A SENIOR DISPUTE
The last bell was three minutes late in ringing. Betty knew it was,
because she had watched the clock tick out each one with growing
impatience. When it did ring at last, she threw her latin book into her
desk, banged down the lid, and gave vent to her favorite exclamation.
"Jemima! Thank goodness that's over." She went to the window and looked
out.
A heavy snow had been falling all morning, and the grounds of Seddon
Hall were sufficiently covered to assure good coasting.
Polly finished the last couple of sentences of her latin prose with
little or no regard to the context and joined Betty.
"Looks bully, doesn't it?" she asked. "I hope it stays long enough to
pack."
"It's wonderful," Betty agreed, "but don't let's stand and look at it
any longer. Come on out, quick."
"Coming, Lo?" Polly inquired, stopping beside Lois' desk.
"No, not just yet. I've got to speak to Miss Crosby, over in the studio.
Don't wait for me. I'll come as soon as I can," she promised. As she saw
Polly's look of disapproval, adding by way of apology, "I simply must
finish that sketch, Poll. It won't take long."
So Polly and Betty left her and went out together. They found their
sleds from the year before, in the gym cellar, and pulled them to the
top of the hill.
The snow had drifted into the road, and was so deep that the coasting
was slow at first.
"Let's wait awhile," Betty suggested, "until the other girls have packed
it down a little; this is no fun."
"All right, let's take a walk. I wish I knew how to snowshoe," Polly
said as she sank to her knees in a drift.
"When's that friend of yours coming?" Betty inquired, as they started
off towards the pond.
"Who, Maud? I don't know, sometime soon. We've got to be good to her,
Bet. She's really all right in some ways."
"I remember her only that first summer," Betty said thoughtfully. "She
didn't make much of an impression then."
"Did you ever see her ride?" Polly demanded. "We used to go out in the
back pasture and try and tame a couple of colts we had. Maud was a
wonder. Perhaps Mrs. Baird knows when she's coming."
"Let's go ask her." Betty turned back toward the school. "My feet are
soaked anyway."
Mrs. Baird was standing on the Senior porch when they came up the drive.
She called to them.
"Did Jane find you?" she asked, as they reached the steps. "I sent her
to look for you."
Polly laughed. "Why no," she said surprised. "We were just coming to
find you."
"What about?" Mrs. Baird put an arm around each girl. "Come inside,
first," she said, shivering, for she was without hat or coat.
"Perhaps it was about the same thing," Betty said. They followed her
into the office and Polly asked:
"Have you heard anything from Mrs. Banks? We're wondering when Maud is
coming."
"To-morrow, and I meant to tell you and Lois, but it slipped my mind,"
Mrs. Baird told her.
"Then you wanted us for something else?" Betty asked.
Mrs. Baird walked over and looked out of the window.
"Yes," she said, hesitating. "I am worried about the coasting this
year. We have so many new girls and I don't want any accidents. Of
course I couldn't forbid them to coast, so I thought up a scheme. You
two girls have been here for a long time and know all about the hill. By
the way, where's Lois?" she asked abruptly.
"Up in the studio," Polly said with a shrug of her shoulders, which
meant to convey the idea that Lois had taken up her permanent abode
there.
Mrs. Baird frowned. "She must not work so hard," she said, finally. "She
should be out on such a glorious day. I'll speak to her about it."
"Oh, she'll come out in a little while," Betty hastened to say. "She's
just talking to Miss Crosby."
"Oh, well! I'll leave you two to see that she does," Mrs. Baird said
severely. "And now, about the coasting. I want you three girls, and any
of the other Seniors, of course,"--she added, on second thought--"to
watch every new girl go down the hill once, then if she is really not
fit to coast, you must tell her. I'll leave the decision to you."
"You mean that if we don't think they really know enough about it, that
we are to tell them they must keep off the big hill?" Polly asked. The
idea struck her as a very good one--new girls were always a nuisance at
first--but she wished the decision had been left to some one else.
"They can use the little hill, can't they?" Betty asked. "No one could
hurt themselves on that."
Mrs. Baird nodded her head. "That I leave to you; you're much the better
judge. Only do make haste, I am so afraid some one will be hurt. I saw
little Phylis Guile almost run into a tree."
