Jane Allen, Center

by George Cary Eggleston

  CHAPTER XXIV--A CLUE TO THE MYSTERY

  "Mrs. Weatherbee would like to see you, Miss Allen." This summons fromMolly the hall girl, aroused Jane from a somewhat disconnectedreverie--if deep thinking on a dark subject might be so termed. Jane wasoccupied with Marian and Dolorez, and wondering what they had done tothat bunch of roses, now known to have been contributed by them toHelen at the Barn Swifts' playlet. What was written on that tiny cardthat worked such unpleasant mischief?

  "Very well, Molly. I shall go to the office at once," replied Jane,rousing herself and suiting her action to the words.

  Mrs. Weatherbee's scholarly face was inscrutable, and gave no hint ofthe purport of her call for Jane. She smiled, but she always did that,and she was very cordial, but likewise, she was always that.

  Jane was naturally apprehensive when she returned the smile and tookthe chair offered.

  "Miss Allen, I am somewhat disturbed," began the directress. "Since thebeginning of the term I have endeavored to keep my official hands offthe girls' affairs, except as they relate directly to the school work,but I wonder now, if that has not been somewhat of a mistake."

  "I hope that I have not been instrumental in effecting that regime,Mrs. Weatherbee, if it has been a mistake," Jane quickly offered.

  "Oh, no, not that. I liked your spirit when you took the classpresidency, and pledged your efforts to avoid the usual squabblesgetting into the hands of the faculty; but even so good a plan may beabused."

  Jane wanted to plunge into the heart of the trouble, whatever it mightbe, at once. This being polite and beating around the bush, alwaysvexed her. But it was the way with the faculty.

  "May I know to what you refer, Mrs. Weatherbee?" Jane asked in the mostrespectful tone.

  "Yes, my dear, certainly. I have brought you here to tell you thatprecisely." She smoothed out the blotter and patted a fewpapers--anything, Jane thought, to kill time.

  Mrs. Weatherbee asked finally, "What do you know about this plan ofMarian Seaton's and Dolorez Vincez to canvass the college to getcustomers for the so-called beauty shop someone is opening at the verygate of our grounds?"

  "Why, Mrs. Weatherbee! I know absolutely nothing about it. In fact, Ihave not even heard it mentioned before!" Jane almost gasped.

  "I am glad to hear you say so. I felt you wouldn't have allowed such anunheard of thing to get hold without coming to me."

  "Indeed, I would not," said Jane seriously. She still gasped.

  "As you are class president, I naturally asked you first, as we alwaysfeel it better to allow the girls a chance to develop their own plans,where such a privilege is possible. But to have young ladies actuallygo about the rooms, and get names for beauty parlors!"

  The contempt in Mrs. Weatherbee's voice spoke louder than did herwords. She was plainly very much "disturbed" as she had previouslyadmitted.

  "I should think all the old class girls would be well aware that thematter of canvassing is strictly prohibited," Jane said. "And for sucha thing as a beauty parlor!" Here she, too, felt the situation beyondwords. She seemed to vision the girls running out of the grounds atevery recreation to get another daub of enamel, or a quick dip of hairdye. What a situation such an opportunity would precipitate! Also thefact that Dolorez' black hair was streaked, and that her high color wasnot always reliable, flashed across Jane's mind. This had been Dolorez'doings, she felt convinced.

  "I agree with you," Mrs. Weatherbee replied. "No girl in Wellington forany length of time could have committed such an error unconsciously. Itherefore feel that Miss Vincez must be more to blame than MissSeaton."

  "I now recall," Jane amended, "hearing some talk about making a lot ofmoney (Dolorez had said a 'pot of money') but I had no idea to whatthis referred."

  "Yes, they had it all settled. Little slips of paper were typewrittenand the girls pledged--actually pledged, to take the so-calledtreatments. And they were to pay a part of the charge in advance tostart the parlor. Did you ever hear of anything so absurd?"

  Jane shook her head to deny ever having heard of anything so absurd.She was thinking too rapidly to trust herself to words.

  "Of course, I shall have to bring both girls before the board," saidMrs. Weatherbee. "I am convinced that they alone are to blame."

  "Might it be possible," suggested Jane, "that Dolorez is ignorant ofour rules as regards business?"

  "I think not. She has simply wound Miss Seaton around her fingers. MissVincez is a girl of unusual experience. Her standing was investigated,but I am afraid we allowed personal influence to overcome goodjudgment. Miss Vincez was formerly a pupil-teacher at Blindwood."

  "A pupil-teacher!" exclaimed Jane. "Then that accounts for herbasketball skill?"

  "Exactly. She taught athletics."

  "And she presumed to play with school girls," exclaimed Janeindignantly.

  "Yes, but we have our official eye on her," Mrs. Weatherbee said ratherhurriedly, for Mrs. Weatherbee. "We would not have allowed her to useher so-called skill against our legitimate players, in fact, when shewas disqualified for fouls, in your tryout, she then and there wasnotified she could not again play in any of the games, or take part inany of the athletic contests. We have no objection to her enjoying allthe exercises, that is her right, but she is disqualified as aprofessional, from all amateur sports."

