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diff --git a/44808-0.txt b/44808-0.txt index 9d5cfb4..adb3ff7 100644 --- a/44808-0.txt +++ b/44808-0.txt @@ -1,35 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Betty Lee, Senior, by Harriet Pyne Grove - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Betty Lee, Senior - - -Author: Harriet Pyne Grove - - - -Release Date: January 30, 2014 [eBook #44808] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BETTY LEE, SENIOR*** - - -E-text prepared by Roger Frank and Sue Clark - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44808 *** BETTY LEE, SENIOR @@ -5775,362 +5744,4 @@ the long-worn senior pin, more prizes, all Betty’s cherished senior trophies. For a moment Mrs. Lee stood looking at them. Then, smiling, on top of the array, she laid Betty’s diploma. - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BETTY LEE, SENIOR*** - - -******* This file should be named 44808-0.txt or 44808-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/4/8/0/44808 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Betty Lee, Senior - - -Author: Harriet Pyne Grove - - - -Release Date: January 30, 2014 [eBook #44808] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BETTY LEE, SENIOR*** - - -E-text prepared by Roger Frank and Sue Clark - - - -BETTY LEE, SENIOR - -by - -HARRIET PYNE GROVE - - - - - - - -The World Syndicate Publishing Co. -Cleveland, Ohio--New York City - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -Copyright, 1931 -The World Syndicate Publishing Co. - -Printed in the United States of America - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - CONTENTS - - I VACATION DAYS - II A GOLDFISH IN THE OCEAN - III A MERRY WHIRL OF GOOD TIMES - IV THE STORM - V A SURPRISING RESCUE - VI VACATION'S LAST FLING - VII SENIORS! - VIII ONE OF THOSE A-D PARTIES - IX THE SENIORS ENTERTAIN - X THE COVETED HONOR - XI AN INTIMATE VIEW FOR JANET - XII VALENTINES - XIII HEARTS AND MASKS - XIV AN EXCHANGE OF HEARTS - XV ONCE MORE BASKETBALL - XVI A PAUSE IN ROMANCE - XVII SHARING JOY - XVIII CONCERNING LOST LETTERS - XIX OF A NUMBER OF THINGS - XX TROPHIES - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - BETTY LEE, SENIOR - - FOREWORD - - While settings and activities for this Betty Lee High School - Series have been freely taken from a real city high school, the - characters are entirely fictitious. It is hoped, however, that - they may to some degree present the life and ambitions of the - very attractive girls whom it has been the author's pleasure to - meet there. - - - - - CHAPTER I - - VACATION DAYS - - -Betty Lee's vacation before her senior year cannot be passed over with -only casual mention, for it was the "best yet" as declared by Betty and -her two closest chums, Kathryn Allen and Carolyn Gwynne. After the last -exciting activities of June days as juniors and the pleasing freedom -from examinations won by good scholarship, the three girls found -themselves, with others of their class, equipped with cards that -certified completion of the junior work. Before them stretched long -weeks when, Betty said, they "didn't have to know anything," and that -state of mind obviously gave them all great pleasure. - -Up in the girls' gym, almost vacant now, they took a last swing and -jump, as they happened to have reason to pass through; and Betty and -Carolyn performed a few funny steps to express their happy state of mind -before they finally left halls to which they would be just as glad to -return in the fall. - -However, Betty was expecting to swim in "something beside pools and -rivers." She gave a little skip as they ran down the walk toward the -Gwynne car, which this time was waiting for them. "I can't believe it, -Carolyn! 'Are I' really going with you to the seashore? I never saw the -ocean but once, when I went East with Father, you know. I said -appropriately, 'Roll on thou deep and dark blue ocean roll,' but it -wasn't dark blue a bit. It happened to be a perfectly horrid gray -morning. It was wonderful, all the same." - -"Oh, but you ought to see it sometimes, Betty! I hope we'll have good -weather, no cold 'nor'easters' or anything. But I'm as excited as can be -myself. Think of it, Betty--a perfectly new cottage in a different place -this time. Daddy had such a good chance to sell the old one and we may -buy this if we like it. But we're renting it for the summer." - -"It doesn't seem right that we should just _visit you_," said Kathryn. - -"Listen! We've had that out before, Gypsy Allen. I'm to have my own room -and I can have whomever I want--_all summer_. I expect to keep it full! -That's my reward for being a good girl and getting my lessons, in spite -of, well, you know how hard it is to get 'em." - -"We do!" said Kathryn and Betty, "_una cum voce_." - -"So," continued Carolyn, "why shouldn't _I_ have the girls I like best -as long as I can induce--them--to--stay?" Carolyn uttered formally the -last part of her sentence, with her head in the air and a high and -mighty look. - -The girls giggled as they settled themselves in the car. "Drive around -to Kathryn's and Betty's first, please," said Carolyn to the Gwynne -chauffeur, "then home." - -Betty had not had a chance to call up home since Carolyn had invited her -and Kathryn "to come out and celebrate." Both she and Kathryn wanted to -get rid of certificates and books, not to mention certain other articles -that seemed to persist in staying in lockers. Carelessness or forgetting -had nothing to do with that, of course. - -"Do you like clams and chowders and things, Betty Lee?" asked Carolyn, -after the last stop and delivery of goods, with pleasant permissions to -stay at Carolyn's. - -"I liked everything we tried at New York," replied Betty, "and I know -that I'll just adore all the sea food." - -"You're going to get it," Carolyn leaned back against the cushions and -stretched forward her stylishly shod toes. "We have beach parties and -everything." - -That sounded delightful. Betty had never heard of a beach party. Yet, -she supposed she must have read of them in stories. But this was -different. She was going to be in one. "And I haven't told you one -delicious secret!" - -"Oh, tell us, Carolyn!" Kathryn spoke beseechingly. - -Carolyn laughed and looked mysterious. "I haven't decided whether to -keep it a secret and surprise you, or to tell you now." - -"Tell us now," urged beaming Kathryn. - -"Maybe it would be more of a thrill if she surprised us," Betty -suggested, smilingly regarding Carolyn and wondering what the surprise -or secret might be. - -"Well," Carolyn drawled, "I'll have to make up my mind about it. The -trouble is, you might find out about it some other way, and then I'd -miss the fun of seeing you surprised." - -"That gives us our cue for going right up in the air over whatever it -is, Betty--to please Carolyn!" But Kathryn was regarding Carolyn -affectionately as she said this. - -"Suppose you give us a hint of what it is and let us guess," said Betty. - -Carolyn shook her head negatively. "Spoil it all. Maybe I'll announce it -later. We are going to have our lunch inside, find the coolest spot in -the house to talk over our plans and decide what to take and so on, as -you wanted to do, Betty, and then have our dinner _a la_ picnic under -the trees by the fountain, nothing but cool lemonade and ice cream!" - -It was a hot day, but Betty knew there would be more on the menu than -lemonade and ice cream, which would probably be included in their lunch. -Oh, it was always so _nice_ at Carolyn's! - -In Carolyn's own room after lunch the girls took off frocks and shoes -and lay on the bed to plan for their month together at the seashore. Not -that it was the only topic of conversation, for school affairs were too -recently over for dismissal. Lucia Coletti's departure for Italy with -her father and mother was one interesting subject. - -"Yes," said Betty, "they were awfully rushed at the last, you know, but -Lucia called me up, just before they were driving to the station, to say -another goodbye. I would have gone to the station with her, only under -the circumstances it didn't seem appropriate. You know how it is, and -Lucia and I had had our final visit before." - -"Don't you go and think more of Lucia than you do of us," reminded -Kathryn with, a grin. - -"Couldn't," laughed Betty, "but Lucia is a fine girl just the same; and -she had to have some friends, didn't she?" - -"Yes, more than she wanted of some sorts," wisely said Carolyn. - -"They naturally would have a good deal of attention," said Betty. "I was -the first girl Lucia knew. But Lucia will not forget any of us. The -countess is prettier than ever and they are all so perfectly happy to be -together again. The count rather wanted to go back before, but Lucia -persuaded them to wait till she could finish her work. It was a good -thing she didn't have to stay for the examinations." - -"Do you have any idea, Betty, that she will come back for her senior -year?" - -"Not in the least," said Betty, to whom the recent romantic situation at -the Murchison home had appealed greatly. "Lucia would like to finish the -course here, and I think Countess Coletti would like to have her do it. -But Lucia was too excited about going back home to think much about -returning. She promised to write and I gave her all the addresses, and -dates, I would have this summer." - -Neither Kathryn nor Carolyn would ever ask Betty questions that would -pry into Lucia's secrets, though Betty knew that there had been a great -deal of comment over the count's long absence in travel and the fact -that the countess had remained in America with Lucia for so long. Betty -herself would never betray Lucia's worried confidences, and now it was -so easy to speak of the happy reunion that she had herself seen and to -pass over anything else she might know. Betty had learned by this time -not to tell everything she knew to everybody. - -But she frankly went on to say that she, too, had a piece of news which -she could tell now. "It's a real happy one, girls. Mr. Murchison has -gone East with them and they will go to some place in Connecticut for -his wedding! He is marrying somebody that he has known for a long time -and they are all going abroad together. That is why Father has to be -very busy this summer and has a lot on his hands." - -"My, what a disappointment to several people here!" exclaimed Kathryn. -"Oh, I oughtn't to say that, I suppose." - -"I gathered, from what Lucia said, that her mother is real pleased with -her brother's choice and knows the lady. And it is fixed all right for -Rose Sevilla and her mother to stay just as they are at Murchison's. -Rose is awfully busy with new draperies and things that the countess -ordered for her brother; and her mother actually looks younger and talks -about when Ramon comes back." - -"Is there any news of him at all?" - -"Not a bit, but they have a little hope now. It just makes me sick that -I didn't find out about them in time to send him word before he left -Detroit! But he'll turn up some time, I hope--unless the 'villain' finds -him and does something terrible. They didn't tell the mother about the -villain's having tried to find out from Father." - -Under the trees, not far from the fountain, in the midst of all the -attractions of the lovely Gwynne estate, the three girls at a little -table had their dinner alone, "_a la_ picnic," as Carolyn had said, and -cool salad, an ice, lemonade and fruit did compose a good and refreshing -part of it. - -The girls dawdled over their meal and wondered why they felt so "lazy." -"It's the weather, girls," said Carolyn. "I'm glad we're through -school--though I believe I've said that several times. But don't expect -me to be original!" - -"It's not only the weather, Carolyn. We're just sort of let down about -everything. I imagine that the sea air will revive us, won't it?" - -"Yes, Gypsy, if we need reviving by that time." - -Conversation ran on by fits and starts. Daylight began to fade and -little fireflies flashed their lanterns here and there in the shrubbery -or the lower branches of the trees. It was decided that nothing was "so -rare as a day in June" if this one _had_ been rather too warm, and -finally Kathryn inquired if Carolyn had made up her mind in regard to -the great surprise. - -"Sure enough, girls!" cried Carolyn. "I believe I _have_ made up my -mind! I'll tell you!" - -Betty assumed a thrilled expression, clasped her hands together -tragically and leaned forward in pretended suspense, not so deeply -pretended, either, for she knew that any surprise so regarded by Carolyn -Gwynne would be "nice." - -"Don't be silly," laughed Carolyn, while Kathryn clutched her black hair -with one hand and held the other to her heart. - -"It's about some very splendid people who are going to be in a -cottage--oh, not so very far away. The cottages are scattered up there, -you know." - -Kathryn put both hands to her head now. "Let me think, Carolyn! Who said -she was going to the coast?" - -"Never mind thinking, Gypsy. It might be dangerous. You know how -unaccustomed exercise----" - -Carolyn was obliged to break off as laughing Kathryn leaned over to -threaten violence. - -But at last the news was told. "The Waites have taken a cottage there -and Marcella is going up about the time we do, I think." - -"How fine!" cried Kathryn. "Betty--'the Pirate of Penzance!'" - -But Betty was already thinking of that romantic youth, Marcia Waite's -brother. "Will the Pirate be on hand?" she asked, after her first -pleased exclamation at the news. - -"Very likely," impressively said Carolyn. - -"He will not mean much in our young lives, Kathryn," continued Betty, -"if he _was_ awfully nice to us at Marcella's party and other places. He -is all grown up and at _just the age_ when they have terrible cases in -college." - -"Who knows?" sang Carolyn, "but he seemed to like you, Betty. However, -I'd advise you to stick to our friend Chet. There aren't any boys nicer -than the Dorrance boys." - -Betty assented to that but added that when Chet went into the university -the next year there would probably be an end of good times with him. "It -will be a case of saying farewell, and Chet will be the one to do it, -you see. But it will be simply grand to have Marcella there, somebody we -know; and she will be having company, too, I suppose. Honestly, Carolyn, -I can scarcely wait to go!" - -"That wasn't intended as a pun, I suppose, since there's no point in it. -But the Waites will be waiting, all right. They go some time next week, -perhaps a day or two before, according to what Marcella said. She said -she would telephone." - -"Then there is one thing more; but I'm not going to tell this." - -"_Another_ secret! Carolyn?" - -"Another secret!" - - - - - CHAPTER II - - A GOLDFISH IN THE OCEAN - - -Betty Lee, who was sometimes jokingly called father's little goldfish, -had acquired that title by reason of her ability to swim and her golden -head, though that was usually covered tightly by a rubber cap. As her -taking part in most of the swimming contests among the girls of Lyon -High necessitated good bathing suits, Betty was already prepared in that -respect for her visit at the seashore. - -Secrets were all very well. Betty had interest in everything. But her -greatest interest was in the new experience ahead of her, the new -country and the delights of the ocean. Her father warned her of new -conditions, but she would quickly learn. Though there were no river -current, there would be the undertow. Betty promised to use her common -sense and swim within the boundaries allowed at the resort to which she -was bound. - -With the highest anticipations, then, Betty accompanied the Gwynnes and -Kathryn Allen on the fascinating trip East and to New England. Dick Lee -was at a boys camp. His twin, Doris, would soon be at a corresponding -girls' camp, for it "had to be fair," at the risk, said Mr. Lee, of -depleting the treasury. Mother and Amy Lou would remain in the city with -Father, but would take an outing with him later, when a business trip -would take him East again. Then Betty, returning from the visit with -Carolyn, would meet other girl friends at a "wonderful" Girl Reserve -camp. Truly the summer could offer no more! Betty's former chum at the -little town of Buxton, Janet Light, with whom Betty still corresponded -fitfully, as her full life permitted, wrote Betty that she was a "lucky -girl," and Betty thought so too. - -It was all the better that it was a motor trip, with the opportunity to -stop in all sorts of fascinating places, little and big, where there -were thrilling associations of history; and these were as much for -Carolyn's benefit as for Kathryn and Betty. There were no embarrassing -and hampering ideas of obligation, for Mr. and Mrs. Gwynne had assured -the Lees that their itinerary would be carried out with or without their -guests. There were only the three Gwynnes, with Kathryn Allen and Betty -Lee; for Carolyn's older sister and others of the household had other -plans of travel. - -At the quiet places where they stopped, Betty and Kathryn were permitted -to pay modest hotel bills, but that was all; and many a happy time they -had lunching it on the way, with a big supply of good things, rather -than stop. Mr. Gwynne, with Mrs. Gwynne to rest him at times, did the -driving; for their chauffeur had left their service, very conveniently, -Carolyn said, and they would not engage another until their return home. -Mr. Gwynne's type of humor made Betty think of her own father. The -families were well acquainted by this time. Mr. and Mrs. Lee would take -the trip to New England from New York, after business was completed, and -with an excited little Amy Lou, who was, however, very dignified about -it at present. Was she not going into the third grade? - -Then the Lees would attach Kathryn and Betty, and possibly, as Betty -hoped, Carolyn, for the return and delivery at camp. But Carolyn said -that she could not go so soon. There was the pleasant pressure on the -girls to stay longer, but that could be decided later on. Never was -Betty to forget her first motor trip East. Apparently everybody else was -going, too, or it seemed so after they had reached certain routes of -traffic and travel. The Gwynnes met some old friends at different -hotels, till at times there would be quite a little cavalcade of -acquaintances, travelling together for a while, and there were a number -of boys and girls in some of the parties. - -Once they traveled for two days in company with a family whom Carolyn -said they had known "summers." Passengers in the cars were changed and -the young people were together in the car newly attached to the Gwynnes. -This was driven by Arthur Penrose, eldest son of the new friends, -probably nineteen or so, Carolyn said, a brown-eyed, brown-haired youth, -polite but friendly, though he said less, engaged in driving, than a -younger brother, Archie, who did all the arranging in seats. Betty could -not be sure at first which was "Art" and which was "Arch," but at last -she straightened it out. Their sister "Gwen" was about Betty's age, she -thought, a pretty vivacious girl, who was delighted to see Carolyn and -reminded her at first about "old times" till she saw that it would be -better to include the new acquaintances, doing her best to make up for -temporary forgetfulness. - -Betty liked Gwen at once. That was the nice thing about this traveling -and you could be sure that any one the Gwynnes liked were worth knowing. -They were in Connecticut at the time of this meeting and at once planned -a picnic dinner, stopping here and there to purchase a heterogeneous -collection, left entirely to the young people to manage. "Have your -picnic," Mr. Gwynne said, "but don't expect _us_ to do any cavorting -around over it." Mr. and Mrs. Penrose and a sister of Mrs. Penrose -occupied the room left by the three girls in the Gwynne car, though -there was some shifting; for the men must talk over affairs and the -ladies must be together. - -What Betty did not know at all this time was that the Penroses had come -into her life to stay there. But those things happen in the most casual -meetings. - -The Penrose car was a seven-passenger car and at first Arthur drove by -himself while Archie and Gwen did the honors behind. Then Art complained -whimsically that he was being left out; and in some way Betty found -herself elected to sit in front with the driver, a move which pleased -her, with its view of the "Blue Hills," where they were now, and less -necessity of talking; for they could listen to the rest or talk as they -liked. - -But Arthur's "nice" face was turned to her often, as he called attention -to some scene or made some other comment. Betty told him how it had -happened that she took the trip, where they were going, what a thrill -she had over it and how she enjoyed seeing everything. - -"I suppose I notice the scenery more particularly since I want to be an -artist," said Arthur Penrose. "They tell me that 'Art' is the proper -name for me, though Archie makes fun and says he'll have to support his -artistic brother in the years to come." - -Arthur's face was full of amusement as he said this. "But I am already -doing a little in commercial art lines, so perhaps it is not so bad." - -"How wonderful!" cried Betty, interested. "I wish I knew more about it. -I draw a little. We have an art course in school, you know, but I like -music best--just play the violin some. Then I like athletics, not so -much the competitive games, you know, but swimming and skating and -riding, that is I'm going to have lessons in that next year. I can ride -in the country, though. Are you in college?" - -"Yes, but it may be a waste of time for me to finish. We have to decide -that. I am taking art on the side, but I want to go to a regular art -school, and next summer, if I can raise the cash, I'm going to walk or -swim to Europe and see what the big guys have done." - -Betty laughed at that statement and told "Art" that her father was -always asking her when she was going to swim to Europe. This brought on -more confidences, till Betty felt that she was quite well acquainted. -Art Penrose was as nice as Chet, and presently she found that he knew -the "Dorrance boys" and was glad to hear news from them. - -The picnic dinner was more fun. They found a place with a cool spring, -and made the older members of the party comfortable with seats and rugs -from the cars. The boys were used to this sort of thing and as our girls -were accustomed to all sorts of hikes and picnics, it was a small matter -and "loads of fun" to make coffee, "hot dog" sandwiches, and have -heaping plates of good things in a short but happy time, short, Art -said, because it was not possible to handle their elders. They _would_ -think of such things as routes and time and how far they had to go. - -Art came with his full plate to sit on a log near Betty and to talk more -about his beloved art to sympathetic ears; and when they rose to go, he -lifted a firm finger before her face to say, "You are going to see more -of me, Betty Lee. I have to hear you play on your violin, for one -thing." - -"And I must see some of your pictures," pleasantly Betty responded. "It -is awfully interesting to hear about it--_very_, I mean. I'm really -trying to improve my English!" - -"Don't worry about your English. Has Gwen told you yet that the Penroses -might possibly move to your little city?" - -"'Little city,' indeed!" said Betty, though her smile accompanied this -mild rebuke. "And we have a fine art school," she added, hopefully. - -But Arthur Penrose shook his head. "I'm going to Boston--New -York--Philadelphia--Chicago--who knows? But at that I may visit my -family occasionally!" - -It was later that Gwendolyn said something of the same sort to Betty and -Kathryn. "And I do hope that I see you girls again. I'm going to write -to Carolyn once in a while now and if we _should_ decide to move there, -we'll see to it that we live where I can attend the same high school. I -certainly like what you tell about it!" - -So they parted, with last smiles and salutes and promises to see each -other again. "The nice thing about life, girls," said Betty Lee, "is -that you never know what is going to turn up. It's like a big mystery -story, with little clues that you miss when you're reading it; and if -you decide one way, it's one thing and if you decide another way--about -something important, I mean--it's another way." - -"Listen to our philosopher, Carolyn," said Kathryn. - -"There _are_ girls that don't think life's interesting at all," remarked -Carolyn. "But Betty would find something, even if she lived back in the -Buxton she talks about." - -"It isn't the _size_ of the _place_, Carolyn," began Betty, with an air -of wisdom that she knew was comical. "It's what you've got in your -little insides, I guess. But I _am_ 'lucky,' as Janet wrote me, to have -so much happening." - -The objective of this trip was a quiet little village on the coast of -Maine, with its rocks and inlets and rivers and lakes. It was such a -place as city people love to find, for while it was being developed as a -resort, it was small, and the outlying homes of the summer residents -were scattered. - -From the main highway they drove upon a road which was being repaired, -or made into a respectable road for automobiles. Driving was difficult -now in places, but at last they came upon a smooth road between woods -full of new kinds of trees and growths that made Betty exclaim with -pleasure, as she had before, passing through this to her new country. -She had kept account of all states through which she had passed and -concluded that she was becoming quite a traveled girl. But a wood peewee -called from the depths of the forest and a flock of quail whirred as -they hastened from the bushes by the roadside. Molly Cottontail ran to -cover, and Betty concluded that it was still America and home! - -But why call this a cottage! After more driving they came into the -village and beyond it to a bit of a grove, where stood a large house, -new but of a "dear old-fashioned" colonial type; and Mr. Gwynne stopped -the car to let his passengers have a view of it. "Still like it, dear?" -he asked his wife. - -"Yes. The setting is exactly what I like, no hard hill to climb, just -this gentle rise and the house among the trees, all white and green." - -So far as Betty was concerned, she could have welcomed the place -forever, and although at this moment she could not see the ocean, she -could hear its waves beating upon the shore not too far away! Its fresh -breezes gently moved the trees and through them in the other direction a -red sun was sinking toward the irregular contour of the land. Betty -needed no camera to remember this, but Carolyn planned at once for -pictures of the house and grounds. - -"Tomorrow, girls, we'll get out and take a lot of pictures of the house -and grounds and get down to the beach, too, in our bathing suits." - -"Please take a picture of me, Carolyn, right _in_ the ocean, to send to -my father!" - -"Daddy's little goldfish among the sharks?" teased Carolyn. - -"Ow! You don't have those, I hope." - -"I never heard of any around here," laughed Carolyn, "and we've been -near this place before, you know. You stay within bounds and you'll be -all right." - -Supper, a real New England supper served by a cook and a maid already -there to take care of them, came next, then a stroll around the grounds, -whose limits were uncertain as they strayed off into a little grove -chiefly of spruces and pines. Hasty letters home were written by Kathryn -and Betty and a little later three young heads, on as many different -pillows in Carolyn's big room, drowsed off to the distant booming of the -surf. - -In the morning, Betty blinked her eyes and wondered where she was. She -must hurry to get up, for the alarm had gone off and she would be late -for school! For a moment all the old feelings of wanting to stay in bed -and having to get up to get ready for school came over her. Then she -laughed and sat up, looking across at the two other cots, where Carolyn, -by whose bed the alarm was still ringing intermittently, was rubbing her -eyes and reaching down to the floor to shut it off. Kathryn sat up -suddenly in bed and asked, "Where's the fire?" - -But three bathing suits had been laid out ready to be put on. They had -planned a cold dip before breakfast and fearing that they would not be -wakened in time by more or less weary parents or maid and cook who had -been instructed not to have breakfast too early, Carolyn had set the -alarm. The sun was streaming into their East room, chosen by Carolyn, -who wanted to "hear the sea." - -Wrapped in their warmest coats over their bathing suits, the girls made -their way, by a side exit of which Carolyn knew, down a little hill, -down a few steps, then to the beach not far from the accredited bathing -place where Carolyn said they should do their swimming. A few other -people were on the beach for the same purpose. - -It was an icy dip this morning and Betty privately thought that she -would prefer the tropics; but at that it was the great old Atlantic -Ocean and she missed none of the thrill that she had expected. A short -swim in the unaccustomed element, salty and "different," and Betty was -ready for the quick return to the Gwynne cottage, where a shower bath -and a vigorous rub put her in a glow. Three merry faces met Mr. and Mrs. -Gwynne at the breakfast table. - -"Did you have your early dip, girls?" inquired Mr. Gwynne. - -"Don't we look like it, Daddy?" asked Carolyn. - -"Something has made you all very rosy, I should say, and our little -Gypsy sparkles like a--well, whatever does sparkle." - -"Betty has had her swim in the Atlantic Ocean at last," laughed Carolyn. -"She found it a little bit chilly, but I think she's going to try it -again later in the day." - -"Of course. Oh, Mr. Gwynne, it is perfectly lovely here! I'm so -delighted that you brought me!" - -"So are we. I'm sure that you will help our enthusiasms, Betty Lee." - - - - - CHAPTER III - - A MERRY WHIRL OF GOOD TIMES - - -It was as Betty had said. One never knew what interesting happening -would come next, though some were planned. New adventures in daily -pleasures and one almost tragic event were here for Betty Lee in the few -weeks that lay before her in Maine. But she never could get satisfactory -photographs of the old sea that stirred her so. Clouds and surf never -did come out as they really looked. She concluded that Arthur Penrose or -some real artist, who could give the coloring to sky and sea and paint -the clouds as they looked, ought to be there to do justice to water and -sky. But Betty did not talk much about her feeling of the sea, aside -from the joking about the consummation of her desire to swim in it. - -The Waites were the first friends to look them up. Marcella came over -the next day from a cottage at no great distance, for the Waites had -come on by train and arrived before the Gwynne party. She invited them -at once to a beach party, "by moonlight," said she. "We'll not swim this -time, but have a great picnic, with _everybody_ there." Marcella looked -meaningly at Carolyn as she said this. - -"Larry's visiting some of his college friends and will be home in time -for the beach party, I think. He may bring his chum with him. We don't -know. If I weren't so busy, I'd tell you more about everybody. Several -girls from our sorority are driving over this afternoon and Peggy -Pollard is going to stay. - -"Peggy!" exclaimed Carolyn. "Why I invited her with us and she couldn't -come!" - -"It's all changed," explained Marcella. "After you left, her mother made -different arrangements, to go West with one of her sons and his family, -I think; and she told Peggy that if she still wanted to come East, she -could. Peggy was in a great quandary, but crazy to come. I found it out -through one of the girls; and so Peggy's dear little red head will -repose on either your pillow or mine, Carolyn, as you like. Peggy is up -the coast a little, with the girls I mentioned, though she came with -us." - -"You didn't mention their names, Marcella, but I can guess or be -surprised. If you don't mind, Marcella, we'll have Peggy here. Another -cot in my room, or two of us in a different room, will fix it." - -"Oh, let's all be together, Carolyn! It's such fun!" - -"Just as you say, Kathryn." - -The beach party, then, was to be full of surprises. The three girls -exhausted the possible list of guests in their surmises and then -concluded that it was a waste of time. Unpacking, investigating their -surroundings, another swim and a walk up the shore for some distance -pretty well filled the day until it was best to "rest up" for the beach -party, which began at eight o'clock. "It may be a little 'spuzzy,' -girls," suggested Carolyn, "though Marcella did not say so. But if it is -to be a sorority affair and perhaps Larry and his chum coming, not to -mention others that evidently Marcella means to spring upon us, there -will probably be some dressing up." - -"You don't mean party dresses, do you?" asked Betty, "thin things? I -thought at beach parties you wore sweaters or jackets and easy things to -rough it in." - -"Sport things, Betty, this time. Yours are all right, and take your -white sweater if you wish." - -"I 'wager' you know whom Marcella is going to spring upon '_us_'," -remarked Kathryn. - -"I know--some," Carolyn acknowledged. "That is the other secret." - -With great care did the three girls dress for the beach party. There was -a "gorgeous" moon and a mild air. Betty scarcely knew herself, she -thought, as she looked from the elevation and the shadows of the group -of trees about the Gwynne house toward where a line of rollers -restlessly met the beach and the light of a full moon fell across the -waters. And oh, _who_ would be at the party? - -Active figures were darting about on the sands by the time Betty, -Carolyn and Kathryn arrived and hurried toward where they saw Marcella -by the light of a fire already started on the beach. And who was that, -hatless, merry, throwing a big piece of wreckage upon the fire? - -"Ted Dorrance!" exclaimed Kathryn. "That's the other surprise, Carolyn!" - -"M'm," lightly replied Carolyn. "And now don't faint or anything, Betty. -Chet's here, too." - -Betty did not much like this suggestion and replied that she was not -likely to faint at seeing Chet Dorrance anywhere, especially as it was -only the other day that she had seen him receive his high school -diploma. Betty, usually very sweet about all her friends, felt really -annoyed for about two minutes. But Chet's own hearty and unsentimental -greeting assured her. - -"Didn't Carolyn tell you that Ted and I were coming to visit Larry and -Marcella?" asked Chet. "Of course it was all fixed up at the last -minute. We've got Mother settled down at Cape Cod and drove up here with -Larry and his room-mate, you know, and a couple of cousins of his -room-mate. Come over and meet them, or it would be more proper to bring -them to you, wouldn't it? But they're with those girls. We didn't know -anything about the other fellows' coming till Larry telegraphed us about -meeting us and all coming on together in Judd Penrose's car. We've taken -a cottage of our own now, since Marcella's house is full up with girls. -You ought to see where we are going to 'bach' it, though I see where we -don't do any cooking to speak of!" - -"'Penrose,'" said Betty. "We met some boys by that name on the way up -here. I wonder----" - -But she did not wonder long. There, with an armful of driftwood, was -Archie Penrose, whose face, like Ted's before, was lit up by the fire as -he stooped. A crowd of girls and boys were around the fire and Betty, -greeting those she knew and introduced to those she had not met, was -soon in the midst of the friends and fun. - -"You didn't expect me to carry out my threat so soon, did you?" grinned -Arthur Penrose. "Neither did I; but we're well met. Will you go -sketching with me tomorrow?" - -"I'd love to, but Carolyn is my hostess and you'll have to find out what -she's going to do." - -"From all the plans, I take it that we'll have a picnic of some sort all -the time we're here, every day." - -Like the Dorrance boys, the two Penroses had settled their parents and -Gwen in a summer resort further South. Then came a telegram from their -cousin, Judd Penrose, and an invitation for Gwen from Marcella in -another urgent telegram, a night letter. Gwen had come by train. The -boys waited to be picked up by Judd and Larry with the Dorrances. - -Gwen Penrose almost fell into Betty's arms, such was her enthusiasm at -seeing her. "Isn't this _marvellous_?" she asked, "and to think that we -hadn't the _slightest idea_ of it when we met before! I did not even -remember the name of Judd's room-mate! I was crazy to come with Marcella -when she went to see Carolyn and you and Kathryn; but she wouldn't let -me. She wanted the surprise to be complete, she said." - -"Well, it certainly was--is!" answered Betty. "And now Art can make me a -sketch of this lovely place--if he will." - -"Oh, he will all right," Gwen assured her. "He thinks you're just about -the sweetest thing he's seen for a long while." - -Betty laughed. "We like scenery--that's all." - -Lawrence Waite, who was with another small group of girls, Betty did not -meet at first; but presently he came quickly over to where she stood -talking with one and another, and cordially took her hand. "Hello there, -Titania. I saw you by the light of the moon. Any other fairies abroad?" - -"It is a night for them, isn't it?" brightly replied Betty. "But they -might be afraid of pirates on this coast, mightn't they?" - -"Not of the Pirate of Penzance," Larry assured her. "Long ago, in a -gloomy cave, _by the light of one flickering candle_, the queen of the -fairies was not afraid of him, was she?" - -"Not a bit," laughed Betty. "She thought he was real nice." - -"Is _that_ all?" began the smiling former "Pirate of Penzance," but Judd -Penrose joined them at this moment and was introduced. - -The sorority girls who were visiting Marcella were for the most part -older. Marcella, too, had received her high school diploma and was a -little inclined to attend an Eastern school instead of continuing in the -"home town" university. Two of her visitors were girls from this school. -Other girls and boys were from this summer colony. Peggy Pollard was the -only girl of Marcia's high school sorority from Betty's class, and how -she was welcomed by her classmates! "That is all that is necessary to -make this summer a success, Peggy--your being here," warmly said Kathryn -Allen. - -Visiting, strolling on the beach with one and another, toasting -marshmallows, hearing all "the latest" about everybody, preparing and -eating the excellent lunch provided--and all on the rocky coast of -Maine, made Betty Lee's cup of happiness full. Chet did not try to -monopolize her. Everybody was "jolly" with everybody else and great -plans were made for coming days. "_Carpe diem_," folks, said Judson -Penrose, "or in other words, 'Gather ye roses while ye may'"--and his -eyes were upon "dear old Marcella," as he said this and suggested a -chowder party for the next day and a trip by car to a lake further -inland on the following day. Betty whispered to Kathryn that she would -have to pinch herself to make sure that it wasn't a dream. - -Like Betty, though in college, Larry Waite would be a senior next year, -a senior at Yale. And he had not forgotten that crazy Hallowe'en! -Betty's little experience with candle and mirror still remained -unmentioned to the other girls. She sometimes wondered if Larry had ever -spoken of it. Otherwise, it was an amusing secret between them--and, of -course, a bit romantic, though nothing would ever come of it. Of course -not. - -Chowder was duly served on the beach at the next beach party. The trip -to the beautiful little lake was a second exciting excursion. Not even -the mornings were exempt from gala events especially when long trips -were planned. Inland they went by car and for water trips the boys -secured a motor boat of moderate size which would accommodate all of -Marcella's and Carolyn's visitors and the boys of their bachelor -cottage. It was supposed to be "Welcome Inn," which sign adorned the -doorway; but Ted said that a better name would be "Never At Home" or, if -one must make a pun, "S'm' Other Time Inn." - -But in a few days the girls from the other resort had departed, leaving -two recent seniors with their classmate, Marcella, and the two younger -girls, Peggy Pollard and Gwendolyn Penrose, who finally spent part of -their time at Marcella's and the rest at Carolyn's. - -Betty enjoyed all the trips, but she still liked the water best, in it -to swim, or on it to explore the coast, with its bays and inlets or to -go out upon the bounding billows that Chet teased Betty about, as far as -it was wise for the boys to take the motor boat. - -And this was how it happened that Betty was drawn into one tragic -occurrence which might have entirely spoiled the summer's pleasure for -her and brought distress upon some of her friends. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - THE STORM - - -It was curious. Betty often thought and commented upon it afterwards at -home. Sometimes it seems as if in such curious, almost intentional ways, -lives cross each other. Yet Betty wondered how she happened to come into -the design in this instance. Her father told her that she was just one -instrument of Providence, used because she could be of service and was -"good in the humanities." - -And who would have thought that here, away off from home on the coast of -Maine?--but one must take events in order. - -It was in the second week of good times. One night there was a sudden -and terrific storm, or so it seemed to Betty. The sea boomed and lashed -the shore. Lightning flashed and thunder resounded or crashed with the -bolts close at hand. Such small shipping as the village boasted had come -hurrying to the protection of the small bay and breakwater. - -The girls, rather frightened at first, bravely tried not to show it, -though they were wondering whether the boys had gotten in safely from a -fishing trip. "Don't worry," said Mr. Gwynne. "The sky was lowering -about dusk. If they were too far up the coast they would put in -somewhere and land." - -But the girls were uneasy and Betty was very much interested in her -first big storm by the sea. "I wish we could go down to the dock to see -things," she said. - -"Well, why not?" asked Carolyn. "As soon as it stops pouring, we'll put -on our ponchos and galoshes and go down. It's not thundering much now. -The storm's gone out to sea!" - -Mrs. Gwynne had no objection. A little later, protected from the still -falling rain and equipped with flashlights, the girls ran or slipped on -rocks and sand to the shore, warned against going too close. "No big -wave is going to carry us off, Mother," Carolyn assured Mrs. Gwynne. -"We'll look at it from a safe distance I promise you." - -At first they went by the usual "back way," but found that at one point -they could not safely pass. Waves dashed in against rocks that even at -high tide they had found at some distance from the line of water. -Accordingly they returned, by the ascent and steps, to the Gwynne -grounds, from which a longer way led to the village and small docks. - -Other people were out. Lanterns, rubber-coated men and women, with -umbrellas, rubbers or galoshes, splashing through puddles, were in -evidence. "Hello there!" cried a familiar voice. It was Chet Dorrance -whose big flashlight had discovered the girls. There were the boys! - -"Oh, we were worrying a little about you boys," said Betty, as Chet took -her arm and fell into step, guiding her around an immense puddle. "We -tried to telephone Marcella and 'Welcome Inn,' too, but the fuse had -burned out or something." - -"The storm has knocked everything out," returned Chet. "We got home all -right. I pity any boat that got caught tonight. We found good luck, not -so far away, and when we saw that there was going to be a storm, we came -back. Perhaps we wouldn't have come if we hadn't already had more fish -than we could use. How about Gwynne Haven. Want any fish, or shall we -have a big fish fry tomorrow?" - -This last was in a louder tone to Carolyn, who with Kathryn was behind, -accompanied by several more of the boys. - -"Oh, the fish fry by all means," called Carolyn. - -"How can we have a fish fry after this?" asked Betty. - -"Very likely tomorrow will be as bright as can be, Betty," said Chet. -"Gee whilikers, look at the dock!" - -By this time they had reached the dock, where more than one boat owner -had come down to see how his shipping fared. The boys found their boat -intact and uninjured, and when Carolyn found that they had intended to -come later on to "Gwynne Haven," the new name for the new cottage, she -told them to "come right along." - -"We'll stop for Marcella and the rest," continued Carolyn, "and have a -fudge party. Then we can plan the fish fry." - -Not all the boats had fared as well as the launch used by the boys of -"Welcome Inn." Betty felt troubled over several rather distracted women -whose "men-folks" had not come in. She overheard some woman assure them -that they were "probably safe ashore somewhere," but Betty knew that -this was said only to cheer them a little. Oh, dear, the sea and fishing -and boating were not all fun! - -The fudge party was a success. Wet ponchos and coats and overshoes were -hung around to dry while the savory odor of cooking fudge made pleasant -anticipations. Arthur Penrose drew a funny sketch of Ted almost falling -out of the boat in the effort to land a big fish. Then, on a piece of -cardboard which Carolyn furnished, he made a poster of the fish fry. -Art's imagination ran riot and Betty watched his bold strokes and the -funny figures that resulted, with as much hilarity as the rest. "Oh, you -ought to do comic strip, Art," she exclaimed. "You'd make a fortune." - -"Sh-hh!" returned Arthur, in a loud whisper. "It's a secret. That is my -present ambition. All I need is the idea!" - -"That is _good_" was Larry Waite's verdict, when he and Judson Penrose -surveyed the result, with Marcella and another Kappa Upsilon. "Unless -some of you girls want it, we'll tack that up in 'Nobody T-Home' -tomorrow." - -"But don't throw it away when we go home," said Marcella. "We need that -as a souvenir of the summer. Arthur, may I sit for my portrait?" - -"Yes, ma'am," said Arthur, with affected timidity, "but I'm very -expensive, you know." - -"What is that to me," scornfully Marcella replied. "I could raise a -thousand as easily as a--hundred." - -"Yes," laughed her brother. "Marcella said this morning that she had -just five cents left of her allowance." - -"Now, Larry! You know it is not polite to tell family secrets, -especially about money." - -"Well, who mentioned money first, I ask the assembled company?" - -Betty, laughing, caught Larry's eye, and he stretched a hand to lift her -from her seat by Arthur. "Come, Titania; you have wasted enough time in -encouragement of _art_, with or without a capital letter. Let's turn on -the victrola. No radio tonight, I reckon. It was sputtering to beat the -band at our shack awhile ago." - -"A lot of interference from ships and shore," said Ted Dorrance, "beside -the weather--naught but static this eve." - -Hot fudge was good and the evening was merry, yet all of the young -company were more or less conscious of the sea and its restless menace. - -Yet when morning came, it was as Chet had said, bright and sunny, with a -blue sky. The waves were still high and the stretch of water to the -skyline a glorious sight. Betty selected a high rock, back of the beach -proper, some distance from the Gwynne cottage, where she could sit and -watch the incoming rollers with their white crests. The girls had gone -down early in the hope of finding new shells brought in by the storm. -Betty had a little market bag full of pretty ones. "I have to watch this -a long time, Kathryn," said she soberly to her friend, who had followed -her. "Do you suppose it could fade out of a body's mind, just like a -film that you had taken full of pictures and then didn't have -developed?" - -"Well, you _are_ original, Betty! Who else would think of that? I'd like -to remember it, too. I feel as if something is going to happen, Betty. -Why, do suppose?" - -"Something _is_ going to happen, the fish fry this afternoon." - -"I know." - -"Are you like that sometimes, Gypsy?" - -"Yes. It must by my 'gypsy blood!'" - -"As you haven't any, it must be something else. How about nerves from -staying up till all hours last night?" - -"Perhaps. But the whole village was up and we stayed in bed as late as -we could and not miss getting shells." - -This conversation was interrupted by the arrival of more of their -friends. Ted had his big camera and took Betty and Kathryn on their rock -as well as snap-shots of shore and surf and groups of people here and -there. - -The fish fry in the afternoon was a source of more fun. All of them were -more or less accustomed to picnics and cooking in the open. Larry and -Ted had for fun brought immense cooks' aprons and announced that they -were chefs and "chief cooks and bottle washers." Some spills occurred -and a few fish were rather overdone; but that was better than not to be -done enough. Pickles and rolls were "easier" than making sandwiches; and -for dessert they had new England doughnuts and various sorts of fruit, -according to the taste of those who chose the contributions. Lemonade, -brought in "joy hats," and bottles of pop regaled them when thirsty. - -Not a plan was made for the next day. Every body was too lazy. -"Something will turn up, girls," said Larry Waite. "If nothing else we -can always take a ride in the launch. It's a little too rough today, -though." - -The local movie was well attended that night. Ted, to Betty's pleased -surprise, invited her to accompany him. Carolyn went with Archie -Penrose, Kathryn with Arthur, Gwen with Chet Dorrance and Peggy Pollard -with Judd Penrose. Marcella and the other Kappa Upsilons had "other -arrangements" at a party outside of this resort. - -The "theatre party," as Ted called, it, attended the "first show," and -after more or less attractive refreshments at the local ice-cream shop, -the girls were duly taken home by boys that said they must have their -"beauty sleep" and left with nothing beyond a visit on the front porch. - -Gwen Penrose and Peggy Pollard were staying at Carolyn's now and Gwen -giggled a little when they went to their rooms, rather relieved, after -all, that the boys had not come in for another party. One did have to -have a little rest sometimes. "The boys have something on hand tonight," -said Gwen. "I got an inkling from Archie, though he wouldn't tell me -what they're going to do--some boy stuff. My, doesn't being outdoors so -much make you sleepy?" - -"Yes," Betty happened to be the one to reply, she would be "as hoarse as -a gull if she didn't make so much noise tonight. It's going to put me to -sleep and that soon!" - -But Betty reckoned without considering how many things are absolutely -necessary to talk over. As there was another room connecting with -Carolyn's, Gwen and Peggy had been put there; but the girls went back -and forth and Gwen in gay pajamas sat on Betty's bed to talk for an -hour, till Peggy called her and told her she would be "as hoarse as a -gull if she didn't either come to bed or get her robe around her." - -At that Betty made room for Gwen under her soft covers and never knew -when Gwen, whispering to deaf ears, finally, went to her own bed in the -next room. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - A SURPRISING RESCUE - - -Whatever it was that the boys had in mind or carried out that night, it -must have kept them up till late or early hours, in spite of their -joking about "beauty sleep." Although the girls were on the beach more -or less the next morning, not a sign did they see of any one from -"Welcome Inn" or "Nobody At Home." Everybody must have been at home. But -all that any of the girls ever knew about performances was what Gwen -told them, as Archie informed her it was "some sort of an initiation." - -Betty Lee wondered how it was possible for the sea to be so calm on only -the second day after a storm like the one she had witnessed. There was -the swell, to be sure, and the rollers came in as usual. The surf was -just as beautiful and she experienced the delights of cutting the waves -as she and Carolyn swam out as far as they dared. But the rocks lashed -by the storm were now dry. No heaving, tossing maelstrom met the eye. -Gently the boats at the little docks rocked up and down, lapped by such -waves as reached them. - -It was after lunch when Larry Waite, in his "adorable" yachting outfit -and looking like a captain, Gwen said, stood at the Gwynne door, cap in -hand. "Oh, come in, Larry," welcomed Carolyn, jumping up from a low -rocker and dropping the bit of embroidery that she was doing. - -Larry entered and looked around with some amusement. "What!" said he -teasingly, "is this the sewing circle? Can't you find anything else to -do on Maine shores?" - -"Oh, we've been out all morning and ate so much lunch that we're past -going for awhile. Besides, Gwen is showing us a new stitch." This was -Peggy Pollard, who offered the explanation. - -"Your excuses are accepted," laughed Larry, "and I'll not mention what -_we_ have been doing all morning." - -"Snoozing!" cried Gwen. "I know!" - -"And didn't we need it!" replied Larry. "But that is all by the way, -girls. I've come to deliver an invitation from the crowd. Ted and Art -are routing out some provisions from the groceries and such. How about a -trip in the old boat and dinner some place?" - -"Oh--grand!" cried Gwen. - -"You've saved our lives," said Carolyn, with exaggerated gratitude, -resigning her circle of embroidery with an air of "nothing more to do -with you!" "When do we start?" - -"Meet me by yonder swelling wave in half an hour," grinned Larry, -looking at Betty, who had said nothing but looked her approval of the -plan. "In other words, I'm going down now to see that the tug's in shape -and if you will be down at the dock in half an hour or so, it will give -us time to do anything necessary and stow away the hardtack. Besides, -don't you girls always have things to do like powdering your noses or -being sure that the vanity what you call it is along?" - -"You are only forgiven because of the nice invitation, Larry," said -Kathryn. "You forget that we are laying on a fashionable coat of tan -these days." - -"Sure enough." Larry was on the porch by this time, fleeing in pretended -fear from threatening looks. "I'm glad you want to go, girls, and if you -want to bring any fishing tackle of your own, we may fish a little -before we get back. The sea is fine and we may go as far as a little -island I know." - -There was great scurrying around for a little while, also much wagging -of tongues. Costumes were quickly changed, for with Larry looking as he -did, they must dress the part. Besides, the boat was pretty fit, and -Betty asked Gwen again if you "could call it a yacht." - -"It's as big as some that have the name," replied Gwen, "and it's big -enough to go to sea in, though I'd hate to be caught in it if there were -a storm like the one we just had." - -"Oh, sailors weather them, in littler boats than that," Kathryn -declared. - -Soon, on board, the boat guided by Larry Waite's experienced hand, Betty -Lee, Carolyn Gwynne, Kathryn Allen, Peggy Pollard and Gwendolyn Penrose -were the guests of Larry, Ted and Chet Dorrance, Arthur and Archie -Penrose. Judd Penrose had motored up to join Marcella and her friends, -but as Ted told Betty privately, he and Larry "escaped." "You see, -Betty, there's a girl that I'd a little rather--well I don't mean that -she exactly likes me, but anyhow I didn't want to go and Larry felt the -same way. With a lot of nice girls right here, what's the use?" - -This amused Betty, who knew that some girls did more or less pursue Ted. -"Thanks for the compliment to us, Ted," she answered. "I'm glad you and -Larry didn't go. A picnic is just what I'm wanting, too." - -Facing the ocean, just as if she were going to land in Spain or France -or some other delightful country, Betty felt that the world was a large -place this afternoon. Larry took them out from bays and rocks to where -the going was safe. Strange birds dived into waves ahead of them after -their prey, or floated upon the water, rising and falling with the -movement of the sea, to fly as the boat approached them. And just as -young appetites began to be ready for the good picnic supper, there in -sight was the island of which Larry had spoken. The course had been -changed after they were well away from the shore, toward the north -first, then toward the coast again, as Larry executed a curve, as it -were, to approach this island from the proper angle. Carefully he took -the boat into the bay scarcely worthy of the name, so shallow was it. -But there was a rickety floating dock attached to the shore and a rocky -way cut, by which they all were soon ascending to the top of a low -cliff. Other rocks beyond were higher and a little woods invited them to -picnic. There was a spring of clear water, which was probably what made -the island a resort for picnics. - -The first thing was to appease hunger. Carolyn had gathered up some -fresh doughnuts made that morning by their New England cook and had -taken bodily a fresh veal loaf, but with her mother's permission. This -bit of homemade cookery added pleasantly to what the boys had purchased -at the village stores. They would be able to satisfy hunger at least! - -For possibly half an hour or more they regaled themselves and talked, -then discussed whether they should do any fishing, for this was supposed -to be a good place, or whether they should merely roam over the island a -little and then take to the boat again. While this more or less -important decision was being made, they were suddenly quite surprised by -the arrival of a stranger, who came over a little rise of the rocky land -beyond the trees and approached them. He was a somewhat haggard-looking -man, whose clothing was tumbled and mussed. He wore an old sweater and -his old felt hat was pulled down almost over his dark eyes. - -He sharply looked over the little company before him, then came more -rapidly toward them. "It is fortunate for me that you came here for your -picnic," said he. "I _thought_ I heard voices! I was wrecked here in the -storm and I wonder if I can get you to take me over to the mainland." - -"Of course we can," said Larry pleasantly. He had risen and was taking -in the stranger as keenly as that man was regarding the group. - -"Were you hurt? And did you lose your boat and companions?" - -"There's nobody here but me," the man replied, rather too hastily, Larry -thought. "I'm not hurt very much, but I ought to get to a doctor as soon -as I can." - -"All right," said Larry. "We want to run over the island a little, to -show it to the girls, and then we'll be ready to go. You must be hungry, -if you've been here with nothing to eat since the storm. Girls, isn't -there something we can fix for him right away?" - -But the man was waving his hands rather distractedly. "Oh, why must you -wait? There's nothing but rocks here! Let's go at once! Besides, if I -can get some one to come back and fix my boat for me I may save it -before the waves beat it to pieces!" - -"Maybe we can fix it for you," suggested Ted, springing to his feet, but -winking at Archie, as he turned. Afterwards he said that he had his -suspicions of all's not being as it seemed. - -"No, no, no," excitedly said the man, with a gesture as if he would keep -Ted back. "Take me away at once!" he cried, and as if to prove his need -he sank to the ground, startling the girls, who jumped up at once. - -"Oh, the poor fellow!" exclaimed Carolyn. - -"Ted, we'd better take him right away! He's all used up, shipwrecked and -everything!" - -"So he is," said Ted, starting toward the man. "Pour me a cup of that -coffee, Carolyn. We'll get something hot inside of him. Larry, I'd -suggest that we get him down into the boat right away. Pack up the -stuff, kids." - -Larry was bending over the man, lifting him to a sitting position, for -he had not fainted. His hat had fallen off and he reached for it -himself, pulling it down over his forehead again. Betty Lee was staring -at him. Where had she seen that man before and heard that voice? - -The coffee was gratefully swallowed and he accepted a doughnut with it, -though Carolyn was not sure that a doughnut was the best thing for a -starving man. "I can wait to eat more until you all come," suggested the -man. "I am feeling pretty good now. If I can just get to the mainland. -I'll tell you just where to land me." - -"Never mind now," said Larry. "We'll take you where you want to go." -Larry was not to carry out that statement, but he did not know it as she -made it. - -There was a little group of the boys around the man now and Ted, -speaking to Archie, who had said something Betty did not hear, said, -"All right, Archie--you help Larry take him to the boat and I'll help -here. We'll be away in a jiffy." - -Larry and Archie kindly helped the man over the rocks and down to the -boat, while Ted turned to the other boys and girls speaking now in a low -tone. "I'm suspicious of that chap," said Ted. "I think Larry is, too. -Don't hurry too much and go down one at a time carrying something, -girls. Come on, Chet. You and I will go over the island a bit and see -what this wreck is." - -Arthur, who had been making a funny sketch of the picnic party when the -man appeared, now put his paper in his pocket and told the girls that it -seemed to be "up to him to pack the stuff." - -"Not a bit of it," said Carolyn. "Didn't you hear Ted tell us not to -hurry. Go on with the boys." - -"I'll see where they're going," returned Arthur, "and come back to -protect you!" - -The girls laughed at this, and Carolyn began to separate some of the -most attractive remains to be packed together, ready for a good lunch -for the "shipwrecked sailor." She was the first one to go down to the -boat, carrying this. Gwen followed her shortly, then Peggy. Kathryn and -Betty were beginning to gather up the rest of the equipment, except the -heavier articles, which they had been "ordered" to leave for the boys, -when there came a hail and Chet came leaping over the rocks in the -background, crossing from the rise of ground as the stranger had done -before him. "Where's the rest of that coffee?" he demanded. "We've found -the boat all right, out of commission and there's a fellow in it--bound -and gagged he was--that old scoundrel!" - -"Oh, Chet!" cried Betty. "Why, Carolyn took the thermos bottle and the -coffee to the boat, for the man if he should want anything more." - -"What _that_ fellow needs is a rope and a limb!" growled Chet, not -waiting to be polite, but scrambling down the rocks to where the boat -stood waiting. Betty and Kathryn left their baskets to run in the -direction of the rocks. They had hoped to see something of this pretty -island as it was. Through and over the rocks they speedily went and -there stretched before them an irregular path, winding among more trees -and disappearing in the direction of another shore where the wash of the -surf could be heard. - -They started down the path, but were surprised to see Ted and Arthur, -slowly approaching and half carrying some one between them. "You'll be -all right, old fellow, as soon as you get limbered up a little," Ted was -saying. - -"Shall we set you down for a moment or can you keep going?" - -Something indistinct was replied. It does not help communication to have -been gagged for some little time. And Ted was _laughing_ at the reply! -Betty and Kathryn were horrified; but all in a moment they saw who it -was that was being carried as more than once he had been helped from the -football field at Lyon High. It was the Don! Obviously Chet had not -waited to see who it was. - -Ted grinned when he saw Betty. "He says it's a little worse than -athletics, Betty, but he can make it." Then Ted's expression changed. - -"Please hurry up Chet with that coffee and then tell him to see to it -that the boys tie up that old villain!" - -In a flash Betty sensed the situation. It was the "villain!" She had -only seen him once, and then not any too well--but she should have known -the voice, though not quite so suave as when he had called upon her -father to inquire for Ramon. - -"Ramon Sevilla!" she gasped. But it was no time to learn how all this -had happened. She turned back with Kathryn, but Chet in a great hurry -passed them and was giving Ramon a drink of the coffee. - -Affairs moved rapidly after this. Betty and Kathryn gathered up the rest -of the picnic supplies and hurried to the boat. There Larry and Archie -had secured the "villain," who was angry and dangerous, they said. "Oh, -you'd go off and leave somebody to die, would you?" belligerently -queried Chet. - -"I would have come back with my friends for him," growled the angry man. - -"And what would you have done with him then? Yes, you'll tell that to -the judge!" - -But they fed the villain as well as Ramon, the "Don" of football fame, -over whom they all rejoiced. Ramon was in no condition to tell his story -and interested as they all were, they waited and asked no questions. The -boys made him comfortable in the little cabin, fed him and left him to -sleep. They told the girls how they had found the boat, really disabled -as the man had said, and as they investigated they heard a low moan. -Ramon could not call to them for the man had gagged him, presumably when -he knew that the picnickers had landed there. There had evidently been a -struggle against the gagging process, though Ramon had been securely -tied before, he had given them to understand. Half conscious now, he had -still recognized Ted and when freed had gradually come to himself. "You -can't get a good football player down!" declared Chet, referring to the -characteristic nerve with which Ramon insisted on trying to walk up the -path and over the rocks to the boat. "I didn't recognize him, -though--and the other boys untied him." - -The trip home was quiet but beautiful. The boys were more or less -disturbed over their captive, and the girls kept far away from him. What -a pity it was, thought Betty, that people should be so bad in such a -beautiful world. The sunset colors were just as glorious as ever and the -sky was mirrored upon the water. "Where every prospect pleases and only -man is vile," she quoted to Larry, at the wheel, to his amusement. To -him she related all the story of Ramon as far as she knew it. "How glad -he will be to know about his mother and sister," said she, "and that -they are safe! And it will be wonderful for them. I believe I'll send a -telegram in the morning--or would you?" - -"I'll send one if you like, Betty--for you. But perhaps we'd better find -out what Ramon wants first. He might like to be the one to open -communication." - -"Yes. You are right, Larry." - -"Stay right by me, Betty Lee," said Larry at this juncture, for Betty, -drawn by his beckoning hand had joined him. "Don't you want to learn how -to steer a boat, much as you like the sea?" - -"Yes, I do. Will you show me, Larry? You like the water, too, don't you? -I didn't know it till this summer." - -"I'm very fond of any kind of water and most of all the sea, though I'm -no goldfish," and Larry laughed, looking at the waving golden locks now -blown by the ocean breeze. - -"How did you ever hear that!" cried Betty. "I wish the girls wouldn't -tell everything!" - -"Don't worry. I'll not think of you as a goldfish, though that's funny, -Betty. But I think of you as Titania--on All Hallowe'en, you know." -Larry looked at Betty meaningly, and Betty smiled, but dropped her eyes -before Larry's. Fortunately Gwen and Carolyn came up just then to -comment on Betty's having the wheel. "Don't upset us, Betty," said Gwen. - -"I won't; Larry is watching me, and it's only for a minute." - -The boys took Ramon to their own shack, while the villain was lodged in -the village jail, after Ramon had been consulted in regard to the -charges to be brought against him. There were plenty, Ramon said, theft, -practical kidnapping and the cruel treatment that might have resulted in -death. But Ramon was too exhausted to talk much. The man gave his name -as Peter Melinoff, very different from that he had given Betty's father, -and the boys said it was a joke, for he was "no more Russian than a -rabbit." "It's just one of his aliases," suggested Archie Penrose. - -But the great disappointment to all, and a tragic one to Ramon, -apparently was that on the third night from the one on which the two had -been brought to the village, the man who had done so much to injure -Ramon broke jail and fled. It was very likely that he had gotten word in -some way to his friends, Ramon said. And worst of all, Ramon would not -allow word to be sent as yet to his mother and sister. He had told them -to wait at first. Then, after the jailbird had flown, he said that he -would not send word at all. - -"The reason is this," said Ramon. "He has finally gotten hold of even -the jewels that I have kept so long, for my mother and sister if I ever -found them. He was trying to get me to sign a paper finally putting it -out of our power to get the property that he has and that is ours. I -must follow him, and it is none too safe, as recent events indicate. I -_will not_ permit him to rob us; and now I have some grounds on which to -hold him." - -"But please don't do it all by yourself," said Betty, who was having -this final conversation with Ramon. - -"Betty, if I get what belongs to us, it is all right. If I do not, how -could I pay for a detective? I will do this, though. If I succeed in -getting the jewels again, I will see that they get to your father for my -mother. Now that I have all of you back of me I will not be afraid of -being arrested for having 'stolen jewels,' as that fellow always -threatened. Then, if the jewels come, there will be a letter for my -mother and Ramona Rose. But it would be cruel to stir them up about me -now. Don't you see?" - -Betty did see. The story was not complete yet, but Ramon had told them -all about how he had had an offer of a good salary in Canada by people -who proved to be carriers of liquor into the United States, merely -Detroit rum-runners after all. There were some "big people" in it, Ramon -said, and he was having difficulty in getting safely out of the toils -when this man appeared, having relations with the ring of rum-runners, -and took charge of Ramon. That was how in one of the trucks he had been -brought to the coast where he had at first thought that escape might be -easy. He had made no objection to the proposed trip for that reason and -was inveigled into the boat, where he found "Peter Melinoff" and had to -endure his unholy joy and a species of torture while the man made the -effort to have Ramon sign the paper. He had held out until the storm, -which for a time ended his troubles, though, he was still tied and -expected to go down in the sea. But at the end of the storm they were -cast on the island and the man who was with "Peter" either fell -overboard and was drowned or was assisted to that fate by Peter. There -seemed nothing too desperate for him to do. - -"Well, Ramon, remember," said Betty at the last of their interview, -"that any mother and sister I know would rather have you safe than any -amount of property or jewels or anything." - -"Yes," thoughtfully said Ramon. "My mother and sister are like that. But -I am no weakling and I know more than when I was brought to this -country. I'll promise you just one thing, for their sakes--not to take -such risks again. I have a little money sewed in my clothing. They did -not find that. In fact, for some time I have been in the habit of always -having something hidden for an emergency. If you knew, Betty--well, if I -never get back you may tell my mother and sister that I constantly -thought of them. In six months I expect to see you all." - -There was only one consolation to the girls who had taken such an -interest: the authorities would now get after the ring. Ramon would not -be alone in his search, after all; but the day after the man called -Peter Melinoff had broken out of jail, Ramon was gone. