COULD BETTY BE STUBBORN?
The independent girl who likes to follow her own opinions and draw
her own conclusions is likely to make a few errors of judgment.
These come largely from lack of experience; and that lack of
experience is the chief reason for the safety to young people in
following the direction of their elders in important matters.
On the other hand, as girls and boys grow older, they must be thrown
upon their own responsibility in many matters and learn wisdom
thereby. The holding of high ideals and the testing of action,
conduct and people by them is the greatest safeguard a girl or boy
can have. And when it comes to people, most important relation of
all, while friendliness and confidence are fine, indeed, and a
suspicious attitude to be deeply deplored, when it comes to being
led by others, or to being drawn from those high ideals or even
minor convictions, a fine reserve is very necessary. Sometimes it is
best to withdraw altogether from a friendship rather than be drawn
into what is either doubtful or wrong.
Betty Lee’s independence was not of the aggressive variety, but she
did like to come to her own conclusions, for which she always
thought she had grounds in the facts. Betty was a keen little
observer and thought about many things, a very good habit. It was
usually quite safe to be “easy-going” and friendly, and as Betty had
the background of a safe home life and a circle of friends of her
own sort, there was very little in social relations to trouble her,
and oh, what good times there were! These were connected with the
school affairs or with her friends and were sandwiched in between
much hard study and her fondness for athletics, with its varied
interests.
The friendship which had so distressed Doris had been adjusted
without much difficulty, Doris finally taking her mother into her
confidence. As Betty had suggested, Stacia was invited for a visit
and made much of, with the friendliness, if dignified, which was
characteristic of that home. If Stacia found the entertainment dull,
she showed no evidence of it and told Doris privately that she
thought her mother and father “wonderful.”
But as there was no real community of interests between the girls,
by spring Stacia’s devotion to Doris had waned. Another girl
received Stacia’s confidences, to the great relief of Doris, who
meanwhile had been adding other friends to her list. And it had all
come about naturally without any necessity for any coolness or
unkindness on the part of Doris.
Doris herself was taking on little grown-up airs and was very fussy
at this stage about what she wore and how she looked. Dick’s still
careless boyishness annoyed her and her remarks about his table
manners or general state of oblivion about the state of his collar
or tie were having more effect than any reminders on the part of his
mother. Dick cared what his twin thought; and if Doris, too, thought
he must spruce up, he supposed he’d have to. All this was not lost
on Betty and her mother, but aside from some natural amusement over
remarks exchanged by the twins; they gave no sign of their interest.
Betty, it was true, was almost too full of her own affairs to think
much about her family except at mealtime. Every evening there were
lessons, whatever could not be managed in the school study hours.
Time after school was taken with meetings or practice or some
athletic line. Betty usually put in one half-hour of violin practice
before the evening dinner, for the orchestra was working on the big
things for their great concert, given by all the musical
organizations.
Life was very interesting just now. The birds were singing again.
Hikes had begun. And a new member of the junior class was very much
interested in Betty. Just at this time senior affairs were absorbing
Chet and some of the other boys that Betty knew best and meanwhile
this new lad was introduced to Betty by Lucia Coletti one day after
class.
“Betty,” said Lucia, “I want you to know our new classmate, Jack
Huxley. You heard him recite in Latin and Math, didn’t you?”
“I’m glad to meet you,” murmured Betty, as Jack courteously said
“Miss Lee” and bowed. “Yes, Lucia; I noticed that. Are you finishing
the junior year with us?”
“Yes. My parents have recently moved here. I have been to school in
the East, but that is too far away, my mother thinks, since we came
here.”
Betty moved along between Lucia and Jack for a few moments of
conversation; then they separated. This was the beginning of the
acquaintance. Jack was a fine-looking boy with dark eyes, a pleasant
mouth, a quantity of very dark brown hair which he wore in the
prevailing style back from his forehead. Betty was rather impressed
by his courteous manners, though Carolyn did not fancy him and said
that he was too sure of himself. But he was a good student and Betty
found herself defending him to several of the girls who were a
little critical after a time. But perhaps that was because he made
no effort to be friendly. Betty did not know. The boy with whom he
seemed to chum was “wild,” Mary Emma Howland said.
Lucia, in telling how she came to know him, said that his mother
used to be a friend of her mother’s at school. “They are being
invited everywhere,” said Lucia, “and Jack is, too. They live in a
hotel now, but are moving soon into one of those fine houses that
are being finished.”
From this Betty concluded that the Huxleys moved in what was known
as “society” and her first social meeting with Jack was at a little
party at Lucia’s, one quite “informal” and hastily planned, Lucia
said. There Jack paid rather particular attention to Betty and after
that she met him so often at school, when he would fall in beside
her after class, or be at the entrance of the grounds to accompany
her to the door; or join her after school, that she knew it was no
accident.
