CHAPTER XVI
A PAUSE IN ROMANCE
A healthy body and plenty of wholesome activities, with books and sanethinking at home, kept Betty Lee from any morbid ideas or tendencies inregard to early love affairs. She was romantic, to be sure, having hadLarry in mind as her Prince Charming for some time. But with the pushinglessons and performances of her senior year there was not much time fordwelling upon "Love and Larry," an expression of her own and held in heryoung heart in connection with that evening of Valentine's day. It was"Eros, god of Love," that she remembered, not St. Valentine. Now thatshe had a room of her own, she could sleep every night with Larry'slittle valentine heart under her pillow, and his writing on the placecard with its astonishingly revealing verses was equally cherished. Notevery girl had a lover who was a poet.
And Larry had said that he loved her! She always came back to that. Itwas a little harder to get lessons now, for her thoughts had a trick ofwandering off and even in study hall she could sometimes see in hermind's eye that half embarrassed but very earnest young man who had bidher goodbye.
"What are you smiling about?" somebody would ask her, perhaps.
"Oh, just a pleasant thought," she would reply. "I occasionally haveone!"
G. A. A. affairs took much of her extra time. The Girl Reserves werehaving a banquet. Fortunately she was not on one of the committees. Shehoped to have a Girl Reserve ring at the spring ceremonial, when theyhad a beautiful service at one of the churches and the girls would be infull white uniform to march in. That ring, given not for advance inscholarship but in recognition of development in character, would meansomething to Betty. She had tried, not only to meet the various demands,but to be fair and just and kind and lend an ear to the various idealssuggested as graces in the well-rounded character. Betty loved the GirlReserves and all that they stood for. And what fun they could have, too,just like the scouts and camp-fire girls. If "nothing happened" shewould be allowed to go to camp again during some period after school wasout. Yet she could not plan beyond her diploma, for receiving that wouldmark one "jumping off place." Would there be anything left of her bythat time?
Her "grand rush" was occasionally recognized by her mother with a formalwelcome when she came home late. "Miss Lee, I believe?" her mother wouldinquire, offering her the tips of her fingers from a hand held high.
"Yes," Betty would reply, extending her own fingers, "glad to meet you."Then she usually received an embrace and a motherly kiss with asearching look into what was usually a blooming face. Sometimes shewould be tired out and then she was promptly told to stretch out forhalf an hour and "think of nothing." In the pleasant process of thinkingof--Larry Waite--she usually dropped to sleep, waking refreshed fordinner and the evening.
The inner hiking club of the G. A. A.'s had one winter hike, almost aspring hike, indeed, for a few birds were back in warm late Februarydays before March winds began. But pussy willows were in bud. Betty sawa bluebird, several robins, some downy and hairy woodpeckers, a whiskingtitmouse and two of his cousins, the black-capped titmice, orchickadees. But they were Carolina chickadees Betty thought, though theydid not make identification sure by singing. Only "chickadee-dee-dee,"they said. The hike was almost a committee meeting of those prominentseniors, for there was so much to plan. Betty was selling ticketsalready for the orchestra concert. She was in the "senior" orchestraindeed, in these days. Ted Dorrance and she had always that in common,love for the violin.
"It's a pity that Ted doesn't see more of you, Betty," said Doris, onetime when she had been unusually thoughtful, sitting in Betty's room tohear all about an orchestra practice when three boys had been sent to"D. T.," otherwise known as "detention," by a leader whose patience wasexhausted in enduring various capers.
"Why?" asked Betty.
"Because you are both so crazy about the violin. Wouldn't it be fine tomarry somebody like Ted?"
"Ted is nice enough for any one," said Betty and meant it. "But imaginetwo people practicing on violins. The neighbors would never stand it."
This seemed to amuse Doris very much and after she finished laughing sheannounced that she quite agreed. But Doris never knew that once Bettyhad had almost the same idea, never fully acknowledged, even to herself.Then there was Arthur Penrose, so congenial in every way, always to be afriend. But some one else had become so dear. Betty was sure that shenever would change this time.
In March the results of the endurance swim were proclaimed and publishedin the Lyon's _Roar_. Betty Lee led with the highest individual score,and naturally this senior class stood highest of the classes. PerhapsBetty's influence and swimming had helped make swimming popular with thegirls of her class, for she had taken honors almost from the first.
The faculty played its annual game with the boys' basketball team, withthe usual fun. But some of the faculty played well and though the boys,as usual, beat, it was not without some effort. Then the ladies of thefaculty who could play had a game with the girls of basketball fame, ina game which Amy Lou pronounced a "scream." Betty saved her adorableMiss Heath from a bad fall which seemed imminent, but made the basketinstead of her.
