Betty Lee, Freshman

by Harriet Pyne Grove

  CHAPTER IX: SHOWING OFF LYON HIGH

  The game that won the championship for the Lyon High team passed intohistory without much effect upon Betty’s relations to any one. It mustbe said that the Lyon High boys and girls could not always forbear tomention their victory in the presence of their rivals from the otherschool and were immediately dubbed too “cocky” over the “accident” or“trick” which permitted the result. But argument died out in theinterest of other things and the football season closed at the usualtime.

  The next bit of excitement for Betty was the visit of her friends fromhome. “_Please_ arrange,” she wrote to Janet, “to come in time to visitthe school on Wednesday at least. Of course, I could take you to see thebuildings; but it will be so much more interesting for you to see themfull of all of us. And I can introduce you to the girls and everything.

  “You must meet Carolyn and Peggy, that I’ve told you about, and thenthere are such a lot of other nice girls; and we’ll probably have anauditorium session Wednesday morning with something or other that youwould enjoy seeing go on. It isn’t going to hurt you to miss a day ortwo of school–_please!_ Get the teachers to let you make it up and tell’em why.”

  In consequence, two bright?eyed and inwardly excited girls descendedfrom their car at the railway station, to find Mr. Lee meeting thecrowds that were hurrying along with their bags inside by the longtrain; and Betty was close to the iron gates, watching with eager lookto catch the first glimpse.

  Betty had not known Sue as intimately as Janet, but she had always likedher and Sue belonged to her Sunday school class as well as to her classin school. At any rate Sue was as warmly received as Janet and tongueswent rapidly indeed on the way home.

  “Tell me everything,” Betty had said, and in reply Janet had suggestedthat Betty “show them everything.” But the sights had already begun, forMr. Lee went home by a roundabout way to drive through one of the mostbeautiful parks, from which they could see the river and its scenery andvillages on the other side. He also drove past the high school whichBetty attended and Betty was quite satisfied with the exclamations ofher friends.

  “I met Father down town,” Betty explained, “for I went right down afterschool, with some of the girls, and we had a soda. Then I went toFather’s office and waited for him to be ready. Did you girls miss muchschool?”

  “Only this afternoon, and tomorrow, of course,” Sue answered. “Janet’sfather drove us to Columbus, so we caught this train.”

  “It’s pretty yet, isn’t it?” remarked Janet, looking about at the treesand bushes in the park, “and not a bit of snow.”

  “We had a wee bit one day; but you can notice quite a difference, one ofthe girls said, between the climate here and where we used to live.”

  “Doesn’t that sound awful, Janet?” asked Sue, “where she _used_ tolive!”

  “But then you couldn’t visit me here, you know,” Betty hastened to say,and Janet smilingly replied “Sure enough.”

  “Anyhow, you still _own_ your house and the lot next to it, don’t you?”queried Sue.

  “I guess so–don’t we, Father?” answered Betty, who did not pay muchattention to business affairs, and Mr. Lee nodded assent as he droverapidly along the boulevard, now homeward bound.

  “Do you know, Betty,” said Janet a little later, when they were almosthome, “I never was inside of an apartment house!”

  “I never either,” laughed Betty, “till I came here; but we don’t live ina real apartment house. Ours is what they call a ‘St. Louis.’ And don’tyou know when one of the girls called it that–her own place, I mean–Ithought she said she lived in St. Louis! I didn’t like to ask her toexplain how she lived in St. Louis and went to school here, so I keptstill and afterwards heard somebody else speak of a St. Louis flat!”

  “I’m going to keep still, too,” said Janet, with some firmness. “Youshan’t be ashamed of your friends from the ‘country.’”

  Mr. Lee spoke now, with a kind smile. “Betty isn’t one to be ashamed oftwo such nice girls, and moreover, girls, I think that you may vote forthe country, or at least the lovely little village that is still home tous, when you see how every one except the wealthy must live in the city.I own to my wife that there are some conveniences and advantages. Sherather likes it now. But it’s pretty crowded and unless you like that,the small town is better. Fortunately we live away from the street cars,a few squares, so you may be able to sleep at night.”

