CHAPTER XII
UPS AND DOWNS
At breakfast the next morning Grace began her campaign, and shecontinued to sing Gertrude Wells's praises when she encountered a groupof her freshmen friends after the services. Then Anne, Miriam, Elfredaand she went for a stroll down College Street and into Vinton's forices. Here they encountered quite a delegation of girls from MortonHouse, among whom was Gertrude herself, and a great deal of mysteriousintriguing went on behind that young woman's back, who, quiteunconscious of the honor about to be thrust upon her, was telling herchum that she thought Grace Harlowe would make a good president for19----.
On her way home Grace exclaimed delightedly: "Look across the street,girls! There is Mabel Ashe. Let's go over and speak to her."
Suiting the action to the word the four girls hurried across the streetto greet their favorite. Mabel smiled pleasantly, stretching forth awelcoming hand, but the young woman with her regarded their presence asan intrusion and glared her displeasure at the newcomers.
"How do you do, Miss Alden?" ventured Grace politely, but Miss Aldenstared over her head and with a frigid, "Really, Mabel, under thecircumstances, you'll have to excuse my leaving you," she turned andmarched off in the other direction.
"I suppose we are the circumstances," said Grace, with a faint smile.She was furiously angry at the unlooked-for snub, but refused to showit. Anne looked distressed, Miriam was frowning, while Elfreda gloweredsavagely.
"Don't mind what she says," soothed Mabel. "She feels awfully cross thisafternoon because she has met with a disappointment. She has aninvitation to a Pi Kappa Gamma dance and she has been refused permissionto go. Result, she is in a raging, tearing humor."
"But I thought one could always go to a fraternity dance if properlychaperoned," remarked Grace innocently.
"One can," mimicked Mabel, "if one doesn't ask permission to go toooften, and if one has no conditions to work off. Now, you see whyMistress Beatrice is obliged to languish at home while the man whoinvited her will no doubt have to invite some other girl, who is luckyenough to have no conditions."
"Isn't it rather early in the year to be conditioned?" asked Miriam.
"Yes, but Beatrice has been cutting classes ever since she came backthis year," confided Mabel. "I am not betraying a confidence in tellingyou this. She admits that she neglects her work. She says she is goingto settle down after mid-year's exams and work."
"I think she's about the most snobbish proposition I ever came across,"announced Elfreda. "It would serve her right if she did flunk in herexaminations. I hope with all my heart she falls down with an awfulbump."
Elfreda had forgotten her former aspirations toward cultivating the truecollege spirit.
"You mustn't wish even your bitterest enemy bad luck," smiled MabelAshe. "Superstitious people say that the bad luck will be visited on thehead of the one who wishes it."
"I'm not superstitious," retorted Elfreda. "Of course, I believe thatpins cut friendship, and that it's bad luck to see the new moon throughthe window, or to walk under a ladder. It's a sure sign of death tobreak a looking glass or dream of white flowers, too, and to drop aspoon means certain disappointment, but aside from a few little thingslike that, I certainly don't believe in signs."
"Oh, no, you don't believe in signs," chorused the girls, in gleefulsarcasm.
"Well, I don't," reiterated Elfreda. "That is, not a whole lot ofthem."
"Good-bye, children, I must leave you at this corner," announced Mabel."Come and see me soon. I'll look you up the first evening I have free."
"I should think that Miss Alden would hate herself," remarked Elfredascornfully, as she marched along beside Grace. "She hates you, that'ssure enough."
"Nonsense, why should Miss Alden hate me? You are letting yourimagination run away with you, Elfreda," laughed Grace.
"Don't you believe it," declared Elfreda doggedly. "She doesn't likeyou, because Mabel likes you, and she likes Mabel. Some one told me theother day that she can't bear to have Mabel look cross-eyed at any othergirl here. She claims that it's because she loves her so much, but Ithink it's because she wants to have the most popular girl at Overtonfor her friend," finished the stout girl shrewdly.
"What shall we do this afternoon?" called Miriam Nesbit over hershoulder.
"Go on boosting our candidate," laughed Anne. "Let us go for a walkafter dinner. We will call on Ruth Denton. Then we'll take her with usto Morton House. That will be a nice way for her to meet the MortonHouse girls. While we are there we can find out how the land lies. Thenwe will take Ruth home with us for supper and the rest of the evening,if she doesn't have to study."
At the dinner table that day Grace again introduced the subject of theclass election and was pleased to note that her suggestion regardingGertrude Wells as the best possible choice for class president had bornefruit. The two sophomores at the table who had been through two classelections, having just elected their president, smiled tolerantly at theexcitement exhibited by the "babies," and advised them not to elect inhaste and repent at leisure.
"Why don't you children find out something about what the rest of theclass think before you rush into electing Miss Wells, just to please twoor three girls?" asked Virginia Gaines, the sophomore who hadassiduously cultivated the acquaintance of Elfreda--then dropped her atthe first sign of trouble. "We sophomores wouldn't allow ourselves to beinfluenced by cliques. We consider the good of the class of moreimportance than the good of any individual member."
She smiled disagreeably at Grace, who looked at her steadily, then said,"Was your remark intended for me and my friends, Miss Gaines?"
"Not necessarily," flung back the sophomore, "unless you feel that itapplies to you and to them."
"No, I don't believe it does," declared Grace with a quiet smile. "Infact, I quite agree with you in saying that the good of the class shouldalways come first. That is why we are all anxious to nominate Miss Wellsfor president of 19----."
A dull flush rose to Virginia Gaines's sallow face. She was notquick-witted and could think of no reply. The other freshmen at thetable were taking no pains to disguise their glee at Grace's retort.Virginia's sarcastic comment had proved a boomerang and she had gainednothing by launching it. She hurried through with her dessert and leftthe table without another word, casting a half malignant look at Graceas she went.
"Virginia's mad, And I am glad,"
sang a freshman softly as the door banged.
"Please, don't," said Grace soberly. "I'm sorry she's angry, but Icouldn't help it. I seem always fated to arouse sophomore ire."
"I wouldn't mind a little thing like that," comforted Elfreda. "I'drather be the enemy than the friend of some girls."
"But I don't want to be the enemy of any girl," declared Grace, lookingalmost appealingly about the table.
"Of course you don't," soothed Emma Dean, a tall, near-sighted girl atthe end of the table, who had the reputation of making brilliantrecitations. "You couldn't antagonize the rest of us if you tried. Thatis, unless you deliberately broke my glasses."
A shout of laughter went up from the table. Virginia Gaines, who hadlingered in the hall, heard it, and her face darkened. In spite ofGrace's declaration for peace she had made an enemy.