While the Sans were experiencing the discomfort of internal friction,
the Lookouts and their friends were traveling the pleasant ways of
harmony and peace. The sophomores had so thoroughly taken their freshman
sisters under their genial wing that the juniors had little welfare work
to do in that direction.
In the matter of basket ball they lost all active interest after the
first game between the freshman and sophomore teams which took place on
the first Saturday afternoon in November. The Sans still had friends
enough among the seniors to make their influence felt in this respect.
With two Sans elected to the sports committee, Professor Leonard had
thrown up his hands in disgust after a vain attempt to get along
pleasantly with the arrogant committee. He refused to be present at the
try-out. Afterward he made it a point to be away from the gymnasium
during team practice.
Leslie Cairns kept her word to Elizabeth Walbert to the letter. She was
chosen by the committee to play on the official sophomore team. Phyllis
Moore was also picked solely on account of her prowess. When she found
herself on the same team with Elizabeth, she promptly resigned.
The freshman team was picked by the committee entirely according to Sans
tactics. Therefore, the democratic element of Hamilton foresaw a series
of uninteresting games ahead. Dutifully they attended the initial game
of the season which the sophs won. Most of the applause came from the
seniors present at the game. According to Muriel Harding, she had seen
better games played by the grammar school children of Sanford.
Basket ball thus failing to arouse their marked enthusiasm, the former
faithful fans and expert players turned their moments of recreation into
channels which pleased them better. Incidental with the decline of
basket ball, Marjorie and Robin took to looking earnestly about them for
a motive for the entertainments they had discussed giving.
Marjorie scouted about diligently in an effort to locate students off
the campus who needed financial help. She took Anna Towne into her
confidence at last and found out something of interest.
"It isn't half so much that most of the girls living off the campus
can't pull themselves through college. They manage to do it by working
through the summer vacations. It is the way we have to live that is so
nerve-racking at times. The food isn't always good, and there's so
little variety if one boards. The girls who cook for themselves have to
market. That's a strain. One is out of bread or butter or another staple
and forgets all about it until supper time. Then the small stores nearby
are closed. Perhaps one wishes to spend an hour or two in the library
after recitations. There is the marketing to do, or else it has to be
done early in the morning when one is hurrying to get ready for a first
recitation. That's merely one of the difficulties attached to trying to
lead the student life and doing light housekeeping at the same time.
"On the other hand," Anna had further explained, "if one boards one
isn't always allowed to do one's own laundering. That's quite an item of
expense. It costs more in money to board, and it is more of an expense
of spirit to keep house on a small scale. It is a great irritation
either way. That is the opinion of every girl off the campus I have
talked with. You girls in your beautiful campus house are lucky. Many of
these boarding and rooming houses are so cold in winter. For the amount
of board or rental we pay the proprietors claim they can't afford to
give adequate heat.
"You see, Marjorie, when girls like myself decide on enrolling at a
certain college, they have only the prospectus to go by. They read in
the Bulletin of Students' Aids and Bureaus of Self-help but they do not
reckon on them. They go to college on their own resources. They wouldn't
dream of asking help as freshmen; perhaps not at all during their whole
course."
"I see," Marjorie had assented very soberly. It hurt her to hear of the
struggles for an education going on so near her, while she had
everything and more than heart could desire. "There ought to be one or
two houses on the campus where students could live as cheaply as in
boarding and rooming houses and still have their time entirely for study
and recreation."
"That won't be in my time at Hamilton," Anna had declared with a tired
little smile. "I hope it will happen some day."
When Marjorie had left Anna, it was with a certain generous resolve.
That night she made it known to Jerry.
"Do you know what I am going to do?" she asked, after recounting to her
room-mate her conversation of the afternoon.
"I do not. I'll be pleased to hear your remarks, whatever they may be,"
encouraged Jerry with one of her wide smiles.
"You know what a lot of vacancies there will be here in June," Marjorie
began. "Those vacancies ought to be filled by off-the-campus girls. Take
Anna, for instance. She earns about one-third enough money summers to
keep her at Wayland Hall. I shall furnish the other two-thirds for her.
I shall begin now and save something from my allowance toward it. I
shall ask Captain not to buy me a lot of new clothes for next year, but
to give me the money instead. I am going to do a little sacrificing. I
shall cut out dinners and luncheons off the campus. I'll go only to
Baretti's and not so very often."
"We are an extravagant set," Jerry confessed. "Our board is paid at the
Hall; the very best board, too. Yet away we go every two or three days
for a feed at our favorite tea-rooms. That's a good idea, Marvelous
Manager. I shall presently adopt an off-the-campusite myself. Ronny will
adopt a dozen."
