CHAPTER X
THE COVETED HONOR
Being President of the Girls' Athletic Association, or "G. A. A." wouldbe no light undertaking; but there was not a girl of those particularlyinterested in some athletic line who would not consider it a great honorto be chosen for the post. At times some girl would be openly "out forit." Others waited to be suggested by their friends.
This year the election of a president was likely to be accompanied bysome "lobbying." Betty Lee was not the only outstanding girl in theassociation, and then there were a few who would have been quite willingto accept the honor while not likely to offer their best service. Ofthese the most noticeable was Mathilde Finn, always desiring firstplace, of a certain ability, but selfish and unstable.
In her heart Betty Lee knew that she would be happy to have her friendselect her. She had plans for the G. A. A., yet she was modest enough toconcede that at least two other girls might do as well for theassociation. Then it would be a relief not to carry such responsibility,to have only her regular work with what she wanted to "get in" this lastsenior year.
To Betty the swimming, as usual, was of first importance, and all themore so since her summer with its opportunities at the shore and atcamp, where her prowess made quite an impression. She was pleased tothink that both Dick and Doris were now excelling in that line, too.
Riding was a comparatively new ambition. At least she could "stick on" ahorse as she had on her grandmother's farm and more recently at camp.But she was meaning to ride properly by the end of this year, and herintention was strengthened, it must be said, by Larry Waite's havingsuggested that they must ride together "next summer." Lucia, also was afine horsewoman. If she ever did have the opportunity, as Luciainsisted, of a visit to her in Italy, she would want to know how tomanage a horse and how to ride with grace.
She could play all the games, but she preferred to do it as she likedand to keep off a regular class team this year. But perhaps she couldnot refuse altogether. They were after her to lead the team in fieldhockey. Basketball was taboo as last year, by parental request.
None of the girls' games ever became as professional as the boys'football and basketball with their inter-school games. Yet there wasgreat effort and much rivalry between classes as well as a great deal offun. If Betty _should_ accept the probable opportunity of leading theteam in hockey, the senior team should _beat_, she thought to herself!
To have her own room was going to be a great help in her lessons. Withthe school study halls and regular hours at home, she could handle herschedule of senior studies, for Betty was quick at her lessons. The newhome would be nearer Lyon High, too, as it happened. Not so much time tobe wasted on street cars. _Could_ she keep up being in the orchestra,too? Oh, she _must_ do that!
Most of these problems she talked over with Carolyn and Kathryn, forthey, too, had their own problems. But they did not take them tooseriously. It would all come along some way!
"I expect to be at school till four or five o'clock practicing somethingor other most days, Mother," she informed Mrs. Lee. "So don't worry. IfI do get home it's so much gained. I imagine it's a good thing Chet's inthe university now. There won't be anybody to dawdle around with betweentimes."
Mrs. Lee did not look much impressed with this statement, for it wasquite likely that there would be some one yet to take an interest inBetty Lee. "Most of your hikes and picnics will be on Saturday, Isuppose," she suggested and Betty assented.
"We girls, the 'Happy Hoodlums,' or something like that," she said, "arehaving a hike right away, and the G. A. A. is to have a big picnic againvery soon."
While the G. A. A. election was still to take place and discussions andsuggestions and urgent appeals for candidates were rife, the almostgreater excitement of the exodus and "_in_-o-dus," a word of Dick'scoining, occurred. They all thought it "terrible" that it had to happenin school time, but Mrs. Lee, good manager that she was, told them notto get upset about it. She gave them cartons, in which they could packthe odds and ends and various treasures, and told them to be sure thatthey had the books they wanted in their lockers at school. "Now goodbye,kiddies mine," she said on Friday morning. "When you come home thisafternoon--come to the new address!"
"Gee, Mom--I bet I forget," said Dick.
"It was wonderful," Betty told the girls on the hiking club expeditionSaturday afternoon. "We did walk on almost bare floors for several days,because Mother sent the big rugs to the cleaners; but there, we lefteverything almost as usual, and after a while regular spiffy moverscame, and when we went after school to the new place, there were the bigrugs all down and all our furniture and things in place and Mother, witha woman to help, arranging the 'pots and pans!' It was all newlydecorated anyhow, and Mother had had a man and a woman get the new placeready first before the move. Then Father left the car for her and a lotof the best china and ornaments and things went over that way, thoughthey could have gone by truck, of course.
"I've worked all morning, getting my books in my own little book-case inmy new room, and unpacking my trunk, and hanging my clothes in my ownbig closet. Oh, I'm crazy about it, and Mother says I may have the firstparty. You are all invited. I'll have it after the G. A. A. picnic."
