It happened that Miss Myrtle Villers had not confined her affections
to Mr. Bartram Laws. She had been seen wandering about the campus with
other youths at odd hours of the evening when young-lady students were
supposed to be safely within college halls or properly chaperoned at
some public gathering. The "student exec" had had her in tow for
several weeks, and she had already received a number of reproofs and
warnings. A daring escapade the evening before had brought matters to
a head, and it was very possibly because of some suspicion that they
might have found her out that Myrtle had made her plans to be absent
on that afternoon. However that was, when the executive body in
consultation with the dean sent for her, they traced her to the
Clouds' house. At least, they came there about seven o'clock to
inquire and hoping to take her unaware. They had found Allison in a
great state of excitement, telephoning hither and yon to try to get
some clew to his sister's whereabouts. They had remained to advise and
suggest, greatly worried at the whole situation, the more so because
it involved Leslie Cloud, whose bright presence had taken great hold
upon everybody.
And now, without knowing it, Leslie Cloud had taken the one way to put
the whole matter into the right hands and to exonerate herself. If she
had known that any member of the faculty was in that room listening,
if she had dreamed that even her brother was there, she would not have
thought it right or honorable to put even an enemy in such a
position, either for her own sake or for the girl's. She had only
wanted some wise, true adviser to know the truth, so that the girl
might learn what was right and have the responsibility taken from her
own shoulders. She thought, too, that she had a right to be exonerated
before her aunt. So now, while she wept out her contrition in Julia
Cloud's arms, retribution was coming swiftly to Myrtle Villers; and
her career in that college was sealed with finality. It was only too
plain that such a girl was a menace to the other students, and needed
to be removed.
Presently Leslie, feeling something strange in the atmosphere, lifted
frightened, tear-filled eyes, and saw the grave faces of the dean and
his companions! She held her breath with suspense. How terrible! How
public and unseemly! She had brought all this upon herself and her
family by her persistent friendship with this silly girl! And she fell
to trembling and shuddering, all her fine, sweet nerve gone now that
the strain was over.
Julia Cloud drew her down upon the couch, and soothed her, covering
her with an afghan and trying to comfort her. Then the dean stepped
over to the couch and spoke to Leslie.
"Miss Cloud, you must not feel so bad," he said gently, as if she had
been his own child. "You have acted nobly, and no one will blame you.
You have perhaps saved Miss Villers from great shame and sorrow, and
you certainly have been brave and true. Don't worry, child," and he
patted Leslie's heaving shoulder kindly.
Presently the dean and his committee were gone, taking the cowering
Myrtle with them, and Leslie lay snuggled up on the couch, with
Allison building up the fire and Cherry bringing a tray with a nice
supper. Julia Cloud fixed a hot-water bag to warm the chilled hands
and feet. It was so good to be at home! The tears rushed into her eyes
again, and her throat filled with sobs.
"O Cloudy!" She caught her aunt's hands. "I'll never, never do
anything again you don't want me to!" she sobbed out, and then burst
into another paroxysm of tears.
"There! Now, kid! Don't cry any more!" pleaded Allison, springing to
her side and kneeling by her, smoothing her hair roughly. "You were a
little winner! You had every bit of your nerve with you. Why, you did
a great thing, kid! Outwitting those two brutes and bringing that girl
back in spite of herself. But the greatest thing of all was your
making her confess. Now they've got something to go on. If you hadn't
done that, it would have been her word against yours; and I imagine
she's always managed to keep things where she could get around people
with her wiles. Now she's got to face facts; and believe me, kid,
it'll be better for her in the end. She was headed straight for a bad
end, and no mistake. All the fellows knew it, and the faculty
suspected it; and it was making no end of trouble. But now the girl
may be saved, for that dean never lets a student go to destruction,
they say, if he can help it. Oh, of course he'll fire her. She isn't
fit to be around here. But he'll keep an eye on her, and he'll fire
her in such a way that she'll have another chance to make good if
she's willing to take it. Don't you worry about spoiling her life.
She'd set out to spoil it in the first place, and the best thing that
could possibly happen to her was to get stopped before she went too
far. From all you say I shouldn't think a marriage with that fellow
would have been any advantage to her."
"Oh, he was _awful_, Allison!" shuddered Leslie. "He smelled of
liquor; and he had great, coarse lips and eyes; and he put his arms
around her, and kissed her right there before us all; and they acted
perfectly disgusting! I'm almost sure from things I heard them say
that she hadn't been engaged to him at all, she hadn't even known him
till last week. She met him in town--just picked him up on the street!
