CHAPTER XI
WORRIES AND PLANS
Although the girls belonging to Julia's party were silent concerningwhat happened at the Omnibus House, the story leaked out, creatingconsiderable discussion among the members of the two upper classes.Julia Crosby had a shrewd suspicion that Edna Wright had been theoriginal purveyor of the news, and in this she was right. Edna had,under pledge of secrecy, told it to a sophomore, who immediately told itto her dearest friend, and so the tale traveled until it reachedEleanor, with numerous additions, far from pleasing to her. She wasthoroughly angry, and at once laid the matter at Grace's door, while heranimosity toward Grace grew daily.
But Grace was not the only person that Eleanor disliked. From the daythat Miss Thompson had taken her to task for absence, she hadentertained a supreme contempt for the principal of which Miss Thompsonwas wholly unaware until, encountering Eleanor one morning in thecorridor, the latter had stared at her with an expression of such openscorn and dislike that Miss Thompson felt her color rise. A direct slapin the face could scarcely have conveyed greater insult than did thatone insolent glance. The principal was at a loss as to its import. Shewisely decided to ignore it, but stored it up in her memory for futurereference.
The sorority that Eleanor had mentioned in her letter to the Phi SigmaTau, was now in full flower. The seven girls who had accompanied her tothe Omnibus House were the chosen members. They wore pins in the shapeof skulls and cross bones, and went about making mysterious signs toeach other whenever they met. The very name of the society was shroudedin mystery, though Nora O'Malley was heard to declare that she had nodoubt it was a branch of the "Black Hand."
Eleanor was the acknowledged leader, but Edna Wright became a closesecond, and between them they managed to disseminate a spirit ofmischief throughout the school that the teachers found hard to combat.
Grace Harlowe watched the trend that affairs were taking withconsiderable anxiety. Like herself, there were plenty of girls in schoolto whom mischief did not appeal, but Eleanor's beauty, wealth andfascinating personality were found to dazzle some of the girls, whowould follow her about like sheep, and it was over these girls thatGrace felt worried. If Eleanor were to organize and carry out anymalicious piece of mischief and they were implicated, they would allhave to suffer for what she would be directly responsible. Grace's heartwas with her class. She wished it to be a class among classes, and feltan almost motherly anxiety for its success.
"What does ail some of our class?" she exclaimed to Anne and Nora oneday as they left the school building. "They seem possessed with imps.The Phi Sigma Tau girls and a few of the grinds are really the only oneswho behave lately."
"It's largely due to Eleanor, I think," replied Anne. "She seems to havebecome quite a power among some of the girls in the class. She ishelping to destroy that spirit of earnestness that you have tried sohard to cultivate. I think it's a shame, too. The upper class girlsought to set the example for the two lower classes."
"That's just what worries me," said Grace earnestly. "Hardly arecitation passes in my class without some kind of disturbance, and itis always traced to one of the girls in that crowd. The juniors will getthe reputation among the teachers this year that the junior class hadlast, and it seems such a pity. I overheard Miss Chester tell Miss Kanethe other day that her junior classes were the most trying of the day,because she had to work harder to maintain discipline than to teach hersubject."
"That's a nice reputation to carry around, isn't it!" remarked Noraindignantly. "But all we can do is to try harder than ever to makethings go smoothly. I don't believe their society will last long, at anyrate. Those girls are sure to quarrel among themselves, and that willend the whole thing. Or they may go too far and have Miss Thompson toreckon with, and that would probably cool their ardor."
"O girls!" exclaimed Grace. "Speaking of Miss Thompson, reminds me thatI have something to tell you. What do you suppose the latest is?"
"If you know anything new, it is your duty to tell us at once, withoutmaking us beg for it," said Nora reprovingly.
"All right; I accept the reproof," said Grace. "Now for my news. Thereis talk of giving a Shakespearian play, with Miss Tebbs to engineer it,and the cast to be chosen from the three lower classes. The seniors, ofcourse, will give their own play later."
"How did you find out?" asked Anne.
