CHAPTER XIV
THE FRESHMEN ENTERTAIN
Friday arrived, clear and sunshiny, with just enough chill in the air tomake sweaters comfortable.
The Freshmen class were so excited that they found it impossible to payany attention in classes. The teachers, for the most part, understoodand forgave, except the Spartan, who was, of course, more trying thanusual.
After the last bell the Freshmen met in one of the classrooms to decideabout the last details. Although they had no class officers, it wasalmost always Lois who acted as president at all their meetings. Suchwas the case today.
"Everybody stop talking for one second," she commanded, swinging herselfto the top of the desk. "The first thing to think about is food," shecontinued, as the girls dropped into chairs, and there was a lull in theconversation.
Betty jumped up, announcing emphatically:
"You may count me out on that; no more squashed lemons for littleBetty."
"There's not much to get ready," Polly remarked. "There's the rolls andbacon--they're ordered--and the ginger pop, the potato chips, and theapples and bananas are here. There's really nothing to make but theBoston brown bread sandwiches. Who'll make them?" And she lookedquestioningly at the two Dorothys.
"We will," volunteered one of them. "What goes in between--cream cheeseand grape jelly?"
"Yes," answered Betty, "and for goodness' sake, Dot, don't get originaland put anything else in on your own hook."
"Betty, do be serious for once," pleaded Lois. "There's loads to bedone. Have you finished the song, Angela?"
"Yes, and I say we wait until we've finished supper and are all sittingaround the fire before we sing it to them," suggested Angela.
Everybody agreed that that was a good idea.
"It's to the tune of 'There is a Tavern Near the Town,' isn't it?" askedRoberta Andrews. "I haven't learned the words yet."
"Oh," Lois interrupted, jumping down from the desk, "we forgot all aboutthe straw for the wagon. Berta, will you and Ruth see to that? MacDonaldsaid we could have as much as we wanted if we'd go to the stable and getit."
"All right, that will be a lark," agreed Berta. "Come on, Ruth, we'dbetter get right at it now." And the two girls, after partinginstructions from Lois, left for the stable.
"If we are going to make those sandwiches," began Dot Mead, "we'd bettergo, too."
"Righto!" agreed her twin in name, and together they started for thekitchen.
"And now what are you going to do with me, Ruler of the Universe?"inquired Connie.
Lois looked at her for a minute and then replied:
"I think you and Angela might go out and cut sticks to broil the baconon."
"Cut their fingers off, you mean. Certainly not," exploded Betty. "Theymay find the sticks, but I will do the whittling."
And taking Connie and Angela each by an arm, Betty escorted them out ofthe room.
When Lois and Polly were left alone, they hugged each other joyously.
"And now for the express-room," Polly whispered mysteriously.
At five o'clock the big farm wagon, filled with hay and drawn by two biggray horses, was waiting in the driveway under the Bridge of Sighs.
"Everything in?" shouted Angela. "Steamer rugs and food?"
"Yes, all in," answered Betty, who was patting the horses' noses.
Polly and Lois were standing just around the corner of the house and outof sight of the other girls.
"Now's the time to get it in," whispered the latter. She used the samemysterious tone of voice in which Polly had spoken of the express-roomearlier in the day.
A few minutes later, under the hurry and excitement of starting, theysmuggled a large box, unnoticed, under the driver's seat.
"Safe and sound, and nobody saw," Lois whispered softly. "Every one in?"she called out. "All aboard."
The Seniors were each seated beside a Freshman, Louise Preston wasbetween Lois and Polly. Miss Stuart and Miss Porter, who werechaperoning the party, sat beside the driver, where all good chaperonsought to sit.
As the barge rolled out of the school grounds, the girls sang thefavorite Seddon Hall song, which ended in the words:
"It's the only school in the wide, wide world."
At first, things were a little dull. There was a big distance betweenthe oldest and youngest classes of the upper school, but after a whilethe Seniors forgot their dignity and the Freshmen their respect.
When Flat Rock, a huge boulder with a table top, overlooking a smalllake, was reached, everybody was in the best of spirits, and they piledout and helped unload.
Polly and Lois, as before, captured the mysterious box and managed tohide it in the bushes. A camp fire, under Miss Stuart's direction, wassoon blazing, and the girls were seated on rugs and pillows, toastingbacon.
Now every one knows that a bacon bat is loads of fun to talk aboutbefore it happens, and to remember afterwards, but the actual eating ofthe bacon, which is always burned long before it is cooked, is not somuch fun in itself.
