CHAPTER XIX
WHAT PATIENCE OVERHEARD
"Oh, Overton, our voices clear Ring out in reverent praise to-day, To thee, our Mother, loved and dear Who guides us on our college way,"
sang Grace softly as she walked about her room putting away the variousarticles of wearing apparel she had taken from her trunk. The Christmasvacation had come and gone like a glad, happy dream, and with a hundredpleasant memories of home to sweeten the days that lay between her andEaster, Grace cheerfully unpacked her belongings, humming as she workedthe song of Overton that she loved best.
A light knock on the door, accompanied by, "May I come in?" hushed thesong on Grace's lips. "I should say so," she called, recognizingPatience Eliot's voice. "Enter and give an account of yourself. I'vehardly seen you since I came back."
"I have had more or less unpacking to do, too," said Patience, with acomprehensive glance about the room. "Also deep in my soul lurks thefear of the fateful midyear with its burden of exams. I am conducting ageneral review every night for the benefit of Patience Eliot, but it israther up-hill work. I envy you high and mighty seniors, whose days andnights of anxiety are past."
"I don't believe you are half as much worried as you pretend. PatienceEliot is far too valiant to be downed by a mere examination."
"It is all very well to talk," grumbled Patience, "but you know just howfootless mere talk is. I'm not at all sure that I shall not flunk."
"You won't, so don't try to make me believe you will," assured Grace,"and you are going to forget your books and have dinner with me atVinton's to-morrow night, too."
"Am I?" asked Patience. "Let me see. Oh, yes, I am. It is on Wednesdayevening that the great event takes place."
"What great event?" asked Grace with unthinking curiosity. "I beg yourpardon, Patience, I didn't mean to----"
Patience dismissed Grace's attempt to apologize with a wave of her hand."Oh, that is all right. It is what I came here to tell you. You maybelieve it or not, but Kathleen West has actually invited me to go tothat illustrated lecture on 'Mexico' at the Overton theatre on Wednesdayevening."
"And you are going?" Grace could not keep a slight constraint from hertone. Her resentment against the newspaper girl still lived. Despite thelong, intimate talk she had with her father, she could not quite forgetthat Kathleen had been partly responsible for the unhappy hours she hadspent before going home to Oakdale.
"Yes," Patience replied. There was a note of finality in her voice. "Ibelieve it is best, Grace. In fact, I am sure it is."
Grace stood staring moodily at Patience. A struggle against her ownpersonal feelings was going on within her. Suddenly her face cleared,and with a little, rueful smile she held out her hand to the other girl."I'm truly glad you are going with her, Patience. I thought I wasn't,but I am. I can't imagine why I don't outgrow my resentment against thatgirl. I don't understand myself lately."
"I knew you would agree with me." Patience still held Grace's hand inhers. "Now that the ice has been broken--you know you asked us not tomention Kathleen to you--I can say something I've wanted to tell you fora week. There has been a slight change for the better in Kathleen sinceChristmas. I don't know what has brought it about, but she is less hardand bitter than she used to be. She is terribly blue, though, and theother day I came into the room and found her crying. Just imagineKathleen West in tears if you can. She wiped them away post haste and Ipretended I hadn't noticed that she was crying. One can't sympathizewith her, you know. She wouldn't like it. She prides herself on herstoicism."
"I wonder what happened," mused Grace.
"She has been writing every evening on her play," continued Patience,"until last night. I was hard at work on my Horace, when suddenly shesaid, 'Oh, what's the use?' and began tearing up everything she'dwritten. 'I could see,' to quote Elfreda, that she was in one of herblack moods, so I never said a word. I think her conscience is troublingher. Perhaps one of these days she will find herself and surprise all ofus."
"I hope so," said Grace without enthusiasm. "By the way, I meant to tellyou of Arline's and my plan. We are going to propose that the SemperFidelis girls give a 'Famous Fiction' masquerade and invite the college.We won't try to make any money this time. Later on we will give aconcert. This dance will be just a college frolic, but it will be fun todress up and mask. There will be plenty of girls who won't attend theaffair, but there will be a great many who will come. The gymnasium islarge enough to accommodate a crowd. We'll have dancing, of course, andSemper Fidelis is going to pay for the orchestra out of their ownpockets. There won't be any real refreshments, just lemonade and fancycrackers. The real fun will lie in the costumes. Every one who attendsmust be dressed to carry out the title of some work of fiction, eitherstandard or 'best sellers.'"
"What a jolly idea," smiled Patience. "I know already what I shallchoose."
"Good!" exclaimed Grace. "Put on your wraps and go with me to Arline's.I feel as though I must discuss it with her to-night."
Within the next five minutes Grace and Patience were crossing the campusto Morton House.
"I was just getting ready to go to Wayne Hall," declared Arline, as theymarched into her room in obedience to her rather impatient "Come in."
"And didn't care to be bothered with visitors," added Patience.
"I thought it was a freshman on the next floor who demands admittance atregular hour intervals. She has the 'crush' habit to distraction. She'sa nice girl," added Arline, generously, "even though she bores mefrightfully at times, and I wouldn't for anything hurt her feelings. Iam glad you came. I was just thinking of making you a call. I want totalk over our Famous Fiction dance."
"Why, that is what brought us here!" cried Grace. "We decided that therewas no time like the present for talking it over."
"Then, being of the same mind, we shall no doubt accomplish wonders,"laughed Arline. "When shall we give it?"
"The sooner, the better," advised Patience. "That is, if you expect thefreshmen and sophomores to turn out to it. Midyear examinations are onlythree weeks off, and by the last of next week every one will be sodesperately devoted to reviewing back lessons that the idea of amasquerade won't create an iota of enthusiasm."
