THE REAL STORY
It was just before six o'clock that same evening when Dolly Lloyd
burst into the gym where Jane was exercising.
"They're gone!" she exclaimed. "Sally and Bobbie have left Lenox,
and are rushing to get the six-thirty train. Why do you suppose they
have sneaked off like that?"
"Gone? Are you sure?" asked Jane.
"Positive, we have a note and--"
But Jane heard no more. Snatching up her sweater, she jabbed her
arms into it as she ran, and hardly stopped until she hammered on
the door of the stable where her horse, Firefly, with others were
kept.
Jim, the stable-boy, answered immediately, but seemed unable to
comprehend the unseemly haste, as Jane dashed in, loosened the
headstall of her intelligent mount, led him to the path and then
sprang up bareback to overtake the runaways.
Jim stood speechless. That a student should romp off like that in
bloomers too--and without a hat!
And how she was a-going it!
Her hair flew out in a cloud about her head, while Firefly, who was
plainly wildly excited at his unexpected caper, just did as Jane
told him without the slightest regard for lack of bridle or saddle.
Wasn't he from Montana and didn't his mistress train him to go as
she chose without foolish restrictions? Students along the way
looked in amazement at the racing girl, but being Jane Allen some
allowance was made for the caprice.
At the cedars a shrill train whistle warned Jane she had but a few
seconds more to make the little Bingham station, and she promptly
imparted the same message to Firefly.
"We'll make it, boy," she whispered. "Take Janie to the station,
careful--careful--" in that droning, even voice a horse always knows
how to interpret.
There, she touched the back platform, told her horse to wait, and
threw his strap over the livery post; then she hurried to the front
to find her freshmen.
There they were! Bags in hand, standing now as the train was pulling
in.
Jane saw them some seconds before they espied her, and quick as a
flash she had a hand on each of the others.
"Girls," she called, "drop those bags. Where are you going?"
Sally dropped her bag from sheer surprise, but Bobbie had a firmer
grip.
"Oh, please, Miss Allen," begged Bobbie tearfully, "don't detain us,
we must go. This is our train."
"If you go you must take me with you--and this way," she included
her gym togs in the statement. "Just be reasonable and rational.
There, let the train go" (it was going). "There are others. But you
just come over to that bench and tell me. What does all this mean?"
There was no time for recrimination. The story so long bound up in
the hearts of these two girls sprung freely to their lips.
"You will hate us both, Miss Allen," stumbled Sally. "But we never
meant to deceive you for so long a time."
"We were silly geese," retorted the impetuous Bobbie, "and I suppose
now, outside of Wellington grounds, we may as well try--to confess.
We have both deceived you! There is Shirley Duncan and I am Sally
Howland."
"What!" gasped Jane, unable to understand the shifting of names from
one to the other.
"I never won your father's scholarship," went on Bobbie, her voice
trailing evenly over every incriminating word. "Shirley won it and--
"
"I sold it to her," sobbed the other, eager to have done with the
hateful admission.
"Sold it?"
"Yes, there was no other way. Ted--my brother Ted--had to have two
hundred dollars to get back to Yorktown, and everything seemed gone
when uncle died. I had won the scholarship, to come to Wellington,
but I couldn't leave Ted stranded in his junior year," choked the
little freshman.
"That was it!" exclaimed Jane, leading the girls away from the
tracks, now cleared of the New York express, and guiding them to the
back of the station where Firefly waited proudly. What a relief!
"You rode--that way?" gasped Bobbie. "Without a saddle?"
"Why certainly. It was the best gallop I've had in months. Now,
naughty girls, wait. Sit down. I'm too excited to stand up. You" (to
Sally) "are Shirley Duncan, and you" (to Bobbie) "are Sally
Rowland?"
"Yes," replied both miserably.
Then she, whom we must know as the real Shirley, spoke.
"I know it must seem despicable, Miss Allen, but there was dear Ted,
so disappointed, and he was such a splendid student. I could come
here, but he simply had to have that two hundred dollars to go back
to Yorktown." The voice took courage with its tale of loyalty.
"And you are simply a wonderful little girl to have managed it all,"
declared Jane, showing not a single trace of resentment. "It is
actually fascinating--to think you actually exchanged identities!"
"But I had no such laudable excuse," moaned Bobbie. "My folks just
wanted me to go to college--any old college in any old way--and we
always thought dad's good honest money would pave the way. But it
didn't, and I never could pass the exams, so I simply fell into this
from sheer vanity."