This bacon bat was like every other. When the bacon was all gone, and agood deal of it had been surreptitiously thrown away, every one lookedaround for something to really eat. The sandwiches were not verysatisfying, and it was too soon to offer the bananas.
The Freshmen began to look uneasy. It entered their heads that perhapstheir party was not going to be the success they had planned. Then justas Polly and Lois were exchanging glances, Betty, who was hunting formore wood for the fire, stumbled over the mysterious box.
"Hello, what's this?" she called. "Why, it says Freshman Class on it."
Every one pounced on the box and opened it, to find a big fat turkey allcarved but held together by a narrow white ribbon, paper plates andnapkins and drinking cups, cranberry jelly, a huge chocolate cake, anyquantity of cookies, and boxes of candy.
Well, you can imagine the surprise. As each new item was unpacked, therewas a chorus of exclamations, such as:
"Where under the sun did it come from?"
"Do look at the immense turkey!"
"Somebody knew I loved home-made cookies!"
"Please, all, leave me alone with this chocolate cake!"
No one knew where it came from except Betty, who caught on at once, andPolly and Lois made her keep still. It was a royal spread, which meanseverybody ate more than was good for them.
When it was finally over and they were all sitting comfortably aroundthe fire, the Freshmen started singing Angela's song:
"There is a flat rock near the school, near the school, Where we abandon every rule, every rule, And mingle with the Seniors fair And never, never think of care!
You're the oldest class of all the year, all the year, And we're the very youngest here, youngest here, Three years will pass and we'll be Seniors, too, And we're going to try to be like you!
Fare thee well, for we must leave you, Do not let this parting grieve you, But remember that the best of friends must part, Adieu, dear Seniors fair, adieu, adieu, adieu, We can no longer stay with you, stay with you, Three rousing cheers for the class of '15, They are the best we've ever seen!"
(Angela never was satisfied with the last line.) Louise Preston wassitting with Lois and Polly on either side of her, and as the songended, she put her arm around each of them.
"This has been the very best party of the whole year," she said, "and Ithink I know something about the way the wonderful box came to be here."
Polly and Lois tried to appear very innocent, but it was of no use.Finally Polly said:
"Well, perhaps you do, but please don't tell any one what you know."
"All right, I promise," Louise said, "but I will tell _you_ two thismuch--you're quite the sweetest children in the school, and I can't tellyou how much I and the rest of the Seniors appreciate all the things youhave done for us this year."
"I'll tell you how you can--" laughed Lois "--by letting us help somemore."
It was now the Seniors' turn to ch
eer, and they did it most heartily,calling each Freshman's name in turn. Then Betty, who was very full ofturkey and bananas, got up to make a speech.
"'Friends, Romans and Countrymen,'" she began, "lend me your ears." Thenmimicking the chaplain, she continued: "My dear young friends, tonighthas been one of the pleasures never to be forgotten. The bacon wasperhaps not all that it might have been, but surely we can afford tooverlook that in the face of this blessed turkey."
"Somebody throw something at Betty; she's off," Angela called.
"Come and help reload," suggested Connie.
With a few muttered remarks about an unappreciative audience, Bettybrought her speech to a laughing close and turned to, with a will, toreplace the rugs and pillows. In a short time everything was in, and thewagon started for home.
It was a glorious ride. The Freshmen repeated their song and cheered andcheered the Seniors, and the Seniors returned the compliment.
When there was a lull in the singing, as they passed through thevillage, Betty, almost asleep in the hay, grunted:
"You may all thank me for this party; it never would have happened if Ihadn't squashed that bally lemon."
The wagon drew up under the Bridge of Sighs, just as the big schoolclock tolled ten o'clock. The girls parted with many thanks on bothsides, and they were all conscious that they would remember this as thejolliest evening of the year.
As Polly and Lois said good night in the latter's room, Lois said:
"Well, it was a success, and no one but Bet and Louise guessed about thebox."
"Wasn't it!" agreed Polly. "I'm awfully glad we thought of it; we'd havestarved if we hadn't. I think the Seniors enjoyed it, too. Isn't Louisea darling? Do you know, Lo, if I wasn't so strongly opposed to'crushes,' I might get an awful one on Louise."
"Could you?" smiled Lois in reply. "I'll tell you a secret--I've hadquite a desperate one on her myself for two years."
Later, as Polly slipped into bed, she said aloud to the pictures on thewall:
"What a wonderful box it was." And closing her eyes she murmuredsleepily: "Bless Uncle Roddy's heart."