ON MAY-DAY NIGHT.
The whitewashing which the sophomore team gave the Sans five, who had so
illy represented the juniors at basket ball, was a defeat the Sans found
hard to endure. Adopting Leslie's advice, they carried their heads high
and affected great exclusiveness. They also entered upon a career of
lavish expenditure within their own circle calculated to attract and
impress those who had formerly shown respect for them and their money.
It was successful in a measure. They could be snobbish without trying.
Nevertheless, they knew they had lost irretrievably. The backbone of
their pernicious influence was broken.
A warm and early spring brought the basket-ball season to a close sooner
than usual. Despite Marjorie's resolve not to play again, she took part
in one more game against the freshman. The sophs won by four points, but
the freshies were such a gallant five, they came in for almost an equal
amount of applause. They were dear to the hearts of the sports-loving
element of students.
As spring advanced with her thousand soft airs and graces, it seemed to
Marjorie that a new era of good feeling had come to Hamilton College.
"College is nearer my ideal of it than it used to be," she said to Jerry
one bright afternoon in late April, as the two stood on the steps of the
Hall waiting for Helen, Leila and Vera, who had gone to the garage for
Leila's car. The five girls were going to Hamilton on a shopping
expedition. The first of May at hand, the Lookouts and their intimates
were going to follow the old custom of hanging May baskets. Leila had
proposed it. The others had hailed the idea with avidity.
"Mine, too," nodded Jerry. "When first we came back here we thought we
would have to depend on our own little crowd for our good times. Now we
have more invitations than we can accept. It's the same with lots of the
other girls, too. There's a really friendly spirit abroad on the campus.
The day of democracy is at hand."
"I hope so. Anyway, things are pleasanter here than when we enrolled. Of
course, we know many of the students now. That makes a difference.
Still, there isn't the same chill in the social atmosphere that there
used to be. Here comes our good old chauffeur, Leila Greatheart. She
has been obliging and unselfish enough with us all to deserve a carload
of May baskets. How many are you going to hang, Jeremiah?"
"About a dozen, more or less," Jerry replied indefinitely. "I'll see how
expert I shall be at making them."
"I'm going to make Leila a green one and fill it with pistachio bars and
green and white candies. On top I'll put a green and gold lace pin I
bought yesterday in Hamilton. I'll make Vera a pale pink one and fill it
with French bon-bons. I shall give her a very beautiful string of coral
beads that Captain gave me long ago. Vera and Leila have both been so
dear about taking us around in their cars, I want to make them special
presents. The other baskets I shall just fill with candy or flowers."
"We'll have to make a trip to the florist's late on May-day afternoon or
our posies won't be fresh to put in the baskets. I shall buy some little
fancy baskets if I can find them. My own handiwork may not turn out very
well." Jerry had prudently decided to be on the safe side.
Filled with the goodwill attending the pretty spring-time custom, it was
a merry band of shoppers that invaded the Hamilton stores in search of
materials for baskets. Crêpe paper, ribbon, fancy silk and bright
artificial wreaths and boutennieres shown in the millinery windows were
purchased in profusion. Dainty baskets were not so easy to obtain. The
girls finally found the sizes and shapes they desired at the florist's
where they placed their order for May-day blossoms. The confectionery
they decided to leave until the day before the basket hanging, so that
it would be perfectly fresh. "Don't insult your friends by handing 'em
stale candy," was Jerry's advice.
For four evenings following the first shopping trip, a round of gaieties
went on in one or another of the basket-makers' rooms. Under their
clever fingers the May-time tributes were fashioned rapidly and well.
Even Jerry found she could do amazing wonders with crêpe paper ribbon
and pasteboard, once she had "got the hang of the thing."
The hardest problem which confronted the givers was how to hang their
offerings and slip away before the recipient opened her door and nabbed
the stealthy donor. As there was only one door knob to each door, the
gift baskets must perforce be set in a row before it. Each girl had
private dark intent of smashing the ten-thirty rule and creeping out
into the hall after lights were out. This would prevent any attempt on
the part of jokers to surreptitiously confiscate the fruits of their
industry.
Marjorie was confronted by a considerably harder problem. She had a
basket to hang which was destined to grace a door quite outside of the
Hall. She had purchased a particularly beautiful little willow basket.
Through its open work she had run pale violet satin ribbon. A huge bow
and long streamers of wider ribbon decorated the handle. The basket was
to be filled with long-stemmed single violets which grew in profusion at
the north end of the campus. To the curious questions of her chums
regarding the lucky recipient of the basket, she merely replied with a
laughing shake of her head, "Maybe I'll tell you someday."
When the first pale stars of May-day evening appeared, Marjorie took her
violet basket and promptly disappeared. Wearing a plain blue serge coat,
a dark sports hat pulled well down over her curls, she crossed the
campus at a gentle run and hurried through the west entrance to the
highway. Her flower tribute she had covered with a wide black silk
scarf. Along the road toward Hamilton Estates she sped, keeping well out
of the way of passing automobiles. Onward she went until she reached the
gates of Hamilton Arms. She drew a soft breath of satisfaction as she
saw that they stood open. She had noticed they were always a little ajar
in the day time. She had feared that they might be closed at night.
Seized by a sudden spasm of timidity, she stood still for an instant,
listening and peering ahead into the shadows. Then with a gurgling
laugh, indicative of her pleasure in the secret expedition, she passed
into the grounds and ran noiselessly toward the house at her best speed.
One thing was certain, she told herself, as her feet touched the bottom
step of the front veranda, if her presence were discovered there would
be no disgrace attached to the apprehension. Her heart was thumping out
a lively tattoo however, as she stole up to the heavy double doors and
felt for the knocker. There was a light in the hall and in the room at
the left of it. Miss Susanna was surely at home. Her hand closing at
last upon the object of her search, she stooped and carefully set her
basket on the stone threshold. Applying her young strength to the
knocker, she waited only to hear it sound inside, then darted for the
drive. While she dared not stop to look back, she thought she heard the
creak of an opening door when she was halfway down the drive. Slightly
winded from her mad dash, she paused outside the gate, flushed and
triumphant. Whether the door had opened or not, she had at least
succeeded in doing what she had set out to do.