"For goodness sake, Marjorie, will you kindly tell me what has
happened?" Muriel Harding overtook Marjorie in the corridor on the way
to her second morning recitation, fairly hissing her question into her
friend's ear.
Marjorie turned a concerned face to her. She wondered what new
difficulty was about to besiege her. "What do you mean, Muriel?"
"I haven't time to explain now. Here. Take these and read them. They
were on my desk this morning. You'll understand later what I mean. I'll
run over to your house on the way back to school this noon. Then we can
talk. I'm so surprised I can't see straight." Thrusting two envelopes
into Marjorie's hand, Muriel left her and hurried on.
Placing the envelopes in the back of her text book, Marjorie proceeded
slowly down the corridor to her own recitation in French. Resisting the
temptation to examine their contents, she devoted herself strictly to
the lesson. The next hour, which would be spent in the study hall, would
give her ample time to look at them.
Returned to the study hall and free at last to learn the cause of
Muriel's agitation, she forced back the sharp exclamation of dismay that
rose to her lips. Both envelopes were addressed; one to Muriel Harding,
the other to Jerry Macy. Through the address on the latter a pencil had
been drawn. Below the cancelled line it had been readdressed to Muriel.
The writing on the one was Jerry's. The cancelled script on the other
was Lucy Warner's. The re-addressing had been done by Jerry.
Marjorie's heart sank. She was almost sure of the nature of the notes
within. Bracing herself in the seat, she drew Jerry's note from its
envelope. It turned out to be exactly what she feared. Jerry had
tendered her formal resignation to the club. Lucy Warner's note
contained the same information. It differed little from Jerry's, save
for one sentence in the latter's note: "Kindly arrange to hold the club
meeting at some place other than my home."
An intensity of bitterness toward Mignon filled Marjorie's heart as she
fingered Jerry's note. She resentfully laid the blame for the whole
affair at the French girl's door. Jerry, Lucy and herself had all been
caught in the meshes of the net which Mignon had set for their unwary
feet. Marjorie wrathfully vowed that she would expose Mignon's malicious
mischief-making at the meeting of the club on Thursday evening. She
hoped the members _would_ demand Mignon's resignation. She deserved to
be thus publicly humiliated. Yet the more she considered this revenge,
the less it appealed to her. It savored too greatly of Mignon's own
tactics. She finally decided to ask Connie to go home to luncheon with
her. They could then talk matters over and agree on some plan of action
by the time Muriel appeared.
Although Marjorie had prudently eschewed note-writing since that fateful
afternoon during her junior year when she and Muriel had come to grief
over the latter's note, she resolved for once to yield to temptation.
Scribbling a few hasty lines to Constance, whose desk was not far from
her own, she managed successfully to send the missive. Glancing over it,
Constance's eyes quickly sought Marjorie's. A smiling nod of her golden
head informed the writer of the note that Connie would not fail her.
That point definitely settled, Marjorie speculated gloomily regarding
whether Jerry's spleen would remain directed only against herself or
whether she intended to desert from the sextette of girls to which she
belonged. Would Muriel at once apprise Susan, Irma and Constance of
Jerry's resignation from the club, or would she not? Hardly knowing what
to expect, it was a relief to Marjorie when, on entering the locker room
at noon, she saw no sign of either the stout girl or the other members
of the sextette. The latter she guessed were waiting outside school. One
look at four solemn-faced girls collected together on the opposite side
of the street revealed to her that Muriel had put her three friends in
possession of the news.
"Oh, Marjorie," she hailed. "Come here. After I spoke to you I decided
to tell the girls about Jerry. It's a good thing I did. She hardly spoke
to Susan and Irma this morning. They didn't understand, of course, and
were dreadfully hurt."
A tiny pucker of vexation wrinkled Marjorie's forehead. Muriel's
unexpected act had quite upset her plan of asking Connie's advice
beforehand regarding Mignon. She would have to choose her own course of
action at once. Should she arouse her friends' anger against Mignon and
thus set in motion the wheel of vengeance, or should she offer an
explanation of Jerry's wrath? She knew the latter well enough to believe
that no one would hear any complaint against herself from the stout
girl's lips. When especially roiled, Jerry was always uncommunicative.
Slight irritations alone were productive of voluble protest on her part.
"What ails Jerry, Marjorie?" asked Irma anxiously. "None of us know. I
hope you do."
"I know," cut in Constance quickly. "I only waited until Marjorie came
before saying so. I'd rather she would tell you." Constance had hitherto
prudently volunteered no information.