"Ronny would finance them all, but I sha'n't let her. General would give
me the money to see Anna through college, but I don't wish it to be that
way. I want it to be self-denial money. I'd like to find a way to help
the off-the-campus girls this year."
"Give shows. Make money. Turn it over to 'em," suggested Jerry, with an
airy wave of the hand. "Nothing easier."
"Nothing harder, you mean," corrected Marjorie. "They wouldn't like to
accept it as a private gift, I'm afraid. Besides, some of them board;
others do light housekeeping. Those who keep house could use the money
we offered to make things easier. Still they'd have the strain of
housework on their minds. Those who board wouldn't be benefited much
unless they changed boarding places. There is only that one collection
of boarding houses near the campus. One is about the same as another.
Hamilton has been a rich girls' college for a long time. The fine
equipment and super-excellent faculty have filled it up with well-to-do
and moneyed students."
"I'd like to see every Hamilton student on the campus," declared Jerry
heartily. "It would take three campus houses to do it. There must be
close to seventy-five girls in that bunch of off-campus houses."
"We could start our fund for that purpose," was the hopeful response.
"Who'd take care of the plan after we were graduated? It would take a
lot of money to build campus houses. Besides, how would we get the site?
Maybe the Board wouldn't hear to the project"
"Too true, too true, Jeremiah," Marjorie conceded gayly. "That plan is a
little far-fetched just yet. Later it may seem feasible. The fact
remains that Robin and I yearn to get up a show; object to give away the
proceeds."
"You can do this. Arrange for the show. Advertise it as being given for
the purpose of founding a students' beneficiary association. Take a
third of the proceeds and start the society. Give the other two-thirds
to Anna and let her distribute it privately among the girls who need it.
She knows them. She can get away with it better than you can. If anyone
comes down on the treasury for our little lone third we can hand it out
and keep it up by private contributions until some more money is earned.
I suppose you two marvelous managers will continue in the show business
as long as it is profitable."
"Your head is level, Jeremiah," laughed Marjorie, her eyes sparkling.
"That's a good plan. I'll see Robin tomorrow, and Anna too. Robin can
begin to gather up the performers. Anna can find out for me as to how
her flock are situated. I shall call the girls in tomorrow evening and
ask them if they each would like to finance a student next year. Leila,
Vera and Helen will like to, even if they have been graduated from
Hamilton. Kathie can't, but she will wish to help in some other way."
"Anna Towne was my freshie catch. You may have her. I'll scout around
and find someone else," magnanimously accorded Jerry.
Marjorie spent her leisure hours during the ensuing few days in
interviewing her friends and helping Robin plan the show. With
Thanksgiving only ten days off, the show would not take place until
after that holiday. The girls tackled the programme, however, and
completed it within three days.
Ronny was to dance twice. Marjorie had written to Constance Stevens, who
had promised to sing at the revue. These two numbers were to be the
features. The Silverton Hall orchestra would contribute two numbers.
Leila and Vera had promised an ancient Irish contra dance in costume.
Phyllis would give a violin solo. Blanche Scott would offer a grand
opera selection in her best baritone voice. Ronny agreed to train eight
girls in a singing and dancing number. As a wind-up, four Acasia House
girls were to put on a one-act French play.
Busy with her new project, Marjorie had not forgotten Miss Susanna. The
day after her visit to Hamilton Arms she had written the old lady one of
her sincere, friendly notes. She had not expected a reply. Nevertheless,
Miss Hamilton had returned a few lines of acknowledgment. Since then the
wires of communication between them had been idle.
Marjorie regretted this. She would have liked, during the beautiful
autumn weather, to walk about the grounds of Hamilton Arms with its
owner. With the last leaves off the trees and the earth frost-bitten,
she began to feel that Miss Susanna had not desired her further
acquaintance. In passing Hamilton Arms she strained her eyes,
invariably, for a sight of the old lady. She saw her but once, and at a
distance.
She wondered as Thanksgiving approached what kind of Thanksgiving Miss
Hamilton would have. She resolved, before leaving college for home, to
write the last of the Hamiltons as cheerful a note as she could compose.