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - VACATION'S LAST FLING - - -"Gid-ap!" cried Betty, waving a willow switch, but not touching her old -horse with it. Four or five girls were urging their gentle steeds along -the pretty country road near the camp to which Betty Lee and Kathryn had -come for their last fling before school. - -"This is like old days at the farm," remarked Betty, rather jerkily, as -her horse picked up his pace and stride and jolted her. One of the girls -that Betty had recently met at camp passed now with a clatter of horse's -hoofs and a flapping of girl elbows. - -"She can't ride any better than we can," cried Kathryn, grinning. "It's -us for riding lessons this fall, isn't it Betty?" - -Betty only nodded. This was great fun, riding up hill and down dale in -the country-side near the camp to which Betty had duly come, although -all that they had planned had not been carried out. Mr. Lee had not -brought Mrs. Lee and Amy Lou to New England, since business in New York -held him there. But the Penroses, driving up to the Maine village to -investigate all its delights, of which they were hearing in letters from -Gwen and cards from their sons, left at the psychological moment, Gwen -said, to take Kathryn and Betty with them. - -It was a little hard to leave Carolyn behind. She had given up all idea -of camp and Betty really did not see how any one could leave the ocean -unless she had to. But the restless boys had been making ready to leave -on some other trip, by boat, if Larry Waite had his way. There would be -some scattering. - -Betty and Kathryn were taken by car to Boston, where they embarked for -New York, going on a "delirious" jaunt by a coast steamer to New York. -There they joined the Lees, Amy Lou doing the honors of the city with -great dignity and telling the girls where to see different things of -importance. Betty would not spoil Amy Lou's enthusiasm by reminding her -that she had been there before. That was one pleasant custom in the Lee -family, to give each member a fair chance with enthusiasms or -accomplishments. To take the wind out of anybody's sails--well, that was -too deadly! - -But Betty and Kathryn had a gay time for a a week. They ate lobster in -one delightful place and had French dainties in another. And both agreed -that no summer which they ever should have could come up to this one. -Here they were now in this wonderful camp; and Betty declared that -having seen her father and mother and Amy Lou had been quite enough to -stave off any homesickness. She never _would_ want to go home now. -Imagine! School! - -This was more like school in numbers, this Indiana camp of Girl -Reserves. The group in the Maine village had been more or less an -exclusive, or small one. Here were about sixty girls, only a few of whom -Betty knew, though there were some from other high schools in her home -city. And were they _friendly_--and _noisy_, at certain times? So Betty -queried in her home letter written the day after arrival. But it was -only the camp freedom, supervised, to be sure, that found expression -here as in all camps. - -Betty and Kathryn, rather expecting this to be something of an -anti-climax after Maine, were pleasantly disappointed. Why, it was -"gorgeous!" And it may be that the extravagant expressions of youth were -justified. It was "like being away to school--and without lessons!" -Betty's only other camp experience had been a week-end attendance upon a -Fall Retreat. That she had "loved" and it had made her happy in her -interest in Lyon "T," but it did not last long enough. By arrangement -she was here for three weeks and would see some changes in the personnel -of the girls. Many of them came for only a week; some, for two weeks. - -The camp had been a gift to the Y. W. C. A., and consisted of the -buildings and grounds of a country resort, close to a tiny country town. -The main building, originally a country hotel or club house, was a -three-story structure and had been adapted to its present use, very much -like a girls' dormitory. Wide porches, a large room with a fireplace for -the open fires they sometimes had in cool evenings, an immense dining -room, a big "back porch" which was practically a large room and now -glassed in and screened, to be thrown open often--all these were -prominent features. - -There were several small cottages and because the next group of Girl -Reserves was a large one, Kathryn and Betty had been placed in one of -these, as they were to stay over into the next period. The girls were at -first a trifle disappointed, but when they found that a phoebe was -nesting on the ledge above their very door, undisturbed with their -passing in and out, they were quite delighted. - -Main building, cottages and all were perched on a wooded bluff above the -banks of a beautiful little river. It was not the ocean, to be sure, but -Betty was satisfied when she first realized the loveliness of the place, -its tall trees, the birds nesting close by and their songs in the -morning. And oh, the nice space! Little country roads, deep hollows, -thick woods, all sorts of growths with the wild flowers of the late -season! There was a safe backwater in which to swim and bathe--and the -water was warm, and did not taste salty! Inland country had a beauty of -its own. Moreover, there was some one to tell you about everything. - -A young science instructor from one of the colleges had charge of a -nature interest group, for which Betty and Kathryn promptly signed. -Betty joined the dramatic group and Kathryn signed up for handicraft. -Both were in the recreation group, and they concluded that a poetry club -would be "instructive." - -Yet it was not in the least like school and classes. The nature group -met out under the trees and planned or executed a hike. The recreation -group played tennis, volley ball and other outdoor games or scampered -over the country on horseback, as Betty and Kathryn were doing now. The -dramatic group took the lead in the funny plays or masquerades or stunts -with which the whole camp was entertained. - -And now the girls were jogging slowly home from their ride. The horses -would be given a little rest and another set of riders would have their -turn. - -"I had a note from Ramon this morning, Kathryn," said Betty, as she tied -her horse to the proper place and joined Kathryn in a stroll down the -hill to the bridge that crossed the river. "I haven't had a good chance -before to tell you without somebody around." - -"Then he's still alive," said Kathryn, her eye on a rabbit that popped -out of the bushes and went scurrying down the little road. - -"He was when he wrote it," giggled Betty. Then she sobered, thinking -that it was not very nice of her to make a joke of anything connected -with that harassed boy. - -"You didn't tell us much about your talk with Ramon, Betty," remarked -Kathryn, with an air of inviting confidences. - -"There was so little of it," musingly returned Betty. "Look! There's -that Kentucky warbler that we've been trying to see! I didn't know that -they nested here till Miss Davenport told us." - -"Well, Kentucky is the name of it, and if this _is_ Indiana, camp isn't -so far north of the Ohio River." - -Even the girls' low voices had made the bird whisk out of sight again. -Quiet indeed must she who follows the birds learn to be! There was no -further conversation while the girls stealthily tiptoed to a vantage -point and watched the thick bushes that concealed the warbler. Then--oh -joy!--there were both of the mates. First the male bird flew from the -bush to a tree above. On a lower limb, in plain sight, he rested for a -few moments, a ray of sunlight catching the bright yellow of his breast -and showing clearly the black markings of the head. But whisk--they were -both there on the same limb for a second, then gone! Bird study was like -that! - -"Now you see them and now you don't see them!" said Betty, wishing that -she had her notebook. "Don't let me forget, Kathryn, to put all that -down for our reports, and about the little field sparrow's nest we found -at the foot of that tree. Gracious! I'm afraid now of _stepping_ on some -nest when we dash around!" - -"Go on about Ramon, Betty." - -The girls stopped on the great bridge and leaned on its railing to look -down at the water below. A little green heron started from a thicket -close to the river and a spotted sandpiper flew close to the sands or -gravel upon a "sand-bar" and kept on its low flight for some distance up -the stream. - -"I suppose I told you how relieved he was to hear that his mother and -sister were found and all right. I tried to get him to see how much more -his mother would want him than any money, but he doesn't look at it that -way." - -"Maybe there's some reason we don't know, Betty. Then folks are -different about those things. Perhaps they _do_ care about the jewels -and their family and all more than about _living_, without them." - -Betty considered. "I suppose they do hate to be taken advantage of and I -suppose awful things must have happened through that old scoundrel." -Betty looked around almost as if she expected to see him. "Oh, let's -forget about it. Ramon Sevilla-sky will just have to have his old -adventures if he will be so obstinate. All he said in his letter was -that he _was_ still alive and on the trail. He just wrote to thank me -for everything, he said, and he could write to Father later on, if he -had any success." - -Kathryn, who had laughed at Betty's combination of Ramon's name, -repeated meaningly "_if he has any success_!" - -When the girls went back to headquarters again, they found things -humming as usual in the merry beehive of activity. Bernadine Fisher, one -of the dramatic group, handed them each a large scrap of brown paper, -torn in irregular shape and written upon with a very black pencil. This -was the invitation to a barn dance, to take place that evening. "Look as -crazy as you can," said Bernadine. "And after the barn dance we're going -to put on our masterpiece. Don't forget, Betty, that you are the heroine -that gets kidnapped and everything. Ask Miss Mercer about costume. You -remember we talked about that." - -"Yes--but what do I _say_?" - -"Oh, make it up! The heroine doesn't have to say much. She will probably -be gagged anyhow if she is kidnapped!" - -"Yes, but I'm one of the villains," said Kathryn, "and we didn't write -up anything but the plot!" - -"That's all right. We almost never do for a stunt like this. Just get -the general idea and work out the details as you do it." - -Kathryn and Betty looked at each other with large-sized smiles as -Bernadine left them, though Betty was thinking to herself that -kidnapping and being gagged was not so funny in real life. She had seen -Ramon after such an experience. - -"This goes in my stunt-book," said Kathryn, holding up the artistically -torn piece of brown paper. "It's loads of fun, Betty, but I guess we'd -better see Miss Mercer about when to come in with our speeches. It -wouldn't do to be standing around waiting for each other before the -audience. What did I ever let you work me into this play for?" - -"You know you wouldn't miss it, Gypsy! Oh, yes, Miss Davenport, I should -say we _will_ help you put up the bird pictures! Wait till I get the -thumb tacks for you. Have we really seen that many?" - -On the big sun porch Kathryn and Betty were soon busy helping put up, -from the excellent portfolio of bird pictures published by the New York -State Museum or the "University of the State of New York," such pictures -as represented birds actually seen by the nature group in camp. "We have -not as many as we would see in the migration season," Miss Davenport -explained, "but it is easy enough to get at least fifty birds that nest -about here on our list. I'm making a tree list now for the camp; and -don't forget to report all the wild flowers, girls." - -The play that night was a great success, a few bad moments for the -actors, when something wrong was done, resulting only in shrieks of -delight and enjoyment from the audience. It was rather entertaining to -hear several startled and perfectly distinct remarks from a heroine that -was supposed to be unable to speak or call for aid. But Betty thought -she was going to be dropped by the excited villains and spoke before she -thought. "Oh!" she finished much mortified, and Kathryn saved the day by -clapping a hand over the heroine's mouth and calling for "another gag." - -"She will rouse the neighbors yet!" cried Kathryn with a dramatic -gesture, "and all will be lost! See, varlets, that you make a good job -of it this time!" True, "varlets" and "job" scarcely seemed to belong to -the same vernacular, but what mattered a little thing like that? -Besides, they were giving a "real play" at the end of the week. - -Ah, the fun they had, the friendships they made and the lessons they -learned in "good sportsmanship" and living together! From reveille to -taps they went from one activity to another, or slept in rest hour, or -sang at meals. Two things Betty declared that she could never forget. -One was a wet evening when a fire in the big fireplace was comfortable. -It was their hearth fire and camp fire in one and the girls sat around -on the floor before it or ranged themselves in comfortable seats at a -greater distance, while one of the young teachers who was a fine -story-teller told all that they asked for of the old tales, and more -amusing or thrilling newer ones. - -The other great moment came during the beautiful ceremonial at the end -of the period. Betty and Kathryn had been leaders in the school -organization and found themselves useful here. Both received honors at -the recognition service. And oh, that lovely night, with its moon, its -firelight outdoors, its lights carried by the girls among the shadows -and its inspiration! - -"I like you, Betty Lee," facetiously, yet truthfully said one of the -camp directors as Betty bid her goodbye on the big bridge. A whole -procession of girls was walking across it to take the train at the -village station and a loaded old truck was ahead of them with suitcases -galore. - -The young director withdrew her arm which she had linked with Betty's as -she strolled with the girls as far as the bridge. - -"I mean it," laughed she. "You are a wholesome, happy girl, and I like -your influence upon other girls. I hope you'll be president of Lyon 'Y' -this year again." - -Betty shook her head in the negative, looking ahead at Kathryn who was -walking with one of their many new friends. "No--I've had that and I -want Kathryn in this year, if possible. But I'll work for it just as -hard and all the more for having been here! Thank you for your good -opinion of me--I'll try to deserve it. And we all just love _you_! Thank -you for everything! I've had just the _happiest_ time!" - -"I'm glad of that, my dear. Come back next year for we have bigger plans -than ever. Remember, Betty Lee, that wherever you go you are going to -have an influence you do not realize on other girls." - -"Mercy, Miss Dale, don't tell me that! I don't _want_ to! If there's -anything I hate it's trying to manage anybody!" - -"I don't mean that," smiled Miss Dale. "You may find out what I do mean -some day." - -But Betty dismissed this thought. The train was late and as the -crowd of girls waited they sang _Skin-a-ma-rink-a-dink-a-dink_, -_Sing-a-linga-ling_, _Yawning_, and other camp classics, varied by their -own versions and their hiking and goodbye songs. A tear or two had to be -wiped away over a few sentimental partings. But after the train came in, -demure and bright-eyed travelers happily boarded it. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - SENIORS! - - -Could it be possible that the short summer was over? The Lee family had -exchanged news and experiences and made ready for a busy school year. -Dick, whose new name for the family was the "Foxy Five," had changed -most of all since his summer at camp. All at once Dick seemed to have -grown up and to be as old as his twin, who had shown an earlier -maturity. He was rather heady and important upon his first arrival, but -had calmed down somewhat by the time of school's opening. He and Doris -rather took the house, to use their father's expression, and regaled -their parents with stories of camp life. They took a mild interest in -Betty's trips and spent some time together in arguing over camp matters, -or comparing notes on canoeing, swimming and the like. - -And now here they all were, in the same old scramble to get to school on -time. - -"It seems to me," said Mr. Lee, "that Betty might be more simply dressed -for school." - -He and Mrs. Lee were standing before the wide window of their front room -to watch Betty, Doris and Dick start to school. Amy Lou's active little -figure had already disappeared around the corner as she hurried off to -the grade school, near enough to be reached by walking. There Amy Lou -would be in the advanced class and felt very old indeed. - -The September morning was quite warm. Both girls wore cool, light frocks -and had taken great pains with their toilets; and Betty, as Doris had -told her, did not look as "schoolish" as usual. - -The three were talking and laughing as they swung their books and walked -with light, rapid steps toward the usual corner, where they would catch -the street car. Mr. Lee sometimes drove them to school; but this morning -he was working out something at home before going to his office. Betty -carried a new, shining brown brief-case. Doris had a gay bag. Dick swung -his books from a strap. - -In spite of Mr. Lee's critical remark, the paternal eyes that followed -the three were fond and smiling. Mrs. Lee laughed a little, as she -linked her arm in that of her husband and smiled up at him. "Betty is a -little more dressed up than usual, Father, I will admit. But there is -the first auditorium session this morning and Betty for the first time -will sit in the senior section!" - -"Ah!--I understand. No further explanation is necessary." - -"She can be a senior only once in this big school," reflectively added -Betty's mother. "I hope the child will have a happy year." - -"And not kill herself with all she wants to do," finished Mr. Lee, "but -I insist on the honor roll." - -"Betty's pride will keep her on that. We've talked things over, Betty -and I; but by this time we have found out that there is no way of -settling things beforehand. I'm not going to waste any time or energy in -worry." - -"Good!" laughingly returned Mr. Lee. "See that you keep to that -resolution. Doris is going to be more of a handful than Betty, for she -has great ideas sometimes and is more impulsive--ready to try anything -new. And Dick--I shall have to be a good father this year and keep an -eye upon what companions he has, any new ones. Perhaps I can get out to -some of the athletic events with him. I understand he's going to try to -get on some team or other." - -"Is that so?" queried Mrs. Lee, rather dismayed. "Get us an extra supply -of liniment then!" - -Meanwhile, Amy Lou had reached her school and her young friends. The -other three were on a crowded street car, full of high school pupils, -sitting and standing. Ignorant of their parents' plans for oversight, -they were naturally and properly filled with anticipations of the day or -making their own plans for the interesting program of events and -activities that lay ahead. - -Betty was not a little excited and happy over her new dignity as a -senior. Had she entered upon it unprepared, she might have been -confused. But three years in the large and well-organized high school of -which she was so proud and to which she was so loyal, had made her -entirely at home there. Now their classes had the opportunity to lead -and give tone to affairs. In some respects they must show what they -could do. This morning, taking their places in the large, central senior -section was the source of some thrills indeed. And boys and girls who -had successfully passed through the first three years of high school had -some reason to be proud. Senior complacency is another thing; but life -has a great way of taking that out of all of us. - -This morning, as the crowds of young people filled the doors and swarmed -up the aisles of the assembly hall, Carolyn, who was ahead in Betty's -small group of friends, deliberately stepped back at the row of seats -toward the front that was vacant, and gently pushed Betty in first. -"This is all right for this morning, isn't it?" she asked Kathryn, who -was next. "We want to hear everything." - -Betty gasped a little, for she knew that if she went in first she would -have to sit next to some boy coming in from the right hand aisle. It was -understood that the boys had the right half of the senior section; the -girls, the left. But the girls were pushing into the seats behind her, -so with no choice she obeyed Carolyn. Gwen was there, too, and Kathryn -was sending her in after Carolyn. It had happened, and Gwen was a -conditional senior in Lyon High. - -"You clever old skeezicks!--making me go in first!" Betty paused a -little to say this in Carolyn's ear. - -But Carolyn only grinned, then had the grace to change expression as she -said, "Betty, I'm sorry! Look who's coming." - -Betty looked, glanced back at the crowd of girls following and sat down -in a seat not quite midway, only to hop up again as she saw that the -whole row must be filled. "Oh, it's all right, Caro'. I'll not mind." - -Nonchalant, as nattily dressed as ever, Ted Dorrance had appeared in his -most effective suit, better looking than ever. Jack Huxley came toward -Betty, stopped in the exact middle of the row and looked down at her -from a somewhat superior height. - -"'Lo, Betty," said he in friendly fashion. - -"Hello, Jack," she responded. She sat down, tucked her books under the -seat and rose again to wait till the principal was ready to lead in the -salute to the flag, with which every assembly session began. - -Carolyn, repentant, began to talk to her, but Gwen was asking questions -on the other side of Carolyn. They were early. The room was not yet -full. - -"Have a good vacation, Betty?" asked Jack. - -"Ever so nice," replied Betty. - -"You didn't know that I saw you, did you in the East?" - -"No--where?" Betty looked up wonderingly. It was pleasant to have Jack -rather friendly, but the memory of that experience at his birthday party -and of her necessary frankness to him about it later was not a happy -one. And for him it had doubtless been more annoying. Well, she couldn't -help it. - -"I was with a party at an inn on a little Maine lake. We were just -leaving when you drove up. I knew some of your girls, but only the -Dorrances and Larry Waite of the boys." - -"Oh--yes--I remember. But I didn't see you at all. Of course I wasn't -looking for any one that I knew. I didn't look at you and not speak, did -I?" - -"No. One of the boys was out and snapping a picture of you all in the -car." - -"Oh, that was Archie Penrose! Funniest thing--we met the Penroses on the -way East. I was with the Gwynnes, motoring. We all got acquainted, of -course, and they said they were thinking of moving here. Then we were -together in a lot of fun in Maine; Kathryn and I motored to Boston with -them, and I never knew at all that Mr. Penrose was considering going -into the same firm my father's in, not until I was home and Father asked -me 'who are these Penroses you talk about? There's a man by that name in -the firm now!'" - -"Probably Penrose was undecided and not talking about it," Jack -suggested. - -"That was it--so Father supposed. And Father was awfully busy in New -York, too full of his own affairs to listen to my babblings. And -probably I didn't babble to him much, either." - -Betty was babbling now and knew it. She had always tried to be as -friendly to Jack in public as would ordinarily be natural. - -Some thought of the sort seemed to occur to Jack. All at once he bent -toward her and said, "You're a peach, Betty Lee. I've forgiven you." He -said it with a laugh and turned to speak to the boy standing on his -other side. - -Betty sighed with relief and turned to Carolyn; but a hush fell over the -assembly and all eyes were on the principal and the flag. - -Busy, pushing hours followed. After all, there was something good about -being at work. You were getting somewhere and there wasn't any time -going to waste! - -After school some of the girls were playing hockey and a number were at -the tennis court. There, tired after games, a group of the reunited -seniors were gathered. On a grassy elevation, heels dug into the slight -incline, Betty, Carolyn and Mary Emma Howland were recovering breath -from their last effort. - -"One thing," Mary Emma was saying, "about playing hockey with seniors is -that they know how to play by this time and you're not in danger of -having some girl swing her stick over her head and give you a side -swipe!" - -That amused Carolyn Gwynne. "Did I ever hit you when I was a freshman, -Mary Emma?" - -"Never, Carolyn. _You_ don't get excited when you're learning anything. -Who beat at tennis?" - -"Betty beat, you might know," laughed Carolyn, looking at her recent -opponent. "But I don't care. I can play tennis all right and I -occasionally beat even Betty." - -Betty was too pre-occupied just now to do more than give Carolyn a -smiling look. The two girls understood each other. - -Kathryn Allen now strolled up with Gwen Penrose and Betty hopped up, -saying that she forgot to tell Gwen to save a certain date for -"something doing." And as Betty moved toward the girls, near at hand, -Mary Emma said softly to Carolyn, "Remember, Carolyn, that we simply -must have Betty as President of the G. A. A. this year. I've got to talk -to you about it. Mathilde has something started already about it and -there is another girl that would like to be it." - -"Mathilde! Why, she couldn't do it any more than a--rabbit!" - -"Mathilde has some following, Carolyn, and she is a sorority girl. I -doubt if Mathilde could get it herself, but she might fix it up so Betty -couldn't divide the vote and--you know--get a 'second best' girl in to -keep Betty out, even if she couldn't get it for herself." - -"Does she dislike Betty that much?" - -"She has always been jealous of her." - -"By the way, does anybody know whether Lucia Coletti is coming back or -not? Betty hadn't heard at last accounts." - -"Well, Betty would be the first one. I wish she would come back. She and -Peggy Pollard have a good deal of influence with the sorority girls. I -sometimes think Betty should have gone in. She had the chance, I know, -with the Kappa Upsilons." - -Carolyn did not reply to this, and Betty was turning back with the -girls, who selected a grassy seat and dropped down to join their -friends. "Can you realize it, girls?" queried Kathryn. "We're actually -seniors at last!" - -"Let's have a club," suggested Betty. "I was thinking about that just -before you and Gwen came up." - -"Another club?" asked Carolyn. "Seems to me Lyon High needs most -anything more than any new organization." - -"I didn't mean a big club. I mean a little club of our own, not a -sorority and not exactly secret; but just to get together sometimes, for -fun and to plan things if we want to." - -"A secret caucus!" - -"That's it, Kathryn," laughed Betty, who had no such intention at all. -"We could have it a hiking club or a swimming club or even a literary -club--for collateral reading." - -"Now wouldn't _that_ be wonderful!" cried Carolyn, as sarcastically as -generous Carolyn ever could manage. Betty giggled. - -"Think of the time we'd save, reading together," suggested Mary Emma, in -pretended sincerity. - -"No," urged Betty, "but here we are together this year for the last, -maybe. Carolyn's going East to school, Mary Emma's folks may move to -California, I don't know _what_ I'm going to do, and anyhow we've this -grand senior year together. Besides, what's the matter with taking a -book along if we go on a picnic together and having--_Carolyn_, who is -so _so enthusiastic_ about the literary idea--read us some famous poem, -or whatever they give us this year? Somebody think up a name for it, -though if you all don't want it, I'm too lazy to urge it." - -"I think that the Hiking Hoodlums or some pretty name like that would be -least revealing of our real object," giggled Mary Emma. - -"Lovely," assented Betty. "We can consider that suggestion. By the -way--I ought to get home before too late. I called up Mother at noon -about something very important--a change in my schedule, and she told me -that a letter from Lucia had come and was 'waiting for me!' I hope it is -to tell me that she's coming back to Lyon High, don't you!" - -The assent was general and emphatic. "I was just talking to Carolyn -about Lucia," said Mary Emma. "Do call us all up and tell us the news -after you have read it." - -"I will if I have time," promised Betty. "Come on, seniors. Let's make -up a senior song of our own and sing it on the first hike of the Happy -Hoodlums." - -"Oh, Betty!" cried Carolyn. "You wouldn't really have such a name for a -club, would you?" - -"Unless you promise to read poetry to us," threatened Betty. - -"I don't know which would be worse," laughed Carolyn. - -In high spirits the senior girls separated; but Mary Emma caught up with -Betty before they left the grounds. "By the way, Betty," said she, -"wasn't it terribly dramatic and wasn't Ramon Balinsky simply _thrilled_ -to find out that his mother and sister were living?" - -It was all Betty could do not to show her surprise and a certain dismay -at this speech from Mary Emma. "Gwendolyn Penrose told me _all about it_ -this noon at lunch," Mary Emma added. - -"Why no, Mary Emma," said Betty. "You would expect it to be dramatic, I -know. But you see Ramon was so nearly dead when the boys told him, -partly to rouse him, Ted said; and when he finally took it in, he was by -himself, I suppose, though the boys would never make a big story of it -anyhow. But you must be careful, Mary Emma, not to tell about it, -because Ramon had to go after that man, he said, and they might worry if -they knew. So we're not telling his mother and sister yet, because he -asked us not to." - -"I think that's all nonsense," said Mary Emma, "but I won't tell anyhow. -I promised Gwen I wouldn't. And isn't Gwen Penrose an addition to the -class and our crowd! Everybody that meets her likes her so far." - -"Gwen is nice, Mary Emma, and you must meet her brothers. One is a real -artist already. They're just getting settled now. And what do you think? -We may move, the first of the month to a whole house instead of an -apartment. Father and Mother are looking, to decide now. It is a -terrible undertaking, but it will be wonderful to have more room. If we -do, I'm going to have a party first thing!" - -But Betty wondered, on her way home, how in the world, with all the -people knowing about it that did, "the facts were to be kept from Mrs. -Sevilla and Ramona Rose." That was what Ramon had called his sister, -Betty remembered. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - ONE OF THOSE A-D PARTIES - - -"It will probably not reach them very soon, Betty," comfortably said -Mrs. Lee when Betty expressed her concern over "the way Gwen was telling -the girls" about Ramon. "Moreover, that is a risk that Ramon runs, not -you, by his request and not sending them word himself. Other people can -only try to be considerate. So far as I am concerned, I should prefer to -know all about my children, to bear the trouble with them if necessary. -Never keep anything from _me_ with the idea of sparing me, Betty!" - -"All right, Mamma. We'll probably need you too badly to do any stunts of -the sort!" - -Betty was soon in the midst of Lucia Coletti's letter, running excitedly -to find her mother again after she had finished reading it. "Why, -Mother, she _is_ coming! Isn't that great? And moreover she said that -she might get here before the letter. - -"See--it's mailed at Milan. They were in Switzerland for the hot -weather, but when they decided to have Lucia come to finish her senior -year at Lyon High, she and her mother 'ran down to Milan' to their -'palazso' for some things Lucia wanted and Lucia might just go right on -and sail as soon as she was all packed up. It all depended on what -reservations or accommodations or whatever you call it they could get on -a steamer. That also made it uncertain what route she's coming by, -whether from Naples or Cherbourg or what. Here, read it Mother. It's a -short one. She has stacks of things to tell me, she says." - -Mrs. Lee smilingly read the brief letter, enclosed in a noticeable -envelope, very elegant, Betty said, and having the "family crest" or -some "Italian sign" on it. It amused Betty's mother to hear her running -comments as she read and she handed back the letter with the remark that -Lucia had "not neglected to acquire some of the American vocabulary." - -"Certainly," said senior Betty. "And she thinks about it when she writes -to _me_!" - -"I wonder what arrangements she will make here. I suppose she will stay -at her uncle's. If you like to invite her to be with you, Betty, part of -the time or for any visit, we could manage it. We have just decided, -your father and I, to take the house we looked at this afternoon. I'm -almost sorry that it could not be the one out in the same suburb as the -Gwynne's your sake, or the one Mrs. Dorrance recommended, not very far -from their fine place. But this seems suitable in every way. The only -one of your friends that I know lives anywhere near is Marcella -Waite--though our place is much more modest. Marcella is not in your -class, of course, but I understand that she is to attend the -university." - -"Yes, she is not to be away from her mother this year. And besides, -Marcella does not want to leave the crowd that's going to the university -this year. Why, Mother, it does not matter about living near Carolyn. We -see each other every day at school and at other times, too, though it -would be convenient to be near. I am crazy to see the house. Did you -just find it for the first or is it one you looked at?" - -"Just discovered it. It is for sale, too, and after living in it a while -to try it out, so to speak, we might buy it." - -"Oh, Mother! Then it wasn't a mistake to come to the city?" - -"Your father is doing very well now," said Mrs. Lee with her customary -reserved way of putting things. - -This decision and the immediate prospect of change was even more -exciting than the news from Lucia. Betty expected to call up her friends -as she had almost promised, but not until more of her curiosity had been -satisfied in regard to the new home. Would they sell the old home at -Buxton? No, that was to be kept. It was well rented now. Would they have -to have much new furniture? Very little. They would add good furniture -as it seemed advisable. - -"Our oldest things are the best, Betty, you know, the 'antiques' that -Mrs. Dorrance admires so much. And I think I can persuade one of my -friends in Buxton to let me have some that she has, at a fair price. I -happened, too, to think of old Mrs. Buxton, for whose family the town -was named--and she has no one to leave her things to--she has closed her -house, I think, and has a tiny apartment in Columbus, with some one to -take care of her." - -In great enthusiasm Betty called up Carolyn first. Good news was always -shared first with her, though Kathryn was "a close second." - -"Yes, Lucia is actually coming! Isn't that wonderful? I can scarcely -wait to hear all about it," said Betty at the telephone, outlining -Lucia's letter after this burst of rejoicing. "And we're moving, and I -haven't yet seen the place! Mother and Father just found the house they -want." - -Carolyn naturally wanted street and number and the conversation was so -prolonged that some one who wanted the line impatiently took a receiver -off and replaced it several times, till Betty realized the situation. -"Somebody wants the line, Carolyn, so I'll have to ring off. So long." - -After dinner that evening, Mr. Lee, who had a key to the recently rented -house, drove his interested family around to it. Betty was secretly not -particularly sorry to have the new home in the suburb that held the -Waite home. She had always liked Marcella very much, even if she were -not intimate and had not joined the sorority to which Marcella belonged. -Then, to be sure, there was Larry! But Betty did not mention him when -Doris on the way was saying that with Chet "so attentive to Betty" it -would be better for him if they had taken "that house Mrs. Dorrance -wanted us to have." Doris had seen that. - -"I fancy that if Chet wants to see me he will be able to find us," -demurely said Betty to Doris. "And, you know what pretty trees and big -yards they have out near Marcella." - -Doris nodded assent and approval began to increase as Mr. Lee drove into -a comparatively quiet street and drew up before an attractive place in -the middle of the square or block. "We'll be more peaceful in the center -of things," said he. "Our yard is wide and fairly deep and you see that -pretty little wooded ravine at its end? There are _some_ advantages -about a city with hills. There is room enough for Amy Lou to slide down -hill in winter, though the land does not all belong to this place. It is -shared by the various owners." - -It was fascinating to go into the house with its vacant and echoing -rooms and halls. It was modern, comparatively new, and with enough -bedrooms! Dick said that it would be pretty foxy to have a "real room" -of his own instead of the "den." Doris and Betty could now have separate -rooms and Amy Lou was to have a small room perhaps intended only as a -dressing room. But she was happy over it. "What shall we do when Amy Lou -grows up?" asked Doris, though executing a lively dance with Betty about -the empty room that was to be hers. - -"I think we need not worry about that," replied Mr. Lee. "From present -indications I should say that if we keep both our older girls till that -happens we shall do well." - -"Father!" cried Betty, giving Doris a whirl and stopping the evolutions. - -"I think I'd like Betty's room," soberly said Amy Lou, "when she marries -Ch----" - -But Betty had clapped a hand over that pretty and mischievous mouth of -her small sister. "Amy Lou, your imagination works overtime!" - -Amy Lou struggled, but laughed. "Doris says that the girl Kathryn calls -'Finny' and Jack Huxley got engaged this summer. Senior girls do!" - -"Not if they have any sense," said Betty, but her mother shook her head -at her. "What, Mother--do _you_ approve? Is the world coming to an end?" - -"I do not approve for you, Betty, or Doris," said Mrs. Lee, much amused -by the whole incident, "but I should not say that it is out of place for -_all_ girls to marry early." - -"I shall remember that, Mrs. Lee," said Doris, walking off with quite an -air while Mr. Lee who had heard from the next room, came in to add his -last contribution to the affair. - -"See what you have done, Mother! But we're going to have such a pretty -home of it here that I defy any lad to carry off one of my girls for a -while! Now come on into this other room for a moment, Mother, and tell -me what furniture we need for it." - -"Silly!" Dick was saying to Doris. "Before _you_ like anybody too much -just let your old twin pick him out. I'm likely to know more than you do -about the kids." - -Doris gave Dick a rather impertinent glance, then brightened, replying, -"All right, provided you let me do the same for you!" - -Betty, going into the upstairs room which would be hers, stood there -alone, deciding where the furniture should be placed, but she thought of -what Amy Lou had said. Amy Lou dashed after her to say that she thought -Betty's room was the best bedroom of all because it overlooked the -ravine at the rear. "I meant it, Betty," she said earnestly, "but you -mustn't think that I want it for--oh, the _longest_ time!" - -Betty stooped, took the pretty face between her palms and kissed it. -"That is all right, Amy Lou! Just please don't pick out whom I'm going -to marry yet, will you?" - -Eyes as blue as Betty's looked up and a golden mop of almost as bright -as Betty's hair was shaken back. "Yes, of course. You might change your -mind, mightn't you?" - -"And perhaps I've never made it up at all," whispered Betty. - -Amy Lou nodded and went away, satisfied that she had had a confidence -from that big sister of hers. Chet needn't think Betty wondered where -her sister had heard about "Finny." But if there were anything in the -report she would soon hear at school. - -Long they tarried in the empty house and about the yard. There were -flowers and shrubs and some pretty trees, beside those of the ravine, -with its thickets and the one long track or path to the bottom. "May I -have a party right away?" asked Betty, looking around at the large front -room whose hall was almost a part of it, and the room which Doris said -should be a library widely opening behind it. Doris and Amy Lou -immediately asked the same question, till Mrs. Lee suggested that they -move in first. - -"Yes," said she. "That is one pleasure for us in this roomy house. I -plan some entertaining myself. You shall have your turn all of you, -Dick, too." - -It was dark when at last the Lees reached home; and Betty, though called -by lessons to prepare, remembered one more responsibility and ran to -call up Marcella Waite. - -"Oh, but I'm glad to have found you in, Marcella. Why, they've made me -chairman of the committee for the A-D party, Marcella, and I thought I'd -better ask you what you did. I missed the party when I was a freshman -myself and now that we give it, I ought to know a few details. I asked -one of the teachers about it after assembly this morning, and she said, -'Oh, yes, one of those A-D parties,' with _such_ a bored air that I -thought I'd better ask somebody who might have a speck of enthusiasm. I -suppose they do get tired of some things, though." - -Betty could hear Marcella's low laugh. Then her friends briefly outlined -the usual A-D program and wound up her remarks by saying that Larry -would make a flying visit home before 'college began.' "I'll have him -drive over for you and bring you over for dinner," said Marcella, "and -then we can discuss A-D parties and other things. Will you come?" - -"Will I? How soon does the university start, Marcella? All right. It -will seem good to see Larry. What fun we all had this summer! 'Bye." - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - THE SENIORS ENTERTAIN - - -The A-D party was probably the first "official" senior duty, or -pleasure, said Betty. It was the entertainment of the D class, or -freshmen, by the A class, or seniors. By long custom it was celebrated -at the beginning of the year and constituted a sort of initiation or -adoption of the freshman class into Lyon High. There was nothing -difficult about it and much that was sheer fun, including the -refreshments. Oh, yes, it might be mentioned that it was confined -entirely to the senior and freshman girls. No masculine member of the -freshman class was ever asked to dress in more or less infantile fashion -and so appear, at a party and even in some fashion that marked them, at -least, during the day at school which preceded the party. - -One morning, as Betty was getting her locker open, a shy, attractive -little freshman girl came up to her. "Please, Miss--Betty Lee, are you -too busy to tell me something?" - -"Always ready to impart knowledge," jokingly Betty replied, putting a -book on the shelf of her locker and taking another out. "What can I do -for you, Eileen? Did you get my invitation to the A-D party?" - -"Yes--that's it. Thank you so much for asking me to be your 'little -sister.' I've felt better ever since to have a girl like you ask me." -The slight girl looked at Betty and continued. - -"I thought I'd better ask you about it because I've heard so many things -about what the freshman girls have to do, dressing up like babies and -going around all day at school that way. And must we look _crazy_?" - -"No," laughed Betty, "just 'cute,' and while you are supposed to have -some badge of childhood all day, you needn't be dressed that way at -classes. Bring whatever you are going to dress up in to school and put -it in your locker. You have such nice hair--why don't you have long -curls and tie them with a ribbon. You would look _darling_!" - -The rather worried face brightened. "Why, I used to have curls! I'll -just do it, Betty Lee. Thanks awfully." - -"You'll make a hit in classes," said Betty. "Excuse me, I'll have to -run. See me again if you have any doubts about anything." - -"That is Betty Lee," explained Eileen to the freshman girl she joined on -leaving the vicinity of Betty's locker. "I just _adore_ her! She's going -to take me to the A-D party." - -"Oh, I've seen her. She's a _very_ prominent senior and wins swimming -matches and everything." - -It was a pity that Betty could not hear this sincere freshman tribute, -but as it was she was likely to be spoiled enough, if Betty could be -spoiled, before her senior year was over. - -"Girls," Betty, chairman of the A-D entertainment committee, said that -day after school, to an assembled few whom she had asked to stay, "there -absolutely isn't time to get up a real play or anything we have to -_learn_. How are we going to entertain the freshmen? Speak up, ladies, -or else 'forever after,' and so forth." - -"Are we supposed to be the 'cast?'" asked Mary Jane Andrews. - -"You are." - -"Then I speak for a pantomime." - -This statement met with a general giggle from the seniors as well as -some applause. - -"What pantomime do you _know_, Mary Jane?" severely asked Betty, rapping -for order and pretending to glare at Mary Jane. - -"Well--I don't just think of one right now!" - -"Why not give the Tragedy of the Lighthouse Keeper?" Selma Rardon -suggested. - -"Has that been given lately?" - -"Not that I know of." - -"Who does know?" - -"I know positively," said Dotty Bradshaw, "what the seniors have done -since we were freshmen ourselves. It's always written up in the _Lyon -Roar_, you know. What they did back in the ages doesn't concern us, you -know." - -"Is it as old as that?" asked Carolyn. - -"I'm sure I don't know how old it is, but the freshmen could stand it if -they've heard it before--I mean, _seen_ it. It's all in the funny -costumes and acting anyhow and with the present _cast_ anything could be -done." - -"Yes," laughed Betty, "I'm afraid of that!" - -At that the girls all claimed to be desperately offended and Kathryn -said she was sure she could not act after such an implication. - -"I take it all back. It was too good an opportunity to lose, Dotty. You -are always getting things off on us. Well, now, shall we decide to take -Selma's suggestion? I'm just swamped with work and with Mary Jane and -Mary Emma saying that they will see to ordering the refreshments and -getting somebody to bring the ice-cream over to the gym, that is one -load off. Now if we decide on this, one practice will be enough, just to -know when to do what. Dotty, will you be director?" - -"You don't need a director, Betty. I'd rather be the villain. I have a -lovely pirate costume of my brother's." - -"Good. You'll make a beautiful villain, then. Be sure your knife is made -of pasteboard." - -"What else?" laughed Dotty. - -"Do you think, Betty, that our freshman children ought to see such a -pantomime?" - -"We might change it, Carolyn, and have the lighthouse keeper only -slightly injured and the villain caught. Carolyn, _you_ be director!" - -"All right. I'd rather do that than act in that dizzy thing." - -Plans were at last all made, parts assigned, the time for the one -practice in the gym set. Betty knew that she could count on these girls -and went off to the next thing on hand as school girls do, dismissing -all immediate responsibility. - -The freshmen naturally took the event more seriously than their senior -entertainers, for they were the ones who had to make themselves -conspicuous all day at school. They blossomed forth in childish -arrangement of hair as far as possible, if it were nothing more than -wearing a hair ribbon, and that whether the children of the period wore -hair ribbons or not. Bibs or wide collars were the order of the day. -Sashes decorated otherwise ordinary dresses, though lockers were full of -childish outfits. - -As the freshmen girls much outnumbered the seniors, it was necessary for -a senior girl to escort more than one freshman. And to the relief of the -freshmen, they remained in the home room until called for, each senior -doing her best to make her freshmen girls feel at ease and happy over -the fun. - -"We might call it a 'tea dance,'" said Betty, as she escorted her two -freshmen over to the girls' gymnasium. "First we'll have a bit of a -program, a sort of welcome to the freshmen. Then there will be a silly -little play; and then we'll dance, and have refreshments. It's easy gym -dancing, you know. You look just lovely, girls! How in the world did I -happen to pick two long-haired freshmen?" - -Betty's "baby sisters" did happen to have a taking arrangement of their -hair. Eileen had long black curls, caught back at the proper places by -ribbons, and the other, known as Ann, wore her hair in two tight brown -braids. Although her hair was drawn straight back from her face, oddly -enough the effect was becoming. - -The first event was announced as the "Freshman Initiation" and little -"ohs," and "oh dear, how awful!" ran through the assembled freshmen. But -the initiation turned out to be only a "Baby Parade" in which the -freshmen marched in time to music and rather enjoyed showing off -themselves and their funny costumes. There was also a ridiculous pledge -read by one of the senior girls with great sobriety, hard to maintain -amid the giggles and occasional shrieks of laughter from the freshmen -who listened. All the ridiculous things that Dotty Bradshaw could think -of were included in this freshman pledge, such as sweeping curtseys to -the senior girls whenever they met them in the halls or on the street. -But by some "oversight," as Betty announced later, Dotty forgot to have -the pledge passed to be signed. - -Whether or not any of the freshmen had seen or taken part in a "Tragedy -of the Lighthouse Keeper" did not appear to matter, for they laughed as -heartily as could be desired. First appeared Selma as the lighthouse -keeper, wearing a long coat and an ancient vest over her own dress. -True, her pretty silk hose and low shoes looked a bit incongruous, but -Betty had announced that imagination had a good deal to do with this -pantomime. - -The lighthouse keeper picked up his lantern and began to go around -before the audience in large circles, gradually narrowing. His steps -began to grow slower as he was supposed to ascend the circular stair to -the light. And now, what was that figure that stealthily entered the -outer circles, crept round and round and within the narrower circles -gradually approaching the lighthouse keeper? Dotty, in full pirate -costume, velvet knee breeches, sash and large pasteboard knife, painted -red, was received with shrieks of delight, though Eileen said to Ann -that it almost made her nervous to see them going round and round. - -But every one's imagination could picture the ascending circular stairs -to the top of the lighthouse. Presently the dramatic moment came; the -pirate pounced, and the lighthouse keeper lay stretched in the middle of -the inner circles. Round and round, down the imaginary stairs, ran the -pirate, with comical and shifty glances here and there and glaring eyes -turned upon the audience--such expression as only Dotty could give. The -pirate disappeared, presumably having satisfied a revenge "or -something." - -Next came three happy children, hand in hand at first. These were the -two Marys, Mary Emma Howland and Mary Jane Andrews, with Kathryn Allen, -all dressed in extreme childish costume. They danced and cavorted before -the audience and finally started upon the circles. Naturally, after -climbing, with the usual change of gait as they rose higher and higher, -they came upon the tragic figure of their father. With silent grief and -much expressive action, the children performed their part, rapidly going -"down" the circles once more. - -More action. Another senior girl appeared, dressed in a disreputable old -house dress. She hears the news, rather sees it in pantomime and starts -up the stairs. Tragic action again. Down from the dizzy height in dizzy -circles, whirling in her haste. The telephone, the doctor with his case, -the ascent. Gwen Penrose made a good doctor and had great difficulty, -puffing and panting, in making the "ascent." Between them the wife and -the doctor had to carry down the lighthouse keeper, the most difficult -feat of all, and one which, shocking to relate, aroused neither sympathy -nor sorrow in their audience. It was too ridiculous. And with this the -pantomime suddenly ended, as it is supposed to end, though one freshman -in front said, "Well, what next? How does it turn out?" - -But Gwen, whisking off her cotton wrapper because it was too hot, -overheard and laughingly replied, "It doesn't turn out at all. That's -the end and the rest is left to the imagination." - -They were just serving the sandwiches when some one came, to stand in -the door of the gym and look in. There was a rustle among those near the -door and Betty Lee almost dropped the plate she was passing when she -looked to see an easily poised, well-dressed figure in the door and -recognized the black eyes and smiling face of--Lucia Coletti! - -"Lucia!" cried several of the girls and in a moment Lucia was -surrounded. - -"I heard that you seniors were up to something, so we drove around and I -came over here," Lucia explained, to answer the "who, where and what" -expressed and unexpressed by her friends. Then Betty insisted that she -must meet all of the freshmen and clapped her hands for order. "I want -you all to know one of our finest senior girls, Lucia Coletti, from -Milan, Italy. Don't forget how to pronounce her name, Loo-_shee_-a! And -that you may appreciate your school all the more, let me tell you that -her father and mother, Count and Countess Coletti, are letting her come -to finish her high school course here because she wants a Lyon High -diploma! Let's give her a Lyon High cheer!" - -Even the experienced Lucia was almost overcome at this, as in feminine -treble seniors, and freshmen cheered. "Lucia, rah! Lucia, rah! -Rah-rah--Lucia!" - -"Oh, you Betty!" said Lucia, her face flushed; but she smiled at -everybody and carried it off as best she could. - -"Speech!" cried Dotty, her face full of mischief. "Speech! Speech!" - -"All right," said Lucia. "I might as well say something first as last, I -suppose, Dotty. I am ever so glad to meet you freshmen and I am sorry -that I could not get here in time for the whole entertainment. I almost -wish I were a freshman, too, to have all the good times over again. Yes, -I _do_ want a Lyon High diploma, and besides that I have made friends -here that I can never give up in my whole life. I am pretty well torn to -pieces between loving my own country and this one, too, but I believe -that one can have--opportunities and friends everywhere!" - -This was quite a long speech for Lucia. "If I had thought I'd have to -say anything, I probably wouldn't have come; but I just stepped right -into Lyon High atmosphere, didn't I? and it seemed natural." So she told -Betty presently. Lucia's bit of Italian accent was a little more -pronounced since having talked in her own tongue all summer, and it made -quite an impression. She was new for most of the freshmen, but Eileen -explained to Ann that she was Mr. Murchison's niece and that she had -been in America with her mother "for some reason or other" at the -Murchison place and had attended Lyon High till the Count came for them. - -"I imagine that Betty Lee knows her terribly well, or she wouldn't have -introduced her like that." - -Meanwhile Lucia's special friends were making a fuss over her with which -her father's title had nothing to do. Mathilde, to be sure, was -assiduous in her attentions. - -"You're here in time for ice-cream, Lucia," said Dotty. "Mary Emma, -hurry a plate of it around. Lucia is almost melted, but I hope the -ice-cream isn't." - -"The ice-cream is just right, Dotty," firmly said Mary Emma and Lucia -added, "Like every other senior attempt." - -"Good for you, Lucia. You are always loyal. How does it seem to be a -senior?" - -"Glorious! It may seem better after I get my work made up, though. What -do you think, Betty? Mother and Father came over, too, deciding at the -last minute and they are going to take an 'all-American' tour this fall, -be here for Christmas, go to Florida, sail for South America, come back -to see me graduate and take me home. That is, all that is _planned_." - -The Murchison chauffeur, who came back to the school for Lucia, took a -full load of girls to their different homes. Betty was the last to be -delivered and Lucia had whispered to her, in the retirement of the back -seat, "It's just like one continuous honeymoon with them now, Betty, and -I am the very happiest girl you ever knew. A lot of it is due to your -good advice, Betty." - -"Nonsense!" said Betty. "You would have seen what to do anyway." - -"I'm not so sure." - - - - - CHAPTER X - - THE COVETED HONOR - - -Being President of the Girls' Athletic Association, or "G. A. A." would -be no light undertaking; but there was not a girl of those particularly -interested in some athletic line who would not consider it a great honor -to be chosen for the post. At times some girl would be openly "out for -it." Others waited to be suggested by their friends. - -This year the election of a president was likely to be accompanied by -some "lobbying." Betty Lee was not the only outstanding girl in the -association, and then there were a few who would have been quite willing -to accept the honor while not likely to offer their best service. Of -these the most noticeable was Mathilde Finn, always desiring first -place, of a certain ability, but selfish and unstable. - -In her heart Betty Lee knew that she would be happy to have her friends -elect her. She had plans for the G. A. A., yet she was modest enough to -concede that at least two other girls might do as well for the -association. Then it would be a relief not to carry such responsibility, -to have only her regular work with what she wanted to "get in" this last -senior year. - -To Betty the swimming, as usual, was of first importance, and all the -more so since her summer with its opportunities at the shore and at -camp, where her prowess made quite an impression. She was pleased to -think that both Dick and Doris were now excelling in that line, too. - -Riding was a comparatively new ambition. At least she could "stick on" a -horse as she had on her grandmother's farm and more recently at camp. -But she was meaning to ride properly by the end of this year, and her -intention was strengthened, it must be said, by Larry Waite's having -suggested that they must ride together "next summer." Lucia, also was a -fine horsewoman. If she ever did have the opportunity, as Lucia -insisted, of a visit to her in Italy, she would want to know how to -manage a horse and how to ride with grace. - -She could play all the games, but she preferred to do it as she liked -and to keep off a regular class team this year. But perhaps she could -not refuse altogether. They were after her to lead the team in field -hockey. Basketball was taboo as last year, by parental request. - -None of the girls' games ever became as professional as the boys' -football and basketball with their inter-school games. Yet there was -great effort and much rivalry between classes as well as a great deal of -fun. If Betty _should_ accept the probable opportunity of leading the -team in hockey, the senior team should _beat_, she thought to herself! - -To have her own room was going to be a great help in her lessons. With -the school study halls and regular hours at home, she could handle her -schedule of senior studies, for Betty was quick at her lessons. The new -home would be nearer Lyon High, too, as it happened. Not so much time to -be wasted on street cars. _Could_ she keep up being in the orchestra, -too? Oh, she _must_ do that! - -Most of these problems she talked over with Carolyn and Kathryn, for -they, too, had their own problems. But they did not take them too -seriously. It would all come along some way! - -"I expect to be at school till four or five o'clock practicing something -or other most days, Mother," she informed Mrs. Lee. "So don't worry. If -I do get home it's so much gained. I imagine it's a good thing Chet's in -the university now. There won't be anybody to dawdle around with between -times." - -Mrs. Lee did not look much impressed with this statement, for it was -quite likely that there would be some one yet to take an interest in -Betty Lee. "Most of your hikes and picnics will be on Saturday, I -suppose," she suggested and Betty assented. - -"We girls, the 'Happy Hoodlums,' or something like that," she said, "are -having a hike right away, and the G. A. A. is to have a big picnic again -very soon." - -While the G. A. A. election was still to take place and discussions and -suggestions and urgent appeals for candidates were rife, the almost -greater excitement of the exodus and "_in_-o-dus," a word of Dick's -coining, occurred. They all thought it "terrible" that it had to happen -in school time, but Mrs. Lee, good manager that she was, told them not -to get upset about it. She gave them cartons, in which they could pack -the odds and ends and various treasures, and told them to be sure that -they had the books they wanted in their lockers at school. "Now goodbye, -kiddies mine," she said on Friday morning. "When you come home this -afternoon--come to the new address!" - -"Gee, Mom--I bet I forget," said Dick. - -"It was wonderful," Betty told the girls on the hiking club expedition -Saturday afternoon. "We did walk on almost bare floors for several days, -because Mother sent the big rugs to the cleaners; but there, we left -everything almost as usual, and after a while regular spiffy movers -came, and when we went after school to the new place, there were the big -rugs all down and all our furniture and things in place and Mother, with -a woman to help, arranging the 'pots and pans!' It was all newly -decorated anyhow, and Mother had had a man and a woman get the new place -ready first before the move. Then Father left the car for her and a lot -of the best china and ornaments and things went over that way, though -they could have gone by truck, of course. - -"I've worked all morning, getting my books in my own little book-case in -my new room, and unpacking my trunk, and hanging my clothes in my own -big closet. Oh, I'm crazy about it, and Mother says I may have the first -party. You are all invited. I'll have it after the G. A. A. picnic." - -Lucia, swinging the same alpenstock which had so interested Mathilde in -times past, was an interested listener. "Betty," she said, "you can make -the most uninteresting things sound funny! Now I should think moving -would be the last thing on earth!" - -"Oh, but it is such fun to fix things," cried Betty. "Mother and Father -had the responsibility, of course, but Mother had plenty of help, so it -could get done quickly, and I think she is just as excited as I am over -it all. You see, Lucia, we may buy this place and have it for our very -own." - -"Well, that is different, I suppose," said Lucia, thinking of the old -_palaszo_ in Milan, that had belonged to the Coletti's for ages. But -here in America they moved as casually as anything, first to this -apartment, then to that, or some of their friends did! - -It was due to Betty's morning at home that the hike had been put off -till afternoon. In consequence they did not go far. On the banks of a -little stream not far from a bus line which could take them home, they -found a lovely spot for their little picnic supper. There they sat and -told each other all about summer days, not forgetting great plans for -their senior year. Kathryn was already the president of Lyon "Y" and -made all the girls promise to do anything on a program they were asked -to do. - -"Just not too often, Gypsy," suggested Betty, "but I'll be at the -meetings. We almost never have orchestra practice on that day and other -things can be put off." - -"I'll excuse you any time, Betty, for you're going to be president of -something else," promptly returned Kathryn. "See if you aren't!" - -Betty knew what Kathryn meant and would not pretend that she did not, -but she smiled and shook her head. "It is a great uncertainty, Kathryn, -and anyhow I'm not sure that I can do it." - -"What do you mean, Betty?" hastily asked Mary Emma Howland. "You'll run, -won't you if you are put up for G. A. A. president?" - -"Yes, Mary Emma, and I think it is a compliment to have you girls want -me to be it. But I hate it a little and I think that the result is very -uncertain." - -"Oh, as far as that is concerned, you never can tell," said Mary Emma. -"We know that being Betty, you won't work for yourself, but as for -spreading 'propaganda'----" - -Mary Emma left her sentence unfinished to make a comical gesture, toward -herself first, then including the entire group. - -Lucia's dark eyes sparkled. "Betty is the reliable head of anything," -said she, "besides being the prettiest swimmer in the school and having -all sorts of honors to her credit. Where can I do the most good, Mary -Emma?" - -Mary Emma, delighted, clapped her hands. "Everywhere, Lucia, and -particularly, I should say, with any new members among the freshmen. -After that jolly speech of yours at the A-D party, Lucia, those nice -little girls will lend an ear to anything you say." - -"Oh, girls, this sounds like--politics!" exclaimed Betty. - -"Betty Lee, every one of us thinks that you will make the best G. A. A. -president the school could possibly have. Why not show a little sense, -then, and try to get you in?" - -Betty was silenced more effectively by a large chocolate held to her -lips by Mary Jane Andrews, and Gwen Penrose remarked, "I haven't joined -the G. A. A. yet. How do you do it? I forgot?" - -"Mercy on me, Gwen," cried Kathryn. "I forgot that you hadn't seen to -that. You can't vote if you're not a member! That will certainly have to -be fixed at once. See me Monday, Gwen." - -Names like Happy Hoodlums, or Horrible H-Examples (suggested by Dotty -Bradshaw) did not seem quite suitable for dignified seniors and were -dismissed from their consideration. "We'll be just a little G. A. A. -hiking club, why not?" suggested Carolyn, to the satisfaction of -everybody concerned. - -Over this week-end Betty and Doris gloated over their respective rooms -and arranged them to a least temporary satisfaction. It did seem so -funny to take a different street car home, at times when some one did -not give them a lift in a "real car." - -"I need pictures," said Betty, looking at her walls; and as if in answer -to her wish, there was a ring at the bell Sunday afternoon, late, and -Mrs. Lee came to the foot of the stairs to call Betty. - -"Lucia is here, Betty. Shall I tell her to come up?" - -"Oh, please, Mother," but Betty came halfway down the stairs to meet her -friend. - -Lucia was carrying a rectangular package and straightway handed it to -Betty. "This is a contribution to your new room, Betty," said she with a -smile. "I thought about it this morning in church. It is only a print, -Betty, in color, such as they sell at the galleries in Milan, but I had -it framed for myself, to make me think of home, last year, and never put -it up. It is Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper, you know, from the fresco -on the refectory wall in Milan. If you would like it, I have a pretty -Madonna that I can have framed for you, too." - -"Oh, Lucia! Why it isn't an hour ago that I was wishing I had just the -right pictures! Thank you! I shall love it! But I can't let you have -anything more framed for me." - -"Why not? You will let me do something once in a while for my _very -dearest_ friend, won't you?" - -"Am I that, Lucia?" Betty asked, surprised and not a little touched. As -they talked they were unwrapping the picture, but paused a moment. - -"You are indeed, Betty," earnestly said Lucia. "I can't tell you how -much you mean to me, though it didn't look like it, did it? the way I -didn't write to you this summer!" - -Lucia laughed and the sentimental moment passed, rather to the relief of -both, though Lucia had intended to say that to Betty. - -"I wish I knew all that you do, Lucia, about the wonderful old paintings -and sculpture and everything," sighed Betty, looking with pleasure on -the appropriately framed reproduction of the famous work of art. - -"Come home with me for our Sunday supper, Betty, and we'll look through -such things as I have with me and have a good talk. You can pick out -your own Madonna!" - -After selecting the proper spot upon which Betty would hang her gift, -where the light would properly fall upon it, the two girls went down -stairs to visit with the rest of the family a few moments and arrange -for Betty's carrying off. - -"I had to see your new place, Mrs. Lee," said Lucia, "and find my way to -it. Doris, the next time Betty comes to dinner with me you must come, -too. I haven't realized that Betty's sister was so grown up! My new -auntie is very pleasant about telling me that I may have my friends, so -I must begin." - -Betty had not had a glimpse of the Murchison home since she came back to -the city after the summer's trips. She would not have thought of it, of -course, till after Lucia's arrival. Now she met the very charming lady -who was Mr. Murchison's second wife and had a quiet visit with Lucia in -her own room. They looked at pictures and Betty took the opportunity to -tell Lucia all about Ramon's recent experience. - -"I thought you'd better know all about it, Lucia," said she. "Imagine -being an _assistant_ 'unbeknownst' to that sort of men! But he found out -what they were really doing, of course, and planned to run away. Then -that man got him! Maybe he would have been killed if the boys hadn't -found him! I hope it isn't going to be hard for you not to tell Mrs. -Sevilla and Rose. Anyhow, I thought I'd better tell you." - -"I'm used to keeping secrets, Betty," returned Lucia. "It is just as -well not to stir up poor old Mrs. Sevilla, though it's odd--she does not -seem so old now that she is comfortable. She is learning English, too. -Could I tell Rose, do you think, if it seemed best?" - -"Really, Lucia, _I_ should think so. But that was Ramon's request, that -they should not hear about all this and get all worried about where he -was and what they were doing to him." - -"I see," thoughtfully said Lucia. - ------ - -The day of the G. A. A. "presidential election" arrived. Mathilde knew -that she was out of the running, but she concentrated her efforts on one -of Betty Lee's two opponents, fine girls, both of them. Much pressure -had been brought to bear by different groups and the meeting was a full -one with old and new members present. The new members were particularly -open to influence, but Betty's friends had not been idle. - -"I don't believe I'll come at all," declared Betty, "and I simply won't -vote for myself!" - -"All right, stay away, then," laughed Mary Emma. "I've just got three -new members of the freshmen and they're all going to vote for you!" - -"Maybe I'll not be even nominated." - -"Maybe you will. I'm on the nominating committee myself and I know who's -going to be presented. There may be even more candidates than we have -simply had to put up because of the requests; but there certainly won't -be less. We make our report and then I understand that opportunity will -be given for more names to be presented if anybody wants them." - -"H'm," said Betty. "Well, it isn't the only thing on earth. I'll come -and not vote at all. To tell the truth, girls, I hate to beat anybody -that wants it, and I hate to think that anybody has had to be asked to -vote for me!" - -"Elizabeth Virginia Lee, all that your friends have done is to call -attention to your superior qualities as a leader and also performer in -athletics. If you go in as our president it will be a mere tribute to -your worth." Mary Emma was laughing but she meant what she said. - -Possibly the fact that Betty had recently been selected to be captain of -the hockey team had something to do with it, but when the vote was taken -Betty was elected. Her majority was not so much over the vote given to -the other girls by their friends that it made her any enemies; and both -of the other candidates came straight to her to tell her that they -thought she was the one to have the office. Betty begged them to help -her and said that she felt "aghast" at the prospect, which was true. But -perhaps the incident that made her happiest among the congratulations -was when one of the athletic directors came up to her in the hall. - -"I am glad that the G. A. A. has chosen you, Betty Lee, for you are not -only good in every sort of athletics you undertake but you have a sense -of responsibility and carry out what you undertake. If you want any -help, or suggestions, let me know. We shall have to call you into -consultation about some features, you know. The election should have -been last spring, you know." - -It was pleasant to have the faculty with her, Betty thought. She -wondered if it were really true that she carried responsibility well. To -tell the truth she had been planning to--or thinking that she -must--neglect some things in order to carry out what she liked best. She -would try to live up to what they thought of her, anyhow, and do the -best she could. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - AN INTIMATE VIEW FOR JANET - - -"I shall have to begin with apologies again," commenced Betty Lee's -letter to her earliest chum, with whom she still carried on the fitful -correspondence. "But one good thing is that you know how it is yourself. -And the longer you wait to get at writing the more likely you are to put -it off, since there keep coming more things to tell. - -"However, I've had a letter in mind for ages and I'm going to tell you -EVERYTHING and answer all your questions. So this may string out for -PAGES. Be PREPARED. As you see, I'm using Father's typewriter and I'm -learning to use it fairly well now. 5hi$ i$ the way I began @nd 8 -though*t it w@S greAT Fun. amy LOU¢Who i$ allowed to 5ry if She is very -c@reful¢had a g@me wi5h me to $EE if we cou#d re@d eaCH Others writing. -I hope you get it! - -"By the way, don't start in reading this to Sue, if I'm going to tell -you EVERYTHING as of yore, since All that I shall say will not be for -publication. Do you remember how in our notes to each other we printed -in capitals the words we desired emphasized? What good times we used to -have! Well, we have good times now, only different, and I wish I could -see you oftener. - -"I'm thinking right now that it's a real consolation to have somebody -who knows you of old, somebody that you grew up with. No matter how -wildly I RAVE ON, you will understand, I rather think, and will not be -too critical--supplying a grain of salt here, if I'm extravagant in my -remarks, and a bit of imagination there, when I give you a hint! Now -don't think that any dark secret is to be revealed, but I'm sure that -you will _instinctively_ know what I am confiding just to you. - -"I wrote you after we moved, I'm sure, and told you how much we like the -house. For fear I omitted something I'll just say that it is a brick -colonial, with a pretty approach and entrance, shrubbery and trees and -flower beds and vines that will look wonderful again after winter is -over. I've had one party in the big rooms downstairs and Mother has had -a few teas and friends in to dinner. She likes to entertain in small -numbers best, to visit. - -"Doris had her party, too, and I thought I'd perish with mirth when I -overheard Dick tell his best chum, as they clattered down from Dick's -room one day, that he 'thought he'd sling a stag party pretty soon.' He -'slung' it and we all pitched in to make the boys have a good time with -especially good things to eat. But the twins want to entertain together, -for the most part and most of their friends are in their -class--sophomores, now! - -"Best of all, Father is pretty sure that he will buy the place, and then -we _shall_ feel settled. It depends, naturally, on when the necessary -SPONDULICS are at hand and Father does not speak of that. But it is -pleasant to have a nice home, and though we'll never try to live up the -the MURCHISON MILLIONS, we are glad to have a whole house to ourselves, -with plenty of room to spread out and somebody to help Mother. We girls -still do little things and are supposed to take care of our own mending, -etc.; but Mother gives us our time for lessons and other things and I'm -sometimes in such a rush that I wish I had a maid, like Lucia, to pick -up after me! Father does not seem to think that I am PERMANENT here and -teases me a little sometimes. But more of that anon. You know how he is! - -"Now to give you a bird's eye view of what I am doing. First and -foremost, I'm trying to run the G. A. A. The girls usually elect the -spring before but it was put off and put off until it was not done at -all. So several of us were nominated and I was elected, and although I -was pleased with the honor my heart almost sank at the JOB! Still, it -hasn't been so bad because our class has always been greatly interested -in athletics and I can head almost any committee with a capable senior -girl and leave it to her to carry things out. We've had membership -campaigns and pep squads and the usual games and contests. I must -remember to send you copies of the _Roar_, from time to time. Sometimes -the write-up is real cute. - -"It would take me a week to write you about all the doings, from home -room elections and meetings, Girl Reserve programs--under Kathryn as -president this year--to the exciting football games of the boys' teams. -Our school won the championship and the boys are working hard to make -the basketball record as good. - -"Our senior hockey team, of which I was the captain, WON! I certainly -was glad of that! I'm not on the basketball team because the folks don't -want me to be, but I'm almost as interested. Both Carolyn Gwynne and -Kathryn Allen are playing. 'Finny' could not get on this time. Gwen -Penrose turned out to be a wonderful player and is captain! We ought to -win the inter-class contests, which are already posted. We play each -class, of course--I'll scribble off the schedule and enclose it. The -seniors begin the games, playing the sophomores on February eleventh. We -have the usual crazy names for our teams. - -"But what is most interesting of all to me is the annual mileage swim, -or MARATHON, and I hope to have chevrons and points and so on. I've told -you all about honors before. That is one reason for this letter. I am -supposed to be resting after swimming 'lengths.' Then we seniors want -the class championship, and so many of us are good swimmers, easy -swimmers, that we stand a good chance of getting it. All that is going -on now and the last copy of the _Roar_ calls us the mermaids. Can you -realize, Janet, that it is actually February now, and of our senior -year? When you write, tell me everything about all of them in our old -class in Buxton High now, and some of them dropped out, I know, and some -I don't know at all that have come in since I left. - -"To go back a little, we had all the lovely Christmas season as usual, -with the customary carolling and gift making and looking after our poor. -I'm glad to think that now 'Ramona Rose' and her mother are happy as -they can be before they have Ramon back, all cosy at the Murchison's. -The new Mrs. Murchison had been very glad to have Rose, for there was a -change of butler and everybody, almost, after the countess went away. - -"I have seen a good deal of Lucia Coletti. She is more or less lonesome -without her mother there, but both parents were here at Christmas time -and now they are in South America. The count is a great traveler, but -has his wife with him this time. Lucia is doing splendid work in her -lessons and they are so proud of her! - -"To tell the truth, I suppose the things we think about most are -lessons, getting them and how to find time to get them! But I don't know -that they are the _main objects in life_! _Wouldn't_ you find it -interesting to have me quote a page of Virgil, or give you extracts from -my last English theme! After the Christmas parties we buckled down to -work again, and we have recently survived the 'mid years.' - -"It certainly was hard to keep up my work the first semester, but I -concentrated on the main things, and then it did help having Chet -Dorrance and the other boys we know so well busy with their freshman -work in the university! Well, some of them went away to school, -too--other colleges. There wasn't much social life till the holidays--a -few parties and meeting each other at games and so on. I am still on the -honor roll. I wouldn't dare drop down from that, or Father would have me -drop some other things. Anyhow, there is only one way for me to study -and that is to _get_ the work. We still have Latin and Math and other -clubs, but the meetings for the most part are in the class period, so -that isn't so bad. They are interesting, too. I shudder to think how -many of my different activities will be listed in our year book that -will be published the end of the year. I'm on that staff, too, but I -haven't much to do yet. A teacher has it in charge, for it is too -important to trust it altogether to our ignorance! - -"But oh, Janet, we are growing up! Yes, the report was true about -Mathilde and Jack Huxley. Mathilde wears a big diamond and they are -always together. Mathilde is very snippy to me, a little more so than -ever, and I can't imagine why, unless it is because Jack started out by -being quite attentive to me last year, for just a little while, you -know. I gave you a hint of that affair--which you must not _breathe_ to -any one--ever! Mathilde and Jack are both a little older than the -average of our class and the latest is that they are to be married soon -after they graduate, with a big wedding, and go abroad for their wedding -trip. Jack has only part work with us this year and is doing something -at the university, too. But he told me himself that he did not want 'any -more school.' - -"You ask me about 'love affairs,' but I gasped when I read what you -wrote about Jo's being so attentive. Was it to prepare me? 'Janet and -Jo,' I said to myself. I haven't seen Jo for so long that I probably -would not know him. If he is going so far away he will probably want a -pledge from you before he leaves. It looks like a good opportunity for -him. I couldn't tell from what you wrote just how you felt about it -yourself. If this keeps on you will have to decide whether you want to -be engaged or not and whether you like Jo enough. As I read your letter, -I could remember the row of heads in the family pew in church, toward -the front, and Jo's was the highest up, among the three Clark boys. He -was 'one of the big boys' to me after we began to go to school. - -"And now telling you 'EVERYTHING' doesn't seem to be so much, after -re-reading your letter again and thinking about how little I really have -to tell. I was in what Mother calls an 'expansive' mood when I began -this letter and as it's been written in 'hitches' it seems to be more or -less of a boiled down record of what has happened. And on second -thoughts it seems silly to write down some things, that I should -probably blather about if I saw you. You will probably like to hear -about the boys that I wrote of last summer in my long letter from Maine. -Chet was pretty nice. I do like him ever so much, Janet, but he knows -that I'll not stand for anything sentimental, at least yet, and all he -does is to take as many dates as he has time for and, I imagine, keep an -eye on me. I don't really _know_, Janet, that Chet himself thinks of any -_permanent arrangement_ between us. I'd be very conceited, I think, to -suppose that any boy is very much in earnest when he hasn't said so--yet -Chet has been a friend for so long that there may be a little excuse for -being on guard to ward off anything else. I certainly haven't the least -idea how to handle it, if it needs handling at all--for Chet is going -clear through college somewhere. - -"Father says to me, 'Please, daughter, no high school engagement.' I -suppose I agree with him that his ideas are always sensible. Probably I -_am_ too young to know how to choose a 'life partner.' Still, he and -Mother weren't awfully old. They can't say _much_. And if a _certain -person_ should ask me--well, it might be a little hard to refuse! I'm -'going on' eighteen, after all. Father says, if I want to go, he will -give me a year in a girls' college somewhere. But that takes a long time -to arrange ahead, so I think it will be the 'home town' university at -first. - -"Oh, yes, I started in to tell you about the boys. No, I can't tell who -that 'certain person' is. Besides, I might change my mind. Ted, the boy -that impressed me so when I first came to the city, is still a dear but -does not figure in my dreams any more at all. He is just as fine a boy -as could be, but he likes too many girls and I have to be the one and -only! I think that Chet is less--temperamental, as they say. But nobody -can help loving Ted. - -"Larry Waite, about whom I've told you a little at different times, is -very much of a gentleman, adores the water, just as I do and seemed to -find me a congenial spirit this summer. That doesn't mean a thing, -however. I had one little note from him after I came home and perhaps -I'll have a valentine from him and from Chet on Valentine's day, coming -so soon now. He is Marcella's brother, you remember, but isn't home much -because he has been East to school. But like me, he will be graduated -this June and I don't know what he is to do after that. We didn't talk -about it last summer. - -"Arthur Penrose is in art school and writes to me once in a while. Chet -didn't like it much when I showed him a letter from Arthur, so I never -showed him any more! The Penroses live here, you know, so it's perfectly -natural for us girls to see Archie and Arthur once in a while. Gwen we -see every school day and some more! - -"I shall have to hurry this up, though I'm not half through. Yet it's a -_book_ already! I'll try not to be so long again in getting to a letter. -Yes--we have a Valentine Party--well, I'll write you a card at least -after that is over. I want to mail this tomorrow morning on the way to -school, or give it to Father to mail for me, and Mother says I -_positively_ must go to bed now! - -"Please tell me if anything has happened in your young life and I will -do better next time." - -With the usual affectionate close, Betty finished her closely scribbled -sheets and put them in an envelope. It was something to have gotten off -so long a letter in the intervals of one afternoon and evening. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - VALENTINES - - -"Marcella specializes in costume parties, doesn't she!" brightly asked -Peggy Pollard of Betty Lee as they fell in together going to gym. "Do -you remember that first party we went to there, when we were sophomores, -wasn't it? That Hallowe'en party?" - -Did Betty remember that? Well, rather! But Betty merely said -"'M-h'm--nice, wasn't it?" - -"Yes. Marcella is an awfully capable girl. People at the university are -taking notice of her, they say, even if she is only a freshman. I'm glad -I was in the same sorority with her. She's gone right into one of the -best now in the university." - -"And I'm glad that for some unheard of reason Marcella's been a friend -of mine. Besides, she is inviting all of us that were up in Maine with -her last summer. Dear me--it all seems too long ago now, and yet how -this year has simply flown!" - -"More than half over, Betty, and we'll have our little diplomas before -we know it." - -"Yes, but don't forget that we've a few things more to do before we earn -'em!" - -"Don't bring up anything disagreeable, Betty," laughed Peggy. "But there -are lots of good times ahead, too. And we're going to win the basketball -class contest or know the reason why!" - -Betty nodded affirmatively. - -"The team work between Carolyn and Kathryn is simply marvelous. Have you -been to any of the practice games recently?" - -"No, I haven't. I've been too busy even to play a game of anything -myself. But you must remember that the sophomore team is especially -good. They were fine as freshmen last year. I hope our girls realize -that. I haven't more than just seen Carolyn and Kathryn for a week! The -sophs are better than the juniors, I think." - -"How's the old swimming coming on?" - -"All right. I think I'll be one of those that get chevrons." - -"'Think!' You will probably be ahead of them all in number of lengths, -provided you want to be. When do the senior Red Cross tests come on?" - -"The last of next month or the first of April. O joy! We'll soon be -riding again over the old bridle paths! Peggy, you ought to have gone -into it last fall." - -"Not me. Too many other things. If I ever want to learn to ride, there -is time yet." - -"The younger the better. Doris wants to begin next year." - -"By the way, that little sister of yours has grown up all at once." - -"Hasn't she! And Doris is making her own mark--says she; isn't going to -be known as 'Betty Lee's sister!' She is going in for swimming, too, for -we're all like frogs for the water; but she is choosing her own -activities and has the benefit of all my mistakes to warn her." - -"You never made any mistakes, Betty Lee." - -"What nonsense! But you _mean_ well, Peggy." - -With smiles the girls parted, Betty to go to the pool and Peggy to swing -and exercise with the general equipment. Rosy and invigorated after her -swim and shower, Betty reached home at last to find everything in an -atmosphere of valentines. Doris had stopped to purchase a dozen or more -and called Betty into her room to see them. She was addressing envelopes -at her desk, a cherished acquisition of Christmas time. - -"Aren't these pretty ones, Betty? I don't think I'll send any comics, -unless some pretty respectable ones to a few of the girls. I almost got -one for you, Betty--a real cute and crazy one of a girl, with a violin, -that thought she could play. But the verse wasn't very smart. I could -have made up a better one myself." - -"Hum," said Betty. "This is Betty Lee--who thinks that she can play." - -"But she may find out better," suggested Doris, and Betty finished it -with, "At no far distant day." - -"Let's write a book of 'pomes,' Betty," laughed Doris, "like Alice and -Phoebe Gary." - -"Great! You write the first few; and we'd better let Dick in on it, too, -for some way I don't feel the poetic urge just now." - -"What's that about the poetic urge?" asked Dick Lee, appearing at Doris' -open door. "May I come in? Gee, it's nice and warm in here. The wind's -blowing in the direction of my room and we're having some snow--ha-ha! -Won't it be great if we have skating again? No February thaw for me!" - -Dick had his hands full of papers and asked if the girls wanted to see a -work of art. Naturally they did, though Doris did remark that it -depended on whose work of art it was. - -"Here's the best one," said Dick, laying out on the desk a large sheet -of paper. "It's only the design, you understand, girls. This is to be -worked out in color--perhaps." - -"Say--this is cute, Dick!" exclaimed Doris. "Why, it's all right as a -pen and ink drawing. Why color it?" - -Betty was laughing as she read. "I hope this is to an intimate friend," -said she. - -"It is, all right," replied Dick. "It's for Buster and he'll know who -sent it, believe me. He knows my artistic style and we have a big joke -about his Cicero. He hates it and if he ever gets through in Latin it -will be with a couple of summer schools!" - -Scallops and various marks around this picture of a valentine indicated -that Dick might cut it out in fanciful form. In the middle of the top, -above the verse which Dick had composed, was the drawing of an ink -bottle and pen, with various blots, here and there. At the right hand -corner an arrow, marked _Sagitta_, pointed toward the poetic lines. On -the left, in the corner was a good drawing of a book, large enough to -bear the small inscription, two words, one below the other, "_Cicero -Interlinear_." An array of small arrows pointed to the book, from the -expression, "_Liber Malus et Noxius_!" - -Below the verses was a comical picture, in bare outline, of a boy -bending over a book, while a candle shed very definite rays around, -though the inscription read "Burning the Midnight Oil." - -Other sketchy decorations showed "Bustum" tearing his hair, very crinkly -pen-strokes, with "_Horribile dictu_" and original principal parts, long -and short vowels carefully marked: "_Hate-o, play-ere, fail-i, -flunkum._" - -The verses Doris read out loud, while Dick grinned and looked uneasy. -"There's nothing to 'em," said he. - - "If you're so dumb, this valentine - I send in vain; but heed it, - Unless for years you want to stay, - Translating--work, and beat it!" - -Betty laughed and pointed out where a change of punctuation was -advisable. "What's your '_Factum Romae_' that you sign it?" - -"Made in Rome. Now you _are_ dumb, Betty. Locative for Rome, and I -thought I'd better use the neuter singular--don't know what 'Valentine' -would be." - -"I see. _Hoc Romae factum est_, as it were." - -"Ye-ah. I'd have put in more Latin, but it would give Bustum a pain and -he wouldn't take the trouble to translate it. I hope he realizes the -trouble I'm taking." - -"That's an idea, Dick," said his twin. "I think I'll fix up something -like it myself. Do you care?" - -"Nup, only I'd rather Bustum got his first." - -"All right. I'm not going to send very many through the mail -anyhow--mostly leave them on the desks or get somebody else to hand them -out. It isn't like the good old days in the grades!" Doris laughed over -her own memories. - -"Amy Lou is going through that now, and it's lots of fun, Doris. Let's -see that she gets plenty through the mail, too. She'll smell a mouse if -valentines in the mail box haven't any stamps on them." - -"Oh, I don't know. Some of her friends might slip up and put them -there." - -As Dick's efforts had started them, the girls began to make up verses. -Betty brought her pencil and paper for scribbling and hunted up some old -materials for valentines that she had kept from former times. "We'll get -some at the ten cent store," said Betty, "but if we can make a few -pretty ones out of our old ones and this stuff, Amy Lou will like them -and wonder who sent them." - -"Numbers of valentines have a lot to do with fun on Valentine's day," -said Doris. "Let's keep it going for Amy Lou--ring the bell and run, you -know, and all that." - -It was a pretty thing for the two sisters to do for the younger one. Amy -Lou might know about it some day, or she might not, but it was a -pleasant mystery, and as Amy Lou was away, playing with two of her -chums, there was no danger that the girls would be interrupted for a -while. Pasting and finding envelopes would be done with remarkable speed -by experienced hands. More time was spent over verses, for Amy Lou would -recognize those taken from old valentines, whose laces and hearts and -darts they were using. What matter if meter was lame? So was it in many -of the valentines sold in the stores. - - "My very heart I send to you, - For there's nobody quite like Amy Lou!" - - "O hearts and darts and pretty dove, - To Amy Lou take all my love." - - "Please welcome this heart and a Cupid; - If I didn't like you I'd be stupid." - - "There's a sweet little girl that St. Valentine knows - And he's taking my heart in this letter. - Can you guess who she is? - Well, her name's in plain sight - And if you can't guess--you'd just better!" - -With such couplets and longer poetic attempts, Doris and Betty prepared -a number of suitable offerings for Amy Louise, hoping that she would be -pleased. Doris locked them in her desk and both girls went to the window -to stare at snow coming thickly down. Busy as they had been, they had -not noticed except that it was growing dark. "Did you ever!" cried -Doris. "Dick won't get his skating, but we'll have sleds out if this -keeps up. Hurray for bob-sleds!" - -"We'll have to feed that robin in the ravine, Doris," remarked Betty, -looking out, rather dreamily, however. "He seems to be the advance guard -and he'll certainly wish he'd stayed behind!" - -But Betty went back to her own room thinking of other things. A savory -smell from the roast cooking for dinner came up through open doors in -the well heated house. Gloria, the present light-footed, capable colored -help, had made one of her "gorgeous" chocolate cakes that afternoon, -too. Life was pretty nice. But _could_ it be possible that right in the -middle of the term Larry Waite would come back for Marcella's party, as -he had before? Of course not! But then the unbelievable occasionally -happened. It had happened at the Hallowe'en party. Larry had changed a -little since then, but when he laughed it was the same merry face that -had looked over her shoulder into that mirror! - -What costume _should_ she wear for the Valentine party? Mother did not -seem to have any ideas and had told the girls that she should think they -were old enough and into enough things to have scads of ideas of their -own. Mother had not said "scads," of course. Mother had been into a lot -of things herself lately, since she had been entertaining a little and -had helped the new Mrs. Murchison who was a later comer than herself in -the city. They had had a _grand_ Washington's Birthday party at the -Murchison's and Mother had received with Mrs. Murchison, in the most -_adorable_ costume. If only that were suitable for a Valentine -party!--provided Mother would let her wear it. - -Well, if the worst came to worst she could always use something old. -She'd go up to the attic and see what she could rout out. Thank fortune, -Mother had not made them throw away any such treasures when they moved. - -Betty went up into their "nice new attic" and rummaged in trunks till -Dick's most stentorian tones finally reached her. "Coming, Dick," she -called. - -"For pity's sake, Betty, what have you been doing?" asked Dick, as Betty -threw off the sweater which she had wisely donned before going into less -well heated quarters. "Mother called and Father called, thinking that -you were in your room, and Amy Lou ran up and came down scared, thinking -something must have happened to you. Doris said you weren't going out -anywhere. Then I went up and thought of the attic and yelled." - -"You certainly yelled all right, Dick!" returned Betty, laughing. "I'll -make my apologies to Mother. I never heard anything at all!" - -"Dreaming over old love letters, I suppose," said Dick. "Isn't that what -girls are supposed to do in attics?" - -"Old love letters, indeed! I don't get any _now_, let alone having any -old ones. How old do you think I am, Dick?" - -"Seems to me it's several years that certain persons of what Grandma -calls the male persuasion have been coming around here, off and on." - -Betty said nothing to this, but made her apologies by asking the family -to help her conjure up a proper costume for the important party, only -two days off. "Tomorrow is the thirteenth," said Betty, as if something -of the utmost importance was approaching. Indeed it was, for not always -did Betty get invited with the older boys and girls to a full party of -them. But a healthy appetite and a fine dinner had great effect in -making the present pleasant. The chocolate cake melted in the mouth and -Father had stopped to bring ice cream to go with it. - -Then, on the morrow--which became today--came the answer to Betty's -problem, through a valentine which came from--New Haven. The handwriting -was disguised, Betty thought, at least it was not like that of the only -two people who might have sent it to her. It was most likely to have -come from Larry, and oddly enough, Betty felt disappointed, lovely as -the valentine was. But its coming meant that he would not be here, of -course. - -Arthur Penrose was in Philadelphia now, but he sometimes visited Larry, -with whom he had become quite good friends, and might _possibly_ have -been in New Haven. Matters of trains and distances and all that sort of -thing were more or less hazy in Betty's young mind. Anything could -happen, and after all, couldn't it? Arthur's letters were only -occasional now, but very friendly. - -So she was in a pleasing state of uncertainty over the sender. - -"It came on the morning mail, Betty," said Mrs. Lee, who had noted the -postmark and saw that Betty opened it first before several others from -friends away from town. Valentines from friends in the city were likely -to arrive on the day itself. - -"Look at it, Mother," said Betty at that, handing the large square of -dainty white and colors and figures to Mrs. Lee. "I believe it is the -prettiest one I ever saw. Look at that darling old-fashioned couple with -Washington Birthday costumes, just beginning one of those square dances, -and Cupid shooting darts straight at them!" - -"He leads her out as if he likes her, doesn't he?" said Mrs. Lee, "and -the verse is good, though rather too much of a declaration. However, -that it permitted on St. Valentine's day. As your natural guardian, I am -wondering _who_ could have sent it!" - -"Let's see it, Betty," suggested Doris, who with a lapful of her own -valentines was sitting near. The girls had come home together from -school. - -Betty took the valentine from her mother to hand to Doris. "I think it a -little hard," said she, "to think that the family has to know all about -these tender messages of love!" - -"Well," said Doris, "I'm not so sure but this one _does_ mean something. -Who knows whom Betty's charms may not have smitten in the East this -summer? Confess, Betty. Who's in New Haven?" - -"I told you, several. That's enough, Doris. Turn about, you know--I'd -love to see that big one of yours. And please hand mine back." - -"Just a minute, Betty. It is a peach of a valentine: - - "My heart is yours, - And yet, dear me, - I keep old-fashioned - Courtesy." - -Doris properly read "courtesee" to make the rhyme. "I'm glad he's -properly respectful," laughed Doris, handing Betty her valentine. "I'll -give you mine in a minute." - -Mrs. Lee's smiling eyes met Betty's for a moment, and Betty let hers -fall with a toss of her golden head. "They'd _better_ mind their -manners," said she. "Oh, here's one from Janet, I know. It's her -writing, and dear old Sue--and Auntie--and Grandma. How nice to have -friends!" - -"Betty," said Mrs. Lee, "your valentine has given me an idea. Why not go -to the party as a valentine. Wear my colonial costume and paste this -valentine to a bag, or your fan, and have some other cunning trappings -that will be like valentines." - -"Mother! You perfect dear! Do you mean that you will let me wear that -splendiferous costume? Oh, but it would be just the thing and all my -worries about fixing something would be over!" - -"I may never want to wear the costume just as it is again," said Mrs. -Lee, "and yet I may, so be careful. Doris may wear it sometime, too." - -"I'll not be jealous, Mother," said Doris quickly. She had been -sometimes jealous in the past but had wakened to the fact that her -parents had no real favorites and that "her turn" came surprisingly -often. The difference in age between herself and Betty was lessening, so -far as it made so much difference in interests and pursuits and Betty's -attitude was so generous as a rule that Doris would have been ashamed -not to respond. The sisters were growing nearer this year. - -"I will be just as careful as careful can be. Mother," Betty made reply, -with great enthusiasm, "I think that you are the best mother I ever -heard of, even! And speaking of ideas! I never even thought of it, -looking with all my eyes at that valentine, too. Now let me skip off and -think out the whole costume!" - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - HEARTS AND MASKS - - -Although the colonial costume, which Betty's mother permitted her to -wear to the Valentine party, was new and in order, there was much else -in decoration which concerned Betty and indeed the costume itself needed -to be taken in a little to fit Betty's more slender figure. She rushed -home, accordingly, on the thirteenth, to spend the rest of the afternoon -and evening on her preparations. "I studied like mad, Mother, in study -halls; and Carolyn, Kathryn and I cut lunch to get out our Latin -together!" - -"I am afraid you should not omit lunch, Betty." - -"Oh, that was all right, Mother. We each had a chocolate bar and a cream -puff and some peanuts, got 'em on the way to school, that is, I did. It -was very obliging of St. Valentine to have his day this year toward the -end of the week. Carolyn and Kathryn think that they will be valentines, -too. Kathryn may dress as a 'comic,' though it depends somewhat on what -costume she can get up the easiest. Carolyn has a lot of them that her -sister has used at one time or another, and you know what nice ones they -would be. O Mother, I think you are so lovely to let me wear this! You -see, it isn't as if it were an ordinary children's party or just we -girls dressing up as usual. I don't know, indeed, whom Marcella may not -have." - -"Well, come here and let me fit you, child. Allow me to remark that -there isn't as much change as might be expected from the difference in -our ages." - -"O Mother, you are the youngest and best looking of us all! Ask Father." - -"He might either be prejudiced or hesitate to tell the truth," laughed -Mrs. Lee, and the fitting went on. - -Another day of school was put through before the party. But it was St. -Valentine's Day and lessons were in the background of thought, it must -be said. There were delightful interludes of receiving and giving -valentines, with little mysteries even more interesting now than in -childish days. And as the messages of St. Valentine might be regarded as -carrying more romantic meaning now, the whole was more interesting. - -One of the girls handed Betty a valentine which she was sure was from -Mickey Carlin. He had probably bought it that morning and had not -thought she would get it in time if he mailed it. Another, which she had -taken from their mail box before she left home, also before the arrival -of the mail man, bore in tiny letters on a corner inside the name -_Andy_. Andy Sanford _was_ a good friend of hers and had been ever since -a certain freshman party at Betty's. The sentiment was somewhat sugary, -Betty thought, but "anything goes on Valentine day," she said to -Carolyn, to whom she showed all her valentines without reservation. - -Carolyn laughed at the verse, which expressed undying devotion, and -remarked that even if Chet and "others" had gone to the university, they -still had a few nice senior boys to make life interesting! There were -quite a number, in fact, in the large senior class; and common -interests, with working things out together made good friends. The -"others" might be supposed, from Carolyn's standpoint, to include -Chauncey Allen, who had all at once become deeply interested in Carolyn -during the latter part of his senior year. - -But all other fun paled into insignificance at last in comparison with -the evening's entertainment. Betty tucked away her valentines, to be -looked over again at some other time. In some excitement she made ready, -running back and forth between her own and her sister's room, for Doris, -also was going to a party, though no costume was demanded. - -"You look lovely, Betty," said Doris, "and _very_ different"--then both -girls laughed at the implication. - -"No hint that you are not 'always beautiful,' understand! And your black -silk mask is fetching--but they may know you by those dimples, and your -mouth, of course." - -"Oh, I don't care," said Betty. "I'll do my best to 'keep my identity -hidden,' the way the detective can always do in stories. But if they -find out--after the first--let 'em. Besides other girls have dimples. -What in the world did I have to have them for!" Betty was rather -disgusted as she looked closely into the mirror and practiced on -expressions. - -As the gentlemen of the party were not to know the costumes of the -ladies, the girls were either brought by their natural protectors, or -sent for by Marcella, or arriving by taxi. Mr. Lee said that he would -"martyr himself for the cause," and tucked Betty's colonial skirts -inside of the family car with great assumption of concern. "May you be -brought home as safely," said he, letting her scramble out of the car as -she would, when they reached the Waite home. "It's not very far," said -she. - -A few flakes of snow were falling, lit up by the electric lights -everywhere. It was a lovely world that February night. Betty's heart -beat high as with several girls as excited as she, doubtless, she -climbed the steps toward the hospitable door. - -Not long after, she descended the stair into the wide hallway, almost a -part of the drawing-room, full of gayly costumed young people by this -time. It happened that no one was coming to enter with her, for the -dressing room to which she had been shown was empty and the girls who -were supposed to follow her had dashed into Marcella's room with an -exclamation over some picture there. They were Marcella's friends, -either from the university, or of the "sub-debs" who were not in school -at all now. Marcella numbered some of these among her friends, girls who -were waiting for their entrance into society. - -So as Betty hesitated a moment, looking at the bright decorations, the -space clear before her, she made a pretty picture. - -Hearts were in evidence everywhere. A flying Cupid, with bow and arrow, -was suspended by a wire in a corner prettily fitted up as a sort of -shrine to St. Valentine. Flowers gave fragrance and the spacious rooms -were at a comfortable temperature. Marcella had spared no pains to make -a pretty setting for her party. - -She, too, was to be unknown till the unmasking. Accordingly, her mother -and father and a visiting grandmother received the young guests and -stood just within the limits of the drawing-room proper. - -"Look at that sweet valentine standing there, wife," said Mr. Waite, -just aware of Betty and adjusting his glasses. "Who is she?" - -"As I cannot lift her mask, I can not tell you, Lawrence," returned Mrs. -Waite, "but you are right. She looks as if she had just stepped out of -an old-fashioned valentine. How cleverly that little lacy head-dress, -with the heart in the middle of it, is arranged above her powdered hair! -Larry ought to see her! Where is he, anyway?" - -Betty glanced up the stairs, to see if the other girls were coming, but -just at that moment, while the Waites were making their comments and -Betty paused, St. Valentine himself in the person of one of Marcella's -friends, bethought himself of the duties which he had assumed to -announce the guests. He detached himself from a little group which he -had joined and came hurrying toward Betty. - -His performance varied from the usual procedure; for he took her hand -with a deep bow and led her to Mrs. Waite as he announced loudly, "Miss -Valentine, a member of my own family!" - -So led, with her quaint skirt and flowered silk overdress, a cascade of -little pink hearts draped across her breast, Betty, like a pink rose -from some old garden, went to give her hand in greeting. Very much grown -up looked Betty in this costume, as her mother had regretfully told her. -"But I _am_ grown up," Betty had replied. - -She spread her fan a little, to act her part, and spoke in the formal -manner of a polite stranger, though now, living only a few squares away, -she had been here often and knew both Mr. and Mrs. Waite. Marcella's -mother was "a dear," and Mr. Waite, slight, active, grey-haired, keen, -was interesting. - -"As you must be one of Marcella's friends," said Mr. Waite, extending -his hand, "I shall dare to say that any lad here might be glad to see a -valentine like this one coming his way. Don't you agree with me, -Mother?" - -Marcella's grandmother smiled assent and Betty made a sweeping curtsey -to Mr. Waite as she turned to Marcella's grandmother. She was afraid -that they would recognize her voice, if she said too much. - -"She does not want us to know who she is, of course; so don't detain -her, Father," suggested Mrs. Waite. "I hope that you will enjoy yourself -tonight. Marcella is somewhere about, but you will have to guess who she -is. And she is the only one who will know you--for she, as you know, had -to have a list of guests and characters to arrange the partners for the -supper tables." - -In low but cordial tones, Betty finished her brief conversation with her -host and hostesses and moved on to give her place to the other girls, -who were now coming. A group of masked and costumed guests were right at -hand and Betty joined them, to be greeted with gay laughter and -compliment. - -Meanwhile a conversation was going on, in the privacy of the library, in -which Betty would have been interested. - -"But I tell you, it simply can't be done at this late date! It will just -upset everything! I'll have to change a lot of them all around. For -mercy's sake, why not see her all you want to all the rest of the -evening? I'll not tell the boys what character they're to take out till -the last minute. And there are the colonial dances for those dressed -that way. Lucky so many of them dressed so--though I did ask some of my -friends to do it." - -"Fat chance to talk in a square dance. My dear sister, have a heart! Why -did I come all this distance to spend the week-end if not for the fun of -saying some things masked that I can't say without a mask?" - -"I certainly don't think much of that argument. I think I see myself -listening to what a man hasn't the nerve to tell me face to face!" - -"You fail to understand, sweet chuck. It is less embarrassing and will -lead up to what I intend to say 'face to face.' Moreover, I intend to -say it in my own _character_, if behind a mask at first. Now, please! -_Pretty_ please! If there weren't another in the running, and two or -three of those nice kids, so far as I know, it wouldn't make so much -difference. Something Art Penrose said rather woke me up and I hired -this costume, sent a valentine and took a train." - -"Then, honestly, are you in earnest where she is concerned?" - -"I suppose I am, though it is a little early, perhaps, and I don't know -that I shall enter the waiting list. See?" - -"Through a glass darkly! Still I have a lot of faith in you, too, and -I'll do it this _once_. But if you don't tell me in time again, there's -going to be trouble in the family! Now come and help me with this list, -if you think it so easy and will have your way! - -"If you want my advice--faint heart ne'er won fair lady. She's pretty -mature in some ways and maybe, after all, you did well to come and see -the situation yourself. You'd better write to her, too, and keep in -touch until you both find out whether you're as congenial as you think -or not--or care enough for each other. I've admired more than one hero -from afar and I ought to know." - -"Get over it, do they--the girls? Don't think this one makes a hero of -me, Sis, though our first meeting was a little romantic." - -"How was that?" - -"I'm not telling." - -"I thought you saw her first at a party I had. You asked enough about -her." - -"Did I? Well, you're a sister worth having. Let me apply my keen -intellect to that list of yours now. Seat us far away from that one fair -youth that she was holding off, I judged, last summer." - -"Oh, it's such a nuisance. I'll have to change place cards and -everything! Why do you always come rushing in at the last minute?" But -this was said with a smile. - -"Wait! Don't despair. When I bought my valentines to mail I saw a lot of -place cards and thought of your party. You had plenty, I saw, so I -didn't bring them out. I'll run up and get them." - -"They won't match, but--all right. Silly--but I kind of like you at -that!" - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - AN EXCHANGE OF HEARTS - - -"Look who's here," and kindred expressions, with frank comments on her -idea and costume, greeted Betty at the beginning. - -"There are some other 'valentines,' but none quite like yours," said one -gypsy, who wore an arrow caught through her belt, a silver one in her -hair, and large red hearts sewed on her flowing sleeves. - -Almost every one had on some emblem that recognized the day. Some of the -boys had made themselves into clever representations of comic -valentines, but Betty thought that Kathryn must have changed her mind -about being one, as she could not find among them all any of Kathryn's -height. As to features, Betty had been sure that she could tell; but -among so many shifting figures it was confusing. In general, there was -the usual conglomeration of different characters. - -Once Betty caught her breath at the appearance of a pirate, for all the -world like the "Pirate of Penzance." But while the costume seemed -identical, so far as Betty remembered, after all, Marcella might have -lent the costume. And when the young man drew near, whoever it might be, -it certainly was not Larry. Well, of course. It had been silly to half -expect--and hope--to see him. - -There were compensations, however. She did not lack attention and she -thought that she had been able to "fool" Chet, whom she had recognized -by his laugh first. Her own voice she kept low and had practiced on a -different laugh, though when amused she could not keep it up and -smothered her natural laugh with her handkerchief. Even that was gay -with hearts. She had seen it in a show window a week before and rushed -in to buy it. - -Guessing who people were was great fun and Marcella had something -planned for every moment, it seemed. A tall clown announced the games, -or what came next in the way of program. He wore a placard on his back -that declared "I am Your Valentine." That, certainly, could not be -Larry. His fun would be more--um--elusive! - -And now some musicians arrived. Betty happened to glance out of the -window and saw them stamping snow from their feet and shaking the flakes -from their hats. Their taxi must have delivered them outside, instead of -bringing them around the drive inside the grounds, a natural mistake, -perhaps, since the distance to the street was not great. And how it was -snowing! Betty liked it, the beautiful dark and white rays from the -lights, near or distant. - -Inside, some one relieved them of coats and hats at once, and the bulky -instruments in their cases were disposed about the hall, until they -disappeared while a last game was going on, only to take their places in -a palm-decorated corner near the piano, tune their instruments and start -to play. Instantly feet began to tap in time to the measures, and some -of the boys and girls began to dance in couples. - -Betty's feet fit snugly in the high-heeled shoes of her mother's that -matched the costume. They were none too comfortable and Betty thankfully -sank into a big over-stuffed chair recently vacated, refusing an -invitation prettily and deciding to rest first. But one could stand -anything if it were fun, and when in a short time colonial square dances -were announced, lo and behold, who should walk up to Betty, with an -engaging, somehow familiar smile and an exaggerated, old time bow, but -the duplicate of the picture upon her valentine! - -Dancing eyes through their opening in the mask enjoyed her amazement. -Velvet knee breeches, silk hose, shoes, powdered wig tied by a ribbon, -even to coloring, the likeness was complete. - -This was no accident. He did not look like the others. Could it be? -"Oh!" she said in surprise, blushing under the bit of rouge and the tiny -square of courtplaster supposed to be characteristic of that time gone -by. - -"Fair damsel," said the stranger, "will you tread the mazes of the dance -with me?" - -"With great pleasure, sir," coquettishly replied Betty, recovering from -her astonishment and bethinking herself of her part. - -She raised her fan, only to have it gently taken from her hand. "Permit -me," said the colonial gentleman with great courtesy. He tucked her arm -in his own and walked with her to the space being cleared for them and -the others. - -"I haven't happened to see you before," said Betty, to make -conversation. - -"I have been about, but I did not come to the circle about Miss -Valentine till now." Then the formality was dropped and the voice became -natural. "I came a long distance to dance this with you, Betty, though I -knew nothing of the Colonial dances. And I didn't dream that you would -be wearing this costume--even to the lacy border in your hair, the rose, -and the heart that proclaims you my valentine!" - -Betty said, "Oh," again. "Then you are--and you sent----" - -"Yes, I am, and I sent, and I'm going to keep those kids away from you -the rest of the evening, that clown with the hearts all over him in -particular." - -Betty laughed. She was recovering, and oh, how happy! "Why that's only -Chet Dorrance. Why the dislike to him? Wasn't he in all our fun last -summer?" - -"Yes." Larry Waite bent attentively toward Betty, fanning her in the -character of the old time gallant. Much could be said in the few moments -before the music should begin. Precious little attention did either of -them pay to the directions being given. - -"But Marcella, at my _urgent request_, has fixed it up that I am to be -your partner at supper. I suddenly decided to come for this, though I -find that Father needs me on another matter and I must make the most of -this opportunity. I hope that you do not mind _very_ much, Betty! - -"I am--surprised--and _pleased_, Larry. I had a shock when I saw the -costume of the Pirate of Penzance." - -The erstwhile Pirate of Penzance laughed. "I like you in this costume, -even better than I did when you were Titania. Tell me, Betty. Did you -think that perhaps I sent the valentine and could it have influenced you -to wear this?" - -"Is this the game of 'Truth,' Larry?" - -"Heaven knows I hope so!" - -"I did think that you had sent the valentine and I thought it adorable. -But the idea of this costume was Mother's, because, you see, she had had -it made for her own party, and I never dreamed of asking for it. Then -fixing it up this way like the valentines as much as I could, was my -doings." - -"Sweet doings, Betty." Was Larry's voice shaking a little? - -"I have a million things to say to you, but they are going to strike up -the music now. Yes, we're coming to line up!" - -This last was in answer to a summons. Betty, demure and self-possessed, -took her place and the pretty mazes of the dance took her attention. But -she had learned it in "gym" and she saw that Larry was at home in it. -She was still somewhat thunderstruck. Was this the self-contained Larry -of last summer? Of course there had been times when she had had a look -from him, or--but _what_ could he be going to say to her? - -There was no opportunity for private conversation now, though Larry with -a twinkle whispered as they performed an evolution of the dance -together, "How I wasted last summer!" He seemed to know her very -thoughts! Betty's hands were cold and she was rather highly keyed all -through the dances. - -But afterward Larry conducted her to where some one was beckoning them -and told her on the way that he would have to mingle with the guests a -little after all. "That's Marcella beckoning. I know what she's going to -tell me; but I shall have you at supper at least, and may I take you -home?" - -Rather bewildered, yet decidedly radiant, Betty beamed upon Marcella, -who said, "Excuse me, but I have a message for your partner." - -"The dance is over and you may have him," laughed Betty, next smiling up -at the clown with "hearts all over him," who had taken pains to be at -hand. Betty saw that Larry observed the clown; but there was nothing to -be done except to be the same friendly girl to Chet that she had always -been. They had the remembrance of many a good time together between -them. - -"I know you, Betty," said Chet, "and I suppose you know me. Who is that -guy that was with you!" - -"I may have my ideas, Chet, but it wouldn't be fair to tell. _Is_ that -gypsy Kathryn? I thought she wouldn't take such an obvious character." - -"Probably, since she is called Gypsy, that is the very reason she is -one, because she would not be expected to do the obvious." - -"I think that you have grown very wise, Chet, since you have been going -to the university. Tell me who some of these university girls are. -Marcella was going to invite some sophomores, I know, like your brother -Ted, and she is in that new sorority and would be likely to invite them -all, wouldn't she?" - -"I suppose so. But you said it wasn't fair, Betty, to tell." Chet was -looking humorously at her now. - -"Now you have me! True enough. I'll have to wait till the unmasking. But -guessing is all right." - -"Suppose _I_ do some guessing," meaningly said Chet. - -"Why not?" countered Betty; but fortunately for Betty's not having to -respond to Chet's surmises, one of the girls, a pretty shepherdess, came -up to look more closely at Betty's costume. - -"If I had only thought of it, I might have been a real valentine, too," -regretfully said the shepherdess. - -But events, the mingling, the talking, the varied entertainment arranged -by Marcella Waite and her assisting sorority, moved rapidly. Betty was -soon found by the colonial gentleman of her valentine, and formally -escorted to the dining-room, spacious, and accommodating, tables -arranged into one continuous and festal board, "like double T's," Betty -said. "Oh, _isn't it pretty_!" she exclaimed softly to Larry. - -From the hanging lights above ran ribbons, gay in color and abounding, -like everything else about the house, in appropriate decorations. The -place cards were especially pretty. Betty's represented Cupid carrying a -cluster of hearts as well as his bow and quiver full of arrows. Below -him was the outline of a single heart and within this an individual -four-line "poem" ready for Betty's reading: - - "Sweet and pretty and dear and fine, - She's a peach of a girl--Miss Valentine! - Let Eros whisper, as flies his dart, - 'Your lover is waiting and waits your heart.'" - -Betty dimpled as she read, "I wonder if Marcella copied that or made it -up. It doesn't sound like her." - -"It wouldn't," said Larry, who had been reading his own lines. "She -didn't write them; but she did pretty well with mine in the hurry she -was tonight. See? It's a prophecy, I hope. I'm not sure that Marcella -knows that Eros is the same as Cupid." - -"Larry Waite! Of course she does. But you haven't _read_ mine yet, how -do you----" - -Betty stopped, for Larry turned a mischievous look upon her, then -sobered. "I wasn't in fun when I scribbled those lines, Betty," said he. -But it was no place in which to embarrass Betty and he quickly placed -his own card before her. "Read what Marcella tells me," and Betty read: - - "If Cupid only has success, - You're on your way to happiness." - -"Now I hope that is so," said Larry lightly. "I'm quite content right -now." - -Others were doing the same thing, exchanging cards and reading funny or -clever or sugary verses, collected or composed by Marcella and her good -friends. Larry had insisted that Betty's card match his own and in the -short time he gave to Marcella's change of arrangements he had written -the verses. - -Betty was past being surprised now and had entered into an exhilarated -stage of feeling in which the fun, the light and inconsequential -conversation, the lights, the decorations, the costumes, masks and -general gayety all played a part. And now, from the middle of the long -part of the table and almost opposite Betty, Marcella rose to announce -that they would unmask before the serving began. - -Then came hilarity indeed, though properly restrained, for this was no -school picnic in the woods! Surprises and congratulations were the order -of the moment. The gypsy, with a clown in Lyon High colors, sat just -beyond Betty. "Why, Kathryn, I couldn't tell you at all!" she exclaimed. -"Chet thought it was you, but I had my doubts." - -The clown with Kathryn was Brad Warren. Chet Dorrance, Betty saw, was -farther down on the opposite side of the table and she sighed with -relief, for Betty never wanted Chet's feelings hurt. Marcella had placed -him with a senior at the university, one of her sorority sisters, and -Chet was evidently much interested and pleased. It was rather nattering -to be selected for a senior, and indeed, Marcella had known that Chet -Dorrance must not be placed with some one whom he would not like, no -matter what Larry wanted to do. - -Mathilde's diamond flashed directly opposite and with Jack Huxley in -gala mood, she, too, was happy and beamed on Betty with all the rest. -Mathilde was bright and entertaining, too, when she was out with her -friends. And Jack--well, he would be served with nothing here that would -make him unfit to see any one safely home. The ring seemed more -appropriate here than at school. - -It was a great surprise to most that Larry Waite was there. He was -greeted with enthusiasm and played his part of host with cordiality, the -life of the party, Betty thought. More "grown-up" than so many, his fun -had some point to it, she thought, and Larry would have felt glad to -know her flattering opinion, which she was not to have much opportunity -to tell him, even supposing that she wanted to do so. - -The idea of the day was carried out in the supper. Larry said that he -"didn't know but it was cannibalistic" to eat so many hearts. -Heart-shaped sandwiches, salad in hearts--it was amazing how much in -that line could be done. The ice-cream servings, in fanciful molds, each -looked like a vari-colored and heart-shaped valentine, and little cakes, -in hearts, with "heavenly" frosting, were toothsome indeed. - -Larry seemed to have an idea just as the ice-cream was arriving and said -something across the table to Marcella, who hopped up at once and -lightly clapped her hands together for attention. - -"Larry says that the celebration will not be complete unless we exchange -hearts. So that is the next thing on the program. Who wants my heart?" - -There was laughter and quick compliance. But Larry was already detaching -a heart from the little array which Betty wore and whispered, "That was -by way of an excuse to get one of these, Betty. Do you mind?" - -"You may have them all, Larry," laughed Betty, stirred, nevertheless. -Oh, this couldn't be just his "line," as she had once thought! He -_liked_ her. She knew he did. - -"And where is the one I am supposed to have?" she asked, as Larry tucked -the little pink heart in his inner pocket. - -"It's beating not far away," said Larry in her ear. But he detached a -small heart that had dangled from his lapel all evening and handed it to -her. - -"No," said she, "badge me with it." - -It all had to be with the air of badinage and fun, in the presence of so -many, but Larry, under cover of fastening his heart in the place of the -one he had detached, and under the louder buzz of conversation and the -laughter, spoke once more into her ear. - -"You darling! I hope this means half as much to you as it does to me!" A -hand crept over hers in her lap and held it tightly for a long moment, -while Betty returned a slight pressure. - -Then things were as they were before. Larry gave some attention, as he -had done before, to the university girl who sat on his other side. Betty -talked to Kathryn and Bradford, but she "felt like somebody else," as -she confided to her diary the next day. An entirely new probability was -hers, and a new faith in Larry Waite. - -But Larry did not take her home. After the supper he told her that as -soon as "they" began to go, he would be waiting for her and would take -her home in "the roadster." But he had scarcely finished telling her -when Marcella came up and soberly said that a telegram had come for -their father and that he wanted to see Larry right away. With a brief -"Excuse me," Larry hurried off, while Betty wondered why anybody would -send a telegram so late, unless it was a case of life or death! The -older Waites had disappeared not long after the guests had all been -received. Could they still be up? - -The girls began to go up for their wraps and Betty went with them, -coming down to wait in the library, as he had told her. No one was -there, but she had only a few minutes to wait till he came in and closed -the door. "Betty! My plans to see you are all upset. Father has had a -business telegram, delayed, by good luck for me, and something has come -up which must be attended to. He can not go and I shall have to go for -him. A train leaves in half an hour. Marcella will arrange for your -getting home with the rest. - -"I--I had something to tell you, Betty. You can guess what it is, of -course, though I was not going to ask you for a pledge so soon. But I -only wanted to make sure that no one else would--have your pledge, -before we had a chance to--become better acquainted." - -That was rather a lame close. Larry was trying not to say too much -either for his own sake or Betty's, and Betty looked up archly at this -and smiled. "Yes," said she, gravely, "and let us hope that our -friendship will improve on acquaintance." - -"Don't tease me, please, Betty," said Larry, but he relaxed into a -smile, too. "I'll write you as soon as I can. Remember that you are my -valentine, Betty--and now I think you'll let me say goodbye as I want -to!" - -Before Betty knew it, she was caught in the embrace of a big soft -overcoat, hugged and kissed all in a moment, held a second while Larry -whispered a soft statement in her ear again; and then he turned and -rapidly left the room as he heard Marcella call "Larry" from without. - -Oh, what a wonderful Valentine's Day! Larry _loved_ her. He _said_ so. -_Larry!_ - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - ONCE MORE BASKETBALL - - -"Father, do you care if I'm on the squad, you know, in basketball?" -asked Betty at breakfast one morning shortly after the Valentine party. -She had not heard from Larry and was beginning to think it all a dream. -It hadn't happened! - -"I'll not be on the regular team, you understand, and I'm not likely to -be called into the games at all, but the inter-class games are on now -and the sophomores are _too_ good, and, bless you, the little freshmen -are amounting to a real menace!" - -"A _menace_! That will never do," said Mr. Lee. - -"Hurray for the sophomores," said Dick. - -"I hope we beat you," laughed Doris, "though it will be a sort of -disgrace if this senior class doesn't win. It's always been good in -athletics." - -"I am glad to see that you can look on both sides, Doris," said Mrs. -Lee. - -"Oh, don't give me credit for wanting Betty's class to beat, Mother. I'd -_love_ to see the sophomores win!" - -"It is a good thing Betty is going to the university next year," laughed -Mr. Lee. - -"Oh--am I? I'm glad to hear it's decided, Father," spoke Betty. "I did -want to go away, but I don't now." - -"What has changed you?" quickly asked Doris. "Is it Ted's or Chet's -being there?" - -"Doris," rebuked Mrs. Lee, who thought her daughter too pert in manner -and her question too personal. - -But Betty replied to her sister, "So far as I know, either may be going -away. I understand that both of them expected to sample some other -school, for the experience. But when they once start in here they get to -liking it and make their friends and all. I think talking to Marcella -Waite and her friends influenced me." - -Betty knew that Doris would not think of Larry in this connection. - -Returning to the discussion on basketball, Betty told her father that -one of the girls on the team was just down with mumps and another had a -bad ankle. Her father asked her if she wanted to risk getting one, too, -but Betty said that her playing was not likely and anyway no worse than -the practice games that she was doing now a _little_. - -"I was throwing the ball into baskets in the gym yesterday, Father, and -they just begged me to help out, or be where I could legitimately be -called on. Carolyn and Kathryn were both after me. And, Father, I'm not -going to do a thing in the university but get my lessons, take music and -swim!" - -"Very well, then. I suppose you must. Vale. _Cura ut valeas_." - -This was her father's frequent way of telling them, in the language of -Cicero's Letters, to take care of themselves. He excused himself and -left the table, the sound of the car being taken from the garage -reaching those left at table as soon as it was possible for Mr. Lee to -get there. He was leaving early and the children could get to school by -street car. - -So it came about that Betty "sat on the side lines" during the last -competitive games, when everybody was highly keyed. The seniors, in -spite of losses, for another girl came down with mumps in the midst of -events, were still eligible to win the contest when their last game was -called. It reminded Betty of that other contest, when Mathilde almost -succeeded in giving the game to Marcella's team against whom they were -playing. Mathilde was such a cheat. Whenever Betty was inclined to feel -sorry for her marrying a boy with a taste for liquor so pronounced, she -thought that Jack was not doing so much better. And Mathilde, though not -on the team, was not far from Betty today in the familiar old "gym" -where quite a crowd had gathered to see the last game that the seniors -would play against any of the others. And it was the sophomores again, -the class team that had done so well. There sat Doris, rooting for the -sophomores, but waving her hand once in friendly fashion at her sister. -But it was hard to keep to good sportsmanship. Besides, Betty had had -enough successes! - -The game was an eager one, tense. The seniors had the advantage of -superior public poise, perhaps, and longer experience. The sophomores, -however, were out to win. One senior girl finally, to Betty's dismay, -began to blunder and play badly, giving a big advantage to the -sophomores, who needed no prompting in regard to taking it. Then the -girl was taken out of the game and there was a consultation. Mathilde -moved over to Betty's side, where they were watching the game, and hoped -that she would be called to take her place. "I just wanted to jump right -up and take that ball!" cried Mathilde. "What made her so stupid?" - -"I think she must be sick, Mathilde. Carolyn had her arm around her." -But Betty had felt the same way. Could they win now? They must! Then the -championship game would be the last. - -But the director was coming in their direction. Mathilde hopped up -hopefully, but again was disappointed in having Betty chosen before her. -Betty felt almost sorry, though she was in the mood to do anything--all -to save the game. Ah, Betty could make baskets, and with Carolyn and -Kathryn there! - -Fast and furious went the last part of the game. Rooters called and gave -the Lyon High cheers to encourage the players. The sophomore rooters -grew quiet as the score began to pile up for the seniors. "Well, it -begins to look as if we'd have to wait till next year to smite 'em in -class contests," sighed Doris to her chum. - -"Never mind, if they do beat us this time, we'll be the ones to play -against them in the championship games unless we lose our next game with -the freshies." - -Breathless and delighted with victory, Betty after distinguishing -herself in brave help and rescue at an important juncture, talked it all -over with Carolyn and Kathryn. "Oh, you girls are simply marvelous, the -way you pass to each other!" - -"Yes, and the way you got on to everything just as if you had been -playing with, us all along!" - -"I have, in spirit," laughed Betty. "I've seen every game and noted -every thing you did." - -Carolyn and Kathryn were forwards and had, indeed worked up a "system" -as they declared to Betty, but that amounted only to an almost -instinctive knowledge of each other's probable action under the rules -and suggestions of their coach. "Now if we just had you for captain," -laughed Carolyn, "we could play the whole game without anybody else! -Don't tell Gwen I said that, though. She's great." - -"Wouldn't that make an interesting game," said Betty, "three on the -floor!" - -But Carolyn said that she was a true prophet when Gwen Penrose, senior -captain, before the championship game came down with the prevalent and -disgustingly childish disease. The ranks were decimated indeed and the -other class was rejoicing. The other girls on the senior team were -worried. They were all needed in their own particular duties. No one -wanted to take the responsibility of being captain. Then with one -accord, coach and girls decided that Betty could do it, and Betty, -hesitatingly, said that she would try. - -"You led a team to victory once, Betty--just do it again," urged -Kathryn. - -"It's a risk, girls, but then, somebody's got to do it--only it should -be one of the original second team." - -"The best ones are down with mumps, too, Betty, and it looks as if the -fates have elected you to do the job." - -"Well," Mickey Carlin told a sophomore boy, "if Betty Lee is captain of -the senior team, it's goodnight for your girls. She's president of the -G. A. A. anyhow, and seems to have a _gift_ for leadership and any sort -of athletics. But the mumps seems to be the seniors' Waterloo. If Betty -gets it, you may have hope." - -"She's had 'em. Dick Lee said so," replied the sophomore boy, grinning. -"But I'll not mention it to the girls." - -"You forget about Doris," suggested Mickey. "I don't want to mention -anything else discouraging, but it isn't impossible for the sophomores -to get the mumps playing this way with the seniors, you know." - -"Forget it! Mumps, indeed!" But the next day he did not come to school. -Mumps had struck even a sophomore. - -Fortunately the little epidemic spread no farther, once recognized. -Betty, neglecting other things temporarily, practiced basketball till -the championship game, the center of so much interest, was on. Cool -outwardly, but tense within and alert to every play, Betty as captain -almost prayed for success. This year was her farewell to competitive -athletics. Her mother, saying that she could not stand the excitement -and hoped that Betty would not get hurt, refused to attend the game. -Betty did not know whether she spoke in earnest or was joking; but the -ticket she had for her mother she gave to Amy Lou, who had begged to go -and was now in a state of high delight, saying that one of her school -chums had a cousin on the squad and that she was to be taken over from -school in an automobile, if she could only have an excuse to get out -early. - -That matter was attended to and Doris shook her finger at Amy Lou with a -comical expression, asking her which team she "would root for." "Will it -be Betty's class or mine?" she cried, shaking, her head to suggest dire -consequences if Amy Lou chose Betty's. - -"Well, but _Betty_ is _playing_," decided Amy Lou on the spot. - -The hour arrived and a game fast and furious was on, closely watched, -well played by both sides. Never before had it seemed so difficult for -any senior on the team to make a basket. The sophomores were "set -against it," said Doris Lee to Amy Lou and her friend, both of whom -would ask questions at the most exciting moment! - -Again swift passing and long shots were employed by the seniors. There -was little scoring on either side till almost the last of the game. And -then it was Betty, who at the last minute made another basket and gave -the seniors what was necessary to win over the sophomores by _one -point_! - -Both teams were due for congratulations. "Now that was what we call a -good game," said Doris decidedly to Amy Lou. "Of course, whoever wins -would like to win with a higher score, but it makes more excitement this -way." - -"My oldest sister," explained Amy Lou to her schoolmate, "is president -of the G. A. A. and the best swimmer in school, that is, of the girls. -That was her, captain of the senior team. She gets prizes and things, -too." - -"I know all those girls on the team," airily replied Amy Lou's friend. -"My cousin tells me about them. But I guess your sister is real good. I -saw her make that basket at the end." - -"Betty can do anything she tries to do," said loyal Amy Lou, more loyal -than wise on some occasions. "She is going to see if I can't come to the -game the faculty has with the regular team. It's terribly funny, always, -and they have all sorts of stunts. The worst is getting Mother to let me -get excused from school early." - -"Oh, that is never any trouble for me," said the other child. "Sometimes -they come for me and just take me to a movie." - -Amy Lou was rather envious at that statement and wondered what her -parents would say if she repeated it at home. - -"I'll take you some time," offered the child. - -"Thank you, but I wouldn't be allowed," said Amy Lou. She had already -expressed her thanks for the kindness of this trip. - -Meantime a tired and excited Betty was receiving congratulations for the -team and for herself. While Amy Lou went home with Doris, Betty took a -plunge and shower and was carried off to Carolyn's, for the Gwynne car -was to call for Carolyn. They scarcely talked on the way and the only -bit of energy shown by Carolyn that evening was when she called up to -see if Betty could stay all night. It was one of those quiet, restful -visits that Betty could have with Carolyn and that Carolyn enjoyed with -her. She almost told Carolyn about Larry's arranging with Marcella to be -with her at supper that night of the party. But it might lead to other -things and the only thing that Carolyn said about it was to comment on -how nice it was of Marcella to put Betty with Larry. - -"I always did think that Larry Waite was interested in you, Betty. -'Always' means last summer, of course. He must be four or five years -older than you are. I imagine he must have asked Marcella to place him -with you. She was telling me how his father depends on him. It seems the -older brother went into the navy and is somewhere way off, in the -Philippines, I imagine." - -Betty looked interested, responding by smiles and attention. "I never -heard Marcella say," she answered, "and Larry never spoke of it that I -can remember." - -Betty's memories of Larry were still too precious to be talked about, -even with Carolyn. Perhaps she would have the promised letter soon. But -if he made this trip for his father and had lessons to make up, he might -not have time. That he would not forget, she was sure. It was different -now. