Harriet Pyne Grove

“ So Sidney had been brought up on this!
“My aunt,” said Mrs. Thorne, “is very proud of our Standish line and has made Sidney think more of that than of her father’s, especially as he makes fun of it all. Here is your Dudley motto, Shirley: ‘Nec gladio nec arcu.’ Can you translate it?”
“Neither by sword nor by bow,” quickly said Shirley.
“She is the daughter of a Latin professor, my dear. Well, I think that we have discovered a common ancestry for the two girls. Do you suppose that this style of beauty breaks out occasionally during the centuries?” ”

“ Sidney had not expected to say that and Shirley showed her surprise for a moment. “Oh, there is nothing to make up,” she said. “Aren’t you a bit well, Sidney? Is there anything that I can do for you?”
“Nobody can do anything; but I’m really better, a little. I just didn’t want to go on a picnic. Oh, these are lovely! So many of the berries that we begin to get early are not ripe. But where are yours? Haven’t you any for yourself?” ”

“ Lytton, their son Dick and cousin, Shirley Harcourt left the college town for their adventures in the West.
“Don’t do anything a Dudley wouldn’t do,” brightly said Shirley’s great-aunt as she embraced her for the last time. “Take good care of my only niece, Dick, if you go off on any of those wild trails. I hope that you will be armed for bandits.”
“Why, Auntie,—who would think that of you? These aren’t the old days in the West.”
17
“Twentieth century bandits are the worst kind, child. Remember, Dick.” ”

“ Why, my great-aunt does not know I am sure, or she would never have talked about my being a Standish, and a Thorne, and all that stuff!” Sidney’s tone was bitter now.
“Even Mother used to join in, but Dad never did. I’ll say that for him. And poor Mother loves to deceive herself about anything that she wants to be so!” Sidney was more tender now, and Shirley recalled with some surprise how Mrs. Thorne had spoken as if Sidney’s ancestry were theirs, or, rather, theirs hers. ”

“ Two girls recited particularly well, though they were finding Virgil none too easy at first, it was clear. They were Sidney Thorne and Olive Mason.
Nothing happened of any great annoyance to Shirley that day, though several times she was taken for Sidney. She felt that life had really begun and when she found that the only lessons so far in mathematics were in the nature of a review, her worries disappeared. She was a rapid reader. Her English would be caught up in no time. French was easy,—nothing could make a wave of trouble roll across her peaceful breast, she told Madge and Caroline. ”

“ Smiling at Shirley and tipping his hat, he moved to where a single seat gave him room and made it possible for Shirley and Dick to sit together. Shirley, standing with that air of detached poise which was natural to her, thought it only a pleasant courtesy, smiled a little in return and took the inside seat.
Dick glanced after the gentleman. “That chap thinks that he knows you, Shirley,” he said.
“Oh, no; he couldn’t,” replied Shirley, “unless he is some graduate of our school.”
“That might be,” Dick assented. “We meet ’em everywhere.” ”

“ Sidney laughed with Shirley and then led her into her bedroom where she drew her before the mirror. “If twins ever looked more alike than that,” Sidney finally said, “then, as my friend Ran Roberts says, I’m a fishworm!”
“You are coming on, Sidney,” said Shirley. “Goodbye, Twin. If you get lonesome, come around. I’m studying, or shall be, but ever and anon I shall long for intermission.” ”

“ I have already written to the people in Wisconsin and in a few days, after some pressing business matters are disposed of, I may go there myself. I know how I should feel in your place, Sidney. I regret beyond words that you have had the suffering which you have had. We could not imagine why you were suddenly so upset and ill. But I am glad to see that you have gotten beyond that.”
“It is partly due to Shirley, Father. She brought me some fruit when I was so miserable and we became really acquainted. It is queer the way we feel about each other. I know that Shirley feels as I do. ”

“ At night I can hear the waves lapping the shore and the cool breeze comes into our windows. We have had bright days, and you know how blue the sky and lake can be, with the ‘bright sparkles’ on the water. The school campus, or the wood, goes right up to the shore. Tomorrow we are to have a ride in the school launch, which is called the Westlake. It is big and handsome. The seniors are to go, and perhaps some others. Madge Whitney, my room-mate, did not know and it has not been announced yet. ”

