JANE AND JUDITH
Oh, do tell me, Janie. I was watching behind the big elm the whole
time. Couldn't hear a word of course, but I could have seen any
attempt at violence. That girl, I tell you, is no ordinary
'critter.' I fully expected she would draw something from that broad
satin belt. But do tell? What was it all about?"
"Thank you for the chance, Judy, I was just wondering when you would
take breath. It is funny--so funny I am laughing all over," and the
gray eyes sent out sparks of mirth, as a senior might have put it.
"Isn't it!" howled Judith, pegging a pillow at Jane's head to keep
the fun a-going or the "pot a-boiling" as you will.
"I don't know where to begin Judy. At first I was sort of awe-
stricken. Considering the handicaps poor Shirley has loaded herself
up with----"
"Including the name. Have you analyzed that?"
"Yes, love, I have. Some maiden aunt with a paper covered library
must have inflicted her with that. It doesn't suit at all, although
she seems very proud of it."
"And no chance of her growing into it either. Like a chauffeur named
Claude or Clarence. Her last name now would be much snappier for
her. Duncan makes a topping Dunny," suggested Judith.
"But the girl would never believe that," sighed Jane. "She asked me
to call her Shirley and I tried to; now, Judith, listen. Here are a
few difficult facts. Shirley Duncan is bound to fight. She has been
brought up in the school of affectionate antagonism, and with her it
is a case of getting the best of everyone and everything. I did not
say getting the better, I mean best."
"I savvy, as our old friend cow-boy Pedro would say. Have you heard
from home lately, Dinks?"
"Yes, Judith. All well and lonely. But please concentrate. This
matter is serious. Shirley threatened me with friends--says she has
friends here who are not freshies. Can you guess who they may be?"
"Never saw a girl speak to her a second time unless she, Shirley,
stepped on the other's toes or knocked her hat off. Then the
conversation was naturally brief and snappy. It happened to Mabel."
"I can't imagine whom she means, but they are somewhere ready to
pounce on us, so let us beware. Next point is: she seems to have
money: offered to pay for the broken mirror. In fact she sort of
lorded it over me."
"Dozia should strike for a new vanity dresser. One with three side
glasses big enough to reflect her wonderful, long flowing locks. A
rare chance for Dozia."
"But how could a girl coming in on scholarship have money to
squander?" reflected Jane.
"That maiden aunt with the paper covered novels would love good
looking-glasses. It might be the salvation of this Shirley girl, if
she did have access to a true mirror."
Judith snapped the top on her fountain pen and slammed shut her
note-book. Indifferent work was worse than none, she seemed to have
decided.
"Had you finished your Lat? Isn't it awful to have to work off a
condition? Please don't let me bother you ever, Jude, when you have
that task on hand," said Jane seriously.
"I have and it is, if you kept your two questions properly
tabulated. You see I am straining for mental stuff. I want to
improve the old condition of forgetfulness. That was what knocked
friend Virgil, or was it Cicero? I loved the stories and forgot the
period. But I am finished for this evening, dear, and you know we
have some initiation stunts to take part in. I am glad they are so
simple. It seems to me each year the nonsense gets more rational."
"It really does, and I think, as you do, that shows progress. We can
all enjoy better fun than that of afflicting the innocent. Of course
we still have to have some ceremony or the young 'uns wouldn't think
they were really in college. I just wonder how it will strike our
rebel Shirley?"
"That interests me too, Dinksy. Let's go and see. We have some
lovely little babes this year. That ivory blonde, the timid one with
a most atrocious name, Sarah Something, I just love her, don't you?"
"Sarah Howland, I saw Inez marking her card. Yes, she is sweet in
spite of her name. Rather a pity sponsors cannot show
discrimination. Here is your sweater. Better take it; the wind
whistles. I'll pull my riding cap down as a disguise. It takes in
most of this-wig," Jane was struggling to stuff her bright tresses
into the pocket of her black velvet jockey cap. The effect towered
like a real English derby and Judith danced in delight.
"I'll try that with my tarn," she declared. "One's hair is always
the surest give-away. Here are the masks--hanging neatly on the nail
of last year's tenants. I call that thoughtful."
Mysterious calls and whistles were now creeping in under doorways
and through transoms. The sophs were ready to initiate the
frightened little freshmen. Tales of "they will do this and they
won't do that" had little effect on the individual candidate, but
served to keep up the collective nerve by way of distraction.
"If they hold us under the pump I'll be glad of it," sang out
Shirley the Rebel. "Haven't had a decent drink of water since I left
home, and I suppose the pump has a spring."
"And it's warm enough to enjoy a dip in the lake if they abduct us
in canoes," added Jessie Whitely. "I'm almost suffocated in this big
thing," with an impatient jerk at the criminal's black robe.
"Say your prayers, say your prayers!" chanted another of the group,
seconded by moans and groans. They were waiting like prisoners
jammed into the gym lobby, and a guard of sophs patrolled the
entrance.
Noticeable in the assemblage was little Sarah Howland-noticeable
because she sat on a window sill all alone and dangled her feet
contentedly. She actually appeared to be enjoying the prospect of
being "roughed." Shirley was noisy as usual, and for once her
raillery seemed appropriate. The more timid girls had taken shelter
about her, as if expecting she would easily and even gaily vanquish
the attacking foe.
Friends had the strong girl now if never before, and she fairly
expanded under the compliment. She would show the sophs what country
training did for a girl in the way of self-protection, and a few
stories of real or fancied battles at High School (no town
mentioned) also served to thrill her audience until Shirley came
near being popular for the once.
