Grace Harlowe's Problem

by Josephine Chase

  CHAPTER IV

  MILESTONES

  "Sh-h-h! No giggles. If you don't creep along as still as mice she'llhear you," warned a sibilant whisper.

  Five young women, headed by Emma Dean, smoothed the laughter from theirfaces and stole, cat-like, up the green lawn to the wide veranda at therear of Harlowe House. One by one they noiselessly mounted the steps.Emma, finger on her lips, cast a comical glance at the maid, whotittered faintly; then the stealthy procession crept down the hall inthe direction of Grace Harlowe's little office. There was an instant'ssilent rallying of forces of which the young woman at the desk, who satwriting busily, was totally unconscious, then, of a sudden, she heard aringing call of "Three cheers for Loyalheart!" and sprang to her feetonly to be completely hemmed in by friendly arms.

  "You wicked girls! I mean, you dear things," she laughed. "How nice ofyou to descend upon me in a body. I must kiss every one of you. Patienceand Kathleen, when did you set foot in Overton? I've been watching andwaiting for you. Mary Reynolds, this _is_ a surprise. I didn't expectyou until next week, and Evelyn, too, looking lovelier than ever. As forEmma, she's a continual surprise and pleasure." Grace embraced one afteranother of the five girls.

  "I'm so glad I thought of this nice surprise," beamed Emma, craning herneck, and pluming herself vaingloriously. "I have another beautifulthought, too, seething in my fertile brain. Let's go down to Vinton'sand celebrate."

  "I knew some one was sure to propose that," laughed Patience. "Iintended to be that some one, but Emma forestalled me."

  "I'm as busy as can be, but I can't resist the call to my old haunts,"laughed Grace. "Besides, it's such a perfect day. Leave your bags in theliving room, girls. I feel highly honored to know that you and Kathleencame straight to me, Patience."

  "The old case of the needle and the magnet," explained Patience with acareless wave of her hand.

  "Oh, Miss Harlowe I'm so glad to see you," was Mary Reynolds' ferventtribute.

  "So am I," declared Evelyn Ward, with an emphatic nod of her goldenhead. "I've had a perfectly wonderful summer, Miss Harlowe. I loved mypart. It hasn't been very hot in New York City, either, and I spent mySundays and some of my week days with the Southards at their LongIsland summer home. I have thought of you many times. I hope you'llforgive me for not writing you oftener. Kathleen and I came down on thesame train." She poured forth all this information almost in a breath.

  "Of course I'll forgive you," returned Grace. "I'm a very laxcorrespondent, too. I'm so glad you've been well, and that you likedyour part."

  "You should have seen her in it, Grace," put in Kathleen. "She made anadorable Constance Devon, and her gowns were beautiful. The girl whounderstudied her, and who will play the part on the road, isn't half sostunning. Patience saw her, too."

  "She was a credit to herself and Overton," verified Patience.

  "I thank you, most grave and reverend seniors." Evelyn, her eyes shiningwith the pleasure of well-earned praise, made a low bow to Patience andKathleen.

  "'Most grave and reverend seniors,'" repeated Grace, slipping in betweenher two friends, her hand on an arm of each.

  Kathleen's sharp black eyes grew tender with the love she bore Grace."Yes," came her soft answer, "Patience and I are seniors at last. We'vereached Senior Lane, and I hope to leave some milestones as we passthrough it. Dear as the others have been, I'd like to rise to greaterheights this year. I don't know just what I'd like to do," she flushedand laughed at her own enthusiasm, "but I'd like to do something worthwhile."

  "So would I," murmured Evelyn Ward.

  "I want to be friends with every one, and not be conditioned," was MaryReynolds' modest petition.

  "_I_ don't know just what sort of milestones I'd like to leave. Onlydecorative ones, of course. I wish to keep my lane free from weeds andugly, jagged rocks." This from Patience.

  "You might begin at once and leave a milestone at Vinton's, for being awilling, little reveler," suggested Emma with meaning.

  "Come on, girls," rallied Kathleen. "We must show Emma just how willingwe are. Allow me, my dear Miss Dean," she offered her arm to Emma, andthey paraded down the hall, out the door and down the steps with greatceremony. Mary, Grace, Patience and Evelyn followed. Patience walkedwith Evelyn, while Grace and Mary brought up the rear.

  "Oh, Miss Harlowe," began Mary, with intense earnestness, "you haven'tany idea of how much Kathleen--she likes me to call her Kathleen--hasdone for me this summer. I knew last spring that I must earn my livingthrough the summer, in some way, but I never dreamed that it would bein such a nice way."

  "I am anxious to hear all about it," returned Grace. "When you wrote methat Kathleen had secured work for you on her paper I was so pleased."