“ Caroline and Sidney had never known each other very well in Chicago, though their fathers were associated somewhat in a business way and their mothers were in certain club work or church activities together. They had become better acquainted, though not intimately so, since they came to the same school.
“The Double Three never repeats,” laughed Sidney. “It’s the rest of you girls that’s made a club of us anyhow. We don’t acknowledge that the Double Three exists.” ”

“ The girls asked her what was the matter and the Double Three said that Sid didn’t “eat enough to keep a bird alive.” The most delicious fudge did not tempt her. Miss Gibson, “Gibby,” the hated, found Sidney one afternoon, strolling alone in the farther part of the grove under the pretence of looking for wild flowers. This was one of the times of rebellion, when it was all Sidney could do to keep back her tears. But Miss Gibson was purposely blind to the evidences of trouble and succeeded in interesting Sidney enough to forget herself. ”

“ Ran Roberts is the boy from our suburb that I like best. He is such a gentleman, too, and I want you to meet him. Then he is bringing some of his friends for some of the other girls who can’t ask anybody they know to come so far, so it will be a jolly lot of guests that we have. And if Mac comes, as Hope says, and your cousin Dick doesn’t fail you, we’ll all see that everybody has a fine time. Remember that I want you this time, Shirley. I suppose that I’ll always be proud, whether I have anything to be proud of or not,—” here Sidney laughed a little and Shirley’s eyes twinkled. ”

“ Why be seniors for nothing?”
“They will say that we do it anyhow,” approvingly Dulcie added, swinging her slippered feet under the bed and out again. “They did last year; don’t you remember, Hope?”
“Being accused of a thing and really doing it,” said Hope, “are two very different things.”
Sidney thought that Hope was being “snippy.” She cast a glance in Hope’s direction and brightly asked, “Any objection, Hope?”
“I never cared to belong to a political gang,” laughed Hope. “We see enough of that in Chicago.”
“Calls us a ‘gang,’ girls,” whimpered Fleta, making a comical face. ”

“ It was too bad that there should be any one not able to throw herself entirely into the enjoyment of the evening. But Shirley was too tired, after her strenuous efforts of the day, to throw off altogether the unpleasant impressions made by Sidney’s remarks, which she had overheard. ”

“ As I have been telling your—parents, it is a bewildering situation, but I assure you that neither your affection nor a choice of homes will be forced on you. We must think out what is best. We shall try to enter into our daughter’s life without making her unhappy.”
“Oh, you are like Shirley, aren’t you?” said Sidney, trying to realize that this was her father. More than one student had been put at his ease by the kind understanding of this professor. It was impossible that his own daughter should not like him. ”

“ Shirley did not even know that Sidney had had a great party for the Double Three, for Hope was over early that evening and went to Sidney’s late, in plenty of time for this event. Caroline sent regrets because of a previous engagement, which was an evening with Mac and one of his friends.
“I thought that you were like Sidney at first,” said Mac, “but I’d never confuse you two after a good look, Shirley. Sidney is a fine girl and she may learn a few things about people after a while; but you have a different viewpoint and it makes you sweeter.” ”

“ You will not be ashamed of your real father, though he does not always dress as Mr. Thorne does. How could he?”
Shirley rode alone to Chicago, thinking of how the future would be managed, wondering how Sidney would feel about seeing her parents, feeling almost that she did not want to share them with Sidney and reproving herself for her selfish thoughts. She was glad that she had a twin sister! She loved Sidney. That was enough.
Mac Holland and Hope met her at the station and took her for a day’s visit with them. It was decided that Mac was going to spend a year at Shirley’s university. ”

“ Who painted that cat’s head is an artist!”
“It was Auntie that did that,” laughed Shirley, “but I can copy it for anybody that wants one.”
“We’ll keep you painting, then,” said Pansy. “I’ll perish if I can’t be a witch or a cat.”
“They say that girls are ‘catty,’” said Marie, “so I don’t know about being a cat.”
“But Shirley ought to be a witch with that tall hat and have a sort of Cat Brigade to drill.”
“How would the freshmen like to be kitty-cats, then?” asked Shirley. ”

