CHAPTER XIV
A SATURDAY RACE
Ada had been watching the others with a contempt she made little attemptto conceal. When her name was called she walked to the platform and facedthe leader defiantly.
"What can you do best, Ada?" came the familiar question.
Ada smiled patronizingly.
"Spend money," she said briefly.
"Do that," said the young leader calmly.
"How can I spend money here?" demanded Ada angrily. "There's nothing tobuy. I call that silly."
"Then you admit you can't spend money?"
"No such thing!" Ada stamped her foot, furious at such stupidity. "I sayI can't spend it here where there is nothing to buy. You let me go toEdentown, and I'll show you whether I can spend money or not."
"The order of the first degree of the Mysterious Four is that thecandidate must do what she can do best," repeated the veiled figureinsistently. "What can you do best?"
"Sing," said Ada sullenly.
"Then do that."
And now the watching girls had what Bobby later admitted was "thesurprise of their lives."
The girl at the piano fingered a chord tentatively, then struck into apopular song, an appealing little melody, the words a lyric set to musicby a composer with a spark of genius.
"I picked a rose in my garden fair--" sang Ada.
She sang without affectation. Her voice was a charming contralto,evidently partially trained, and promising with coming years to be worthconsideration.
"But it withered in a day--" went on the lovely voice.
The girls were absolutely mute. When she had finished the song, and shegave it all, they burst into a spontaneous storm of applause.
Ada barely acknowledged the hand-clapping. Her face had instantly slippedback into the old sullen lines.
"When she can sing like that, shouldn't you think she would be perfectlyhappy?" sighed Betty. "I'd give anything if I had a voice!"
As a matter of fact Betty had a clear little contralto of her own and shesang as naturally as a bird. But there was no denying that Ada's voicewas exceptional.
After the last girl had had her turn the veiled leader mounted theplatform and threw back her swathing net.
"She's the president of the senior class, Mabel Waters," whispered a girlnear Betty.
"I have the honor to welcome you all as members in good standing of thenovice class, first-degree, Mysterious For," announced Miss Waters."That's all there is to the name, girls--when we decided to form a newsociety here in school some one asked 'What's it for?' So ourorganization became the Mysterious F-O-R, and you'll find out as timegoes on what the answer is. I might say, though, that happiness and goodfellowship and a little spice of sisterliness are what we try toincorporate in the unwritten bylaws. And now I think Aunt Nancy has somecake and ice-cream for us."
Saturday was a busy day for the one hundred and sixty odd girls who wereenrolled at Shadyside. Penance and pleasure had a way of marking off thehours. Those who were good were allowed to go twice a month to Edentown,chaperoned by a teacher, for shopping, moving picture treats, and suchother simple pleasures as the small city afforded. There were always anumber of girls sentenced to "within bounds," which were the spaciousschool grounds, for minor sins of omission and commission. Bobby Littellwas usually among these. She was impulsive and heedless, and got herselfinto hot water with amazing regularity.
"Bobby," announced Betty, one Saturday morning not long after theinitiation into the Mysterious For, "don't you think you could manage tohave a good record this coming week? We want to go nutting a week fromto-day, and if you have to stay in bounds it will spoil all the fun."
"I'll try my best," promised Bobby solemnly. "I never mean to do athing, Betty. Trouble is, I think afterward. I did want to go toEdentown to-day, too, but Libbie and Frances have promised to get thewool for my sweater. Want to come down to the gym? I'm going to drill mysquad this morning."
In the gymnasium they found Ada Nansen, also in charge of a squad.
"She flunked twice in French and was impudent to Madame," whisperedBobby, who knew all the school gossip. "Mrs. Eustice canceled herEdentown permit."
Ada frankly scowled at the newcomers. She had found the Littell girlsslow to overtures of friendship, and they persisted in displaying anannoying fancy for the society of Betty and the Guerin girls, who, forall Ada knew, might be what she described to her mother as "perfectnobodies." So Ada and Ruth Royal gradually formed a circle of their ownto which gravitated the more snobbish girls, those who fought, openly orcovertly, the rule for simple dressing, and those who found in Ada'scharacteristics of petty meanness, worship of money, and socialaspirations a response to similar urgings of their own natures.