"That is not so," expostulated the new Shirley. "Bobbie would never
have dreamed such a thing if Dol Vin did not happen along with her
wonderful plan. You may imagine she was the real brains--of the
plot."
"Dol Vin--"
"Yes, she taught--a summer gym class at our place," explained
Bobbie, "and when she heard my wail about not being able to get into
college she offered the scheme. At first it did seem abhorrent, but
she glossed it over so--"
"And obtained such a generous commission--" put in the real Shirley.
"Then you see, Kitten here was passed right in on her second exams,
while I sailed in on the exams she took for the scholarship,"
confessed Bobbie, digging her heels in the cinder path recklessly.
"And you both thought this an unpardonable offense?"
"Certainly, we knew every moment we were both hypocrites," blurted
Bobbie. "Kitten has been fairly blistering under the stigma."
"The train is gone," said Shirley the original. "And, Miss Allen,
you are not dressed for this. We will have to go back, I suppose."
Jane had been thinking quickly, in fact her brain had been fairly
churning with the new turn in events. She jumped from the bench and
confronted the downcast freshmen.
"I have it!" she exclaimed. "It is just perfect. Here you two girls
both came in on dad's scholarship, have both made good and are both
now eligible to finish the course. Don't you see how magically it
has all turned out?"
"We don't," admitted Bobbie.
"That's because you don't know how generous Deanie Rutledge can be.
We will go right back and tell her the whole thing and she will, I
am positive, think the matter one inspired by the noble effort you
made" (to Shirley) "to keep your brother in college. Bobbie, you did
want to come to college, that is always a laudable ambition, and
think of the thousands who fail every year?"
"But they don't come," persisted the still doubting Bobbie. "But you
did. And if you WERE a little rebel at first, doesn't that explain
it? Your preparation was all wrong--you heard Deanie say so. Come
on, now, I'll walk and let you lead Firefly, Bobbie. I know it will
be a treat to you to even lead him. Sorry you can't ride in that
tight skirt."
"Wait a minute," demanded Bobbie, stopping short, "do you mean to
say, Miss Allen--"
"Jane--"
"All right," with a smile. "Do you mean to say, Jane, that the dean
would ever understand and condone all this?"
"What are deans for?" asked Jane, the miracle worker. "I'm just wild
over the whole thing and daddy will want to adopt you both. It is
simply thrilling! You have doubled the value of the scholarship."
"But if we did come back and the girls knew it? Our change of
names?" queried the real Shirley, apprehensively.
"Don't you see how simple it is? We will just explain that you
exchanged identities to try out how one girl could work on another
girl's reputation. That you both intended to go back to your real
selves at the half year--"
"So we did," declared Bobbie. "Shirley was to be transferred to
Breslin and I expected to--withdraw."
"But you don't want to?"
"No," hesitating, "but I can't see--"
"I can. The whole thing is a wonderful story and when we give the
girls the one fact, that you simply exchanged places for a lark, and
then didn't know how to get out of it, that will be enough for them.
Come along there, Firefly, meet my two college chums. And now,
Bobbie, talk to him once in a while, so he will remember you when
you dash over the hills of Montana."
"Sort of--fairy story," breathed Shirley, a little tragically.
"And Teddy is your brother?" asked Jane. "However did he keep the
lark up at the dance?"
"He thought it was only a lark," replied his sister.
"And so it was," suddenly declared Bobbie. "Jane Allen has made it
so and I'm for a full A.B. course at old Wellington! Let gossips do
their worst," and she capered ahead to the playful clip-clap of
Firefly, every step indicating the relief she was experiencing.
"If Bobbie feels that way I am sure I should not hold out," relented
Shirley. "In fact, both Ted and I have our own incomes now. We only
had to wait for an adjustment, but at the time we were simply panic-
stricken. I wanted to pay Bobbie back last month, but have not
succeeded in getting her to take the money as yet."
"I think it is all perfectly delicious!" declared Jane. "Won't Judy
and Dozia just howl? Of course no one need know about the loan. That
is purely a personal matter." (More miracles.)
"Jane," called back Bobbie, "don't you remember how you used to
question that name Shirley? Didn't seem to think it fitted me. Well,
you see how you were right. I should have been plain old-fashioned
country Sarah."
