THE REWARD OF COURAGE
Ten days later Julia Peyton gloomily opened a letter from home and read
in it news as surprisingly joyful as the news she had formerly received
from home had been full of trouble. Her mother wrote that her father had
managed somehow to tide over his losses and was on his financial feet
again.
Clara shared the good news with Julia and privately Doris and Leslie
shared it with Clara. As a result of Leslie’s little “flier” in human
happiness Doris made a special luncheon engagement with Marjorie Dean on
purpose to confide to Marjorie what Leslie had done. Marjorie in turn
confided the story of the girl who had obeyed the command of Christ,
“Love your enemies,” to the letter.
“She deserves a citation,” was Miss Susanna’s hearty opinion. “I will
have a maxim hung for her at the college. Peter Carden and I will go
over to chapel together that morning. She is a dear courageous child and
deserves to be honored. That will put her on a splendid basis on the
campus and she will have won the right to have her father named as the
giver of the Leila Harper Playhouse.”
“And we can have the presentation of the theatre to Leila made in the
chapel during Commencement week,” Marjorie planned joyously. “The
theatre will be completed then. Mr. Graham said yesterday that he hoped
to have it ready not later than the twentieth of June. You see,
Goldendede, Hal has promised that we shall come down from our camp in
the Adirondacks for Commencement at Hamilton.”
“It is a good thing he has promised that you shall.” Miss Susanna put on
a mildly threatening air which vanished in a smile.
“Which motto are you going to give Leslie, Goldendede?” Marjorie
inquired interestedly. The two fond comrades were strolling about the
grounds of the Arms in the early spring sunshine.
“I’ll let you choose.”
“Then I know exactly the one I’d like for Leslie. It suits her so well.
I mean the way she has tried this year on the campus to be a credit in
all ways to her Alma Mater. The motto I’d like for her is the single one
that hangs over near the portrait of him: ‘A truly great soul is never
dismayed.’”
“I wondered if you would choose that. It is in my mind, too, for her,
Marvelous Manager. We had better have the citation this week so that
Leslie may have that much longer to enjoy her glory on the campus.
Saturday afternoon I think we’d better give a luncheon for her at the
Arms and invite the three chapters of Travelers.”
“You are always planning happiness for someone, dearest Lady of the
Arms. Let’s have Leslie here to tea this afternoon and make a fuss over
her. We’re not supposed to know about what she did for Julia Peyton.
Wait until after the citation. Then I am going to tell her quietly that
she has been found out,” Marjorie declared, her eyes dancing.
“You are always planning happiness for someone, Marvelous Manager.” Miss
Susanna gave a fond imitation of Marjorie’s tone.
“Oh, you!” Marjorie made one of her usual merry rushes at the old lady
and the pair hugged each other with a will. Both were supremely happy
over the way Leslie Cairns had turned out.
“All this means that I’ll soon have Peter as my next-door neighbor,” the
mistress of the Arms exhibited the utmost satisfaction at the prospect.
“Peter has turned out to be a man worth while; a man in a hundred
thousand. Perhaps I shall have him teach me the finance game,” she
added, jokingly. “At least he and Leslie will be good company.”
Undreaming of the honor in store for her, Leslie walked into chapel on
the following Friday morning after Marjorie’s talk with Miss Susanna and
met with a surprise which made her gasp. Up in front with President
Matthews, who it seemed was to conduct the services that morning, sat
her father and Miss Susanna. Why Peter the Great should be there she
could not guess. She could only surmise that he and Miss Hamilton had
been invited to the morning exercises by Prexy.
She saw her father’s keen dark eyes search the rows of young women until
he had found her. Their eyes met and the smile of comradeship which
passed between them was a beautiful thing to see. It thrilled Leslie
with a pride in herself which before that morning she had hardly dared
recognize. Peter the Great need no longer be ashamed of her. She had
tried to redeem her past offenses and she had not failed entirely. She
had discovered in the methodical living over of her senior year at
Hamilton that she was, after all, a person of small consequence. She had
long since discarded her belief in money as power. She knew from her own
earnest efforts in the right direction that work alone counted. It was
not she personally who mattered. It was the earnest spirit within that
was to be considered.
