"I am talking about the athletic contests that come off the first of
Commencement week. We simply shan't be in it. Vassar, Wellesley, Smith,
and all the others, seem to be in great shape, but we shall disgrace
ourselves."
"But, Dolly dear, we must do tolerably well, or we should never be in
the contests at all. There were scores of colleges that tried for a place
and we were one of the six successful ones, so we must certainly be able
to do something."
"You would not be feeling so confident if you took more interest in
athletics. We should never have won a place at all except for Ruth
Armstrong. She was superb at everything; running, jumping,
throwing--everything. It was she, and she alone, who won us our place
on the list. She was simply phenomenal, but, as you know, she isn't here
this year, and there is no one at all on whom we can count. Vassar
is sure now of one event, and the Cornell girls will get another, that
is positive. I had hoped that we could do something in the running
contests, but Rose Wilson has twisted her ankle, so the only thing in
which we stood the least show is out of the question."
"Well, Dolly dear, with six colleges represented, and only three events
to come off, everyone could not win."
"Of course not, and now Westover will not be one of the lucky three.
We shall not even win second place in anything! In short, we are in such
bad shape that I wish we had never tried to revive athletics here at
Westover. The other colleges have been working in this direction for
years, and it was absurd for us to compete with them."
"Don't worry; I think that we have won honor enough simply by being
admitted to the competition. Lots of colleges are envious of us."
"They will not be very long," said Dolly soberly.
There was really nothing to be said that could comfort Dolly. All that
she asserted was only too true. None of the quartette were on the
athletic teams, but all of the students had been discussing the coming
contests with grave faces.
"If we had not made the absurd rule that only Seniors could be in these
contests, we might do something even yet. There is rather good material
among the freshmen and sophomores."
"But the other colleges only admit the seniors, so we could not be
allowed to pick from all the classes. If only Ruth Armstrong were here!"
But Ruth, just then, was climbing the Alps, with no thought of her former
classmates who stood in such dire need of her.
"Tell me once more on what contests you have finally decided." Of
course, it was Mary who asked the question; any other girl would have
known.
"The idea of your not knowing!"
"Well, you have changed your minds so often, and I have been so busy
with my new experiments, that I do not think it wonderful that I am not
posted. Tell me, Dolly."
"The faculties limited us to three contests. I felt indignant at the
time, for I wanted a dozen, at least, but now I am ready to bow to their
superior wisdom. The more contests there are, the more defeats there
would be for us."
"But how have you finally settled it?"
"We have settled and unsettled matters a dozen times, but our last
decision is really final; there will be running and jumping, and, last
of all, a boat race."
"And we do not stand a show?"
"Not a ghost of a show for even second place," and Dolly sighed. Being
president, she felt as if the honor or disgrace of the college rested
on her.
Mary broke the silence at last. "I have not gone in for athletics since
I have been here, because I don't care for such things, but I can do
considerable in the running and jumping line. I can't row at all, and I
would be no good there, but if you want me to try and help you out in
the other things, I will."
"Why, Mary Sutherland, and you never said a word before! But you must
be awfully out of practice. Do you actually think that you can save us
from total disgrace?"
"I don't know what the girls at the other colleges can do, so I am
hardly prepared to say how much I can aid you, dear. I am not so
fearfully out of practice, either. Every summer I have been kept in
trim by my brothers, and really I can beat them both at running and
jumping, when I am in good condition."
"But that was nearly a year ago, Mary."
"I know, but I have been to the gymnasium every night after my
experiments. I have done all sorts of running and jumping there just
to tire myself out so that I could sleep. No one has ever seen me at
that time, and I never thought of your really needing my services. I
expect that I have been horribly selfish."
"You are just angelic now, for I know that you were planning to do a lot
of extra work with Professor Reimer during these last days of college,
and you would rather be with him than helping us out of a hole."
That was so very true that Mary blushed. She had felt reluctant to even
mention her prowess, but a second thought had made her ashamed of her
hesitancy. What had not Dolly and these other friends of hers done to
make college life pleasant for her during the past four years? Mary
herself could not get up much enthusiasm with regard to the athletics.
If there were a scientific contest now!
"Come up to the gymnasium, girls, and I will get into my suit and
show you what I can do. As I said, I practice almost every evening,
for after the laboratory work I am so wide awake that I could never
go to sleep at all. I found that out long ago. I would just lie in
bed and think out different experiments. Of course, the next day my head
felt like lead, and I was as stupid as an owl. So I resorted to the
gymnasium. There is no trouble any more about my sleeping, for I tire
myself out physically before I stop. Now, just wait a moment. I hope you
will not be disappointed after all my boasting. I really do not know
whether I am better than the rest of the girls you have picked out or
not. I suppose I must be pretty good at running and jumping, because
the boys think so, and they are usually very chary of their praise
where sisters are concerned."
But after the first five minutes there was no doubt in anyone's mind as
to Mary's superiority over all the other girls. She was really fine.
Dolly's drooping spirits rose with a bound.
"I shall love you forever for saving the day for us, Mary. You are not
out of practice a bit, but still you will let Mr. Thornbury have all
your extra leisure until the games come off, won't you? I hate to ask
it," Dolly went on hurriedly, for she knew that this would involve the
giving up of all the extra laboratory work which Mary was doing. "But
you will do it for the sake of the college, will you not?"
"Oh, yes. If I am going to go into this thing at all, I want to do my
best. I didn't see the trial competitions last year, but you and Beth
did. How do I compare with the girls from the other colleges?"