Polly and Betty promised to start at once. They went up to the studio
and made Lois put away her brushes and join them. Then they told the
Dorothys and Evelin and Mildred. Polly stationed them along the
hill--Betty at the top, to judge of the start--the others along the way,
while she and Lois watched the curve at the end.
They stayed at their posts all the afternoon, every now and then jotting
down some girl's name and quietly telling them that they would have to
do the rest of their coasting on the little hill. Sometimes they met
with protests, but, for the most part their Senior dignity upheld them.
"What under the sun will we do about Jane and Phylis?" Polly asked.
"They'll kill themselves if they go down again, and if we just tell them
they can't it will break their hearts."
Lois considered. "I've got it. We'll make it seem a favor to us."
"But how?" Polly demanded, as the two younger girls came flying
recklessly around the turn.
"Leave that to me," Lois whispered. "Oh, Jane, will you and Phylis come
here a minute? Polly and I have the greatest favor to ask of you. I
wonder if you'll help us out?" she asked.
"Of course we will," they answered promptly. "We'll do anything."
Lois felt like a hypocrite, but she went on to explain:
"It's about coasting," she said. "You see, Mrs. Baird has asked us to
tell all the new girls that are not used to such a dangerous hill, that
they must coast on the small hill by the pond. Of course some of them
are not even able to do that, and they ought to be watched." Lois
stopped--took a long breath and looked appealingly at Polly.
"We thought you might be willing to go over and coast there, and sort of
keep an eye out that no one is hurt," Polly said, coming to her rescue.
"We'll be so busy here."
"Why we'd love to," Jane said eagerly.
"We don't mind a bit," Phylis protested. "Are we to tell them to stop if
we see any one that's reckless?"
"Mercy! No!" Lois exclaimed. She had a sudden vision of these two
youngsters using their authority at every possible excuse. "That would
hurt their feelings. Just use lots of tact and perhaps show them what to
do, but not in a--in a--"
"I know," laughed Jane. "You mean don't be fresh the way we were to
Fanny. We won't."
"Oh," Polly sighed when they had hurried off. "What a wonder you are,
Lois, and they really will help."
"Of course they will. Good gracious! Here comes Fanny."
From where they stood they could see the long stretch of the hill, just
before the curve. Fanny, sitting bolt upright, an unforgivable sin--in
Polly's eyes--was whirling down it. She had apparently lost all control
of her sled. Polly and Lois held their breath.
On one side of the curve, a big rock jutted out at right angles to the
road, and on the other a cobble stone gutter offered almost as dangerous
an alternative. Fortunately, Fanny, or rather Fanny's sled, chose the
latter. There was a second of flying snow mixed up somehow with Fanny's
arms and legs, and then quiet. Polly and Lois dashed to the spot.
"Are you hurt?" Lois demanded.
Fanny sat up. "Well I never did," she said wonderingly. "What do you
suppose happened to that little old sled?"
Polly's sudden relief took the form of anger.
"You had no right to try this hill," she said severely. "Did Betty see
you start?"
Fanny stiffened. "Yes, she did if you want to know," she said. "And she
told me not to. But--" She paused to give her words better effect.
"Betty and you and Lois are not the only Seniors at this school, though
you do act most mighty like you thought you were. I got my permission
from the two Dorothys," she finished with a triumphant toss of her head.
Polly and Lois looked at each other in amazement. Something had come
over Fanny of late. They had noticed it, but other matters had made it
seem unimportant. She had always been on hand for basket ball practice,
but her attitude had been sullen and she had spent most of her time with
the Dorothys and Evelin.
Polly realized that this was an important point and must be dealt with.
She wasn't angry at Fanny, for she knew to just what extent her
classmates were to blame.
"Did Dot Mead know Betty had told you not to coast on this hill?" she
asked finally.
"She certainly did." Fanny was still triumphant.
Polly bit her underlip and half closed her eyes. Lois saw these
unmistakable signs of danger, and tried to make peace.
"Are you sure?" she asked hopefully.
"I am." Fanny was ridiculously solemn.
"Then the Dorothys went beyond their authority," Polly said coldly. "And
their permission counts for nothing. You can see for yourself that you
can't manage on this hill; you nearly hurt yourself just now."
