AN UNSUSPECTED LISTENER
"Those in favor of giving a bazaar on the Saturday afternoon and evening
of November fifteenth say 'aye,'" directed Arline Thayer.
A chorus of ayes immediately resounded.
"Contrary, 'no,'" continued Arline.
There was a dead silence.
"Carried," declared the energetic little president. "Please, everyone
think hard and try to advance an idea for a feature inside of the next
ten minutes."
The twelve young women known as the Semper Fidelis Club were holding a
business meeting in Grace Harlowe's and Anne Pierson's, room. The two
couch beds had been placed in a kind of semicircle and eight members of
the club were seated on them. The other three young women sat on
cushions on the floor, while Arline presided at the center table, which
had been placed several feet in front of the members.
"The meeting is open for suggestions," repeated Arline after two minutes
had elapsed and not a word had been said. "If any one has a suggestion,
she may tell us without addressing the chair. We will dispense with
formality," she added encouragingly. "Of course, we know we are going to
have the gypsy encampment and the Irish booth and the Japanese tea room,
but we want some really startling features."
"We might have an 'Alice in Wonderland' booth," suggested Elfreda.
"'Alice' stunts always go in colleges. The girls are never tired of
them."
"What on earth is an 'Alice in Wonderland booth'?" asked Gertrude Wells
curiously.
"I don't know what it is yet," grinned Elfreda. "The idea just came to
me. I suppose," she continued reflectively, "we could have all the
animals, like the March Hare, for instance, and the Dormouse. Then
there's the Mock Turtle and the Jabberwock. No, that's been done to
death. Besides, it's in 'Through the Looking Glass.' We could have the
Griffon, though, and then, there's the Duchess, the King, the Queen, and
the Mad Hatter. I'd love to do the Mad Hatter." Elfreda paused, eyeing
the little group quizzically.
"I think that's a brilliant idea, Elfreda!" exclaimed Grace warmly.
"Great!" exulted three or four girls, in lively chorus.
"I'll tell you what we could have," cried one of the Emerson twins. "Why
not make it an 'Alice in Wonderland Circus,' and have all the animals
perform?"
"We are growing more brilliant with every minute," laughed Arline. "That
is a positive inspiration, Sara."
"A circus will exactly fill the bill. It is sure to be the biggest
feature the Overton girls have ever spent their money to see," predicted
Elfreda gleefully. "Ruth Denton, you will have to be the Dormouse."
"Oh, I can't," blushed Ruth.
"Oh, you can," mimicked Elfreda. "I'll help you plan your costume."
"Will the club please come to order," called Arline, for a general buzz
of conversation had begun. "We shall have to choose part of our animals
from outside the club. We can't all be in the circus. Grace and Miriam
are going to dress as gypsies. Julia and Sara," smiling at the
black-eyed twins, who looked precisely alike and were continually being
mistaken for each other, "are going to be Japanese ladies, aren't you,
girls?"
The twins nodded emphatically.
"Those in favor of an Alice in Wonderland Circus please say 'aye,'"
dutifully stated Arline. The motion was quickly carried. "That is only
one feature," she reminded. "This meeting is open for further
suggestions. Let us have the suggestions first, then we can discuss them
in detail afterward."
After considerable hard thinking, a "bauble shop," a postcard booth, and
a doll shop were added. The latter idea was Ruth Denton's. "Now that it
is fall, Christmas isn't so very far off. Almost every girl has a little
sister or a niece or a friend to whom she intends to give a doll," she
said almost wistfully. "We could pledge ourselves to contribute one doll
at least, and as many more as we please. Then we could draw on the
treasury for a certain sum and invest it in dolls. We could dress a few
of them as college girls, too. I'm willing to use part of my spare time
to help the good work along. Perhaps it wouldn't be a success," she
faltered.
"Success!" exclaimed Arline, stumbling over Gertrude Wells's feet and
treating Ruth to an affectionate hug. "I think it's perfectly lovely. We
can have a live doll, too. Do any of you know that exquisite little
freshman with the big blue eyes who rooms at Mortimer Hall?"
"I do. Her name is Myra Stone," responded Julia Emerson. "She looks like
a big doll, doesn't she!"
"She does," commented Arline. "That is precisely what I was thinking.
Dressed as a live doll and placed on exhibition in the middle of the
booth, she would prove a drawing card. Will you ask her to meet us at
the gymnasium on Monday at five o'clock? We will try to see the others
we want for the bazaar before Monday. We had better decide now just who
is going to be left over for the circus."
"There is only one objection to little Miss Stone," said Gertrude Wells
thoughtfully. "She is a freshman. I am afraid this mark of upper class
favor may cause jealousy."
"The freshmen ought to be glad one of their class is to have the honor
of being chosen," retorted Grace, opening her gray eyes in surprise.
"They ought to, but they won't be," predicted Gertrude dryly. "There are
a number of revolutionary spirits among the freshmen this year. That
queer little West girl, who styles herself a 'newspaper woman' and looks
like a wicked little elf, is the ringleader."
"She is very bright, Gertrude, and she deserves a great deal of credit
for the way she has worked and studied to fit herself for college,"
defended Grace, her old love of fair play coming to the surface.
"That may all be so. I believe it is, if you say so, Grace, but why
doesn't she display common sense enough to settle down and obey the
rules of the college? She doesn't transgress the study rules, but she is
lawless when it comes to the others. Besides, she runs roughshod over
traditions, and all that they imply. She--well--" Gertrude hesitated,
then, flushing slightly, stopped.
"You mean she is tricky, don't you?" asked Elfreda promptly. "I could
see that before I talked with her five minutes."
Grace shook her head disapprovingly at Elfreda. Something in her glance
caused Elfreda to subside suddenly.
"If there is no further business of which to dispose, will some one make
a motion that we adjourn!" asked Arline quietly.
The motion was made and seconded, but before any one had time to step
into the hall, a slight figure flitted from her position before the
almost closed door, and disappeared into the room at the end of the
hall.
"We must be sure and see the dean as soon as we can, Arline," called
Grace after Arline, who was hurrying down the hall to overtake Ruth.
"I'll see her to-morrow afternoon," assured Arline, with a parting wave
of her hand as she disappeared down the stairs.
"And I'll make it my business to see her to-morrow morning," muttered
Kathleen West vindictively, who, standing well within the shadow of her
own door at the end of the hall, had heard the remark and the reply.
"Who knows but that the Semper Fidelis Club may not be able to give
their great bazaar after all. They certainly won't if I can prevent
them. I'll never forgive them for discussing me as they have this
afternoon." There was an unpleasant light in the newspaper girl's eyes,
as, closing the door of her room, she went to her desk and opening it,
sat down before it, picking up her pen. After a little thought she began
to write, and when she had finished what seemed to be an extremely short
letter, she slipped it into the envelope with a smile of malicious
satisfaction. She had found a way to retaliate.