"You do better than they did then, but I hear that they have been
practicing hard ever since."
"I will do my very best, Dolly; perhaps we can win a 'second' after
all. Mr. Thornbury shall give me all the drilling and training that he
wishes to. My examinations are all over, and I really do not have to do
a single thing more. I was doing the extra work with Professor Reimer
just because it was such a wonderfully good chance."
And Mary, true to her word, gave up all her time to gymnasium work. All
of their friends came flocking to Westover for Commencement week. In
fact, the closing ceremonies occupied nearly ten days.
All of the "diggers" had won their degrees, and also, rather to
their astonishment, a place on the "honor" roll. Beth, as everyone
expected, had taken the mathematical prize, Mary had been awarded the
special prize given occasionally for exceptionally fine work along
scientific lines, Margaret had won a year's study abroad for the
highest average throughout the entire course. Margery received an
honorable mention for her work, but she was not eligible for any
prize, as those were open only to students who went straight through
the four years' course, and Margery had not done that. There was an
archaeological prize that went to Helen Stetson, and several other
prizes or scholarships in post-graduate work that went to girls who had
excelled in some special line.
The friends of the "diggers" were more than satisfied with the work
that had been done by them. It seemed to Dolly as if everyone had come
to Westover that she had ever known. All of Beth's relatives and
hers, even to the third and fourth cousins. Constance's people were
there, of course, and they did not fail to exert themselves to make Mrs.
Hamilton comfortable and at ease. Her delight and pride in Margaret
were something beautiful to see. The prize which she had so unexpectedly
won, changed Margaret's plans somewhat. She would go to Girton for a
year's study; her mother was also to go; there was money enough for
that, for neither of them had been extravagant during these four years
just past. A fine position was already promised Margaret on her return.
Mary had secured the coveted place in the preparatory school at Westover,
and had arranged to do special work at the college next year. She had
been very sober when the other girls had been talking about Commencement
and their friends who were coming. It seemed hard to Mary that her
father and mother could not be there. But she knew that such an expense
was simply out of the question, and she tried to be content.
Then a most wonderful thing happened, just a fortnight before
Commencement. Some one (Mary suspected Constance, though she never knew
surely) had sent Mr. and Mrs. Sutherland two railroad tickets to
Westover and return; there were Pullman seats enclosed, too, for the day
on which they should depart, and so, after all, Mary's father and mother
were present. And if their hands were toilworn and their clothes very
old-fashioned, Mary did not care. After all, in the great throng no
one's garments were noticed very particularly. It was only the
graduating class that was especially scrutinized, and it was hard to
tell whether the girls looked more enchanting in their white, filmy
dresses or in their caps and gowns.
Class Day, with all its gayety, passed off brilliantly. Constance made
a fine historian; Hazel Browne read the class poem, and it was very
generally conceded, even among the old graduates, to be one of the best
things that had ever been read in the old Westover Hall. It was pungent
and witty, without being at all bitter or malicious.
Dolly presided on all the numerous occasions necessitated by Commencement
week, with a pretty dignity and grace that more than one person found
very fascinating.
The weather was perfect, sunshiny and bright, but not overpoweringly hot,
and the exercises went off with a smoothness that made Dolly wild with
satisfaction and delight.
"You are getting altogether too proud, sister mine," asserted Fred.
"If Westover should actually happen to win something in tomorrow's
contest, there will be no living with you."
"I am proud of the girls and of the college, and of everything connected
with it."
"To tell the truth, I am rather proud of you! I don't wish to make you
conceited and all puffed up with vanity, but really, Dolly, you make a
first-class president. We are just brimming over with pride. Can't you
see how satisfied Father and Mother are looking? You owe me something
for getting Rob to coach you last year. I verily believe that you were
just about ready to give up then."
"I was, for a fact, and I shall be grateful to you all my life, Fred,
for what you planned. Just think of missing this," and Dolly drew a deep
breath.
"It would have been too bad, that's sure," affirmed Dick Martin, who
chanced to be present. "I never saw a more ideal Commencement. Perfect
weather, lovely girls and original programs. How did you ever manage
it all so smoothly, Miss Dolly? I see that your special friends captured
the choicest prizes and scholarships. Was it all a prearranged plan?
Things went your way--you could hardly ask anything more than you and
your friends got."
"Yes, I could," and Dolly sobered down. "The athletic contests come
tomorrow, the very last thing on our program. We could not get them in
before, and perhaps it is just as well, for I do not expect that we
shall win any glory."
"I thought Fred said that Miss Sutherland was to save the day for you?"
"She is our only hope; the rest of the girls do not amount to anything.
But Vassar and Smith, to say nothing of Cornell and Wellesley and Mount
Holyoke, have been boasting so securely since they arrived that our
hopes are now below zero."
"You are anxious to win?"
"Very. Westover has been out of all athletic contests for so long that
we want to get our place again, and if our own particular class could
achieve that, we should feel that we had nothing more to ask."
"I should say you wouldn't have, for your class is leaving a great
record here, that is sure. I have faith in your friend. I believe that
she will help you out, despite all the boasting of the others."
"I hope you are right. I do hope it. I shall be so glad, so glad--"
"So glad, that you will grant all sorts of favors?" her companion
asked, as they sauntered slowly over the lawn. Fred had disappeared
in search of Mary.
"Yes, quite glad enough to do anything for anyone," asserted Dolly
recklessly. A moment later she caught her breath, and wished she had
not said just that.