THE P. U. L.
"What upon earth are you doing!" exclaimed Toinette, as she opened Ruth's
door, in response to the "come in" which followed her knock, and stood
transfixed upon the threshold at the spectacle she beheld.
"Cleaning house, to be sure. Didn't you ever do it?"
"Well, not exactly that way," was Toinette's reply.
Ruth threw back her head and gave a merry peal of laughter.
"It _is_ rather a novel way, I will admit, but, you see, I hate to do
things just exactly as everybody else does, so I sailed right in, head
over ears. To tell the truth, now I'm in, I wish it wasn't _quite_ so
deep," and Ruth cast a look strongly savoring of despair at the
conglomeration surrounding her.
She was seated in the middle of the floor, and almost buried beneath the
contents of every drawer and closet in the room. Not only her own, but
Edith's belongings, too, had been dumped in a promiscuous heap on the
floor, and such a sea of underclothing, stockings, shoes, dresses, waists,
jackets, coats, hats, gloves, collars, ties, ribbons, veils,
dressing-sacques, golf-capes and belts, to say nothing of the contents of
both their jewel boxes, no pen can describe.
Not content with the contents, the drawers, too, had been dragged out to
be dusted, and were standing on end all about her, a veritable rampart of
defence.
"I shouldn't think you would know where to begin," said Toinette.
"I don't, and I think I'll leave the whole mess for Helma to tidy up in
the morning," and up jumped Ruth, to give the last stroke to the disorder
by overturning the tray of pins and hairpins which she had been sorting
when Toinette entered.
"There, now you have done it!" exclaimed Edith, "and I can tell you one
thing, you may just as well make up your mind to put my things back where
you got them, 'cause I'm not going to," and she wagged her head
positively.
"Oh, dear me, this is what comes of trying to be a P. U. L.," said Ruth.
"A P. U. L.?" asked Toinette. "What in the world is that?"
"_That's_ what it is! I found it stuck up in my room when I got back from
recitations to-day. I've been in such a tear of a hurry for the last few
mornings that my room hasn't been quite up to the mark, I suppose, but
Miss Preston never said a word, and now here's this thing stuck here."
Toinette took the sheet of paper which Ruth handed to her, and began to
read:
THE PICK-UP LEAGUE
Do you wish to join the P. U. L.?
Then listen to this, but don't you tell,
For it's a great secret, and will be--well--
We _hope_, as potent as "book and bell."
A P. U. L. has a place for her hat,
And keeps it there; O wonder of that!
Her gloves are put away in their case;
Her coat hung up with a charming grace.
School-books and papers are laid away,
To be quickly found on the following day.
Then, ere she starts, so blithe and gay,
She tarries a moment just to say:
"Wait, just a jiff, while I stop to put
This blessed gown on its proper hook,
And tuck this 'nightie' snugly from sight
Under my pillow for to-night.
"And all these little, kinky hairs,
Which, though so frail, can prove such snares,
And furnish some one a chance to say:
'Your comb and brush were not cleaned to-day.'
"Hair ribbons, trinkets, scraps and bits,
Papers and pencils and torn snips,
Left scattered about can prove _such_ pits!
And _in_ we tumble, and just 'catch fits.'
"And this is the reason we formed the league,
And will keep its rules, you had better believe:
To keep our rooms tidy, to keep things neat,
So much that is 'bitter' may be turned 'sweet.'"
[Illustration: "DO YOU WISH TO JOIN THE P. U. L.?"]
When she had finished reading, she sat down on the edge of the bed and
laughed till she cried.
"Great, isn't it?" asked Ruth. "That's the way Miss Preston brings us up
to schedule time. When I came home from the school-building this afternoon
I thought I'd do wonders; and," she added, ruefully, "I guess I've done
them. Good gracious, I'm so hungry from working so hard that I just can't
see straight. Isn't there something eatable in the establishment?"
"If that much work reduces you to a state of starvation, what will you be
when it's all done?" asked Edith. "There _were_ some crackers on the
shelf, but land knows where they are now; you've dragged every blessed
thing off of it."
"There are your crackers, right under your nose," said Ruth, triumphantly,
as she pointed to a box of wafers half hidden under Edith's best hat.
"There's some tea in that caddy, and you can heat some water in the
kettle. What more do you want?"
Edith scratched a match and held it to the little alcohol lamp under the
tea-kettle, but no flame resulted.
"Every bit of alcohol is burned out. Have you any more?"
"Not a drop; used the last to get the pine-gum off my fingers after we
came back from the woods last Tuesday. Here, take the cologne, that will
do just as well," and forthwith the cologne was poured into the lamp,
which was soon burning away right merrily. The water was heated, the tea
made, and four girls sat down in the midst of the topsy-turvy room to sip
tea and munch saltines.
"I came in to ask," said Toinette, "whether you girls have any secret
societies in this school; have you?"
"Nary one, as I know of," answered the irrepressible Ruth. "Wish we had."
"Let's start one," said Toinette. "We had two or three at Miss Carter's;
they had to be secret or none at all, and it was no end of fun. Papa wrote
me that he was going to send me a box of good things before long, and when
it comes let's meet that night and have a feast. He will no doubt send
enough for the entire school, he always does, and I want some of the girls
to have the benefit of it."
"Don't believe you will have to urge them very hard," said Edith,
laughing.
"Good!" cried Ruth. "Which girls shall we ask?"
Toinette named eight girls beside themselves, saying:
"That will make an even dozen to start with. More may come later, but that
is enough to begin; don't you think so?"
"Plenty. If we have too many there will be sure to be someone to let the
cat out of the bag. Come on, Cicely, let's go hunt the others up," and,
leaving Toinette and Edith in the orderly (?) room, off they flew.