Josephine Chase

“ Like the inn, its silent, keen-eyed proprietor had found lasting favor with the campus dwellers. From faculty to freshmen the little man was known and liked. His interest in the Travelers and their ambitious plans 130for a free dormitory had been awakened on the evening when Marjorie, Robin, Phil and a group of their boon companions had, in a spirit of mischief, serenaded him. Since that memorable evening, when he had entertained them with a story of his own miseries as an emigrant in New York City, his interest in their work and accomplishment had grown greater. ”

“ Marjorie’s straight glance into the soph’s smouldering eyes was courteously inquiring. Ordinarily she might have followed the greeting with a pleasantry. What she read in Julia Peyton’s face held her silent; waiting.
“I have come to speak to you and Miss Macy about the noise you have been making this evening,” blurted the sophomore, dropping all pretense of courtesy. “It is not only tonight I speak of. Almost every other night we have been annoyed by the noise in your room. It makes study impossible. ”

“ Doris’s honest, if reluctant, opinion of Marjorie fanned the flame of Leslie’s too-ready ill humor. She immediately vented it upon Doris’s driving.
“No, I did not almost run the car into that limousine,” was the other girl’s flat contradiction. “What is the use in growing peevish with me, Leslie? You know I detest Miss Dean and that Sanford crowd. The only one of them who appears in the least interesting is Miss Harding. She’s a barbarian, but she has individuality. ”

“ She scrambled from the tonneau, balanced herself on the running board and nimbly leaped the shallow beginning of a deep, wide roadside puddle, the greater spread of which was in front of the car. Barbara flapped her arms and made a triumphant landing on wet but solid ground.
“No one is infallible,” chuckled Robin. “Thank your stars I didn’t splash you. It’s your move, lady. Don’t be afraid to make it,” she turned to Phil with the gruff tone of a traffic officer. She and Phil both rose in the seat to leave the machine. ”

“ Marjorie drew a long breath. “Two, which stands for the dormitory girls, plus, two, which stands for the Ellerton library make—” Marjorie paused. She gazed at Miss Hamilton, her eyes bright as stars. “It’s too wonderful even to think about;—until I grow more used to the idea. It’s too great a gift, Miss Susanna, after all you’ve already done for the dormitory project.”
“Nonsense. Nothing is too great for me to give, provided I have it to give, and feel like giving it,” declared the old lady brusquely. “I like the idea of the dormitory having its own library. ”

“ Marjorie concurred. “How would you turn it over to them and still manage it, Leila. I mean the details. Only you know how to manage a Beauty contest like the one you got up long ago.”
“I’m going to be the power behind the throne and manage the contest through the Bertram girls,” Leila made shrewd declaration. “They are popular sophs. Besides they will do as I tell them. They’ll not spoil my fine arrangements.” Leila favored Marjorie with a whimsical grin. “Let me warn you, beforehand, Beauty. It will be dangerous for you to attend the contest.” ”

“ No place like home when home’s a good place. Six to a car. Come, choose your east. Come, choose your west.”
The Travelers obeyed the call, laughingly dividing themselves into two groups. Robin, Marjorie, Muriel, Phil, Lucy and Vera took possession of Vera’s car. Leila, Jerry, Kathie, Barbara, Ronny and Gussie fell to Gussie’s big high-powered touring car. They were all in an uproariously merry mood as their frequent peals of laughter went to testify.
Phil magnanimously volunteered to forego the delights of re-union and drive the car so that Robin could tell the girls the campus news. ”

“ He resolutely forbade himself to think of her as other than his old-time “girl.”
“Hal is the finest young man I ever met, or ever expect to meet,” Marjorie said with an energy of enthusiasm far removed from love. “I hope he will find a girl who is as splendid as he is, and marry her. I wish Hal would fall in love with Ronny, and Ronny with Hal. They would be worthy of each other.”
Marjorie laughed as she caught the variety of expressions struggling for place on Jerry’s round face. “You look so funny, Jeremiah.” ”

