FRIENDLY RIVALS.
It is not often that rivals for the same office are champions for each
other, and yet that is what happened when the seniors elected their
permanent president toward the end of October. It followed that Molly,
as the most popular girl in the junior class, would be elected president
the next year.
"Of course you'll get it," Nance assured her as the time approached.
"It's a great honor," replied Molly, "but, oh, Nance, I'm such a
diffident, shy person with a shrinking nature----"
"You mean," interrupted Nance, "that Margaret wants it so badly, you
can't bear to deprive her of it."
"No, that isn't it. It's not sentiment, really, but I can't make
speeches and I haven't got the organizing nature."
Nance shook her head.
"You ought not to throw away gifts from the gods. It's as bad as hiding
your light under a bushel."
Nevertheless, Molly was sure she did not want the place and she hoped
Margaret would get it. As for Margaret, the spirit of a politician and
the spirit of a loyal friend were struggling for mastery within her
soul. The girls knew by this time what sort of president _she_ could
make. They were well acquainted with her powers of oratory and
organization. Nobody understood as well as she did the ins and outs of
parliamentary law; how to appoint committees and chairmen and count yeas
and nays; in other words, how to swing the class along in proper form.
They knew all this, but hitherto it had been necessary to call it to
their minds each year, when by the sheer force of oratory, Margaret won
the election.
But, as luck would have it, on the day set for the election Margaret,
who had taken a deep cold from her upsetting in the lake, was too hoarse
to say a word. It would have moved a heart of stone to see her, sitting
in the president's chair sucking a lemon, as she called the class to
order in a husky tone of voice that had not the faintest resemblance to
the organ she had used with such force for three years.
There were only two nominations for the office of president, and it was
difficult to judge toward which of the nominees the sentiment of the
class leaned. Nance had nominated Molly, who had tried to drag her
friend back on the bench.
"Don't you see they might think I had put you up to it?" Molly had
exclaimed.
"They never would think that about you, Molly," whispered Nance, and
promptly had announced her candidate and the nomination was immediately
seconded. Then Molly shot up blushingly and nominated Margaret
Wakefield, almost taking the words out of Jessie's mouth. Margaret
smiled at her rather shamefacedly, knowing full well that she would not
have nominated Molly for that coveted office.
Other nominations followed. Edith Williams and her sister were rival
candidates for the office of vice president, and Caroline Brinton and
Nance were put up for secretary.
"Has anybody anything to say?" asked Margaret, still sucking the lemon
frantically as a last effort to clear her fogbound voice.
Molly stood up.
"I think I'd like to speak a few words, Madam President," she said.
Then, blushing deeply and trembling in her knees she turned toward the
familiar faces of her classmates and began:
"I'm not much of a speechmaker, girls, and I don't know that I ever
really addressed you before, but I feel I must say something in favor
of my candidate, Miss Margaret Wakefield, who has made us such an
excellent president for three years."
There were sounds of hand-clapping and calls of "Hear! Hear!"
Molly paused and cleared her throat. She did wish they wouldn't
interrupt until she had finished.
"I think we ought to remember, girls, that when we elect a president for
this last year, we are choosing some one to represent us for always; at
class reunions and alumnae meetings and all kinds of things. When there
is a distinguished visitor, it's always the senior president who has to
step up and do the talking. The kind of president we want is some one
with presence and dignity. We want a handsome president who dresses in
good taste and can talk. Girls,"--Molly raised her hand as if calling
upon heaven to strengthen the force of her arguments,--"we don't want a
thin, lank president without any shape" (sounds of tumultuous laughter
and the beginning of applause)--"one of those formless, backboneless
people who can't talk and who dress in--well, ragtags. I tell you,
girls, Margaret is the president for us. She's been a mighty fine
president for three years and I don't think we ought to try experiments
on a new one at this stage in the game."
Then there came wild applause and Margaret presently arose and raised
her hand for silence after the manner of the true speechmaker. She was
much moved by what Molly had said. It was more than she herself would
have been capable of doing, but she intended to speak now if it cracked
her voice till doomsday.
"I can't talk much, girls, on account of hoarseness, but I do want to
say that nobody could represent this class better than Molly Brown, the
most beloved girl not only of the senior class, but of all Wellington. I
hope you will cast your votes for her, girls, and I'm proud to write
down her name as my choice for president."
"Three cheers for Molly and Margaret," cried Judy, always the leader of
the mobs.
