearthis shed. Your red sweater must have attracted him. Not hurt, are you?"

  "No, only frightened. At least I was. I'm so glad you came."

  "Well, he can't hurt you now," chuckled Tom, looking at the bound ram.Anson said nothing. "He's a tricky beast. Worked his way out of the penwe shut him up in temporarily until his owner can dispose of him. Ibelieve the dean has threatened to make a complaint unless the ram isremoved from around here."

  "I hope he goes," said Arden. "The orchard will be safer without him andless--less mysterious."

  "Mysterious?" questioned Tom, somewhat wonderingly.

  "Yes. But I must be going. I'll be late for my class. Thank you forrescuing me."

  "It was a pleasure," Tom said, bowing and smiling. "Also a pleasure tochoke the beast that gave me such a whack."

  Still Anson Yaeger did not speak. He seemed to be glaring at Arden withhis little beady eyes almost hidden under shaggy brows. But Arden waslooking only at Tom Scott. She could not seem to help it. And he waslooking at her. Arden began to feel embarrassed. It was as if, she saidlater, she had met the good-looking gardener at some previous time butcould not remember where. She was puzzled and annoyed.

  "Well, I really must go!" she announced, and this time she did, hurryingpast the bound and recumbent ram that seemed to eye her with muchmalevolence. But he was helpless now.

  Arden hurried up through the orchard, turning for a final look at thescene of her latest adventure. She saw Anson bringing a wheelbarrow outof the shed to be used in taking the ram to a new prison. Then she ran toBordmust and reached it just in time for English lit.