“ Miss Susanna had ordered the dinner dessert served in the tea room with tea as an after-dinner beverage instead of coffee.
“Yours truly.” Jerry refilled the thin priceless cup, it belonged to the famous Chinese tea set, and offered it to Miss Susanna.
“It has seemed so strange without you, Miss Susanna.” Marjorie bent affectionate eyes on the upright little figure in black silk. “Not to see you for six weeks during the college year is a long time now.”
“So it is; so it is,” nodded the old lady. “I had no intention of leaving the Arms for that shrieking demon of noise, New York. ”

“ You and I are to go to President Matthews with the news tomorrow. I have already written him that we would call at his Hamilton Hall office tomorrow afternoon at two o’clock. I have a curiosity to walk across the campus. When we go to Castle Dean for Christmas we will perfect all our plans. Shall we tell our girls now or wait until after the holidays?”
“Oh, please let us tell them soon,” pleaded Marjorie. “It will be the most wonderful Christmas present for the old Travelers. ‘Peace on earth; good will toward men.’” Marjorie hummed under her breath. ”

“ After due consultation Page and Dean decided that Lillian Wenderblatt should be chosen to tackle the delicate task of asking the haughty sophomore to deign to make herself useful at the hop.
“We’ve certainly done good work on that Thanksgiving program,” Robin congratulated as the two girls presently left Wayland Hall to make their call upon Baretti. “The best part of it is we’ve provided entertainment for either good weather or bad. We’re becoming invincible. Nothing can stop Page and Dean from ‘carrying on.’” She laughed at her own jesting conceit. ”

“ Marjorie knitted troubled brows. “This is the tenth,” she reflected aloud. “Whether we go home, or whether we stay on the campus over Thanksgiving, we’ve enough to do beforehand to keep us hustling.” She sprang up from her chair as though animated anew by the mere recollection of work yet to be done.
“Why remind me, beautiful Bean? I’m sadly aware of the fact. What we must do is organize the new Travelers’ sorority and let them see the dormitory girls through Thanksgiving. If they do nicely,” Jerry continued in patronizing tones, “their reward’ll be more work, and lots of it. ”

“ She was inwardly furious at Marjorie’s and Jerry’s quiet but determined defense of their own conduct.
“Your harsh opinion of our friends is not justified.” Marjorie’s curt proud tones contained censure. “Let me advise you to be careful and not repeat such opinions on the campus. Our friends would not suffer as a result. They are known to be true to the traditions of Hamilton. You would merely succeed in creating unpleasantness for yourself.”
“I don’t care for your advice.” Miss Peyton blazed into sudden wrath. “You are only trying to frighten me into not reporting you and your friends. ”

“ There was one thing in particular that I noticed on the night last summer when we invited her downstairs to Miss Remson’s spread. She was truthful. She didn’t say she was too tired, or make any other excuses. She said flatly that she didn’t care to come downstairs. Again, afterward, when we were in Vera’s car and met her out walking one Sunday afternoon, we asked her to ride with us. She refused our invitation in the same scornful way. Still it was the real way she felt. A girl who wouldn’t bother to deceive others must have principle,” Marjorie earnestly advanced. ”

“ Marjorie caught Jerry by her well-cushioned shoulders and began to shake her with playful force. “Don’t you dare, Jeremiah.” She emphasized her words with little shakes. “Promise me you won’t.”
“What do you take me for?” Jerry asked reproachfully. 195“I’d never have the nerve to mention old Hal to Ronny. No, Marvelous Match Maker, you’ll never be able to marry Hal off so easily as that. There are scads and oodles and slathers of lovely girls in the world, but there’s one grand reason why none of them will ever give me a glad hand as a sister-in-law. Hal saw you first.” ”

“ I almost forgot our new Travelers. If those four girls can make one trip apiece, each taking seven or eight girls to a car, Lillian and I can make a trip and a half apiece in an hour. We simply must.”
To think was to act with Robin. She had hardly finished sketching her plan to her chums before she had begun to marshal seven of the dormitory girls to the door.
“Follow me,” she laughingly directed. “I’m going to make a rapid sprint for my car. You do the same. Never mind your umbrellas. You’ve not time to hunt them out now. I’ll bring them to the campus later in the car.” ”