"Miss Thompson herself told me about it," replied Grace. "She called onmother yesterday afternoon, and, for a wonder, I was at home. She saidthat it was not positively decided yet, but if the girls did well withthe mid-year tests, then directly after there would be a try out forparts, and rehearsals would begin without delay."
"How splendid!" exclaimed Anne, clasping her hands. "How I would love totake part in it!"
"You will, without doubt, if there is a try out," replied Grace. "Thereis no one in school who can recite as you do; besides, you have been onthe stage."
"I shall try awfully hard for a part, even if it is only two lines,"said Anne earnestly. "I wonder what play is to be chosen, and if it isto be given for the school only?"
"The play hasn't been decided upon yet," replied Grace, "but the objectof it is to get some money for new books for the school library. Theplan is to charge fifty cents a piece for the tickets and to give eachgirl a certain number of them to sell. However, I'm not going to bothermuch about the play now, for the senior team has just sent me achallenge to play them Saturday, December 12th. So I'll have to get theteam together and go to work."
"We're awfully late this year about starting. Don't you think so?" askedNora.
"Yes," admitted Grace. "I am just as enthusiastic over basketball asever, only I haven't had the time to devote to it that I did last year."
"Never mind, you'll make up for lost time after Thanksgiving," said Annesoothingly. "As for me, I'm going to dream about the play."
"Anne, I believe you have more love for the stage than you will admit,"said Grace, laughing. "You are all taken up with the idea of this play."
"If one could live in the same atmosphere as that of home, then therecould be no profession more delightful than that of the actor," repliedAnne thoughtfully. "It is wonderful to feel that one is able to forgetone's self and become some one else. But it is more wonderful to makeone's audience feel it, too. To have them forget that one is anythingexcept the living, breathing person whose character one is trying toportray. I suppose it's the sense of power that one has over people'semotions that makes acting so fascinating. It is the other side thatI hate," she added, with a slight shudder.
"I suppose theatrical people do undergo many hardships," said Grace,who, now that the subject had been opened, wanted to hear more of Anne'sviews of the stage.
"Unless any girl has remarkable talent, I should advise her to keep offthe stage," said Anne decidedly. "Of course when a girl comes of atheatrical family for generations, like Maud Adams or Ethel Barrymore,then that is different. She is practically born, bred and brought up inthe theatre. She is as carefully guarded as though she lived in a littlevillage, simply because she knows from babyhood all the unpleasantfeatures of the profession and how to avoid them. There is some chanceof her becoming great, too. Of course real stars do appear once in awhile, who are too talented to be kept down. However, the really greatones are few and far between. When I compare my life before I came herewith the good times I have had since I met you girls, I hate the veryidea of the stage.
"Only," she concluded with a shame-faced air, "there are times when thedesire to act is irresistible, and it did make my heart beat a littlebit faster when I heard about the play."
"You dear little mouse," said Grace, putting her arm around Anne. "Iwas only jesting when I spoke about your love for the stage. I thinkI understand how you feel, and I hope you get the best part in the play.I know you'll make good."
"She certainly will," said Nora. "But, to give the play a rest and comedown to everyday affairs, where shall we meet to go to the footballgame?"
"Let me see," said G
race. "The game is to be called at three o'clock.I suppose we shall all be through dinner by half past two. You had betterbring your girls to my house. Each of you is to have two and Jessica hasone besides Mabel. I am to have three; I found another yesterday. Davidpromised to get me the tickets. I wonder how he and Hippy will enjoychaperoning thirteen girls?"
"I won't have the slightest chance to talk to Hippy," grumbled Nora,"and he has neglected us shamefully of late, too."
"Never mind, you can have him all to yourself at my party," consoledGrace. "By the way, girls, do you think it would be of any use to inviteEleanor?"
"Eleanor?" exclaimed Nora. "After what she has said to you! You might aswell throw your invitation into the fire, for it's safe to say that shewill do so when she receives it."
Nevertheless, Grace wrote a cordial little note to Eleanor that evening,and two days later she received Eleanor's reply through the mail. Onopening the envelope the pieces of her own note fell out, with a halfsheet of paper containing the words, "Declined with thanks."