CHAPTER XII
RUTH IS NOT SATISFIED
Ruth Fielding was not at all satisfied. Not that her experiences inthese first few weeks of college were not wholly "up to sample," as theslangy Jennie Stone remarked. Ruth was getting personally all out ofcollege life that she could expect.
The mere fact that a little handful of the girls looked at her somewhataskance because of her success as a motion picture writer, did notgreatly trouble the girl of the Red Mill. She could wait for them toforget her small "fame" or for them to learn that she was quite assimple and unaffected as any other girl of her age. It was about RebeccaFrayne that Ruth was disturbed in her mind. Here was the case of astudent who, Ruth believed, was much misunderstood.
She could not imagine a girl deliberately making trouble for herself.Rebecca Frayne by the expenditure of a couple of dollars in the purchaseof a new tam-o'-shanter might have easily overcome this dislike that hadbeen bred not alone in the minds of the girls of the two upper classes,but among the sophomores and her own classmates as well. The sophomoresthought her ridiculous; the freshmen themselves felt that she wasbringing upon the whole class unmerited criticism.
Ruth looked deeper. She saw the strange girl walk past her matesunnoticed, scarcely spoken to, indeed, by the freshmen and ignoredcompletely by members of the other classes. And yet, to Ruth's mind,there seemed to be an air about Rebecca Frayne--a look in her eyes,perhaps--that seemed to beg for sympathy.
It was no hardship for Ruth to speak to the girl and try to be friendlywith her. But opportunities for this were not frequent.
In the first place Ruth's own time was much occupied with her studies,her own personal friends, Helen and Jennie, and the new scenario onwhich she worked during every odd hour.
Several times Ruth went to the door of Rebecca's room and knocked. Shepositively knew the girl was at home, but there had been no answer toher summons and the door was locked.
The situation troubled Ruth. When she was among her classmates, Rebeccaseemed nervously anxious to please and eager to be spoken to, althoughshe had little to say. Here, on the other hand, once alone in her room,she deliberately shut herself away from all society.
Soon after the outdoor song festival that had been so successful, andimmediately following the organization of the freshman class and itselection of officers, Ruth and Helen went over to the library oneevening to consult some reference books.
The reference room was well filled with busy girls of all classes, whocame bustling in, got down the books they required, dipped into them fora minute and then departed to their own studies, or else settled down towork on their topics for a more extended period.
It was a cold evening, and whenever a girl entered from the hall abreath of frosty air came with her, and most of those gathered in theroom were likely to look up and shiver. Few of those assembled failed tonotice Rebecca Frayne when she came in.
"Goodness! See who has came," whispered Helen.
"Oh, Rebecca!" murmured Ruth, looking up as the girl in question crossedthe room.
"Hasn't she the cheek of all cheeks to breeze in here this way?" Helenwent on to say with more force than elegance. "That awful tam again."
One could not fail to see the tam-o'-shanter very well. It wasnoticeable in any assembly.
Perhaps half of the girls in the reference room were seniors andjuniors. Several of the members of the younger classes nodded to thenewcomer, though not many noticed her in this way.
There was, however, almost immediately a general movement by the girlsbelonging to the senior and junior classes. They got up grimly, put awaythe books they were at work upon, and filed out, one by one, and withoutsaying a word.
Helen stared after them, and nudged Ruth.
"What is it?" asked her chum, who had been too busy to notice.
"Did you see that?" asked Helen.
"Did I see what?"
"There isn't a senior or a jun left in the room. That--that's somethingmore than a coincidence."
Ruth was puzzled. "I really wish you would explain," she said.
Helen was not the only girl remaining who had noticed the immediatedeparture of the members of the two older classes. Some of thesophomores were whispering together. Rebecca's fellow-classmen glancedat her sharply to see if she had noticed what had occurred.
"I can't believe it," Ruth said worriedly, after Helen explained. "Theywould not go out because she came in."
The next day, however, the matter was more marked. Rebecca could sing;she evidently loved singing. In the classes for vocal music there wasoften a mixture of all grades, some of the seniors and juniors attendingwith the sophomores and freshmen.
Ruth Fielding, of course, never missed these classes. She hoped to benoticed and have her voice tried out for the Glee Club. ProfessorLeidenburg was to give a little talk on this day that would be helpful,and the class was well attended.
But when Rebecca Frayne came into the small hall just before theprofessor himself appeared, there was a stir throughout the audience.The girls, of course, were hatless here; but that morning Rebecca hadbeen seen wearing the "scrambled-egg tam," as Helen insisted uponcalling it.
There was an intake of breath all over the room. Rebecca walked down theaisle in search of an empty seat.
And suddenly half the seats were empty. She could have her choice--and alarge one.
"Goodness!" Helen gasped.
Every senior and junior in the room had arisen and had left her seat.Not a word had been spoken, nor had they glanced at Rebecca Frayne, whoat first was unaware of what it portended.
The older girls filed out silently. Professor Leidenburg entered by thedoor beside the organ just in time to see the last of them disappear. Helooked a bit surprised, but said nothing and took up the matter at handwith but half an audience.
Rebecca Frayne had seen and understood at last. She sat still in herseat, and Ruth saw that she did not open her lips when, later, thechoruses were sung. Her face was very pale.
Nobody spoke to her when the class was dismissed. This was not anintentional slight on the part of her mates; simply, the girls did notknow what to say.
The seniors and juniors were showing Rebecca that she was taboo. Theirattitude could not be mistaken. And so great was the influence of theseolder girls of Ardmore upon the whole college that Rebecca walkedentirely alone.
Ruth and Helen walked down the hill behind Rebecca that afternoon. Ruthwas very silent, while Helen buzzed about a dozen things.
"I--I wonder how that poor girl feels?" murmured the girl of the RedMill after a while.
"Cold, I imagine!" declared her chum, vigorously. "I'm half frozenmyself, Ruth. There's going to be a big frost to-night and the lake isalready skimmed over. Say, Ruth!"
"Well?" asked her friend, absently.
"Let's take our skates first thing in the morning down to that man whosharpens things at the boathouse; will you?"