And that Fred Hicks! I don't _believe_ now he was her cousin at all."
"Probably not. But leave that all to the dean. He'll ferret it out. He
went in there to the telephone before he left, and from what I heard I
imagine he's got detectives out after those two guys, and they may
sleep in the lockup to-night. They certainly deserve to. And I shall
have a hand in settling with them, too. I can't have my sister treated
that way and let it go easily. They've got to answer to me. There,
kid!"
He stooped down, and kissed her gently on her hot, wet forehead; and
Leslie caught his hand and nestled her own in it.
"O Allison! It's so good to be home!" she murmured, squeezing his hand
appreciatively. "I'll never, never, _never_ go with a girl again that
you don't like. I'm just going to stick to Jane. She's the only one up
there I really love, anyway."
Allison seemed quite satisfied with these sentiments, and they had a
beautiful time eating their supper before the fire, for no one had had
any appetite before; and Cherry was as pleased to have the anxiety
over and wait upon them all as if Leslie had been her own sister.
Into the midst of their little family group broke a hurried, excited
knock on the door, and there stood Howard Letchworth with anxious
face.
"I heard that your sister and one of the college girls had gone off in
a car and got lost. Is it true? I came right around to see if I could
help."
Leslie sat up with her teary eyes bright and eager, and her cheeks
rosy with pleasure, all her pretty hair in a tumble about her face and
the firelight playing over her features in a most charming way.
"Oh, it's awfully good of you," she called eagerly. "But I'm perfectly
all right and safe."
He came over to the couch, and took her offered hand most eagerly,
expressing his delight, and saying he had been almost sure it was some
town gossip, but he could not rest satisfied until he was positive.
But Allison would not let it go at that.
"I'm going to tell him, Leslie," he said. "He won't let any one be the
wiser; and, if people are saying anything like that, he can help stop
their mouths." So Allison told the whole story. When it came to the
part about Fred Hicks and Bartram Laws, Howard's face grew dark, and
he flashed a look that boded no good to the two young ruffians.
"I know who that Laws fellow is," he said gravely. "He's rotten! And I
shouldn't wonder if I could locate his friend. I get around quite a
bit on my motor-cycle. May I use your 'phone a minute? I have a friend
who is a detective. They ought to be rounded up. Miss Leslie, would
you tell me carefully just what roads you took, as nearly as you
know?"
So Leslie told in detail of the wild ride once more. Julia Cloud
watched the young man's face as he listened, and knew that Leslie had
a faithful friend and champion, knew also that here was one whose
friendship was well worth cultivating, a clean, fine, strong young
soul, and was glad for her little girl. Something stirred in her
memory as she watched his look, and she went back to her childish days
and the boy friend who had kissed her when he went away never to
return. There was the same look in Howard Letchworth's eyes when he
looked at Leslie, the age-old beauty of a man's clean devotion to a
sweet, pure woman soul.
Of course Leslie was a mere child yet, and was not thinking of such
things; but there need be no fear that that fine, strong young man
would be unwise enough to let the child in her be frightened away
prematurely. They were friends now, beautiful friends; and that would
be enough for them both for a long time. She was content.
She watched them all the evening, and listened to their talk about the
Christian Endeavor Society. How beautiful it was that Leslie had been
able to bring the boy to a degree of interest in that! Of course it
was for her sake, but he was man enough to be interested on his own
account now; and from their talk she could see that he had gone heart
and soul with Allison into the plans for the winter work. He had a
fine voice, and was to sing a solo at the next meeting. Presently
Leslie so far recovered her nerves as to smooth out her hair and go to
the piano to practise with him.
"O Jesus, Thou art standing
Outside the fast-closed door,"
rang out the rich, sweet notes; and the tender, sympathetic voice
brought out each word with an appeal. The boy could not sing like that
and not feel it himself sometime. Julia Cloud found herself praying;
praying, as if she whispered to a dear Companion sitting close beside
her at the hearthside: "Dear Christ, show this boy. Teach him what
Thou art. Make him Thy true disciple."
Suddenly the young fellow turned to Allison with a smile.
"I like the way you take your religion with you into college, Cloud.
It makes it seem real. I haven't met many fellows that had any before,
or perhaps I shouldn't have been such a heathen as I am. But I say,
why don't you try to get some of your frat brothers to come down to
the meeting? They ought to be willing to do that for you, and it would
be great to have them sing. You've got a lot of the glee club in your
crowd."
