Ruth Fielding at Briarwood Hall; or, Solving the Campus Mystery Read online

  Produced by Al Haines

  Cover art]

  [Frontispiece: "IT'S A BEAUTIFUL OLD PLACE, HELEN," SIGHED RUTH.]

  Ruth Fielding

  at Briarwood Hall

  OR

  Solving the Campus Mystery

  BY

  ALICE B. EMERSON

  AUTHOR OF "RUTH FIELDING OF THE RED MILL," "RUTH FIELDING AT LIGHTHOUSE POINT," ETC.

  _ILLUSTRATED_

  NEW YORK

  CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY

  PUBLISHERS

  Books for Girls

  BY ALICE B. EMERSON

  RUTH FIELDING SERIES

  l2mo Cloth. Illustrated.

  RUTH FIELDING OF THE RED MILL Or, Jasper Parloe's Secret.

  RUTH FIELDING AT BRIARWOOD HALL Or, Solving the Campus Mystery.

  RUTH FIELDING AT SNOW LODGE Or, Lost in the Backwoods.

  RUTH FIELDING AT LIGHTHOUSE POINT Or, Nita, the Girl Castaway.

  RUTH FIELDING AT SILVER RANCH Or, Schoolgirls Among the Cowboys.

  CUPPLES & LEON Co., PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK.

  COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY

  CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY

  RUTH FIELDING AT BRIARWOOD HALL

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER

  I. THE EXODUS II. THE MAN WITH THE HARP III. APPROACHING THE PROMISED LAND IV. THE RIVALRY OF THE UPEDES AND THE FUSSY CURLS V. THE DUET VI. THE ENTERING WEDGE VII. THE UPEDES VIII. THE MARBLE HARP IX. THE GHOSTLY TRIBUNAL X. SOMETHING MORE THAN GHOSTS XI. THE VOICE OF THE HARP XII. THE MYSTERY DEEPENS XIII. BEGINNINGS XIV. THE SWEETBRIARS XV. THE NIGHT OF HARPOCRATES XVI. THE HAWK AMONG THE CHICKENS XVII. GOODY TWO-STICKS XVIII. THE MYSTERY AGAIN XIX. THE TRIUMVIRATE XX. AT TRITON LAKE XXI. ON THE ICE XXII. THE HARPIST ONCE MORE XXIII. THE SECRET XXIV. WHO IS THE "TATTLE-TALE?" XXV. GETTING ON

  RUTH FIELDING AT BRIARWOOD HALL

  CHAPTER I

  THE EXODUS

  The sun was a regular lie-abed on this Autumn morning, banked about bysoft clouds and draperies of mist; but they glowed pink along thehorizon--perhaps blushing for Old Sol's delinquency. The mist hungtenderly over the river, too--indeed, it masked the entire Valley ofthe Lumano--lying thick and dank upon the marshes and the low meadows,but wreathed more lightly about the farmhouses and their outbuildings,and the fodder and haystacks upon the higher ground.

  But suddenly the sun flung off the bedclothes and leaped right into thesky. That long, low bank of cloud that had been masking him, meltedaway and the shreds of mist were burned up in a hurry as his warm raysspread abroad, taking the entire valley in their arms.

  Farmhouses, where the kitchen chimney smoke had been rising straightlyinto the air, immediately put on a new bustle. Doors opened and shut.There was the stamping of horses in the stables as they crunched theircorn; cows lowed as the milk-pails rattled; sheep baa-a-ed in theirfolds, and the swine, fearing that some other of the farm stock wouldget _their_ share of the breakfast, squealed in eager anticipation.

  On a knoll by the river side stood the rambling buildings belonging toJabez Potter, who kept the Red Mill. The great wheel beside the millend of the main structure had not yet begun to turn, but there wasplenty of bustle about the pleasant house.

  The sun had scarcely popped up when a very pretty, bright-looking girlran out upon the porch and gazed earnestly along the road that followedthe Lumano toward Osago Lake. She looked out from under a shieldinghand, for the sun was in her eyes. Around the corner of the house camea tall, dark-faced man whose long jaws were cleanly shaven and deeplylined. His clothing was full of milldust and it seemed to have beenground into his face for so many years that it was now a part of thegrain and texture of his skin. He did not smile at the girl as he said:

  "You ain't looking for them yet; air you, Ruth? It's much too early.Help your Aunt Alviry put breakfast on the table. She'll hev it all todo when you're gone."

  The tone was stern, but the girl seemed to be used to it, for her facedid not cloud over, and the smiles rippled about her mouth as shereplied:

  "I'm so full of happiness, Uncle Jabez, that you mustn't mind if I'mlooking for Helen and Tom ahead of time. It doesn't seem possible thatI am actually going with them."

  "It seems real enough to me," grumbled Jabez Potter. "I hope you'llget enough out of it to pay us for all the trouble and cost of yourgoing--that I do."

  But even this seemingly unkind speech did not ruffle the girl's temper.

  "You wait and see, Uncle Jabez--you just wait and see," she said,nodding to him. "I'll prove it the best investment you ever made."

  He didn't smile--Jabez Potter was not one of the smiling kind; but hisface relaxed and his eyes twinkled a little.

  "I sha'n't look for cent. per cent. interest on my money, Niece Ruth,"he said, and stumped into the house in his heavy boots.