"There isn't much to tell." Marjorie's moment of doubt was past. Even as
Irma spoke it was borne upon her that she had accepted Mr. La Salle's
note as a sign. It but remained to her to do her duty. "Yesterday
afternoon Jerry and I had a disagreement about Mignon. Connie was with
us when it happened. The disagreement arose over something which Mignon
had done that is personal to me. Yesterday noon I received a note of
thanks and a box of American Beauty roses from Mr. La Salle. You can
understand why he sent them. Jerry was very angry at Mignon and proposed
that we should expel her from the club. As our disagreement related to
my affairs, I objected. Jerry said, 'All right. Have it your own way,'
and left us. Later I called her on the telephone and she wouldn't talk
to me. You already know of her resignation."
"You might know that Mignon was mixed in it in some way," cried Muriel.
"I suppose this must have been the last straw or Jerry wouldn't have
resigned. What are we to do without her? And Lucy Warner, too."
"She is angry with me, too." Marjorie's voice sounded rather weary. "I
don't know why. I might as well tell you a little more. Jerry believes
that Mignon made mischief between us. That's the reason she is down on
Mignon. Though I may suspect Mignon of it, I can't prove it because Lucy
will tell me nothing. It wouldn't be fair to ask Mignon to resign simply
because she is suspected of turning Lucy against me. I told Jerry so,
but she wouldn't see it in that light."
"We'd better all go to Mignon and make her own up to it," suggested
Susan. "If she does, we'll ask her to resign from the Lookouts."
"I don't think it would be wise." It was peace-loving Irma Linton who
spoke. "I don't believe Mignon could be made to own up to any wrong
thing she has done. Besides, it would be a blot on the club escutcheon
to ask her to resign. Almost every girl in school has a pretty fair idea
of why we asked Mignon to join the Lookouts. It is generally known that
Marjorie took her home from Riverview in the Deans' automobile that
night that Rowena ran away from her. It is also known that Marjorie has
tried hard to help her in spite of all the mean things Mignon has done
to her and said of her. Everyone respects Marjorie for it. Miss Archer
has been heard to say that Marjorie is the highest-principled girl she
has ever had in Sanford High. She and Jerry were the founders of the
club. They asked Mignon to join it. Do you think it would reflect to
Marjorie's credit, or Jerry's either, to force Mignon out of the club
now? I don't. Jerry is in the wrong. Some day she'll see it. What we
ought to do is not accept either hers or Lucy's resignation. Let them
stay away until they choose to come back. They will both come back. I
feel sure of it."
This long, forceful speech from gentle Irma had a potent effect upon her
listeners. Susan, Muriel and Constance were deeply impressed. Marjorie,
however, was red with embarrassment. Miss Archer's opinion of her, as
quoted by Irma, amazed the blushing lieutenant. As for Irma's views on
Mignon, they coincided with her own.
"Just see Marjorie blush," teased Muriel. "She wasn't expecting to hear
Irma say so many nice things about her."
"I--you--it makes me feel foolish," Marjorie stammered. "Please don't ever
do it again, Irma. I agree with you about Mignon, though, and about not
accepting the two resignations. Will you three girls stand by Irma and
me in this at the meeting?" She was sure of Constance, but not so sure
of Susan and Muriel.
"We will," came simultaneously from the two.
"Thank you," smiled Marjorie. "There's just one thing more and then we
must hurry along. We've been standing here for almost half an hour.
Mignon will probably be at the meeting. We five have agreed that she is
to stay in the club. Between now and Thursday night we must see all the
other members except Mignon and explain things. If they are agreeable to
our plan, then at the meeting Muriel will act as president and read the
resignations. I will move that they be not accepted and one of you must
second the motion. Then we'll put it to a standing vote. Everyone must
vote not to accept them and that will close the matter."
This plan was also approved and agreed upon. After deciding upon
Muriel's home as a place of meeting on Thursday, the participants in the
sidewalk conference set off briskly toward their homes to partake of
sadly-neglected luncheons.
At the Thursday evening meeting of the Lookouts, eleven kindly
conspirators followed to the letter the program laid out for them by
Marjorie and Irma. There was only one rebel, and she dared not assert
herself openly. As the news of the two resignations had been carefully
kept from her, Mignon La Salle was thunderstruck to learn that Jerry had
left the club. Lucy's resignation she had confidently expected. She had
also feared that she might be taken to task for it, and had come to the
Hardings' home prepared to give battle royal.
Greatly against her will she rose with the others when the standing vote
was taken regarding the non-acceptance of the two resignations. At heart
a coward, she invariably evaded making a bold stand against opposition.