Betty attended to the matter of a nominating committee for G. A. A.officers for the next year. That would be accomplished in advance thistime and the junior girls would have the advantage of planning with thepresent officers. Then came the life-saving tests for juniors andseniors. Betty, as she practiced for hers, tried to imagine how it wouldseem in the ocean waves that she remembered from the last summer. Herthoughts of Larry became less of a beautiful dream. They faced thereality that she had not heard from him.
How fortunate that she had made a confidant of no one. She felt surethat he had been in earnest. Betty could trust a friend. Yet after all,he had merely told her that he loved her. Perhaps it was a suddenimpulse. Some people were like that, she knew. A kiss didn't meananything to them. But she had felt that Larry was of a higher type. Shehad all the experience of last summer and her acquaintance with him toprove that.
Very well. Something might have happened. She most certainly would notassume that Larry had bound himself to her in any way. Her pride, ifnothing else, would keep her friendly. And oh, how fortunate that he hadnot asked her if _she_ loved _him_! That would have been hard, thoughBetty did not reason that hurt pride would enter into that situation.
At all events, whatever the cause, budding warmth in love was decidedlychilled. With her usual determination, Betty filled her mind as well asher time, with all that was going on in relation to school. She did notsee Marcella, as it happened, for Marcella was as busy as she, and aftera few little trips back and forth between the houses, shortly after theimportant party, each girl was busy with her separate school andfriends. Marcella had merely said once that it was such a pity Larry hadto rush off that way but that her father had to call on him often."Father isn't very well, you know, and the business seems to bother hima good deal lately."
Betty had looked sympathetic and interested, but asked no questions.Another pleasant outlook was hinted at by Marcella, when she said thatseveral of her very special friends were "absolutely charmed" by Betty.That meant the sorority girls that were there. But that matter wouldtake care of itself in the future. Time enough when she was in theuniversity.
One consolation, the weeks flew by so fast that there was no time togrieve over anybody's neglect. Betty was so tired that she fell asleepalmost as soon as her head rested upon her pillow every night. But sheceased to have that pleasant anticipation of a letter. Happy expectancychanged into as calm an acceptance as she could master. The heart andthe bit of verse were put away gently in a repository for specialtreasures, though not without regret. There was no tucking her handunder her pillow to see if Larry's "heart" were safely there.
One good result of keeping her mind on school was that she "positively"could not give way to "spring fever." She told Carolyn that she wasgoing on every G. A. A. hike and get her fifty points for fifty milestoward
the school letter, as announced.
"Seems to me your astonishing speed this spring is almost feverish,"jokingly returned Carolyn, who was taking matters more easily. "Why nothave a good time this last stretch?"
But Betty shook her head. "I'll have a better time if I take ineverything," said she, "but last fall's hikes and our Christmas hike _ala_ the G. A. A. winter bird census are counting, of course."
"How many 'all around' L's do you want, Betty?"
"Never mind. I'm going to try for Miss Heath's Latin prize, too, andyou'll see me with my Virgil and prose comp under my arm on every hike."
"I think you've lost your mind, Betty. They'll put over your grave,'Ambition killed her!'"
"Not likely," laughed Betty, "but you shouldn't joke on serioussubjects. Honestly, now that we've passed our life-saving tests, outsideof our getting ready for senior examinations there isn't much left butpure fun. Yes, I do feel a little nervous over the big concert, for thefirst violins have a lot to handle in some of the music, but that willsoon be over. By the way, I'm selling tickets for that; so if you thinkyou or any of your friends would enjoy the concert, please buy them ofme."
"Goose! I'm in it, too! But I'm not selling tickets, so I'll order thosefor the family of you."
Betty knew well that Carolyn was singing with the chorus, but both girlswere in high spirits that afternoon, swinging along on their own privatelittle hike in the Gwynne grounds. February and March had passed. It wasmore than six weeks since the great occasion at Marcella's. The centralfeature of this walk and visit with Carolyn was to talk over thecommittee to be appointed by the vice-president of the G. A. A. inregard to the "Honor Girl." This committee would consist of severalteachers and representatives of each class, who would receive andconsider the petitions, presented at an early date and naming candidatesfor the honor.
Selma Rardon was the vice-president and had consulted with Betty aboutthe appointments. "I told Selma that I wasn't going to make a singlesuggestion, but she has a good committee and I think that there will bea number of petitions. We'll have almost too good a variety to choosefrom. O Carolyn, you are the loveliest girl in the class and my name isgoing on a petition for you!"
"I wonder if you could guess whom _I'm_ going to suggest as Honor Girl.I'd love to wear the ring, I'll confess. All of us want it; but I knowwho deserves it most!"