Betty Lee, Freshman

by Harriet Pyne Grove

  CHAPTER XVI: SOME FRESHMAN CONCLUSIONS

  What had happened between the teachers and the pupils who had cheated inthe test was, naturally, not known, except that every one knew thepenalty of losing a grade. The boys that had changed seats and generally“acted up” during the presence of the substitute were well rebuked andhad to endure some penalty, the girls understood; but only those who hadbehaved ever mentioned the occurrence. The guilty carried it off withbland ignorance or nonchalance and pretended not to understand any jokesat their expense. Jakey Bechstein was out of school for several days,but came back as lively as ever and making good recitations. Hisbasketball team lacked his presence.

  At Betty Jakey never looked, but as she had never known him very welland as he did not ordinarily sit near her in any of her classes, shescarcely noticed that he avoided her till Peggy called her attention toit.

  But the year went on and Betty had many more interesting things to takeup her mind. The semester examinations were a nightmare, Carolynclaimed, but they managed to live through them, as they usually do. MissHeath was particularly fond of Betty, she told her mother when Mrs. Lee,without Amy Lou, came to visit Betty’s classes one day. “Betty is a verycharming little girl, Mrs. Lee, and very bright. She is a friend of someof our best freshman girls, too, as I imagine you’d like to know. It israther important, you know, what sort of friends the children like.”

  The winter passed. Betty for the most part worked at her lessons, withpleasant Saturday afternoons, sometimes with the girls, sometimes onexpeditions with the family. Her father was greatly absorbed in businessaffairs, but as spring approached he often drove his family to find thefirst spring flowers at some spot outside of the city, or to observe thecoming of bud and blossom.

  On one warm April day, rather in advance of the season, they thought,Mr. Lee and Betty were alone and the machine was parked by the roadsidenear a little stream where some violets were growing. As the ground wasdry upon the sloping bank, Betty sat down with her bunch of violets inher hand and her father decided to join her. “What do you think of thisplace, Betty? You’d hardly expect it so near the city, would you?”

  “No, but there are lots of places in this town that are what you mightcall unexpected, because there are the hills and ravines, you know.”

  “Yes, that is so.”

  “Father,” Betty spoke again after a pause during which she picked aflower within reach. “Father, don’t you think that a girl ought to takeadvantage of her opportunities?”

  “Seems to me I’ve heard something like that, Betty.”

  “Well, I’m serious, Father.”

  “To just what advantages do you refer?”

  “I’m thinking about school, you know, and it does seem as if there areso many things to do in these high school years, especially here in thecity, that you’ll never have a chance to do again!”

  “Things that you are not doing now, you mean?”

  “Yes, Father. Unless you see it, you can’t realize what lovely things goon at school and you can’t help wanting to be in them!”

  “What, for instance?”

  “Well, there’s the music for one thing. If you get your lessons, youhaven’t so much time for other things, but to be trained right here,where there’s a Symphony Orchestra and everybody knowing the best musicand singing and playing it–it doesn’t seem right not to do it if youhave any music in you at all. Ted Dorrance was talking about it theother day. He’s a junior this year, you know. He was with some of thegirls and boys in a bunch of us, talking after school.

  “I imagine that Ted gets his lessons, for he’s smart looking. I heardhim talking to a boy the very first day I was in school, standing inline to sign up. He said he didn’t know what he was going to do, notmuch athletics only ‘swimming, of course.’ You ought to see Ted swim ata swimming meet. And dive! He can turn a somersault backwards andeverything.

  “He said that his mother wanted him to be in the orchestra and sureenough he is. Father, he plays the violin and he’s the very first violinin the orchestra, the one that does little solo parts sometimes, orwhatever they do.”

  “And do you want to be in the orchestra, too?”

  “Mer_cee_, no! What would I play? But I’d like to go on with my pianolessons, and at the Conservatory, too, and then I’d like to be in theGlee Club. Carolyn says she’s going to try to be in it next year. Butyou see all the practice takes a lot of time.”

  “I see. Anything else, little daughter?”

  Betty laughed. Father was so nice to talk to. “Yes, a lot of things, butI like the athletics, gym, you know, and swimming. I think maybe I’llget honors in swimming. Some of the girls are more than half afraid ofthe water, but I feel–I feel just like a fish!”

  It was Mr. Lee’s turn to laugh. “I used to feel that way, too, Betty,and I had a lake to swim in from the time I was knee?high to a duck.”

  “Then I suppose I inherit it from you,” Betty declared. “I’m much,obliged for the trick of it! But that’s another thing, Father. If you doa thing, you like to do it well and I suppose it’s Louise Madison, whois president of the G. A. A., that has made me so crazy about athletics.Why, they even have riding horseback, beside tennis and everything youcan think of.”