Once Chet dashed out of the auditorium door after practice of the
junior and senior orchestras together, to find Jack and Betty in
conversation just outside in the hall. “Say, Betty, I have to see
you,” began Chet. “Oh, excuse me. I don’t want to interrupt, but I
have a message.” Chet looked at Jack and Jack looked at him. What in
the world was that new junior doing? Was he hanging around Betty?
“Hello, Jack,” Chet finished.
“There is nothing important, Chet,” sweetly replied Betty, turning
in friendly fashion to Chet. She was quite aware of the instant
antagonism between the boys. But Chet needn’t think that he owned
her! She _liked_ Jack.
“I’ll be waiting outside, Betty,” said Jack with cool politeness in
his attitude. “The message may be private.”
“What’s that chap around for?” queried Chet looking after Jack, who
was sauntering toward the entrance door. “He doesn’t belong to
either orchestra, band or glee club.”
As no reply could be expected, Betty said nothing but continued to
look pleasantly at Chet and wait. He lost no time but went on at
once to explain.
“Say, Betty, it’s Mother that wants you to help her out. There’s
going to be doings at our church, some sort of a spring festival or
something, and Mother says she hadn’t any more sense than to say
she’d be responsible for a booth. So she’s hunting up a few pretty
girls she knows—that’s Mother’s expression, not mine—and wanted me
to ask you if you would help her out. It won’t be hard, just to
dress up in some sort of a costume, I guess.”
“That’s terribly clear, Chet,” laughingly said Betty, “but tell your
mother that I’ll do anything she wants me too.”
“Good for you. I knew you would, and she wants you to come out for
dinner tomorrow. Of course I’ll hate that a lot! We’ll drive around
after you, Ted and I, most likely. Is that O.K.?”
“Yes. I’ll get my lessons ahead, so I can spare the time.”
“Count on the whole evening, Betty. We’ll do something or other. Now
have you a regular date with that chap? I rather expected to put you
on the car myself.”
“I haven’t any date at all, Chet, but it would be awkward, wouldn’t
it, since Jack said he was waiting?”
“I suppose it would. So long, then Betty. Say, Betty——,” Chet
turned back hesitatingly. “I’d go a little slow with Jack Huxley.
What little I know about him isn’t so good.”
“What is it, Chet? He’s smart and a perfect gentleman whenever I see
him.”
“Oh, I don’t suppose there’s much out of the way. He runs with a
pretty wild crowd, though, and he hasn’t been here long.”
“Well, I scarcely think that he would be invited by the countess to
a party for Lucia if he weren’t all right.” Betty spoke with some
decision and Chet looked at her soberly.
“Don’t you think so? Maybe not. Did you meet him there?”
“Yes. Good-bye, Chet. I’ll be ready tomorrow night and tell your
mother that I’d love to dress up and be in a booth.”
Betty, who rather regretted a bit of steel that she had put into her
tone before, made this farewell as friendly as possible. But Chet’s
answering smile could scarcely be called one and he hurried down the
hall to another exit, in order to avoid Jack, Betty supposed. Oh,
well, she couldn’t help it. Jack _must_ be all right! Why, he was a
perfect dear, as Mathilde called him. Not that Mathilde’s opinion of
any one would be a recommendation, however. He did have some
different ideas of things and they had had a few discussions, not
about anything very important, but about social life and kinds of
girls and boys and the “puritanic ideas” of some parents. That was
Jack’s expression, and Betty had wondered if her own parents _could_
be a little too strict sometimes.
Anyhow, Jack was a nice friend. He had invited her to his birthday
party at the Huxley new home and she certainly was going with him
when he invited her. Chet need not think that he could tell her what
society to choose. She had been to things with Budd and Brad and
Chauncey through the year and she simply was not going to let Chet
take her to every party the way it had been for a while. This would
be an interesting party, for Jack had just told her that he was not
inviting many from the high school. “It will be mostly from the old
families that Mother knows,” he had said, “and you will receive a
note from her. But I wanted you to be sure to save the date.”
Jack was waiting for her on the steps and joined her with a touch of
his cap and that attentive way of bending over her that was so nice.
Jack seemed to be considerably older than some of the junior boys.
He must be all right! That story about his having been dismissed
from the eastern school was all nonsense. Of course his mother
wanted him near her!
Betty was so put out that when Jack asked her, as he had before, if
she couldn’t ride down town with him and have something good, she
recklessly told him “she’d love to,” though she knew that her mother
was expecting her home at a certain time, or at least expecting to
know where she was. It _was_ nonsense. She would go home when she
got ready. But she _would_ telephone her mother from wherever they
went.
“All right, Jack, I feel in the humor to do something. I can’t
telephone Mother from here now, but I can down town, can’t I?”
“Of course, if you want to. But it’s foolish in my opinion. My
mother doesn’t expect to keep track of me.”
“Oh, well, my father says it’s safer nowadays. If I don’t turn up,
they want to know where to start looking for me, you know.”
Betty laughed and so did Jack, taking with light hearts the
conditions that we are now providing for the younger generations.
