CHAPTER III
A MERRY WHIRL OF GOOD TIMES
It was as Betty had said. One never knew what interesting happeningwould come next, though some were planned. New adventures in dailypleasures and one almost tragic event were here for Betty Lee in the fewweeks that lay before her in Maine. But she never could get satisfactoryphotographs of the old sea that stirred her so. Clouds and surf neverdid come out as they really looked. She concluded that Arthur Penrose orsome real artist, who could give the coloring to sky and sea and paintthe clouds as they looked, ought to be there to do justice to water andsky. But Betty did not talk much about her feeling of the sea, asidefrom the joking about the consummation of her desire to swim in it.
The Waites were the first friends to look them up. Marcella came overthe next day from a cottage at no great distance, for the Waites hadcome on by train and arrived before the Gwynne party. She invited themat once to a beach party, "by moonlight," said she. "We'll not swim thistime, but have a great picnic, with _everybody_ there." Marcella lookedmeaningly at Carolyn as she said this.
"Larry's visiting some of his college friends and will be home in timefor the beach party, I think. He may bring his chum with him. We don'tknow. If I weren't so busy, I'd tell you more about everybody. Severalgirls from our sorority are driving over this afternoon and PeggyPollard is going to stay.
"Peggy!" exclaimed Carolyn. "Why I invited her with us and she couldn'tcome!"
"It's all changed," explained Marcella. "After you left, her mother madedifferent arrangements, to go West with one of her sons and his family,I think; and she told Peggy that if she still wanted to come East, shecould. Peggy was in a great quandary, but crazy to come. I found it outthrough one of the girls; and so Peggy's dear little red head willrepose on either your pillow or mine, Carolyn, as you like. Peggy is upthe coast a little, with the girls I mentioned, though she came withus."
"You didn't mention their names, Marcella, but I can guess or besurprised. If you don't mind, Marcella, we'll have Peggy here. Anothercot in my room, or two of us in a different room, will fix it."
"Oh, let's all be together, Carolyn! It's such fun!"
"Just as you say, Kathryn."
The beach party, then, was to be full of surprises. The three girlsexhausted the possible list of guests in their surmises and thenconcluded that it was a waste of time. Unpacking, investigating theirsurroundings, another swim and a walk up the shore for some distancepretty well filled the day until it was best to "rest up" for the beachparty, which began at eight o'clock. "It may be a little 'spuzzy,'girls," suggested Carolyn, "though Marcella did not say so. But if it isto be a sorority affair and perhaps Larry and his chum coming, not tomention others that evidently Marcella means to spring upon us, therewill probably be some dressing up."
"You don't mean party dresses, do you?" asked Betty, "thin things? Ithought at beach parties you wore sweaters or jackets and easy things torough it in."
"Sport things, Betty, this time. Yours are all right, and take yourwhite sweater if you wish."
"I 'wager' you know whom Marcella is going to spring upon '_us_',"remarked Kathryn.
"I know--some," Carolyn acknowledged. "That is the other secret."
With great care did the three girls dress for the beach party. There wasa "gorgeous" moon and a mild air. Betty scarcely knew herself, shethought, as she looked from the elevation and the shadows of the groupof trees about the Gwynne house toward where a line of rollersrestlessly met the beach and the light of a full moon fell across thewaters. And oh, _who_ would be at the party?
Active figures were darting about on the sands by the time Betty,Carolyn and Kathryn arrived and hurried toward where they saw Marcellaby the light of a fire already started on the beach. And who was that,hatless, merry, throwing a big piece of wreckage upon the fire?
"Ted Dorrance!" exclaimed Kathryn. "That's the other surprise, Carolyn!"
"M'm," lightly replied Carolyn. "And now don't faint or anything, Betty.Chet's here, too."
Betty did not much like this suggestion and replied that she was notlikely to faint at seeing Chet Dorrance anywhere, especially as it wasonly the other day that she had seen him receive his high schooldiploma. Betty, usually very sweet about all her friends, felt reallyannoyed for about two minutes. But Chet's own hearty and unsentimentalgreeting assured her.
"Didn't Carolyn tell you that Ted and I were coming to visit Larry andMarcella?" asked Chet. "Of course it was all fixed up at the lastminute. We've got Mother settled down at Cape Cod and drove up here withLarry and his room-mate, you know, and a couple of cousins of hisroom-mate. Come over and meet them, or it would be more proper to bringthem to you, wouldn't it? But they're with those girls. We didn't knowanything about the other fellows' coming till Larry telegraphed us aboutmeeting us and all coming on together in Judd Penrose's car. We've takena cottage of our own now, since Marcella's house is full up with girls.You ought to see where we are going to 'bach' it, though I see where wedon't do any cooking to speak of!"
"'Penrose,'" said Betty. "We met some boys by that name on the way uphere. I wonder----"
But she did not wonder long. There, with an armful of driftwood, wasArchie Penrose, whose face, like Ted's before, was lit up by the fire ashe stooped. A crowd of girls and boys were around the fire and Betty,greeting those she knew and introduced to those she had not met, wassoon in the midst of the friends and fun.