She preferred underhanded warfare and would not show real fight unless
cornered. When the fateful motion made by Marjorie and seconded by Irma
had been passed, and Muriel had directed Irma to write Jerry and Lucy to
that effect, Mignon longed to make strenuous objection. Craft conquering
the impulse she made an inward vow that she would see to it that Jerry
Macy, at least, never returned to the club. With Jerry gone from the
Lookouts she would have greater leeway to do as she pleased.
"There's something else I wish to mention." Muriel's clear voice broke
in on Mignon's dark meditations. "We wish no outsider to know that
either Lucy or Jerry has tendered a resignation. I don't need to ask you
to promise to keep it quiet. As Lookouts you know your duty in the
matter. I think it would be wise, Irma," she turned to the secretary,
"to mention this in your letters to Lucy and Jerry. They will understand
then, perhaps, just how kindly we feel toward them. I know that neither
of them will give out the least information to anyone."
A decided scowl darkened Mignon's brow as she heard this plea for
secrecy. She had already contemplated the enticing prospect for gossip
which the resignations promised. She made mental reservation that she,
at least, would not bind herself to silence. She would whisper it about,
if she chose, at her own discretion. If it finally leaked out and she
should be accused of spreading it, she could easily shift the blame upon
either Lucy or Jerry; Lucy preferably. She would be a more satisfactory
scapegoat.
Thus while eleven girls consulted earnestly together in an endeavor
toward fair play toward all, the twelfth member of the club smiled
ironically and busied her brain with endless treacherous schemes for
holding her own position in the club without living up to its irksome
obligations. Could the innocent, whole-hearted eleven, who had
overlooked in her so much that was detestable, have read Mignon's mind,
her connection with the Lookouts would have been summarily cut short. As
it was, though they did not trust her, they patiently endured her and
hoped for the best.
Highly elated over having thus escaped even a word of reproach, Mignon
drove home from the meeting in her runabout, amused rather than
displeased at the somewhat restrained manner which her companions had
exhibited toward her. The very next morning, under promise of secrecy,
she retailed the forbidden story of the resignations to three different
girls. They received it with ohs and ahs, and in due season imparted it
to their most intimate friends. Within three days it had traveled far,
and presently someone referred it to Jerry for confirmation.
Having received but sulkily refused to answer Irma's note, at heart
Jerry fully appreciated the delicacy and good will of her friends. Her
wrath now rose to a high pitch over being thus approached on the tabooed
subject. Nor did she fail to attribute it to its true source. Her first
move was to seek Lucy Warner.
Marching resolutely into Miss Archer's outer office on the morning of
the fourth day after the receipt of Irma's note, she accosted
stony-faced Lucy with, "See here, Lucy, I've a word to say to you. Did
you get Irma Linton's note?"
"Yes." Lucy had the grace to blush. She was already feeling ashamed of
her cruel treatment of Marjorie. The latter's sorrowful brown eyes
haunted her and she was frequently tortured with the fear that she had
been too hasty.
"Now listen to me." Jerry's voice was very gruff. She blamed Lucy
considerably for what had happened. "If any girl asks you if you've
resigned from the club, just tell her to mind her own affairs. Don't
give her a word of information. Do you understand?"
"Yes," repeated Lucy, almost humbly. She keenly sensed Jerry's
disapproval of herself. "I will not give anyone an answer to that
question. I had not intended to."
Jerry's tense features softened a trifle. "You've made a mistake, Lucy.
No finer girl ever lived than Marjorie Dean. I don't know what Mignon La
Salle has told you, but take my word for it, it's not true. I resigned
from the club because I can't stand Mignon. That's why Marjorie and I
fell out. Just the same, I like her better than any other girl I ever
knew. But until she and the girls give up bothering with that deceitful,
untruthful gossip, I shall have nothing more to do with her or them. I
hope Mignon will overreach herself and get put out of the club. When
that comes off, then back to the Lookouts for Jerry."
"I wish I could agree with you," stated Lucy primly, "but it is
impossible. My reason for turning against Marjorie Dean is sound. I wish
it were not."
"Answer me just one question. Was it Mignon who told you something
against Marjorie?" Jerry fixed unblinking eyes on the other girl.
For a moment Lucy did not reply. She appeared to be turning something
over in her mind. "I will answer you," she said finally. "I made a
promise not to go to Marjorie with what was told me. I made no promise
regarding anyone else. Yes, it was Mignon."
"And you believed Mignon?" Jerry's question came almost explosively.
"Yes. What she told me no one besides Marjorie and myself knew. No one
except Marjorie could have possibly told her. I shall never speak to
Marjorie again."
"I give it up. You certainly seem to know something that I don't." Jerry
turned on her heel and walked to the door. Once outside she muttered:
"Whatever you know that I don't, I'll make it my business to find out or
my name's not Jerry Geraldine Jeremiah Macy."