  Jane was too surprised for utterance. That a teacher should stand up intheir games and try "to best" a set of whole-hearted young schoolgirls!

  "I would not allow this to become public, as such occurrences wouldhave an unwholesome effect on the morale of the school," Mrs.Weatherbee went on. "But I knew it would filter through. Suchsensations always do get abroad--like steam or smoke; we can't controlthe influence."

  "But Blindwood!" Jane now repeated. "Wasn't that where--Helen went toschool?"

  "Yes," replied the directress, "Helen was a pupil there also."

  "Then that accounts----" Jane hesitated. "Why, I wonder, did Helen notrecognize Dolorez?"

  "They meet very seldom, and Miss Vincez has changed. She may have beena charter customer at her wonderful beauty parlor for as I am informedfrom Blindwood, Miss Vincez there was a striking blonde."

  "Oh, that is it! She has changed her hair!" Jane could not refrain fromexclaiming. "And she knows Helen, and knows her real name of course.Oh, Mrs. Weatherbee, I am sure Dolorez Vincez was responsible for thatshock Helen received with the bouquet. Whatever was written on thelittle card simply shocked Helen out of her senses."

  "Precisely," replied Mrs. Weatherbee. "But I have not questioned Helen.I believe the child is on the verge of a nervous collapse, and howeverkindly we would go about it, a word might be more than she could stand.She is so high strung and temperamental. I have even had her excusedfrom many lessons, believing that the best plan. Helen will do all shecan to meet her obligations, and there is no reason why she should bedriven."

  "Oh, Mrs. Weatherbee!" and impulsively Jane threw her arms around thewoman who stood as mother to the Wellington girls. "How good, and kindyou are!"

  "Thank you, my dear. Such gratitude more than repays me. I sometimesfear my necessary intervention may be taken as interference. But when Ihave done my duty, and all turns out well then--I am glad."

  "What can I do to assist you in this matter, Mrs. Weatherbee?" askedJane earnestly.

  "My dear, all I want you to do is to use your influence privately withthe young ladies, to show them the absurdity of subscribing to anythinglike that so-called course of treatments. You see, the danger is, someof them may actually have given their money, and we cannot force MissVincez' friend--whoever she may be--to refund it. However, under anyconditions, I shall not allow a single Wellington girl to visit thisplace--this beauty parlor."

  "I will gladly do all I can, Mrs. Weatherbee, to counteract thecanvass. I wish I had heard of it sooner. But there has been so muchgoing on lately. And being anxious about our big basketball game, Ihave been keeping the girls at practice daily."

  "Oh, yes, my dear, and that is quite
right. I do not want to spoil yourpretty head with compliments, but you must know that we all appreciatewhat you are doing. Your leadership for the juniors has given usperfectly splendid results this far."

  "Thank you, Mrs. Weatherbee. But really I am only doing what anyonewould do, and I feel rather foolish to be complimented. It is just acase of being in line. Someone has to lead."

  "That is a fine spirit to view it in, Jane," Mrs. Weatherbee never usedfirst names--that is, seldom indeed. The occasion must have been one ofsingular confidence. "But we recall that you did not fall into thisplace without well-deserved merit," she commented. "This is a bigcollege and we have many fine girls, so that those chosen to lead musthave been qualified. However, I want to say a word about our littleHelen. She surprised me greatly with her wonderful skill at the violin.You know when she came to us, she had been sort of lost--that is, herfriends had abandoned her."

  "Yes, Mrs. Weatherbee," said Jane simply, choking back her interest.

  "Well, I have thought since we might have traced them by their letters,which must have been in the possession of the Blindwood faculty. But Iwas restrained from doing this by the attitude of Helen herself. Shefairly begged me not to seek her friends. Strange, I thought."

  "I have found her the same with every line I attempted to uncover inher interest," said Jane. "But why she is so fearful of beingdiscovered I cannot guess. Still, she is so sweet, and gentle, and Ifelt we might surely regard her wishes. After all, we have no dealingswith her friends. She has proven her worth and she is our--guest. So Ihave almost decided, Mrs. Weatherbee, as far as I am concerned, Helenmay remain our mysterious orphan. You must have heard the absurd storyabout my having adopted her."

  "Yes, that was the first inkling I had of these foolish tales. But itwas so very foolish it died by its own hand. However, as you say, mydear, we have only to deal with Helen, and she is beyond reproach, sofor the present at least, I quite agree with you. We have no reason tobother about her antecedents. Now run along. And be wise. Don't taketoo many into your confidence. You may trust Judith. I am sure. I ambeginning to think of you as do the girls. I hear them call you the TwoJays."

  This playful thrust enlivened Jane and struck a responsive chord in herrather drooping spirits. It would be good to confide in Judy, at leastshe, Jane thought, was human enough to enjoy the beauty parlor jokewith her chum.

  And wouldn't Judy just howl!