Handkerchiefs fluttered out so briskly that the field resembled a
washing day. Miss Barbour was signaling as vigorously as the rest.
Evidently Lieutenant Mainwaring took the display for an invitation, the
biplane descended like a hawk, and to every one's immense gratification
alighted on the school ground. To see a real live airman at such close
quarters was not an ordinary experience. Elsie promptly introduced her
cousin to Miss Barbour and begged that they might all inspect the
machine. Lieutenant Mainwaring good-naturedly explained the various
parts; perhaps he rather enjoyed a visit to a Ladies' School! He did
not stay long, however, but after a few minutes started his engine and
went soaring up again into the blue of the sky, and wheeling over the
towers of the old Minster was soon lost to sight behind some clouds.
"It must be glorious to fly!" sighed Winona.
In spite of Miss Kelly's injunctions she could not help looking out of
her window every morning for the aeroplane, and giving a surreptitious
wave. She told herself that she was only acting patriotically in
cheering on our aerial defenses. The back of the hostel opened into the
school playground, and one day Winona, taking a run there for exercise
before breakfast, heard the familiar whirring, and looking up, beheld
the flying-machine poised just overhead. She heard a shout from the
occupant, and something dropped into the playground. She ran to pick it
up. It was a packet of chocolates! She tried to wave thanks, but the
biplane had moved on, and was now far over the town, Lieutenant
Mainwaring no doubt having enjoyed his little joke of innocent
bomb-dropping.
Now most unfortunately for Winona, Miss Kelly's bedroom window
overlooked the playground, and she had been a witness of the whole
incident. She came out now in extreme wrath, confiscated the chocolates,
and scolded Winona sharply.
"But it's not my fault! I'd no idea he was going to drop anything!"
protested Winona indignantly.
"After what has happened before, I can only draw my own conclusions,"
returned the mistress icily. "You will change to Number 3 dormitory
to-day."
"But, Miss Kelly----"
"Don't argue! I warned you that I should move you if I found any more
signaling going on. Your aunt will have to hear about this!"
When Winona returned to the hostel that afternoon, and went upstairs,
she found that all her possessions had been cleared out of Number 2
dormitory, and placed in Number 3, which being at the side of the house
had no view except the school buildings. The contents of her drawers had
been transferred intact; her brushes, books and home photos were placed
on her new dressing-table, but all the pictures of aeroplanes and the
portrait of Lieutenant Mainwaring, which she had cut out of the Seaton
_Graphic_, had disappeared. Winona sat down on the bed and laughed. She
was very much annoyed, but the humor of the situation appealed to her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account