women teachers in that school. Allan presently grew so large that few women teachers could whip him and it then became a vital question, when engaging a new teacher, as to whether or not she would be able to "lick" Allan Whitney. One winter they tried a man, a little, knotty shrimp of a man he was, with a high reputation as to intellect, but no more appreciation of a boy than if he had been a boiled owl. Those were days that delighted the souls of the scholars of that school, for it was soon noised abroad that every day was a delight because every day a new drama of contest was flung on the stage for their delectation.
Now, there was behind the platform, where the teacher's desk and chair were placed, a long dark room where coats and dinner pails were kept. It had a single small, narrow window at one end, and the other end came up to a partition which cut off the teacher's private closet from it. This was the girls' cloak-room, and was a part of the improvements made on the old red school-house about the time that Miranda began to go to school. The boys had a small closet at the back of the room, so they never went to this, but as the school grew crowded this cloak-room was well filled, especially in winter when everybody had plenty of wraps. To make more light, there had been made an opening from it into the school-room, window-like, with a wide shelf or ledge behind the teacher's desk. This was frequently adorned with a row of dinner pails. A door to the right of the platform opened into the teacher's closet, and was usually kept closed, while that to the left opened into the girls' cloak-room and was usually standing open. Miranda's desk was directly in front of this door, the teacher having found it handy to have Miranda where he could keep a weather eye out for plots under a serene and innocent exterior.
When the man teacher, Mr. Applethorn by name, had been in the school about three weeks and had tried every conceivable plan for the conquering of Allan 'Whitney save the time-worn one of “licking” him, it became apparent that the issue was to be brought to a climax. Miranda had heard low words from Allan to his friend Bud Hendrake concerning what he meant to do if "old Appleseed tried it," and while the little girl had great faith in Allan's strength of body and quickness of mind over against the little flabby body and quickly aroused temper of the teacher, she nevertheless reflected that behind him were all the selectmen, and authority was always at war with poor Allan. It would go hard with him this time, she knew, if the matter were put in the hands of the selectmen. She had heard Grandfather Heath talking about it. "One more outrage and we're done with him." That sentence sent terror to the heart of Miranda, for the long stretches of school days unenlivened by the careless smile and merry sayings of Allan Whitney were to her unbearable to think about. Something must be done to save Allan, and she must do it, for there was no one else to care. So Miranda had lain awake for a long time trying to devise a plan by which the injustice done by the teacher to Allan could not only be avenged, but the immediate danger of a fight between Allan and the teacher averted, at least for a time. If Allan fought with the teacher and "licked" him everybody would be sorry for the teacher, for nobody liked Allan; that is, nobody that had any authority. There it was, always authority against Allan! Poor little Miranda tossed on her small bed and thought, and finally fell asleep with her problem unsolved; but she started for school the next morning with firmly set lips and a determined frown. She would do something, see if she wouldn't!
And then Grandmother Heath called her back to carry a pail of sour cream to Granny MacArane's on her way to school.
Now ordinarily Miranda would not have welcomed the errand away around by Granny MacVane's before school—and grandmother was very particular that she should go before school—she liked to get to school early and play hide and seek in the yard, and Grandmother Heath knew it and disapproved. School was not established for amusement, but for education, she frequently remarked when remonstrating with Miranda for starting so early ; but this particular morning the girl's face brightened and she took the shining tin pail with alacrity and demurely responded, "Yes ma'am," when her grandmother repeated the command to be sure and go before school. She was so nice and obedient about it that the old lady looked after her suspiciously, having learned that the ways of Miranda were devious, and when her exterior was calm, then was the time to be on the alert.
For Miranda had suddenly seen light in the darkness with the advent on the scene of this pail of sour cream. Sour cream would keep. That is it would only grow sourer, which was desirable in a thing like sour cream. There was no reason in the world why that cream had to go to Granny MacVane's before school, especially when it might come in handy for something else besides making gingerbread for Granny MacVane. Besides, Granny MacVane lived beyond the school-house and Grandmother Heath would never know whether she went before or after. Sour cream was a delicacy frequently sent to old Mrs. MaeVane, and if she brought the message, "Granny says she's much obliged Gran'ma," there would be no question, and likely nothing further ever thought about it.
Besides, Miranda was willing to take a chance if the stakes were high enough, so she hurried happily off to school with her head held high and the sour cream pail clattering against her dinner pail with reckless hilarity; while Miranda laid her neat little plans.
Arrived at the school-house, she deposited the pail of sour cream together with its mate the dinner pail inconspicuously on the inner ledge of the window over the teacher's desk-chair. The ledge was wide and the pails almost out of sight from the school-room. At noon, however, Miranda, after eating her lunch, replaced her empty dinner pail and made a careful rearrangement of all the pails on the ledge, her own and others, so that they were grouped quite innocently nearer to the front edge. Miranda herself was early seated at her desk studying demurely when the others came in.
The very atmosphere that afternoon seemed electric. Even the very little scholars seemed to understand that something was going to happen before school "let out." and when just as the master was about to send the school out for afternoon recess he paused and announced solemnly, "Allan Whitney, you may remain in your seat!" they knew it was almost at hand.
Chapter IV
Miranda had played her cards well. She sat studiously in her seat until everybody was out of the school-room but Mr. Applethorn, Allan and herself, and then she raised her hand demurely for permission to speak:
"Teacher, please may I go’s soon 'z I finish my ’gzamples? Grandma wants me to go to Granny MacVane's on a errand, an' she don't want me to stay out after dark."
The teacher gave a curt permission. He had no time just then to fathom Miranda Griscom's deeps, and had always felt that she belonged to the enemy. She was as well out of the room when he gave Allan Whitney his dues.
Miranda worked away vigorously. The examples were already finished, but she had no mind to leave until the right moment. Such studious ways in Miranda were astonishing, and if Mr. Applethorn had not been otherwise occupied he would certainly have suspected something, seeing Miranda, the usually alert one, bending over her slate, a stubby pencil in her hand, her brows wrinkled hard over a supposedly perplexing question, her two red plaits sticking out at each side, and no eyes nor ears for what was going on in the playground.
Allan Whitney sat serenely whittling a small stick into a very tiny sword, and half whistling under his breath until the master, in a voice that was meant to be stentorian, uttered a solemn: "Silence, sir! I say, Silence!"
Allan looked up pleasantly.
"All right sir, just as you say sir."
The master was growing angry. Miranda saw it out of the tail of her eye. He glowered at the boy a minute.
"I said silence," he roared. "You've no need to answer further. Just keep silence!"
"Very well, sir, I heard you sir, and I said all right sir, just as you say sir," answered Allan sunnily