Three days before college closed for the holiday she found a letter in
the Hall bulletin board in Miss Susanna's handwriting. This letter bore
the address "Wayland Hall," and read:
"Dear Child:
"I have a curiosity to meet some of the young women you exalted to
me when you took tea at the Arms. Will you bring them with you to
five o'clock tea tomorrow afternoon? I had intended writing you
before this date, but have been ill and out of sorts. I believe you
mentioned eight young women as your particular friends. I can
entertain you and the beloved eight, but no more. Do not trouble to
answer this note. I shall expect to see you, even if the others
can't come to tea.
"Yours sincerely,
"Susanna Craig Hamilton."
Marjorie uttered a kind of exultant crow and performed a funny little
dance of jubilation about the room. Jerry had not yet come from
recitations, so she hurried out to find the other Lookouts. Ronny was
the only one in. She rejoiced with Marjorie, her interest in Hamilton
Arms and its owner being second only to that of her chum.
"She loves flowers. We must take her a big box of roses," was Marjorie's
generous thought. "Pink, white and red ones; yellow roses, too, if we
can find them. It is hard to find a certain kind of fragrant, very
double yellow rose at the florist's now."
"You mean 'Perle de Jaddin,'" Ronny said quickly. "We have acres of them
at 'Manana.' They are my favorite rose."
"I love them, too," Marjorie nodded. "I remember that name now. I will
collect two dollars apiece from the girls. Two times nine are eighteen.
We ought to be able to buy an armful of roses for eighteen dollars. I'll
ask Leila to drive to Hamilton for them. She has no class the last hour.
I think we had better walk to Hamilton Arms. Miss Susanna seems to be
rather down on girls who drive cars. So there is no use in flaunting her
dislike in her face. I may be in error on that point. She made a remark
on the day I met her that led me to think so."
"You go and find the other girls. I'll tell Lucy as soon as she comes
in," Ronny offered. "The sooner you see them, the better. If they have
engagements for tomorrow afternoon they will have to gracefully slide
out of them. We all must accept Miss Susanna's invitation. It is a case
of now or never."
Marjorie left Ronny to go joyfully on her pleasant errand. Her second
quest was more successful. Leila and Vera had returned while she was in
Ronny's room. Both were elated over the unexpected honor. Leila was more
than willing to make the trip to the florist's shop. Marjorie met
Katherine in the hall just as she was leaving Leila's room.
The trio of absentees, Helen, Muriel and Jerry, she decided must be out
somewhere together. She smiled to herself as she pictured Jerry's face
when she heard the news. "Just because I am in a hurry to tell Jerry she
will probably go to dinner off the campus and come marching in about
nine o'clock," was her half-vexed rumination.
To her satisfaction Jerry walked into the room at ten minutes to six.
She and Helen had taken a ride in the latter's car. Jerry was full of
mirth over the fact that they had met Elizabeth Walbert's car at the
side of the road with a blown-out tire. A mechanician from a Hamilton
garage was on the scene adjusting a new one under the verbose direction
of the owner.
"Helen drove her car past at a crawl. We wanted to hear what she was
saying to the man from the garage. Honestly, we could hear her voice
before we came very near her. She shrieks at the top of her lungs. She
was trying to tell him what to do. He wasn't paying any more attention
to her than if she hadn't been there. That blond freshie, who snubbed
Phil the day she tried to help her at the station, was with her. I heard
her say, 'My, but he is slow. Our chauffeur could have put on three
tires while he was thinking about putting on one.' So encouraging to the
workman!" Jerry's tones registered gleeful sarcasm. "I wish she had been
stuck there for about four hours."
"You should not rejoice at the downfall of others," Marjorie reproved
with a giggle. "That is, if you can class a bursted tire as a downfall."
"It did me a world of good to see those two little snips stuck at the
side of the road," returned Jerry. "That Walbert girl and her car are a
joke. I wish we had a college paper. I'd write her up. Funny there isn't
one at Hamilton. Almost every other college has one, sometimes two. I
think I shall start one next year, if I'm not too busy."
"You might call it 'Jeremiah's Journal,'" suggested Marjorie. Both girls
laughed at this conceit. Marjorie then acquainted her room-mate with the
invitation, at the same time handing her Miss Hamilton's note.
"Will wonders never cease!" Jerry laid down the note and beamed at
Marjorie. "All your fault, Marvelous Manager. You went ahead and paved
the way into Miss Susanna's good graces for the rest of us. You
certainly do get on the soft side of people without trying."
"Not a bit of it," Marjorie stoutly contested. "Any one of you girls
would have done as I did and with the same results. I am so glad you are
all going to meet her. She can't help but have a better opinion of our
dear old Alma Mater after she has met some of her nicest children. I
guess that basket handle broke at the psychological moment."