“ To parade the Dazzler, the white car she had loaned Doris, with Doris in it and clothed in expensive white furry finery, had been an impossibility. In consequence a very much disgruntled Leslie Cairns had telephoned Doris that “it was all off” and to meet her instead at the Colonial at two o’clock.
Before the two girls had reached their Thanksgiving dessert they had come perilously near quarreling. Leslie was in bad humor because of the inclement weather. She had the fierce hatred of being disappointed common to utterly selfish persons. ”

“ Their room was the Travelers’ headquarters as well as a favorite haunt of the five Bertram girls. “It’s our positive good fortune that we escaped thus far,” Marjorie had more than once told Jerry.
In itself to have been reported to Miss Remson as disturbers would not have troubled Marjorie and Jerry. Understanding between them and the brisk little manager of the Hall was complete. It was their standing as post graduates, their college honor which they prided themselves upon. As post graduates they would be first to be weighed in the balance. ”

“ Marjorie’s reply was spoken in all seriousness. “After Signor Baretti had told us of what she had done Robin and I both thought we ought not tell even you girls of it. Then we thought of the way Phil, Barbara and the rest of you helped break up her plot by coming out with your cars in the storm. We decided it was only fair to tell you the exact circumstances. The Travelers, old and new, should be, and are, I’m sure, trustworthy. None of them would circulate any of the private business of the club about the campus.” ”

“ She isn’t half so much interested in getting ready to build a garage on that property she snatched from you and Marjorie as she might be. I believe she bought it purely for spite; as an excuse to keep her near the campus. She’s rich in her own right, and a law unto herself. It’s the old story of idle hands and mischief. She has no worthy object in life. She’s the kind of person who has to have something 134to hammer away at. So she’s settled herself near the campus to see what she can do to tear down what Page and Dean have built up. ”

“ They can’t stay out on the walk with the rain coming down in cataracts,” commented Phil. “Anna Towne can be depended upon to have them at the bus stand on time. Such a horrible flivver for a holiday! I don’t dare stop to think of it,” she grumbled.
Her guess regarding their speedy arrival at the bus stand was an accurate one. It was precisely ten minutes past eleven when Robin brought the car to a stop before the drug store. The rain was still driving down in misty sheets as the trio emerged from the automobile and made a frantic dash across the sidewalk to the shelter of the drug store. ”

“ She cast an almost mournful glance toward Jerry which Jerry did not forget for many days afterward.
“I only know two things surely about love,” Marjorie continued after a brief silence. “One is that I have never been in love. The other is that without love no marriage can be happy. And now let’s not talk of love any more, ever again, Jeremiah,” 76she ended in a whimsical tone which made Jerry smile.
“All right. Anything to please you, Bean,” she replied. She was secretly elated over Marjorie’s decision concerning Thanksgiving. Nothing could please Hal more she was sure. ”

“ Ronny said with energy. “Where shall we meet tomorrow night? Remember we shall be twenty-nine strong. We can’t hold the meeting in one of our rooms. We must have plenty of space for our new Travelers. The living room down stairs isn’t private enough. Has anyone a really brilliant suggestion. No other kind is desired. Save your breath.”
“I have. Hold the meeting in our library,” proposed Lillian Wenderblatt. “I’ll put a sign on the library door before dinner tomorrow night: ‘Professor Wenderblatt: Keep Out,’ and lead Father to the door to look at it. ”

“ She turned innocently inquiring eyes upon Marjorie.
“Nope. You were a martyr that day, poor old Jeremiah.”
“I need your sympathy, Bean,” Jerry rejoined brokenly. “It’s a hard world for some folks. Still I’m glad I’ve survived.”
“Cheer up. Here come the Bertramites.” Marjorie’s keen ears had caught the sound of familiar voices. She went to the door and ushered in the trio of sophs.
“What’s the latest from Guiseppe, the defender?” Gussie immediately clamored to know. The three girls surrounded Marjorie while Jerry made an equally eager fourth member of the group. ”

“ Marjorie gave a kind of disappointed gulp as she glimpsed the stunning white car and its passengers. It was the first time she had either seen or heard of these two as having been together since before Thanksgiving. Augusta Forbes and her two chums had later confidentially reported to Marjorie the occasion at the Colonial when Leslie and Doris had quarreled. Marjorie had hoped then that the breach between the two girls might widen. Robin’s assurance that Doris had been “perfectly sweet” to her at the old-fashioned hop was a hopeful sign. ”