HER OWN WAY
The Service Bureau lost no time in preparing and posting notices on the
college bulletin board, and on those of the various campus houses, to
the effect that they were prepared to take care of any requests for
general services that might be made, and the immediate response with
which their venture met was gratifying in the extreme. Certain of the
club members found their spare time fully occupied in tutoring freshmen,
while those who were skilled needlewomen were kept busy mending, making
silk blouses, kimonos and even simple styles of gowns. Grace had
thoughtfully placed a second sewing machine in the sewing room, and it
never stood idle. There were requests for all sorts of services such as
hair dressing, manicuring and countless small labors which affluent
students were glad to turn over to their needy classmates.
Grace and Louise Sampson spent many hours of time and thought upon the
new venture. It required tact and judgment to select the various girls
for the various labors. First there was the customer to please. Second
the fact that each member of the club was anxious to be given the
opportunity to earn a little extra money. It was wonderful, too, the
amount of hitherto undiscovered ability which came to light at the call
for service, and it was not long before Nettie Weyburn had acquired
considerable reputation as a manicurist, while Ethel Hilton gained
lasting laurels as a hair dresser and Mary Reynolds proved herself a
competent tutor. Hilda Moore became a fad among certain girls who
loathed letter writing and willingly paid her for taking their dictation
and typing their home letters, while Cecil Ferris stood alone as an
expert mender of silk stockings. Louise Sampson made silk blouses.
Several members specialized on kimonos. Two girls were kept constantly
busy on hand-painted post cards, posters and cunning little luncheon
favors. There were also occasional requests for a maid or companion for
some special affair. In fact the high standard of excellence which the
Service Bureau aimed for, and obtained, caused its popularity to
increase rapidly.
There was but one member of this earnest and busy household to whom the
Bureau meant nothing. That member was Jean Brent. So far she had
discovered absolutely nothing she could do to earn money. She had not
the patience to tutor, she loathed the bare idea of performing personal
services for others, and she could not sew a stitch. Nevertheless the
fact that she needed money perpetually stared her in the face. True she
had written to Miss Lipton for a loan, and the money had been promptly
sent her. She had repaid Grace and Evelyn the small sums they had
advanced her, but the remainder of the money had dwindled away so
rapidly she could hardly have given an account of the way in which it
had been spent.
Now her thoughts turned to her trunks of unused finery. What possible
objection could Miss Harlowe have to her selling what was rightfully
hers? If she wished to dispose of certain of her own possessions it was
surely no one's affair save her own. Althea Parker, who was Evelyn's
friend, and the leader of a clique of the richest girls at Overton, had
been given an opportunity to see the contents of one of the trunks and
had gone into ecstacies over the dainty hats and frocks Jean had
displayed for her benefit. "For goodness' sake _where_ did you get such
lovely things?" had been Althea's curious question. "They must have cost
a lot of money."
"Do you think the girls in your set would be interested in them?" Jean
had asked, ignoring the other girl's question. "I--I should like to sell
them to any one who wants them. I must have some money. I need it at
once."
"Sell them?" Althea's eye-brows had been elevated in surprise. "How
funny." Then her natural selfishness coming strongly to the surface, she
had said hastily. "I'd love to have that green chiffon evening gown.
It's never been worn, has it?" She decided it was not her business if
Miss Brent chose to sell her clothes. Jean had gravely assured her that
everything in the trunk was perfectly new and fresh, and Althea had,
then and there, bargained for almost a hundred dollars' worth of finery,
and promised to interest the girls of her set in Jean's possessions.
It was not until after Althea had gone that Jean remembered Grace's
objection to her proposed sale. She decided that she could not have the
sale after all. She would sell Althea the things she wished and tell her
the circumstances. But when she laid the matter before Althea the latter
had said lightly, "Oh, don't let a little thing like that worry you.
It's none of Miss Harlowe's business. Besides, I've told my friends, and
they are dying to see your things. Evelyn told me to-day that Miss
Harlowe was going to New York City on Friday night. You can have the
girls come up here on Saturday afternoon. I'll invite Evelyn to luncheon
and keep her away until after six o'clock. She wouldn't like it if she
knew. She's a regular goody-goody this year. What you must do is to get
the things out of the other trunks. Then the girls can see them. I'll
come to-morrow for these things I've selected; so have them wrapped up
for me. If we manage it quietly no one need be the wiser, for the girls
won't breathe a word of it to a soul."
Actuated by her need of money, Jean swallowed her scruples and obeyed
Althea's commands implicitly. Under the pretext of rearranging her
wardrobe, she spent her spare time in the trunk room going over her
effects and picking out those articles most likely to appeal to her
customers, and by Saturday everything was in readiness for the sale.
Evelyn, unsuspecting and jubilant over her luncheon engagement with
Althea, who had so far this term held herself rather aloof from her,
hurried off to keep her appointment, leaving Jean a clear field.
Locking the door, this strange girl began laying out her wares. There
were exquisite evening gowns, with satin slippers and silk stockings to
match, and there were afternoon and morning frocks, walking suits,
separate coats, hats, gloves, fans, scarfs, everything in fact to
delight the heart of a girl. Jean handled them all mechanically, and
without interest. It was only when she heard the murmur of girls'
voices outside her door that a deep flush mounted even to her smooth
forehead. She drew a deep breath and braced herself as for an ordeal,
then answered the peremptory knock on the door.
There were little delighted cries from the ten girls who came to the
sale as they examined Jean's beautiful wardrobe. Being of medium height,
her gowns fitted most of her customers, who exulted over the fact of
their absolute freshness. They were indeed bargains, and, as each girl
had come prepared to buy to the limit of her ample allowance, the money
fairly poured into Jean's hands.
For the rest of the afternoon a great trying-on of gowns ensued, and in
their eager appreciation of the pretty things before them they chattered
like a flock of magpies, arousing not a little curiosity among a number
of the Harlowe House girls who in passing through the hall heard the
murmur of voices and subdued laughter. It was after six o'clock when the
last girl, bearing a huge bundle and a suit case, had departed. Jean sat
down amidst the wreck of her possessions and sighed wearily. She sprang
up the next moment, however, and began feverishly to bundle the various
garments lying about on the bed and chairs into the open trunk. She had
sold many of her possessions. Those that were left would all go into the
one trunk. She must hurry them in before Evelyn returned. She was
likely to come in at almost any moment. Jean had saved a beautiful frock
of yellow crêpe for Evelyn. She intended to give it to her for a
Christmas present. There were shoes, stockings and scarf to match, along
with a wonderful white evening coat, trimmed with wide bands of white
fur and lined with palest pink brocade. In the short time she had known
Evelyn she had become greatly attached to her, and although unlike in
disposition, they had, so far, managed to get along together as
roommates.
Jean knew, however, that Evelyn, who was devoted heart and soul to Grace
Harlowe, could not fail to disapprove of her high-handed disregard of
Grace's authority. She, therefore, determined to remove all traces of
the sale and trust to luck and the honor of the girls who had taken part
in it. If, later, Evelyn should recognize any of the various articles as
Jean's, it would do no particular harm. She would, no doubt, be shocked,
but still past lapses of good conduct never disturbed one as did those
of the present. Feeling that, in her case, at least, the end justified
the means, Jean bundled the last tell-tale effect into the trunk and
banged down the lid, resolving to meet Evelyn as though nothing had
happened, and let the future take care of itself.