  Ruth Fielding, who had come to the Red Mill only a few months before,having lost all other relatives but her great-uncle, who owned themill, ran into the kitchen, too, where a little old woman, with bentback and very bright eyes, was hovering over the stove. The breakfastwas ready to be served and this little woman was pottering about,muttering to herself a continual complaining phrase:

  "Oh, my back and oh, my bones!"

  Aunt Alvirah Boggs (who was everybody's Aunt Alvirah, but no bloodrelation to either Ruth or her uncle) was not a morose person, however,despite her rheumatic troubles. She smiled on Ruth and patted her handas the girl sat down beside her at the table.

  "Seems like we'd be lost without our pretty leetle creetur about," saidAunt Alvirah. "I don't see what the old house will do without her."

  "I'll be home at Thanksgiving--if Uncle will let me," said Ruth,quickly, and glancing at the old man; "and again at Christmas, and atEaster. Why, the intervals will go like _that_," and she snapped herfingers.

  "All this junketing up and down the country will cost money, NieceRuth," admonished Uncle Jabez.

  He was, by nature, a very close and careful man with money--a reputedmiser, in fact. And that he did hoard up money, and loved it foritself, must be confessed. When he had lost a cash-box he kept in themill, containing money and other valuables, it had been a great troubleto Uncle Jabez. But through a fortuitous train of circumstances RuthFielding had recovered the cash-box for him, with its contentsuntouched. It was really because he considered himself in her debt forthis act, and that he prided himself upon paying his debts, that JabezPotter had come to agree that Ruth should go away to school.

  He had not done the thing in a niggardly way, when once he gave hisconsent. Ruth's new trunk was at the Cheslow railroad station and init was an adequate supply of such frocks and necessities as a girl ofher age would need in the school to which she was bound. Her ticketwas bought, too, and in her purse was a crisp ten-dollar note--bothpurse and money being a special present from Uncle Jabez.

  Ruth had learned that the miller was by no means as grim as he looked,and she likewise knew that now he was kindly disposed toward her andreally was doing a great deal for her. She was determined to never beungrateful to Uncle Jabez for satisfying the greatest longing she hadever had--to go to Briarwood Hall, a boarding school.

  Suddenly a young man put his head in at the kitchen door, grinned, andsaid:

  "They're a-comin', Miss Ruthie. I see 'em up the road."

  Ruth jumped up at once and ran for her coat and hat.

  "There, child!" cried Aunt Alvirah, "ye haven't eaten enough breakfastto keep a fly alive. Lucky I've got a good basket of lunch put up forye. It'll be a long journ
ey--by train, boat, and stage coach. You'llbe hungry enough before ye git there---- Oh, my back and oh, mybones!" she added, as she hobbled to the dresser for the luncheon box.

  Ruth flashed back into the room and cried to the youth on the porch:

  "Is the car really in sight, Ben?"

  "It's almost here, Miss."

  Indeed, they could hear the purring of a motor-car coming up the riverroad. Ruth flung her arms about Uncle Jabez's neck, although he didnot rise from the table where he was methodically putting his breakfastaway as though nothing unusual was happening.

  "You've been a dear, good uncle to me," she whispered, "and I love youfor it. I'll be careful of the money, and I'll get all the learning Ican for the money you pay out--now just you see if I don't!"

  "I ain't sure that it'll do either of us much good," grumbled UncleJabez, and he did not even follow her to the door as she ran out.

  But Aunt Alvirah hobbled after her, and pressed her close before shewould let the girl run down the walk.

  "Blessin's on ye, ye pretty creetur," she crooned over Ruth. "I'llthink of ye ev'ry moment ye air away. This is your home, Ruthie; yeain't got nary 'nother--don't fergit that. And yer old A'nt Alviry'llbe waitin' for ye here, an' jest longin' for the time when ye comehome."

  Ruth kissed her again and again. Two excited young voices called toher from the automobile.

  "Come on! Come on, Ruth. Do come away!"

  She kissed Aunt Alvirah once more, waved her hand to bashful Ben, whowas Uncle Jabez's man-of-all-work, and ran down to the waiting car. Inthe seat beside the chauffeur was a bright-looking, black-haired boy ina military uniform of blue, who seized her lunch basket and handbag andput them both in a safe place. In the tonneau was a plainly dressedlady and a brilliantly pretty girl perhaps a year older than Ruth.This young lady received the girl from the Red Mill rapturously whenshe sprang into the tonneau, and hugged her tightly as the car startedon. She was Ruth's dearest friend, Helen Cameron. It was her brotherTom in front, and the lady was Mrs. Murchiston, who had been thegoverness of the Cameron twins since their babyhood, and was now toremain in the great house--"Outlook"--Mr. Macy Cameron's home, ashousekeeper, while his son and daughter were away at school.

  For Tom was bound for Seven Oaks Military Academy, and that was onlyten miles, or so, this side of Lumberton, near which was situatedBriarwood Hall, the boarding school which was the girls' destination.Tom had attended Cheslow High School for a year; but Ruth and Helenwere about equally advanced in their studies and expected to be bothroommates and classmates at the Hall.

  Ruth stood up in the car as it rolled up the hill toward Cheslow andlooked back at the Red Mill. She fluttered her handkerchief as long asshe could see the little figure of Aunt Alvirah on the porch. UncleJabez came out and strode down the path to the mill. Then the car shotaround a curve in the road and the scene was blotted out.

  How much was to happen to her before she saw the Red Mill again!