She was a pale , pinched little thing , and her jacket and red hood seemed very old and thin . `` Hello , missy , '' I said , as she came up , and then I stopped , for I saw she had been crying . `` What is the matter ? '' asked Frank , who was much more at ease with children than I was , and had always a warm spot in his heart for their small troubles . `` Has your teacher kept you in for being naughty ? '' The mite dashed her little red knuckles across her eyes and answered indignantly , `` No , indeed . I stayed after school with Minnie Lawler to sweep the floor . '' `` And did you and Minnie quarrel , and is that why you are crying ? '' asked Frank solemnly . `` Minnie and I never quarrel . I am crying because we ca n't have the school decorated on Monday for the examination , after all . The Dickeys have gone back on us ... after promising , too , '' and the tears began to swell up in the blue eyes again . `` Very bad behaviour on the part of the Dickeys , '' commented Frank . `` But ca n't you decorate the school without them ? '' `` Why , of course not . They are the only big boys in the school . They said they would cut the boughs , and bring a ladder tomorrow and help us nail the wreaths up , and now they wo n't ... and everything is spoiled ... and Miss Davis will be so disappointed . '' By dint of questioning Frank soon found out the whole story . The semi-annual public examination was to be held on Monday afternoon , the day before Christmas . Miss Davis had been drilling her little flock for the occasion ; and a program of recitations , speeches , and dialogues had been prepared .
Our small informant , whose name was Maggie Bates , together with Minnie Lawler and several other little girls , had conceived the idea that it would be a fine thing XXXXX decorate the schoolroom with greens .
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