Lucia, swinging the same alpenstock which had so interested Mathilde intimes past, was an interested listener. "Betty," she said, "you can makethe most uninteresting things sound funny! Now I should think movingwould be the last thing on earth!"
"Oh, but it is such fun to fix things," cried Betty. "Mother and Fatherhad the responsibility, of course, but Mother had plenty of help, so itcould get done quickly, and I think she is just as excited as I am overit all. You see, Lucia, we may buy this place and have it for our veryown."
"Well, that is different, I suppose," said Lucia, thinking of the old_palaszo_ in Milan, that had belonged to the Coletti's for ages. Buthere in America they moved as casually as anything, first to thisapartment, then to that, or some of their friends did!
It was due to Betty's morning at home that the hike had been put offtill afternoon. In consequence they did not go far. On the banks of alittle stream not far from a bus line which could take them home, theyfound a lovely spot for their little picnic supper. There they sat andtold each other all about summer days, not forgetting great plans fortheir senior year. Kathryn was already the president of Lyon "Y" andmade all the girls promise to do anything on a program they were askedto do.
"Just not too often, Gypsy," suggested Betty, "but I'll be at themeetings. We almost never have orchestra practice on that day and otherthings can be put off."
"I'll excuse you any time, Betty, for you're going to be president ofsomething else," promptly returned Kathryn. "See if you aren't!"
Betty knew what Kathryn meant and would not pretend that she did not,but she smiled and shook her head. "It is a great uncertainty, Kathryn,and anyhow I'm not sure that I can do it."
"What do you mean, Betty?" hastily asked Mary Emma Howland. "You'll run,won't you if you are put up for G. A. A. president?"
"Yes, Mary Emma, and I think it is a compliment to have you girls wantme to be it. But I hate it a little and I think that the result is veryuncertain."
"Oh, as far as that is concerned, you never can tell," said Mary Emma."We know that being Betty, you won't work for yourself, but as forspreading 'propaganda'----"
Mary Emma left her sentence unfinished to make a comical gesture, towardherself first, then including the entire group.
Lucia's dark eyes sparkled. "Betty is the reliable head of anything,"said she, "besides being the prettiest swimmer in the school and havingall sorts of honors to her credit. Where can I do the most good, MaryEmma?"
Mary Emma, delighted, clapped her hands. "Everywhere, Lucia, andparticularly, I should say, with any new members among the freshmen.After that jolly speech of yours at the A-D party, Lucia, those nicelittle girls will lend an ear to anything you say."
"Oh, girls, this sounds like--pol
itics!" exclaimed Betty.
"Betty Lee, every one of us thinks that you will make the best G. A. A.president the school could possibly have. Why not show a little sense,then, and try to get you in?"
Betty was silenced more effectively by a large chocolate held to herlips by Mary Jane Andrews, and Gwen Penrose remarked, "I haven't joinedthe G. A. A. yet. How do you do it? I forgot?"
"Mercy on me, Gwen," cried Kathryn. "I forgot that you hadn't seen tothat. You can't vote if you're not a member! That will certainly have tobe fixed at once. See me Monday, Gwen."
Names like Happy Hoodlums, or Horrible H-Examples (suggested by DottyBradshaw) did not seem quite suitable for dignified seniors and weredismissed from their consideration. "We'll be just a little G. A. A.hiking club, why not?" suggested Carolyn, to the satisfaction ofeverybody concerned.
Over this week-end Betty and Doris gloated over their respective roomsand arranged them to a least temporary satisfaction. It did seem sofunny to take a different street car home, at times when some one didnot give them a lift in a "real car."
"I need pictures," said Betty, looking at her walls; and as if in answerto her wish, there was a ring at the bell Sunday afternoon, late, andMrs. Lee came to the foot of the stairs to call Betty.
"Lucia is here, Betty. Shall I tell her to come up?"
"Oh, please, Mother," but Betty came halfway down the stairs to meet herfriend.
Lucia was carrying a rectangular package and straightway handed it toBetty. "This is a contribution to your new room, Betty," said she with asmile. "I thought about it this morning in church. It is only a print,Betty, in color, such as they sell at the galleries in Milan, but I hadit framed for myself, to make me think of home, last year, and never putit up. It is Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper, you know, from the frescoon the refectory wall in Milan. If you would like it, I have a prettyMadonna that I can have framed for you, too."
"Oh, Lucia! Why it isn't an hour ago that I was wishing I had just theright pictures! Thank you! I shall love it! But I can't let you haveanything more framed for me."
"Why not? You will let me do something once in a while for my _verydearest_ friend, won't you?"
"Am I that, Lucia?" Betty asked, surprised and not a little touched. Asthey talked they were unwrapping the picture, but paused a moment.