"Well, Bobby, I'm glad to see you and your 'men,'" said Miss Andersonbriskly. "I was just saying to Ada that to-day is too beautiful to wasteindoors. I want you all to come out on the campus and we'll have a race."
Bobby's squad included Betty--who had refused to leave her chum--theGuerin girls (who refused to go to Edentown because it was almostimpossible to avoid spending money for little luxuries and fortreats), Constance Howard and Dora Estabrooke, a fat girl who wasgood-nature itself.
"We'll have to use elimination," said the teacher when she had her pupilsout on the green level that was back of the gymnasium and walled in bytall Lombardy poplars planted closely. "Let's see, twelve of you" (forAda's squad numbered the same). "I think we'll number off first."
The odd numbers in each squad fell out and were matched, and the evennumbers were paired similarly. Betty's rival was a near-sighted girl whodelayed the next step because Miss Anderson discovered that she waswearing high-heeled shoes.
"I don't care for those flat things," volunteered Violet Canby, as shedeparted lockerward at Miss Anderson's stern insistence. "I have a veryhigh instep, and they hurt me."
Nevertheless, she had to wear them, and the physical instructor put theothers through a rigid inspection, but bloomers and sneakers were allproperly donned.
"Now," said Miss Anderson when Violet had returned minus her pumps, "tryto remember that it's just like a spelling match, girls; gradually we'llnarrow down to the two best runners."
The trial "heats" resulted in leaving Betty, Bobby and Norma of the onesquad, and Ada, Ruth and a girl named Edith Harrison, of the other.
Norma was paired with Ruth Royal, and at the signal they got away nicely.Norma was an excellent runner, and she reached the tape fully three yardsahead of Ruth. Something in her glowing, happy face, prompted Ruth toresentment.
"Oh, well," she remarked disdainfully, taking care that her words shouldcarry clearly, "I suppose a farmer's daughter does a good deal of runningafter cows--they ought to be in training."
Norma flushed scarlet.
"My father is a doctor," she said hotly. "I'm not a farmer's daughter,but I know splendid girls who are--girls too well-bred to say a thinglike that."
Ruth walked away--she was out of the finals now--and Norma went back tothe starting place. She had not recovered her poise when the time camefor her to race Bobby, and that young person won easily only to beoutdistanced by Betty.
Rather to the latter's regret, she found herself the opponent of Ada forthe deciding race.
"Go it, Betty--beat her!" whispered Bobby, proud of her chum. "She andRuth Royal have dispositions like vinegar barrels!"
Betty had often raced with Bob, and she ran like a boy herself--headdown, elbows held in. She was running that way, against Ada, whensomething suddenly shunted her off sideways. She fell, landing in alittle heap. High and sharp rose the shrill whistle of the starter.
"Are you hurt, Betty?" demanded Miss Anderson, running up to the dazedgirl and lifting her to her feet. "Ada Nansen that was absolutely themost unsportsmanlike trick I ever saw. You've lost the race on a foul.Betty was clearly winning when you tripped her."
"I didn't," muttered Ada, but she refused to meet her teacher's eyes.
"I don't want a race on a f
oul," argued Betty pluckily, for her skinnedelbow was smarting madly. "Let's begin over."
She had her way, too, and this time won without interference, though Adawas so furious that Bobby was seriously concerned.
"She looks mad enough to put something in your soup," she told Betty, asthey went in to dress and have Betty's elbow attended to. "What is it,Caroline?"
"Two young gentlemen to see you, Miss Bobby and Miss Betty," announcedthe maid importantly. "They is waiting in the parlor. Mrs. Eustice saysyou all should go right up."
In the parlor the girls found two slim, uniformed young figures who roselike well-set-up ramrods at their entrance.
"Bob!" ejaculated Betty, her voice betraying her pleasure. "Bob, you looksplendid!"
Tommy Tucker glanced hopefully at Bobby.
"Don't I look splendid, too?" he asked.
"You're overshadowed by Bob," said Bobby mischievously. "However, whennot compared with him, I dare say you look rather well."