When, presently, Doctor Matthews announced that three citations were on
the program of the morning exercises Leslie immediately jumped to the
conclusion that Barbara Severn and Phyllis Moore were to be honored. She
generously hoped that Doris Monroe might be the third student for the
honor. Doris was so charming to her fellow students. She had changed
from indifferently proud to calmly sympathetic in the past year, and was
rapidly coming to be liked as much for her graciousness as she had
formerly been admired for her beauty.
“The maxims which Miss Susanna Hamilton has chosen to hang in various
parts of Hamilton College in honor of the three young women she has
chosen as deserving of a citation are maxims by Brooke Hamilton, framed
and hung separately about his historic home, Hamilton Arms.” President
Matthews gave out the information to a breathlessly interested chapel
full of girls.
Then Phyllis Moore was asked by him to rise. After he had accorded her a
friendly commendation which made her cheeks burn he quoted the maxim to
be hung in her honor, at the same time stating the place at Hamilton
which it would occupy. It was: “Harmony followed in her footsteps.” As a
last touch he added: “This maxim was hung by Brooke Hamilton in his
study as a tribute to Miss Angela Vernon, his fiancee, who died shortly
before the date set for her marriage to Mr. Hamilton.”
Barbara’s maxim was “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine,” and she
was particularly complimented upon her sunny outlook on life.
As the applause attending Barbara’s citation died out, Leslie listened
eagerly for the name of the third student. She could not believe the
evidence of her own ears when she heard Doctor Matthews requesting her
to rise, then continuing:
“It is with great pleasure that I name Miss Leslie Cairns as the third
student to have earned a citation. In our opinion Miss Hamilton has made
a singularly happy choice of maxim.” Then he quoted the motto Miss
Susanna and Marjorie had chosen: “A truly great soul is never dismayed.”
As she stood listening in stupefaction to the announcement she could see
in all the chapel nothing but her father’s face. He was smiling at her
with a light in his dark eyes that repaid her a thousand times over for
the effort she had made toward restitution. She was ready to break down
and weep unrestrainedly. Nevertheless she did not. She controlled
herself with an effort and received the honor as a true daughter of
Peter Cairns might be counted upon to do. What amazed her, even more
than the citation, was the tumultuous applause which broke out as she
resumed her seat.
After the chapel the students held an impromptu reception outside the
chapel in which she and Phil and Barbara were the center of an admiring
and congratulatory crowd. Leslie had already clasped hands with her
father and had heard his hearty: “Good work, Cairns II.” It was the only
commendation she craved.
“You are to be at Wayland Hall this afternoon at four o’clock,” Muriel
informed her as she shook hands vigorously with Leslie. “I am going to
conduct a citation there for the benefit of Jeremiah Macy. She is in
line for honors, too. She doesn’t know it yet. It is up to Marjorie to
drag her to the scene on time.”
That Marjorie succeeded in dragging Jerry to Muriel’s room was apparent
that afternoon. At precisely four o’clock she marched her into the midst
of a giggling throng of girls who were awaiting her arrival in exuberant
spirits.
“What is the matter with you girls?” she demanded as she glanced
comically from one to another of the laughing company. “What sort of
joke do you think you are going to play on me?”
“It isn’t a joke, Jeremiah, that we have in store for you,” Ronny
assured in a soothing tone. “You are in line for a citation; a very
great honor, you know.”
“No. I don’t know. I can guess just about how great an honor it will
be,” Jerry retorted suspiciously.
“You are going to know this instant, Jeremiah. Vera is ready and waiting
to laud and praise you. Now, Vera.” Ronny made an impressive signal to
Vera.
