PHYLLIS
Phyllis sat by the window and looked over the campus. It was the last
day of classes before Thanksgiving. Tomorrow the girls would be going
home for the holiday. But she was going to stay right here. Her
Thanksgiving dinner would be served here in her room as so many other
meals lately had been. Oh, there would be other girls in the building,
she would not be alone. But she would feel lonely nevertheless.
Gale was going home. Phyllis smiled reminiscently. Gale had been sweet
these last weeks and so had the other girls. They had all been
marvelously good to her—but that, to her, was worse than if they had
quarreled and shouted at her. If only something would happen to break
the even tenor of her days! If only the girls weren’t always so sweet,
so considerate! They felt sorry for her, she knew, and it irked her. She
was going to classes again now, studying, but college life wasn’t the
same. There were no extra activities for her. She could not partake of
the basketball games in which Carol and Janet starred. She could not
join the dancing classes which claimed all Valerie’s attention. She
could not hope to ride in the spring riding classes to which Ricky and
the others were looking forward so joyfully.
She threw her book at the opposite wall with such vigor that the book
bounced back and landed on the floor with a dull thud. If only something
would happen! She was sick of being pampered. If they would only treat
her as they had before her accident. They argued with her then,
scolded—anything! Anything but this eternal sweetness and light! She
herself felt anything but sweet. She was tired of having to be
courageous, always appearing to be cheerful! She wanted to let out some
of the pent-up energy.
She looked down upon the campus. Gale and Valerie with Carol and Janet
were coming toward the sorority house. They seemed to be in a hurry and
kept glancing up at the window where she sat. She smiled ruefully. At
last she had given them something to stir them. Now perhaps something
would happen—at least, they wouldn’t change her mind! Phyllis laid her
cane on the floor beside her chair and turned to face the door. Sunshine
Alley was about to have a bit of a thunderstorm.
“We won’t stand for it!” Carol said the second the door opened.
Phyllis merely smiled.
“What do you mean by it anyway?” added Janet.
“Just what I said,” Phyllis replied. “I am resigning as president of the
Freshman class.”
“But why? You must have a reason!” Valerie put in.
“I have a reason,” Phyllis said stubbornly. “I can’t go to all the class
activities, I can’t run around and be in everything that the president
is supposed to—so I am resigning.”
“We won’t accept it,” Gale said determinedly.
“You have to call a meeting of the class and it will be accepted. It has
to be!” Phyllis said.
“But, Phyl,” Janet pleaded, “we want you to be the president. All the
girls feel the same.”
“It wouldn’t be fair to the class,” Phyllis insisted. “A president is
active—she has a lot to do. Well, I can’t do it so I’m resigning. It is
very simple.”
“We won’t let you,” Carol said finally. “Val, you are secretary. Do
something about it.”
“I already have,” Valerie said surprisingly. “I and the Vice President
and the Treasurer.”
“Well?” Phyllis said eagerly. “The officers agreed to accept my
resignation, didn’t they?”
“They did not,” Valerie said. “We agreed, and posted a notice in the
East Campus Dormitory to the effect, that you are still our president.
Gale is president pro tem, and any one who disagrees must see one of us.
How does that suit you?”
“You mean Gale is to act in the places where I can’t?” Phyllis asked.
Valerie nodded.
“Then I’m president in name and Gale does the work,” Phyllis said. “That
isn’t fair.”
“I’ll love it,” Gale assured her bouncing on the bed. “That will give me
authority. And will I use it!”
“That is what I’m afraid of,” Carol grimaced. “See here, Miss President
pro tem, don’t think you can order me around.”
Gale laughed. “I am going to try. Tonight there is a party here and you
gals can come providing you go home now and let Phyllis rest.”
“I don’t want to rest,” Phyllis put in fretfully. “Stay here and talk to
me.”
Carol looked from Gale to Phyllis.
“To go or not to go, that is the question!” misquoted Janet.
“Gale is so hospitable,” laughed Carol.
“I don’t know about the rest,” Valerie said, “but I have to go. The
Christmas entertainment given by the Freshman class is being planned and
the secretary has a lot of work.”
“While the president takes things easy,” Phyllis said bitterly.
“Who is going to sing?” Janet asked.
“Yes,” added Carol, “I heard the class is in need of a good contralto.
Who is the star who is to sing in the chapel?”
Valerie shook her head. “Something else to keep me awake at night. I am
on the committee to put the entertainment over and I haven’t the
faintest idea who we will choose.”
“How about Phyl?” Gale asked.
“Phyl!” Janet echoed. “Of course! You’ve a fine voice, Phyl.”
Phyllis laughed. “But I won’t be in the entertainment!”