  “Mer_cee_,” exclaimed Janet. “But I shan’t mind not sleeping–I’m notsure I could anyway. Just to think of being here with you, Betty!” andJanet squeezed Betty’s arm in anticipation.

  “Here we are,” cried Betty just then, and Mr. Lee, driving in, orderedthem facetiously to “pile out.”

  They “piled,” while Dick and Doris, still disappointed that they, too,had not been permitted to meet Janet and Sue, came running out, followedby Amy Lou, whose mother was trying to hold her back or at least tothrow something around her to protect her from the frosty air. “O,Janet, it’s going to be such a glorious Thanksgiving!” exclaimed Sue inJanet’s ear, as she followed her up the steps and into the house. AndBetty was crying to the welcoming mother, “O, Mother, they can stay overSunday and don’t care if they miss school on Monday!”

  “Well, isn’t that fine,” warmly responded the hostess. “I’m glad, too,to see the girls from the old home and thankful to have room enough totuck you away. Take the girls back to your room, Betty, and have themget ready for dinner. Doris, you may set the table if you will, andBetty will help me take up the dinner presently.”

  This was the beginning. On Wednesday morning, Betty took her guests toschool with her, for Janet, particularly, wanted to visit a few of theclasses. Sue told Betty that she could “dump her any place” if sheliked. Impressed with the numbers and the apparent complexity of thesystem, the girls visited one or two classes, met Betty’s home roomteacher and the others, in a hasty way between classes, and then waitedfor Betty in the auditorium or the library, where there was much tointerest them.

  There was an auditorium session, with a few exercises appropriate to theThanksgiving season and then a brief organ recital by a visitingorganist, whom the principal had secured for a real treat to the entireschool.

  “Oh, I’m _so_ glad that you heard our big organ,” said Betty as she tookthem to the library to leave them there while she went to her last classbefore lunch.

  “And it was great to see that immense room filled with nobody but highschool pupils, and their teachers, of course,” added Janet, “only–only,I believe, Betty, that I’d be too confused. Some way, I like the littleold high school at home, and we have such a pretty building, even if itis small.”

  “Oh, you’d get used to it,” Betty assured Janet. “I have, and still,there’s something in what you say, of course. Now I’ll be right up totake you to lunch; it’s on the floor just above the library, you know,and I’m going to bring Carolyn and Peggy along so we’ll sit together atlunch and talk. Don’t you think they’re sweet?”

  “Peggy’s a perfect dear,” promptly Sue replied, “and Carolyn is too nicefor words, simply adorable.”

  After this tribute, the girls followed Betty into the library, whereBetty spoke to the librarian in charge and took them to a seat at one ofthe tables. “You can look at the books, if you want to,” she whispered.“I spoke to Miss Hunt, so it will be all right.”

  The time did not drag, for boys and girls were coming and going, orsitting at the tables to read or examine books. The girls felt a littletimid about investigating any of the shelves, but the pleasant librariancame to speak to them and to suggest where they might find books of someinterest. Accordingly, each with a book spent a little while in reading,though, it was hard to put their minds on anything requiring consecutivethought.

  And now bright faces peeped in, for Janet and Sue sat not far from thedoor. Betty was beckoning and leaving the books upon the table, the twoguests joined Betty, Carolyn, Peggy and Kathryn Alle
n, whom they had notmet.

  “This is Kathryn Allen, girls,” said Betty in the breezy, hurried waymade necessary by the rapid movement of events. “I’ve told her who youare. Let’s hurry in and see if we can get places together. Mary EmmaHowl and said she’d try to save places for us at that table by thewindow that we like. She’s in line now. Look at that long line already!I’m glad we happened to have first lunch, Janet, since you’re here.”

  “What is ‘first lunch,’ Betty? Do you have to take turns?”

  “Yes. There are several periods. Father says that that is the only thinghe doesn’t like about this school, that there isn’t enough time to eatwithout swallowing things whole. But it isn’t as bad as that, really;and most generally we don’t try to eat a big meal. Still, things are sogood, and you get so hungry, you know, especially if you can’t eat a bigbreakfast.”

