CHAPTER IX
THE SENIORS ENTERTAIN
The A-D party was probably the first "official" senior duty, orpleasure, said Betty. It was the entertainment of the D class, orfreshmen, by the A class, or seniors. By long custom it was celebratedat the beginning of the year and constituted a sort of initiation oradoption of the freshman class into Lyon High. There was nothingdifficult about it and much that was sheer fun, including therefreshments. Oh, yes, it might be mentioned that it was confinedentirely to the senior and freshman girls. No masculine member of thefreshman class was ever asked to dress in more or less infantile fashionand so appear, at a party and even in some fashion that marked them, atleast, during the day at school which preceded the party.
One morning, as Betty was getting her locker open, a shy, attractivelittle freshman girl came up to her. "Please, Miss--Betty Lee, are youtoo busy to tell me something?"
"Always ready to impart knowledge," jokingly Betty replied, putting abook on the shelf of her locker and taking another out. "What can I dofor you, Eileen? Did you get my invitation to the A-D party?"
"Yes--that's it. Thank you so much for asking me to be your 'littlesister.' I've felt better ever since to have a girl like you ask me."The slight girl looked at Betty and continued.
"I thought I'd better ask you about it because I've heard so many thingsabout what the freshman girls have to do, dressing up like babies andgoing around all day at school that way. And must we look _crazy_?"
"No," laughed Betty, "just 'cute,' and while you are supposed to havesome badge of childhood all day, you needn't be dressed that way atclasses. Bring whatever you are going to dress up in to school and putit in your locker. You have such nice hair--why don't you have longcurls and tie them with a ribbon. You would look _darling_!"
The rather worried face brightened. "Why, I used to have curls! I'lljust do it, Betty Lee. Thanks awfully."
"You'll make a hit in classes," said Betty. "Excuse me, I'll have torun. See me again if you have any doubts about anything."
"That is Betty Lee," explained Eileen to the freshman girl she joined onleaving the vicinity of Betty's locker. "I just _adore_ her! She's goingto take me to the A-D party."
"Oh, I've seen her. She's a _very_ prominent senior and wins swimmingmatches and everything."
It was a pity that Betty could not hear this sincere freshman tribute,but as it was she was likely to be spoiled enough, if Betty could bespoiled, before her senior year was over.
"Girls," Betty, chairman of the A-D entertainment committee, said thatday after school, to an assembled few whom she had asked to stay, "thereabsolutely isn't time to get up a real play or anything we have to_learn_. How are we going to entertain the freshmen? Speak up, ladies,or else 'forever after,' and so forth."
"Are we supposed to be the 'cast?'" asked Mary Jane Andrews.
"You are."
"Then I speak for a pantomime."
This statement met with a general giggle from the seniors as well assome applause.
"What pantomime do you _know_, Mary Jane?" severely asked Betty, rappingfor order and pretending to glare at Mary Jane.
"Well--I don't just think of one right now!"
"Why not give the Tragedy of the Lighthouse Keeper?" Selma Rardonsuggested.
"Has that been given lately?"
"Not that I know of."
"Who does know?"
"I know positively," said Dotty Bradshaw, "what the seniors have donesince we were freshmen ourselves. It's always written up in the _LyonRoar_, you know. What they did back in the ages doesn't concern us, youknow."
"Is it as old as that?" asked Carolyn.
"I'm sure I don't know how old it is, but the freshmen could stand it ifthey've heard it before--I mean, _seen_ it. It's all in the funnycostumes and acting anyhow and with the present _cast_ anything could bedone."
"Yes," laughed Betty, "I'm afraid of that!"
At that the girls all claimed to be desperately offended and Kathrynsaid she was sure she could not act after such an implication.
"I take it all back. It was too good an opportunity to lose, Dotty. Youare always getting things off on us. Well, now, shall we decide to takeSelma's suggestion? I'm just swamped with work and with Mary Jane andMary Emma saying that they will see to ordering the refreshments andgetting somebody to bring the ice-cream over to the gym, that is oneload off. Now if we decide on this, one practice will be enough, just toknow when to do what. Dotty, will you be director?"
"You don't need a director, Betty. I'd rather be the villain. I have alovely pirate costume of my brother's."
"Good. You'll make a beautiful villain, then. Be sure your knife is madeof pasteboard."
"What else?" laughed Dotty.