"Of course we shall have to do foolish things," mused Eleanor Meed,
"but I won't mind as long as I am not forced to eat something I hate
or drink vinegar--"
"Don't worry on that score," spoke up Marie Coeyman. "Nothing like
that is apt to be attempted. I heard some of the sophs say--"
"Because they knew you were listening," discerned another. "Don't
take any stock in what you overheard. They are apt to do directly
contrary to loudly whispered plans."
"But whatever it is to be, I do wish they would get at it and let's
have it over," growled Shirley. "It's no fun being cooped up here--"
"Hush, don't let the guards hear you complaining," cautioned Marie.
"It's like a trial, you get more for contempt of court if you don't
accept your sentence gracefully."
The shuffling of many feet along the stone walk put an end to
further speculation.
"Here they come! Here they come!" went a tremor through the crowd of
candidates, and when the doors were thrown open a masked committee
confronted them.
Orders, all kinds and volumes of them, poured in quickly as tag
numbers could be singled out. Some were taken in little groups of
four "outside to cool off." Others were commanded to hop around in
circles, while still more were given such individual commands as
seemed most antagonistic to their particular propensities.
Shirley was still unmolested. She stood bravely awaiting her turn,
now and then flinging out a wild arm to make sure its muscles were
in good shape for the fray.
Finally someone (we hope it was not Judith) called her number--
sixty-eight, and she sprang to the chalk line with what is usually
termed alacrity, but it really sounded much more ominous.
"Does your head hurt?" asked the voice, and Shirley nodded. She
thought that might be safest.
"What hit you?" went on the prosecutor.
"A hammer!" responded Shirley.
"A nice hard tack hammer?" came the query again.
"Lovely," spoke the bewildered girl.
"What did you do with it?" asked the inquisitor.
There was no response. The Rebel was getting indignant.
"Quick," demanded a second member "of the firing squad."
"I threw it away," faltered sixty-eight.
"What did it hit?"
"A looking-glass." This reply came quickly enough.
"And the glass smashed?"
"Yes--"
"Yes, madam," prompted a guard.
"Yes, madam," repeated Shirley with a quiver.
"For which show of temper you are to dust that room every day for a
full week, and you may come along now and get your first lesson."
Shirley straightened up defiantly.
"Go on! Go on!" begged the little freshman recognized as the pretty
Sarah Howland. "Hurry or they will make it worse."
The leader marched out and Shirley followed. Those who had heard the
sentence realized the misery it inflicted that the strongest girl
should be denied the pump, the lake, tree climbing and even boxing
possible or gym work, for a mean little contemptible stunt like
dusting Dozia's room!
Arrived at the room someone stuck something on Shirley's nose. She
attempted to brush it off but was warned not to do so. Presently she
realized it was a feather, and it seemed to stick in glue on the
very point of her nose!
We will spare the reader an account of Shirley's agony as she vainly
tried to "dust" with that feather on her nose. It was too
humiliating, but a freshman should not have shown such temper, and
there was still the cracked mirror to accuse her!
Every piece of furniture in the room had to be "dusted," that is it
was brushed with the evil feather, which somehow or other did stay
on the candidate's nose; and if the spectators clapped and laughed
Shirley could scarcely blame them, for Dozia Dalton had a foolish
lot of truck to be dusted. More than once she halted, but was
promptly prodded on until finally the humiliating task had been
accomplished.
"Good girl!" called out a voice from behind a mask and Judith
quickly stepped up to take off the duster. Juniors favor the
freshman in spite of such conditions.
"O--uch!" protested the culprit. "It is hard!"
"Wait a minute!" cautioned Jane's voice. "This will remove it. Sit
down, sixty-eight."
The unhappy candidate fell into a chair, while someone applied the
alcohol cloth and presently the tiny feather fell with its bit of
sticky felt into the palm awaiting to catch it.
"Keep your hands down," insisted someone, for Shirley never knew
before the glory of a free nose and she just wanted to pet it a
little. But her tormentors intended to fix up any damage they might
have inadvertently perpetrated on the feature, and what coating
didn't come off with the alcohol was quickly covered with Dozia's
powder, until the freshman was made to look even better than nature
had intended she should.
This fixing up was almost as hateful to Shirley as was the
abominable dusting, but she kept her temper-the lesson seemed
profitable already.
Jane was arranging the disordered hair, and as she attempted to
stroke it with a wet brush Shirley put up a detaining hand.
"Please don't wet it," she begged in a whisper, and Jane stopped
short with her brush raised for action.
"Not wet it?" she thought quickly. "That must mean treatment, and
treatment meant the forbidden beauty shop!"
This girl had been visiting that shop. More danger ahead, decided
Jane, as she lay down the brush and proceeded to finish the dressing
dry.
Judith had overheard the request and pinched Jane's arm to admit it,
but a loud demand for the freshman from the group rounding up
candidates saved further delay and when Shirley left Dozia's room
the latter patted her affectionately.
"Don't worry, dear," said Dozia, "I'll be careful not to raise too
much dust next week."
But her sentence was not the most serious thing in prospect for the
rebel Shirley Duncan. Not even the good times prepared for the
candidates served to allay the dread she struggled against, and only
her natural delight in the rollicking fun, and the really fine
spread served them by the juniors, helped bring the girl back to a
happy frame of mind.
Woe unto the freshie who shows ill will at an initiation!
She may be obliged to walk in the gutter for the full first half
year, or wear a baby blue ribbon under her chin!
But Shirley had heeded the warnings.