  “I don’t like all your stairs,” said Sue, “but I suppose it can’t behelped. I guess your mother’s right–you need wings.”

  “Oh, you get used to where rooms are and it isn’t so bad. Of course, thebuilding does spread out awfully and up the three stories and basement.And by the way, we can eat all we want to this time, for I saw MissHeath and told her that I had company, and if I was a little late to thefirst class would she give me a chance to make it up–and she was in anawful hurry and said, maybe without thinking, that I could.”

  The tables did look tempting. “First lunch” saw the whole array ofpretty salads and desserts, the chief temptations to the pupils, thesteaming meats and vegetables, so good in cold weather. Cafeteriafashion, the long line passed, choosing what to put on their trays, andoh, the noise, within the concrete floors and walls! Sue said to Janet,as they walked along, that she was fairly deafened; but she had nosooner sat down with the other girls at the table where places had beensuccessfully held for them by Mary Emma, then she began “shouting” withthe rest to be heard.

  Betty saw to it that her guests had a good selection of viands, forneither Sue nor Janet were inclined to take enough, not wanting to runup the price for their young hostess. “Mer_cee_, Betty, do you want tokill us?” asked Janet as Betty placed a particularly toothsome lookingfruit dessert in her tray, in addition to the modest piece of pie whichshe had herself selected.

  “Oh, no, not yet, Janet. Remember the turkey we’re going to havetomorrow; but you must have nourishment!”

  Carolyn’s tray was slimly furnished, Janet thought, and she wondered ifshe could not afford to get more; or did she just like desserts? Peggyhad meat, dressing and gravy and a fruit salad, of which she began todispose with some haste, though daintily enough. Sue and Janet concludedthat they must not look around too much, though the surroundings were sointeresting, but apply themselves to the contents of their trays, not adifficult task, since everything was so good.

  “Is there anything else you’d like, girls? I can go back as easily asnot,” said Betty, pouring milk from a bottle into her glass.

  “No, indeed,” answered both the girls together. “We have too much now,”added Janet.

  “If you can hear what I say,” called Carolyn across the table, aroundwhose end the girls had gathered, “will you, Janet and Sue, come withBetty to our house Friday evening after dinner? Say about half?pastseven or eight o’clock? I’ll call up, too, Friday some time. I’m goingto have a few of the boys and girls to meet your cousins, Betty.”

  “Oh, how lovely, Carolyn, but I should have the little party myself. Ican’t let you do it. I was going to ask you and Peggy and Mary Emma andseveral other girls for Saturday. I had to wait to make sure that thegirls really got here, you know.”

  “Well, that would be just as nice as can be, Betty. I’d love to come,but I know such a lot of the boys and girls, so please come to ourhouse.”

  “We could do both, then,” said Betty.

  “All right, we’ll see about it, then,” assented Carolyn. “Oh, yes, Chet,see you right after school!”

  Carolyn had turned to answer Chet Dorrance, who spoke to her, tippinghis chair and leaning back from the next table. A crowd of boys therewere not uninterested in the little group of girls, whose demure glanceshad been cast in their direction occasionally.

  “That’s Budd, Janet, next to Chet,” Betty was saying, “and Kathryn’sbrother Chauncey is right across at that other table, the boy that justsat down there with his tray. They’re all sophomores. But there’s afreshman bunch at the next table. I told you about Budd and Chauncey andsome of the rest when I wrote you about Carolyn’s house party, didn’tI?”

  “Maybe you did, Betty, but I can’t remember, only about those you ‘rave’about, like Carolyn.”

  “I imagine that you’ll meet a lot of them at Carolyn’s. Isn’t itwonderful of her to entertain for us? I think I did say to her not tohave too much planned for Saturday and that I was hoping that nothingwould happen to keep you girls from coming. I was pretty scared about itwhen I heard from Sue that her mother was half sick; but you did come,thank fortune!”

  It was more easily possible for bits of conversation with one person tobe held, since when more were included it was necessary to raise thevoice. The general conversation and laughter, the jingle of silver andthe clatter of trays and dishes seemed to be louder than the numbersserved would justify, although there was no special carelessness amongthe boys and girls, and oversight made rude scuffling or trick playingimpossible, had there been any temptation or time for it. “It’s justthis big, echoing room, Sue,” said Janet, for both visitors noticed it.“But it’s lots of fun, and such good eats for next to nothing, accordingto what Betty says.”