"Nevertheless," insisted Jane, "you have proven how well you can
act. Take care we don't cast you for a leading role in some of our
masquerades!"
They turned into the campus again, happy in their new-found
security, for what Jane undertook she was sure to accomplish, and
even this complication melted away into a fascinating story under
her skillful guidance.
"Hurry! Hurry!" she prompted, "we must account for this little race.
There's Judy. Run on ahead and tell anyone you meet--tell them we're
coming," she ended foolishly to Bobbie. "Your turn to think."
"Tell them we had a race, and with a good handicap, Kitten won,"
suggested Bobbie, responding quickly to Jane's suggestion.
"But what about all our things? Our hats and coats?" demurred the
real Shirley.
"They'll be too interested to notice that detail," said Jane. "I'm
so happy, happy, happy! Run along Firefly--there's Jim waiting. Now,
come girls, after we deliver Firefly to his keeper we are going
right up to the hall--Judy! Judy!" she broke off, for Judith
evidently had not seen them come in the gate. "Over here Judy!" she
shouted again, and this time Judy responded.
She rushed up to the culprits and likewise confronted Jane.
"Don't you three dare to deceive me!" she stormed with good nature
sufficient to hide the girl's evident embarassment. "Where have you
been and what have you been doing?"
"I wouldn't attempt to deceive you Judith," said Bobbie bravely, "we
were running away!"
"Why?" the question was put seriously.
"Because we have both been deceiving you all, and no matter how
generous you two friends try to be, I am at least going to set that
matter straight before the whole college. I am Sarah Howland and
this is Shirley Duncan." She placed her hand on little Shirley's
arm.
Judith was dumfounded! They expected she would be, naturally, but
she now stood there speechless.
"Be a good sport Judy," urged Jane, "and help us stage a real happy
ending. Don't you want to jump on Firefly and ride him over to the
stable?"
"I don't. Why has Shirley become Bobbie?"
Jane wanted to laugh, but Bobbie's face was very serious, and
Shirley's lip was quivering. Jane released her horse and watched him
canter over to the stable.
"We'll all be late for tea, but never mind," she said. "Let us tell
Judy all about it. She'll die of curiosity if we don't. Look at her
poor face."
"Jane Allen if I knew a big secret I'd tell you," declared the
abused one.
"Here's a seat; there, now listen," began Jane. "Shirley Duncan
exchanged places on the scholarship certificate with Sally Howland,
that's Bobbie, because Sally couldn't get in otherwise, and Shirley-
-"
"Needed the money," confessed Shirley, insisting on having a part in
the confession.
"But it was for her brother Ted, you know," interrupted Bobbie
loyally.
"Is that Teddy your brother? And Bobbie you blushed so when you
danced with him, and I accused you--" It was Judith's turn to talk
quickly now, and she made good use of the opportunity.
Finally something like order was restored.
"You must help us Judy--" pleaded Jane. "I insisted the girls should
come right along and simply tell their story frankly to Deanie. You
know how splendidly she came to the rescue of our friends last
year."
"You need not be afraid to tell her your story girls," agreed
Judith. "In fact I think she'll be just tickled to death to have two
such little Trojans in our midst. But what about the others?"
"Oh, I don't want to face it," faltered Shirley nearly in tears.
"Why can't we withdraw and do as we planned, Bobbie?"
"Because we won't let you," insisted Jane. "Just now you are bound
to feel a little frightened, but if you could see it as I do; as
Judy does," she hurried to add. "I tell you girls the others will
just want to carry you around on their shoulders, they'll be so
proud of you," finished Jane a little breathlessly.
"Carry us around?" questioned Bobbie. "If you hadn't caught us we
would be making pictures of ourselves with our faces pressed to the
damp window panes of that train you hear whistling now," she
declared, with a flash of her natural humor. "Kitten's face wouldn't
be pretty either, if she puckered it that way."
Jane knew the battle was won, now that Bobbie joked and smiled, so
she jumped up quickly and urged them along.
"Come on everyone, there's a light in the office," she said. "We
will just have a few minutes to talk to Deanie."
The girls went back, and when the holiday finally came both freshmen
were hailed as the particular friends of Miss Allen and were to
spend their vacation at her father's ranch in Montana.
* * * * * *
The next volume of this series will sustain Jane's reputation for
unmatched personality in her Wellington record as "Jane Allen:
Senior."
THE END