Jack said something about turning out the police or calling up the
hospitals and conducted Betty to where, on a side street, he had
parked a small but shining little roadster. “Isn’t this a dandy
now?” asked Jack as he helped Betty into the car. “It’s a new one.
I’m not supposed to take it to school much, but I was going to get
you into it if I could!”
“Are you a safe driver?” laughed Betty, settling back. She was glad
that she did not have her books along this time.
“I’m a wonder,” said Jack, in the same light tone. “I’m also
old enough to drive. What would you do, Betty? I’d like to get
into business pretty soon, as my education has been more or
less—um—interrupted. Yet college would be fun. I didn’t like that
preparatory school and the old fellow at the head of it didn’t like
me much, either. I’ll put in another year in high school, then
decide.”
“If you can go to the university or to some college, Jack, I think
you’d be almost foolish not to do it. It isn’t as if you were a poor
student. You’ve brains.”
“Thanks, Betty.” Jack went a little faster than Betty really
enjoyed, but he seemed to have perfect control of his machine and
was skilful in traffic. “Are you going to the university?”
“I don’t know. Mother talks about sending me away for a year or two,
to give me the experience, but that is only talk so far. Perhaps
they can’t do it.”
“Go to the university and then I will. I’ll show you some good
times.” Then Jack gave an impatient exclamation and shot around a
car that was impeding progress. “See me get through that, Betty?”
“I think you took a chance, Jack.”
“A good driver can afford to take chances, and what’s life without a
few chances?”
Betty felt exhilarated in the present but she knew that Jack’s
philosophy was not a good one, and none of the boys she knew would
have used in her presence the exclamation which Jack had employed.
He did not apologize for it, either.
But Betty and Jack had much in common after all, for both were
gifted mentally and there was much in school life to discuss. Jack
took her to one of the most attractive tea rooms in the city and
there Betty met another boy and girl whom Jack knew. They sat at the
same table and had all sorts of delectable things of a variety that
only school boys and girls, hungry from their last mental efforts,
would choose. There was no good opportunity to telephone. Betty
decided to let it go. Probably her mother would not worry, since she
knew of the orchestra practice and other things that sometimes
detained Betty.
She felt hesitant about ordering at Jack’s expense, but Jack
insisted on a certain choice of the different possibilities. An
immense club sandwich and a cup of hot chocolate “went to the spot,”
the other girl said and Betty agreed with her, though she was more
reserved in her speech. Only with Carolyn and her girl friends did
Betty speak impulsively. But this girl was as free with both the
boys and kept them all laughing with bright if not altogether
refined speeches. Yet she was quite evidently from a home of wealth
and intelligence, from the correct language she used, as well as
from her gay dress.
“No, I’m out of school right now,” said Mabel Randall in answer to a
polite question from Betty. “Yes, Tommy, angel that you are, I could
eat another sandwich with you, very small, you know. I’ll have a
Swiss chocolate sundae for dessert. That is pos-i-tive-ly all!”
Both boys bought a box of candy each as they escorted the girls to
their respective machines. Tommy gave his immediately to Mabel, who
carelessly murmured thanks, but Jack kept his under his arm till
Betty was in the roadster, when he tossed it into her lap with a
“There now, how’s that for a nibble or two? I’m going to give you a
whirl through the parks before I take you home.”
“Oh, that would be lovely, Jack,” said Betty. “Everything is so
pretty now; but really I can’t this time. Look at your watch and see
how near dinner time it is, and Mother _will_ be worried if I am
late for that. I tell you what you do, Jack. I think Father will be
ready to start home about now. Suppose you take me around to his
office and drop me there.” Betty was thinking that she really
preferred not to go through the late afternoon traffic with Jack, at
the rate he drove. This was a great idea.
Jack demurred, but said that if she really wanted to go to the
office he would take her there. “But I’ll not leave you unless your
dad is actually there.”
That was a nice bit of thoughtfulness, Betty told him; and when they
reached the office building after finding a convenient place to
park, Jack took the elevator with her and in a few minutes was
introduced to Betty’s father. That Jack made a good impression upon
him was quite evident, though it was Mr. Lee’s custom to be cordial
to Betty’s friends.
“If it isn’t according to rules for Betty not to report at home
right after school, Mr. Lee, blame me. I persuaded her that she was
tired enough of school and practice to take a ride down town in my
new roadster. She couldn’t resist it when she saw it—could you,
Betty?”
“It is certainly a little beauty, and I did want to get away from
books and everything. I left my violin at school, Father. We have
another practice, right in the middle of schooltime!”
“I am glad to meet you,” said Mr. Lee to Jack, “and I thank you for
taking care of my girl and delivering her safely. I hope to see you
again.”
Jack, who was standing with his cap in his hand, gave Mr. Lee a
comical smile. “I suspect you’ll be seeing a good deal of me sooner
or later, sir.”
Then the lad left the office after shaking hands again with the
older man who had offered his hand. “Now what, I wonder, did your
friend mean by that!” queried Mr. Lee of Betty in a teasing pretense
of not understanding.