"Do you think, Betty, that our freshman children ought to see such apantomime?"
"We might change it, Carolyn, and have the lighthouse keeper onlyslightly injured and the villain caught. Carolyn, _you_ be director!"
"All right. I'd rather do that than act in that dizzy thing."
Plans were at last all made, parts assigned, the time for the onepractice in the gym set. Betty knew that she could count on these girlsand went off to the next thing on hand as school girls do, dismissingall immediate responsibility.
The freshmen naturally took the event more seriously than their seniorentertainers, for they were the ones who had to make themselvesconspicuous all day at school. They blossomed forth in childisharrangement of hair as far as possible, if it were nothing more thanwearing a hair ribbon, and that whether the children of the period worehair ribbons or not. Bibs or wide collars were the order of the day.Sashes decorated otherwise ordinary dresses, though lockers were full ofchildish outfits.
As the freshmen girls much outnumbered the seniors, it was necessary fora senior girl to escort more than one freshman. And to the relief of thefreshmen, they remained in the home room until called for, each seniordoing her best to make her freshmen girls feel at ease and happy overthe fun.
"We might call it a 'tea dance,'" said Betty, as she escorted her twofreshmen over to the girls' gymnasium. "First we'll have a bit of aprogram, a sort of welcome to the freshmen. Then there will be a sillylittle play; and then we'll dance, and have refreshments. It's easy gymdancing, you know. You look just lovely, girls! How in the world did Ihappen to pick two long-haired freshmen?"
Betty's "baby sisters" did happen to have a taking arrangement of theirhair. Eileen had long black curls, caught back at the proper places byribbons, and the other, known as Ann, wore her hair in two tight brownbraids. Although her hair was drawn straight back from her face, oddlyenough the effect was becoming.
The first event was announced as the "Freshman Initiation" and little"ohs," and "oh dear, how awful!" ran through the assembled freshmen. Butthe initiation turned out to be only a "Baby Parade" in which thefreshmen marched in time to music and rather enjoyed showing offthemselves and their funny costumes. There was also a ridiculous pledgeread by one of the senior girls with great sobriety, hard to maintainamid the giggles and occasional shrieks of laughter from the freshmenwho listened. All the ridiculous things that Dotty Bradshaw could thinkof were included in this freshman pledge, such as sweeping curtseys tothe senior girls whenever they met them in the halls or on the street.But by some "oversight," as Betty announced later, Dotty forgot to havethe pledge passed to be signed.
Whether or not any of the freshmen had seen or taken part in a "Tragedyof the Lighthouse Keeper" did not appear to matter, for they laughed asheartily as could be desired. First appeared Selma as the lighthousekeeper, wearing a long coat and an ancient vest over her own dress.True, her pretty silk hose and low shoes looked a bit incongruous, butBetty had announced that imagination had a good deal to do with thispantomime.
The lighthouse keeper picked up his lantern and began to go aroundbefore the audience in large circles, gradually narrowing. His stepsbegan to grow slower as he was supposed to ascend the circu
lar stair tothe light. And now, what was that figure that stealthily entered theouter circles, crept round and round and within the narrower circlesgradually approaching the lighthouse keeper? Dotty, in full piratecostume, velvet knee breeches, sash and large pasteboard knife, paintedred, was received with shrieks of delight, though Eileen said to Annthat it almost made her nervous to see them going round and round.
But every one's imagination could picture the ascending circular stairsto the top of the lighthouse. Presently the dramatic moment came; thepirate pounced, and the lighthouse keeper lay stretched in the middle ofthe inner circles. Round and round, down the imaginary stairs, ran thepirate, with comical and shifty glances here and there and glaring eyesturned upon the audience--such expression as only Dotty could give. Thepirate disappeared, presumably having satisfied a revenge "orsomething."
Next came three happy children, hand in hand at first. These were thetwo Marys, Mary Emma Howland and Mary Jane Andrews, with Kathryn Allen,all dressed in extreme childish costume. They danced and cavorted beforethe audience and finally started upon the circles. Naturally, afterclimbing, with the usual change of gait as they rose higher and higher,they came upon the tragic figure of their father. With silent grief andmuch expressive action, the children performed their part, rapidly going"down" the circles once more.