Edith, funny and diffident, now rose and addressed the class. She said
she sincerely hoped the class was not looking for handsome, plump
vice-presidents, since the two candidates for that office were neither
the one nor the other; but that if they placed any confidence in a "rag
and a bone and a hank of hair," she felt sure she could fill the bill
just as well as the opposing candidate.
Then Katherine shot up and said she could prove that she weighed a pound
more than her sister, and instead of putting her allowance into books
that autumn, she had laid in a stock of clothes.
It was all very funny and good natured: the most friendly close election
that had ever taken place, some one said, and when the votes were
counted it was found that Margaret had won by one vote and Katherine by
two in excess of the other candidates. Edith and Molly locked arms and
rushed over to congratulate the successful opponents.
"You won it for me, Molly," announced Margaret in a voice husky as much
from emotion as cold. "I doubt if I should have got half a dozen votes
if it hadn't been for your speech and I shall never forget it. It was
what father calls 'a nice thing.'"
"You are the president for me, Margaret," Molly laughed. "I can't see
myself in that chair, not in a thousand years. I should be all wobbly
like a puppet on a throne and I'd probably slide under the table from
fright at the first class meeting."
"You would have adorned it far better than I would, Molly, and
popularity will outweigh speechmaking any day; not but what you didn't
make a fine speech."
But neither Edith nor Molly felt any regrets over the election. They had
all they could do to attend to the _Commune_, go to society meetings and
keep up their studies.
That very day, too, there came a letter for Molly that added to her
labors. Judy brought it up from the office below. She looked at her
friend curiously, as Molly glanced at the address written in a rather
large, scrawly masculine hand. In a corner of the envelope was printed
the name of a New York newspaper.
"Corresponding already?" Judy asked. "You lose no time, Molly, darling."
Molly was so much occupied in tearing open the envelope that she did not
notice the strained tone in Judy's voice.
"I'm so excited," she exclaimed, drawing out the letter. "This will
decide my fate."
"Are you ready, Judy?" called Adele Windsor, opening the door and
walking in, in her usual unceremonious fashion. Her quick glance took in
the envelope Molly had flung on the table in her haste to read the note.
"Oh, these southern girls," she remarked, raising her eyebrows and
blinking at Judy.
Molly looked up quickly. It was certainly no affair of Adele's and still
she felt like making an explanation.
"This is a business letter," she said quickly, the blood rushing into
her face.
"Do business letters make one blush?" Adele said teasingly.
Molly could not tell why Adele irritated her so profoundly. She was
ashamed afterward of what she called her unreasonable behavior.
Certainly she did not appear very well in the passage of arms that now
followed.
"It's none of your business at any rate," she exclaimed hotly, "and I'm
not blushing."
After this outburst, she turned and walked into her room. Her face was
crimson and she knew she would have wept if she had stayed another
minute, and so have been further disgraced.
"Really, Molly, don't you think you are rather hard on poor Adele?" she
heard Judy's voice saying. But not a word of apology would she make to
Adele Windsor, whose high nasal tones now came to her through the half
closed door.
"Never mind, I don't care, Judy. She can't help it. Didn't you ever hear
about the temper that goes with red heads?"
Molly paid for her outburst of temper by having a headache all the
afternoon and an achey lump in her chest--indigestion, no doubt.
She stretched herself on her little bed, her haven of refuge in time of
trouble and the safe confidante unto whose soft bosom she poured her
secrets and hopes. At last, calmed and remorseful for her hasty tongue,
she opened the note again and reread it:
"DEAR MISS BROWN:
"I have hypnotized the editor into accepting that article of
yours; only you must hurry up with it. It will run probably for
two and a half columns on the College Notes page and we can use
three pictures. Just tell whatever you want about the college
and the girls and what they do, starting off with the Jubilee,
as I suggested. Send it to me here by Friday and I will
appreciate it. Thank you for the wonderful time you gave me at
Wellington.
"Sincerely your friend,
"JAMES LUFTON."
Late that afternoon Molly rushed over to the _Commune_ office, and,
seizing a pencil and paper, began to write. At the top of the page she
wrote, "Dearest Mother"--"just to make myself think it's a letter," she
thought. But the words worked like a magic talisman, for the pencil
traveled busily and by suppertime she had almost finished.
On the way back from the village next morning, where she had been to buy
the photographs, she stopped at the Beta Phi House and left a note on
the hall table for Miss Windsor.
"I am sorry I was rude to you. I suppose red-headed people have got high
tempers and henceforth I shall try to curb mine."