  “And everything you can’t think of, I suppose.”

  “Aren’t you funny–who’d ever say that but you?”

  “Have you thought out, Betty, just what you’d like to take up?”

  “No, Father, not exactly. I’m just–ruminating, and trying to think itout.”

  “Then I’m glad you are willing to do it with me, Betty. Perhaps we cancome to some conclusion.”

  “Perhaps. I’m sure I need help. It’s just this way. I hate to miss itall, but I can never get my lessons and do too much. Would you careawfully, Father, if I didn’t stand at the head of my class? I did athome, I mean where we did live, but I don’t believe a body ever couldeven _know_ who is the head in the big high schools. I guess it’s onlyin some line or other that they get prizes and things.

  “And then, Father, I believe that it’s better not to be so–keyed up, asMother says, and wanting to beat.”

  “The habit of success is a good thing, Betty.”

  Betty pondered a moment. “I see what you mean. It’s only too easy to letdown.”

  “Yes, and when one studies a subject there is more satisfaction inreally covering the ground, being accurate, I mean, not just having asort of hazy idea.”

  “Father, there’s too much! You just can’t get it all.”

  “You have done pretty well so far, my child. I am satisfied with yourgrades. Isn’t there always an honor roll?”

  “Yes, and I’m on it, so far.”

  “Then that is enough. You need not try to beat anybody. Wasn’t that thetrouble with your friend that copied your answers?”

  “Yes. I wouldn’t do that, of course, but there is a sort of nervousnessabout reciting well and making an impression on the teacher, whether youhave your lesson or haven’t had a chance to get it real well. Andsometimes you recite when you don’t know much.”

  “I see. It is a problem, Betty. I see nothing for it but to make a goodgeneral plan, not including too much, then work it out every day thebest you can. But it’s the little decisions every day that count inanything. I have it in business too. And I wouldn’t let down altogetherin the ideals of hard work and getting lessons. It’s chiefly in puttingyour mind on it when you are working, isn’t it?”

  “A good deal.”

  “You would really like to be in that orchestra, wouldn’t you, Betty?”

  Betty looked up at the smiling face of her father, who wasn’t so veryold, after all. He had a fellow feeling!

  “Didn’t you take a few violin lessons once?”

  “Yes, when that college girl taught a class for a while, but I can’t_play_, Father. They wouldn’t _look_ at me for the orchestra!”

  “Probably not now; but if you took more lessons, and of a proper teacherthis summe
r–how about it?”

  “I might,” said Betty, dropping her flowers in her lap to clap herhands. “Would you _let_ me?”

  “Would you like it as much as that?”

  “I’d love it!”

  “Then we shall see about it at once. I’m going to send your Mother andAmy Lou to your grandmother’s this summer, but not all of you could gothere. Dick and Doris might take turns. And how would you like to keephouse for me, practice violin, and get taken on rides to give you anoccasional breath of the country?”

  “That would be great. I’m not a good housekeeper, though.”

  “We’ll never tell anybody how we keep house, Betty, and I’ll be ‘boss.’We’ll drive over to the Conservatory, Saturday, sign you up for violinwith somebody–come on child. Gather up your flowers. We must go home.”

  Mr. Lee sprang to his feet, gave a hand to Betty, who did not need it,but accepted it.

  “But _Father_, I don’t know how good the old violin is and the bow isterrible. It never did do what it ought to! How _can_ I begin?”

  “The trouble with the ‘old violin’ is not that it is ‘old,’ Betty,”laughed Mr. Lee, as Betty ran after him on his way to the car. “Itsimply isn’t much good at all. You shall have a better one. You used toplay some sweet little tunes. Here’s for a Stradivarius or ‘whatever itis,’ as you say. And you shall see how I keep you at hard work thissummer! We’ll have some of the school extras or perish in the attempt.”

  Betty chuckled as she climbed into the car. “All right, my dear Daddy.The neighbors will hate me, but _I’ll practice_, and it can’t be anyworse than that horn across the street. How did you read my mind andknow that I’d rather be in an orchestra than take piano lessons?”

  “It was just instinct, Betty,” replied Mr. Lee, as he started the car,“with perhaps a few deductions and putting two and two together.”

  “Really, Father, can you afford to get me a good violin and let me takelessons?”

  “Yes. It is necessary to do things _when_ they ought to be done, and weshall do this. But I’m counting on my girl to make good.”

  “Oh, I will try! But you know me!”

  “I’m not expecting too much, Betty, only the same effort that you alwaysmake in everything. I shall watch to keep you well and safe. Perhaps theathletics that you like so much will help to keep you well. But don’tget reckless in ‘gym.’ We’ll see about the riding some other year,perhaps.”