More action. Another senior girl appeared, dressed in a disreputable oldhouse dress. She hears the news, rather sees it in pantomime and startsup the stairs. Tragic action again. Down from the dizzy height in dizzycircles, whirling in her haste. The telephone, the doctor with his case,the ascent. Gwen Penrose made a good doctor and had great difficulty,puffing and panting, in making the "ascent." Between them the wife andthe doctor had to carry down the lighthouse keeper, the most difficultfeat of all, and one which, shocking to relate, aroused neither sympathynor sorrow in their audience. It was too ridiculous. And with this thepantomime suddenly ended, as it is supposed to end, though one freshmanin front said, "Well, what next? How does it turn out?"
But Gwen, whisking off her cotton wrapper because it was too hot,overheard and laughingly replied, "It doesn't turn out at all. That'sthe end and the rest is left to the imagination."
They were just serving the sandwiches when some one came, to stand inthe door of the gym and look in. There was a rustle among those near thedoor and Betty Lee almost dropped the plate she was passing when shelooked to see an easily poised, well-dressed figure in the door andrecognized the black eyes and smiling face of--Lucia Coletti!
"Lucia!" cried several of the girls and in a moment Lucia wassurrounded.
"I heard that you seniors were up to something, so we drove around and Icame over here," Lucia explained, to answer the "who, where and what"expressed and unexpressed by her friends. Then Betty insisted that shemust meet all of the freshmen and clapped her hands for order. "I wantyou all to know one of our finest senior girls, Lucia Coletti, fromMilan, Italy. Don't forget how to pronounce her name, Loo-_shee_-a! Andthat you may appreciate your school all the more, let me tell you thather father and mother, Count and Countess Coletti, are letting her cometo finish her high school course here because she wants a Lyon Highdiploma! Let's give her a Lyon High cheer!"
Even the experienced Lucia was almost overcome at this, as in femininetreble seniors, and freshmen cheered. "Lucia, rah! Lucia, rah!Rah-rah--Lucia!"
"Oh, you Betty!" said Lucia, her face flushed; but she smiled ateverybody and carried it off as best she could.
"Speech!" cried Dotty, her face full of mischief. "Speech! Speech!"
"All right," said Lucia. "I might as well say something first as last, Isuppose, Dotty. I am ever so glad to meet you freshmen and I am sorrythat I could not get here in time for the whole entertainment. I almostwish I were a freshman, too, to have all the good times over again. Yes,I _do_ want a Lyon High diploma, and besides that I have made friendshere that I can never give up in my whole life. I am pretty well torn topieces between loving my own country and this one, too, but I believethat one can have--opportunities and friends everywhere!"
This was quite a long speech for Lucia. "If I had thought I'd have tosay anything, I probably wouldn't have come; but I just stepped rightinto Lyon High atmosphere, didn't I? and it seemed natural." So she toldBetty presently. Lucia's bit of Italian accent was a little morepronounced since having talked in her own tongue all summer, and it madequite an impression. She was new for most of the freshmen, but Eileenexplained to Ann that she was Mr. Murchison's niece and that she hadbeen in America with her mother "for some reason or other" at theMurchison place and had attended Lyon High till the Count came for them.
"I imagine that Betty Lee knows her terribly well, or she wouldn't haveintroduced her like that."
Meanwhile Lucia's special friends were making a fuss over her with whichher father's title had nothing to do. Mathilde, to be sure, wasassiduous in her attentions.
"You're here in time for ice-cream, Lucia," said Dotty. "Mary Emma,hurry a plate of it around. Lucia is almost melted, but I hope theice-cream isn't."
"The ice-cream is just right, Dotty," firmly said Mary Emma and Luciaadded, "Like every other senior attempt."
"Good for you, Lucia. You are always loyal. How does it seem to be asenior?"
"Glorious! It may seem better after I get my work made up, though. Whatdo you think, Betty? Mother and Father came over, too, deciding at thelast minute and they are going to take an 'all-American' tour this fall,be here for Christmas, go to Florida, sail for South America, come backto see me graduate and take me home. That is, all that is _planned_."
The Murchison chauffeur, who came back to the school for Lucia, took afull load of girls to their different homes. Betty was the last to bedelivered and Lucia had whispered to her, in the retirement of the backseat, "It's just like one continuous honeymoon with them now, Betty, andI am the very happiest girl you ever knew. A lot of it is due to yourgood advice, Betty."
"Nonsense!" said Betty. "You would have seen what to do anyway."
"I'm not so sure."