"You are indeed, Betty," earnestly said Lucia. "I can't tell you howmuch you mean to me, though it didn't look like it, did it? the way Ididn't write to you this summer!"
Lucia laughed and the sentimental moment passed, rather to the relief ofboth, though Lucia had intended to say that to Betty.
"I wish I knew all that you do, Lucia, about the wonderful old paintingsand sculpture and everything," sighed Betty, looking with pleasure onthe appropriately framed reproduction of the famous work of art.
"Come home with me for our Sunday supper, Betty, and we'll look throughsuch things as I have with me and have a good talk. You can pick outyour own Madonna!"
After selecting the proper spot upon which Betty would hang her gift,where the light would properly fall upon it, the two girls went downstairs to visit with the rest of the family a few moments and arrangefor Betty's carrying off.
"I had to see your new place, Mrs. Lee," said Lucia, "and find my way toit. Doris, the next time Betty comes to dinner with me you must come,too. I haven't realized that Betty's sister was so grown up! My newauntie is very pleasant about telling me that I may have my friends, soI must begin."
Betty had not had a glimpse of the Murchison home since she came back tothe city after the summer's trips. She would not have thought of it, ofcourse, till after Lucia's arrival. Now she met the very charming ladywho was Mr. Murchison's second wife and had a quiet visit with Lucia inher own room. They looked at pictures and Betty took the opportunity totell Lucia all about Ramon's recent experience.
"I thought you'd better know all about it, Lucia," said she. "Imaginebeing an _assistant_ 'unbeknownst' to that sort of men! But he found outwhat they were really doing, of course, and planned to run away. Thenthat man got him! Maybe he would have been killed if the boys hadn'tfound him! I hope it isn't going to be hard for you not to tell Mrs.Sevilla and Rose. Anyhow, I thought I'd better tell you."
"I'm used to keeping secrets, Betty," returned Lucia. "It is just aswell not to stir up poor old Mrs. Sevilla, though it's odd--she does notseem so old now that she is comfortable. She is learning English, too.Could I tell Rose, do you think, if it seemed best?"
"Really, Lucia, _I_ should think so. But that was Ramon's request, thatthey should not hear about all this and get all worried about where hewas and what they were doing to him."
"I see," thoughtfully said Lucia.
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The day of the G. A. A. "presidential election" arrived. Mathilde knewthat she was out of the running, but she concentrated her efforts on oneof Betty Lee's two opponents, fine girls, both of them. Much pressurehad been brought to bear by different groups and the meeting was a fullone with old and new members present. The new members were particularlyopen to influence, but Betty's friends had not been idle.
"I don't believe I'll come at all," declared Betty, "and I simply won'tvote for myself!"
"All right, stay away, then," laughed Mary Emma. "I've just got threenew members of the freshmen and they're all going to vote for you!"
"Maybe I'll not be even nominated."
"Maybe you will. I'm on the nominating committee myself and I know who'sgoing to be presented. There may be even more candidates than we havesimply had to put up because of the requests; but there certainly won'tbe less. We make our report and then I understand that opportunity willbe given for more names to be presented if anybody wants them."
"H'm," said Betty. "Well, it isn't the only thing on earth. I'll comeand not vote at all. To tell the truth, girls, I hate to beat anybodythat wants it, and I hate to think that anybody has had to be asked tovote for me!"
"Elizabeth Virginia Lee, all that your friends have done is to callattention to your superior qualities as a leader and also performer inathletics. If you go in as our president it will be a mere tribute toyour worth." Mary Emma was laughing but she meant what she said.
Possibly the fact that Betty had recently been selected to be captain ofthe hockey team had something to do with it, but when the vote was takenBetty was elected. Her majority was not so much over the vote given tothe other girls by their friends that it made her any enemies; and bothof the other candidates came straight to her to tell her that theythought she was the one to have the office. Betty begged them to helpher and said that she felt "aghast" at the prospect, which was true. Butperhaps the incident that made her happiest among the congratulationswas when one of the athletic directors came up to her in the hall.
"I am glad that the G. A. A. has chosen you, Betty Lee, for you are notonly good in every sort of athletics you undertake but you have a senseof responsibility and carry out what you undertake. If you want anyhelp, or suggestions, let me know. We shall have to call you intoconsultation about some features, you know. The election should havebeen last spring, you know."
It was pleasant to have the faculty with her, Betty thought. Shewondered if it were really true that she carried responsibility well. Totell the truth she had been planning to--or thinking that shemust--neglect some things in order to carry out what she liked best. Shewould try to live up to what they thought of her, anyhow, and do thebest she could.
Betty Lee, Senior Page 10