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - A PAUSE IN ROMANCE - - -A healthy body and plenty of wholesome activities, with books and sane -thinking at home, kept Betty Lee from any morbid ideas or tendencies in -regard to early love affairs. She was romantic, to be sure, having had -Larry in mind as her Prince Charming for some time. But with the pushing -lessons and performances of her senior year there was not much time for -dwelling upon "Love and Larry," an expression of her own and held in her -young heart in connection with that evening of Valentine's day. It was -"Eros, god of Love," that she remembered, not St. Valentine. Now that -she had a room of her own, she could sleep every night with Larry's -little valentine heart under her pillow, and his writing on the place -card with its astonishingly revealing verses was equally cherished. Not -every girl had a lover who was a poet. - -And Larry had said that he loved her! She always came back to that. It -was a little harder to get lessons now, for her thoughts had a trick of -wandering off and even in study hall she could sometimes see in her -mind's eye that half embarrassed but very earnest young man who had bid -her goodbye. - -"What are you smiling about?" somebody would ask her, perhaps. - -"Oh, just a pleasant thought," she would reply. "I occasionally have -one!" - -G. A. A. affairs took much of her extra time. The Girl Reserves were -having a banquet. Fortunately she was not on one of the committees. She -hoped to have a Girl Reserve ring at the spring ceremonial, when they -had a beautiful service at one of the churches and the girls would be in -full white uniform to march in. That ring, given not for advance in -scholarship but in recognition of development in character, would mean -something to Betty. She had tried, not only to meet the various demands, -but to be fair and just and kind and lend an ear to the various ideals -suggested as graces in the well-rounded character. Betty loved the Girl -Reserves and all that they stood for. And what fun they could have, too, -just like the scouts and camp-fire girls. If "nothing happened" she -would be allowed to go to camp again during some period after school was -out. Yet she could not plan beyond her diploma, for receiving that would -mark one "jumping off place." Would there be anything left of her by -that time? - -Her "grand rush" was occasionally recognized by her mother with a formal -welcome when she came home late. "Miss Lee, I believe?" her mother would -inquire, offering her the tips of her fingers from a hand held high. - -"Yes," Betty would reply, extending her own fingers, "glad to meet you." -Then she usually received an embrace and a motherly kiss with a -searching look into what was usually a blooming face. Sometimes she -would be tired out and then she was promptly told to stretch out for -half an hour and "think of nothing." In the pleasant process of thinking -of--Larry Waite--she usually dropped to sleep, waking refreshed for -dinner and the evening. - -The inner hiking club of the G. A. A.'s had one winter hike, almost a -spring hike, indeed, for a few birds were back in warm late February -days before March winds began. But pussy willows were in bud. Betty saw -a bluebird, several robins, some downy and hairy woodpeckers, a whisking -titmouse and two of his cousins, the black-capped titmice, or -chickadees. But they were Carolina chickadees Betty thought, though they -did not make identification sure by singing. Only "chickadee-dee-dee," -they said. The hike was almost a committee meeting of those prominent -seniors, for there was so much to plan. Betty was selling tickets -already for the orchestra concert. She was in the "senior" orchestra -indeed, in these days. Ted Dorrance and she had always that in common, -love for the violin. - -"It's a pity that Ted doesn't see more of you, Betty," said Doris, one -time when she had been unusually thoughtful, sitting in Betty's room to -hear all about an orchestra practice when three boys had been sent to -"D. T.," otherwise known as "detention," by a leader whose patience was -exhausted in enduring various capers. - -"Why?" asked Betty. - -"Because you are both so crazy about the violin. Wouldn't it be fine to -marry somebody like Ted?" - -"Ted is nice enough for any one," said Betty and meant it. "But imagine -two people practicing on violins. The neighbors would never stand it." - -This seemed to amuse Doris very much and after she finished laughing she -announced that she quite agreed. But Doris never knew that once Betty -had had almost the same idea, never fully acknowledged, even to herself. -Then there was Arthur Penrose, so congenial in every way, always to be a -friend. But some one else had become so dear. Betty was sure that she -never would change this time. - -In March the results of the endurance swim were proclaimed and published -in the Lyon's _Roar_. Betty Lee led with the highest individual score, -and naturally this senior class stood highest of the classes. Perhaps -Betty's influence and swimming had helped make swimming popular with the -girls of her class, for she had taken honors almost from the first. - -The faculty played its annual game with the boys' basketball team, with -the usual fun. But some of the faculty played well and though the boys, -as usual, beat, it was not without some effort. Then the ladies of the -faculty who could play had a game with the girls of basketball fame, in -a game which Amy Lou pronounced a "scream." Betty saved her adorable -Miss Heath from a bad fall which seemed imminent, but made the basket -instead of her. - -Betty attended to the matter of a nominating committee for G. A. A. -officers for the next year. That would be accomplished in advance this -time and the junior girls would have the advantage of planning with the -present officers. Then came the life-saving tests for juniors and -seniors. Betty, as she practiced for hers, tried to imagine how it would -seem in the ocean waves that she remembered from the last summer. Her -thoughts of Larry became less of a beautiful dream. They faced the -reality that she had not heard from him. - -How fortunate that she had made a confidant of no one. She felt sure -that he had been in earnest. Betty could trust a friend. Yet after all, -he had merely told her that he loved her. Perhaps it was a sudden -impulse. Some people were like that, she knew. A kiss didn't mean -anything to them. But she had felt that Larry was of a higher type. She -had all the experience of last summer and her acquaintance with him to -prove that. - -Very well. Something might have happened. She most certainly would not -assume that Larry had bound himself to her in any way. Her pride, if -nothing else, would keep her friendly. And oh, how fortunate that he had -not asked her if _she_ loved _him_! That would have been hard, though -Betty did not reason that hurt pride would enter into that situation. - -At all events, whatever the cause, budding warmth in love was decidedly -chilled. With her usual determination, Betty filled her mind as well as -her time, with all that was going on in relation to school. She did not -see Marcella, as it happened, for Marcella was as busy as she, and after -a few little trips back and forth between the houses, shortly after the -important party, each girl was busy with her separate school and -friends. Marcella had merely said once that it was such a pity Larry had -to rush off that way but that her father had to call on him often. -"Father isn't very well, you know, and the business seems to bother him -a good deal lately." - -Betty had looked sympathetic and interested, but asked no questions. -Another pleasant outlook was hinted at by Marcella, when she said that -several of her very special friends were "absolutely charmed" by Betty. -That meant the sorority girls that were there. But that matter would -take care of itself in the future. Time enough when she was in the -university. - -One consolation, the weeks flew by so fast that there was no time to -grieve over anybody's neglect. Betty was so tired that she fell asleep -almost as soon as her head rested upon her pillow every night. But she -ceased to have that pleasant anticipation of a letter. Happy expectancy -changed into as calm an acceptance as she could master. The heart and -the bit of verse were put away gently in a repository for special -treasures, though not without regret. There was no tucking her hand -under her pillow to see if Larry's "heart" were safely there. - -One good result of keeping her mind on school was that she "positively" -could not give way to "spring fever." She told Carolyn that she was -going on every G. A. A. hike and get her fifty points for fifty miles -toward the school letter, as announced. - -"Seems to me your astonishing speed this spring is almost feverish," -jokingly returned Carolyn, who was taking matters more easily. "Why not -have a good time this last stretch?" - -But Betty shook her head. "I'll have a better time if I take in -everything," said she, "but last fall's hikes and our Christmas hike _a -la_ the G. A. A. winter bird census are counting, of course." - -"How many 'all around' L's do you want, Betty?" - -"Never mind. I'm going to try for Miss Heath's Latin prize, too, and -you'll see me with my Virgil and prose comp under my arm on every hike." - -"I think you've lost your mind, Betty. They'll put over your grave, -'Ambition killed her!'" - -"Not likely," laughed Betty, "but you shouldn't joke on serious -subjects. Honestly, now that we've passed our life-saving tests, outside -of our getting ready for senior examinations there isn't much left but -pure fun. Yes, I do feel a little nervous over the big concert, for the -first violins have a lot to handle in some of the music, but that will -soon be over. By the way, I'm selling tickets for that; so if you think -you or any of your friends would enjoy the concert, please buy them of -me." - -"Goose! I'm in it, too! But I'm not selling tickets, so I'll order those -for the family of you." - -Betty knew well that Carolyn was singing with the chorus, but both girls -were in high spirits that afternoon, swinging along on their own private -little hike in the Gwynne grounds. February and March had passed. It was -more than six weeks since the great occasion at Marcella's. The central -feature of this walk and visit with Carolyn was to talk over the -committee to be appointed by the vice-president of the G. A. A. in -regard to the "Honor Girl." This committee would consist of several -teachers and representatives of each class, who would receive and -consider the petitions, presented at an early date and naming candidates -for the honor. - -Selma Rardon was the vice-president and had consulted with Betty about -the appointments. "I told Selma that I wasn't going to make a single -suggestion, but she has a good committee and I think that there will be -a number of petitions. We'll have almost too good a variety to choose -from. O Carolyn, you are the loveliest girl in the class and my name is -going on a petition for you!" - -"I wonder if you could guess whom _I'm_ going to suggest as Honor Girl. -I'd love to wear the ring, I'll confess. All of us want it; but I know -who deserves it most!" - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - SHARING JOY - - -Mrs. Lee sometimes detected a wistful look on Betty's face, as if she -had found out some of the world's disappointments. There was some little -problem in friendship, perhaps, or something about school relations that -annoyed her, or she was merely having too much on hand. But for the most -part Betty was in good spirits at home and with delightful spring -weather she was outdoors with the rest of her friends. She saw a great -deal of Lucia Coletti when they had their riding together. Betty's -riding, with all her late instruction, was quite good. She had learned -proper posture and all the details necessary to make a good horsewoman. -Not at all nervous about horses, she was good material. - -"You will be proud of me yet, Mother," she said, "when some time you see -your little Betty take a prize at the Horse Show!" - -"Mercy on us! You haven't that ambition, have you!" - -"You never can tell, Mother, what may develop." - -"No--I think by this time that you are right!" - -But this was by way of badinage. Betty's only ambition was to be a good -rider. - -And so it happened that one afternoon after school Lucia and several -other girls were with Betty upon the pretty bridle paths that their -teacher frequented. As they slowly walked their horses together, upon a -wider road toward the end of their ride, Lucia drew her horse beside -Betty's and said, "I forgot to tell you that we've had great excitement -at our house. Well, I didn't want to worry you and I was so late getting -here today." - -"Worry? Then it isn't a pleasant excitement? Nothing the matter with the -count and countess, I hope." - -"Oh, no! They mail me a card almost every day and they are having the -most marvelous time. It's the Sevillas. An immense legal envelope came -from somewhere, Auntie said, and that seemed to upset Rose a good deal; -and then a letter came, all scribbled on and forwarded, and I wondered -if it could be from Ramon. But no, it could not have been, Auntie said, -because that seemed to be worse than ever. It all looks bad, that no one -has heard from Ramon. - -"Rose came to her, looking so troubled and said that she was afraid they -would have to go away. So I went and talked to Rose. This was yesterday -afternoon. She said that it was some one different but just as bad as -the original villain we know about and that he threatened all sorts of -things to her mother if she didn't produce the jewels, and I don't know -what else." - -"Why, how _could_ she when she hasn't them? Oh, do you _suppose_, Lucia, -that Ramon has gotten them away from that man? There might be a gang of -them, you know!" - -"Yes, there might. I hadn't thought of that. I'm going to telephone for -the car to come after me. Suppose you call up home and tell your mother -that you want to go home with me. You haven't been to dinner for ages. -Or we can just drive around there. That would be better. Then you can -get your books and stay all night with me. I don't know what on earth -Auntie will do without Rose now, and besides, they are safer there than -anywhere they could go. I told Rose so. I wondered if I ought not to -tell her at once about Ramon, but I'd promised. I wanted to ask you -about that, but you were flying about everywhere and I was late getting -to lunch because I had to stop at the office and wasted ten perfectly -good lunchtime minutes, precious as they are, in a necessary confab." - -"Did you have to drink a bottle of milk and swallow a sandwich whole?" - -"Almost!" - -The plan was carried out. Fortunately, there was nothing but lessons -ahead for that evening. The matter of telling Rose and Mrs. Sevilla was -discussed between the girls on the way. Betty thought that it should be -done, disregarding Ramon's request. Something might have happened to -him, that was true, but Betty said that Mrs. Sevilla "had a right to the -facts" as far as the girls knew them. - -"Shall I decide to do it, then?" asked Lucia. - -"I wouldn't hesitate a minute," replied Betty. - -"Then you tell Rose all about it, please, Betty. I'll call her into my -room after dinner and we'll have the whole thing out!" - -"Agreed," said Betty, immediately engrossed in thought as to how she -should break the good news to Rose. - -The Murchison home was arrayed in fresh spring draperies and Betty -thought she never had seen it look so pretty. Rose, sober, and giving -Betty only a half smile, as the girls entered the dining-room to find -her, was arranging some flowers on the buffet. She answered Betty's -"Good afternoon, Rose," but started to leave the room at once. - -"Just a minute, Rose," said Lucia. "I know you are busy now, but after -dinner, as soon as you can, please come to my room. There is something -that Betty knows about and it may cheer you up a little. She thinks so, -anyhow." - -"I will come, Miss Lucia." Rose was always respectful to those who -employed her, but she had considerable dignity of manner herself and one -saw that there was none of the servility of an inferior. - -Dinner was quiet. Mr. Murchison telephoned about five o'clock that he -was having dinner with some men at a club, to talk over important -affairs. He would be "home early," however. So reported the butler, who -had answered the telephone. - -"That may mean early in the evening, or early in the morning, if those -men are discussing what I think," said Mrs. Murchison. But that meant -little to Betty. Possibly her father was to be present at the conference -which would follow the dinner, or he might be with them at dinner. If -Mr. Murchison had come home early and to dinner, however, it would have -made a little difference to Rose, and Betty might have missed some -interesting information. - -She enjoyed the dinner and liked "the new Mrs. Murchison" more than -ever. Immediately afterward several friends came in to visit with Mrs. -Murchison and the girls shortly retired to Lucia's pretty room. "Don't -worry, Betty, over how to tell Rose," Lucia suggested, noting Betty's -thoughtfulness. "You always do things nicely and sometimes, if you are -like me, I can do it better if I don't think up how beforehand and then -stammer around trying to think how I _had_ thought it up! Let's get at -the lessons and get ahead, so if it takes some time with Rose, we can -still get along." - -"Lucia, the wise one," laughed Betty. They began on their lessons and -were studying away, almost forgetting about Rose and her troubles till a -light knock on the door roused them. - -Rose, her large dark eyes serious, came in and took the chair indicated -by Lucia. "We think that you ought to know something, Rose, that Ramon -did not want us to tell you, but I'm sure that you will be glad to be -told and you can use your own judgment about telling your mother. Betty -is going to tell you all about it." - -Rose turned frightened eyes on Betty, who hastened to speak. "Oh, don't -be scared about it, Rose. Part of it is good news. We saw Ramon in Maine -this summer." - -Betty did not have a chance to continue, for Rose exclaimed something in -Spanish, then--"saw my Ramon in Maine and never told us about it?" - -"He _asked_ us not to tell, Rose." Betty paused, to let Rose get this -point. - -Rose's expression changed now. "Excuse me. I should know--some good -reason." - -"No, I don't think that it was a good idea of Ramon's at all. It was all -right to keep it from your mother, but you should have known at once. It -was only because he was going after that old villain that he was afraid -you would worry." - -Rose nodded, then smiled a little. "It is not the first time. Ramon went -after--'villains' before--much trouble came." - -"I can imagine," said Betty, recalling Ramon's intensity and his sudden -leaving. But this gave Betty an easy opening to tell the events of the -summer before in which Ramon had a part. Rose sat, intent, tense, a -frown on her brow, her eyes glowing. - -When Betty was all through, undisturbed by a single question from Rose, -for Betty was good at describing scenes and events, Rose sighed, relaxed -somewhat and said, "That explains a little, perhaps. I will not tell my -mother yet. May God preserve my Ramon! I think he has. If you would like -to see what we had by the mail, I will bring it." In answer to Lucia's -nod of assent and expression of interest, Rose left the room, returning -presently with the long envelope, which Lucia had mentioned to Betty, -and the other letter as well. - -While Rose was out, Lucia's comment to Betty was that both mother and -daughter were "rather excitable. Rose has had to learn to control -herself, but the mother, though she is so dignified most of the time, -goes all to pieces over some things." - -Rose was evidently in good command of herself as she showed the girls a -legal document of some sort, though probably a forgery, as all the three -thought. It was a summons to appear in a court at some place of which -the girls had never heard. Rose thought that it was near Chicago. - -The letter was threatening, as Lucia had said. Rose gave them only the -gist of it, and she had the same idea as Betty's first thought. "I think -that perhaps my Ramon has gotten the jewels back again and they think -that he has sent them to us. But how--have they made him tell where we -are?" - -That was a thought not so pleasant. Rose's brows contracted again as she -thought of Ramon in their hands. - -"I can't believe that they have got him! He was going to get the jewels -and the papers that they tried to get him to sign; and while Ramon does -very risky things, he will be more careful this time, especially since -he knows that he has practically found you and your mother!" So Betty -said, rather explosively. - -Rose then gave the girls a brief account of how this had come about. As -every one knew, there had been many revolutionary activities in Spain. -Her father, loyal to the crown, had been caught in a plot. "They call it -'framed' in this country," said Rose. "Men deceived him. He was put in -prison. He was sick and died. They came to steal our jewels and money -and papers and took Ramon away--these men, I mean, not the government, -though they _told_ us so. We followed Ramon, and the plot was to get us -away from the country, too. We spoke no English and were in a strange -country. This bad man pretended to be kind and help us find Ramon. At -last we found him out. He was, from what you tell me, writing lies to -Ramon about where we were and trying to get Ramon to send money and the -jewels that Ramon had finally gotten--to send them to us. Then he would -take them away from us, of course. It would take too long to tell just -how he did all this. But such terrible things can be done and no one -knew us. We were afraid to do anything until we had found Ramon. Then we -thought Ramon must be dead--until you told us! Never will I forget!" -Rose put her head in her hands and her shoulders lifted from the sobs -she was trying to suppress. - -Betty was thinking to herself, "_Can_ such things happen in the United -States?" But then she had thought that last summer, too. - -Then they heard the doorbell ring and it seemed to rouse Rose from her -tears that she was trying to wipe away, though more would fall. - -"Well, anyhow, Rose," said Betty, "stay right here, where we know all -about you. This is just some more wicked work. Don't even answer, and -put that paper in Mr. Murchison's hands!" - -But there was a tap on Lucia's door and Rose jumped to her feet, -thinking that she might be wanted. She was, indeed, but not for any -household duty. - -It was Mr. Murchison who stood there, rather shamefacedly holding out -two letters. "Rose, I came home early after all, and till this minute I -forgot to give you a letter which came addressed to my office today. -It's from Spain, too! I never thought of it till this special delivery -letter came this minute, also for you, I think. Don't worry, Rose, if it -is bad news. Mrs. Murchison has been telling me of your new troubles. -Just let me handle this for you." - -But Rose had gotten a look at the address upon the letters. Although -Betty was not taking Spanish, nor did she belong to the "Spanish Club" -at school, as Lucia did, she probably understood as well the meaning of -the Spanish phrase in which Rose thanked God, fervently, tears again -beginning to fall, but not tears of grief. - -"Ramon, _Ramon_," she said softly. "Mr. Murchison, both these letters -are from my brother!" - -"And that one was on my desk almost all day, till I rushed off to dinner -with my friends and thought to tuck it in my pocket!" - -Rose's hands were shaking. "Sit right down this minute, Rose," said -Lucia, "and read enough to find out where Ramon is. Uncle says that one -is from Spain!" Mr. Murchison himself was already gone. - -The girls stepped into the bedroom which Betty always occupied, to allow -Rose the privilege of reading her letter alone. "There were all sorts of -things on that letter from abroad," said Betty. "I think it may have -been sent to the wrong place and forwarded. The special delivery means -that he is either here in this country or has sent on a letter to some -one to have mailed." - -"He wouldn't do that," said Lucia. "I'll not be surprised to see the Don -walking in at any time." - -"Please come in and let me tell you," gently said Rose, appearing in the -door. The two girls joined her. "I must take these to my mother," said -Rose, folding her hands over the precious letters. "I would let you read -them but they are in my language. Ramon has been to Spain. He has seen -the king himself. He has proved to him that our father had no part in a -plot. He even visited our old home and found letters and papers that we -had hidden there. Those he showed to the king. By the grace of God he -believed, and it will be safe for us to go home! Oh, I can not tell you -what it means! Ramon has found the jewels and the papers he wanted on -that little boat, which he followed after they had fixed it up. He put -them in a safe place and though he was almost taken again by these bad -men that are here, he got away, sailed, and they are waiting for us in -Spain with our other property, unless he has thought it safe to bring -back and sell here, some of them. - -"This was in the letter from Spain. The quick letter here says that he -has sailed right away after writing, for a great nobleman there made him -a loan and he is to come for us very soon. We are to be ready and I must -prepare my mother to see him." - -"Do it, Rose," said Lucia. "Thank you for telling us. I'll let Auntie -know about it at once, or as soon as her guests go. So you and your -mother can be glad all by yourselves." - -"How nicely Rose talks the English since she has been going to night -school," admiringly Betty commented. "She made that as clear as could be -to us. It's as romantic as a novel, only there isn't any love story in -it." - -"Who knows?" asked Lucia. "Rose may have some lover somewhere." - -"Oh, I'm so _glad_!" cried Betty. "The Don's troubles worried me from -the start. Now it is all explained and when he once comes, their -troubles will be over. Did you notice what Rose called the special -delivery letter?" - -"No." - -"'The _quick_ letter!'" - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - CONCERNING LOST LETTERS - - -Considering what had happened some weeks before, Betty thought it one of -the most important moments of her life when she was called to the -telephone a day or so after her visit at Lucia's and heard Marcella -Waite's voice at the other end of the wire. - -"Betty?" inquired Marcella. - -"Yes." - -"Oh, I am in sackcloth and ashes, Betty, and I hope that you can forgive -me. Listen. Two weeks ago or so, I had a letter from Larry, a short one, -such as he writes to his _relatives_, and in it he asked me if Betty Lee -were sick. He said that he had written you after his hasty leaving at -the party--you remember?" - -"Yes," said Betty, who after the first gasp of astonishment, which -Marcella could not have heard, had had time to recover herself. (Larry -had written! And she certainly _did_ remember.) - -"Well, I forgot all about it--I'm living in such a rush, and you will -understand, I'm sure, since you are in a rush yourself as a senior." - -"Of course, Marcella." Betty was cordial. She could forgive anything. -Larry _had_ written. - -"So I didn't even answer his letter--_he_ waits for ages sometimes; and -I supposed if he'd written to you, you'd gotten the letter and answered -it, if it called for an answer." - -"No, I have not heard from Larry at all, Marcella." - -"Yes? It dawned on me, Betty, after I received a special delivery letter -this afternoon. I'm going down town for dinner with some girls and I'll -stop with his letter. I'm sending him a special delivery letter and I'll -put in, shall I--that you haven't received a word from him?" - -"Certainly, Marcella," replied Betty, wondering what Larry had written. - -"The letter will give you the facts, Betty. I'm writing an abject -apology, but reminding him of certain delays on his side. If I'd had any -idea that--well--see you later. 'Bye." - -About four o'clock, just as Betty was feeling that she could not wait -any longer, a car stopped in front of the house and Marcella flew up the -walk to the steps, where Betty met her with smiles. "I thought you would -be in a hurry, Marcella. Thank you so much for bringing this. I did -wonder not to have heard, since Larry _spoke_ of writing." - -Marcella gave her a meaning glance. "Well, for my sake, be nice to -Larry, when you do hear from him, and answer!" - -"I will," promised Betty. It was just as well, she thought, that -Marcella would never know the heart-aches she had had over the missing -letter. What could have become of it? And why hadn't Larry written -again? No, he would think she didn't care. - -Betty flew to the privacy of her room. Larry's letter was brief but very -much to the point. "Respected Sister," he began. "In view of what I said -to you on the evening of your party, it might have occurred to you that -my question about Betty Lee was important. _I enclose addressed envelope -with special delivery stamps._ Please reply at once. Is Betty sick? Have -you seen her? Can you suggest any reason why she should not reply? The -first letter was rather important because it explained something. I also -wrote a card, inquiring, after I had not heard. Still no reply. Could I -have offended her? But it is not like her--not to show the courtesy of a -reply." That was all except his "as ever, Larry." - -Betty looked out of the window over the ravine, straight at a nest which -a little bird was building, and she never saw it! Her heart's impulse -was to write to Larry at once. But that would not do at all. Marcella's -letter would carry the news. She had seen some mail in Marcella's hand. -She was, doubtless, going to mail it at the general post office instead -of at the nearest station. Larry would know very soon. - -Then Betty did a funny thing, "silly," she told herself. She opened her -top drawer and from a box she took the little heart. On it she laid her -cheek a moment, then slipped it within the scented sachet cover in which -it had been accustomed to rest under her pillow. It was all right. Larry -cared. He was true and good. Now she could enjoy the rest of her senior -year. It would have been much more comfortable if she had not cared -herself; but since she did, it was nice that Larry cared, too--some, at -least. - -Sedately Betty walked downstairs, but just then Doris sat down at the -piano and began a gay, jazzy tune. "See if you could 'tap' it off to -this, Betty," cried she. "I've got to play for some of them tomorrow in -a show we're getting up--a sophomore jazz-fest." And Betty's feet -celebrated her restlessness, while Dick came in--to execute a sort of -clog dance, and Mr. Lee, just home, stood laughing in the doorway. - -"What's this?" he asked, "my house turned into a vaudeville stage?" - -"Don't worry, Father," breathlessly replied Betty, stopping to throw -herself into a chair. "We've only been working off some of our extra -steam!" - -Betty found it hard to study that evening, but for the next few days she -threw herself into school work with great zeal. "When has Betty been so -gay?" asked Mary Emma Howland. - -"Spring has 'CAME,' Mary Emma," declared Betty, in reply. - -Next came the expected note from Larry. Betty found it waiting when she -came from school and held it, almost too carelessly, with some other -mail, invitations, she thought, from Janet and Sue, to their early -Commencement. She visited and chatted with some friends of her sister's, -with whom she and Doris had come from high school. Then they went into -the kitchen with Doris to make fudge, and Betty could slip away to her -room. - -It is needless to say that the mail from Buxton went unopened until she -should read the message from New Haven. - -"I have only just found out," wrote Larry, "that you have not received a -letter and a later note which I wrote you. I can not understand what has -become of them and I am trying to find out. But I hasten to tell you, -meanwhile, that I wrote, as I said I would, and I know that you must -have thought me--well, I don't know what you must have thought, if you -thought of me at all! - -"I have been anxiously waiting a reply from you, wondering, thinking -that you were sick, or offended--about that at the last, you know. Yet I -felt that you would have written me some sort of a reply, if only out of -courtesy. Now Marcella writes me that you have not heard from me at all. - -"I shall write in full again, but hurry this off at once. This is only -to say that what I said to you at that last short moment was only too -true for my peace of mind and that my missing letter went into matters -between us. My Commencement comes shortly before yours, I believe, and I -expect to be home to see the sweet girl graduate receive her diploma. Do -I dare to hope that she will be glad to see me?" - -The heart of that sweet girl graduate was thrilling over Larry's letter -then. Yes. She would be glad to see Larry, without a doubt. So he had -meant it. What difference did it make about lost letters now? Yet--she -would enjoy knowing just what had been in that first message. - -School _would_ go on, of course, no matter what interesting and -important things were happening outside. Betty managed to concentrate on -her lessons now. Those senior examinations! Then "at last" the expected -letter came: - - "Dear Valentine Lady: - - "I am seeing you as you looked in the library that night. No wonder - my resolution failed me. But since you are not offended, I am not - sorry. Your note assuring me of that fact came promptly and relieved - my very much disturbed feelings. Thank you, dear girl. So far there - is no trace of the letter. Judd declares that he mailed all the - letters he carried to the post that day. There is no one at your end - of the route that would be interested in holding back a letter from - me, I am sure. We can let it go, and since I am to see you so soon, - I shall not write, or try to remember all the details I mentioned in - that missive. But there were one or two important points that I - think I'd better mention. - - "The first is that I have been interested in you, Betty, for a long - time. But after that first meeting, when I found how very, very - young you were, I decided that a love affair might better be - postponed, if there were any chance of one with you. I have had - little of what is called college society here, for reasons that I - will mention in a moment. I have been a busy fellow all through the - university, with most of my recreation with the fellows, as we say. - - "Of course, every time I saw you, I was tempted to begin a - courtship. It was good, but harrowing last summer to be with you, - and to tell the truth, it was when I got to thinking that those - other youngsters whom you knew so well would perhaps carry you off - after all, that is, some one of them--one in particular--well, that - is what brought me flying, after my valentine. And with your looking - like a young lady of the olden time, so sweet and lovely, it quite - finished me. - - "If the circumstances were ordinary, Betty, I would merely start in - to win your love, with no explanation. But you probably do not - remember stating, in some conversation with the other girls on the - boat last summer, that your parents would never hear to an - engagement while you were in high school and that you would have to - be 'awfully in love' to go against anything they wanted or did not - want. I could not blame them, though for a girl not yet eighteen you - seem mature and able to choose whom you like. But of course I am no - cool-headed parent on this question! I'm not on their side of the - argument at all! But that is why I am not going to ask you for a - _pledge_ when I come. I am going to ask you for permission to win - your love if I can and to find out how your heart does stand on that - important point. Then I am going to see all I can of you, unless I - find that you--I am not sure, though, that I could keep away from - you under any circumstances. There might be some chance that you - could learn to like me enough. - - "The other matter that has made me hesitate is what I will tell you - more about. Please do not mention this to Marcella, but the business - my father is in may go on the rocks. He has not said a word about it - at home. Money is still available, you understand, and my father's - income so far is not materially lessened. So we are letting things - go on as usual, with Marcella having a great time in school and - entertaining as she does. I sold the small yacht we had on the - excuse that it was old and a good opportunity offered, which was - true. We did not get the new car that Marcella wanted. There have - been big losses and a crooked executive who has been dismissed. - - "On the other hand, there will be enough to liquidate and Dad and I - will start something else. That is one reason why I have been - working so hard and taking extra courses and so on, besides making - flying trips when he wanted me. And the fact that you are so young - isn't so bad when I think that maybe you will be willing to wait for - me till I get a start and am able to take care of you properly. - - "So you are hereby told again, and I wish that it could be in the - same way, that one Larry Waite is desperately in love and means to - find out what the prospect is for him when he sees the lady of his - dreams. Don't discourage me, Betty, when you answer this, though I - am not expecting that you give me an answer now. But I've got to - live through these last weeks of school. How does _Betty Lee Waite_ - look on paper? I hope that you may write it so some day. I am - _deeply in earnest_, Betty, and though it was publicly in a spirit - of fun that we exchanged hearts, mine is in your keeping. Be good to - it!" - -So ended Larry's letter, and he signed himself simply "Yours." - -It was Betty Lee's first and only love letter, and how like Larry, bless -him! Betty was very sober as she read the letter through several times. -Possibly she would show it to her mother, some time, but not until after -Commencement. It would explain matters. Betty's head was in a whirl. Be -good to Larry's heart? Well, rather! But Larry would be anxious to know -about the receipt of this letter. She must write, and what should she -say? - -Betty took out her writing materials and sat at her desk thinking. A -little note was best. Presently she began to write. - - "Dear Larry: - - "I have just received and read your letter, and I know that you will - want to hear from me at once, especially since one, no, two letters - have been lost. I am not really capable now of replying to such a - beautiful letter as it should be answered, and I'm just a little - dazed over it, I suppose. I did not really know that you have been - thinking of me in that way for so long. But I do not even _want_ to - say anything to 'discourage' you for these last weeks, and I will be - good to the 'heart.' - - "As ever, - "Betty." - -The answer to this was a telegram and a box of flowers, all of which was -quite thrilling to Betty Lee. Her mother looked surprised and asked why -Larry Waite should send Betty flowers "now." - -"Oh, because the spring flowers are so pretty, I suppose," said Betty, -burying her nose in them. "I had a letter, too." - -"You must have made a hit with Larry at the Valentine party," said -Doris, crossing the room to see the blossoms whose fragrance had reached -her. - -"It is awfully nice of him, anyway," said Betty, turning away to look -for vases. "I'll put a bunch of these on my desk," she said, "and the -rest we'll all enjoy downstairs." But while Betty did not permit her -family to discover all that these flowers meant to her, a few were later -pressed and found their way into the repository of treasures. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - OF A NUMBER OF THINGS - - -While other things were uppermost in Betty Lee's mind just now, the -committee on Honor Girl were considering her as well as half a dozen or -more of the fine girls that were G. A. A. candidates, made so by the -"petitions" of their friends. No girl goes through a high school course -without being pretty well estimated, in one way or another, by her -friends, but this was a little more definite. The school paper, indeed, -published the main requirements which the choice of Honor Girl, or -points upon which the choice rested: character, appearance, leadership, -school spirit and scholarship of not less than eighty per cent for the -four years of high school work. - -Betty's grades were good, for not once had she fallen below the honor -list, thanks to pride and the stimulus of pleasing her parents. Her -leadership was not to be doubted, for more than one team had she led to -victory, though she had not taken part in as many competitive games as -some of the other girls. And was she not the president of the G. A. A.? -"Betty Lee is efficient," said one of the teachers on the committee. -"Yes, and she is to be relied on absolutely," replied another. - -Appearance, did not mean beauty, it was to be supposed, but it did -include neat and suitable dressing, and presumably a certain poise of -manner, not impossible to be attained by the young. "Betty Lee's -experience at the head of some of these organizations has given her that -modest but rather confident manner in the class room, I suppose," said -one. - -"No," said Miss Heath, "she has always had that. She has been in my -classes from the first. She gets that at home I think. They are all -rather self-contained, good control and all that. I've been entertained -there. I'm glad I'm not on your committee, ladies. There's Carolyn -Gwynne. She is one of the most charming girls I know, quite as generous -as Betty and as friendly, with all the school spirit any one could -desire. If you chose her, you would have a fine honor girl, one that -represents the best Lyon High has. Yet Betty has a few more gifts and -has made a better president of G. A. A. than Carolyn would have made. -She is just as bright as Carolyn, though her grades are not quite as -high. How she has kept up to the mark with all your athletic -performances, I don't see." - -Miss Heath had been called into one of the class rooms where members of -the committee were discussing the choice, and this was her laughing -thrust at two of the athletic directors. "Oh, yes, one more thing in -favor of my favorite," added Miss Heath. "Betty has cool judgment. She -thinks things out, which is more than you can say for all of our -youngsters. That is one of the best points in leadership. Betty -expresses herself well, too, in class." - -"How about pep and enthusiasm?" queried one lady. - -"I presume all of these girls would make one hundred per cent on that, -wouldn't they? Witness this morning's assembly?" - -The choice was not an easy one, but it was made, to be kept a secret -until the G. A. A. banquet when the honors were to be given. - -Meanwhile last senior hikes and picnics took their place in history, -during the lovely days of April, May and early June. Color Day, a girls' -affair, marked by class stunts and contests, was a jolly occasion. -Betty's only honor was winning the basketball throw and that was an -accident, she claimed. But she had helped get up the senior stunt, which -won the prize, filling the senior girls with delight. "Betty, you made a -grand class manager," declared Mathilde, amazing Betty, who did not -suppose that Mathilde thought she could do anything right. But Betty had -never retaliated nor seemed to notice Mathilde's little slights, except -to avoid contact more or less. "That's nice of you to say, Mathilde," -responded Betty with a bright smile. "I'm going to miss all the times we -girls have had," she added, "and these field days have been such fun. -I'll miss all of it." - -"So shall I," said Mathilde, thoughtfully. "I'm going to be married, -Betty. Tell you some more some time." - -A successful and almost too well attended concert of glee clubs and -orchestra finished Betty's "fiddling" for the year, she said, though she -still attended practices. She was happy over having the largest "score" -and thus winning that past swimming meet. Swimming and music ought to go -together, she told her father. He agreed and reminded her how fishermen -were lured to their doom by the Lorelei and other sirens. - -"Oh--you're a great daddy!" Betty told him, "but you'll be proud of your -little goldfish yet!" - -"I am now, Betty. There isn't a girl as fine as mine over there!" - -"Why, Father! That's better than the diploma! I know you're prejudiced, -but it's very pleasant!" - -Then came a day when Ramon Sevilla came "home." Tall, big, strong, -confident, he had gotten past fear, established in his own country, with -backing now in America as well. But plans changed. Mrs. Sevilla was not -quite strong enough yet to be taken across the Atlantic. The school -paper, known as the _Roar_, came out with a little account which gave a -summary of Ramon's experiences: - - A Former Football Hero Returns. - - Who does not remember the Don, otherwise known as Ramon Balinsky? He - is the man who came to fame after Freddy Fisher and in turn was - followed by "Kentucky," our synonym for victory. - - The Don was the man of mystery. We always knew that he had some - romantic history and it turns out that he was the victim of a - frame-up in his native land. Separated from his relatives, who - feared that he was dead, not knowing what had become of them, he - drifted here, always followed by the villains of the piece. - - Last summer he was kidnapped and almost killed, though rescued by - friends that included some of our most prominent seniors. It made a - romantic tale of the Maine coast, stolen jewels and smuggled liquor. - The Don has been to Spain and it is whispered that he has even - talked to the king. He has regained his stolen property and while he - goes now by the name of Sevilla, no one knows just what his rank may - or may not be. - - However, the Don makes a fine American and until he thinks best to - return to his native land, he has established a home for his mother - and sister and is going to work for the Murchison Company. The - _Roar_ congratulates him and says, "Long live the Don!" Good work, - Ramon. The cheer squad will now lead in Lyon High yells for the Don, - and the band will strike up "El Capitan!" - -It was true that a quiet little place had been chosen by Ramon for his -mother and sister, who could now rest from most of her labors and all of -her anxieties. For the present Ramon was to be found suitable work, in -one of the Murchison interests, which would take care of them all and -begin to settle the loan which he had accepted in Spain. - -One curious feature about Betty's new relation with Larry Waite was that -her family knew practically nothing about it. She had no desire to keep -anything from her mother, in one respect, but she had really seen so -little of Larry, and under such circumstances when she did that it was -not natural to speak of it. Mrs. Lee had noted Betty's depression and a -little change of manner, and while attributing it chiefly to her being -tired with all the various enterprises, she wondered if seeing so much -less of Chet was worrying her at all. "After Commencement," Betty -thought, "they'll see." - -Chet, on the other hand was not worrying Betty in the least. He had -seemed not to like it particularly that Betty was Larry's partner at -supper on that eventful evening, but Chet was not much older than Betty -and like her had had no real experience with a deep attachment. Just now -he was absorbed in his work and a university fraternity. He and Ted with -a few others came around in a car one afternoon to carry Betty off to a -picnic party on the Dorrance grounds, but aside from that there were no -"dates." It was a natural dropping of rather too constant attention and -Betty was glad to think that her budding romance would not bring any -particular pain to Chet. - -Mathilde, whose chief interest was in those lines and whose town -acquaintance was wide, took some little pleasure, Betty thought, in -repeating something that Jack had told her. "I hear that you are being -cut out, Betty, with Chet," said she. - -"How is that?" asked Betty, knowing that Mathilde wanted to have her ask -that very thing. - -"Jack says that Chet has a new girl--I forget her name, a new member of -Chet's class. Chet's taking her around quite a little. I hope you don't -mind." Mathilde looked at Betty curiously. Perhaps that was what was the -matter with Mathilde, curiosity. - -"How interesting," murmured Betty, annoyed, to be sure, but a little -amused, too. "No--Chet and I will always be the best of friends, I -think, but it's only natural that we should not be together so much now. -I think I know the girl you mean. There were a lot of us on a picnic -together the other day." Blessings on that recent picnic, Betty thought. -She really did not enjoy having Mathilde "crow over her," and she knew -that before the conversation ended, Mathilde would try to worm the last -detail of that picnic and who were there out of her. As if uninterested -in telling any more, she pleasantly answered the rest of the questions, -for with some people, Betty could be "diplomatic," too. - -In the comforting assurance that everything would be "all right" when -Larry came, Betty laid aside her happy dreams of the future to work hard -just before the "senior exams." One scholarship prize she would win, if -possible, and she was not going to have it said that a girl prominent in -athletics could not get her lessons. As a senior, she could not play -with the orchestra at Commencement. Freedom from practice there was one -gain, though arrangements for the G. A. A. banquet lay partly on the -shoulders of the president. - -At last the examinations were over. Class day was ushered in with -sunshine and entire relief from lessons. Betty was not even in the -pretty Maypole dance or any of the stunts, but with some regrets she -formed a part of the senior parade and carried her part of the long, -long rope of living green and twining flowers that marked the senior -class. As she followed the rest along the track of the athletic field -before the big stadium she tried not to let herself think that "all -these good times" were over, but she winked more than once, to keep a -tear from forming. One big chapter in her life was closing, and Betty -vaguely realized it. - -But her mother was in the stadium to hear the brief program and to see -Betty come forward not only for her Latin prize from Miss Heath, but for -another, given to each of the three best Latin students in the entire -senior class. - -And afterwards, when the class had its own private meeting there was -nothing but fun for Betty. The class prophet foretold a wonderful -athletic future for Betty as the world's champion swimmer. "As Lindy was -the first to fly alone, so Betty Lee is to be the first swimmer to cross -the Atlantic!" - -"How about the sharks?" someone asked, but was frowned upon by the -speaker of the day. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - TROPHIES - - -Was it herself? So thought Betty once during the G. A. A. banquet which -was such an important occasion to its president. - -There was the buzz of conversation, the tinkle of some bit of silver, -the subdued laughter of some prettily dressed girl, or other natural -accompaniment of a meal. Students, guests and teachers sat about the -long, flower-decked tables in the familiar lunch room, arranged for the -occasion, and were engaged in the pleasant pastime of disposing of an -excellent banquet menu's offerings. - -But Betty's chief thoughts were upon her little speech of welcome, with -which the program was to be opened. She sat at the speakers' table, in -the line of those who were to give toasts or present awards. Rather -overcome at first by being next to the principal himself, Betty faced -her G. A. A. world and glanced from time to time at her notes, concealed -from view in her program. She had attended more than one G. A. A. -banquet, but it was the first time that she had borne any -responsibility. - -Tonight she was in front of everybody, for the speakers' table ran -across the end of the room and was seated upon the one side only, which -thus faced the ends of the other tables. Betty would not be particularly -embarrassed in receiving before every one her coveted pin for riding, -chevrons, or other marks of honors won. But that speech! Well, if she -forgot what she intended to say, she could make up something cordial and -courteous. She had had experience with the Girl Reserves and often had -to say something that she had not expected to. But she had to manage the -program, too, and she did hope that she wouldn't make any mistakes or -let down into what her father called the school vernacular. - -Rather keyed up, Betty rose with senior dignity at the proper time and -made her little speech of welcome and introduction to the purpose and -points of the banquet. She introduced the principal as the first upon -the program and sat down during the applause which both approved of her -speech and recognized the principal. Relieved that there was a favorable -start, Betty had a chance to think of what she was to say next, while -the principal spoke briefly. Two others made short toasts, Carolyn -Gwynne, then one of the girls who lauded the opportunities of the school -for healthful activities. Then, since so many awards were to be made, -the business of presentations began. - -Betty had only to call on each teacher who made the presentations, but -she kept her mind strictly on the order of the program, though -interrupted by receiving and acknowledging with smiles her own awards. -Hockey, riding, swimming, basketball, numeral and letters made trophies -for Betty, who disposed them near her as best she could. - -The new officers for the next year were installed, another thing to have -done properly. But it was all going off promptly with no dragging, no -time wasted. What else should they learn in this big school except to -have everything go promptly, according to schedule? Lucia, happy with -both her father and her mother beside her, her guests at the banquet, -gave Betty a smiling look once in awhile. Count and Countess Coletti -were evidently very much interested in the whole affair, and the -dark-eyed, distinguished looking count took from Lucia the pin which was -the award of the riding club, to examine it smilingly and pass it on to -Mr. and Mrs. Lee, who sat near. The Murchisons, though urged to come by -Lucia, had another important engagement. The count and countess had -arrived from their travels just in time to attend. - -Gwen's father and mother were there, too, for was not Gwen receiving -recognition for her one year of excellent efforts? Carolyn, sweet old -Carolyn, had made the best speech of all, Betty thought. From certain -indications, Betty thought that it was most likely that Carolyn would be -named the honor girl. Yet not a word had any member of the committee -said to betray their secret, so far as Betty knew. - -And tired, though relieved, when Betty called upon the chief athletic -director to make the announcement of the Lyon High Honor Girl, she was -almost past thinking at all. All that she had to do now was to announce -the speaker, who would offer the toast to that honor girl. Thank -fortune, it had all gone off without a hitch! Betty leaned back in her -chair and pinned below her flowers on her gay chiffon frock, new for the -occasion, the silver pin with its outlined horse jumping over a low -gate. - -She saw Amy Lou smiling at her from beside her mother, and back among a -sophomore group was Doris. But she was all attention as the experienced -and charming director began to speak, saying what Betty knew to be true -that her class had offered an unusual number of girls prominent in -athletic events. - -"It is too bad that there can be only one Honor Girl. However, I know -that you will all agree in regard to the qualifications of the one whom -we have selected. Fair and considerate, loyal to the school, striving -for excellence rather than to win over another, friendly, efficient, -dependable, always working toward high ideals, with an excellent record -in scholarship and athletics, with gifts in influence and leadership, -our young president, Betty Lee, is the one whom we name as Lyon High -Honor Girl!" - -Betty had clasped her hands tightly together when the director had said -"our young president." Now, prettily gowned, smiling assurance to Betty, -she was bending to her and giving her a hand to present her as Betty -rose, scarcely believing her eyes and ears. - -Trying to collect herself, Betty listened while the director placed the -beautiful ring on Betty's finger with a few more well-chosen and almost -affectionate words. And Betty must make some response--a speech that she -had not made up beforehand! - -Betty's voice trembled a little, as in a few words, which she could -never remember, she thanked the director and the society and sank into -her chair, apparently in command of herself, but really very much -shaken. She would not have believed that she could feel it so! - -Fortunately, the director announced at once the name of the teacher who -was to give the toast to the Honor Girl, saving Betty the embarrassment -and "making it snappy," as Doris said afterwards. This closed the -program and Carolyn, sitting so near Betty, was the first one to reach -her and hug her in congratulation. - -"Oh, Carolyn, I was almost sure it would be you! You are ten times more -worthy of wearing this ring than I am!" - -"No, Betty, and I'm honestly glad you have it." - -"It is just like you, Carolyn, and I'll never be able to equal your -generous spirit in a thousand years!" - -But others, teachers and pupils, were surrounding Betty now. Her parents -were also receiving congratulations and did not try to reach Betty for -some time. Countess Coletti, presently, was turning up Betty's chin with -a light touch of her jeweled hand, to kiss her and threaten to carry her -off with Lucia to Switzerland for the summer. The count offered his -congratulations with dignity and stopped to talk with the principal on -American public schools. - -It was late before the combined Lee family felt sleepy. Mrs. Lee came -into Betty's room to say goodnight again to her honor girl, and found -Betty, half undressed but sitting on her bed "just thinking." - -They talked for a few moments, then Betty sprang up suddenly. "Mother, -this would be a good time to show you something. I have never said much -to you about Larry Waite, Marcella's brother, and you have scarcely seen -him. Well, you did hear all about last summer, of course, and how nice -he was. But there is something special, Mother, and a letter that he -wrote me will explain it to you better than I can. You can understand, -can't you, why I haven't told you anything before? It was only the time -of Marcella's party that I knew he cared." - -Startled, Mrs. Lee looked inquiringly at Betty; but the motherly smile -was ready for her "little girl." "And are you--interested in him, -Betty?" she asked. - -"No girl could help being interested, Mother. I'm--afraid I care a good -deal already. Here is the main letter, and that is a note written -before. He wrote me a letter and a note that never reached me." - -"Do you care if I take these to my room, Betty?" - -"I'd much rather, Mother--but don't let anything happen to them!" Betty -was smiling a little now. The moment had been a little awkward. - -"I understand. And may I speak of it to Father? He'll probably not want -to read the letters." - -"Say anything you want to Father, if he will keep it to himself, you -know. You see it is really not all fixed up." - -"Depend on me to manage it," said Mrs. Lee, taking her daughter in her -arms for an especial good night, yet leaving the room with a frown of -anxiety. Betty was too young. But she turned to say, "Betty, I shall -make it a point to become acquainted with this young man. We shall -invite him around." And Betty, selecting her "nightie" from a hook in -her closet, looked around the open closet door to say, "All right, -Mamma. Goodnight." - -The situation did not seem so distressing, however, after the letters -were read. There would be nothing immediate. Mrs. Lee smiled at more -than one point, but Betty could safely trust her letters to her mother. -She was not one to take humorously or lightly what was earnest in young -love. This seemed to be a sensible young man, carrying more -responsibility than most at his age, and sufficiently older than Betty. -She decided to tell Mr. Lee at some later date, when he was not so -tired. The lad was coming home, they would soon have an opportunity to -judge for themselves. - ------ - -Commencement was held in the school auditorium, though so many were the -demands for tickets that it had been considered taking the seniors to -one of the city's larger platforms. That Betty was excited with all the -accompanying glories, is scarcely necessary to mention. Presents from -dear friends, little gifts exchanged with the girls, the new white -frock, flowers from "The Dorrances," flowers also from "Arthur and -Archie," the Penrose boys, gave Betty little ecstasies at different -times, when they arrived or were presented. - -Larry Waite had written that he would be there. Betty saw to it that -there should be a ticket for him, and that she gave to Marcella, with -earnest adjurations that it should not be lost. - -"Don't worry, Betty," said Marcella. "I'll see that he gets it. It will -not go with the letter where the lost pins go!" - -Marcella herself would be elsewhere. University affairs were more -"intriguing," though she gave Betty a pretty remembrance and made the -remark that Betty was "already like a sister--sorority sister, of -course," she explained with a merry look. - -On what Mr. Lee called the fatal day, a great box of crimson roses was -delivered at the house. They were accompanied by Larry's card, and his -roses should be the ones Betty carried, to be sure. Singing with the -rest of her class was the only duty left to be performed. The speaker, -the orchestra and organ, and the principal would do the rest. She could -carry all the roses she could hold and still receive her diploma, made -out to Elizabeth Virginia Lee, whose high school days would then be -over. - -Music, roses, prettily dressed senior girls, dignified senior boys in -their best attire, a whole platform crowded with them--such was the -familiar scene in the school auditorium that happy night. It was the -formal, impressive exercise known as Commencement; and when it was over -Betty Lee carried a diploma, earned by many a sacrifice of ease, to -testify now to her hours of study and effort. - -That and her roses, except a few that she wore, she put into the -parental hands, used to relieving their children of their burdens. And -Larry came around at once to claim her and to greet Betty's parents, -with whom she waited for him. Betty was proud of his appearance and -manner, but that temporary satisfaction was swallowed up by the -excitement of her first real conversation with Larry, which impended. - -Then and in the next few days there was plenty of opportunity to explain -everything. Even the lost letter had been found, sopping wet in the -pocket of Judd's sweater, which had been thrown into a little launch -that the boys sometimes used in the harbor and rained upon. "I will mail -my own important letters after this," said he. But he had dried the -letter and brought it to read with Betty such parts as were -decipherable. - -Betty, whose talk with her mother had taken place soon after Mr. Lee had -read the letter from Larry, explained that her father and mother were -friendly but hoped that the "arrangement" would be an "understanding" -rather than an open engagement. "They think that we don't know each -other well enough yet, Larry, and that I am too young, as you said. But -one thing I must say to you and that is that your troubles with the -business are not important to me, only as they make it hard for you. -Why, I can cook and keep house pretty well, and it would be much more -fun to live in just a little place with you--if we ever should be -married." - -This, to be sure, was after Larry had again gone over the points of his -letter. His repeated assurances of what he had told Betty in the Waite -library had been given at once on Betty's graduation night, and Betty -had been asked for her confession, as well. They were both happy and -expectant. - -They were sitting, during this conversation, on a hill overlooking one -of the most beautiful views in the city. Marcella and some of her -friends were having a picnic in the wooded park. Larry took Betty's hand -and looked at the honor ring that she wore. "I suppose that it must be -just an understanding now," said he. "But perhaps by your birthday they -may let you wear a ring for me. Not for nothing did I look over your -shoulder into that Hallowe'en mirror, Betty--you--sweetheart!" - -Meanwhile, Mrs. Lee, gathering up various articles at home, was carrying -Betty's diploma into her room. There, on Betty's table, cleared for the -purpose, were her trophies. The year book, which Betty had helped -compile, adorned one corner. It contained, with much else, serious and -otherwise, the pictures of the faculty, of Betty's school-mates and of -Betty herself, with the list of her clubs and activities during the four -years. On this were a few copies of the _Roar_, for Betty, too, had been -written up among the prominent seniors. - -Here were Betty's gifts, her chevrons, a medal, the little gold pin from -Miss Heath, with its Latin motto, "_Ad Astra_," the Girl Reserve ring, -the long-worn senior pin, more prizes, all Betty's cherished senior -trophies. For a moment Mrs. Lee stood looking at them. Then, smiling, on -top of the array, she laid Betty's diploma. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BETTY LEE, SENIOR*** - - -******* This file should be named 44808-8.txt or 44808-8.