  “They just charge enough to cover expenses, of food and help and so on,”said Betty, who had turned back from talking to Kathryn in time to hearthis last. “How was the pie, Janet?”

  “Grand; good as home?made.”

  “It _is_ ‘home?made.’ I wish we had time to go back and see all theplace they have to cook and bake. Well, we can’t do everything in oneday, can we?”

  “We are doing enough,” replied Janet. “My brain is whirling as it is,going from one thing to another and trying to remember who is who andwhat is what.”

  “Don’t try,” said smiling Betty. “I’ll tell you again, or remind you. Ifelt the same way at first, and remember that I had to learn to live itand do it–them–everything!”

  On the way out Betty had a chance to point out, figuratively speaking,both Freddy Fisher and the “Don” of football fame, and she almost raninto Ted Dorrance in the hall. “Say,” said he, catching Betty’s shoulderfor a moment, “we seem to run each other down, don’t we? Oh, begpardon!” The last expression was addressed to Janet, whom he had brushedagainst in avoiding Betty and a crowd of teachers that were coming fromthe opposite dining hall, sacred to the instructors of youth.

  “Please stop a second and meet my friends that are visiting me–MissLight and Miss Miller, Mr. Dorrance, a prominent junior, girls.”

  Betty smiled up at Ted as she added the last in complimentary fashion,but he shook his head at her, pleasantly acknowledging the introduction.“She doesn’t say what I’m prominent for, you notice,” but with a salutefrom his hatless forehead, Ted was gone. There was no standing onceremony when school hours were on and everything, even lunch, ran onschedule.

  “I’ll not have to hurry as much as I thought, girls, since it was firstlunch. I’m about crazy today, I suppose, with delight at your being hereand wanting you to know about everything and everybody. What would youlike to do while I’m in class and study hall? Want to visit both ofthem?”

  “How many periods have you this afternoon, Betty?”

  “Three, but one of them’s in gym.”

  “All right, we’ll visit study hall and gym and stay in the library orauditorium during your class.”

  So it was decided. “Gym” proved most interesting. Study hall was full ofpossibilities, Sue said, for it was interesting to see whether this oneor that one studied or not, to guess who they were and to recognizethose whom t
hey met. And after the last gong had rung, how odd it was topass through those crowded halls, where pupils were putting away theirbooks in their lockers, getting their wraps from them, and going totheir home rooms until dismissed. It was all on a bigger scale than intheir home school. And the crowded street car was another feature, notso pleasant, perhaps.

  But Betty looked out for the girls, to see that they had each a strap,until Chet and Budd and a freshman boy Betty knew, who were, happily,near, caught Betty’s eye and signaled the girls to come where they weresitting, half rising, yet holding the seats until the girls should beready to slide into them.

  “Now, then,” said Chet, hanging to a strap in the aisle, after a briefintroduction to Janet and Sue, “what do you think of our school? Inoticed you had company, Betty.”

  “We’re quite overwhelmed by the school, really,” answered Janet,politely, and smiling up at the boy whose seat she was occupying. “Butwe have a good school, too, and I think you can learn anywhere.”

  “I suppose you can,” said Chet, “if you work at it. Did you see thestadium?”

  “Yes, and it’s just marvelous. I don’t wonder Betty raves overeverything!”

  This satisfied Chet, who did not much care for the remark about learninganywhere. “I’m invited to meet you at Carolyn’s Saturday, no, Fridaynight, so I’ll see you there. Yep, coming,” and Chet moved down toward aboy who had beckoned him.

  Gradually the jam lessened, as one after another reached a stoppingplace. By the time Betty and her friends had reached their own stop,every one was seated. Budd was the last one to swing off, and like Chethe parted from them with a “So long, girls, I’ll see you Friday night.”

  “Those boys must know you pretty well Betty,” said Janet.

  “They do. Ever since Carolyn’s party.”