The girls laughed and applauded. The boys stamped and cheered.
Question followed question. Some were spontaneous and the answers showed a surprisingly exact knowledge of the questioners' private affairs, or else a happy gift at repartee. Of course, the illuminated writing was some trick of electricity; nevertheless it was both amusing and puzzling.
References to school fun, jokes in class-room, happenings known to most of those present who attended the Milton schools, suggested the most popular queries.
Suddenly Eva Larry's sharp voice rang through the room. Her question was distinctly personal, and it shocked some few of the listeners into silence.
"Who told on the basket ball team and got us all barred from taking part in the play?"
"Oh, Eva!" groaned Agnes, who sat beside her loyal, if unwise friend.
The witch's wand poised, seemed to hesitate longer than usual, and then the noncommittal answer flashed out:
There was a general shuffling of feet and murmur of surprise. The lights went up. The Hallowe'en Witch had disappeared and that part of the entertainment was over.
"I'd like to have seen Trix Severn's face when that last question was sprung," whispered Myra Stetson to Agnes.
"Oh! it was awful!" murmured the Corner House girl. "Why did you do it, Eva?" she demanded of the harum-scarum girl on her other side.
"Huh! do you s'pose I thought that all up by myself?" demanded Eva.
"No, ma'am! Neale O'Neil gave it to me written on a piece of paper and told me when to shout it out. So now! I guess there's more than just us who have suspected that pussy-cat, Trix Severn."
"Oh, don't, girls, don't!" begged Agnes. "We haven't any proof--nor has Neale, I'm sure. I'll just tell him what I think about it."
But she had no opportunity of scolding her boy chum on this evening. He was so busy preparing the other tricks and frolics which followed that Agnes could scarcely say a word to him.
In the big front hall was a booth of black cloth, decorated with crescents, stars, and astronomical signs in gilt.
Some of the girls were paring apples in long "curls" and throwing the curls over their shoulders to see if the parings would form anything like an initial letter on the floor. It was something of a trick to get all the skin off the apple in one long, curling piece. But Agnes succeeded and threw the peeling behind her.