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/4/8/0/44808 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></p> -<p>Title: Betty Lee, Senior</p> -<p>Author: Harriet Pyne Grove</p> -<p>Release Date: January 30, 2014 [eBook #44808]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: UTF-8</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BETTY LEE, SENIOR***</p> <p> </p> -<h3 class="nf-center">E-text prepared by Roger Frank and Sue Clark</h3> <p> </p> <div class='covernote'> <div class="tnotes"> @@ -5903,360 +5892,6 @@ smiling, on top of the array, she laid Betty’s diploma.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BETTY LEE, SENIOR***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 44808-h.txt or 44808-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/4/8/0/44808">http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/8/0/44808</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed.</p> - -<p> -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Betty Lee, Senior - - -Author: Harriet Pyne Grove - - - -Release Date: January 30, 2014 [eBook #44808] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BETTY LEE, SENIOR*** - - -E-text prepared by Roger Frank and Sue Clark - - - -BETTY LEE, SENIOR - -by - -HARRIET PYNE GROVE - - - - - - - -The World Syndicate Publishing Co. -Cleveland, Ohio--New York City - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -Copyright, 1931 -The World Syndicate Publishing Co. - -Printed in the United States of America - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - CONTENTS - - I VACATION DAYS - II A GOLDFISH IN THE OCEAN - III A MERRY WHIRL OF GOOD TIMES - IV THE STORM - V A SURPRISING RESCUE - VI VACATION'S LAST FLING - VII SENIORS! - VIII ONE OF THOSE A-D PARTIES - IX THE SENIORS ENTERTAIN - X THE COVETED HONOR - XI AN INTIMATE VIEW FOR JANET - XII VALENTINES - XIII HEARTS AND MASKS - XIV AN EXCHANGE OF HEARTS - XV ONCE MORE BASKETBALL - XVI A PAUSE IN ROMANCE - XVII SHARING JOY - XVIII CONCERNING LOST LETTERS - XIX OF A NUMBER OF THINGS - XX TROPHIES - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - BETTY LEE, SENIOR - - FOREWORD - - While settings and activities for this Betty Lee High School - Series have been freely taken from a real city high school, the - characters are entirely fictitious. It is hoped, however, that - they may to some degree present the life and ambitions of the - very attractive girls whom it has been the author's pleasure to - meet there. - - - - - CHAPTER I - - VACATION DAYS - - -Betty Lee's vacation before her senior year cannot be passed over with -only casual mention, for it was the "best yet" as declared by Betty and -her two closest chums, Kathryn Allen and Carolyn Gwynne. After the last -exciting activities of June days as juniors and the pleasing freedom -from examinations won by good scholarship, the three girls found -themselves, with others of their class, equipped with cards that -certified completion of the junior work. Before them stretched long -weeks when, Betty said, they "didn't have to know anything," and that -state of mind obviously gave them all great pleasure. - -Up in the girls' gym, almost vacant now, they took a last swing and -jump, as they happened to have reason to pass through; and Betty and -Carolyn performed a few funny steps to express their happy state of mind -before they finally left halls to which they would be just as glad to -return in the fall. - -However, Betty was expecting to swim in "something beside pools and -rivers." She gave a little skip as they ran down the walk toward the -Gwynne car, which this time was waiting for them. "I can't believe it, -Carolyn! 'Are I' really going with you to the seashore? I never saw the -ocean but once, when I went East with Father, you know. I said -appropriately, 'Roll on thou deep and dark blue ocean roll,' but it -wasn't dark blue a bit. It happened to be a perfectly horrid gray -morning. It was wonderful, all the same." - -"Oh, but you ought to see it sometimes, Betty! I hope we'll have good -weather, no cold 'nor'easters' or anything. But I'm as excited as can be -myself. Think of it, Betty--a perfectly new cottage in a different place -this time. Daddy had such a good chance to sell the old one and we may -buy this if we like it. But we're renting it for the summer." - -"It doesn't seem right that we should just _visit you_," said Kathryn. - -"Listen! We've had that out before, Gypsy Allen. I'm to have my own room -and I can have whomever I want--_all summer_. I expect to keep it full! -That's my reward for being a good girl and getting my lessons, in spite -of, well, you know how hard it is to get 'em." - -"We do!" said Kathryn and Betty, "_una cum voce_." - -"So," continued Carolyn, "why shouldn't _I_ have the girls I like best -as long as I can induce--them--to--stay?" Carolyn uttered formally the -last part of her sentence, with her head in the air and a high and -mighty look. - -The girls giggled as they settled themselves in the car. "Drive around -to Kathryn's and Betty's first, please," said Carolyn to the Gwynne -chauffeur, "then home." - -Betty had not had a chance to call up home since Carolyn had invited her -and Kathryn "to come out and celebrate." Both she and Kathryn wanted to -get rid of certificates and books, not to mention certain other articles -that seemed to persist in staying in lockers. Carelessness or forgetting -had nothing to do with that, of course. - -"Do you like clams and chowders and things, Betty Lee?" asked Carolyn, -after the last stop and delivery of goods, with pleasant permissions to -stay at Carolyn's. - -"I liked everything we tried at New York," replied Betty, "and I know -that I'll just adore all the sea food." - -"You're going to get it," Carolyn leaned back against the cushions and -stretched forward her stylishly shod toes. "We have beach parties and -everything." - -That sounded delightful. Betty had never heard of a beach party. Yet, -she supposed she must have read of them in stories. But this was -different. She was going to be in one. "And I haven't told you one -delicious secret!" - -"Oh, tell us, Carolyn!" Kathryn spoke beseechingly. - -Carolyn laughed and looked mysterious. "I haven't decided whether to -keep it a secret and surprise you, or to tell you now." - -"Tell us now," urged beaming Kathryn. - -"Maybe it would be more of a thrill if she surprised us," Betty -suggested, smilingly regarding Carolyn and wondering what the surprise -or secret might be. - -"Well," Carolyn drawled, "I'll have to make up my mind about it. The -trouble is, you might find out about it some other way, and then I'd -miss the fun of seeing you surprised." - -"That gives us our cue for going right up in the air over whatever it -is, Betty--to please Carolyn!" But Kathryn was regarding Carolyn -affectionately as she said this. - -"Suppose you give us a hint of what it is and let us guess," said Betty. - -Carolyn shook her head negatively. "Spoil it all. Maybe I'll announce it -later. We are going to have our lunch inside, find the coolest spot in -the house to talk over our plans and decide what to take and so on, as -you wanted to do, Betty, and then have our dinner _a la_ picnic under -the trees by the fountain, nothing but cool lemonade and ice cream!" - -It was a hot day, but Betty knew there would be more on the menu than -lemonade and ice cream, which would probably be included in their lunch. -Oh, it was always so _nice_ at Carolyn's! - -In Carolyn's own room after lunch the girls took off frocks and shoes -and lay on the bed to plan for their month together at the seashore. Not -that it was the only topic of conversation, for school affairs were too -recently over for dismissal. Lucia Coletti's departure for Italy with -her father and mother was one interesting subject. - -"Yes," said Betty, "they were awfully rushed at the last, you know, but -Lucia called me up, just before they were driving to the station, to say -another goodbye. I would have gone to the station with her, only under -the circumstances it didn't seem appropriate. You know how it is, and -Lucia and I had had our final visit before." - -"Don't you go and think more of Lucia than you do of us," reminded -Kathryn with, a grin. - -"Couldn't," laughed Betty, "but Lucia is a fine girl just the same; and -she had to have some friends, didn't she?" - -"Yes, more than she wanted of some sorts," wisely said Carolyn. - -"They naturally would have a good deal of attention," said Betty. "I was -the first girl Lucia knew. But Lucia will not forget any of us. The -countess is prettier than ever and they are all so perfectly happy to be -together again. The count rather wanted to go back before, but Lucia -persuaded them to wait till she could finish her work. It was a good -thing she didn't have to stay for the examinations." - -"Do you have any idea, Betty, that she will come back for her senior -year?" - -"Not in the least," said Betty, to whom the recent romantic situation at -the Murchison home had appealed greatly. "Lucia would like to finish the -course here, and I think Countess Coletti would like to have her do it. -But Lucia was too excited about going back home to think much about -returning. She promised to write and I gave her all the addresses, and -dates, I would have this summer." - -Neither Kathryn nor Carolyn would ever ask Betty questions that would -pry into Lucia's secrets, though Betty knew that there had been a great -deal of comment over the count's long absence in travel and the fact -that the countess had remained in America with Lucia for so long. Betty -herself would never betray Lucia's worried confidences, and now it was -so easy to speak of the happy reunion that she had herself seen and to -pass over anything else she might know. Betty had learned by this time -not to tell everything she knew to everybody. - -But she frankly went on to say that she, too, had a piece of news which -she could tell now. "It's a real happy one, girls. Mr. Murchison has -gone East with them and they will go to some place in Connecticut for -his wedding! He is marrying somebody that he has known for a long time -and they are all going abroad together. That is why Father has to be -very busy this summer and has a lot on his hands." - -"My, what a disappointment to several people here!" exclaimed Kathryn. -"Oh, I oughtn't to say that, I suppose." - -"I gathered, from what Lucia said, that her mother is real pleased with -her brother's choice and knows the lady. And it is fixed all right for -Rose Sevilla and her mother to stay just as they are at Murchison's. -Rose is awfully busy with new draperies and things that the countess -ordered for her brother; and her mother actually looks younger and talks -about when Ramon comes back." - -"Is there any news of him at all?" - -"Not a bit, but they have a little hope now. It just makes me sick that -I didn't find out about them in time to send him word before he left -Detroit! But he'll turn up some time, I hope--unless the 'villain' finds -him and does something terrible. They didn't tell the mother about the -villain's having tried to find out from Father." - -Under the trees, not far from the fountain, in the midst of all the -attractions of the lovely Gwynne estate, the three girls at a little -table had their dinner alone, "_a la_ picnic," as Carolyn had said, and -cool salad, an ice, lemonade and fruit did compose a good and refreshing -part of it. - -The girls dawdled over their meal and wondered why they felt so "lazy." -"It's the weather, girls," said Carolyn. "I'm glad we're through -school--though I believe I've said that several times. But don't expect -me to be original!" - -"It's not only the weather, Carolyn. We're just sort of let down about -everything. I imagine that the sea air will revive us, won't it?" - -"Yes, Gypsy, if we need reviving by that time." - -Conversation ran on by fits and starts. Daylight began to fade and -little fireflies flashed their lanterns here and there in the shrubbery -or the lower branches of the trees. It was decided that nothing was "so -rare as a day in June" if this one _had_ been rather too warm, and -finally Kathryn inquired if Carolyn had made up her mind in regard to -the great surprise. - -"Sure enough, girls!" cried Carolyn. "I believe I _have_ made up my -mind! I'll tell you!" - -Betty assumed a thrilled expression, clasped her hands together -tragically and leaned forward in pretended suspense, not so deeply -pretended, either, for she knew that any surprise so regarded by Carolyn -Gwynne would be "nice." - -"Don't be silly," laughed Carolyn, while Kathryn clutched her black hair -with one hand and held the other to her heart. - -"It's about some very splendid people who are going to be in a -cottage--oh, not so very far away. The cottages are scattered up there, -you know." - -Kathryn put both hands to her head now. "Let me think, Carolyn! Who said -she was going to the coast?" - -"Never mind thinking, Gypsy. It might be dangerous. You know how -unaccustomed exercise----" - -Carolyn was obliged to break off as laughing Kathryn leaned over to -threaten violence. - -But at last the news was told. "The Waites have taken a cottage there -and Marcella is going up about the time we do, I think." - -"How fine!" cried Kathryn. "Betty--'the Pirate of Penzance!'" - -But Betty was already thinking of that romantic youth, Marcia Waite's -brother. "Will the Pirate be on hand?" she asked, after her first -pleased exclamation at the news. - -"Very likely," impressively said Carolyn. - -"He will not mean much in our young lives, Kathryn," continued Betty, -"if he _was_ awfully nice to us at Marcella's party and other places. He -is all grown up and at _just the age_ when they have terrible cases in -college." - -"Who knows?" sang Carolyn, "but he seemed to like you, Betty. However, -I'd advise you to stick to our friend Chet. There aren't any boys nicer -than the Dorrance boys." - -Betty assented to that but added that when Chet went into the university -the next year there would probably be an end of good times with him. "It -will be a case of saying farewell, and Chet will be the one to do it, -you see. But it will be simply grand to have Marcella there, somebody we -know; and she will be having company, too, I suppose. Honestly, Carolyn, -I can scarcely wait to go!" - -"That wasn't intended as a pun, I suppose, since there's no point in it. -But the Waites will be waiting, all right. They go some time next week, -perhaps a day or two before, according to what Marcella said. She said -she would telephone." - -"Then there is one thing more; but I'm not going to tell this." - -"_Another_ secret! Carolyn?" - -"Another secret!" - - - - - CHAPTER II - - A GOLDFISH IN THE OCEAN - - -Betty Lee, who was sometimes jokingly called father's little goldfish, -had acquired that title by reason of her ability to swim and her golden -head, though that was usually covered tightly by a rubber cap. As her -taking part in most of the swimming contests among the girls of Lyon -High necessitated good bathing suits, Betty was already prepared in that -respect for her visit at the seashore. - -Secrets were all very well. Betty had interest in everything. But her -greatest interest was in the new experience ahead of her, the new -country and the delights of the ocean. Her father warned her of new -conditions, but she would quickly learn. Though there were no river -current, there would be the undertow. Betty promised to use her common -sense and swim within the boundaries allowed at the resort to which she -was bound. - -With the highest anticipations, then, Betty accompanied the Gwynnes and -Kathryn Allen on the fascinating trip East and to New England. Dick Lee -was at a boys camp. His twin, Doris, would soon be at a corresponding -girls' camp, for it "had to be fair," at the risk, said Mr. Lee, of -depleting the treasury. Mother and Amy Lou would remain in the city with -Father, but would take an outing with him later, when a business trip -would take him East again. Then Betty, returning from the visit with -Carolyn, would meet other girl friends at a "wonderful" Girl Reserve -camp. Truly the summer could offer no more! Betty's former chum at the -little town of Buxton, Janet Light, with whom Betty still corresponded -fitfully, as her full life permitted, wrote Betty that she was a "lucky -girl," and Betty thought so too. - -It was all the better that it was a motor trip, with the opportunity to -stop in all sorts of fascinating places, little and big, where there -were thrilling associations of history; and these were as much for -Carolyn's benefit as for Kathryn and Betty. There were no embarrassing -and hampering ideas of obligation, for Mr. and Mrs. Gwynne had assured -the Lees that their itinerary would be carried out with or without their -guests. There were only the three Gwynnes, with Kathryn Allen and Betty -Lee; for Carolyn's older sister and others of the household had other -plans of travel. - -At the quiet places where they stopped, Betty and Kathryn were permitted -to pay modest hotel bills, but that was all; and many a happy time they -had lunching it on the way, with a big supply of good things, rather -than stop. Mr. Gwynne, with Mrs. Gwynne to rest him at times, did the -driving; for their chauffeur had left their service, very conveniently, -Carolyn said, and they would not engage another until their return home. -Mr. Gwynne's type of humor made Betty think of her own father. The -families were well acquainted by this time. Mr. and Mrs. Lee would take -the trip to New England from New York, after business was completed, and -with an excited little Amy Lou, who was, however, very dignified about -it at present. Was she not going into the third grade? - -Then the Lees would attach Kathryn and Betty, and possibly, as Betty -hoped, Carolyn, for the return and delivery at camp. But Carolyn said -that she could not go so soon. There was the pleasant pressure on the -girls to stay longer, but that could be decided later on. Never was -Betty to forget her first motor trip East. Apparently everybody else was -going, too, or it seemed so after they had reached certain routes of -traffic and travel. The Gwynnes met some old friends at different -hotels, till at times there would be quite a little cavalcade of -acquaintances, travelling together for a while, and there were a number -of boys and girls in some of the parties. - -Once they traveled for two days in company with a family whom Carolyn -said they had known "summers." Passengers in the cars were changed and -the young people were together in the car newly attached to the Gwynnes. -This was driven by Arthur Penrose, eldest son of the new friends, -probably nineteen or so, Carolyn said, a brown-eyed, brown-haired youth, -polite but friendly, though he said less, engaged in driving, than a -younger brother, Archie, who did all the arranging in seats. Betty could -not be sure at first which was "Art" and which was "Arch," but at last -she straightened it out. Their sister "Gwen" was about Betty's age, she -thought, a pretty vivacious girl, who was delighted to see Carolyn and -reminded her at first about "old times" till she saw that it would be -better to include the new acquaintances, doing her best to make up for -temporary forgetfulness. - -Betty liked Gwen at once. That was the nice thing about this traveling -and you could be sure that any one the Gwynnes liked were worth knowing. -They were in Connecticut at the time of this meeting and at once planned -a picnic dinner, stopping here and there to purchase a heterogeneous -collection, left entirely to the young people to manage. "Have your -picnic," Mr. Gwynne said, "but don't expect _us_ to do any cavorting -around over it." Mr. and Mrs. Penrose and a sister of Mrs. Penrose -occupied the room left by the three girls in the Gwynne car, though -there was some shifting; for the men must talk over affairs and the -ladies must be together. - -What Betty did not know at all this time was that the Penroses had come -into her life to stay there. But those things happen in the most casual -meetings. - -The Penrose car was a seven-passenger car and at first Arthur drove by -himself while Archie and Gwen did the honors behind. Then Art complained -whimsically that he was being left out; and in some way Betty found -herself elected to sit in front with the driver, a move which pleased -her, with its view of the "Blue Hills," where they were now, and less -necessity of talking; for they could listen to the rest or talk as they -liked. - -But Arthur's "nice" face was turned to her often, as he called attention -to some scene or made some other comment. Betty told him how it had -happened that she took the trip, where they were going, what a thrill -she had over it and how she enjoyed seeing everything. - -"I suppose I notice the scenery more particularly since I want to be an -artist," said Arthur Penrose. "They tell me that 'Art' is the proper -name for me, though Archie makes fun and says he'll have to support his -artistic brother in the years to come." - -Arthur's face was full of amusement as he said this. "But I am already -doing a little in commercial art lines, so perhaps it is not so bad." - -"How wonderful!" cried Betty, interested. "I wish I knew more about it. -I draw a little. We have an art course in school, you know, but I like -music best--just play the violin some. Then I like athletics, not so -much the competitive games, you know, but swimming and skating and -riding, that is I'm going to have lessons in that next year. I can ride -in the country, though. Are you in college?" - -"Yes, but it may be a waste of time for me to finish. We have to decide -that. I am taking art on the side, but I want to go to a regular art -school, and next summer, if I can raise the cash, I'm going to walk or -swim to Europe and see what the big guys have done." - -Betty laughed at that statement and told "Art" that her father was -always asking her when she was going to swim to Europe. This brought on -more confidences, till Betty felt that she was quite well acquainted. -Art Penrose was as nice as Chet, and presently she found that he knew -the "Dorrance boys" and was glad to hear news from them. - -The picnic dinner was more fun. They found a place with a cool spring, -and made the older members of the party comfortable with seats and rugs -from the cars. The boys were used to this sort of thing and as our girls -were accustomed to all sorts of hikes and picnics, it was a small matter -and "loads of fun" to make coffee, "hot dog" sandwiches, and have -heaping plates of good things in a short but happy time, short, Art -said, because it was not possible to handle their elders. They _would_ -think of such things as routes and time and how far they had to go. - -Art came with his full plate to sit on a log near Betty and to talk more -about his beloved art to sympathetic ears; and when they rose to go, he -lifted a firm finger before her face to say, "You are going to see more -of me, Betty Lee. I have to hear you play on your violin, for one -thing." - -"And I must see some of your pictures," pleasantly Betty responded. "It -is awfully interesting to hear about it--_very_, I mean. I'm really -trying to improve my English!" - -"Don't worry about your English. Has Gwen told you yet that the Penroses -might possibly move to your little city?" - -"'Little city,' indeed!" said Betty, though her smile accompanied this -mild rebuke. "And we have a fine art school," she added, hopefully. - -But Arthur Penrose shook his head. "I'm going to Boston--New -York--Philadelphia--Chicago--who knows? But at that I may visit my -family occasionally!" - -It was later that Gwendolyn said something of the same sort to Betty and -Kathryn. "And I do hope that I see you girls again. I'm going to write -to Carolyn once in a while now and if we _should_ decide to move there, -we'll see to it that we live where I can attend the same high school. I -certainly like what you tell about it!" - -So they parted, with last smiles and salutes and promises to see each -other again. "The nice thing about life, girls," said Betty Lee, "is -that you never know what is going to turn up. It's like a big mystery -story, with little clues that you miss when you're reading it; and if -you decide one way, it's one thing and if you decide another way--about -something important, I mean--it's another way." - -"Listen to our philosopher, Carolyn," said Kathryn. - -"There _are_ girls that don't think life's interesting at all," remarked -Carolyn. "But Betty would find something, even if she lived back in the -Buxton she talks about." - -"It isn't the _size_ of the _place_, Carolyn," began Betty, with an air -of wisdom that she knew was comical. "It's what you've got in your -little insides, I guess. But I _am_ 'lucky,' as Janet wrote me, to have -so much happening." - -The objective of this trip was a quiet little village on the coast of -Maine, with its rocks and inlets and rivers and lakes. It was such a -place as city people love to find, for while it was being developed as a -resort, it was small, and the outlying homes of the summer residents -were scattered. - -From the main highway they drove upon a road which was being repaired, -or made into a respectable road for automobiles. Driving was difficult -now in places, but at last they came upon a smooth road between woods -full of new kinds of trees and growths that made Betty exclaim with -pleasure, as she had before, passing through this to her new country. -She had kept account of all states through which she had passed and -concluded that she was becoming quite a traveled girl. But a wood peewee -called from the depths of the forest and a flock of quail whirred as -they hastened from the bushes by the roadside. Molly Cottontail ran to -cover, and Betty concluded that it was still America and home! - -But why call this a cottage! After more driving they came into the -village and beyond it to a bit of a grove, where stood a large house, -new but of a "dear old-fashioned" colonial type; and Mr. Gwynne stopped -the car to let his passengers have a view of it. "Still like it, dear?" -he asked his wife. - -"Yes. The setting is exactly what I like, no hard hill to climb, just -this gentle rise and the house among the trees, all white and green." - -So far as Betty was concerned, she could have welcomed the place -forever, and although at this moment she could not see the ocean, she -could hear its waves beating upon the shore not too far away! Its fresh -breezes gently moved the trees and through them in the other direction a -red sun was sinking toward the irregular contour of the land. Betty -needed no camera to remember this, but Carolyn planned at once for -pictures of the house and grounds. - -"Tomorrow, girls, we'll get out and take a lot of pictures of the house -and grounds and get down to the beach, too, in our bathing suits." - -"Please take a picture of me, Carolyn, right _in_ the ocean, to send to -my father!" - -"Daddy's little goldfish among the sharks?" teased Carolyn. - -"Ow! You don't have those, I hope." - -"I never heard of any around here," laughed Carolyn, "and we've been -near this place before, you know. You stay within bounds and you'll be -all right." - -Supper, a real New England supper served by a cook and a maid already -there to take care of them, came next, then a stroll around the grounds, -whose limits were uncertain as they strayed off into a little grove -chiefly of spruces and pines. Hasty letters home were written by Kathryn -and Betty and a little later three young heads, on as many different -pillows in Carolyn's big room, drowsed off to the distant booming of the -surf. - -In the morning, Betty blinked her eyes and wondered where she was. She -must hurry to get up, for the alarm had gone off and she would be late -for school! For a moment all the old feelings of wanting to stay in bed -and having to get up to get ready for school came over her. Then she -laughed and sat up, looking across at the two other cots, where Carolyn, -by whose bed the alarm was still ringing intermittently, was rubbing her -eyes and reaching down to the floor to shut it off. Kathryn sat up -suddenly in bed and asked, "Where's the fire?" - -But three bathing suits had been laid out ready to be put on. They had -planned a cold dip before breakfast and fearing that they would not be -wakened in time by more or less weary parents or maid and cook who had -been instructed not to have breakfast too early, Carolyn had set the -alarm. The sun was streaming into their East room, chosen by Carolyn, -who wanted to "hear the sea." - -Wrapped in their warmest coats over their bathing suits, the girls made -their way, by a side exit of which Carolyn knew, down a little hill, -down a few steps, then to the beach not far from the accredited bathing -place where Carolyn said they should do their swimming. A few other -people were on the beach for the same purpose. - -It was an icy dip this morning and Betty privately thought that she -would prefer the tropics; but at that it was the great old Atlantic -Ocean and she missed none of the thrill that she had expected. A short -swim in the unaccustomed element, salty and "different," and Betty was -ready for the quick return to the Gwynne cottage, where a shower bath -and a vigorous rub put her in a glow. Three merry faces met Mr. and Mrs. -Gwynne at the breakfast table. - -"Did you have your early dip, girls?" inquired Mr. Gwynne. - -"Don't we look like it, Daddy?" asked Carolyn. - -"Something has made you all very rosy, I should say, and our little -Gypsy sparkles like a--well, whatever does sparkle." - -"Betty has had her swim in the Atlantic Ocean at last," laughed Carolyn. -"She found it a little bit chilly, but I think she's going to try it -again later in the day." - -"Of course. Oh, Mr. Gwynne, it is perfectly lovely here! I'm so -delighted that you brought me!" - -"So are we. I'm sure that you will help our enthusiasms, Betty Lee." - - - - - CHAPTER III - - A MERRY WHIRL OF GOOD TIMES - - -It was as Betty had said. One never knew what interesting happening -would come next, though some were planned. New adventures in daily -pleasures and one almost tragic event were here for Betty Lee in the few -weeks that lay before her in Maine. But she never could get satisfactory -photographs of the old sea that stirred her so. Clouds and surf never -did come out as they really looked. She concluded that Arthur Penrose or -some real artist, who could give the coloring to sky and sea and paint -the clouds as they looked, ought to be there to do justice to water and -sky. But Betty did not talk much about her feeling of the sea, aside -from the joking about the consummation of her desire to swim in it. - -The Waites were the first friends to look them up. Marcella came over -the next day from a cottage at no great distance, for the Waites had -come on by train and arrived before the Gwynne party. She invited them -at once to a beach party, "by moonlight," said she. "We'll not swim this -time, but have a great picnic, with _everybody_ there." Marcella looked -meaningly at Carolyn as she said this. - -"Larry's visiting some of his college friends and will be home in time -for the beach party, I think. He may bring his chum with him. We don't -know. If I weren't so busy, I'd tell you more about everybody. Several -girls from our sorority are driving over this afternoon and Peggy -Pollard is going to stay. - -"Peggy!" exclaimed Carolyn. "Why I invited her with us and she couldn't -come!" - -"It's all changed," explained Marcella. "After you left, her mother made -different arrangements, to go West with one of her sons and his family, -I think; and she told Peggy that if she still wanted to come East, she -could. Peggy was in a great quandary, but crazy to come. I found it out -through one of the girls; and so Peggy's dear little red head will -repose on either your pillow or mine, Carolyn, as you like. Peggy is up -the coast a little, with the girls I mentioned, though she came with -us." - -"You didn't mention their names, Marcella, but I can guess or be -surprised. If you don't mind, Marcella, we'll have Peggy here. Another -cot in my room, or two of us in a different room, will fix it." - -"Oh, let's all be together, Carolyn! It's such fun!" - -"Just as you say, Kathryn." - -The beach party, then, was to be full of surprises. The three girls -exhausted the possible list of guests in their surmises and then -concluded that it was a waste of time. Unpacking, investigating their -surroundings, another swim and a walk up the shore for some distance -pretty well filled the day until it was best to "rest up" for the beach -party, which began at eight o'clock. "It may be a little 'spuzzy,' -girls," suggested Carolyn, "though Marcella did not say so. But if it is -to be a sorority affair and perhaps Larry and his chum coming, not to -mention others that evidently Marcella means to spring upon us, there -will probably be some dressing up." - -"You don't mean party dresses, do you?" asked Betty, "thin things? I -thought at beach parties you wore sweaters or jackets and easy things to -rough it in." - -"Sport things, Betty, this time. Yours are all right, and take your -white sweater if you wish." - -"I 'wager' you know whom Marcella is going to spring upon '_us_'," -remarked Kathryn. - -"I know--some," Carolyn acknowledged. "That is the other secret." - -With great care did the three girls dress for the beach party. There was -a "gorgeous" moon and a mild air. Betty scarcely knew herself, she -thought, as she looked from the elevation and the shadows of the group -of trees about the Gwynne house toward where a line of rollers -restlessly met the beach and the light of a full moon fell across the -waters. And oh, _who_ would be at the party? - -Active figures were darting about on the sands by the time Betty, -Carolyn and Kathryn arrived and hurried toward where they saw Marcella -by the light of a fire already started on the beach. And who was that, -hatless, merry, throwing a big piece of wreckage upon the fire? - -"Ted Dorrance!" exclaimed Kathryn. "That's the other surprise, Carolyn!" - -"M'm," lightly replied Carolyn. "And now don't faint or anything, Betty. -Chet's here, too." - -Betty did not much like this suggestion and replied that she was not -likely to faint at seeing Chet Dorrance anywhere, especially as it was -only the other day that she had seen him receive his high school -diploma. Betty, usually very sweet about all her friends, felt really -annoyed for about two minutes. But Chet's own hearty and unsentimental -greeting assured her. - -"Didn't Carolyn tell you that Ted and I were coming to visit Larry and -Marcella?" asked Chet. "Of course it was all fixed up at the last -minute. We've got Mother settled down at Cape Cod and drove up here with -Larry and his room-mate, you know, and a couple of cousins of his -room-mate. Come over and meet them, or it would be more proper to bring -them to you, wouldn't it? But they're with those girls. We didn't know -anything about the other fellows' coming till Larry telegraphed us about -meeting us and all coming on together in Judd Penrose's car. We've taken -a cottage of our own now, since Marcella's house is full up with girls. -You ought to see where we are going to 'bach' it, though I see where we -don't do any cooking to speak of!" - -"'Penrose,'" said Betty. "We met some boys by that name on the way up -here. I wonder----" - -But she did not wonder long. There, with an armful of driftwood, was -Archie Penrose, whose face, like Ted's before, was lit up by the fire as -he stooped. A crowd of girls and boys were around the fire and Betty, -greeting those she knew and introduced to those she had not met, was -soon in the midst of the friends and fun. - -"You didn't expect me to carry out my threat so soon, did you?" grinned -Arthur Penrose. "Neither did I; but we're well met. Will you go -sketching with me tomorrow?" - -"I'd love to, but Carolyn is my hostess and you'll have to find out what -she's going to do." - -"From all the plans, I take it that we'll have a picnic of some sort all -the time we're here, every day." - -Like the Dorrance boys, the two Penroses had settled their parents and -Gwen in a summer resort further South. Then came a telegram from their -cousin, Judd Penrose, and an invitation for Gwen from Marcella in -another urgent telegram, a night letter. Gwen had come by train. The -boys waited to be picked up by Judd and Larry with the Dorrances. - -Gwen Penrose almost fell into Betty's arms, such was her enthusiasm at -seeing her. "Isn't this _marvellous_?" she asked, "and to think that we -hadn't the _slightest idea_ of it when we met before! I did not even -remember the name of Judd's room-mate! I was crazy to come with Marcella -when she went to see Carolyn and you and Kathryn; but she wouldn't let -me. She wanted the surprise to be complete, she said." - -"Well, it certainly was--is!" answered Betty. "And now Art can make me a -sketch of this lovely place--if he will." - -"Oh, he will all right," Gwen assured her. "He thinks you're just about -the sweetest thing he's seen for a long while." - -Betty laughed. "We like scenery--that's all." - -Lawrence Waite, who was with another small group of girls, Betty did not -meet at first; but presently he came quickly over to where she stood -talking with one and another, and cordially took her hand. "Hello there, -Titania. I saw you by the light of the moon. Any other fairies abroad?" - -"It is a night for them, isn't it?" brightly replied Betty. "But they -might be afraid of pirates on this coast, mightn't they?" - -"Not of the Pirate of Penzance," Larry assured her. "Long ago, in a -gloomy cave, _by the light of one flickering candle_, the queen of the -fairies was not afraid of him, was she?" - -"Not a bit," laughed Betty. "She thought he was real nice." - -"Is _that_ all?" began the smiling former "Pirate of Penzance," but Judd -Penrose joined them at this moment and was introduced. - -The sorority girls who were visiting Marcella were for the most part -older. Marcella, too, had received her high school diploma and was a -little inclined to attend an Eastern school instead of continuing in the -"home town" university. Two of her visitors were girls from this school. -Other girls and boys were from this summer colony. Peggy Pollard was the -only girl of Marcia's high school sorority from Betty's class, and how -she was welcomed by her classmates! "That is all that is necessary to -make this summer a success, Peggy--your being here," warmly said Kathryn -Allen. - -Visiting, strolling on the beach with one and another, toasting -marshmallows, hearing all "the latest" about everybody, preparing and -eating the excellent lunch provided--and all on the rocky coast of -Maine, made Betty Lee's cup of happiness full. Chet did not try to -monopolize her. Everybody was "jolly" with everybody else and great -plans were made for coming days. "_Carpe diem_," folks, said Judson -Penrose, "or in other words, 'Gather ye roses while ye may'"--and his -eyes were upon "dear old Marcella," as he said this and suggested a -chowder party for the next day and a trip by car to a lake further -inland on the following day. Betty whispered to Kathryn that she would -have to pinch herself to make sure that it wasn't a dream. - -Like Betty, though in college, Larry Waite would be a senior next year, -a senior at Yale. And he had not forgotten that crazy Hallowe'en! -Betty's little experience with candle and mirror still remained -unmentioned to the other girls. She sometimes wondered if Larry had ever -spoken of it. Otherwise, it was an amusing secret between them--and, of -course, a bit romantic, though nothing would ever come of it. Of course -not. - -Chowder was duly served on the beach at the next beach party. The trip -to the beautiful little lake was a second exciting excursion. Not even -the mornings were exempt from gala events especially when long trips -were planned. Inland they went by car and for water trips the boys -secured a motor boat of moderate size which would accommodate all of -Marcella's and Carolyn's visitors and the boys of their bachelor -cottage. It was supposed to be "Welcome Inn," which sign adorned the -doorway; but Ted said that a better name would be "Never At Home" or, if -one must make a pun, "S'm' Other Time Inn." - -But in a few days the girls from the other resort had departed, leaving -two recent seniors with their classmate, Marcella, and the two younger -girls, Peggy Pollard and Gwendolyn Penrose, who finally spent part of -their time at Marcella's and the rest at Carolyn's. - -Betty enjoyed all the trips, but she still liked the water best, in it -to swim, or on it to explore the coast, with its bays and inlets or to -go out upon the bounding billows that Chet teased Betty about, as far as -it was wise for the boys to take the motor boat. - -And this was how it happened that Betty was drawn into one tragic -occurrence which might have entirely spoiled the summer's pleasure for -her and brought distress upon some of her friends. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - THE STORM - - -It was curious. Betty often thought and commented upon it afterwards at -home. Sometimes it seems as if in such curious, almost intentional ways, -lives cross each other. Yet Betty wondered how she happened to come into -the design in this instance. Her father told her that she was just one -instrument of Providence, used because she could be of service and was -"good in the humanities." - -And who would have thought that here, away off from home on the coast of -Maine?--but one must take events in order. - -It was in the second week of good times. One night there was a sudden -and terrific storm, or so it seemed to Betty. The sea boomed and lashed -the shore. Lightning flashed and thunder resounded or crashed with the -bolts close at hand. Such small shipping as the village boasted had come -hurrying to the protection of the small bay and breakwater. - -The girls, rather frightened at first, bravely tried not to show it, -though they were wondering whether the boys had gotten in safely from a -fishing trip. "Don't worry," said Mr. Gwynne. "The sky was lowering -about dusk. If they were too far up the coast they would put in -somewhere and land." - -But the girls were uneasy and Betty was very much interested in her -first big storm by the sea. "I wish we could go down to the dock to see -things," she said. - -"Well, why not?" asked Carolyn. "As soon as it stops pouring, we'll put -on our ponchos and galoshes and go down. It's not thundering much now. -The storm's gone out to sea!" - -Mrs. Gwynne had no objection. A little later, protected from the still -falling rain and equipped with flashlights, the girls ran or slipped on -rocks and sand to the shore, warned against going too close. "No big -wave is going to carry us off, Mother," Carolyn assured Mrs. Gwynne. -"We'll look at it from a safe distance I promise you." - -At first they went by the usual "back way," but found that at one point -they could not safely pass. Waves dashed in against rocks that even at -high tide they had found at some distance from the line of water. -Accordingly they returned, by the ascent and steps, to the Gwynne -grounds, from which a longer way led to the village and small docks. - -Other people were out. Lanterns, rubber-coated men and women, with -umbrellas, rubbers or galoshes, splashing through puddles, were in -evidence. "Hello there!" cried a familiar voice. It was Chet Dorrance -whose big flashlight had discovered the girls. There were the boys! - -"Oh, we were worrying a little about you boys," said Betty, as Chet took -her arm and fell into step, guiding her around an immense puddle. "We -tried to telephone Marcella and 'Welcome Inn,' too, but the fuse had -burned out or something." - -"The storm has knocked everything out," returned Chet. "We got home all -right. I pity any boat that got caught tonight. We found good luck, not -so far away, and when we saw that there was going to be a storm, we came -back. Perhaps we wouldn't have come if we hadn't already had more fish -than we could use. How about Gwynne Haven. Want any fish, or shall we -have a big fish fry tomorrow?" - -This last was in a louder tone to Carolyn, who with Kathryn was behind, -accompanied by several more of the boys. - -"Oh, the fish fry by all means," called Carolyn. - -"How can we have a fish fry after this?" asked Betty. - -"Very likely tomorrow will be as bright as can be, Betty," said Chet. -"Gee whilikers, look at the dock!" - -By this time they had reached the dock, where more than one boat owner -had come down to see how his shipping fared. The boys found their boat -intact and uninjured, and when Carolyn found that they had intended to -come later on to "Gwynne Haven," the new name for the new cottage, she -told them to "come right along." - -"We'll stop for Marcella and the rest," continued Carolyn, "and have a -fudge party. Then we can plan the fish fry." - -Not all the boats had fared as well as the launch used by the boys of -"Welcome Inn." Betty felt troubled over several rather distracted women -whose "men-folks" had not come in. She overheard some woman assure them -that they were "probably safe ashore somewhere," but Betty knew that -this was said only to cheer them a little. Oh, dear, the sea and fishing -and boating were not all fun! - -The fudge party was a success. Wet ponchos and coats and overshoes were -hung around to dry while the savory odor of cooking fudge made pleasant -anticipations. Arthur Penrose drew a funny sketch of Ted almost falling -out of the boat in the effort to land a big fish. Then, on a piece of -cardboard which Carolyn furnished, he made a poster of the fish fry. -Art's imagination ran riot and Betty watched his bold strokes and the -funny figures that resulted, with as much hilarity as the rest. "Oh, you -ought to do comic strip, Art," she exclaimed. "You'd make a fortune." - -"Sh-hh!" returned Arthur, in a loud whisper. "It's a secret. That is my -present ambition. All I need is the idea!" - -"That is _good_" was Larry Waite's verdict, when he and Judson Penrose -surveyed the result, with Marcella and another Kappa Upsilon. "Unless -some of you girls want it, we'll tack that up in 'Nobody T-Home' -tomorrow." - -"But don't throw it away when we go home," said Marcella. "We need that -as a souvenir of the summer. Arthur, may I sit for my portrait?" - -"Yes, ma'am," said Arthur, with affected timidity, "but I'm very -expensive, you know." - -"What is that to me," scornfully Marcella replied. "I could raise a -thousand as easily as a--hundred." - -"Yes," laughed her brother. "Marcella said this morning that she had -just five cents left of her allowance." - -"Now, Larry! You know it is not polite to tell family secrets, -especially about money." - -"Well, who mentioned money first, I ask the assembled company?" - -Betty, laughing, caught Larry's eye, and he stretched a hand to lift her -from her seat by Arthur. "Come, Titania; you have wasted enough time in -encouragement of _art_, with or without a capital letter. Let's turn on -the victrola. No radio tonight, I reckon. It was sputtering to beat the -band at our shack awhile ago." - -"A lot of interference from ships and shore," said Ted Dorrance, "beside -the weather--naught but static this eve." - -Hot fudge was good and the evening was merry, yet all of the young -company were more or less conscious of the sea and its restless menace. - -Yet when morning came, it was as Chet had said, bright and sunny, with a -blue sky. The waves were still high and the stretch of water to the -skyline a glorious sight. Betty selected a high rock, back of the beach -proper, some distance from the Gwynne cottage, where she could sit and -watch the incoming rollers with their white crests. The girls had gone -down early in the hope of finding new shells brought in by the storm. -Betty had a little market bag full of pretty ones. "I have to watch this -a long time, Kathryn," said she soberly to her friend, who had followed -her. "Do you suppose it could fade out of a body's mind, just like a -film that you had taken full of pictures and then didn't have -developed?" - -"Well, you _are_ original, Betty! Who else would think of that? I'd like -to remember it, too. I feel as if something is going to happen, Betty. -Why, do suppose?" - -"Something _is_ going to happen, the fish fry this afternoon." - -"I know." - -"Are you like that sometimes, Gypsy?" - -"Yes. It must by my 'gypsy blood!'" - -"As you haven't any, it must be something else. How about nerves from -staying up till all hours last night?" - -"Perhaps. But the whole village was up and we stayed in bed as late as -we could and not miss getting shells." - -This conversation was interrupted by the arrival of more of their -friends. Ted had his big camera and took Betty and Kathryn on their rock -as well as snap-shots of shore and surf and groups of people here and -there. - -The fish fry in the afternoon was a source of more fun. All of them were -more or less accustomed to picnics and cooking in the open. Larry and -Ted had for fun brought immense cooks' aprons and announced that they -were chefs and "chief cooks and bottle washers." Some spills occurred -and a few fish were rather overdone; but that was better than not to be -done enough. Pickles and rolls were "easier" than making sandwiches; and -for dessert they had new England doughnuts and various sorts of fruit, -according to the taste of those who chose the contributions. Lemonade, -brought in "joy hats," and bottles of pop regaled them when thirsty. - -Not a plan was made for the next day. Every body was too lazy. -"Something will turn up, girls," said Larry Waite. "If nothing else we -can always take a ride in the launch. It's a little too rough today, -though." - -The local movie was well attended that night. Ted, to Betty's pleased -surprise, invited her to accompany him. Carolyn went with Archie -Penrose, Kathryn with Arthur, Gwen with Chet Dorrance and Peggy Pollard -with Judd Penrose. Marcella and the other Kappa Upsilons had "other -arrangements" at a party outside of this resort. - -The "theatre party," as Ted called, it, attended the "first show," and -after more or less attractive refreshments at the local ice-cream shop, -the girls were duly taken home by boys that said they must have their -"beauty sleep" and left with nothing beyond a visit on the front porch. - -Gwen Penrose and Peggy Pollard were staying at Carolyn's now and Gwen -giggled a little when they went to their rooms, rather relieved, after -all, that the boys had not come in for another party. One did have to -have a little rest sometimes. "The boys have something on hand tonight," -said Gwen. "I got an inkling from Archie, though he wouldn't tell me -what they're going to do--some boy stuff. My, doesn't being outdoors so -much make you sleepy?" - -"Yes," Betty happened to be the one to reply, she would be "as hoarse as -a gull if she didn't make so much noise tonight. It's going to put me to -sleep and that soon!" - -But Betty reckoned without considering how many things are absolutely -necessary to talk over. As there was another room connecting with -Carolyn's, Gwen and Peggy had been put there; but the girls went back -and forth and Gwen in gay pajamas sat on Betty's bed to talk for an -hour, till Peggy called her and told her she would be "as hoarse as a -gull if she didn't either come to bed or get her robe around her." - -At that Betty made room for Gwen under her soft covers and never knew -when Gwen, whispering to deaf ears, finally, went to her own bed in the -next room. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - A SURPRISING RESCUE - - -Whatever it was that the boys had in mind or carried out that night, it -must have kept them up till late or early hours, in spite of their -joking about "beauty sleep." Although the girls were on the beach more -or less the next morning, not a sign did they see of any one from -"Welcome Inn" or "Nobody At Home." Everybody must have been at home. But -all that any of the girls ever knew about performances was what Gwen -told them, as Archie informed her it was "some sort of an initiation." - -Betty Lee wondered how it was possible for the sea to be so calm on only -the second day after a storm like the one she had witnessed. There was -the swell, to be sure, and the rollers came in as usual. The surf was -just as beautiful and she experienced the delights of cutting the waves -as she and Carolyn swam out as far as they dared. But the rocks lashed -by the storm were now dry. No heaving, tossing maelstrom met the eye. -Gently the boats at the little docks rocked up and down, lapped by such -waves as reached them. - -It was after lunch when Larry Waite, in his "adorable" yachting outfit -and looking like a captain, Gwen said, stood at the Gwynne door, cap in -hand. "Oh, come in, Larry," welcomed Carolyn, jumping up from a low -rocker and dropping the bit of embroidery that she was doing. - -Larry entered and looked around with some amusement. "What!" said he -teasingly, "is this the sewing circle? Can't you find anything else to -do on Maine shores?" - -"Oh, we've been out all morning and ate so much lunch that we're past -going for awhile. Besides, Gwen is showing us a new stitch." This was -Peggy Pollard, who offered the explanation. - -"Your excuses are accepted," laughed Larry, "and I'll not mention what -_we_ have been doing all morning." - -"Snoozing!" cried Gwen. "I know!" - -"And didn't we need it!" replied Larry. "But that is all by the way, -girls. I've come to deliver an invitation from the crowd. Ted and Art -are routing out some provisions from the groceries and such. How about a -trip in the old boat and dinner some place?" - -"Oh--grand!" cried Gwen. - -"You've saved our lives," said Carolyn, with exaggerated gratitude, -resigning her circle of embroidery with an air of "nothing more to do -with you!" "When do we start?" - -"Meet me by yonder swelling wave in half an hour," grinned Larry, -looking at Betty, who had said nothing but looked her approval of the -plan. "In other words, I'm going down now to see that the tug's in shape -and if you will be down at the dock in half an hour or so, it will give -us time to do anything necessary and stow away the hardtack. Besides, -don't you girls always have things to do like powdering your noses or -being sure that the vanity what you call it is along?" - -"You are only forgiven because of the nice invitation, Larry," said -Kathryn. "You forget that we are laying on a fashionable coat of tan -these days." - -"Sure enough." Larry was on the porch by this time, fleeing in pretended -fear from threatening looks. "I'm glad you want to go, girls, and if you -want to bring any fishing tackle of your own, we may fish a little -before we get back. The sea is fine and we may go as far as a little -island I know." - -There was great scurrying around for a little while, also much wagging -of tongues. Costumes were quickly changed, for with Larry looking as he -did, they must dress the part. Besides, the boat was pretty fit, and -Betty asked Gwen again if you "could call it a yacht." - -"It's as big as some that have the name," replied Gwen, "and it's big -enough to go to sea in, though I'd hate to be caught in it if there were -a storm like the one we just had." - -"Oh, sailors weather them, in littler boats than that," Kathryn -declared. - -Soon, on board, the boat guided by Larry Waite's experienced hand, Betty -Lee, Carolyn Gwynne, Kathryn Allen, Peggy Pollard and Gwendolyn Penrose -were the guests of Larry, Ted and Chet Dorrance, Arthur and Archie -Penrose. Judd Penrose had motored up to join Marcella and her friends, -but as Ted told Betty privately, he and Larry "escaped." "You see, -Betty, there's a girl that I'd a little rather--well I don't mean that -she exactly likes me, but anyhow I didn't want to go and Larry felt the -same way. With a lot of nice girls right here, what's the use?" - -This amused Betty, who knew that some girls did more or less pursue Ted. -"Thanks for the compliment to us, Ted," she answered. "I'm glad you and -Larry didn't go. A picnic is just what I'm wanting, too." - -Facing the ocean, just as if she were going to land in Spain or France -or some other delightful country, Betty felt that the world was a large -place this afternoon. Larry took them out from bays and rocks to where -the going was safe. Strange birds dived into waves ahead of them after -their prey, or floated upon the water, rising and falling with the -movement of the sea, to fly as the boat approached them. And just as -young appetites began to be ready for the good picnic supper, there in -sight was the island of which Larry had spoken. The course had been -changed after they were well away from the shore, toward the north -first, then toward the coast again, as Larry executed a curve, as it -were, to approach this island from the proper angle. Carefully he took -the boat into the bay scarcely worthy of the name, so shallow was it. -But there was a rickety floating dock attached to the shore and a rocky -way cut, by which they all were soon ascending to the top of a low -cliff. Other rocks beyond were higher and a little woods invited them to -picnic. There was a spring of clear water, which was probably what made -the island a resort for picnics. - -The first thing was to appease hunger. Carolyn had gathered up some -fresh doughnuts made that morning by their New England cook and had -taken bodily a fresh veal loaf, but with her mother's permission. This -bit of homemade cookery added pleasantly to what the boys had purchased -at the village stores. They would be able to satisfy hunger at least! - -For possibly half an hour or more they regaled themselves and talked, -then discussed whether they should do any fishing, for this was supposed -to be a good place, or whether they should merely roam over the island a -little and then take to the boat again. While this more or less -important decision was being made, they were suddenly quite surprised by -the arrival of a stranger, who came over a little rise of the rocky land -beyond the trees and approached them. He was a somewhat haggard-looking -man, whose clothing was tumbled and mussed. He wore an old sweater and -his old felt hat was pulled down almost over his dark eyes. - -He sharply looked over the little company before him, then came more -rapidly toward them. "It is fortunate for me that you came here for your -picnic," said he. "I _thought_ I heard voices! I was wrecked here in the -storm and I wonder if I can get you to take me over to the mainland." - -"Of course we can," said Larry pleasantly. He had risen and was taking -in the stranger as keenly as that man was regarding the group. - -"Were you hurt? And did you lose your boat and companions?" - -"There's nobody here but me," the man replied, rather too hastily, Larry -thought. "I'm not hurt very much, but I ought to get to a doctor as soon -as I can." - -"All right," said Larry. "We want to run over the island a little, to -show it to the girls, and then we'll be ready to go. You must be hungry, -if you've been here with nothing to eat since the storm. Girls, isn't -there something we can fix for him right away?" - -But the man was waving his hands rather distractedly. "Oh, why must you -wait? There's nothing but rocks here! Let's go at once! Besides, if I -can get some one to come back and fix my boat for me I may save it -before the waves beat it to pieces!" - -"Maybe we can fix it for you," suggested Ted, springing to his feet, but -winking at Archie, as he turned. Afterwards he said that he had his -suspicions of all's not being as it seemed. - -"No, no, no," excitedly said the man, with a gesture as if he would keep -Ted back. "Take me away at once!" he cried, and as if to prove his need -he sank to the ground, startling the girls, who jumped up at once. - -"Oh, the poor fellow!" exclaimed Carolyn. - -"Ted, we'd better take him right away! He's all used up, shipwrecked and -everything!" - -"So he is," said Ted, starting toward the man. "Pour me a cup of that -coffee, Carolyn. We'll get something hot inside of him. Larry, I'd -suggest that we get him down into the boat right away. Pack up the -stuff, kids." - -Larry was bending over the man, lifting him to a sitting position, for -he had not fainted. His hat had fallen off and he reached for it -himself, pulling it down over his forehead again. Betty Lee was staring -at him. Where had she seen that man before and heard that voice? - -The coffee was gratefully swallowed and he accepted a doughnut with it, -though Carolyn was not sure that a doughnut was the best thing for a -starving man. "I can wait to eat more until you all come," suggested the -man. "I am feeling pretty good now. If I can just get to the mainland. -I'll tell you just where to land me." - -"Never mind now," said Larry. "We'll take you where you want to go." -Larry was not to carry out that statement, but he did not know it as she -made it. - -There was a little group of the boys around the man now and Ted, -speaking to Archie, who had said something Betty did not hear, said, -"All right, Archie--you help Larry take him to the boat and I'll help -here. We'll be away in a jiffy." - -Larry and Archie kindly helped the man over the rocks and down to the -boat, while Ted turned to the other boys and girls speaking now in a low -tone. "I'm suspicious of that chap," said Ted. "I think Larry is, too. -Don't hurry too much and go down one at a time carrying something, -girls. Come on, Chet. You and I will go over the island a bit and see -what this wreck is." - -Arthur, who had been making a funny sketch of the picnic party when the -man appeared, now put his paper in his pocket and told the girls that it -seemed to be "up to him to pack the stuff." - -"Not a bit of it," said Carolyn. "Didn't you hear Ted tell us not to -hurry. Go on with the boys." - -"I'll see where they're going," returned Arthur, "and come back to -protect you!" - -The girls laughed at this, and Carolyn began to separate some of the -most attractive remains to be packed together, ready for a good lunch -for the "shipwrecked sailor." She was the first one to go down to the -boat, carrying this. Gwen followed her shortly, then Peggy. Kathryn and -Betty were beginning to gather up the rest of the equipment, except the -heavier articles, which they had been "ordered" to leave for the boys, -when there came a hail and Chet came leaping over the rocks in the -background, crossing from the rise of ground as the stranger had done -before him. "Where's the rest of that coffee?" he demanded. "We've found -the boat all right, out of commission and there's a fellow in it--bound -and gagged he was--that old scoundrel!" - -"Oh, Chet!" cried Betty. "Why, Carolyn took the thermos bottle and the -coffee to the boat, for the man if he should want anything more." - -"What _that_ fellow needs is a rope and a limb!" growled Chet, not -waiting to be polite, but scrambling down the rocks to where the boat -stood waiting. Betty and Kathryn left their baskets to run in the -direction of the rocks. They had hoped to see something of this pretty -island as it was. Through and over the rocks they speedily went and -there stretched before them an irregular path, winding among more trees -and disappearing in the direction of another shore where the wash of the -surf could be heard. - -They started down the path, but were surprised to see Ted and Arthur, -slowly approaching and half carrying some one between them. "You'll be -all right, old fellow, as soon as you get limbered up a little," Ted was -saying. - -"Shall we set you down for a moment or can you keep going?" - -Something indistinct was replied. It does not help communication to have -been gagged for some little time. And Ted was _laughing_ at the reply! -Betty and Kathryn were horrified; but all in a moment they saw who it -was that was being carried as more than once he had been helped from the -football field at Lyon High. It was the Don! Obviously Chet had not -waited to see who it was. - -Ted grinned when he saw Betty. "He says it's a little worse than -athletics, Betty, but he can make it." Then Ted's expression changed. - -"Please hurry up Chet with that coffee and then tell him to see to it -that the boys tie up that old villain!" - -In a flash Betty sensed the situation. It was the "villain!" She had -only seen him once, and then not any too well--but she should have known -the voice, though not quite so suave as when he had called upon her -father to inquire for Ramon. - -"Ramon Sevilla!" she gasped. But it was no time to learn how all this -had happened. She turned back with Kathryn, but Chet in a great hurry -passed them and was giving Ramon a drink of the coffee. - -Affairs moved rapidly after this. Betty and Kathryn gathered up the rest -of the picnic supplies and hurried to the boat. There Larry and Archie -had secured the "villain," who was angry and dangerous, they said. "Oh, -you'd go off and leave somebody to die, would you?" belligerently -queried Chet. - -"I would have come back with my friends for him," growled the angry man. - -"And what would you have done with him then? Yes, you'll tell that to -the judge!" - -But they fed the villain as well as Ramon, the "Don" of football fame, -over whom they all rejoiced. Ramon was in no condition to tell his story -and interested as they all were, they waited and asked no questions. The -boys made him comfortable in the little cabin, fed him and left him to -sleep. They told the girls how they had found the boat, really disabled -as the man had said, and as they investigated they heard a low moan. -Ramon could not call to them for the man had gagged him, presumably when -he knew that the picnickers had landed there. There had evidently been a -struggle against the gagging process, though Ramon had been securely -tied before, he had given them to understand. Half conscious now, he had -still recognized Ted and when freed had gradually come to himself. "You -can't get a good football player down!" declared Chet, referring to the -characteristic nerve with which Ramon insisted on trying to walk up the -path and over the rocks to the boat. "I didn't recognize him, -though--and the other boys untied him." - -The trip home was quiet but beautiful. The boys were more or less -disturbed over their captive, and the girls kept far away from him. What -a pity it was, thought Betty, that people should be so bad in such a -beautiful world. The sunset colors were just as glorious as ever and the -sky was mirrored upon the water. "Where every prospect pleases and only -man is vile," she quoted to Larry, at the wheel, to his amusement. To -him she related all the story of Ramon as far as she knew it. "How glad -he will be to know about his mother and sister," said she, "and that -they are safe! And it will be wonderful for them. I believe I'll send a -telegram in the morning--or would you?" - -"I'll send one if you like, Betty--for you. But perhaps we'd better find -out what Ramon wants first. He might like to be the one to open -communication." - -"Yes. You are right, Larry." - -"Stay right by me, Betty Lee," said Larry at this juncture, for Betty, -drawn by his beckoning hand had joined him. "Don't you want to learn how -to steer a boat, much as you like the sea?" - -"Yes, I do. Will you show me, Larry? You like the water, too, don't you? -I didn't know it till this summer." - -"I'm very fond of any kind of water and most of all the sea, though I'm -no goldfish," and Larry laughed, looking at the waving golden locks now -blown by the ocean breeze. - -"How did you ever hear that!" cried Betty. "I wish the girls wouldn't -tell everything!" - -"Don't worry. I'll not think of you as a goldfish, though that's funny, -Betty. But I think of you as Titania--on All Hallowe'en, you know." -Larry looked at Betty meaningly, and Betty smiled, but dropped her eyes -before Larry's. Fortunately Gwen and Carolyn came up just then to -comment on Betty's having the wheel. "Don't upset us, Betty," said Gwen. - -"I won't; Larry is watching me, and it's only for a minute." - -The boys took Ramon to their own shack, while the villain was lodged in -the village jail, after Ramon had been consulted in regard to the -charges to be brought against him. There were plenty, Ramon said, theft, -practical kidnapping and the cruel treatment that might have resulted in -death. But Ramon was too exhausted to talk much. The man gave his name -as Peter Melinoff, very different from that he had given Betty's father, -and the boys said it was a joke, for he was "no more Russian than a -rabbit." "It's just one of his aliases," suggested Archie Penrose. - -But the great disappointment to all, and a tragic one to Ramon, -apparently was that on the third night from the one on which the two had -been brought to the village, the man who had done so much to injure -Ramon broke jail and fled. It was very likely that he had gotten word in -some way to his friends, Ramon said. And worst of all, Ramon would not -allow word to be sent as yet to his mother and sister. He had told them -to wait at first. Then, after the jailbird had flown, he said that he -would not send word at all. - -"The reason is this," said Ramon. "He has finally gotten hold of even -the jewels that I have kept so long, for my mother and sister if I ever -found them. He was trying to get me to sign a paper finally putting it -out of our power to get the property that he has and that is ours. I -must follow him, and it is none too safe, as recent events indicate. I -_will not_ permit him to rob us; and now I have some grounds on which to -hold him." - -"But please don't do it all by yourself," said Betty, who was having -this final conversation with Ramon. - -"Betty, if I get what belongs to us, it is all right. If I do not, how -could I pay for a detective? I will do this, though. If I succeed in -getting the jewels again, I will see that they get to your father for my -mother. Now that I have all of you back of me I will not be afraid of -being arrested for having 'stolen jewels,' as that fellow always -threatened. Then, if the jewels come, there will be a letter for my -mother and Ramona Rose. But it would be cruel to stir them up about me -now. Don't you see?" - -Betty did see. The story was not complete yet, but Ramon had told them -all about how he had had an offer of a good salary in Canada by people -who proved to be carriers of liquor into the United States, merely -Detroit rum-runners after all. There were some "big people" in it, Ramon -said, and he was having difficulty in getting safely out of the toils -when this man appeared, having relations with the ring of rum-runners, -and took charge of Ramon. That was how in one of the trucks he had been -brought to the coast where he had at first thought that escape might be -easy. He had made no objection to the proposed trip for that reason and -was inveigled into the boat, where he found "Peter Melinoff" and had to -endure his unholy joy and a species of torture while the man made the -effort to have Ramon sign the paper. He had held out until the storm, -which for a time ended his troubles, though, he was still tied and -expected to go down in the sea. But at the end of the storm they were -cast on the island and the man who was with "Peter" either fell -overboard and was drowned or was assisted to that fate by Peter. There -seemed nothing too desperate for him to do. - -"Well, Ramon, remember," said Betty at the last of their interview, -"that any mother and sister I know would rather have you safe than any -amount of property or jewels or anything." - -"Yes," thoughtfully said Ramon. "My mother and sister are like that. But -I am no weakling and I know more than when I was brought to this -country. I'll promise you just one thing, for their sakes--not to take -such risks again. I have a little money sewed in my clothing. They did -not find that. In fact, for some time I have been in the habit of always -having something hidden for an emergency. If you knew, Betty--well, if I -never get back you may tell my mother and sister that I constantly -thought of them. In six months I expect to see you all." - -There was only one consolation to the girls who had taken such an -interest: the authorities would now get after the ring. Ramon would not -be alone in his search, after all; but the day after the man called -Peter Melinoff had broken out of jail, Ramon was gone. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - VACATION'S LAST FLING - - -"Gid-ap!" cried Betty, waving a willow switch, but not touching her old -horse with it. Four or five girls were urging their gentle steeds along -the pretty country road near the camp to which Betty Lee and Kathryn had -come for their last fling before school. - -"This is like old days at the farm," remarked Betty, rather jerkily, as -her horse picked up his pace and stride and jolted her. One of the girls -that Betty had recently met at camp passed now with a clatter of horse's -hoofs and a flapping of girl elbows. - -"She can't ride any better than we can," cried Kathryn, grinning. "It's -us for riding lessons this fall, isn't it Betty?" - -Betty only nodded. This was great fun, riding up hill and down dale in -the country-side near the camp to which Betty had duly come, although -all that they had planned had not been carried out. Mr. Lee had not -brought Mrs. Lee and Amy Lou to New England, since business in New York -held him there. But the Penroses, driving up to the Maine village to -investigate all its delights, of which they were hearing in letters from -Gwen and cards from their sons, left at the psychological moment, Gwen -said, to take Kathryn and Betty with them. - -It was a little hard to leave Carolyn behind. She had given up all idea -of camp and Betty really did not see how any one could leave the ocean -unless she had to. But the restless boys had been making ready to leave -on some other trip, by boat, if Larry Waite had his way. There would be -some scattering. - -Betty and Kathryn were taken by car to Boston, where they embarked for -New York, going on a "delirious" jaunt by a coast steamer to New York. -There they joined the Lees, Amy Lou doing the honors of the city with -great dignity and telling the girls where to see different things of -importance. Betty would not spoil Amy Lou's enthusiasm by reminding her -that she had been there before. That was one pleasant custom in the Lee -family, to give each member a fair chance with enthusiasms or -accomplishments. To take the wind out of anybody's sails--well, that was -too deadly! - -But Betty and Kathryn had a gay time for a a week. They ate lobster in -one delightful place and had French dainties in another. And both agreed -that no summer which they ever should have could come up to this one. -Here they were now in this wonderful camp; and Betty declared that -having seen her father and mother and Amy Lou had been quite enough to -stave off any homesickness. She never _would_ want to go home now. -Imagine! School! - -This was more like school in numbers, this Indiana camp of Girl -Reserves. The group in the Maine village had been more or less an -exclusive, or small one. Here were about sixty girls, only a few of whom -Betty knew, though there were some from other high schools in her home -city. And were they _friendly_--and _noisy_, at certain times? So Betty -queried in her home letter written the day after arrival. But it was -only the camp freedom, supervised, to be sure, that found expression -here as in all camps. - -Betty and Kathryn, rather expecting this to be something of an -anti-climax after Maine, were pleasantly disappointed. Why, it was -"gorgeous!" And it may be that the extravagant expressions of youth were -justified. It was "like being away to school--and without lessons!" -Betty's only other camp experience had been a week-end attendance upon a -Fall Retreat. That she had "loved" and it had made her happy in her -interest in Lyon "T," but it did not last long enough. By arrangement -she was here for three weeks and would see some changes in the personnel -of the girls. Many of them came for only a week; some, for two weeks. - -The camp had been a gift to the Y. W. C. A., and consisted of the -buildings and grounds of a country resort, close to a tiny country town. -The main building, originally a country hotel or club house, was a -three-story structure and had been adapted to its present use, very much -like a girls' dormitory. Wide porches, a large room with a fireplace for -the open fires they sometimes had in cool evenings, an immense dining -room, a big "back porch" which was practically a large room and now -glassed in and screened, to be thrown open often--all these were -prominent features. - -There were several small cottages and because the next group of Girl -Reserves was a large one, Kathryn and Betty had been placed in one of -these, as they were to stay over into the next period. The girls were at -first a trifle disappointed, but when they found that a phoebe was -nesting on the ledge above their very door, undisturbed with their -passing in and out, they were quite delighted. - -Main building, cottages and all were perched on a wooded bluff above the -banks of a beautiful little river. It was not the ocean, to be sure, but -Betty was satisfied when she first realized the loveliness of the place, -its tall trees, the birds nesting close by and their songs in the -morning. And oh, the nice space! Little country roads, deep hollows, -thick woods, all sorts of growths with the wild flowers of the late -season! There was a safe backwater in which to swim and bathe--and the -water was warm, and did not taste salty! Inland country had a beauty of -its own. Moreover, there was some one to tell you about everything. - -A young science instructor from one of the colleges had charge of a -nature interest group, for which Betty and Kathryn promptly signed. -Betty joined the dramatic group and Kathryn signed up for handicraft. -Both were in the recreation group, and they concluded that a poetry club -would be "instructive." - -Yet it was not in the least like school and classes. The nature group -met out under the trees and planned or executed a hike. The recreation -group played tennis, volley ball and other outdoor games or scampered -over the country on horseback, as Betty and Kathryn were doing now. The -dramatic group took the lead in the funny plays or masquerades or stunts -with which the whole camp was entertained. - -And now the girls were jogging slowly home from their ride. The horses -would be given a little rest and another set of riders would have their -turn. - -"I had a note from Ramon this morning, Kathryn," said Betty, as she tied -her horse to the proper place and joined Kathryn in a stroll down the -hill to the bridge that crossed the river. "I haven't had a good chance -before to tell you without somebody around." - -"Then he's still alive," said Kathryn, her eye on a rabbit that popped -out of the bushes and went scurrying down the little road. - -"He was when he wrote it," giggled Betty. Then she sobered, thinking -that it was not very nice of her to make a joke of anything connected -with that harassed boy. - -"You didn't tell us much about your talk with Ramon, Betty," remarked -Kathryn, with an air of inviting confidences. - -"There was so little of it," musingly returned Betty. "Look! There's -that Kentucky warbler that we've been trying to see! I didn't know that -they nested here till Miss Davenport told us." - -"Well, Kentucky is the name of it, and if this _is_ Indiana, camp isn't -so far north of the Ohio River." - -Even the girls' low voices had made the bird whisk out of sight again. -Quiet indeed must she who follows the birds learn to be! There was no -further conversation while the girls stealthily tiptoed to a vantage -point and watched the thick bushes that concealed the warbler. Then--oh -joy!--there were both of the mates. First the male bird flew from the -bush to a tree above. On a lower limb, in plain sight, he rested for a -few moments, a ray of sunlight catching the bright yellow of his breast -and showing clearly the black markings of the head. But whisk--they were -both there on the same limb for a second, then gone! Bird study was like -that! - -"Now you see them and now you don't see them!" said Betty, wishing that -she had her notebook. "Don't let me forget, Kathryn, to put all that -down for our reports, and about the little field sparrow's nest we found -at the foot of that tree. Gracious! I'm afraid now of _stepping_ on some -nest when we dash around!" - -"Go on about Ramon, Betty." - -The girls stopped on the great bridge and leaned on its railing to look -down at the water below. A little green heron started from a thicket -close to the river and a spotted sandpiper flew close to the sands or -gravel upon a "sand-bar" and kept on its low flight for some distance up -the stream. - -"I suppose I told you how relieved he was to hear that his mother and -sister were found and all right. I tried to get him to see how much more -his mother would want him than any money, but he doesn't look at it that -way." - -"Maybe there's some reason we don't know, Betty. Then folks are -different about those things. Perhaps they _do_ care about the jewels -and their family and all more than about _living_, without them." - -Betty considered. "I suppose they do hate to be taken advantage of and I -suppose awful things must have happened through that old scoundrel." -Betty looked around almost as if she expected to see him. "Oh, let's -forget about it. Ramon Sevilla-sky will just have to have his old -adventures if he will be so obstinate. All he said in his letter was -that he _was_ still alive and on the trail. He just wrote to thank me -for everything, he said, and he could write to Father later on, if he -had any success." - -Kathryn, who had laughed at Betty's combination of Ramon's name, -repeated meaningly "_if he has any success_!" - -When the girls went back to headquarters again, they found things -humming as usual in the merry beehive of activity. Bernadine Fisher, one -of the dramatic group, handed them each a large scrap of brown paper, -torn in irregular shape and written upon with a very black pencil. This -was the invitation to a barn dance, to take place that evening. "Look as -crazy as you can," said Bernadine. "And after the barn dance we're going -to put on our masterpiece. Don't forget, Betty, that you are the heroine -that gets kidnapped and everything. Ask Miss Mercer about costume. You -remember we talked about that." - -"Yes--but what do I _say_?" - -"Oh, make it up! The heroine doesn't have to say much. She will probably -be gagged anyhow if she is kidnapped!" - -"Yes, but I'm one of the villains," said Kathryn, "and we didn't write -up anything but the plot!" - -"That's all right. We almost never do for a stunt like this. Just get -the general idea and work out the details as you do it." - -Kathryn and Betty looked at each other with large-sized smiles as -Bernadine left them, though Betty was thinking to herself that -kidnapping and being gagged was not so funny in real life. She had seen -Ramon after such an experience. - -"This goes in my stunt-book," said Kathryn, holding up the artistically -torn piece of brown paper. "It's loads of fun, Betty, but I guess we'd -better see Miss Mercer about when to come in with our speeches. It -wouldn't do to be standing around waiting for each other before the -audience. What did I ever let you work me into this play for?" - -"You know you wouldn't miss it, Gypsy! Oh, yes, Miss Davenport, I should -say we _will_ help you put up the bird pictures! Wait till I get the -thumb tacks for you. Have we really seen that many?" - -On the big sun porch Kathryn and Betty were soon busy helping put up, -from the excellent portfolio of bird pictures published by the New York -State Museum or the "University of the State of New York," such pictures -as represented birds actually seen by the nature group in camp. "We have -not as many as we would see in the migration season," Miss Davenport -explained, "but it is easy enough to get at least fifty birds that nest -about here on our list. I'm making a tree list now for the camp; and -don't forget to report all the wild flowers, girls." - -The play that night was a great success, a few bad moments for the -actors, when something wrong was done, resulting only in shrieks of -delight and enjoyment from the audience. It was rather entertaining to -hear several startled and perfectly distinct remarks from a heroine that -was supposed to be unable to speak or call for aid. But Betty thought -she was going to be dropped by the excited villains and spoke before she -thought. "Oh!" she finished much mortified, and Kathryn saved the day by -clapping a hand over the heroine's mouth and calling for "another gag." - -"She will rouse the neighbors yet!" cried Kathryn with a dramatic -gesture, "and all will be lost! See, varlets, that you make a good job -of it this time!" True, "varlets" and "job" scarcely seemed to belong to -the same vernacular, but what mattered a little thing like that? -Besides, they were giving a "real play" at the end of the week. - -Ah, the fun they had, the friendships they made and the lessons they -learned in "good sportsmanship" and living together! From reveille to -taps they went from one activity to another, or slept in rest hour, or -sang at meals. Two things Betty declared that she could never forget. -One was a wet evening when a fire in the big fireplace was comfortable. -It was their hearth fire and camp fire in one and the girls sat around -on the floor before it or ranged themselves in comfortable seats at a -greater distance, while one of the young teachers who was a fine -story-teller told all that they asked for of the old tales, and more -amusing or thrilling newer ones. - -The other great moment came during the beautiful ceremonial at the end -of the period. Betty and Kathryn had been leaders in the school -organization and found themselves useful here. Both received honors at -the recognition service. And oh, that lovely night, with its moon, its -firelight outdoors, its lights carried by the girls among the shadows -and its inspiration! - -"I like you, Betty Lee," facetiously, yet truthfully said one of the -camp directors as Betty bid her goodbye on the big bridge. A whole -procession of girls was walking across it to take the train at the -village station and a loaded old truck was ahead of them with suitcases -galore. - -The young director withdrew her arm which she had linked with Betty's as -she strolled with the girls as far as the bridge. - -"I mean it," laughed she. "You are a wholesome, happy girl, and I like -your influence upon other girls. I hope you'll be president of Lyon 'Y' -this year again." - -Betty shook her head in the negative, looking ahead at Kathryn who was -walking with one of their many new friends. "No--I've had that and I -want Kathryn in this year, if possible. But I'll work for it just as -hard and all the more for having been here! Thank you for your good -opinion of me--I'll try to deserve it. And we all just love _you_! Thank -you for everything! I've had just the _happiest_ time!" - -"I'm glad of that, my dear. Come back next year for we have bigger plans -than ever. Remember, Betty Lee, that wherever you go you are going to -have an influence you do not realize on other girls." - -"Mercy, Miss Dale, don't tell me that! I don't _want_ to! If there's -anything I hate it's trying to manage anybody!" - -"I don't mean that," smiled Miss Dale. "You may find out what I do mean -some day." - -But Betty dismissed this thought. The train was late and as the -crowd of girls waited they sang _Skin-a-ma-rink-a-dink-a-dink_, -_Sing-a-linga-ling_, _Yawning_, and other camp classics, varied by their -own versions and their hiking and goodbye songs. A tear or two had to be -wiped away over a few sentimental partings. But after the train came in, -demure and bright-eyed travelers happily boarded it. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - SENIORS! - - -Could it be possible that the short summer was over? The Lee family had -exchanged news and experiences and made ready for a busy school year. -Dick, whose new name for the family was the "Foxy Five," had changed -most of all since his summer at camp. All at once Dick seemed to have -grown up and to be as old as his twin, who had shown an earlier -maturity. He was rather heady and important upon his first arrival, but -had calmed down somewhat by the time of school's opening. He and Doris -rather took the house, to use their father's expression, and regaled -their parents with stories of camp life. They took a mild interest in -Betty's trips and spent some time together in arguing over camp matters, -or comparing notes on canoeing, swimming and the like. - -And now here they all were, in the same old scramble to get to school on -time. - -"It seems to me," said Mr. Lee, "that Betty might be more simply dressed -for school." - -He and Mrs. Lee were standing before the wide window of their front room -to watch Betty, Doris and Dick start to school. Amy Lou's active little -figure had already disappeared around the corner as she hurried off to -the grade school, near enough to be reached by walking. There Amy Lou -would be in the advanced class and felt very old indeed. - -The September morning was quite warm. Both girls wore cool, light frocks -and had taken great pains with their toilets; and Betty, as Doris had -told her, did not look as "schoolish" as usual. - -The three were talking and laughing as they swung their books and walked -with light, rapid steps toward the usual corner, where they would catch -the street car. Mr. Lee sometimes drove them to school; but this morning -he was working out something at home before going to his office. Betty -carried a new, shining brown brief-case. Doris had a gay bag. Dick swung -his books from a strap. - -In spite of Mr. Lee's critical remark, the paternal eyes that followed -the three were fond and smiling. Mrs. Lee laughed a little, as she -linked her arm in that of her husband and smiled up at him. "Betty is a -little more dressed up than usual, Father, I will admit. But there is -the first auditorium session this morning and Betty for the first time -will sit in the senior section!" - -"Ah!--I understand. No further explanation is necessary." - -"She can be a senior only once in this big school," reflectively added -Betty's mother. "I hope the child will have a happy year." - -"And not kill herself with all she wants to do," finished Mr. Lee, "but -I insist on the honor roll." - -"Betty's pride will keep her on that. We've talked things over, Betty -and I; but by this time we have found out that there is no way of -settling things beforehand. I'm not going to waste any time or energy in -worry." - -"Good!" laughingly returned Mr. Lee. "See that you keep to that -resolution. Doris is going to be more of a handful than Betty, for she -has great ideas sometimes and is more impulsive--ready to try anything -new. And Dick--I shall have to be a good father this year and keep an -eye upon what companions he has, any new ones. Perhaps I can get out to -some of the athletic events with him. I understand he's going to try to -get on some team or other." - -"Is that so?" queried Mrs. Lee, rather dismayed. "Get us an extra supply -of liniment then!" - -Meanwhile, Amy Lou had reached her school and her young friends. The -other three were on a crowded street car, full of high school pupils, -sitting and standing. Ignorant of their parents' plans for oversight, -they were naturally and properly filled with anticipations of the day or -making their own plans for the interesting program of events and -activities that lay ahead. - -Betty was not a little excited and happy over her new dignity as a -senior. Had she entered upon it unprepared, she might have been -confused. But three years in the large and well-organized high school of -which she was so proud and to which she was so loyal, had made her -entirely at home there. Now their classes had the opportunity to lead -and give tone to affairs. In some respects they must show what they -could do. This morning, taking their places in the large, central senior -section was the source of some thrills indeed. And boys and girls who -had successfully passed through the first three years of high school had -some reason to be proud. Senior complacency is another thing; but life -has a great way of taking that out of all of us. - -This morning, as the crowds of young people filled the doors and swarmed -up the aisles of the assembly hall, Carolyn, who was ahead in Betty's -small group of friends, deliberately stepped back at the row of seats -toward the front that was vacant, and gently pushed Betty in first. -"This is all right for this morning, isn't it?" she asked Kathryn, who -was next. "We want to hear everything." - -Betty gasped a little, for she knew that if she went in first she would -have to sit next to some boy coming in from the right hand aisle. It was -understood that the boys had the right half of the senior section; the -girls, the left. But the girls were pushing into the seats behind her, -so with no choice she obeyed Carolyn. Gwen was there, too, and Kathryn -was sending her in after Carolyn. It had happened, and Gwen was a -conditional senior in Lyon High. - -"You clever old skeezicks!--making me go in first!" Betty paused a -little to say this in Carolyn's ear. - -But Carolyn only grinned, then had the grace to change expression as she -said, "Betty, I'm sorry! Look who's coming." - -Betty looked, glanced back at the crowd of girls following and sat down -in a seat not quite midway, only to hop up again as she saw that the -whole row must be filled. "Oh, it's all right, Caro'. I'll not mind." - -Nonchalant, as nattily dressed as ever, Ted Dorrance had appeared in his -most effective suit, better looking than ever. Jack Huxley came toward -Betty, stopped in the exact middle of the row and looked down at her -from a somewhat superior height. - -"'Lo, Betty," said he in friendly fashion. - -"Hello, Jack," she responded. She sat down, tucked her books under the -seat and rose again to wait till the principal was ready to lead in the -salute to the flag, with which every assembly session began. - -Carolyn, repentant, began to talk to her, but Gwen was asking questions -on the other side of Carolyn. They were early. The room was not yet -full. - -"Have a good vacation, Betty?" asked Jack. - -"Ever so nice," replied Betty. - -"You didn't know that I saw you, did you in the East?" - -"No--where?" Betty looked up wonderingly. It was pleasant to have Jack -rather friendly, but the memory of that experience at his birthday party -and of her necessary frankness to him about it later was not a happy -one. And for him it had doubtless been more annoying. Well, she couldn't -help it. - -"I was with a party at an inn on a little Maine lake. We were just -leaving when you drove up. I knew some of your girls, but only the -Dorrances and Larry Waite of the boys." - -"Oh--yes--I remember. But I didn't see you at all. Of course I wasn't -looking for any one that I knew. I didn't look at you and not speak, did -I?" - -"No. One of the boys was out and snapping a picture of you all in the -car." - -"Oh, that was Archie Penrose! Funniest thing--we met the Penroses on the -way East. I was with the Gwynnes, motoring. We all got acquainted, of -course, and they said they were thinking of moving here. Then we were -together in a lot of fun in Maine; Kathryn and I motored to Boston with -them, and I never knew at all that Mr. Penrose was considering going -into the same firm my father's in, not until I was home and Father asked -me 'who are these Penroses you talk about? There's a man by that name in -the firm now!'" - -"Probably Penrose was undecided and not talking about it," Jack -suggested. - -"That was it--so Father supposed. And Father was awfully busy in New -York, too full of his own affairs to listen to my babblings. And -probably I didn't babble to him much, either." - -Betty was babbling now and knew it. She had always tried to be as -friendly to Jack in public as would ordinarily be natural. - -Some thought of the sort seemed to occur to Jack. All at once he bent -toward her and said, "You're a peach, Betty Lee. I've forgiven you." He -said it with a laugh and turned to speak to the boy standing on his -other side. - -Betty sighed with relief and turned to Carolyn; but a hush fell over the -assembly and all eyes were on the principal and the flag. - -Busy, pushing hours followed. After all, there was something good about -being at work. You were getting somewhere and there wasn't any time -going to waste! - -After school some of the girls were playing hockey and a number were at -the tennis court. There, tired after games, a group of the reunited -seniors were gathered. On a grassy elevation, heels dug into the slight -incline, Betty, Carolyn and Mary Emma Howland were recovering breath -from their last effort. - -"One thing," Mary Emma was saying, "about playing hockey with seniors is -that they know how to play by this time and you're not in danger of -having some girl swing her stick over her head and give you a side -swipe!" - -That amused Carolyn Gwynne. "Did I ever hit you when I was a freshman, -Mary Emma?" - -"Never, Carolyn. _You_ don't get excited when you're learning anything. -Who beat at tennis?" - -"Betty beat, you might know," laughed Carolyn, looking at her recent -opponent. "But I don't care. I can play tennis all right and I -occasionally beat even Betty." - -Betty was too pre-occupied just now to do more than give Carolyn a -smiling look. The two girls understood each other. - -Kathryn Allen now strolled up with Gwen Penrose and Betty hopped up, -saying that she forgot to tell Gwen to save a certain date for -"something doing." And as Betty moved toward the girls, near at hand, -Mary Emma said softly to Carolyn, "Remember, Carolyn, that we simply -must have Betty as President of the G. A. A. this year. I've got to talk -to you about it. Mathilde has something started already about it and -there is another girl that would like to be it." - -"Mathilde! Why, she couldn't do it any more than a--rabbit!" - -"Mathilde has some following, Carolyn, and she is a sorority girl. I -doubt if Mathilde could get it herself, but she might fix it up so Betty -couldn't divide the vote and--you know--get a 'second best' girl in to -keep Betty out, even if she couldn't get it for herself." - -"Does she dislike Betty that much?" - -"She has always been jealous of her." - -"By the way, does anybody know whether Lucia Coletti is coming back or -not? Betty hadn't heard at last accounts." - -"Well, Betty would be the first one. I wish she would come back. She and -Peggy Pollard have a good deal of influence with the sorority girls. I -sometimes think Betty should have gone in. She had the chance, I know, -with the Kappa Upsilons." - -Carolyn did not reply to this, and Betty was turning back with the -girls, who selected a grassy seat and dropped down to join their -friends. "Can you realize it, girls?" queried Kathryn. "We're actually -seniors at last!" - -"Let's have a club," suggested Betty. "I was thinking about that just -before you and Gwen came up." - -"Another club?" asked Carolyn. "Seems to me Lyon High needs most -anything more than any new organization." - -"I didn't mean a big club. I mean a little club of our own, not a -sorority and not exactly secret; but just to get together sometimes, for -fun and to plan things if we want to." - -"A secret caucus!" - -"That's it, Kathryn," laughed Betty, who had no such intention at all. -"We could have it a hiking club or a swimming club or even a literary -club--for collateral reading." - -"Now wouldn't _that_ be wonderful!" cried Carolyn, as sarcastically as -generous Carolyn ever could manage. Betty giggled. - -"Think of the time we'd save, reading together," suggested Mary Emma, in -pretended sincerity. - -"No," urged Betty, "but here we are together this year for the last, -maybe. Carolyn's going East to school, Mary Emma's folks may move to -California, I don't know _what_ I'm going to do, and anyhow we've this -grand senior year together. Besides, what's the matter with taking a -book along if we go on a picnic together and having--_Carolyn_, who is -so _so enthusiastic_ about the literary idea--read us some famous poem, -or whatever they give us this year? Somebody think up a name for it, -though if you all don't want it, I'm too lazy to urge it." - -"I think that the Hiking Hoodlums or some pretty name like that would be -least revealing of our real object," giggled Mary Emma. - -"Lovely," assented Betty. "We can consider that suggestion. By the -way--I ought to get home before too late. I called up Mother at noon -about something very important--a change in my schedule, and she told me -that a letter from Lucia had come and was 'waiting for me!' I hope it is -to tell me that she's coming back to Lyon High, don't you!" - -The assent was general and emphatic. "I was just talking to Carolyn -about Lucia," said Mary Emma. "Do call us all up and tell us the news -after you have read it." - -"I will if I have time," promised Betty. "Come on, seniors. Let's make -up a senior song of our own and sing it on the first hike of the Happy -Hoodlums." - -"Oh, Betty!" cried Carolyn. "You wouldn't really have such a name for a -club, would you?" - -"Unless you promise to read poetry to us," threatened Betty. - -"I don't know which would be worse," laughed Carolyn. - -In high spirits the senior girls separated; but Mary Emma caught up with -Betty before they left the grounds. "By the way, Betty," said she, -"wasn't it terribly dramatic and wasn't Ramon Balinsky simply _thrilled_ -to find out that his mother and sister were living?" - -It was all Betty could do not to show her surprise and a certain dismay -at this speech from Mary Emma. "Gwendolyn Penrose told me _all about it_ -this noon at lunch," Mary Emma added. - -"Why no, Mary Emma," said Betty. "You would expect it to be dramatic, I -know. But you see Ramon was so nearly dead when the boys told him, -partly to rouse him, Ted said; and when he finally took it in, he was by -himself, I suppose, though the boys would never make a big story of it -anyhow. But you must be careful, Mary Emma, not to tell about it, -because Ramon had to go after that man, he said, and they might worry if -they knew. So we're not telling his mother and sister yet, because he -asked us not to." - -"I think that's all nonsense," said Mary Emma, "but I won't tell anyhow. -I promised Gwen I wouldn't. And isn't Gwen Penrose an addition to the -class and our crowd! Everybody that meets her likes her so far." - -"Gwen is nice, Mary Emma, and you must meet her brothers. One is a real -artist already. They're just getting settled now. And what do you think? -We may move, the first of the month to a whole house instead of an -apartment. Father and Mother are looking, to decide now. It is a -terrible undertaking, but it will be wonderful to have more room. If we -do, I'm going to have a party first thing!" - -But Betty wondered, on her way home, how in the world, with all the -people knowing about it that did, "the facts were to be kept from Mrs. -Sevilla and Ramona Rose." That was what Ramon had called his sister, -Betty remembered. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - ONE OF THOSE A-D PARTIES - - -"It will probably not reach them very soon, Betty," comfortably said -Mrs. Lee when Betty expressed her concern over "the way Gwen was telling -the girls" about Ramon. "Moreover, that is a risk that Ramon runs, not -you, by his request and not sending them word himself. Other people can -only try to be considerate. So far as I am concerned, I should prefer to -know all about my children, to bear the trouble with them if necessary. -Never keep anything from _me_ with the idea of sparing me, Betty!" - -"All right, Mamma. We'll probably need you too badly to do any stunts of -the sort!" - -Betty was soon in the midst of Lucia Coletti's letter, running excitedly -to find her mother again after she had finished reading it. "Why, -Mother, she _is_ coming! Isn't that great? And moreover she said that -she might get here before the letter. - -"See--it's mailed at Milan. They were in Switzerland for the hot -weather, but when they decided to have Lucia come to finish her senior -year at Lyon High, she and her mother 'ran down to Milan' to their -'palazso' for some things Lucia wanted and Lucia might just go right on -and sail as soon as she was all packed up. It all depended on what -reservations or accommodations or whatever you call it they could get on -a steamer. That also made it uncertain what route she's coming by, -whether from Naples or Cherbourg or what. Here, read it Mother. It's a -short one. She has stacks of things to tell me, she says." - -Mrs. Lee smilingly read the brief letter, enclosed in a noticeable -envelope, very elegant, Betty said, and having the "family crest" or -some "Italian sign" on it. It amused Betty's mother to hear her running -comments as she read and she handed back the letter with the remark that -Lucia had "not neglected to acquire some of the American vocabulary." - -"Certainly," said senior Betty. "And she thinks about it when she writes -to _me_!" - -"I wonder what arrangements she will make here. I suppose she will stay -at her uncle's. If you like to invite her to be with you, Betty, part of -the time or for any visit, we could manage it. We have just decided, -your father and I, to take the house we looked at this afternoon. I'm -almost sorry that it could not be the one out in the same suburb as the -Gwynne's your sake, or the one Mrs. Dorrance recommended, not very far -from their fine place. But this seems suitable in every way. The only -one of your friends that I know lives anywhere near is Marcella -Waite--though our place is much more modest. Marcella is not in your -class, of course, but I understand that she is to attend the -university." - -"Yes, she is not to be away from her mother this year. And besides, -Marcella does not want to leave the crowd that's going to the university -this year. Why, Mother, it does not matter about living near Carolyn. We -see each other every day at school and at other times, too, though it -would be convenient to be near. I am crazy to see the house. Did you -just find it for the first or is it one you looked at?" - -"Just discovered it. It is for sale, too, and after living in it a while -to try it out, so to speak, we might buy it." - -"Oh, Mother! Then it wasn't a mistake to come to the city?" - -"Your father is doing very well now," said Mrs. Lee with her customary -reserved way of putting things. - -This decision and the immediate prospect of change was even more -exciting than the news from Lucia. Betty expected to call up her friends -as she had almost promised, but not until more of her curiosity had been -satisfied in regard to the new home. Would they sell the old home at -Buxton? No, that was to be kept. It was well rented now. Would they have -to have much new furniture? Very little. They would add good furniture -as it seemed advisable. - -"Our oldest things are the best, Betty, you know, the 'antiques' that -Mrs. Dorrance admires so much. And I think I can persuade one of my -friends in Buxton to let me have some that she has, at a fair price. I -happened, too, to think of old Mrs. Buxton, for whose family the town -was named--and she has no one to leave her things to--she has closed her -house, I think, and has a tiny apartment in Columbus, with some one to -take care of her." - -In great enthusiasm Betty called up Carolyn first. Good news was always -shared first with her, though Kathryn was "a close second." - -"Yes, Lucia is actually coming! Isn't that wonderful? I can scarcely -wait to hear all about it," said Betty at the telephone, outlining -Lucia's letter after this burst of rejoicing. "And we're moving, and I -haven't yet seen the place! Mother and Father just found the house they -want." - -Carolyn naturally wanted street and number and the conversation was so -prolonged that some one who wanted the line impatiently took a receiver -off and replaced it several times, till Betty realized the situation. -"Somebody wants the line, Carolyn, so I'll have to ring off. So long." - -After dinner that evening, Mr. Lee, who had a key to the recently rented -house, drove his interested family around to it. Betty was secretly not -particularly sorry to have the new home in the suburb that held the -Waite home. She had always liked Marcella very much, even if she were -not intimate and had not joined the sorority to which Marcella belonged. -Then, to be sure, there was Larry! But Betty did not mention him when -Doris on the way was saying that with Chet "so attentive to Betty" it -would be better for him if they had taken "that house Mrs. Dorrance -wanted us to have." Doris had seen that. - -"I fancy that if Chet wants to see me he will be able to find us," -demurely said Betty to Doris. "And, you know what pretty trees and big -yards they have out near Marcella." - -Doris nodded assent and approval began to increase as Mr. Lee drove into -a comparatively quiet street and drew up before an attractive place in -the middle of the square or block. "We'll be more peaceful in the center -of things," said he. "Our yard is wide and fairly deep and you see that -pretty little wooded ravine at its end? There are _some_ advantages -about a city with hills. There is room enough for Amy Lou to slide down -hill in winter, though the land does not all belong to this place. It is -shared by the various owners." - -It was fascinating to go into the house with its vacant and echoing -rooms and halls. It was modern, comparatively new, and with enough -bedrooms! Dick said that it would be pretty foxy to have a "real room" -of his own instead of the "den." Doris and Betty could now have separate -rooms and Amy Lou was to have a small room perhaps intended only as a -dressing room. But she was happy over it. "What shall we do when Amy Lou -grows up?" asked Doris, though executing a lively dance with Betty about -the empty room that was to be hers. - -"I think we need not worry about that," replied Mr. Lee. "From present -indications I should say that if we keep both our older girls till that -happens we shall do well." - -"Father!" cried Betty, giving Doris a whirl and stopping the evolutions. - -"I think I'd like Betty's room," soberly said Amy Lou, "when she marries -Ch----" - -But Betty had clapped a hand over that pretty and mischievous mouth of -her small sister. "Amy Lou, your imagination works overtime!" - -Amy Lou struggled, but laughed. "Doris says that the girl Kathryn calls -'Finny' and Jack Huxley got engaged this summer. Senior girls do!" - -"Not if they have any sense," said Betty, but her mother shook her head -at her. "What, Mother--do _you_ approve? Is the world coming to an end?" - -"I do not approve for you, Betty, or Doris," said Mrs. Lee, much amused -by the whole incident, "but I should not say that it is out of place for -_all_ girls to marry early." - -"I shall remember that, Mrs. Lee," said Doris, walking off with quite an -air while Mr. Lee who had heard from the next room, came in to add his -last contribution to the affair. - -"See what you have done, Mother! But we're going to have such a pretty -home of it here that I defy any lad to carry off one of my girls for a -while! Now come on into this other room for a moment, Mother, and tell -me what furniture we need for it." - -"Silly!" Dick was saying to Doris. "Before _you_ like anybody too much -just let your old twin pick him out. I'm likely to know more than you do -about the kids." - -Doris gave Dick a rather impertinent glance, then brightened, replying, -"All right, provided you let me do the same for you!" - -Betty, going into the upstairs room which would be hers, stood there -alone, deciding where the furniture should be placed, but she thought of -what Amy Lou had said. Amy Lou dashed after her to say that she thought -Betty's room was the best bedroom of all because it overlooked the -ravine at the rear. "I meant it, Betty," she said earnestly, "but you -mustn't think that I want it for--oh, the _longest_ time!" - -Betty stooped, took the pretty face between her palms and kissed it. -"That is all right, Amy Lou! Just please don't pick out whom I'm going -to marry yet, will you?" - -Eyes as blue as Betty's looked up and a golden mop of almost as bright -as Betty's hair was shaken back. "Yes, of course. You might change your -mind, mightn't you?" - -"And perhaps I've never made it up at all," whispered Betty. - -Amy Lou nodded and went away, satisfied that she had had a confidence -from that big sister of hers. Chet needn't think Betty wondered where -her sister had heard about "Finny." But if there were anything in the -report she would soon hear at school. - -Long they tarried in the empty house and about the yard. There were -flowers and shrubs and some pretty trees, beside those of the ravine, -with its thickets and the one long track or path to the bottom. "May I -have a party right away?" asked Betty, looking around at the large front -room whose hall was almost a part of it, and the room which Doris said -should be a library widely opening behind it. Doris and Amy Lou -immediately asked the same question, till Mrs. Lee suggested that they -move in first. - -"Yes," said she. "That is one pleasure for us in this roomy house. I -plan some entertaining myself. You shall have your turn all of you, -Dick, too." - -It was dark when at last the Lees reached home; and Betty, though called -by lessons to prepare, remembered one more responsibility and ran to -call up Marcella Waite. - -"Oh, but I'm glad to have found you in, Marcella. Why, they've made me -chairman of the committee for the A-D party, Marcella, and I thought I'd -better ask you what you did. I missed the party when I was a freshman -myself and now that we give it, I ought to know a few details. I asked -one of the teachers about it after assembly this morning, and she said, -'Oh, yes, one of those A-D parties,' with _such_ a bored air that I -thought I'd better ask somebody who might have a speck of enthusiasm. I -suppose they do get tired of some things, though." - -Betty could hear Marcella's low laugh. Then her friends briefly outlined -the usual A-D program and wound up her remarks by saying that Larry -would make a flying visit home before 'college began.' "I'll have him -drive over for you and bring you over for dinner," said Marcella, "and -then we can discuss A-D parties and other things. Will you come?" - -"Will I? How soon does the university start, Marcella? All right. It -will seem good to see Larry. What fun we all had this summer! 'Bye." - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - THE SENIORS ENTERTAIN - - -The A-D party was probably the first "official" senior duty, or -pleasure, said Betty. It was the entertainment of the D class, or -freshmen, by the A class, or seniors. By long custom it was celebrated -at the beginning of the year and constituted a sort of initiation or -adoption of the freshman class into Lyon High. There was nothing -difficult about it and much that was sheer fun, including the -refreshments. Oh, yes, it might be mentioned that it was confined -entirely to the senior and freshman girls. No masculine member of the -freshman class was ever asked to dress in more or less infantile fashion -and so appear, at a party and even in some fashion that marked them, at -least, during the day at school which preceded the party. - -One morning, as Betty was getting her locker open, a shy, attractive -little freshman girl came up to her. "Please, Miss--Betty Lee, are you -too busy to tell me something?" - -"Always ready to impart knowledge," jokingly Betty replied, putting a -book on the shelf of her locker and taking another out. "What can I do -for you, Eileen? Did you get my invitation to the A-D party?" - -"Yes--that's it. Thank you so much for asking me to be your 'little -sister.' I've felt better ever since to have a girl like you ask me." -The slight girl looked at Betty and continued. - -"I thought I'd better ask you about it because I've heard so many things -about what the freshman girls have to do, dressing up like babies and -going around all day at school that way. And must we look _crazy_?" - -"No," laughed Betty, "just 'cute,' and while you are supposed to have -some badge of childhood all day, you needn't be dressed that way at -classes. Bring whatever you are going to dress up in to school and put -it in your locker. You have such nice hair--why don't you have long -curls and tie them with a ribbon. You would look _darling_!" - -The rather worried face brightened. "Why, I used to have curls! I'll -just do it, Betty Lee. Thanks awfully." - -"You'll make a hit in classes," said Betty. "Excuse me, I'll have to -run. See me again if you have any doubts about anything." - -"That is Betty Lee," explained Eileen to the freshman girl she joined on -leaving the vicinity of Betty's locker. "I just _adore_ her! She's going -to take me to the A-D party." - -"Oh, I've seen her. She's a _very_ prominent senior and wins swimming -matches and everything." - -It was a pity that Betty could not hear this sincere freshman tribute, -but as it was she was likely to be spoiled enough, if Betty could be -spoiled, before her senior year was over. - -"Girls," Betty, chairman of the A-D entertainment committee, said that -day after school, to an assembled few whom she had asked to stay, "there -absolutely isn't time to get up a real play or anything we have to -_learn_. How are we going to entertain the freshmen? Speak up, ladies, -or else 'forever after,' and so forth." - -"Are we supposed to be the 'cast?'" asked Mary Jane Andrews. - -"You are." - -"Then I speak for a pantomime." - -This statement met with a general giggle from the seniors as well as -some applause. - -"What pantomime do you _know_, Mary Jane?" severely asked Betty, rapping -for order and pretending to glare at Mary Jane. - -"Well--I don't just think of one right now!" - -"Why not give the Tragedy of the Lighthouse Keeper?" Selma Rardon -suggested. - -"Has that been given lately?" - -"Not that I know of." - -"Who does know?" - -"I know positively," said Dotty Bradshaw, "what the seniors have done -since we were freshmen ourselves. It's always written up in the _Lyon -Roar_, you know. What they did back in the ages doesn't concern us, you -know." - -"Is it as old as that?" asked Carolyn. - -"I'm sure I don't know how old it is, but the freshmen could stand it if -they've heard it before--I mean, _seen_ it. It's all in the funny -costumes and acting anyhow and with the present _cast_ anything could be -done." - -"Yes," laughed Betty, "I'm afraid of that!" - -At that the girls all claimed to be desperately offended and Kathryn -said she was sure she could not act after such an implication. - -"I take it all back. It was too good an opportunity to lose, Dotty. You -are always getting things off on us. Well, now, shall we decide to take -Selma's suggestion? I'm just swamped with work and with Mary Jane and -Mary Emma saying that they will see to ordering the refreshments and -getting somebody to bring the ice-cream over to the gym, that is one -load off. Now if we decide on this, one practice will be enough, just to -know when to do what. Dotty, will you be director?" - -"You don't need a director, Betty. I'd rather be the villain. I have a -lovely pirate costume of my brother's." - -"Good. You'll make a beautiful villain, then. Be sure your knife is made -of pasteboard." - -"What else?" laughed Dotty. - -"Do you think, Betty, that our freshman children ought to see such a -pantomime?" - -"We might change it, Carolyn, and have the lighthouse keeper only -slightly injured and the villain caught. Carolyn, _you_ be director!" - -"All right. I'd rather do that than act in that dizzy thing." - -Plans were at last all made, parts assigned, the time for the one -practice in the gym set. Betty knew that she could count on these girls -and went off to the next thing on hand as school girls do, dismissing -all immediate responsibility. - -The freshmen naturally took the event more seriously than their senior -entertainers, for they were the ones who had to make themselves -conspicuous all day at school. They blossomed forth in childish -arrangement of hair as far as possible, if it were nothing more than -wearing a hair ribbon, and that whether the children of the period wore -hair ribbons or not. Bibs or wide collars were the order of the day. -Sashes decorated otherwise ordinary dresses, though lockers were full of -childish outfits. - -As the freshmen girls much outnumbered the seniors, it was necessary for -a senior girl to escort more than one freshman. And to the relief of the -freshmen, they remained in the home room until called for, each senior -doing her best to make her freshmen girls feel at ease and happy over -the fun. - -"We might call it a 'tea dance,'" said Betty, as she escorted her two -freshmen over to the girls' gymnasium. "First we'll have a bit of a -program, a sort of welcome to the freshmen. Then there will be a silly -little play; and then we'll dance, and have refreshments. It's easy gym -dancing, you know. You look just lovely, girls! How in the world did I -happen to pick two long-haired freshmen?" - -Betty's "baby sisters" did happen to have a taking arrangement of their -hair. Eileen had long black curls, caught back at the proper places by -ribbons, and the other, known as Ann, wore her hair in two tight brown -braids. Although her hair was drawn straight back from her face, oddly -enough the effect was becoming. - -The first event was announced as the "Freshman Initiation" and little -"ohs," and "oh dear, how awful!" ran through the assembled freshmen. But -the initiation turned out to be only a "Baby Parade" in which the -freshmen marched in time to music and rather enjoyed showing off -themselves and their funny costumes. There was also a ridiculous pledge -read by one of the senior girls with great sobriety, hard to maintain -amid the giggles and occasional shrieks of laughter from the freshmen -who listened. All the ridiculous things that Dotty Bradshaw could think -of were included in this freshman pledge, such as sweeping curtseys to -the senior girls whenever they met them in the halls or on the street. -But by some "oversight," as Betty announced later, Dotty forgot to have -the pledge passed to be signed. - -Whether or not any of the freshmen had seen or taken part in a "Tragedy -of the Lighthouse Keeper" did not appear to matter, for they laughed as -heartily as could be desired. First appeared Selma as the lighthouse -keeper, wearing a long coat and an ancient vest over her own dress. -True, her pretty silk hose and low shoes looked a bit incongruous, but -Betty had announced that imagination had a good deal to do with this -pantomime. - -The lighthouse keeper picked up his lantern and began to go around -before the audience in large circles, gradually narrowing. His steps -began to grow slower as he was supposed to ascend the circular stair to -the light. And now, what was that figure that stealthily entered the -outer circles, crept round and round and within the narrower circles -gradually approaching the lighthouse keeper? Dotty, in full pirate -costume, velvet knee breeches, sash and large pasteboard knife, painted -red, was received with shrieks of delight, though Eileen said to Ann -that it almost made her nervous to see them going round and round. - -But every one's imagination could picture the ascending circular stairs -to the top of the lighthouse. Presently the dramatic moment came; the -pirate pounced, and the lighthouse keeper lay stretched in the middle of -the inner circles. Round and round, down the imaginary stairs, ran the -pirate, with comical and shifty glances here and there and glaring eyes -turned upon the audience--such expression as only Dotty could give. The -pirate disappeared, presumably having satisfied a revenge "or -something." - -Next came three happy children, hand in hand at first. These were the -two Marys, Mary Emma Howland and Mary Jane Andrews, with Kathryn Allen, -all dressed in extreme childish costume. They danced and cavorted before -the audience and finally started upon the circles. Naturally, after -climbing, with the usual change of gait as they rose higher and higher, -they came upon the tragic figure of their father. With silent grief and -much expressive action, the children performed their part, rapidly going -"down" the circles once more. - -More action. Another senior girl appeared, dressed in a disreputable old -house dress. She hears the news, rather sees it in pantomime and starts -up the stairs. Tragic action again. Down from the dizzy height in dizzy -circles, whirling in her haste. The telephone, the doctor with his case, -the ascent. Gwen Penrose made a good doctor and had great difficulty, -puffing and panting, in making the "ascent." Between them the wife and -the doctor had to carry down the lighthouse keeper, the most difficult -feat of all, and one which, shocking to relate, aroused neither sympathy -nor sorrow in their audience. It was too ridiculous. And with this the -pantomime suddenly ended, as it is supposed to end, though one freshman -in front said, "Well, what next? How does it turn out?" - -But Gwen, whisking off her cotton wrapper because it was too hot, -overheard and laughingly replied, "It doesn't turn out at all. That's -the end and the rest is left to the imagination." - -They were just serving the sandwiches when some one came, to stand in -the door of the gym and look in. There was a rustle among those near the -door and Betty Lee almost dropped the plate she was passing when she -looked to see an easily poised, well-dressed figure in the door and -recognized the black eyes and smiling face of--Lucia Coletti! - -"Lucia!" cried several of the girls and in a moment Lucia was -surrounded. - -"I heard that you seniors were up to something, so we drove around and I -came over here," Lucia explained, to answer the "who, where and what" -expressed and unexpressed by her friends. Then Betty insisted that she -must meet all of the freshmen and clapped her hands for order. "I want -you all to know one of our finest senior girls, Lucia Coletti, from -Milan, Italy. Don't forget how to pronounce her name, Loo-_shee_-a! And -that you may appreciate your school all the more, let me tell you that -her father and mother, Count and Countess Coletti, are letting her come -to finish her high school course here because she wants a Lyon High -diploma! Let's give her a Lyon High cheer!" - -Even the experienced Lucia was almost overcome at this, as in feminine -treble seniors, and freshmen cheered. "Lucia, rah! Lucia, rah! -Rah-rah--Lucia!" - -"Oh, you Betty!" said Lucia, her face flushed; but she smiled at -everybody and carried it off as best she could. - -"Speech!" cried Dotty, her face full of mischief. "Speech! Speech!" - -"All right," said Lucia. "I might as well say something first as last, I -suppose, Dotty. I am ever so glad to meet you freshmen and I am sorry -that I could not get here in time for the whole entertainment. I almost -wish I were a freshman, too, to have all the good times over again. Yes, -I _do_ want a Lyon High diploma, and besides that I have made friends -here that I can never give up in my whole life. I am pretty well torn to -pieces between loving my own country and this one, too, but I believe -that one can have--opportunities and friends everywhere!" - -This was quite a long speech for Lucia. "If I had thought I'd have to -say anything, I probably wouldn't have come; but I just stepped right -into Lyon High atmosphere, didn't I? and it seemed natural." So she told -Betty presently. Lucia's bit of Italian accent was a little more -pronounced since having talked in her own tongue all summer, and it made -quite an impression. She was new for most of the freshmen, but Eileen -explained to Ann that she was Mr. Murchison's niece and that she had -been in America with her mother "for some reason or other" at the -Murchison place and had attended Lyon High till the Count came for them. - -"I imagine that Betty Lee knows her terribly well, or she wouldn't have -introduced her like that." - -Meanwhile Lucia's special friends were making a fuss over her with which -her father's title had nothing to do. Mathilde, to be sure, was -assiduous in her attentions. - -"You're here in time for ice-cream, Lucia," said Dotty. "Mary Emma, -hurry a plate of it around. Lucia is almost melted, but I hope the -ice-cream isn't." - -"The ice-cream is just right, Dotty," firmly said Mary Emma and Lucia -added, "Like every other senior attempt." - -"Good for you, Lucia. You are always loyal. How does it seem to be a -senior?" - -"Glorious! It may seem better after I get my work made up, though. What -do you think, Betty? Mother and Father came over, too, deciding at the -last minute and they are going to take an 'all-American' tour this fall, -be here for Christmas, go to Florida, sail for South America, come back -to see me graduate and take me home. That is, all that is _planned_." - -The Murchison chauffeur, who came back to the school for Lucia, took a -full load of girls to their different homes. Betty was the last to be -delivered and Lucia had whispered to her, in the retirement of the back -seat, "It's just like one continuous honeymoon with them now, Betty, and -I am the very happiest girl you ever knew. A lot of it is due to your -good advice, Betty." - -"Nonsense!" said Betty. "You would have seen what to do anyway." - -"I'm not so sure." - - - - - CHAPTER X - - THE COVETED HONOR - - -Being President of the Girls' Athletic Association, or "G. A. A." would -be no light undertaking; but there was not a girl of those particularly -interested in some athletic line who would not consider it a great honor -to be chosen for the post. At times some girl would be openly "out for -it." Others waited to be suggested by their friends. - -This year the election of a president was likely to be accompanied by -some "lobbying." Betty Lee was not the only outstanding girl in the -association, and then there were a few who would have been quite willing -to accept the honor while not likely to offer their best service. Of -these the most noticeable was Mathilde Finn, always desiring first -place, of a certain ability, but selfish and unstable. - -In her heart Betty Lee knew that she would be happy to have her friends -elect her. She had plans for the G. A. A., yet she was modest enough to -concede that at least two other girls might do as well for the -association. Then it would be a relief not to carry such responsibility, -to have only her regular work with what she wanted to "get in" this last -senior year. - -To Betty the swimming, as usual, was of first importance, and all the -more so since her summer with its opportunities at the shore and at -camp, where her prowess made quite an impression. She was pleased to -think that both Dick and Doris were now excelling in that line, too. - -Riding was a comparatively new ambition. At least she could "stick on" a -horse as she had on her grandmother's farm and more recently at camp. -But she was meaning to ride properly by the end of this year, and her -intention was strengthened, it must be said, by Larry Waite's having -suggested that they must ride together "next summer." Lucia, also was a -fine horsewoman. If she ever did have the opportunity, as Lucia -insisted, of a visit to her in Italy, she would want to know how to -manage a horse and how to ride with grace. - -She could play all the games, but she preferred to do it as she liked -and to keep off a regular class team this year. But perhaps she could -not refuse altogether. They were after her to lead the team in field -hockey. Basketball was taboo as last year, by parental request. - -None of the girls' games ever became as professional as the boys' -football and basketball with their inter-school games. Yet there was -great effort and much rivalry between classes as well as a great deal of -fun. If Betty _should_ accept the probable opportunity of leading the -team in hockey, the senior team should _beat_, she thought to herself! - -To have her own room was going to be a great help in her lessons. With -the school study halls and regular hours at home, she could handle her -schedule of senior studies, for Betty was quick at her lessons. The new -home would be nearer Lyon High, too, as it happened. Not so much time to -be wasted on street cars. _Could_ she keep up being in the orchestra, -too? Oh, she _must_ do that! - -Most of these problems she talked over with Carolyn and Kathryn, for -they, too, had their own problems. But they did not take them too -seriously. It would all come along some way! - -"I expect to be at school till four or five o'clock practicing something -or other most days, Mother," she informed Mrs. Lee. "So don't worry. If -I do get home it's so much gained. I imagine it's a good thing Chet's in -the university now. There won't be anybody to dawdle around with between -times." - -Mrs. Lee did not look much impressed with this statement, for it was -quite likely that there would be some one yet to take an interest in -Betty Lee. "Most of your hikes and picnics will be on Saturday, I -suppose," she suggested and Betty assented. - -"We girls, the 'Happy Hoodlums,' or something like that," she said, "are -having a hike right away, and the G. A. A. is to have a big picnic again -very soon." - -While the G. A. A. election was still to take place and discussions and -suggestions and urgent appeals for candidates were rife, the almost -greater excitement of the exodus and "_in_-o-dus," a word of Dick's -coining, occurred. They all thought it "terrible" that it had to happen -in school time, but Mrs. Lee, good manager that she was, told them not -to get upset about it. She gave them cartons, in which they could pack -the odds and ends and various treasures, and told them to be sure that -they had the books they wanted in their lockers at school. "Now goodbye, -kiddies mine," she said on Friday morning. "When you come home this -afternoon--come to the new address!" - -"Gee, Mom--I bet I forget," said Dick. - -"It was wonderful," Betty told the girls on the hiking club expedition -Saturday afternoon. "We did walk on almost bare floors for several days, -because Mother sent the big rugs to the cleaners; but there, we left -everything almost as usual, and after a while regular spiffy movers -came, and when we went after school to the new place, there were the big -rugs all down and all our furniture and things in place and Mother, with -a woman to help, arranging the 'pots and pans!' It was all newly -decorated anyhow, and Mother had had a man and a woman get the new place -ready first before the move. Then Father left the car for her and a lot -of the best china and ornaments and things went over that way, though -they could have gone by truck, of course. - -"I've worked all morning, getting my books in my own little book-case in -my new room, and unpacking my trunk, and hanging my clothes in my own -big closet. Oh, I'm crazy about it, and Mother says I may have the first -party. You are all invited. I'll have it after the G. A. A. picnic." - -Lucia, swinging the same alpenstock which had so interested Mathilde in -times past, was an interested listener. "Betty," she said, "you can make -the most uninteresting things sound funny! Now I should think moving -would be the last thing on earth!" - -"Oh, but it is such fun to fix things," cried Betty. "Mother and Father -had the responsibility, of course, but Mother had plenty of help, so it -could get done quickly, and I think she is just as excited as I am over -it all. You see, Lucia, we may buy this place and have it for our very -own." - -"Well, that is different, I suppose," said Lucia, thinking of the old -_palaszo_ in Milan, that had belonged to the Coletti's for ages. But -here in America they moved as casually as anything, first to this -apartment, then to that, or some of their friends did! - -It was due to Betty's morning at home that the hike had been put off -till afternoon. In consequence they did not go far. On the banks of a -little stream not far from a bus line which could take them home, they -found a lovely spot for their little picnic supper. There they sat and -told each other all about summer days, not forgetting great plans for -their senior year. Kathryn was already the president of Lyon "Y" and -made all the girls promise to do anything on a program they were asked -to do. - -"Just not too often, Gypsy," suggested Betty, "but I'll be at the -meetings. We almost never have orchestra practice on that day and other -things can be put off." - -"I'll excuse you any time, Betty, for you're going to be president of -something else," promptly returned Kathryn. "See if you aren't!" - -Betty knew what Kathryn meant and would not pretend that she did not, -but she smiled and shook her head. "It is a great uncertainty, Kathryn, -and anyhow I'm not sure that I can do it." - -"What do you mean, Betty?" hastily asked Mary Emma Howland. "You'll run, -won't you if you are put up for G. A. A. president?" - -"Yes, Mary Emma, and I think it is a compliment to have you girls want -me to be it. But I hate it a little and I think that the result is very -uncertain." - -"Oh, as far as that is concerned, you never can tell," said Mary Emma. -"We know that being Betty, you won't work for yourself, but as for -spreading 'propaganda'----" - -Mary Emma left her sentence unfinished to make a comical gesture, toward -herself first, then including the entire group. - -Lucia's dark eyes sparkled. "Betty is the reliable head of anything," -said she, "besides being the prettiest swimmer in the school and having -all sorts of honors to her credit. Where can I do the most good, Mary -Emma?" - -Mary Emma, delighted, clapped her hands. "Everywhere, Lucia, and -particularly, I should say, with any new members among the freshmen. -After that jolly speech of yours at the A-D party, Lucia, those nice -little girls will lend an ear to anything you say." - -"Oh, girls, this sounds like--politics!" exclaimed Betty. - -"Betty Lee, every one of us thinks that you will make the best G. A. A. -president the school could possibly have. Why not show a little sense, -then, and try to get you in?" - -Betty was silenced more effectively by a large chocolate held to her -lips by Mary Jane Andrews, and Gwen Penrose remarked, "I haven't joined -the G. A. A. yet. How do you do it? I forgot?" - -"Mercy on me, Gwen," cried Kathryn. "I forgot that you hadn't seen to -that. You can't vote if you're not a member! That will certainly have to -be fixed at once. See me Monday, Gwen." - -Names like Happy Hoodlums, or Horrible H-Examples (suggested by Dotty -Bradshaw) did not seem quite suitable for dignified seniors and were -dismissed from their consideration. "We'll be just a little G. A. A. -hiking club, why not?" suggested Carolyn, to the satisfaction of -everybody concerned. - -Over this week-end Betty and Doris gloated over their respective rooms -and arranged them to a least temporary satisfaction. It did seem so -funny to take a different street car home, at times when some one did -not give them a lift in a "real car." - -"I need pictures," said Betty, looking at her walls; and as if in answer -to her wish, there was a ring at the bell Sunday afternoon, late, and -Mrs. Lee came to the foot of the stairs to call Betty. - -"Lucia is here, Betty. Shall I tell her to come up?" - -"Oh, please, Mother," but Betty came halfway down the stairs to meet her -friend. - -Lucia was carrying a rectangular package and straightway handed it to -Betty. "This is a contribution to your new room, Betty," said she with a -smile. "I thought about it this morning in church. It is only a print, -Betty, in color, such as they sell at the galleries in Milan, but I had -it framed for myself, to make me think of home, last year, and never put -it up. It is Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper, you know, from the fresco -on the refectory wall in Milan. If you would like it, I have a pretty -Madonna that I can have framed for you, too." - -"Oh, Lucia! Why it isn't an hour ago that I was wishing I had just the -right pictures! Thank you! I shall love it! But I can't let you have -anything more framed for me." - -"Why not? You will let me do something once in a while for my _very -dearest_ friend, won't you?" - -"Am I that, Lucia?" Betty asked, surprised and not a little touched. As -they talked they were unwrapping the picture, but paused a moment. - -"You are indeed, Betty," earnestly said Lucia. "I can't tell you how -much you mean to me, though it didn't look like it, did it? the way I -didn't write to you this summer!" - -Lucia laughed and the sentimental moment passed, rather to the relief of -both, though Lucia had intended to say that to Betty. - -"I wish I knew all that you do, Lucia, about the wonderful old paintings -and sculpture and everything," sighed Betty, looking with pleasure on -the appropriately framed reproduction of the famous work of art. - -"Come home with me for our Sunday supper, Betty, and we'll look through -such things as I have with me and have a good talk. You can pick out -your own Madonna!" - -After selecting the proper spot upon which Betty would hang her gift, -where the light would properly fall upon it, the two girls went down -stairs to visit with the rest of the family a few moments and arrange -for Betty's carrying off. - -"I had to see your new place, Mrs. Lee," said Lucia, "and find my way to -it. Doris, the next time Betty comes to dinner with me you must come, -too. I haven't realized that Betty's sister was so grown up! My new -auntie is very pleasant about telling me that I may have my friends, so -I must begin." - -Betty had not had a glimpse of the Murchison home since she came back to -the city after the summer's trips. She would not have thought of it, of -course, till after Lucia's arrival. Now she met the very charming lady -who was Mr. Murchison's second wife and had a quiet visit with Lucia in -her own room. They looked at pictures and Betty took the opportunity to -tell Lucia all about Ramon's recent experience. - -"I thought you'd better know all about it, Lucia," said she. "Imagine -being an _assistant_ 'unbeknownst' to that sort of men! But he found out -what they were really doing, of course, and planned to run away. Then -that man got him! Maybe he would have been killed if the boys hadn't -found him! I hope it isn't going to be hard for you not to tell Mrs. -Sevilla and Rose. Anyhow, I thought I'd better tell you." - -"I'm used to keeping secrets, Betty," returned Lucia. "It is just as -well not to stir up poor old Mrs. Sevilla, though it's odd--she does not -seem so old now that she is comfortable. She is learning English, too. -Could I tell Rose, do you think, if it seemed best?" - -"Really, Lucia, _I_ should think so. But that was Ramon's request, that -they should not hear about all this and get all worried about where he -was and what they were doing to him." - -"I see," thoughtfully said Lucia. - ------ - -The day of the G. A. A. "presidential election" arrived. Mathilde knew -that she was out of the running, but she concentrated her efforts on one -of Betty Lee's two opponents, fine girls, both of them. Much pressure -had been brought to bear by different groups and the meeting was a full -one with old and new members present. The new members were particularly -open to influence, but Betty's friends had not been idle. - -"I don't believe I'll come at all," declared Betty, "and I simply won't -vote for myself!" - -"All right, stay away, then," laughed Mary Emma. "I've just got three -new members of the freshmen and they're all going to vote for you!" - -"Maybe I'll not be even nominated." - -"Maybe you will. I'm on the nominating committee myself and I know who's -going to be presented. There may be even more candidates than we have -simply had to put up because of the requests; but there certainly won't -be less. We make our report and then I understand that opportunity will -be given for more names to be presented if anybody wants them." - -"H'm," said Betty. "Well, it isn't the only thing on earth. I'll come -and not vote at all. To tell the truth, girls, I hate to beat anybody -that wants it, and I hate to think that anybody has had to be asked to -vote for me!" - -"Elizabeth Virginia Lee, all that your friends have done is to call -attention to your superior qualities as a leader and also performer in -athletics. If you go in as our president it will be a mere tribute to -your worth." Mary Emma was laughing but she meant what she said. - -Possibly the fact that Betty had recently been selected to be captain of -the hockey team had something to do with it, but when the vote was taken -Betty was elected. Her majority was not so much over the vote given to -the other girls by their friends that it made her any enemies; and both -of the other candidates came straight to her to tell her that they -thought she was the one to have the office. Betty begged them to help -her and said that she felt "aghast" at the prospect, which was true. But -perhaps the incident that made her happiest among the congratulations -was when one of the athletic directors came up to her in the hall. - -"I am glad that the G. A. A. has chosen you, Betty Lee, for you are not -only good in every sort of athletics you undertake but you have a sense -of responsibility and carry out what you undertake. If you want any -help, or suggestions, let me know. We shall have to call you into -consultation about some features, you know. The election should have -been last spring, you know." - -It was pleasant to have the faculty with her, Betty thought. She -wondered if it were really true that she carried responsibility well. To -tell the truth she had been planning to--or thinking that she -must--neglect some things in order to carry out what she liked best. She -would try to live up to what they thought of her, anyhow, and do the -best she could. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - AN INTIMATE VIEW FOR JANET - - -"I shall have to begin with apologies again," commenced Betty Lee's -letter to her earliest chum, with whom she still carried on the fitful -correspondence. "But one good thing is that you know how it is yourself. -And the longer you wait to get at writing the more likely you are to put -it off, since there keep coming more things to tell. - -"However, I've had a letter in mind for ages and I'm going to tell you -EVERYTHING and answer all your questions. So this may string out for -PAGES. Be PREPARED. As you see, I'm using Father's typewriter and I'm -learning to use it fairly well now. 5hi$ i$ the way I began @nd 8 -though*t it w@S greAT Fun. amy LOUcWho i$ allowed to 5ry if She is very -c@refulchad a g@me wi5h me to $EE if we cou#d re@d eaCH Others writing. -I hope you get it! - -"By the way, don't start in reading this to Sue, if I'm going to tell -you EVERYTHING as of yore, since All that I shall say will not be for -publication. Do you remember how in our notes to each other we printed -in capitals the words we desired emphasized? What good times we used to -have! Well, we have good times now, only different, and I wish I could -see you oftener. - -"I'm thinking right now that it's a real consolation to have somebody -who knows you of old, somebody that you grew up with. No matter how -wildly I RAVE ON, you will understand, I rather think, and will not be -too critical--supplying a grain of salt here, if I'm extravagant in my -remarks, and a bit of imagination there, when I give you a hint! Now -don't think that any dark secret is to be revealed, but I'm sure that -you will _instinctively_ know what I am confiding just to you. - -"I wrote you after we moved, I'm sure, and told you how much we like the -house. For fear I omitted something I'll just say that it is a brick -colonial, with a pretty approach and entrance, shrubbery and trees and -flower beds and vines that will look wonderful again after winter is -over. I've had one party in the big rooms downstairs and Mother has had -a few teas and friends in to dinner. She likes to entertain in small -numbers best, to visit. - -"Doris had her party, too, and I thought I'd perish with mirth when I -overheard Dick tell his best chum, as they clattered down from Dick's -room one day, that he 'thought he'd sling a stag party pretty soon.' He -'slung' it and we all pitched in to make the boys have a good time with -especially good things to eat. But the twins want to entertain together, -for the most part and most of their friends are in their -class--sophomores, now! - -"Best of all, Father is pretty sure that he will buy the place, and then -we _shall_ feel settled. It depends, naturally, on when the necessary -SPONDULICS are at hand and Father does not speak of that. But it is -pleasant to have a nice home, and though we'll never try to live up the -the MURCHISON MILLIONS, we are glad to have a whole house to ourselves, -with plenty of room to spread out and somebody to help Mother. We girls -still do little things and are supposed to take care of our own mending, -etc.; but Mother gives us our time for lessons and other things and I'm -sometimes in such a rush that I wish I had a maid, like Lucia, to pick -up after me! Father does not seem to think that I am PERMANENT here and -teases me a little sometimes. But more of that anon. You know how he is! - -"Now to give you a bird's eye view of what I am doing. First and -foremost, I'm trying to run the G. A. A. The girls usually elect the -spring before but it was put off and put off until it was not done at -all. So several of us were nominated and I was elected, and although I -was pleased with the honor my heart almost sank at the JOB! Still, it -hasn't been so bad because our class has always been greatly interested -in athletics and I can head almost any committee with a capable senior -girl and leave it to her to carry things out. We've had membership -campaigns and pep squads and the usual games and contests. I must -remember to send you copies of the _Roar_, from time to time. Sometimes -the write-up is real cute. - -"It would take me a week to write you about all the doings, from home -room elections and meetings, Girl Reserve programs--under Kathryn as -president this year--to the exciting football games of the boys' teams. -Our school won the championship and the boys are working hard to make -the basketball record as good. - -"Our senior hockey team, of which I was the captain, WON! I certainly -was glad of that! I'm not on the basketball team because the folks don't -want me to be, but I'm almost as interested. Both Carolyn Gwynne and -Kathryn Allen are playing. 'Finny' could not get on this time. Gwen -Penrose turned out to be a wonderful player and is captain! We ought to -win the inter-class contests, which are already posted. We play each -class, of course--I'll scribble off the schedule and enclose it. The -seniors begin the games, playing the sophomores on February eleventh. We -have the usual crazy names for our teams. - -"But what is most interesting of all to me is the annual mileage swim, -or MARATHON, and I hope to have chevrons and points and so on. I've told -you all about honors before. That is one reason for this letter. I am -supposed to be resting after swimming 'lengths.' Then we seniors want -the class championship, and so many of us are good swimmers, easy -swimmers, that we stand a good chance of getting it. All that is going -on now and the last copy of the _Roar_ calls us the mermaids. Can you -realize, Janet, that it is actually February now, and of our senior -year? When you write, tell me everything about all of them in our old -class in Buxton High now, and some of them dropped out, I know, and some -I don't know at all that have come in since I left. - -"To go back a little, we had all the lovely Christmas season as usual, -with the customary carolling and gift making and looking after our poor. -I'm glad to think that now 'Ramona Rose' and her mother are happy as -they can be before they have Ramon back, all cosy at the Murchison's. -The new Mrs. Murchison had been very glad to have Rose, for there was a -change of butler and everybody, almost, after the countess went away. - -"I have seen a good deal of Lucia Coletti. She is more or less lonesome -without her mother there, but both parents were here at Christmas time -and now they are in South America. The count is a great traveler, but -has his wife with him this time. Lucia is doing splendid work in her -lessons and they are so proud of her! - -"To tell the truth, I suppose the things we think about most are -lessons, getting them and how to find time to get them! But I don't know -that they are the _main objects in life_! _Wouldn't_ you find it -interesting to have me quote a page of Virgil, or give you extracts from -my last English theme! After the Christmas parties we buckled down to -work again, and we have recently survived the 'mid years.' - -"It certainly was hard to keep up my work the first semester, but I -concentrated on the main things, and then it did help having Chet -Dorrance and the other boys we know so well busy with their freshman -work in the university! Well, some of them went away to school, -too--other colleges. There wasn't much social life till the holidays--a -few parties and meeting each other at games and so on. I am still on the -honor roll. I wouldn't dare drop down from that, or Father would have me -drop some other things. Anyhow, there is only one way for me to study -and that is to _get_ the work. We still have Latin and Math and other -clubs, but the meetings for the most part are in the class period, so -that isn't so bad. They are interesting, too. I shudder to think how -many of my different activities will be listed in our year book that -will be published the end of the year. I'm on that staff, too, but I -haven't much to do yet. A teacher has it in charge, for it is too -important to trust it altogether to our ignorance! - -"But oh, Janet, we are growing up! Yes, the report was true about -Mathilde and Jack Huxley. Mathilde wears a big diamond and they are -always together. Mathilde is very snippy to me, a little more so than -ever, and I can't imagine why, unless it is because Jack started out by -being quite attentive to me last year, for just a little while, you -know. I gave you a hint of that affair--which you must not _breathe_ to -any one--ever! Mathilde and Jack are both a little older than the -average of our class and the latest is that they are to be married soon -after they graduate, with a big wedding, and go abroad for their wedding -trip. Jack has only part work with us this year and is doing something -at the university, too. But he told me himself that he did not want 'any -more school.' - -"You ask me about 'love affairs,' but I gasped when I read what you -wrote about Jo's being so attentive. Was it to prepare me? 'Janet and -Jo,' I said to myself. I haven't seen Jo for so long that I probably -would not know him. If he is going so far away he will probably want a -pledge from you before he leaves. It looks like a good opportunity for -him. I couldn't tell from what you wrote just how you felt about it -yourself. If this keeps on you will have to decide whether you want to -be engaged or not and whether you like Jo enough. As I read your letter, -I could remember the row of heads in the family pew in church, toward -the front, and Jo's was the highest up, among the three Clark boys. He -was 'one of the big boys' to me after we began to go to school. - -"And now telling you 'EVERYTHING' doesn't seem to be so much, after -re-reading your letter again and thinking about how little I really have -to tell. I was in what Mother calls an 'expansive' mood when I began -this letter and as it's been written in 'hitches' it seems to be more or -less of a boiled down record of what has happened. And on second -thoughts it seems silly to write down some things, that I should -probably blather about if I saw you. You will probably like to hear -about the boys that I wrote of last summer in my long letter from Maine. -Chet was pretty nice. I do like him ever so much, Janet, but he knows -that I'll not stand for anything sentimental, at least yet, and all he -does is to take as many dates as he has time for and, I imagine, keep an -eye on me. I don't really _know_, Janet, that Chet himself thinks of any -_permanent arrangement_ between us. I'd be very conceited, I think, to -suppose that any boy is very much in earnest when he hasn't said so--yet -Chet has been a friend for so long that there may be a little excuse for -being on guard to ward off anything else. I certainly haven't the least -idea how to handle it, if it needs handling at all--for Chet is going -clear through college somewhere. - -"Father says to me, 'Please, daughter, no high school engagement.' I -suppose I agree with him that his ideas are always sensible. Probably I -_am_ too young to know how to choose a 'life partner.' Still, he and -Mother weren't awfully old. They can't say _much_. And if a _certain -person_ should ask me--well, it might be a little hard to refuse! I'm -'going on' eighteen, after all. Father says, if I want to go, he will -give me a year in a girls' college somewhere. But that takes a long time -to arrange ahead, so I think it will be the 'home town' university at -first. - -"Oh, yes, I started in to tell you about the boys. No, I can't tell who -that 'certain person' is. Besides, I might change my mind. Ted, the boy -that impressed me so when I first came to the city, is still a dear but -does not figure in my dreams any more at all. He is just as fine a boy -as could be, but he likes too many girls and I have to be the one and -only! I think that Chet is less--temperamental, as they say. But nobody -can help loving Ted. - -"Larry Waite, about whom I've told you a little at different times, is -very much of a gentleman, adores the water, just as I do and seemed to -find me a congenial spirit this summer. That doesn't mean a thing, -however. I had one little note from him after I came home and perhaps -I'll have a valentine from him and from Chet on Valentine's day, coming -so soon now. He is Marcella's brother, you remember, but isn't home much -because he has been East to school. But like me, he will be graduated -this June and I don't know what he is to do after that. We didn't talk -about it last summer. - -"Arthur Penrose is in art school and writes to me once in a while. Chet -didn't like it much when I showed him a letter from Arthur, so I never -showed him any more! The Penroses live here, you know, so it's perfectly -natural for us girls to see Archie and Arthur once in a while. Gwen we -see every school day and some more! - -"I shall have to hurry this up, though I'm not half through. Yet it's a -_book_ already! I'll try not to be so long again in getting to a letter. -Yes--we have a Valentine Party--well, I'll write you a card at least -after that is over. I want to mail this tomorrow morning on the way to -school, or give it to Father to mail for me, and Mother says I -_positively_ must go to bed now! - -"Please tell me if anything has happened in your young life and I will -do better next time." - -With the usual affectionate close, Betty finished her closely scribbled -sheets and put them in an envelope. It was something to have gotten off -so long a letter in the intervals of one afternoon and evening. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - VALENTINES - - -"Marcella specializes in costume parties, doesn't she!" brightly asked -Peggy Pollard of Betty Lee as they fell in together going to gym. "Do -you remember that first party we went to there, when we were sophomores, -wasn't it? That Hallowe'en party?" - -Did Betty remember that? Well, rather! But Betty merely said -"'M-h'm--nice, wasn't it?" - -"Yes. Marcella is an awfully capable girl. People at the university are -taking notice of her, they say, even if she is only a freshman. I'm glad -I was in the same sorority with her. She's gone right into one of the -best now in the university." - -"And I'm glad that for some unheard of reason Marcella's been a friend -of mine. Besides, she is inviting all of us that were up in Maine with -her last summer. Dear me--it all seems too long ago now, and yet how -this year has simply flown!" - -"More than half over, Betty, and we'll have our little diplomas before -we know it." - -"Yes, but don't forget that we've a few things more to do before we earn -'em!" - -"Don't bring up anything disagreeable, Betty," laughed Peggy. "But there -are lots of good times ahead, too. And we're going to win the basketball -class contest or know the reason why!" - -Betty nodded affirmatively. - -"The team work between Carolyn and Kathryn is simply marvelous. Have you -been to any of the practice games recently?" - -"No, I haven't. I've been too busy even to play a game of anything -myself. But you must remember that the sophomore team is especially -good. They were fine as freshmen last year. I hope our girls realize -that. I haven't more than just seen Carolyn and Kathryn for a week! The -sophs are better than the juniors, I think." - -"How's the old swimming coming on?" - -"All right. I think I'll be one of those that get chevrons." - -"'Think!' You will probably be ahead of them all in number of lengths, -provided you want to be. When do the senior Red Cross tests come on?" - -"The last of next month or the first of April. O joy! We'll soon be -riding again over the old bridle paths! Peggy, you ought to have gone -into it last fall." - -"Not me. Too many other things. If I ever want to learn to ride, there -is time yet." - -"The younger the better. Doris wants to begin next year." - -"By the way, that little sister of yours has grown up all at once." - -"Hasn't she! And Doris is making her own mark--says she; isn't going to -be known as 'Betty Lee's sister!' She is going in for swimming, too, for -we're all like frogs for the water; but she is choosing her own -activities and has the benefit of all my mistakes to warn her." - -"You never made any mistakes, Betty Lee." - -"What nonsense! But you _mean_ well, Peggy." - -With smiles the girls parted, Betty to go to the pool and Peggy to swing -and exercise with the general equipment. Rosy and invigorated after her -swim and shower, Betty reached home at last to find everything in an -atmosphere of valentines. Doris had stopped to purchase a dozen or more -and called Betty into her room to see them. She was addressing envelopes -at her desk, a cherished acquisition of Christmas time. - -"Aren't these pretty ones, Betty? I don't think I'll send any comics, -unless some pretty respectable ones to a few of the girls. I almost got -one for you, Betty--a real cute and crazy one of a girl, with a violin, -that thought she could play. But the verse wasn't very smart. I could -have made up a better one myself." - -"Hum," said Betty. "This is Betty Lee--who thinks that she can play." - -"But she may find out better," suggested Doris, and Betty finished it -with, "At no far distant day." - -"Let's write a book of 'pomes,' Betty," laughed Doris, "like Alice and -Phoebe Gary." - -"Great! You write the first few; and we'd better let Dick in on it, too, -for some way I don't feel the poetic urge just now." - -"What's that about the poetic urge?" asked Dick Lee, appearing at Doris' -open door. "May I come in? Gee, it's nice and warm in here. The wind's -blowing in the direction of my room and we're having some snow--ha-ha! -Won't it be great if we have skating again? No February thaw for me!" - -Dick had his hands full of papers and asked if the girls wanted to see a -work of art. Naturally they did, though Doris did remark that it -depended on whose work of art it was. - -"Here's the best one," said Dick, laying out on the desk a large sheet -of paper. "It's only the design, you understand, girls. This is to be -worked out in color--perhaps." - -"Say--this is cute, Dick!" exclaimed Doris. "Why, it's all right as a -pen and ink drawing. Why color it?" - -Betty was laughing as she read. "I hope this is to an intimate friend," -said she. - -"It is, all right," replied Dick. "It's for Buster and he'll know who -sent it, believe me. He knows my artistic style and we have a big joke -about his Cicero. He hates it and if he ever gets through in Latin it -will be with a couple of summer schools!" - -Scallops and various marks around this picture of a valentine indicated -that Dick might cut it out in fanciful form. In the middle of the top, -above the verse which Dick had composed, was the drawing of an ink -bottle and pen, with various blots, here and there. At the right hand -corner an arrow, marked _Sagitta_, pointed toward the poetic lines. On -the left, in the corner was a good drawing of a book, large enough to -bear the small inscription, two words, one below the other, "_Cicero -Interlinear_." An array of small arrows pointed to the book, from the -expression, "_Liber Malus et Noxius_!" - -Below the verses was a comical picture, in bare outline, of a boy -bending over a book, while a candle shed very definite rays around, -though the inscription read "Burning the Midnight Oil." - -Other sketchy decorations showed "Bustum" tearing his hair, very crinkly -pen-strokes, with "_Horribile dictu_" and original principal parts, long -and short vowels carefully marked: "_Hate-o, play-ere, fail-i, -flunkum._" - -The verses Doris read out loud, while Dick grinned and looked uneasy. -"There's nothing to 'em," said he. - - "If you're so dumb, this valentine - I send in vain; but heed it, - Unless for years you want to stay, - Translating--work, and beat it!" - -Betty laughed and pointed out where a change of punctuation was -advisable. "What's your '_Factum Romae_' that you sign it?" - -"Made in Rome. Now you _are_ dumb, Betty. Locative for Rome, and I -thought I'd better use the neuter singular--don't know what 'Valentine' -would be." - -"I see. _Hoc Romae factum est_, as it were." - -"Ye-ah. I'd have put in more Latin, but it would give Bustum a pain and -he wouldn't take the trouble to translate it. I hope he realizes the -trouble I'm taking." - -"That's an idea, Dick," said his twin. "I think I'll fix up something -like it myself. Do you care?" - -"Nup, only I'd rather Bustum got his first." - -"All right. I'm not going to send very many through the mail -anyhow--mostly leave them on the desks or get somebody else to hand them -out. It isn't like the good old days in the grades!" Doris laughed over -her own memories. - -"Amy Lou is going through that now, and it's lots of fun, Doris. Let's -see that she gets plenty through the mail, too. She'll smell a mouse if -valentines in the mail box haven't any stamps on them." - -"Oh, I don't know. Some of her friends might slip up and put them -there." - -As Dick's efforts had started them, the girls began to make up verses. -Betty brought her pencil and paper for scribbling and hunted up some old -materials for valentines that she had kept from former times. "We'll get -some at the ten cent store," said Betty, "but if we can make a few -pretty ones out of our old ones and this stuff, Amy Lou will like them -and wonder who sent them." - -"Numbers of valentines have a lot to do with fun on Valentine's day," -said Doris. "Let's keep it going for Amy Lou--ring the bell and run, you -know, and all that." - -It was a pretty thing for the two sisters to do for the younger one. Amy -Lou might know about it some day, or she might not, but it was a -pleasant mystery, and as Amy Lou was away, playing with two of her -chums, there was no danger that the girls would be interrupted for a -while. Pasting and finding envelopes would be done with remarkable speed -by experienced hands. More time was spent over verses, for Amy Lou would -recognize those taken from old valentines, whose laces and hearts and -darts they were using. What matter if meter was lame? So was it in many -of the valentines sold in the stores. - - "My very heart I send to you, - For there's nobody quite like Amy Lou!" - - "O hearts and darts and pretty dove, - To Amy Lou take all my love." - - "Please welcome this heart and a Cupid; - If I didn't like you I'd be stupid." - - "There's a sweet little girl that St. Valentine knows - And he's taking my heart in this letter. - Can you guess who she is? - Well, her name's in plain sight - And if you can't guess--you'd just better!" - -With such couplets and longer poetic attempts, Doris and Betty prepared -a number of suitable offerings for Amy Louise, hoping that she would be -pleased. Doris locked them in her desk and both girls went to the window -to stare at snow coming thickly down. Busy as they had been, they had -not noticed except that it was growing dark. "Did you ever!" cried -Doris. "Dick won't get his skating, but we'll have sleds out if this -keeps up. Hurray for bob-sleds!" - -"We'll have to feed that robin in the ravine, Doris," remarked Betty, -looking out, rather dreamily, however. "He seems to be the advance guard -and he'll certainly wish he'd stayed behind!" - -But Betty went back to her own room thinking of other things. A savory -smell from the roast cooking for dinner came up through open doors in -the well heated house. Gloria, the present light-footed, capable colored -help, had made one of her "gorgeous" chocolate cakes that afternoon, -too. Life was pretty nice. But _could_ it be possible that right in the -middle of the term Larry Waite would come back for Marcella's party, as -he had before? Of course not! But then the unbelievable occasionally -happened. It had happened at the Hallowe'en party. Larry had changed a -little since then, but when he laughed it was the same merry face that -had looked over her shoulder into that mirror! - -What costume _should_ she wear for the Valentine party? Mother did not -seem to have any ideas and had told the girls that she should think they -were old enough and into enough things to have scads of ideas of their -own. Mother had not said "scads," of course. Mother had been into a lot -of things herself lately, since she had been entertaining a little and -had helped the new Mrs. Murchison who was a later comer than herself in -the city. They had had a _grand_ Washington's Birthday party at the -Murchison's and Mother had received with Mrs. Murchison, in the most -_adorable_ costume. If only that were suitable for a Valentine -party!--provided Mother would let her wear it. - -Well, if the worst came to worst she could always use something old. -She'd go up to the attic and see what she could rout out. Thank fortune, -Mother had not made them throw away any such treasures when they moved. - -Betty went up into their "nice new attic" and rummaged in trunks till -Dick's most stentorian tones finally reached her. "Coming, Dick," she -called. - -"For pity's sake, Betty, what have you been doing?" asked Dick, as Betty -threw off the sweater which she had wisely donned before going into less -well heated quarters. "Mother called and Father called, thinking that -you were in your room, and Amy Lou ran up and came down scared, thinking -something must have happened to you. Doris said you weren't going out -anywhere. Then I went up and thought of the attic and yelled." - -"You certainly yelled all right, Dick!" returned Betty, laughing. "I'll -make my apologies to Mother. I never heard anything at all!" - -"Dreaming over old love letters, I suppose," said Dick. "Isn't that what -girls are supposed to do in attics?" - -"Old love letters, indeed! I don't get any _now_, let alone having any -old ones. How old do you think I am, Dick?" - -"Seems to me it's several years that certain persons of what Grandma -calls the male persuasion have been coming around here, off and on." - -Betty said nothing to this, but made her apologies by asking the family -to help her conjure up a proper costume for the important party, only -two days off. "Tomorrow is the thirteenth," said Betty, as if something -of the utmost importance was approaching. Indeed it was, for not always -did Betty get invited with the older boys and girls to a full party of -them. But a healthy appetite and a fine dinner had great effect in -making the present pleasant. The chocolate cake melted in the mouth and -Father had stopped to bring ice cream to go with it. - -Then, on the morrow--which became today--came the answer to Betty's -problem, through a valentine which came from--New Haven. The handwriting -was disguised, Betty thought, at least it was not like that of the only -two people who might have sent it to her. It was most likely to have -come from Larry, and oddly enough, Betty felt disappointed, lovely as -the valentine was. But its coming meant that he would not be here, of -course. - -Arthur Penrose was in Philadelphia now, but he sometimes visited Larry, -with whom he had become quite good friends, and might _possibly_ have -been in New Haven. Matters of trains and distances and all that sort of -thing were more or less hazy in Betty's young mind. Anything could -happen, and after all, couldn't it? Arthur's letters were only -occasional now, but very friendly. - -So she was in a pleasing state of uncertainty over the sender. - -"It came on the morning mail, Betty," said Mrs. Lee, who had noted the -postmark and saw that Betty opened it first before several others from -friends away from town. Valentines from friends in the city were likely -to arrive on the day itself. - -"Look at it, Mother," said Betty at that, handing the large square of -dainty white and colors and figures to Mrs. Lee. "I believe it is the -prettiest one I ever saw. Look at that darling old-fashioned couple with -Washington Birthday costumes, just beginning one of those square dances, -and Cupid shooting darts straight at them!" - -"He leads her out as if he likes her, doesn't he?" said Mrs. Lee, "and -the verse is good, though rather too much of a declaration. However, -that it permitted on St. Valentine's day. As your natural guardian, I am -wondering _who_ could have sent it!" - -"Let's see it, Betty," suggested Doris, who with a lapful of her own -valentines was sitting near. The girls had come home together from -school. - -Betty took the valentine from her mother to hand to Doris. "I think it a -little hard," said she, "to think that the family has to know all about -these tender messages of love!" - -"Well," said Doris, "I'm not so sure but this one _does_ mean something. -Who knows whom Betty's charms may not have smitten in the East this -summer? Confess, Betty. Who's in New Haven?" - -"I told you, several. That's enough, Doris. Turn about, you know--I'd -love to see that big one of yours. And please hand mine back." - -"Just a minute, Betty. It is a peach of a valentine: - - "My heart is yours, - And yet, dear me, - I keep old-fashioned - Courtesy." - -Doris properly read "courtesee" to make the rhyme. "I'm glad he's -properly respectful," laughed Doris, handing Betty her valentine. "I'll -give you mine in a minute." - -Mrs. Lee's smiling eyes met Betty's for a moment, and Betty let hers -fall with a toss of her golden head. "They'd _better_ mind their -manners," said she. "Oh, here's one from Janet, I know. It's her -writing, and dear old Sue--and Auntie--and Grandma. How nice to have -friends!" - -"Betty," said Mrs. Lee, "your valentine has given me an idea. Why not go -to the party as a valentine. Wear my colonial costume and paste this -valentine to a bag, or your fan, and have some other cunning trappings -that will be like valentines." - -"Mother! You perfect dear! Do you mean that you will let me wear that -splendiferous costume? Oh, but it would be just the thing and all my -worries about fixing something would be over!" - -"I may never want to wear the costume just as it is again," said Mrs. -Lee, "and yet I may, so be careful. Doris may wear it sometime, too." - -"I'll not be jealous, Mother," said Doris quickly. She had been -sometimes jealous in the past but had wakened to the fact that her -parents had no real favorites and that "her turn" came surprisingly -often. The difference in age between herself and Betty was lessening, so -far as it made so much difference in interests and pursuits and Betty's -attitude was so generous as a rule that Doris would have been ashamed -not to respond. The sisters were growing nearer this year. - -"I will be just as careful as careful can be. Mother," Betty made reply, -with great enthusiasm, "I think that you are the best mother I ever -heard of, even! And speaking of ideas! I never even thought of it, -looking with all my eyes at that valentine, too. Now let me skip off and -think out the whole costume!" - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - HEARTS AND MASKS - - -Although the colonial costume, which Betty's mother permitted her to -wear to the Valentine party, was new and in order, there was much else -in decoration which concerned Betty and indeed the costume itself needed -to be taken in a little to fit Betty's more slender figure. She rushed -home, accordingly, on the thirteenth, to spend the rest of the afternoon -and evening on her preparations. "I studied like mad, Mother, in study -halls; and Carolyn, Kathryn and I cut lunch to get out our Latin -together!" - -"I am afraid you should not omit lunch, Betty." - -"Oh, that was all right, Mother. We each had a chocolate bar and a cream -puff and some peanuts, got 'em on the way to school, that is, I did. It -was very obliging of St. Valentine to have his day this year toward the -end of the week. Carolyn and Kathryn think that they will be valentines, -too. Kathryn may dress as a 'comic,' though it depends somewhat on what -costume she can get up the easiest. Carolyn has a lot of them that her -sister has used at one time or another, and you know what nice ones they -would be. O Mother, I think you are so lovely to let me wear this! You -see, it isn't as if it were an ordinary children's party or just we -girls dressing up as usual. I don't know, indeed, whom Marcella may not -have." - -"Well, come here and let me fit you, child. Allow me to remark that -there isn't as much change as might be expected from the difference in -our ages." - -"O Mother, you are the youngest and best looking of us all! Ask Father." - -"He might either be prejudiced or hesitate to tell the truth," laughed -Mrs. Lee, and the fitting went on. - -Another day of school was put through before the party. But it was St. -Valentine's Day and lessons were in the background of thought, it must -be said. There were delightful interludes of receiving and giving -valentines, with little mysteries even more interesting now than in -childish days. And as the messages of St. Valentine might be regarded as -carrying more romantic meaning now, the whole was more interesting. - -One of the girls handed Betty a valentine which she was sure was from -Mickey Carlin. He had probably bought it that morning and had not -thought she would get it in time if he mailed it. Another, which she had -taken from their mail box before she left home, also before the arrival -of the mail man, bore in tiny letters on a corner inside the name -_Andy_. Andy Sanford _was_ a good friend of hers and had been ever since -a certain freshman party at Betty's. The sentiment was somewhat sugary, -Betty thought, but "anything goes on Valentine day," she said to -Carolyn, to whom she showed all her valentines without reservation. - -Carolyn laughed at the verse, which expressed undying devotion, and -remarked that even if Chet and "others" had gone to the university, they -still had a few nice senior boys to make life interesting! There were -quite a number, in fact, in the large senior class; and common -interests, with working things out together made good friends. The -"others" might be supposed, from Carolyn's standpoint, to include -Chauncey Allen, who had all at once become deeply interested in Carolyn -during the latter part of his senior year. - -But all other fun paled into insignificance at last in comparison with -the evening's entertainment. Betty tucked away her valentines, to be -looked over again at some other time. In some excitement she made ready, -running back and forth between her own and her sister's room, for Doris, -also was going to a party, though no costume was demanded. - -"You look lovely, Betty," said Doris, "and _very_ different"--then both -girls laughed at the implication. - -"No hint that you are not 'always beautiful,' understand! And your black -silk mask is fetching--but they may know you by those dimples, and your -mouth, of course." - -"Oh, I don't care," said Betty. "I'll do my best to 'keep my identity -hidden,' the way the detective can always do in stories. But if they -find out--after the first--let 'em. Besides other girls have dimples. -What in the world did I have to have them for!" Betty was rather -disgusted as she looked closely into the mirror and practiced on -expressions. - -As the gentlemen of the party were not to know the costumes of the -ladies, the girls were either brought by their natural protectors, or -sent for by Marcella, or arriving by taxi. Mr. Lee said that he would -"martyr himself for the cause," and tucked Betty's colonial skirts -inside of the family car with great assumption of concern. "May you be -brought home as safely," said he, letting her scramble out of the car as -she would, when they reached the Waite home. "It's not very far," said -she. - -A few flakes of snow were falling, lit up by the electric lights -everywhere. It was a lovely world that February night. Betty's heart -beat high as with several girls as excited as she, doubtless, she -climbed the steps toward the hospitable door. - -Not long after, she descended the stair into the wide hallway, almost a -part of the drawing-room, full of gayly costumed young people by this -time. It happened that no one was coming to enter with her, for the -dressing room to which she had been shown was empty and the girls who -were supposed to follow her had dashed into Marcella's room with an -exclamation over some picture there. They were Marcella's friends, -either from the university, or of the "sub-debs" who were not in school -at all now. Marcella numbered some of these among her friends, girls who -were waiting for their entrance into society. - -So as Betty hesitated a moment, looking at the bright decorations, the -space clear before her, she made a pretty picture. - -Hearts were in evidence everywhere. A flying Cupid, with bow and arrow, -was suspended by a wire in a corner prettily fitted up as a sort of -shrine to St. Valentine. Flowers gave fragrance and the spacious rooms -were at a comfortable temperature. Marcella had spared no pains to make -a pretty setting for her party. - -She, too, was to be unknown till the unmasking. Accordingly, her mother -and father and a visiting grandmother received the young guests and -stood just within the limits of the drawing-room proper. - -"Look at that sweet valentine standing there, wife," said Mr. Waite, -just aware of Betty and adjusting his glasses. "Who is she?" - -"As I cannot lift her mask, I can not tell you, Lawrence," returned Mrs. -Waite, "but you are right. She looks as if she had just stepped out of -an old-fashioned valentine. How cleverly that little lacy head-dress, -with the heart in the middle of it, is arranged above her powdered hair! -Larry ought to see her! Where is he, anyway?" - -Betty glanced up the stairs, to see if the other girls were coming, but -just at that moment, while the Waites were making their comments and -Betty paused, St. Valentine himself in the person of one of Marcella's -friends, bethought himself of the duties which he had assumed to -announce the guests. He detached himself from a little group which he -had joined and came hurrying toward Betty. - -His performance varied from the usual procedure; for he took her hand -with a deep bow and led her to Mrs. Waite as he announced loudly, "Miss -Valentine, a member of my own family!" - -So led, with her quaint skirt and flowered silk overdress, a cascade of -little pink hearts draped across her breast, Betty, like a pink rose -from some old garden, went to give her hand in greeting. Very much grown -up looked Betty in this costume, as her mother had regretfully told her. -"But I _am_ grown up," Betty had replied. - -She spread her fan a little, to act her part, and spoke in the formal -manner of a polite stranger, though now, living only a few squares away, -she had been here often and knew both Mr. and Mrs. Waite. Marcella's -mother was "a dear," and Mr. Waite, slight, active, grey-haired, keen, -was interesting. - -"As you must be one of Marcella's friends," said Mr. Waite, extending -his hand, "I shall dare to say that any lad here might be glad to see a -valentine like this one coming his way. Don't you agree with me, -Mother?" - -Marcella's grandmother smiled assent and Betty made a sweeping curtsey -to Mr. Waite as she turned to Marcella's grandmother. She was afraid -that they would recognize her voice, if she said too much. - -"She does not want us to know who she is, of course; so don't detain -her, Father," suggested Mrs. Waite. "I hope that you will enjoy yourself -tonight. Marcella is somewhere about, but you will have to guess who she -is. And she is the only one who will know you--for she, as you know, had -to have a list of guests and characters to arrange the partners for the -supper tables." - -In low but cordial tones, Betty finished her brief conversation with her -host and hostesses and moved on to give her place to the other girls, -who were now coming. A group of masked and costumed guests were right at -hand and Betty joined them, to be greeted with gay laughter and -compliment. - -Meanwhile a conversation was going on, in the privacy of the library, in -which Betty would have been interested. - -"But I tell you, it simply can't be done at this late date! It will just -upset everything! I'll have to change a lot of them all around. For -mercy's sake, why not see her all you want to all the rest of the -evening? I'll not tell the boys what character they're to take out till -the last minute. And there are the colonial dances for those dressed -that way. Lucky so many of them dressed so--though I did ask some of my -friends to do it." - -"Fat chance to talk in a square dance. My dear sister, have a heart! Why -did I come all this distance to spend the week-end if not for the fun of -saying some things masked that I can't say without a mask?" - -"I certainly don't think much of that argument. I think I see myself -listening to what a man hasn't the nerve to tell me face to face!" - -"You fail to understand, sweet chuck. It is less embarrassing and will -lead up to what I intend to say 'face to face.' Moreover, I intend to -say it in my own _character_, if behind a mask at first. Now, please! -_Pretty_ please! If there weren't another in the running, and two or -three of those nice kids, so far as I know, it wouldn't make so much -difference. Something Art Penrose said rather woke me up and I hired -this costume, sent a valentine and took a train." - -"Then, honestly, are you in earnest where she is concerned?" - -"I suppose I am, though it is a little early, perhaps, and I don't know -that I shall enter the waiting list. See?" - -"Through a glass darkly! Still I have a lot of faith in you, too, and -I'll do it this _once_. But if you don't tell me in time again, there's -going to be trouble in the family! Now come and help me with this list, -if you think it so easy and will have your way! - -"If you want my advice--faint heart ne'er won fair lady. She's pretty -mature in some ways and maybe, after all, you did well to come and see -the situation yourself. You'd better write to her, too, and keep in -touch until you both find out whether you're as congenial as you think -or not--or care enough for each other. I've admired more than one hero -from afar and I ought to know." - -"Get over it, do they--the girls? Don't think this one makes a hero of -me, Sis, though our first meeting was a little romantic." - -"How was that?" - -"I'm not telling." - -"I thought you saw her first at a party I had. You asked enough about -her." - -"Did I? Well, you're a sister worth having. Let me apply my keen -intellect to that list of yours now. Seat us far away from that one fair -youth that she was holding off, I judged, last summer." - -"Oh, it's such a nuisance. I'll have to change place cards and -everything! Why do you always come rushing in at the last minute?" But -this was said with a smile. - -"Wait! Don't despair. When I bought my valentines to mail I saw a lot of -place cards and thought of your party. You had plenty, I saw, so I -didn't bring them out. I'll run up and get them." - -"They won't match, but--all right. Silly--but I kind of like you at -that!" - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - AN EXCHANGE OF HEARTS - - -"Look who's here," and kindred expressions, with frank comments on her -idea and costume, greeted Betty at the beginning. - -"There are some other 'valentines,' but none quite like yours," said one -gypsy, who wore an arrow caught through her belt, a silver one in her -hair, and large red hearts sewed on her flowing sleeves. - -Almost every one had on some emblem that recognized the day. Some of the -boys had made themselves into clever representations of comic -valentines, but Betty thought that Kathryn must have changed her mind -about being one, as she could not find among them all any of Kathryn's -height. As to features, Betty had been sure that she could tell; but -among so many shifting figures it was confusing. In general, there was -the usual conglomeration of different characters. - -Once Betty caught her breath at the appearance of a pirate, for all the -world like the "Pirate of Penzance." But while the costume seemed -identical, so far as Betty remembered, after all, Marcella might have -lent the costume. And when the young man drew near, whoever it might be, -it certainly was not Larry. Well, of course. It had been silly to half -expect--and hope--to see him. - -There were compensations, however. She did not lack attention and she -thought that she had been able to "fool" Chet, whom she had recognized -by his laugh first. Her own voice she kept low and had practiced on a -different laugh, though when amused she could not keep it up and -smothered her natural laugh with her handkerchief. Even that was gay -with hearts. She had seen it in a show window a week before and rushed -in to buy it. - -Guessing who people were was great fun and Marcella had something -planned for every moment, it seemed. A tall clown announced the games, -or what came next in the way of program. He wore a placard on his back -that declared "I am Your Valentine." That, certainly, could not be -Larry. His fun would be more--um--elusive! - -And now some musicians arrived. Betty happened to glance out of the -window and saw them stamping snow from their feet and shaking the flakes -from their hats. Their taxi must have delivered them outside, instead of -bringing them around the drive inside the grounds, a natural mistake, -perhaps, since the distance to the street was not great. And how it was -snowing! Betty liked it, the beautiful dark and white rays from the -lights, near or distant. - -Inside, some one relieved them of coats and hats at once, and the bulky -instruments in their cases were disposed about the hall, until they -disappeared while a last game was going on, only to take their places in -a palm-decorated corner near the piano, tune their instruments and start -to play. Instantly feet began to tap in time to the measures, and some -of the boys and girls began to dance in couples. - -Betty's feet fit snugly in the high-heeled shoes of her mother's that -matched the costume. They were none too comfortable and Betty thankfully -sank into a big over-stuffed chair recently vacated, refusing an -invitation prettily and deciding to rest first. But one could stand -anything if it were fun, and when in a short time colonial square dances -were announced, lo and behold, who should walk up to Betty, with an -engaging, somehow familiar smile and an exaggerated, old time bow, but -the duplicate of the picture upon her valentine! - -Dancing eyes through their opening in the mask enjoyed her amazement. -Velvet knee breeches, silk hose, shoes, powdered wig tied by a ribbon, -even to coloring, the likeness was complete. - -This was no accident. He did not look like the others. Could it be? -"Oh!" she said in surprise, blushing under the bit of rouge and the tiny -square of courtplaster supposed to be characteristic of that time gone -by. - -"Fair damsel," said the stranger, "will you tread the mazes of the dance -with me?" - -"With great pleasure, sir," coquettishly replied Betty, recovering from -her astonishment and bethinking herself of her part. - -She raised her fan, only to have it gently taken from her hand. "Permit -me," said the colonial gentleman with great courtesy. He tucked her arm -in his own and walked with her to the space being cleared for them and -the others. - -"I haven't happened to see you before," said Betty, to make -conversation. - -"I have been about, but I did not come to the circle about Miss -Valentine till now." Then the formality was dropped and the voice became -natural. "I came a long distance to dance this with you, Betty, though I -knew nothing of the Colonial dances. And I didn't dream that you would -be wearing this costume--even to the lacy border in your hair, the rose, -and the heart that proclaims you my valentine!" - -Betty said, "Oh," again. "Then you are--and you sent----" - -"Yes, I am, and I sent, and I'm going to keep those kids away from you -the rest of the evening, that clown with the hearts all over him in -particular." - -Betty laughed. She was recovering, and oh, how happy! "Why that's only -Chet Dorrance. Why the dislike to him? Wasn't he in all our fun last -summer?" - -"Yes." Larry Waite bent attentively toward Betty, fanning her in the -character of the old time gallant. Much could be said in the few moments -before the music should begin. Precious little attention did either of -them pay to the directions being given. - -"But Marcella, at my _urgent request_, has fixed it up that I am to be -your partner at supper. I suddenly decided to come for this, though I -find that Father needs me on another matter and I must make the most of -this opportunity. I hope that you do not mind _very_ much, Betty! - -"I am--surprised--and _pleased_, Larry. I had a shock when I saw the -costume of the Pirate of Penzance." - -The erstwhile Pirate of Penzance laughed. "I like you in this costume, -even better than I did when you were Titania. Tell me, Betty. Did you -think that perhaps I sent the valentine and could it have influenced you -to wear this?" - -"Is this the game of 'Truth,' Larry?" - -"Heaven knows I hope so!" - -"I did think that you had sent the valentine and I thought it adorable. -But the idea of this costume was Mother's, because, you see, she had had -it made for her own party, and I never dreamed of asking for it. Then -fixing it up this way like the valentines as much as I could, was my -doings." - -"Sweet doings, Betty." Was Larry's voice shaking a little? - -"I have a million things to say to you, but they are going to strike up -the music now. Yes, we're coming to line up!" - -This last was in answer to a summons. Betty, demure and self-possessed, -took her place and the pretty mazes of the dance took her attention. But -she had learned it in "gym" and she saw that Larry was at home in it. -She was still somewhat thunderstruck. Was this the self-contained Larry -of last summer? Of course there had been times when she had had a look -from him, or--but _what_ could he be going to say to her? - -There was no opportunity for private conversation now, though Larry with -a twinkle whispered as they performed an evolution of the dance -together, "How I wasted last summer!" He seemed to know her very -thoughts! Betty's hands were cold and she was rather highly keyed all -through the dances. - -But afterward Larry conducted her to where some one was beckoning them -and told her on the way that he would have to mingle with the guests a -little after all. "That's Marcella beckoning. I know what she's going to -tell me; but I shall have you at supper at least, and may I take you -home?" - -Rather bewildered, yet decidedly radiant, Betty beamed upon Marcella, -who said, "Excuse me, but I have a message for your partner." - -"The dance is over and you may have him," laughed Betty, next smiling up -at the clown with "hearts all over him," who had taken pains to be at -hand. Betty saw that Larry observed the clown; but there was nothing to -be done except to be the same friendly girl to Chet that she had always -been. They had the remembrance of many a good time together between -them. - -"I know you, Betty," said Chet, "and I suppose you know me. Who is that -guy that was with you!" - -"I may have my ideas, Chet, but it wouldn't be fair to tell. _Is_ that -gypsy Kathryn? I thought she wouldn't take such an obvious character." - -"Probably, since she is called Gypsy, that is the very reason she is -one, because she would not be expected to do the obvious." - -"I think that you have grown very wise, Chet, since you have been going -to the university. Tell me who some of these university girls are. -Marcella was going to invite some sophomores, I know, like your brother -Ted, and she is in that new sorority and would be likely to invite them -all, wouldn't she?" - -"I suppose so. But you said it wasn't fair, Betty, to tell." Chet was -looking humorously at her now. - -"Now you have me! True enough. I'll have to wait till the unmasking. But -guessing is all right." - -"Suppose _I_ do some guessing," meaningly said Chet. - -"Why not?" countered Betty; but fortunately for Betty's not having to -respond to Chet's surmises, one of the girls, a pretty shepherdess, came -up to look more closely at Betty's costume. - -"If I had only thought of it, I might have been a real valentine, too," -regretfully said the shepherdess. - -But events, the mingling, the talking, the varied entertainment arranged -by Marcella Waite and her assisting sorority, moved rapidly. Betty was -soon found by the colonial gentleman of her valentine, and formally -escorted to the dining-room, spacious, and accommodating, tables -arranged into one continuous and festal board, "like double T's," Betty -said. "Oh, _isn't it pretty_!" she exclaimed softly to Larry. - -From the hanging lights above ran ribbons, gay in color and abounding, -like everything else about the house, in appropriate decorations. The -place cards were especially pretty. Betty's represented Cupid carrying a -cluster of hearts as well as his bow and quiver full of arrows. Below -him was the outline of a single heart and within this an individual -four-line "poem" ready for Betty's reading: - - "Sweet and pretty and dear and fine, - She's a peach of a girl--Miss Valentine! - Let Eros whisper, as flies his dart, - 'Your lover is waiting and waits your heart.'" - -Betty dimpled as she read, "I wonder if Marcella copied that or made it -up. It doesn't sound like her." - -"It wouldn't," said Larry, who had been reading his own lines. "She -didn't write them; but she did pretty well with mine in the hurry she -was tonight. See? It's a prophecy, I hope. I'm not sure that Marcella -knows that Eros is the same as Cupid." - -"Larry Waite! Of course she does. But you haven't _read_ mine yet, how -do you----" - -Betty stopped, for Larry turned a mischievous look upon her, then -sobered. "I wasn't in fun when I scribbled those lines, Betty," said he. -But it was no place in which to embarrass Betty and he quickly placed -his own card before her. "Read what Marcella tells me," and Betty read: - - "If Cupid only has success, - You're on your way to happiness." - -"Now I hope that is so," said Larry lightly. "I'm quite content right -now." - -Others were doing the same thing, exchanging cards and reading funny or -clever or sugary verses, collected or composed by Marcella and her good -friends. Larry had insisted that Betty's card match his own and in the -short time he gave to Marcella's change of arrangements he had written -the verses. - -Betty was past being surprised now and had entered into an exhilarated -stage of feeling in which the fun, the light and inconsequential -conversation, the lights, the decorations, the costumes, masks and -general gayety all played a part. And now, from the middle of the long -part of the table and almost opposite Betty, Marcella rose to announce -that they would unmask before the serving began. - -Then came hilarity indeed, though properly restrained, for this was no -school picnic in the woods! Surprises and congratulations were the order -of the moment. The gypsy, with a clown in Lyon High colors, sat just -beyond Betty. "Why, Kathryn, I couldn't tell you at all!" she exclaimed. -"Chet thought it was you, but I had my doubts." - -The clown with Kathryn was Brad Warren. Chet Dorrance, Betty saw, was -farther down on the opposite side of the table and she sighed with -relief, for Betty never wanted Chet's feelings hurt. Marcella had placed -him with a senior at the university, one of her sorority sisters, and -Chet was evidently much interested and pleased. It was rather nattering -to be selected for a senior, and indeed, Marcella had known that Chet -Dorrance must not be placed with some one whom he would not like, no -matter what Larry wanted to do. - -Mathilde's diamond flashed directly opposite and with Jack Huxley in -gala mood, she, too, was happy and beamed on Betty with all the rest. -Mathilde was bright and entertaining, too, when she was out with her -friends. And Jack--well, he would be served with nothing here that would -make him unfit to see any one safely home. The ring seemed more -appropriate here than at school. - -It was a great surprise to most that Larry Waite was there. He was -greeted with enthusiasm and played his part of host with cordiality, the -life of the party, Betty thought. More "grown-up" than so many, his fun -had some point to it, she thought, and Larry would have felt glad to -know her flattering opinion, which she was not to have much opportunity -to tell him, even supposing that she wanted to do so. - -The idea of the day was carried out in the supper. Larry said that he -"didn't know but it was cannibalistic" to eat so many hearts. -Heart-shaped sandwiches, salad in hearts--it was amazing how much in -that line could be done. The ice-cream servings, in fanciful molds, each -looked like a vari-colored and heart-shaped valentine, and little cakes, -in hearts, with "heavenly" frosting, were toothsome indeed. - -Larry seemed to have an idea just as the ice-cream was arriving and said -something across the table to Marcella, who hopped up at once and -lightly clapped her hands together for attention. - -"Larry says that the celebration will not be complete unless we exchange -hearts. So that is the next thing on the program. Who wants my heart?" - -There was laughter and quick compliance. But Larry was already detaching -a heart from the little array which Betty wore and whispered, "That was -by way of an excuse to get one of these, Betty. Do you mind?" - -"You may have them all, Larry," laughed Betty, stirred, nevertheless. -Oh, this couldn't be just his "line," as she had once thought! He -_liked_ her. She knew he did. - -"And where is the one I am supposed to have?" she asked, as Larry tucked -the little pink heart in his inner pocket. - -"It's beating not far away," said Larry in her ear. But he detached a -small heart that had dangled from his lapel all evening and handed it to -her. - -"No," said she, "badge me with it." - -It all had to be with the air of badinage and fun, in the presence of so -many, but Larry, under cover of fastening his heart in the place of the -one he had detached, and under the louder buzz of conversation and the -laughter, spoke once more into her ear. - -"You darling! I hope this means half as much to you as it does to me!" A -hand crept over hers in her lap and held it tightly for a long moment, -while Betty returned a slight pressure. - -Then things were as they were before. Larry gave some attention, as he -had done before, to the university girl who sat on his other side. Betty -talked to Kathryn and Bradford, but she "felt like somebody else," as -she confided to her diary the next day. An entirely new probability was -hers, and a new faith in Larry Waite. - -But Larry did not take her home. After the supper he told her that as -soon as "they" began to go, he would be waiting for her and would take -her home in "the roadster." But he had scarcely finished telling her -when Marcella came up and soberly said that a telegram had come for -their father and that he wanted to see Larry right away. With a brief -"Excuse me," Larry hurried off, while Betty wondered why anybody would -send a telegram so late, unless it was a case of life or death! The -older Waites had disappeared not long after the guests had all been -received. Could they still be up? - -The girls began to go up for their wraps and Betty went with them, -coming down to wait in the library, as he had told her. No one was -there, but she had only a few minutes to wait till he came in and closed -the door. "Betty! My plans to see you are all upset. Father has had a -business telegram, delayed, by good luck for me, and something has come -up which must be attended to. He can not go and I shall have to go for -him. A train leaves in half an hour. Marcella will arrange for your -getting home with the rest. - -"I--I had something to tell you, Betty. You can guess what it is, of -course, though I was not going to ask you for a pledge so soon. But I -only wanted to make sure that no one else would--have your pledge, -before we had a chance to--become better acquainted." - -That was rather a lame close. Larry was trying not to say too much -either for his own sake or Betty's, and Betty looked up archly at this -and smiled. "Yes," said she, gravely, "and let us hope that our -friendship will improve on acquaintance." - -"Don't tease me, please, Betty," said Larry, but he relaxed into a -smile, too. "I'll write you as soon as I can. Remember that you are my -valentine, Betty--and now I think you'll let me say goodbye as I want -to!" - -Before Betty knew it, she was caught in the embrace of a big soft -overcoat, hugged and kissed all in a moment, held a second while Larry -whispered a soft statement in her ear again; and then he turned and -rapidly left the room as he heard Marcella call "Larry" from without. - -Oh, what a wonderful Valentine's Day! Larry _loved_ her. He _said_ so. -_Larry!_ - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - ONCE MORE BASKETBALL - - -"Father, do you care if I'm on the squad, you know, in basketball?" -asked Betty at breakfast one morning shortly after the Valentine party. -She had not heard from Larry and was beginning to think it all a dream. -It hadn't happened! - -"I'll not be on the regular team, you understand, and I'm not likely to -be called into the games at all, but the inter-class games are on now -and the sophomores are _too_ good, and, bless you, the little freshmen -are amounting to a real menace!" - -"A _menace_! That will never do," said Mr. Lee. - -"Hurray for the sophomores," said Dick. - -"I hope we beat you," laughed Doris, "though it will be a sort of -disgrace if this senior class doesn't win. It's always been good in -athletics." - -"I am glad to see that you can look on both sides, Doris," said Mrs. -Lee. - -"Oh, don't give me credit for wanting Betty's class to beat, Mother. I'd -_love_ to see the sophomores win!" - -"It is a good thing Betty is going to the university next year," laughed -Mr. Lee. - -"Oh--am I? I'm glad to hear it's decided, Father," spoke Betty. "I did -want to go away, but I don't now." - -"What has changed you?" quickly asked Doris. "Is it Ted's or Chet's -being there?" - -"Doris," rebuked Mrs. Lee, who thought her daughter too pert in manner -and her question too personal. - -But Betty replied to her sister, "So far as I know, either may be going -away. I understand that both of them expected to sample some other -school, for the experience. But when they once start in here they get to -liking it and make their friends and all. I think talking to Marcella -Waite and her friends influenced me." - -Betty knew that Doris would not think of Larry in this connection. - -Returning to the discussion on basketball, Betty told her father that -one of the girls on the team was just down with mumps and another had a -bad ankle. Her father asked her if she wanted to risk getting one, too, -but Betty said that her playing was not likely and anyway no worse than -the practice games that she was doing now a _little_. - -"I was throwing the ball into baskets in the gym yesterday, Father, and -they just begged me to help out, or be where I could legitimately be -called on. Carolyn and Kathryn were both after me. And, Father, I'm not -going to do a thing in the university but get my lessons, take music and -swim!" - -"Very well, then. I suppose you must. Vale. _Cura ut valeas_." - -This was her father's frequent way of telling them, in the language of -Cicero's Letters, to take care of themselves. He excused himself and -left the table, the sound of the car being taken from the garage -reaching those left at table as soon as it was possible for Mr. Lee to -get there. He was leaving early and the children could get to school by -street car. - -So it came about that Betty "sat on the side lines" during the last -competitive games, when everybody was highly keyed. The seniors, in -spite of losses, for another girl came down with mumps in the midst of -events, were still eligible to win the contest when their last game was -called. It reminded Betty of that other contest, when Mathilde almost -succeeded in giving the game to Marcella's team against whom they were -playing. Mathilde was such a cheat. Whenever Betty was inclined to feel -sorry for her marrying a boy with a taste for liquor so pronounced, she -thought that Jack was not doing so much better. And Mathilde, though not -on the team, was not far from Betty today in the familiar old "gym" -where quite a crowd had gathered to see the last game that the seniors -would play against any of the others. And it was the sophomores again, -the class team that had done so well. There sat Doris, rooting for the -sophomores, but waving her hand once in friendly fashion at her sister. -But it was hard to keep to good sportsmanship. Besides, Betty had had -enough successes! - -The game was an eager one, tense. The seniors had the advantage of -superior public poise, perhaps, and longer experience. The sophomores, -however, were out to win. One senior girl finally, to Betty's dismay, -began to blunder and play badly, giving a big advantage to the -sophomores, who needed no prompting in regard to taking it. Then the -girl was taken out of the game and there was a consultation. Mathilde -moved over to Betty's side, where they were watching the game, and hoped -that she would be called to take her place. "I just wanted to jump right -up and take that ball!" cried Mathilde. "What made her so stupid?" - -"I think she must be sick, Mathilde. Carolyn had her arm around her." -But Betty had felt the same way. Could they win now? They must! Then the -championship game would be the last. - -But the director was coming in their direction. Mathilde hopped up -hopefully, but again was disappointed in having Betty chosen before her. -Betty felt almost sorry, though she was in the mood to do anything--all -to save the game. Ah, Betty could make baskets, and with Carolyn and -Kathryn there! - -Fast and furious went the last part of the game. Rooters called and gave -the Lyon High cheers to encourage the players. The sophomore rooters -grew quiet as the score began to pile up for the seniors. "Well, it -begins to look as if we'd have to wait till next year to smite 'em in -class contests," sighed Doris to her chum. - -"Never mind, if they do beat us this time, we'll be the ones to play -against them in the championship games unless we lose our next game with -the freshies." - -Breathless and delighted with victory, Betty after distinguishing -herself in brave help and rescue at an important juncture, talked it all -over with Carolyn and Kathryn. "Oh, you girls are simply marvelous, the -way you pass to each other!" - -"Yes, and the way you got on to everything just as if you had been -playing with, us all along!" - -"I have, in spirit," laughed Betty. "I've seen every game and noted -every thing you did." - -Carolyn and Kathryn were forwards and had, indeed worked up a "system" -as they declared to Betty, but that amounted only to an almost -instinctive knowledge of each other's probable action under the rules -and suggestions of their coach. "Now if we just had you for captain," -laughed Carolyn, "we could play the whole game without anybody else! -Don't tell Gwen I said that, though. She's great." - -"Wouldn't that make an interesting game," said Betty, "three on the -floor!" - -But Carolyn said that she was a true prophet when Gwen Penrose, senior -captain, before the championship game came down with the prevalent and -disgustingly childish disease. The ranks were decimated indeed and the -other class was rejoicing. The other girls on the senior team were -worried. They were all needed in their own particular duties. No one -wanted to take the responsibility of being captain. Then with one -accord, coach and girls decided that Betty could do it, and Betty, -hesitatingly, said that she would try. - -"You led a team to victory once, Betty--just do it again," urged -Kathryn. - -"It's a risk, girls, but then, somebody's got to do it--only it should -be one of the original second team." - -"The best ones are down with mumps, too, Betty, and it looks as if the -fates have elected you to do the job." - -"Well," Mickey Carlin told a sophomore boy, "if Betty Lee is captain of -the senior team, it's goodnight for your girls. She's president of the -G. A. A. anyhow, and seems to have a _gift_ for leadership and any sort -of athletics. But the mumps seems to be the seniors' Waterloo. If Betty -gets it, you may have hope." - -"She's had 'em. Dick Lee said so," replied the sophomore boy, grinning. -"But I'll not mention it to the girls." - -"You forget about Doris," suggested Mickey. "I don't want to mention -anything else discouraging, but it isn't impossible for the sophomores -to get the mumps playing this way with the seniors, you know." - -"Forget it! Mumps, indeed!" But the next day he did not come to school. -Mumps had struck even a sophomore. - -Fortunately the little epidemic spread no farther, once recognized. -Betty, neglecting other things temporarily, practiced basketball till -the championship game, the center of so much interest, was on. Cool -outwardly, but tense within and alert to every play, Betty as captain -almost prayed for success. This year was her farewell to competitive -athletics. Her mother, saying that she could not stand the excitement -and hoped that Betty would not get hurt, refused to attend the game. -Betty did not know whether she spoke in earnest or was joking; but the -ticket she had for her mother she gave to Amy Lou, who had begged to go -and was now in a state of high delight, saying that one of her school -chums had a cousin on the squad and that she was to be taken over from -school in an automobile, if she could only have an excuse to get out -early. - -That matter was attended to and Doris shook her finger at Amy Lou with a -comical expression, asking her which team she "would root for." "Will it -be Betty's class or mine?" she cried, shaking, her head to suggest dire -consequences if Amy Lou chose Betty's. - -"Well, but _Betty_ is _playing_," decided Amy Lou on the spot. - -The hour arrived and a game fast and furious was on, closely watched, -well played by both sides. Never before had it seemed so difficult for -any senior on the team to make a basket. The sophomores were "set -against it," said Doris Lee to Amy Lou and her friend, both of whom -would ask questions at the most exciting moment! - -Again swift passing and long shots were employed by the seniors. There -was little scoring on either side till almost the last of the game. And -then it was Betty, who at the last minute made another basket and gave -the seniors what was necessary to win over the sophomores by _one -point_! - -Both teams were due for congratulations. "Now that was what we call a -good game," said Doris decidedly to Amy Lou. "Of course, whoever wins -would like to win with a higher score, but it makes more excitement this -way." - -"My oldest sister," explained Amy Lou to her schoolmate, "is president -of the G. A. A. and the best swimmer in school, that is, of the girls. -That was her, captain of the senior team. She gets prizes and things, -too." - -"I know all those girls on the team," airily replied Amy Lou's friend. -"My cousin tells me about them. But I guess your sister is real good. I -saw her make that basket at the end." - -"Betty can do anything she tries to do," said loyal Amy Lou, more loyal -than wise on some occasions. "She is going to see if I can't come to the -game the faculty has with the regular team. It's terribly funny, always, -and they have all sorts of stunts. The worst is getting Mother to let me -get excused from school early." - -"Oh, that is never any trouble for me," said the other child. "Sometimes -they come for me and just take me to a movie." - -Amy Lou was rather envious at that statement and wondered what her -parents would say if she repeated it at home. - -"I'll take you some time," offered the child. - -"Thank you, but I wouldn't be allowed," said Amy Lou. She had already -expressed her thanks for the kindness of this trip. - -Meantime a tired and excited Betty was receiving congratulations for the -team and for herself. While Amy Lou went home with Doris, Betty took a -plunge and shower and was carried off to Carolyn's, for the Gwynne car -was to call for Carolyn. They scarcely talked on the way and the only -bit of energy shown by Carolyn that evening was when she called up to -see if Betty could stay all night. It was one of those quiet, restful -visits that Betty could have with Carolyn and that Carolyn enjoyed with -her. She almost told Carolyn about Larry's arranging with Marcella to be -with her at supper that night of the party. But it might lead to other -things and the only thing that Carolyn said about it was to comment on -how nice it was of Marcella to put Betty with Larry. - -"I always did think that Larry Waite was interested in you, Betty. -'Always' means last summer, of course. He must be four or five years -older than you are. I imagine he must have asked Marcella to place him -with you. She was telling me how his father depends on him. It seems the -older brother went into the navy and is somewhere way off, in the -Philippines, I imagine." - -Betty looked interested, responding by smiles and attention. "I never -heard Marcella say," she answered, "and Larry never spoke of it that I -can remember." - -Betty's memories of Larry were still too precious to be talked about, -even with Carolyn. Perhaps she would have the promised letter soon. But -if he made this trip for his father and had lessons to make up, he might -not have time. That he would not forget, she was sure. It was different -now. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - A PAUSE IN ROMANCE - - -A healthy body and plenty of wholesome activities, with books and sane -thinking at home, kept Betty Lee from any morbid ideas or tendencies in -regard to early love affairs. She was romantic, to be sure, having had -Larry in mind as her Prince Charming for some time. But with the pushing -lessons and performances of her senior year there was not much time for -dwelling upon "Love and Larry," an expression of her own and held in her -young heart in connection with that evening of Valentine's day. It was -"Eros, god of Love," that she remembered, not St. Valentine. Now that -she had a room of her own, she could sleep every night with Larry's -little valentine heart under her pillow, and his writing on the place -card with its astonishingly revealing verses was equally cherished. Not -every girl had a lover who was a poet. - -And Larry had said that he loved her! She always came back to that. It -was a little harder to get lessons now, for her thoughts had a trick of -wandering off and even in study hall she could sometimes see in her -mind's eye that half embarrassed but very earnest young man who had bid -her goodbye. - -"What are you smiling about?" somebody would ask her, perhaps. - -"Oh, just a pleasant thought," she would reply. "I occasionally have -one!" - -G. A. A. affairs took much of her extra time. The Girl Reserves were -having a banquet. Fortunately she was not on one of the committees. She -hoped to have a Girl Reserve ring at the spring ceremonial, when they -had a beautiful service at one of the churches and the girls would be in -full white uniform to march in. That ring, given not for advance in -scholarship but in recognition of development in character, would mean -something to Betty. She had tried, not only to meet the various demands, -but to be fair and just and kind and lend an ear to the various ideals -suggested as graces in the well-rounded character. Betty loved the Girl -Reserves and all that they stood for. And what fun they could have, too, -just like the scouts and camp-fire girls. If "nothing happened" she -would be allowed to go to camp again during some period after school was -out. Yet she could not plan beyond her diploma, for receiving that would -mark one "jumping off place." Would there be anything left of her by -that time? - -Her "grand rush" was occasionally recognized by her mother with a formal -welcome when she came home late. "Miss Lee, I believe?" her mother would -inquire, offering her the tips of her fingers from a hand held high. - -"Yes," Betty would reply, extending her own fingers, "glad to meet you." -Then she usually received an embrace and a motherly kiss with a -searching look into what was usually a blooming face. Sometimes she -would be tired out and then she was promptly told to stretch out for -half an hour and "think of nothing." In the pleasant process of thinking -of--Larry Waite--she usually dropped to sleep, waking refreshed for -dinner and the evening. - -The inner hiking club of the G. A. A.'s had one winter hike, almost a -spring hike, indeed, for a few birds were back in warm late February -days before March winds began. But pussy willows were in bud. Betty saw -a bluebird, several robins, some downy and hairy woodpeckers, a whisking -titmouse and two of his cousins, the black-capped titmice, or -chickadees. But they were Carolina chickadees Betty thought, though they -did not make identification sure by singing. Only "chickadee-dee-dee," -they said. The hike was almost a committee meeting of those prominent -seniors, for there was so much to plan. Betty was selling tickets -already for the orchestra concert. She was in the "senior" orchestra -indeed, in these days. Ted Dorrance and she had always that in common, -love for the violin. - -"It's a pity that Ted doesn't see more of you, Betty," said Doris, one -time when she had been unusually thoughtful, sitting in Betty's room to -hear all about an orchestra practice when three boys had been sent to -"D. T.," otherwise known as "detention," by a leader whose patience was -exhausted in enduring various capers. - -"Why?" asked Betty. - -"Because you are both so crazy about the violin. Wouldn't it be fine to -marry somebody like Ted?" - -"Ted is nice enough for any one," said Betty and meant it. "But imagine -two people practicing on violins. The neighbors would never stand it." - -This seemed to amuse Doris very much and after she finished laughing she -announced that she quite agreed. But Doris never knew that once Betty -had had almost the same idea, never fully acknowledged, even to herself. -Then there was Arthur Penrose, so congenial in every way, always to be a -friend. But some one else had become so dear. Betty was sure that she -never would change this time. - -In March the results of the endurance swim were proclaimed and published -in the Lyon's _Roar_. Betty Lee led with the highest individual score, -and naturally this senior class stood highest of the classes. Perhaps -Betty's influence and swimming had helped make swimming popular with the -girls of her class, for she had taken honors almost from the first. - -The faculty played its annual game with the boys' basketball team, with -the usual fun. But some of the faculty played well and though the boys, -as usual, beat, it was not without some effort. Then the ladies of the -faculty who could play had a game with the girls of basketball fame, in -a game which Amy Lou pronounced a "scream." Betty saved her adorable -Miss Heath from a bad fall which seemed imminent, but made the basket -instead of her. - -Betty attended to the matter of a nominating committee for G. A. A. -officers for the next year. That would be accomplished in advance this -time and the junior girls would have the advantage of planning with the -present officers. Then came the life-saving tests for juniors and -seniors. Betty, as she practiced for hers, tried to imagine how it would -seem in the ocean waves that she remembered from the last summer. Her -thoughts of Larry became less of a beautiful dream. They faced the -reality that she had not heard from him. - -How fortunate that she had made a confidant of no one. She felt sure -that he had been in earnest. Betty could trust a friend. Yet after all, -he had merely told her that he loved her. Perhaps it was a sudden -impulse. Some people were like that, she knew. A kiss didn't mean -anything to them. But she had felt that Larry was of a higher type. She -had all the experience of last summer and her acquaintance with him to -prove that. - -Very well. Something might have happened. She most certainly would not -assume that Larry had bound himself to her in any way. Her pride, if -nothing else, would keep her friendly. And oh, how fortunate that he had -not asked her if _she_ loved _him_! That would have been hard, though -Betty did not reason that hurt pride would enter into that situation. - -At all events, whatever the cause, budding warmth in love was decidedly -chilled. With her usual determination, Betty filled her mind as well as -her time, with all that was going on in relation to school. She did not -see Marcella, as it happened, for Marcella was as busy as she, and after -a few little trips back and forth between the houses, shortly after the -important party, each girl was busy with her separate school and -friends. Marcella had merely said once that it was such a pity Larry had -to rush off that way but that her father had to call on him often. -"Father isn't very well, you know, and the business seems to bother him -a good deal lately." - -Betty had looked sympathetic and interested, but asked no questions. -Another pleasant outlook was hinted at by Marcella, when she said that -several of her very special friends were "absolutely charmed" by Betty. -That meant the sorority girls that were there. But that matter would -take care of itself in the future. Time enough when she was in the -university. - -One consolation, the weeks flew by so fast that there was no time to -grieve over anybody's neglect. Betty was so tired that she fell asleep -almost as soon as her head rested upon her pillow every night. But she -ceased to have that pleasant anticipation of a letter. Happy expectancy -changed into as calm an acceptance as she could master. The heart and -the bit of verse were put away gently in a repository for special -treasures, though not without regret. There was no tucking her hand -under her pillow to see if Larry's "heart" were safely there. - -One good result of keeping her mind on school was that she "positively" -could not give way to "spring fever." She told Carolyn that she was -going on every G. A. A. hike and get her fifty points for fifty miles -toward the school letter, as announced. - -"Seems to me your astonishing speed this spring is almost feverish," -jokingly returned Carolyn, who was taking matters more easily. "Why not -have a good time this last stretch?" - -But Betty shook her head. "I'll have a better time if I take in -everything," said she, "but last fall's hikes and our Christmas hike _a -la_ the G. A. A. winter bird census are counting, of course." - -"How many 'all around' L's do you want, Betty?" - -"Never mind. I'm going to try for Miss Heath's Latin prize, too, and -you'll see me with my Virgil and prose comp under my arm on every hike." - -"I think you've lost your mind, Betty. They'll put over your grave, -'Ambition killed her!'" - -"Not likely," laughed Betty, "but you shouldn't joke on serious -subjects. Honestly, now that we've passed our life-saving tests, outside -of our getting ready for senior examinations there isn't much left but -pure fun. Yes, I do feel a little nervous over the big concert, for the -first violins have a lot to handle in some of the music, but that will -soon be over. By the way, I'm selling tickets for that; so if you think -you or any of your friends would enjoy the concert, please buy them of -me." - -"Goose! I'm in it, too! But I'm not selling tickets, so I'll order those -for the family of you." - -Betty knew well that Carolyn was singing with the chorus, but both girls -were in high spirits that afternoon, swinging along on their own private -little hike in the Gwynne grounds. February and March had passed. It was -more than six weeks since the great occasion at Marcella's. The central -feature of this walk and visit with Carolyn was to talk over the -committee to be appointed by the vice-president of the G. A. A. in -regard to the "Honor Girl." This committee would consist of several -teachers and representatives of each class, who would receive and -consider the petitions, presented at an early date and naming candidates -for the honor. - -Selma Rardon was the vice-president and had consulted with Betty about -the appointments. "I told Selma that I wasn't going to make a single -suggestion, but she has a good committee and I think that there will be -a number of petitions. We'll have almost too good a variety to choose -from. O Carolyn, you are the loveliest girl in the class and my name is -going on a petition for you!" - -"I wonder if you could guess whom _I'm_ going to suggest as Honor Girl. -I'd love to wear the ring, I'll confess. All of us want it; but I know -who deserves it most!" - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - SHARING JOY - - -Mrs. Lee sometimes detected a wistful look on Betty's face, as if she -had found out some of the world's disappointments. There was some little -problem in friendship, perhaps, or something about school relations that -annoyed her, or she was merely having too much on hand. But for the most -part Betty was in good spirits at home and with delightful spring -weather she was outdoors with the rest of her friends. She saw a great -deal of Lucia Coletti when they had their riding together. Betty's -riding, with all her late instruction, was quite good. She had learned -proper posture and all the details necessary to make a good horsewoman. -Not at all nervous about horses, she was good material. - -"You will be proud of me yet, Mother," she said, "when some time you see -your little Betty take a prize at the Horse Show!" - -"Mercy on us! You haven't that ambition, have you!" - -"You never can tell, Mother, what may develop." - -"No--I think by this time that you are right!" - -But this was by way of badinage. Betty's only ambition was to be a good -rider. - -And so it happened that one afternoon after school Lucia and several -other girls were with Betty upon the pretty bridle paths that their -teacher frequented. As they slowly walked their horses together, upon a -wider road toward the end of their ride, Lucia drew her horse beside -Betty's and said, "I forgot to tell you that we've had great excitement -at our house. Well, I didn't want to worry you and I was so late getting -here today." - -"Worry? Then it isn't a pleasant excitement? Nothing the matter with the -count and countess, I hope." - -"Oh, no! They mail me a card almost every day and they are having the -most marvelous time. It's the Sevillas. An immense legal envelope came -from somewhere, Auntie said, and that seemed to upset Rose a good deal; -and then a letter came, all scribbled on and forwarded, and I wondered -if it could be from Ramon. But no, it could not have been, Auntie said, -because that seemed to be worse than ever. It all looks bad, that no one -has heard from Ramon. - -"Rose came to her, looking so troubled and said that she was afraid they -would have to go away. So I went and talked to Rose. This was yesterday -afternoon. She said that it was some one different but just as bad as -the original villain we know about and that he threatened all sorts of -things to her mother if she didn't produce the jewels, and I don't know -what else." - -"Why, how _could_ she when she hasn't them? Oh, do you _suppose_, Lucia, -that Ramon has gotten them away from that man? There might be a gang of -them, you know!" - -"Yes, there might. I hadn't thought of that. I'm going to telephone for -the car to come after me. Suppose you call up home and tell your mother -that you want to go home with me. You haven't been to dinner for ages. -Or we can just drive around there. That would be better. Then you can -get your books and stay all night with me. I don't know what on earth -Auntie will do without Rose now, and besides, they are safer there than -anywhere they could go. I told Rose so. I wondered if I ought not to -tell her at once about Ramon, but I'd promised. I wanted to ask you -about that, but you were flying about everywhere and I was late getting -to lunch because I had to stop at the office and wasted ten perfectly -good lunchtime minutes, precious as they are, in a necessary confab." - -"Did you have to drink a bottle of milk and swallow a sandwich whole?" - -"Almost!" - -The plan was carried out. Fortunately, there was nothing but lessons -ahead for that evening. The matter of telling Rose and Mrs. Sevilla was -discussed between the girls on the way. Betty thought that it should be -done, disregarding Ramon's request. Something might have happened to -him, that was true, but Betty said that Mrs. Sevilla "had a right to the -facts" as far as the girls knew them. - -"Shall I decide to do it, then?" asked Lucia. - -"I wouldn't hesitate a minute," replied Betty. - -"Then you tell Rose all about it, please, Betty. I'll call her into my -room after dinner and we'll have the whole thing out!" - -"Agreed," said Betty, immediately engrossed in thought as to how she -should break the good news to Rose. - -The Murchison home was arrayed in fresh spring draperies and Betty -thought she never had seen it look so pretty. Rose, sober, and giving -Betty only a half smile, as the girls entered the dining-room to find -her, was arranging some flowers on the buffet. She answered Betty's -"Good afternoon, Rose," but started to leave the room at once. - -"Just a minute, Rose," said Lucia. "I know you are busy now, but after -dinner, as soon as you can, please come to my room. There is something -that Betty knows about and it may cheer you up a little. She thinks so, -anyhow." - -"I will come, Miss Lucia." Rose was always respectful to those who -employed her, but she had considerable dignity of manner herself and one -saw that there was none of the servility of an inferior. - -Dinner was quiet. Mr. Murchison telephoned about five o'clock that he -was having dinner with some men at a club, to talk over important -affairs. He would be "home early," however. So reported the butler, who -had answered the telephone. - -"That may mean early in the evening, or early in the morning, if those -men are discussing what I think," said Mrs. Murchison. But that meant -little to Betty. Possibly her father was to be present at the conference -which would follow the dinner, or he might be with them at dinner. If -Mr. Murchison had come home early and to dinner, however, it would have -made a little difference to Rose, and Betty might have missed some -interesting information. - -She enjoyed the dinner and liked "the new Mrs. Murchison" more than -ever. Immediately afterward several friends came in to visit with Mrs. -Murchison and the girls shortly retired to Lucia's pretty room. "Don't -worry, Betty, over how to tell Rose," Lucia suggested, noting Betty's -thoughtfulness. "You always do things nicely and sometimes, if you are -like me, I can do it better if I don't think up how beforehand and then -stammer around trying to think how I _had_ thought it up! Let's get at -the lessons and get ahead, so if it takes some time with Rose, we can -still get along." - -"Lucia, the wise one," laughed Betty. They began on their lessons and -were studying away, almost forgetting about Rose and her troubles till a -light knock on the door roused them. - -Rose, her large dark eyes serious, came in and took the chair indicated -by Lucia. "We think that you ought to know something, Rose, that Ramon -did not want us to tell you, but I'm sure that you will be glad to be -told and you can use your own judgment about telling your mother. Betty -is going to tell you all about it." - -Rose turned frightened eyes on Betty, who hastened to speak. "Oh, don't -be scared about it, Rose. Part of it is good news. We saw Ramon in Maine -this summer." - -Betty did not have a chance to continue, for Rose exclaimed something in -Spanish, then--"saw my Ramon in Maine and never told us about it?" - -"He _asked_ us not to tell, Rose." Betty paused, to let Rose get this -point. - -Rose's expression changed now. "Excuse me. I should know--some good -reason." - -"No, I don't think that it was a good idea of Ramon's at all. It was all -right to keep it from your mother, but you should have known at once. It -was only because he was going after that old villain that he was afraid -you would worry." - -Rose nodded, then smiled a little. "It is not the first time. Ramon went -after--'villains' before--much trouble came." - -"I can imagine," said Betty, recalling Ramon's intensity and his sudden -leaving. But this gave Betty an easy opening to tell the events of the -summer before in which Ramon had a part. Rose sat, intent, tense, a -frown on her brow, her eyes glowing. - -When Betty was all through, undisturbed by a single question from Rose, -for Betty was good at describing scenes and events, Rose sighed, relaxed -somewhat and said, "That explains a little, perhaps. I will not tell my -mother yet. May God preserve my Ramon! I think he has. If you would like -to see what we had by the mail, I will bring it." In answer to Lucia's -nod of assent and expression of interest, Rose left the room, returning -presently with the long envelope, which Lucia had mentioned to Betty, -and the other letter as well. - -While Rose was out, Lucia's comment to Betty was that both mother and -daughter were "rather excitable. Rose has had to learn to control -herself, but the mother, though she is so dignified most of the time, -goes all to pieces over some things." - -Rose was evidently in good command of herself as she showed the girls a -legal document of some sort, though probably a forgery, as all the three -thought. It was a summons to appear in a court at some place of which -the girls had never heard. Rose thought that it was near Chicago. - -The letter was threatening, as Lucia had said. Rose gave them only the -gist of it, and she had the same idea as Betty's first thought. "I think -that perhaps my Ramon has gotten the jewels back again and they think -that he has sent them to us. But how--have they made him tell where we -are?" - -That was a thought not so pleasant. Rose's brows contracted again as she -thought of Ramon in their hands. - -"I can't believe that they have got him! He was going to get the jewels -and the papers that they tried to get him to sign; and while Ramon does -very risky things, he will be more careful this time, especially since -he knows that he has practically found you and your mother!" So Betty -said, rather explosively. - -Rose then gave the girls a brief account of how this had come about. As -every one knew, there had been many revolutionary activities in Spain. -Her father, loyal to the crown, had been caught in a plot. "They call it -'framed' in this country," said Rose. "Men deceived him. He was put in -prison. He was sick and died. They came to steal our jewels and money -and papers and took Ramon away--these men, I mean, not the government, -though they _told_ us so. We followed Ramon, and the plot was to get us -away from the country, too. We spoke no English and were in a strange -country. This bad man pretended to be kind and help us find Ramon. At -last we found him out. He was, from what you tell me, writing lies to -Ramon about where we were and trying to get Ramon to send money and the -jewels that Ramon had finally gotten--to send them to us. Then he would -take them away from us, of course. It would take too long to tell just -how he did all this. But such terrible things can be done and no one -knew us. We were afraid to do anything until we had found Ramon. Then we -thought Ramon must be dead--until you told us! Never will I forget!" -Rose put her head in her hands and her shoulders lifted from the sobs -she was trying to suppress. - -Betty was thinking to herself, "_Can_ such things happen in the United -States?" But then she had thought that last summer, too. - -Then they heard the doorbell ring and it seemed to rouse Rose from her -tears that she was trying to wipe away, though more would fall. - -"Well, anyhow, Rose," said Betty, "stay right here, where we know all -about you. This is just some more wicked work. Don't even answer, and -put that paper in Mr. Murchison's hands!" - -But there was a tap on Lucia's door and Rose jumped to her feet, -thinking that she might be wanted. She was, indeed, but not for any -household duty. - -It was Mr. Murchison who stood there, rather shamefacedly holding out -two letters. "Rose, I came home early after all, and till this minute I -forgot to give you a letter which came addressed to my office today. -It's from Spain, too! I never thought of it till this special delivery -letter came this minute, also for you, I think. Don't worry, Rose, if it -is bad news. Mrs. Murchison has been telling me of your new troubles. -Just let me handle this for you." - -But Rose had gotten a look at the address upon the letters. Although -Betty was not taking Spanish, nor did she belong to the "Spanish Club" -at school, as Lucia did, she probably understood as well the meaning of -the Spanish phrase in which Rose thanked God, fervently, tears again -beginning to fall, but not tears of grief. - -"Ramon, _Ramon_," she said softly. "Mr. Murchison, both these letters -are from my brother!" - -"And that one was on my desk almost all day, till I rushed off to dinner -with my friends and thought to tuck it in my pocket!" - -Rose's hands were shaking. "Sit right down this minute, Rose," said -Lucia, "and read enough to find out where Ramon is. Uncle says that one -is from Spain!" Mr. Murchison himself was already gone. - -The girls stepped into the bedroom which Betty always occupied, to allow -Rose the privilege of reading her letter alone. "There were all sorts of -things on that letter from abroad," said Betty. "I think it may have -been sent to the wrong place and forwarded. The special delivery means -that he is either here in this country or has sent on a letter to some -one to have mailed." - -"He wouldn't do that," said Lucia. "I'll not be surprised to see the Don -walking in at any time." - -"Please come in and let me tell you," gently said Rose, appearing in the -door. The two girls joined her. "I must take these to my mother," said -Rose, folding her hands over the precious letters. "I would let you read -them but they are in my language. Ramon has been to Spain. He has seen -the king himself. He has proved to him that our father had no part in a -plot. He even visited our old home and found letters and papers that we -had hidden there. Those he showed to the king. By the grace of God he -believed, and it will be safe for us to go home! Oh, I can not tell you -what it means! Ramon has found the jewels and the papers he wanted on -that little boat, which he followed after they had fixed it up. He put -them in a safe place and though he was almost taken again by these bad -men that are here, he got away, sailed, and they are waiting for us in -Spain with our other property, unless he has thought it safe to bring -back and sell here, some of them. - -"This was in the letter from Spain. The quick letter here says that he -has sailed right away after writing, for a great nobleman there made him -a loan and he is to come for us very soon. We are to be ready and I must -prepare my mother to see him." - -"Do it, Rose," said Lucia. "Thank you for telling us. I'll let Auntie -know about it at once, or as soon as her guests go. So you and your -mother can be glad all by yourselves." - -"How nicely Rose talks the English since she has been going to night -school," admiringly Betty commented. "She made that as clear as could be -to us. It's as romantic as a novel, only there isn't any love story in -it." - -"Who knows?" asked Lucia. "Rose may have some lover somewhere." - -"Oh, I'm so _glad_!" cried Betty. "The Don's troubles worried me from -the start. Now it is all explained and when he once comes, their -troubles will be over. Did you notice what Rose called the special -delivery letter?" - -"No." - -"'The _quick_ letter!'" - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - CONCERNING LOST LETTERS - - -Considering what had happened some weeks before, Betty thought it one of -the most important moments of her life when she was called to the -telephone a day or so after her visit at Lucia's and heard Marcella -Waite's voice at the other end of the wire. - -"Betty?" inquired Marcella. - -"Yes." - -"Oh, I am in sackcloth and ashes, Betty, and I hope that you can forgive -me. Listen. Two weeks ago or so, I had a letter from Larry, a short one, -such as he writes to his _relatives_, and in it he asked me if Betty Lee -were sick. He said that he had written you after his hasty leaving at -the party--you remember?" - -"Yes," said Betty, who after the first gasp of astonishment, which -Marcella could not have heard, had had time to recover herself. (Larry -had written! And she certainly _did_ remember.) - -"Well, I forgot all about it--I'm living in such a rush, and you will -understand, I'm sure, since you are in a rush yourself as a senior." - -"Of course, Marcella." Betty was cordial. She could forgive anything. -Larry _had_ written. - -"So I didn't even answer his letter--_he_ waits for ages sometimes; and -I supposed if he'd written to you, you'd gotten the letter and answered -it, if it called for an answer." - -"No, I have not heard from Larry at all, Marcella." - -"Yes? It dawned on me, Betty, after I received a special delivery letter -this afternoon. I'm going down town for dinner with some girls and I'll -stop with his letter. I'm sending him a special delivery letter and I'll -put in, shall I--that you haven't received a word from him?" - -"Certainly, Marcella," replied Betty, wondering what Larry had written. - -"The letter will give you the facts, Betty. I'm writing an abject -apology, but reminding him of certain delays on his side. If I'd had any -idea that--well--see you later. 'Bye." - -About four o'clock, just as Betty was feeling that she could not wait -any longer, a car stopped in front of the house and Marcella flew up the -walk to the steps, where Betty met her with smiles. "I thought you would -be in a hurry, Marcella. Thank you so much for bringing this. I did -wonder not to have heard, since Larry _spoke_ of writing." - -Marcella gave her a meaning glance. "Well, for my sake, be nice to -Larry, when you do hear from him, and answer!" - -"I will," promised Betty. It was just as well, she thought, that -Marcella would never know the heart-aches she had had over the missing -letter. What could have become of it? And why hadn't Larry written -again? No, he would think she didn't care. - -Betty flew to the privacy of her room. Larry's letter was brief but very -much to the point. "Respected Sister," he began. "In view of what I said -to you on the evening of your party, it might have occurred to you that -my question about Betty Lee was important. _I enclose addressed envelope -with special delivery stamps._ Please reply at once. Is Betty sick? Have -you seen her? Can you suggest any reason why she should not reply? The -first letter was rather important because it explained something. I also -wrote a card, inquiring, after I had not heard. Still no reply. Could I -have offended her? But it is not like her--not to show the courtesy of a -reply." That was all except his "as ever, Larry." - -Betty looked out of the window over the ravine, straight at a nest which -a little bird was building, and she never saw it! Her heart's impulse -was to write to Larry at once. But that would not do at all. Marcella's -letter would carry the news. She had seen some mail in Marcella's hand. -She was, doubtless, going to mail it at the general post office instead -of at the nearest station. Larry would know very soon. - -Then Betty did a funny thing, "silly," she told herself. She opened her -top drawer and from a box she took the little heart. On it she laid her -cheek a moment, then slipped it within the scented sachet cover in which -it had been accustomed to rest under her pillow. It was all right. Larry -cared. He was true and good. Now she could enjoy the rest of her senior -year. It would have been much more comfortable if she had not cared -herself; but since she did, it was nice that Larry cared, too--some, at -least. - -Sedately Betty walked downstairs, but just then Doris sat down at the -piano and began a gay, jazzy tune. "See if you could 'tap' it off to -this, Betty," cried she. "I've got to play for some of them tomorrow in -a show we're getting up--a sophomore jazz-fest." And Betty's feet -celebrated her restlessness, while Dick came in--to execute a sort of -clog dance, and Mr. Lee, just home, stood laughing in the doorway. - -"What's this?" he asked, "my house turned into a vaudeville stage?" - -"Don't worry, Father," breathlessly replied Betty, stopping to throw -herself into a chair. "We've only been working off some of our extra -steam!" - -Betty found it hard to study that evening, but for the next few days she -threw herself into school work with great zeal. "When has Betty been so -gay?" asked Mary Emma Howland. - -"Spring has 'CAME,' Mary Emma," declared Betty, in reply. - -Next came the expected note from Larry. Betty found it waiting when she -came from school and held it, almost too carelessly, with some other -mail, invitations, she thought, from Janet and Sue, to their early -Commencement. She visited and chatted with some friends of her sister's, -with whom she and Doris had come from high school. Then they went into -the kitchen with Doris to make fudge, and Betty could slip away to her -room. - -It is needless to say that the mail from Buxton went unopened until she -should read the message from New Haven. - -"I have only just found out," wrote Larry, "that you have not received a -letter and a later note which I wrote you. I can not understand what has -become of them and I am trying to find out. But I hasten to tell you, -meanwhile, that I wrote, as I said I would, and I know that you must -have thought me--well, I don't know what you must have thought, if you -thought of me at all! - -"I have been anxiously waiting a reply from you, wondering, thinking -that you were sick, or offended--about that at the last, you know. Yet I -felt that you would have written me some sort of a reply, if only out of -courtesy. Now Marcella writes me that you have not heard from me at all. - -"I shall write in full again, but hurry this off at once. This is only -to say that what I said to you at that last short moment was only too -true for my peace of mind and that my missing letter went into matters -between us. My Commencement comes shortly before yours, I believe, and I -expect to be home to see the sweet girl graduate receive her diploma. Do -I dare to hope that she will be glad to see me?" - -The heart of that sweet girl graduate was thrilling over Larry's letter -then. Yes. She would be glad to see Larry, without a doubt. So he had -meant it. What difference did it make about lost letters now? Yet--she -would enjoy knowing just what had been in that first message. - -School _would_ go on, of course, no matter what interesting and -important things were happening outside. Betty managed to concentrate on -her lessons now. Those senior examinations! Then "at last" the expected -letter came: - - "Dear Valentine Lady: - - "I am seeing you as you looked in the library that night. No wonder - my resolution failed me. But since you are not offended, I am not - sorry. Your note assuring me of that fact came promptly and relieved - my very much disturbed feelings. Thank you, dear girl. So far there - is no trace of the letter. Judd declares that he mailed all the - letters he carried to the post that day. There is no one at your end - of the route that would be interested in holding back a letter from - me, I am sure. We can let it go, and since I am to see you so soon, - I shall not write, or try to remember all the details I mentioned in - that missive. But there were one or two important points that I - think I'd better mention. - - "The first is that I have been interested in you, Betty, for a long - time. But after that first meeting, when I found how very, very - young you were, I decided that a love affair might better be - postponed, if there were any chance of one with you. I have had - little of what is called college society here, for reasons that I - will mention in a moment. I have been a busy fellow all through the - university, with most of my recreation with the fellows, as we say. - - "Of course, every time I saw you, I was tempted to begin a - courtship. It was good, but harrowing last summer to be with you, - and to tell the truth, it was when I got to thinking that those - other youngsters whom you knew so well would perhaps carry you off - after all, that is, some one of them--one in particular--well, that - is what brought me flying, after my valentine. And with your looking - like a young lady of the olden time, so sweet and lovely, it quite - finished me. - - "If the circumstances were ordinary, Betty, I would merely start in - to win your love, with no explanation. But you probably do not - remember stating, in some conversation with the other girls on the - boat last summer, that your parents would never hear to an - engagement while you were in high school and that you would have to - be 'awfully in love' to go against anything they wanted or did not - want. I could not blame them, though for a girl not yet eighteen you - seem mature and able to choose whom you like. But of course I am no - cool-headed parent on this question! I'm not on their side of the - argument at all! But that is why I am not going to ask you for a - _pledge_ when I come. I am going to ask you for permission to win - your love if I can and to find out how your heart does stand on that - important point. Then I am going to see all I can of you, unless I - find that you--I am not sure, though, that I could keep away from - you under any circumstances. There might be some chance that you - could learn to like me enough. - - "The other matter that has made me hesitate is what I will tell you - more about. Please do not mention this to Marcella, but the business - my father is in may go on the rocks. He has not said a word about it - at home. Money is still available, you understand, and my father's - income so far is not materially lessened. So we are letting things - go on as usual, with Marcella having a great time in school and - entertaining as she does. I sold the small yacht we had on the - excuse that it was old and a good opportunity offered, which was - true. We did not get the new car that Marcella wanted. There have - been big losses and a crooked executive who has been dismissed. - - "On the other hand, there will be enough to liquidate and Dad and I - will start something else. That is one reason why I have been - working so hard and taking extra courses and so on, besides making - flying trips when he wanted me. And the fact that you are so young - isn't so bad when I think that maybe you will be willing to wait for - me till I get a start and am able to take care of you properly. - - "So you are hereby told again, and I wish that it could be in the - same way, that one Larry Waite is desperately in love and means to - find out what the prospect is for him when he sees the lady of his - dreams. Don't discourage me, Betty, when you answer this, though I - am not expecting that you give me an answer now. But I've got to - live through these last weeks of school. How does _Betty Lee Waite_ - look on paper? I hope that you may write it so some day. I am - _deeply in earnest_, Betty, and though it was publicly in a spirit - of fun that we exchanged hearts, mine is in your keeping. Be good to - it!" - -So ended Larry's letter, and he signed himself simply "Yours." - -It was Betty Lee's first and only love letter, and how like Larry, bless -him! Betty was very sober as she read the letter through several times. -Possibly she would show it to her mother, some time, but not until after -Commencement. It would explain matters. Betty's head was in a whirl. Be -good to Larry's heart? Well, rather! But Larry would be anxious to know -about the receipt of this letter. She must write, and what should she -say? - -Betty took out her writing materials and sat at her desk thinking. A -little note was best. Presently she began to write. - - "Dear Larry: - - "I have just received and read your letter, and I know that you will - want to hear from me at once, especially since one, no, two letters - have been lost. I am not really capable now of replying to such a - beautiful letter as it should be answered, and I'm just a little - dazed over it, I suppose. I did not really know that you have been - thinking of me in that way for so long. But I do not even _want_ to - say anything to 'discourage' you for these last weeks, and I will be - good to the 'heart.' - - "As ever, - "Betty." - -The answer to this was a telegram and a box of flowers, all of which was -quite thrilling to Betty Lee. Her mother looked surprised and asked why -Larry Waite should send Betty flowers "now." - -"Oh, because the spring flowers are so pretty, I suppose," said Betty, -burying her nose in them. "I had a letter, too." - -"You must have made a hit with Larry at the Valentine party," said -Doris, crossing the room to see the blossoms whose fragrance had reached -her. - -"It is awfully nice of him, anyway," said Betty, turning away to look -for vases. "I'll put a bunch of these on my desk," she said, "and the -rest we'll all enjoy downstairs." But while Betty did not permit her -family to discover all that these flowers meant to her, a few were later -pressed and found their way into the repository of treasures. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - OF A NUMBER OF THINGS - - -While other things were uppermost in Betty Lee's mind just now, the -committee on Honor Girl were considering her as well as half a dozen or -more of the fine girls that were G. A. A. candidates, made so by the -"petitions" of their friends. No girl goes through a high school course -without being pretty well estimated, in one way or another, by her -friends, but this was a little more definite. The school paper, indeed, -published the main requirements which the choice of Honor Girl, or -points upon which the choice rested: character, appearance, leadership, -school spirit and scholarship of not less than eighty per cent for the -four years of high school work. - -Betty's grades were good, for not once had she fallen below the honor -list, thanks to pride and the stimulus of pleasing her parents. Her -leadership was not to be doubted, for more than one team had she led to -victory, though she had not taken part in as many competitive games as -some of the other girls. And was she not the president of the G. A. A.? -"Betty Lee is efficient," said one of the teachers on the committee. -"Yes, and she is to be relied on absolutely," replied another. - -Appearance, did not mean beauty, it was to be supposed, but it did -include neat and suitable dressing, and presumably a certain poise of -manner, not impossible to be attained by the young. "Betty Lee's -experience at the head of some of these organizations has given her that -modest but rather confident manner in the class room, I suppose," said -one. - -"No," said Miss Heath, "she has always had that. She has been in my -classes from the first. She gets that at home I think. They are all -rather self-contained, good control and all that. I've been entertained -there. I'm glad I'm not on your committee, ladies. There's Carolyn -Gwynne. She is one of the most charming girls I know, quite as generous -as Betty and as friendly, with all the school spirit any one could -desire. If you chose her, you would have a fine honor girl, one that -represents the best Lyon High has. Yet Betty has a few more gifts and -has made a better president of G. A. A. than Carolyn would have made. -She is just as bright as Carolyn, though her grades are not quite as -high. How she has kept up to the mark with all your athletic -performances, I don't see." - -Miss Heath had been called into one of the class rooms where members of -the committee were discussing the choice, and this was her laughing -thrust at two of the athletic directors. "Oh, yes, one more thing in -favor of my favorite," added Miss Heath. "Betty has cool judgment. She -thinks things out, which is more than you can say for all of our -youngsters. That is one of the best points in leadership. Betty -expresses herself well, too, in class." - -"How about pep and enthusiasm?" queried one lady. - -"I presume all of these girls would make one hundred per cent on that, -wouldn't they? Witness this morning's assembly?" - -The choice was not an easy one, but it was made, to be kept a secret -until the G. A. A. banquet when the honors were to be given. - -Meanwhile last senior hikes and picnics took their place in history, -during the lovely days of April, May and early June. Color Day, a girls' -affair, marked by class stunts and contests, was a jolly occasion. -Betty's only honor was winning the basketball throw and that was an -accident, she claimed. But she had helped get up the senior stunt, which -won the prize, filling the senior girls with delight. "Betty, you made a -grand class manager," declared Mathilde, amazing Betty, who did not -suppose that Mathilde thought she could do anything right. But Betty had -never retaliated nor seemed to notice Mathilde's little slights, except -to avoid contact more or less. "That's nice of you to say, Mathilde," -responded Betty with a bright smile. "I'm going to miss all the times we -girls have had," she added, "and these field days have been such fun. -I'll miss all of it." - -"So shall I," said Mathilde, thoughtfully. "I'm going to be married, -Betty. Tell you some more some time." - -A successful and almost too well attended concert of glee clubs and -orchestra finished Betty's "fiddling" for the year, she said, though she -still attended practices. She was happy over having the largest "score" -and thus winning that past swimming meet. Swimming and music ought to go -together, she told her father. He agreed and reminded her how fishermen -were lured to their doom by the Lorelei and other sirens. - -"Oh--you're a great daddy!" Betty told him, "but you'll be proud of your -little goldfish yet!" - -"I am now, Betty. There isn't a girl as fine as mine over there!" - -"Why, Father! That's better than the diploma! I know you're prejudiced, -but it's very pleasant!" - -Then came a day when Ramon Sevilla came "home." Tall, big, strong, -confident, he had gotten past fear, established in his own country, with -backing now in America as well. But plans changed. Mrs. Sevilla was not -quite strong enough yet to be taken across the Atlantic. The school -paper, known as the _Roar_, came out with a little account which gave a -summary of Ramon's experiences: - - A Former Football Hero Returns. - - Who does not remember the Don, otherwise known as Ramon Balinsky? He - is the man who came to fame after Freddy Fisher and in turn was - followed by "Kentucky," our synonym for victory. - - The Don was the man of mystery. We always knew that he had some - romantic history and it turns out that he was the victim of a - frame-up in his native land. Separated from his relatives, who - feared that he was dead, not knowing what had become of them, he - drifted here, always followed by the villains of the piece. - - Last summer he was kidnapped and almost killed, though rescued by - friends that included some of our most prominent seniors. It made a - romantic tale of the Maine coast, stolen jewels and smuggled liquor. - The Don has been to Spain and it is whispered that he has even - talked to the king. He has regained his stolen property and while he - goes now by the name of Sevilla, no one knows just what his rank may - or may not be. - - However, the Don makes a fine American and until he thinks best to - return to his native land, he has established a home for his mother - and sister and is going to work for the Murchison Company. The - _Roar_ congratulates him and says, "Long live the Don!" Good work, - Ramon. The cheer squad will now lead in Lyon High yells for the Don, - and the band will strike up "El Capitan!" - -It was true that a quiet little place had been chosen by Ramon for his -mother and sister, who could now rest from most of her labors and all of -her anxieties. For the present Ramon was to be found suitable work, in -one of the Murchison interests, which would take care of them all and -begin to settle the loan which he had accepted in Spain. - -One curious feature about Betty's new relation with Larry Waite was that -her family knew practically nothing about it. She had no desire to keep -anything from her mother, in one respect, but she had really seen so -little of Larry, and under such circumstances when she did that it was -not natural to speak of it. Mrs. Lee had noted Betty's depression and a -little change of manner, and while attributing it chiefly to her being -tired with all the various enterprises, she wondered if seeing so much -less of Chet was worrying her at all. "After Commencement," Betty -thought, "they'll see." - -Chet, on the other hand was not worrying Betty in the least. He had -seemed not to like it particularly that Betty was Larry's partner at -supper on that eventful evening, but Chet was not much older than Betty -and like her had had no real experience with a deep attachment. Just now -he was absorbed in his work and a university fraternity. He and Ted with -a few others came around in a car one afternoon to carry Betty off to a -picnic party on the Dorrance grounds, but aside from that there were no -"dates." It was a natural dropping of rather too constant attention and -Betty was glad to think that her budding romance would not bring any -particular pain to Chet. - -Mathilde, whose chief interest was in those lines and whose town -acquaintance was wide, took some little pleasure, Betty thought, in -repeating something that Jack had told her. "I hear that you are being -cut out, Betty, with Chet," said she. - -"How is that?" asked Betty, knowing that Mathilde wanted to have her ask -that very thing. - -"Jack says that Chet has a new girl--I forget her name, a new member of -Chet's class. Chet's taking her around quite a little. I hope you don't -mind." Mathilde looked at Betty curiously. Perhaps that was what was the -matter with Mathilde, curiosity. - -"How interesting," murmured Betty, annoyed, to be sure, but a little -amused, too. "No--Chet and I will always be the best of friends, I -think, but it's only natural that we should not be together so much now. -I think I know the girl you mean. There were a lot of us on a picnic -together the other day." Blessings on that recent picnic, Betty thought. -She really did not enjoy having Mathilde "crow over her," and she knew -that before the conversation ended, Mathilde would try to worm the last -detail of that picnic and who were there out of her. As if uninterested -in telling any more, she pleasantly answered the rest of the questions, -for with some people, Betty could be "diplomatic," too. - -In the comforting assurance that everything would be "all right" when -Larry came, Betty laid aside her happy dreams of the future to work hard -just before the "senior exams." One scholarship prize she would win, if -possible, and she was not going to have it said that a girl prominent in -athletics could not get her lessons. As a senior, she could not play -with the orchestra at Commencement. Freedom from practice there was one -gain, though arrangements for the G. A. A. banquet lay partly on the -shoulders of the president. - -At last the examinations were over. Class day was ushered in with -sunshine and entire relief from lessons. Betty was not even in the -pretty Maypole dance or any of the stunts, but with some regrets she -formed a part of the senior parade and carried her part of the long, -long rope of living green and twining flowers that marked the senior -class. As she followed the rest along the track of the athletic field -before the big stadium she tried not to let herself think that "all -these good times" were over, but she winked more than once, to keep a -tear from forming. One big chapter in her life was closing, and Betty -vaguely realized it. - -But her mother was in the stadium to hear the brief program and to see -Betty come forward not only for her Latin prize from Miss Heath, but for -another, given to each of the three best Latin students in the entire -senior class. - -And afterwards, when the class had its own private meeting there was -nothing but fun for Betty. The class prophet foretold a wonderful -athletic future for Betty as the world's champion swimmer. "As Lindy was -the first to fly alone, so Betty Lee is to be the first swimmer to cross -the Atlantic!" - -"How about the sharks?" someone asked, but was frowned upon by the -speaker of the day. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - TROPHIES - - -Was it herself? So thought Betty once during the G. A. A. banquet which -was such an important occasion to its president. - -There was the buzz of conversation, the tinkle of some bit of silver, -the subdued laughter of some prettily dressed girl, or other natural -accompaniment of a meal. Students, guests and teachers sat about the -long, flower-decked tables in the familiar lunch room, arranged for the -occasion, and were engaged in the pleasant pastime of disposing of an -excellent banquet menu's offerings. - -But Betty's chief thoughts were upon her little speech of welcome, with -which the program was to be opened. She sat at the speakers' table, in -the line of those who were to give toasts or present awards. Rather -overcome at first by being next to the principal himself, Betty faced -her G. A. A. world and glanced from time to time at her notes, concealed -from view in her program. She had attended more than one G. A. A. -banquet, but it was the first time that she had borne any -responsibility. - -Tonight she was in front of everybody, for the speakers' table ran -across the end of the room and was seated upon the one side only, which -thus faced the ends of the other tables. Betty would not be particularly -embarrassed in receiving before every one her coveted pin for riding, -chevrons, or other marks of honors won. But that speech! Well, if she -forgot what she intended to say, she could make up something cordial and -courteous. She had had experience with the Girl Reserves and often had -to say something that she had not expected to. But she had to manage the -program, too, and she did hope that she wouldn't make any mistakes or -let down into what her father called the school vernacular. - -Rather keyed up, Betty rose with senior dignity at the proper time and -made her little speech of welcome and introduction to the purpose and -points of the banquet. She introduced the principal as the first upon -the program and sat down during the applause which both approved of her -speech and recognized the principal. Relieved that there was a favorable -start, Betty had a chance to think of what she was to say next, while -the principal spoke briefly. Two others made short toasts, Carolyn -Gwynne, then one of the girls who lauded the opportunities of the school -for healthful activities. Then, since so many awards were to be made, -the business of presentations began. - -Betty had only to call on each teacher who made the presentations, but -she kept her mind strictly on the order of the program, though -interrupted by receiving and acknowledging with smiles her own awards. -Hockey, riding, swimming, basketball, numeral and letters made trophies -for Betty, who disposed them near her as best she could. - -The new officers for the next year were installed, another thing to have -done properly. But it was all going off promptly with no dragging, no -time wasted. What else should they learn in this big school except to -have everything go promptly, according to schedule? Lucia, happy with -both her father and her mother beside her, her guests at the banquet, -gave Betty a smiling look once in awhile. Count and Countess Coletti -were evidently very much interested in the whole affair, and the -dark-eyed, distinguished looking count took from Lucia the pin which was -the award of the riding club, to examine it smilingly and pass it on to -Mr. and Mrs. Lee, who sat near. The Murchisons, though urged to come by -Lucia, had another important engagement. The count and countess had -arrived from their travels just in time to attend. - -Gwen's father and mother were there, too, for was not Gwen receiving -recognition for her one year of excellent efforts? Carolyn, sweet old -Carolyn, had made the best speech of all, Betty thought. From certain -indications, Betty thought that it was most likely that Carolyn would be -named the honor girl. Yet not a word had any member of the committee -said to betray their secret, so far as Betty knew. - -And tired, though relieved, when Betty called upon the chief athletic -director to make the announcement of the Lyon High Honor Girl, she was -almost past thinking at all. All that she had to do now was to announce -the speaker, who would offer the toast to that honor girl. Thank -fortune, it had all gone off without a hitch! Betty leaned back in her -chair and pinned below her flowers on her gay chiffon frock, new for the -occasion, the silver pin with its outlined horse jumping over a low -gate. - -She saw Amy Lou smiling at her from beside her mother, and back among a -sophomore group was Doris. But she was all attention as the experienced -and charming director began to speak, saying what Betty knew to be true -that her class had offered an unusual number of girls prominent in -athletic events. - -"It is too bad that there can be only one Honor Girl. However, I know -that you will all agree in regard to the qualifications of the one whom -we have selected. Fair and considerate, loyal to the school, striving -for excellence rather than to win over another, friendly, efficient, -dependable, always working toward high ideals, with an excellent record -in scholarship and athletics, with gifts in influence and leadership, -our young president, Betty Lee, is the one whom we name as Lyon High -Honor Girl!" - -Betty had clasped her hands tightly together when the director had said -"our young president." Now, prettily gowned, smiling assurance to Betty, -she was bending to her and giving her a hand to present her as Betty -rose, scarcely believing her eyes and ears. - -Trying to collect herself, Betty listened while the director placed the -beautiful ring on Betty's finger with a few more well-chosen and almost -affectionate words. And Betty must make some response--a speech that she -had not made up beforehand! - -Betty's voice trembled a little, as in a few words, which she could -never remember, she thanked the director and the society and sank into -her chair, apparently in command of herself, but really very much -shaken. She would not have believed that she could feel it so! - -Fortunately, the director announced at once the name of the teacher who -was to give the toast to the Honor Girl, saving Betty the embarrassment -and "making it snappy," as Doris said afterwards. This closed the -program and Carolyn, sitting so near Betty, was the first one to reach -her and hug her in congratulation. - -"Oh, Carolyn, I was almost sure it would be you! You are ten times more -worthy of wearing this ring than I am!" - -"No, Betty, and I'm honestly glad you have it." - -"It is just like you, Carolyn, and I'll never be able to equal your -generous spirit in a thousand years!" - -But others, teachers and pupils, were surrounding Betty now. Her parents -were also receiving congratulations and did not try to reach Betty for -some time. Countess Coletti, presently, was turning up Betty's chin with -a light touch of her jeweled hand, to kiss her and threaten to carry her -off with Lucia to Switzerland for the summer. The count offered his -congratulations with dignity and stopped to talk with the principal on -American public schools. - -It was late before the combined Lee family felt sleepy. Mrs. Lee came -into Betty's room to say goodnight again to her honor girl, and found -Betty, half undressed but sitting on her bed "just thinking." - -They talked for a few moments, then Betty sprang up suddenly. "Mother, -this would be a good time to show you something. I have never said much -to you about Larry Waite, Marcella's brother, and you have scarcely seen -him. Well, you did hear all about last summer, of course, and how nice -he was. But there is something special, Mother, and a letter that he -wrote me will explain it to you better than I can. You can understand, -can't you, why I haven't told you anything before? It was only the time -of Marcella's party that I knew he cared." - -Startled, Mrs. Lee looked inquiringly at Betty; but the motherly smile -was ready for her "little girl." "And are you--interested in him, -Betty?" she asked. - -"No girl could help being interested, Mother. I'm--afraid I care a good -deal already. Here is the main letter, and that is a note written -before. He wrote me a letter and a note that never reached me." - -"Do you care if I take these to my room, Betty?" - -"I'd much rather, Mother--but don't let anything happen to them!" Betty -was smiling a little now. The moment had been a little awkward. - -"I understand. And may I speak of it to Father? He'll probably not want -to read the letters." - -"Say anything you want to Father, if he will keep it to himself, you -know. You see it is really not all fixed up." - -"Depend on me to manage it," said Mrs. Lee, taking her daughter in her -arms for an especial good night, yet leaving the room with a frown of -anxiety. Betty was too young. But she turned to say, "Betty, I shall -make it a point to become acquainted with this young man. We shall -invite him around." And Betty, selecting her "nightie" from a hook in -her closet, looked around the open closet door to say, "All right, -Mamma. Goodnight." - -The situation did not seem so distressing, however, after the letters -were read. There would be nothing immediate. Mrs. Lee smiled at more -than one point, but Betty could safely trust her letters to her mother. -She was not one to take humorously or lightly what was earnest in young -love. This seemed to be a sensible young man, carrying more -responsibility than most at his age, and sufficiently older than Betty. -She decided to tell Mr. Lee at some later date, when he was not so -tired. The lad was coming home, they would soon have an opportunity to -judge for themselves. - ------ - -Commencement was held in the school auditorium, though so many were the -demands for tickets that it had been considered taking the seniors to -one of the city's larger platforms. That Betty was excited with all the -accompanying glories, is scarcely necessary to mention. Presents from -dear friends, little gifts exchanged with the girls, the new white -frock, flowers from "The Dorrances," flowers also from "Arthur and -Archie," the Penrose boys, gave Betty little ecstasies at different -times, when they arrived or were presented. - -Larry Waite had written that he would be there. Betty saw to it that -there should be a ticket for him, and that she gave to Marcella, with -earnest adjurations that it should not be lost. - -"Don't worry, Betty," said Marcella. "I'll see that he gets it. It will -not go with the letter where the lost pins go!" - -Marcella herself would be elsewhere. University affairs were more -"intriguing," though she gave Betty a pretty remembrance and made the -remark that Betty was "already like a sister--sorority sister, of -course," she explained with a merry look. - -On what Mr. Lee called the fatal day, a great box of crimson roses was -delivered at the house. They were accompanied by Larry's card, and his -roses should be the ones Betty carried, to be sure. Singing with the -rest of her class was the only duty left to be performed. The speaker, -the orchestra and organ, and the principal would do the rest. She could -carry all the roses she could hold and still receive her diploma, made -out to Elizabeth Virginia Lee, whose high school days would then be -over. - -Music, roses, prettily dressed senior girls, dignified senior boys in -their best attire, a whole platform crowded with them--such was the -familiar scene in the school auditorium that happy night. It was the -formal, impressive exercise known as Commencement; and when it was over -Betty Lee carried a diploma, earned by many a sacrifice of ease, to -testify now to her hours of study and effort. - -That and her roses, except a few that she wore, she put into the -parental hands, used to relieving their children of their burdens. And -Larry came around at once to claim her and to greet Betty's parents, -with whom she waited for him. Betty was proud of his appearance and -manner, but that temporary satisfaction was swallowed up by the -excitement of her first real conversation with Larry, which impended. - -Then and in the next few days there was plenty of opportunity to explain -everything. Even the lost letter had been found, sopping wet in the -pocket of Judd's sweater, which had been thrown into a little launch -that the boys sometimes used in the harbor and rained upon. "I will mail -my own important letters after this," said he. But he had dried the -letter and brought it to read with Betty such parts as were -decipherable. - -Betty, whose talk with her mother had taken place soon after Mr. Lee had -read the letter from Larry, explained that her father and mother were -friendly but hoped that the "arrangement" would be an "understanding" -rather than an open engagement. "They think that we don't know each -other well enough yet, Larry, and that I am too young, as you said. But -one thing I must say to you and that is that your troubles with the -business are not important to me, only as they make it hard for you. -Why, I can cook and keep house pretty well, and it would be much more -fun to live in just a little place with you--if we ever should be -married." - -This, to be sure, was after Larry had again gone over the points of his -letter. His repeated assurances of what he had told Betty in the Waite -library had been given at once on Betty's graduation night, and Betty -had been asked for her confession, as well. They were both happy and -expectant. - -They were sitting, during this conversation, on a hill overlooking one -of the most beautiful views in the city. Marcella and some of her -friends were having a picnic in the wooded park. Larry took Betty's hand -and looked at the honor ring that she wore. "I suppose that it must be -just an understanding now," said he. "But perhaps by your birthday they -may let you wear a ring for me. Not for nothing did I look over your -shoulder into that Hallowe'en mirror, Betty--you--sweetheart!" - -Meanwhile, Mrs. Lee, gathering up various articles at home, was carrying -Betty's diploma into her room. There, on Betty's table, cleared for the -purpose, were her trophies. The year book, which Betty had helped -compile, adorned one corner. It contained, with much else, serious and -otherwise, the pictures of the faculty, of Betty's school-mates and of -Betty herself, with the list of her clubs and activities during the four -years. On this were a few copies of the _Roar_, for Betty, too, had been -written up among the prominent seniors. - -Here were Betty's gifts, her chevrons, a medal, the little gold pin from -Miss Heath, with its Latin motto, "_Ad Astra_," the Girl Reserve ring, -the long-worn senior pin, more prizes, all Betty's cherished senior -trophies. For a moment Mrs. Lee stood looking at them. Then, smiling, on -top of the array, she laid Betty's diploma. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BETTY LEE, SENIOR*** - - -******* This file should be named 44808.txt or 44808.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/4/8/0/44808 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. 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