“ The rest of the girls wore light dresses, with all the pretty accompaniments, though these were all in good taste and surely not out of style. No girl who had been at least a year in this school was ever seen to be over-dressed, for with the lessons from books, other lessons were taught about the fine arts of living. Whatever their private tastes, and it would be odd if no girl ever attended the school whose personal ideas were different, while here the atmosphere prevailed and had its present and often permanent influence.
“You have never said so before, Hope,” returned Sidney. ”

“ Classmates in a girls’ school on the shores of Lake Michigan, Shirley Harcourt, from an eastern state, and Sidney Thorne, whose home is in Chicago, bear a remarkable resemblance to each other. At first they resent the likeness, but afterwards become very good friends, and often wonder about their lineage. At last Sidney discovers she is an adopted child, and her foster father traces her parentage very carefully to find she is indeed the twin sister of Shirley. ”

“ Being determined to get her own way and run everybody is like Stella Marbury. I am pretty sure that it was Stella who suggested that to Sidney. Own up, Sidney. Stella wants to be one to make this a Double Four, Sidney. ”

“ I’m sorry; but it doesn’t seem to be possible to help it.”
“You are a little too bright at your lessons and too influential yourself Shirley, to please Sidney, who is used to being the center of things. That is my private opinion.”
“I don’t care for any particular influence, Madge, but of course I do care for standing well in my classes. I’ll try to keep off of committees after this.”
“You must do nothing of the kind. It isn’t fair.”
“Yes, it is Madge, because all I want is to have good reports for my father and mother and to enjoy as much of the good times with you girls as I have time for.” ”

“ Other groups of girls were drifting toward the buildings when at last Sidney, Hope and the rest of the Double Three turned their steps in that direction. For all of them these first days were filled with expectation, along with the pleasure of meeting each other again after summer days. Adventures of one kind or another were certain to come, adventures of success or failure, adventures of friendship and adventures of good times. ”

“ Shirley felt interested and a little drawn toward her double in spite of her wishing that it might have not been this year, and this place of all others, when the meeting had to occur.
Not all the seniors were present in every class. Some who were not taking the regular college preparatory course were away from the Latin class or from the class in mathematics. In consequence there was usually some one to exclaim over the “new girl who looks exactly like Sidney Thorne,” as the word went around. But Shirley paid no attention to any slight commotion on her account. ”

“ FLETA TO THE RESCUE Sidney did not do anything so foolish as to remain away from the Hallowe’en fun. However unhappy she felt over the apparent copying of her costume, or perhaps a deliberate suggestion by Caroline, who knew that the freshman witch would wear such a costume, she reached a better frame of mind under the urging of Fleta, pretty in shepherdess gayety.
The Turkish costume was one which she had used in Chicago and had brought with her the year before. Then, the little play called for the “Double Three” domino. ”

“ The museum will be full of all those mummies and things that you will dig up over there.”
Shirley’s mother smiled. “It would be better for you to learn more definitely, daughter, just what your classical father is going to do over there. I can assure you that we are not going to bring home any mummies. I wanted to make sure, little girl, that your heart had no soreness about this. You understand why it is not best to take you now. When you go abroad, as I hope you may some day, you will want a more general trip first. ”

“ It was not long before Shirley herself thought that she must waste no more time with the girls. She, too must master her lessons. Madge went upstairs with her, but said that she would not study until regular hours began. Leaving Shirley to her usual concentration, Madge hurried around to Cad’s room to “indulge in a little harmless gossip,” she told her hostess. “I’m glad that Stella isn’t in. Lucky that she practices half the time.”
“Yes, and the rest of the time she is with her musical chum. It is a wonder that she does not want to room with her.” ”

“ Fleta was saying, “you’d better be careful how you make fun of your double. She may be related to you, you know.”
“Not a chance of it,” said Sidney. “It’s just one of those freaks of nature by which we happen to look alike now. We’ll probably change in a few years, except for our coloring, and I think that my hair is a little lighter than hers.”
“Yes, and you are not quite so tall as Shirley, Sid,” said Fleta. “I noticed it first when you both stood up together from the same table in Kenosha.”
“It would be funny if you went to the same university, wouldn’t it? ”