"I did no such a thing," Fanny interrupted lamely. But Polly paid no
attention to her.
"As captain of the basket ball team, and Senior head of athletics"--the
title rolled from her lips importantly--"I forbid you to coast on this
hill again, no matter who gives you permission," she said with
unmistakable decision. Then, without another word she turned on her heel
and went up the hill with Lois.
Half way to the top, they found Betty in heated argument with Dot Mead.
Now when Betty was angry she stormed. At this present moment, she was
more than angry, she was furious.
"You had no right whatever to do it," she raged, as Polly and Lois
joined them. "You didn't do it because you thought Fanny really knew
how to coast; you just thought it was a good chance to get even with me.
You've a fine idea of class dignity to do anything so petty. If you ever
do a thing like that again--Jemima, I'll-- You ought to be ashamed of
yourself. You're jealous. That's--"
"Steady, Bet," Polly said quietly, "and do save your breath. Dot can't
do it again. I've just told Fanny she must not use this hill and she
quite understands."
"Then we will tell her she can." Dorothy Lansing spoke for the first
time.
Betty and Lois looked at Polly. She picked up the rope of her sled and
started up the hill.
"Tell her anything you like," she said over her shoulder, "but she won't
coast again."
When the three reached Senior Alley, they met Angela. They were full of
indignation and would have told her all about it, but Angela had news
too. She greeted them excitedly.
"Girls! what do you think, Connie comes to-night. She'll be here on the
five-eleven. She 'phoned Mrs. Baird from New York. Did you ever hear
anything so thrilling? Just imagine Connie back again!"
"For good?" Polly demanded.
"No, just for a visit, she's going back day after to-morrow."
"Jemima! I'm glad," Betty exclaimed. "Won't it be natural to have her
around again?"
"We've always missed her," Lois added. "Can't we have something special
for her to-night?"
"How about a straw ride?" suggested Betty; "Mrs. Baird would let
us--it's Friday."
"Oh, let's, and just ask the old girls who knew her," Angela hurried
on--her drawl for once discarded. "We'll get Mrs. Baird to chaperone, if
we can."
"I'll go ask her," Betty volunteered. "You go get the girls.
"I suppose all the Seniors will go," Angela said, none too
enthusiastically, and Polly and Lois suddenly remembered that she had
not heard about the Dorothys. Lois told her.
"Polly just mounted her dignity and oh, Ange, it was rare," she
finished, laughing. "But I suppose they must be asked."
"Let's tell Bet she has to do it," Polly suggested. "She's so raging at
Dot Mead, that she wants to box her ears."
"You'll really have to, Ange," Lois said.
"Not I, you're Senior president," Angela protested, adding
nonchalantly: "Besides, if I ask, they might accept. Were Evelin and
Helen in it?"
"No, they must go to-night; the Senior class must not be divided equally
against itself," Polly said, thoughtfully. "I'll ask them now, and I'll
make them go." She went off to find them.
A few minutes before study hour they all met in Study Hall.
"Mrs. Baird says we may go, of course," Betty began, "and she's told
McDonald to bring around the sleigh at seven-fifteen."
"Will she chaperone?"
"No, she's got an awful lot to do. She suggested Miss Crosby. So I asked
her. She said she'd love to-- I'd rather have had Miss Porter, on
account of Connie--but I didn't like to say so."
"Evelin and Mildred will come; they were a little cold at first," Polly
said, "but they're all right now, and crazy to see Connie."
"How about the Dorothys, Lo?" Betty demanded.
Lois chuckled wickedly.
"They have made other plans for this evening, and will be unable to go,"
she said, sadly. "I didn't urge them."
"Good; that leaves about fifteen--just the right number for the wagon."
Angela consulted her list. "I've got enough crackers and chocolate for
everybody," she added.
"Look at the time!" Betty exclaimed. "Who keeps study hour to-night?"
"The Spartan."
"Oh, Lordy! Well, I'll have to be late. Somebody tell her I have Mrs.
Baird's permission, if she misses my smiling face."
"Where are you going?" Polly asked.
"To get my clothes and take them to the guest room. Mrs. Baird said
Connie would sleep with Ange while she's here. I'm off."
"Betty, you darling!" Angela exclaimed--but Betty was half way down the
hall.