“All you have to do is sing,” Carol seconded.
“But it is impossible,” Phyllis said. “Me? Sing in the chapel? Don’t be
ridiculous.”
“But——”
“I won’t listen to another word,” Phyllis said. “You don’t know what you
are asking.”
“Phyl, you would——”
“No!” Phyllis almost shouted. “I would be scared to death.”
Gale winked at Valerie. “She would be scared to death, girls,” she
murmured. “So that settles the question. Now will you go home? Go home
and pack your things and get ready to leave tomorrow morning.”
“We won’t have time to pack tonight,” added Janet. “See you tonight for
the party,” she added.
The early evening was already descending on the campus and Gale lighted
the light.
“You didn’t have to chase the girls home,” Phyllis said peevishly.
Gale said nothing, merely seated herself at her desk and opened her
French book. She did not try to concentrate her attention on the pages
before her. She was acutely aware of Phyllis moving about. Gale longed
to help Phyllis but she sat in her place not paying the slightest heed
to the slow and difficult movements of her friend. Suddenly when Phyllis
stumbled and would have fallen Gale sprang up and saved her.
“Let go!” Phyllis said indignantly. “I can make it by myself.”
Instantly Gale’s arms relaxed. She knew Phyllis must get used to the
difficulties of her movements now but it was hard to sit by and do
nothing. Gale turned away to her desk again. A few seconds later she
felt Phyllis’ hand on her shoulder.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you,” Phyllis said.
“It is all right,” Gale said.
“But it isn’t all right,” Phyllis insisted stormily. “I snap at you—I
snap at all the girls. It is only because——”
“I know,” Gale said. “But you mustn’t think about things so much, Phyl.
Something will be done. This may only be for a little while. We’ll think
of a way——”
“A way!” Phyllis murmured helplessly. “My Aunt was here, wasn’t she, and
refused to do anything? She was my only hope.”
“How did you know?” Gale demanded sharply.
“Ricky,” Phyllis said. “She said something that set me thinking. I asked
her point blank and insisted on her telling me.” She laughed a little.
“Poor Ricky, she tried so hard not to let me know.”
“We will do something, Phyl,” Gale assured her friend more hopefully
than she felt. “You’ve got to make the best of things for a little
while.”
“A little while!” Phyllis echoed. “It has been months!”
“Well,” Gale laughed, “if you are looking for an argument with me you
are going to be disappointed. I refuse to quarrel. I——”
“Gale!” Phyllis whispered frantically. “The window! There is a ladder
being propped against it!”
Gale ran to the window and threw it open. “Someone is climbing up,” she
said smiling.
“Who?”
“I think you know,” Gale laughed.
A dark head followed by broad shoulders hove above the window sill. A
laughing voice spoke out of the November dusk.
“Hi, Phyl.”
“David!” Phyllis cried. “David!”
“In person,” he assured her.
“But how——”
“I have the Dean’s permission to call on you properly tonight at eight,”
he said laughing, “but I couldn’t wait. She would probably chase me out
if she could see me now, though. I met Carol and Janet on the campus a
few minutes ago and they very helpfully suggested this method. It is
effective if startling.”
“I’m going down for my dinner,” Gale said and disappeared.
Gale had her dinner and then went out on the campus. She could see David
on the ladder and Phyllis at the window. She waited in the darkness
until she saw David descending the ladder. She joined him when he was
safely on the ground.
“When did you get here, David?” she asked shaking hands.
“This afternoon,” he replied. “I went immediately to the Dean’s office.
I didn’t know whether I could see Phyllis or not. She is nice, your
Dean.”
“Staying in the village?” Gale asked.
“Yes. I’m going to stay until after Thanksgiving,” he answered. “The
Dean said I might entertain Phyllis while the girls are gone for the
holiday.”
“She needs someone,” Gale said. “I’m glad you’re here, David.”
“I gathered that,” he said seriously. “She seems pretty depressed.”
“Did you see her Aunt?” Gale asked. “You know I wrote you what she had
said and asked you to see her. Did you?”
David shook his head. “She hasn’t been in Marchton since I received your
letter. I went to the house and asked the woman who cooks for her when
she expected Miss Fields back. She doesn’t know.”
Gale sighed. “It seems we are balked at every turn. I intend to find out
what it is all about when I get back to Marchton. If not now, at
Christmas.”
“I’ll try to keep Phyllis cheered up until you get back,” David
promised.
Gale returned to the sorority house then. She had to help Ricky set the
stage for their party. Phyllis would see David again at eight o’clock
while the other girls were upstairs. Gale would see that they had the
living room to themselves for a long talk. She knew Ricky would aid her
if there was any difficulty in engineering a serene night for Phyllis.