"Patience is as level-headed as ever," agreed Grace. "Why not have themasquerade next Monday evening? That will give us a week to decide onour costumes and order our masks. Suppose we ask that poor old woman whokeeps the little shop just beyond the campus to order our masks? I'llpost a notice on the bulletin board as soon as we have secured MissWilder's permission to give the masquerade to the effect that masks canbe bought at her shop. She is safe in ordering three hundred at least,and it will mean a small profit to her."
"Grace is always thinking of helping the needy and the downtrodden,"declared Arline. "You are a really truly philanthropist, Grace, and youought to be a fixture at Overton."
"Please don't, Arline," protested Grace, frowning a little. "I'm not abit more interested in helping others than are you or Patience. I wasjust thinking to-day that I had really been selfish. It doesn't seemfair that I should have had such good times when so many girls here havenothing but hard work and worry over money matters."
"Who organized Semper Fidelis and who was the first person to think ofour Christmas girls?" demanded Arline.
"You are the president of the Sempers and you collected almost all thepresents for our first Santa Claus venture," evaded Grace.
"Let each be wise and wear the prize, Let each divide the crown, The deeds of Harlowe and of Thayer, Are equal in renown. Stop arguing and get to work, For that is why we're here, Don't waste your time in idle words, The dinner hour is near,"
improvised Patience.
Both girls looked their surprise at this outburst.
"Thank you for your poetic counsel, Patience," said Grace. "Suppose wewrite down the things to be done in connection with giving the dance."
"Here you are." Arline opened her desk and motioned Grace to the chairb
efore it. "We'll suggest, and you can write."
By the time the girls had finished their plans for the masquerade it washalf-past six. "Stay here for dinner," invited Arline.
Grace shook her head. "Thank you, but I have studying to do and lettersto write to-night. If I stay here for dinner, I'll reach Wayne Hall attwenty-nine minutes after ten. I know my failings."
"Same here," said Patience. "I am not to be trusted, either. Thank youfor the invitation; it is a great temptation. Let us go, Grace, beforewe succumb to the artful blandishments of this blonde young person andstay in spite of ourselves."
"Come over to-morrow night, Arline," called Grace as they went down thesteps of Morton House. Arline had accompanied them to the door. "BringRuth with you. Tell her I am sorry I didn't see her to-night."
"I'll see you later, Patience," said Grace as they separated at the headof the stairs. Patience walked slowly down the hall to her room. Thedoor stood slightly ajar and the room was in darkness, but the sound ofa familiar voice caused Patience to halt abruptly.
"I could see," said the voice of Elfreda Briggs, "that something worriedyou. I know just how sorry you feel, because I went through the samething myself. But if you could make up your mind to go to her and tellher that----"
"Oh, I couldn't do that." It was Kathleen's voice that interrupted thespeaker. "I am sure she must hate me. I never believed that I shouldcare, but I do. If only I could do something to show her that at last Iunderstand what college spirit means."
"Do you really mean that?" There was a note of excitement in Elfreda'svoice. "Because, if you do, I have the most splendid idea, and thebeauty of it is that you are the only one who can carry it out. Willyou----"
But Patience, realizing with a start that she was eavesdropping, waitedto hear no more.
Turning about she stepped noiselessly along the hall and down thestairs. Entering the living room she found Emma Dean entertaining threegirls who were laughing immoderately.
"Hello, Patience!" called Emma. "Come in and listen to my tale of woe.Where was I? Oh, yes, the minute I stepped off the car I realized that Ihad left my silk umbrella in it. The car started about five secondsbefore I did. It was a beautiful race. I passed a fat policeman on thecorner, and waved my hand reassuringly at him merely to show that I wasnot fleeing from Justice. Talk about fast running! I actually surprisedmyself. I caught up with the car just as it was turning that curve onHigh Street, and floundered into it, puffing like a steam engine. I madeone dash past the conductor, reached the seat where my cherishedumbrella still reposed and captured it. The conductor must have thoughtme hopelessly demented, for I dashed out as the car stopped at the nextcorner without having paid a cent of carfare or offered a sign of anexplanation.
"When I passed the corner where the fat policeman stood, he looked at mewith respectful admiration, and said: 'You got that car, lady, didn'tyou?' and I proudly acknowledged that I did. I was only sorry that thereweren't more persons about to appreciate Emma Dean's Two Block Dash."
Patience joined in the laughter that had accompanied Emma's narrative."How are you getting on with your play, Emma?" she asked.
"I still have the title," returned Emma blandly, "but I can't decideupon my characters. There are so many shining lights at Wayne Hall. Youknow my play is entitled "Life at Wayne Hall; Or, the Expressman'sSurprise." The only character I've actually decided upon is theexpressman. I am obliged to have him because he is in the sub-title. Idecided long ago on my opening speech, however. The expressman opens theplay by saying, 'I can't wait all day, lady.' Isn't that realistic? Sotrue to life!"
"In the face of such an offering, Emma, I am satisfied that it would besheer folly for any of us to enter the lists," assured Patience.
"Of course, I don't wish to discourage any of you," deprecated Emma withthe droll little smile for which she was noted. "But to give Emma Deanand her wonderful ability as a playwright a rest, what is new?"
"We are talking of giving a masquerade," volunteered Patience.
"Who is included in 'we'?" asked Laura Atkins.
"Grace, Arline and I were talking it over to-day. We thought of giving aFamous Fiction masquerade."
"What is a Famous Fiction masquerade?" asked Emma curiously.
Whereupon Patience entered into an explanation of the proposed gayetywhile the girls listened with willing ears. While they were discussingit, Elfreda Briggs appeared in the doorway and Patience knew that shecould now return to her room without running the risk of interrupting aheart-to-heart talk. But she smiled to herself as she thought that whileshe had been casting about for some way to help Kathleen, Elfreda hadfound it.