"That's so!" said Allison. "I don't know but I'll try it. I'd like to
have them come the night you sing. Guess I'll have to hunt around and
get a speaker. No, I won't either. Just the meeting itself is good
enough now for anybody. They're a pretty good little bunch down there.
They've been working like beavers. Jane Bristol gets the girls
together, and coaches them for every meeting. She's some girl, do you
know it?"
Howard Letchworth agreed that she was, but he cast a side glance down
at the bright head of the girl, who was playing his accompaniment as
if he felt there were others. Julia Cloud was watching her darling
girl, wondering, hoping, praying that she might always stay so sweet
and unspoiled.
But when the young man was gone home, and Leslie came back to the
couch again, she suddenly drooped.
"Cloudy Jewel," she said wearily, "it isn't right. I don't deserve
people to be so nice to me, the dean, and you all, and Howard and
everybody. It was a lot my fault that all this happened. I thought I
could make that girl over if I just stuck to her. She had promised me
she would come to Christian Endeavor, and join; and I wanted to show
you all what a power I had over her. I was just conceited; that was
all there was about it. Now I see that she was only fooling me. I
couldn't have done anything at all alone. I needed God. I didn't ask
Him to help. You've talked a lot about that in our Sunday meetings,
but it never went down into my heart until I was driving past that old
crematory, and I felt as if I was all alone and Death all in black
trailing robes was going along fast beside me. Then I knew God was the
only one who could help, and I began to pray. I hope maybe I've
learned my lesson, and I'll not be so swelled-headed next time. But
you oughtn't to forgive me, Cloudy, not so easy. Cloudy, you're just
like God!"
It was several days before Leslie recovered fully from the nervous
strain she had been under. She slept long the next day, and Julia
Cloud would not waken her. For a week there were dark circles under
the bright eyes, and the rose of her cheek was pale. She went
about meekly with downcast eyes, and the bright fervor of her spirit
seemed dimmed. It was not until one afternoon when Allison suggested
that they get Jane Bristol and Howard Letchworth and go for
bittersweet-berry vines and hemlock-branches to decorate for the
Christian Endeavor social that her spirits seemed to return, and
the unwholesome experience was put away in the past at last.
Howard Letchworth had been most thoughtful about the matter in the
village, and had managed so that the tragic had been taken out of the
story that had started to roll about, and Leslie could go around and
not feel that all eyes were upon her wondering about her escapade.
Gradually the remembrance of it died out of her thoughts, although the
wholesome lesson she had learned never faded.
More and more popular in the college grew the gatherings down at
Cloudy Villa. Sometimes Leslie brought home three or four girls for
Friday and Saturday, not often any on Sunday, unless it was Jane; for
Sundays were their very own day for the little family, and they
dreaded any who might seem like intruders.
"It is our time when we catch up in our loving for all the week,"
Leslie explained with a quaint smile to one girl who broadly hinted
that she would not mind being asked for over Sunday. "And, besides,
you mightn't like the way we keep Sunday. Everybody who comes has
to go to church and Christian Endeavor with us, and enjoy our
Bible-reading, singing hour around the fire; and I didn't think you
would."
"Well, I like your nerve!" answered the girl; but she sat studying
Leslie afterwards with a thoughtful gaze, and began to wonder
whether, after all, a Sunday spent in that way might not be really
interesting.
"She's a kind of a nut, isn't she?" she remarked to another friend of
Leslie's.
"She's a pretty nice kind of a nut, then, Esther," was the response.
"If that's a nut, we better grow a whole tree of them. I'm going down
there all I can. I like 'em!"
Julia Cloud seemed to have a fertile brain for all kinds of lovely
ways to while away a holiday. As the cold weather came on, winter
picnics became the glory of the hour. Long walks with heavy shoes and
warm sweaters and mittens were inaugurated. A kettle of hot soup
straight from the fire, wrapped in a blanket and carried in a big
basket, was a feature of the lunch. When the party reached a
camping-spot, a fire would be built and the soup-kettle hung over an
improvised crane to put on its finishing touches, while the rest of
the eatables were set forth in paper plates, each portion neatly
wrapped in waxed paper ready for easy handling. Sometimes big mince
pies came along, and were stood on edge near the fire to get thawed
out. Bean soup, corned-beef sandwiches, and hot mince pie made a
hearty meal for people who had tramped ten or fifteen miles since
breakfast.