Vera came forward, bearing in her hands a medium-sized square book, thin
as to pages and bound in soft dark blue leather. On the outside of the
cover was printed in gold lettering the pertinent title: “Jingles to
Bean. By Jeremiah Macy.”
Vera thereupon began a speech which was drowned by laughter most of the
time during the utterance. She concluded the presentation speech by
opening the book and proudly disclosing to Jerry a kodak photograph of
Jerry in the act of reciting a jingle. She was even shown with her mouth
open and one hand out in a flamboyant gesture.
“How did you ever manage to catch me?” was Jerry’s wondering query after
she had laughed over the little book, which contained as many of the
Bean jingles as the girls had been able to gather at the time when Jerry
had improvised them.
“It was that afternoon on the campus when Leila had her camera and was
taking pictures of the campus. She went out with it and you, on purpose.
She planned with Marjorie to come over to the campus unexpectedly.”
“Do not you remember I said to you, ‘Since you are so glad to see Beauty
then why do you not spout a jingle’!” Leila broke in, laughing. “While
you were spouting it Vera walked off a little way with the camera and
snapped the picture of our Jeremiah at the height of inspiration.”
“Yes, I remember now. You crafty things!” Jerry pretended disapproval
for a brief second. “It’s celostrous,” she said. “I’d rather have it
than even a citation in chapel. But I’ve had that. I’m really
embarrassed with riches. I shall keep my Bean Jingle Book as my most
precious possession. I shall—”
“Put it on your parlor table when you become Mrs. Daniel Seabrooke,”
Muriel slyly supplemented.
“Who told you? Oh-h!” Jerry clapped a hand to her lips.
It was too late. She was surrounded by a buzzing, laughing,
congratulatory mob.
Ronny stood back a little from the group watching the tumultuous
reception of Jeremiah’s news with an odd little smile. She was wondering
what her friends would say if they knew a certain dear secret of which
she had been in wondering possession only a few days. Ronny had
fulfilled Marjorie’s prediction. She had tumbled into love and with the
last person she had dreamed she might come to care for.
Due to her love of dancing she had willingly consented to help Professor
Leonard with his work as physical instructor at Hamilton by taking a
class in folk dancing. Through her association with him she had learned
to know and care for him. She had not believed, however, that he cared
for her. Naturally secretive, she had never by a shade of tone or
expression betrayed her secret to anyone. She had been deeply incensed
with herself for having yielded to love in the least.
Then had come an afternoon when they two had been deep in planning the
usual May Day procession on the campus. She had never known just how it
all happened, except that he had told her the story of his early life.
His mother, who had died in his boyhood, had been a Spanish Mexican. His
father, a professor in a Mexican university, had been an American. From
them he had inherited a desire to help the poor of the country of his
birth. His one dream was to place himself financially in position where
he might some day go about the welfare work of his heart. It would take
years of self-denial and economy, but he was willing to work and wait.
Then he had told Ronny he loved her, but would not ask her to live a
life of privation with him. Ronny had said that nothing in the world
except love mattered. So they had sworn faith to each other. Privately
Ronny was possessed of a certain knowledge which would make the way
clear. It had long been her father’s dream to establish a welfare
station in Mexico by the planting of a great fruit ranch upon which the
unfortunate, poverty-stricken Mexican peons might find work the year
round at living wages. What Mr. Lynne wished most was the right man to
put in charge of the proposed vast charitable enterprise. Ronny had
regarded the idea as one which might become her life work. Now she knew
that it would be, but that she would not go to it alone.
Thus the Sanford five who had so gayly entered into the land of college
had all found love and betrothal except Lucy Warner. It was hanging over
sedate Lucy, however. And in the time of June and roses she was to hear
the old, old story from the only young man with whom she had ever
managed to feel on easy terms. Lucy was destined some day to acknowledge
dignified President Matthews as father-in-law.
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