"You didn't expect me to carry out my threat so soon, did you?" grinnedArthur Penrose. "Neither did I; but we're well met. Will you gosketching with me tomorrow?"
"I'd love to, but Carolyn is my hostess and you'll have to find out whatshe's going to do."
"From all the plans, I take it that we'll have a picnic of some sort allthe time we're here, every day."
Like the Dorrance boys, the two Penroses had settled their parents andGwen in a summer resort further South. Then came a telegram from theircousin, Judd Penrose, and an invitation for Gwen from Marcella inanother urgent telegram, a night letter. Gwen had come by train. Theboys waited to be picked up by Judd and Larry with the Dorrances.
Gwen Penrose almost fell into Betty's arms, such was her enthusiasm atseeing her. "Isn't this _marvellous_?" she asked, "and to think that wehadn't the _slightest idea_ of it when we met before! I did not evenremember the name of Judd's room-mate! I was crazy to come with Marcellawhen she went to see Carolyn and you and Kathryn; but she wouldn't letme. She wanted the surprise to be complete, she said."
"Well, it certainly was--is!" answered Betty. "And now Art can make me asketch of this lovely place--if he will."
"Oh, he will all right," Gwen assured her. "He thinks you're just aboutthe sweetest thing he's seen for a long while."
Betty laughed. "We like scenery--that's all."
Lawrence Waite, who was with another small group of girls, Betty did notmeet at first; but presently he came quickly over to where she stoodtalking with one and another, and cordially took her hand. "Hello there,Titania. I saw you by the light of the moon. Any other fairies abroad?"
"It is a night for them, isn't it?" brightly replied Betty. "But theymight be afraid of pirates on this coast, mightn't they?"
"Not of the Pirate of Penzance," Larry assured her. "Long ago, in agloomy cave, _by the light of one flickering candle_, the queen of thefairies was not afraid of him, was she?"
"Not a bit," laughed Betty. "She thought he was real nice."
"Is _that_ all?" began the smiling former "Pirate of Penzance," but JuddPenrose joined them at this moment and was introduced.
The sorority girls who were visiting Marcella were for the most partolder. Marcella, too, had received her high school diploma and was alittle inclined to attend an Eastern school instead of continuing in the"home town" university. Two of her visitors were girls from this school.Other girls and boys were from this summer colony. Peggy Pollard was theonly girl of Marcia's high school sorority from Betty's class, and howshe was welcom
ed by her classmates! "That is all that is necessary tomake this summer a success, Peggy--your being here," warmly said KathrynAllen.
Visiting, strolling on the beach with one and another, toastingmarshmallows, hearing all "the latest" about everybody, preparing andeating the excellent lunch provided--and all on the rocky coast ofMaine, made Betty Lee's cup of happiness full. Chet did not try tomonopolize her. Everybody was "jolly" with everybody else and greatplans were made for coming days. "_Carpe diem_," folks, said JudsonPenrose, "or in other words, 'Gather ye roses while ye may'"--and hiseyes were upon "dear old Marcella," as he said this and suggested achowder party for the next day and a trip by car to a lake furtherinland on the following day. Betty whispered to Kathryn that she wouldhave to pinch herself to make sure that it wasn't a dream.
Like Betty, though in college, Larry Waite would be a senior next year,a senior at Yale. And he had not forgotten that crazy Hallowe'en!Betty's little experience with candle and mirror still remainedunmentioned to the other girls. She sometimes wondered if Larry had everspoken of it. Otherwise, it was an amusing secret between them--and, ofcourse, a bit romantic, though nothing would ever come of it. Of coursenot.
Chowder was duly served on the beach at the next beach party. The tripto the beautiful little lake was a second exciting excursion. Not eventhe mornings were exempt from gala events especially when long tripswere planned. Inland they went by car and for water trips the boyssecured a motor boat of moderate size which would accommodate all ofMarcella's and Carolyn's visitors and the boys of their bachelorcottage. It was supposed to be "Welcome Inn," which sign adorned thedoorway; but Ted said that a better name would be "Never At Home" or, ifone must make a pun, "S'm' Other Time Inn."
But in a few days the girls from the other resort had departed, leavingtwo recent seniors with their classmate, Marcella, and the two youngergirls, Peggy Pollard and Gwendolyn Penrose, who finally spent part oftheir time at Marcella's and the rest at Carolyn's.
Betty enjoyed all the trips, but she still liked the water best, in itto swim, or on it to explore the coast, with its bays and inlets or togo out upon the bounding billows that Chet teased Betty about, as far asit was wise for the boys to take the motor boat.
And this was how it happened that Betty was drawn into one tragicoccurrence which might have entirely spoiled the summer's pleasure forher and brought distress upon some of her friends.
Betty Lee, Senior Page 3