Oh, how those college-fed boys and girls enjoyed these picnics, with
Julia Cloud as a kind of hovering angel to minister with word or smile
or in some more practical way, wherever there was need! They all
called her "Cloudy Jewel" now whenever they dared, and envied those
who got closest to her and told her their troubles. Many a lad or
lassie brought her his or her perplexities; and often as they sat
around the winter camp, perhaps on a rock brushed free from snow, she
gave them sage advice wrapped up in pleasant stories that were brought
in ever so incidentally. There was nothing ever like preaching about
Julia Cloud; she did not feel that she knew enough to preach. And
sometimes, as they walked homeward through the twilight of a long,
happy afternoon, and the streaks of crimson were beginning to glow in
the gray of the horizon, some one or two would lag behind and ask her
deep, sweet questions about life and its meaning and its hereafter.
Often they showed her their hearts as they had never shown them even
to their own people, and often a word with her sent some student back
to work harder and fight stronger against some subtle temptation. She
became a wholesome antidote to the spirit of doubt and atheism that
had crept stealthily into the college and was attacking so many and
undermining what little faith in religion they had when they came
there.
It came to be a great delight to many of the young college people to
spend an evening around the hearth at Cloudy Villa. There never had
been any trouble about that question of dancing, because they just did
not do it; and there was always something else going on, some lively
games, sometimes almost a "rough-house," as the boys called it, but
never anything really unpleasant. Julia Cloud was "a good sport," the
boys said; and the girls delighted in her. The evenings were filled
with impromptu programmes thought out carefully by Julia Cloud, but
proposed and exploited in the most casual manner.
"Allison, why wouldn't it be a good idea for you to act out that story
we were reading the other day the next time you have some of the young
people down? You and Leslie and Jane with the help of one or two
others could do it, and there wouldn't be much to learn. If you all
read it over once or twice more, you'd have it so you could easily
extemporize. Do you know, I think there's a hidden lesson in that
story that would do some of those boys and girls good if they could
see it lived out, and perhaps set them to reading the book?"
Again they would be asked suddenly, soon after their arrival, each one
to represent his favorite character in Shakespeare, or to reproduce
some great public man so that they all could recognize him; and they
would be sent up-stairs to select from a great pile of shawls, wraps,
and all sorts of garments any which they needed for an improvised
costume.
Another evening there would be brought forth a new game which nobody
had seen, and which absorbed them all for perhaps two hours until some
delicious and unique refreshments would be produced to conclude the
festivities. At another time the round dining-table would be stretched
to take in all its leaves, and the entire company would gather around
it with uplifted thumbs and eager faces unroariously playing "up
Jenkins" for an hour or two. Any little old game went well under that
roof, though Julia Cloud kept a controlling mind on things, and always
managed to change the game before anybody was weary of it.
Also there was much music in the little house. Allison played the
violin well; two or three others who played a little at stringed and
wind instruments were discovered; and often the whole company would
break loose into song until people on the street halted and walked
back and forth in front of the house to listen to the wild, sweet
harmonies of the fresh young voices.
At the close of such an evening it was not an uncommon happening for a
crowd of the frat boys to gather in a knot in front of the house and
give the college yell, with a tiger at the end, and then "CLOUD!
CLOUD! CLOUD!" The people living on that street got used to it, and
opened their windows to listen, with eyes tender and thoughtful as
they pondered on how easily this little family had caught the hearts
of those college people, and were helping them to have a good time.
Perhaps it entered into their minds that other people might do the
same thing if they would only half try.
In return for all her kindness a number of the young people would
often respond to Julia Cloud's wistful invitation to go to church, and
more and more they were being drawn by twos and threes to come to the
Christian Endeavor meetings in the village. It seemed as if they had
but just discovered that there was such a thing, to the equal
amazement of themselves and the original members of the Christian
Endeavor Society, who had always responded to any such suggestions on
the part of their pastor or elders with a hopeless "Oh, you can't get
those college guys to do anything! They think they're it!" The feeling
was gradually melting away, and a new brotherhood and sisterhood was
springing up between them. It was not infrequent now for a college
maiden to greet some village girl with a frank, pleasant smile, and
accept invitations to lunch and dinner. And college boys were friendly
and chummy with the village boys who were not fellow-students, and
often took them up to their frat rooms to visit. So the two elements
of the locality were coming nearer to each other, and their bond was
the village Christian Endeavor Society.
So passed the first winter and spring in the little pink-and-white
house. And with the first week of vacation there came visitors.