  "Yes, I was the assistant on the woman's page," related Mary. "Of coursemy work wasn't so very important. It was mostly clipping things fromother papers, but I used to write the paragraph under the fashiondrawings, and sometimes I went out to the big department stores to lookfor interesting new fads and fashions for women. Three times I wroteshort articles, so you see I actually appeared in print. Kathleen mademe take half of her room, and so my board wasn't very expensive. Mysalary was fifteen dollars a week. I have enough new clothes to last meall winter, and I've saved eighty-five dollars. That will help pay mytuition this year, and Kathleen is sure she can sell some children'sstories I've written. Wouldn't it be glorious, Miss Harlowe, if some dayI'd become a writer?" Mary's eyes shone with the distant prospect offuture honors.

  "It looks to me as though you were on the right road," encouraged Grace."The only thing to do is to keep on writing. The more you write theeasier it will become--that is, if you are really gifted. Kathleen hasgreat faith in you. You must show her that it is well founded."

  "How inspiring you are, Miss Harlowe." Mary looked her gratitude atGrace's hopeful words; then she added in a slightly lower tone: "I'm soglad everything went so beautifully for Evelyn. I saw her twice in 'TheReckoning.' She looked _beautiful_, and her acting was so clever.She--she told me of her own accord about"--Mary hesitated--"things. Itwould have hurt me dreadfully if Evelyn had not come back to Overton. Ilove her dearly."

  Grace nodded sympathetically. She understood the remarkable effect ofEvelyn's beauty upon Mary. Still, she reflected, it had not been potentenough to lure Mary from standing by her colors at the crucial moment.Grace realized that this poor orphan girl, whose only home was HarloweHouse, possessed a steadfast, upright nature that must in time win hernot only scores of loyal friends, but the respect of all who knew her,as well.

  A sudden trill from Kathleen caused them to quicken their steps. Theothers were standing in front of Vinton's, waiting for them. Once insidethe pretty tea room that had been the scene of so many of their revels,with one accord they made for the alcove table.

  "Shades of Arline Thayer," laughed Emma. "I am haunted by her. I can seeher sitting in that chair, her little hands folded on the table, saying,'What are we going to eat, girls?' She loved this alcove and every stickand stone of Vinton's. She never cared so much for Martell's."

  By this time they had seated themselves at the round table and begun toorder their luncheon. Vinton's was productive of reminiscences, and theywere soon deep in the discussion of past events, grave and gay, that haddotted their college life. Evelyn and Mary were for the most partlisteners, but Grace, Patience, Emma and Kathleen fairly bubbled overwith by-gone college history.

  "I love to hear about the things that happened to Miss Harlowe and MissDean when they were students," confided Mary to Evelyn under cover of ageneral laugh over one of Emma Dean's ridiculous reminiscences.

  "So do I," nodded Mary, then she added in a still lower tone, "Have younoticed the girl at the table near the door, Evelyn. She came in aboutten minutes ago, and she's watched this table every second since shecame."

  "Yes, I noticed her. She's pretty, isn't she? That's a stunning suit sheis wearing. Her hat is miles above reproach, too.
" Evelyn could notrepress her admiration for beautiful clothes.

  At that moment Kathleen spoke to her and she turned to answer thelatter's question. When next her eyes turned toward the pretty girl itwas just as they were leaving the tea shop. Evelyn was the last memberof the sextette to pass the table. She glanced at the girl only to notethat she was searching a small leather bag frantically, a look ofindescribable alarm in her eyes. "It's gone," she said, half aloud.

  Something prompted Evelyn to halt. "Good afternoon," she said. "Iheard--that is--can I help you?"

  A shade of annoyance darkened the stranger's face. It was replaced by anexpression of fright. "I've lost my money," she said in a dazed voice."It was all I had. I can't pay for my luncheon. I don't know what todo." Her voice rose to an anxious note.

  "Give me your check," said Evelyn quietly. "I'll pay the cashier. Youcan pay me later."

  "Oh, thank you," breathed the girl. "You don't know how I hated the ideaof going to the cashier and telling her I had no money. I'm _so_ worriedabout my purse. I had over a hundred dollars in it. I haven't seen itsince I left the train. Just before we reached Overton I went into thelavatory to fix my hair. I laid my bag down. There was another womanthere at the mirror. She must have slipped her fingers into my bag andtaken my purse, for when I picked up the bag it was open. I snapped itshut and paid no attention to it then. I didn't think of it until Ireached for my purse to count out the money for my luncheon."

  "What a shame!" exclaimed Evelyn, sympathetically. "I know just howworried you must feel. Just wait a second." She picked up the check,which was for a small amount, went over to the desk, and paid the bill.Then she hurried back to her companion. "Everything is all right now,"she declared, "but if you have no money you had better come with me. Iwill introduce you to Miss Harlowe. My name is Evelyn Ward."

  "Miss Harlowe, of Harlowe House?" interrupted the girl.

  "Yes, do you know her?"

  "I don't know her yet, but I'm going to live at Harlowe House. So Iexpect to know her. My name is Jean Brent. Perhaps you've heard of me. Afriend of mine helped me to get the chance to live at Harlowe House."

  "Have I heard of you?" laughed Evelyn. "I should say I had. Isn't itfunny how things happen? Why, you are to be my roommate."