Grace Harlowes Second Year at Overton College | Page 9

reply. "I prefer this room."
"You can't have it," returned Mrs. Elwood decisively.

"But I insist upon remaining where I am," persisted the intruder. "If
necessary, I will allow Miss Harlowe or her roommate to occupy the
other half of the room."
"I have told you that you can not have the room," exclaimed Mrs.
Elwood, eyeing her obstinate antagonist with growing disfavor. "If you
do not wish to take the room at the end of the hall, then I have nothing
else in the house to offer you. No doubt you can find board to suit you
in some other house."
"I wish to stay here," returned the Anarchist stubbornly. "Let Miss
Harlowe have the room at the end of the hall."
Sheer exasperation held Mrs. Elwood silent for a moment. The
Anarchist peered defiantly at her from under her bushy eyebrows. She
made no move toward vacating the room of which she had so coolly
taken possession.
"We'll go for our bags and suit cases, Mrs. Elwood," suggested Grace
wickedly. "We left them in Miriam's room."
"Very well," returned the intrepid landlady. "Your room will be ready
for you when you return."
"That is what I call a stroke of genius on your part, Grace," remarked
Miriam, as they entered her room. "Mrs. Elwood can deal with the
Anarchist more summarily without an audience."
"It must be very humiliating for that Miss Atkins," mused Anne, "but
it's her own fault." "Of course it's her own fault," emphasized Elfreda.
"She doesn't appear to know when the pleasure of her company is
requested elsewhere."
"Shall we go now?" asked Anne, lifting her heavy suit case preparatory
to moving.
"Not yet," counseled Grace. "We must give her time enough to get out
of sight before we appear."

Elfreda boldly took up her station at the door and reported faithfully the
enemy's movements. After a twenty minutes' wait, the stout girl closed
the door with a bang, exclaiming triumphantly: "She's gone! She just
paraded down the hall carrying her goods and chattels. Mrs. Elwood
stalked behind carrying a hat box. She looked like an avenging angel.
Hurry up, now, and move in before the Anarchist changes her mind and
comes back to take possession all over again."
Grace and Anne lost no time in taking Elfreda's advice. Five minutes
later they were back in their old room. "Stay here a while, girls,"
invited Grace. Miriam and Elfreda had assisted their friends with their
luggage.
"How nice your room looks," praised Miriam. "I like that wall paper. It
is so dainty. Your favorite blue, too, Grace. I wonder if Mrs. Elwood
knew that blue was your color?"
"I suppose so," returned Grace. "Two-thirds of my clothes are blue, you
know. I must run downstairs and thank her for championing our cause.
I won't be gone five minutes."
"We must go," declared Miriam. "We are going to begin unpacking
to-night."
Running lightly down the stairs, Grace thrust her head between the
portieres that separated the living-room from the hall. Mrs. Elwood sat
reading her magazine as placidly as though nothing had happened
within the last hour to disturb her equanimity.
"Thank you ever so much, Mrs. Elwood," said Grace gratefully,
walking up to the dignified matron and shyly offering her hand.
"Nonsense, child!" was the reply. "You have nothing for which to
thank me. You don't suppose I would allow a new boarder to infringe
upon the rights of my old girls, do you?"
"No," admitted Grace. "I'm sorry that things had to happen that way,"
she added regretfully.

"Don't you worry about it any more, Miss Harlowe," comforted the
older woman. "It's nothing you are to blame for. You had the first right
to the room. I gave this girl Miss Gaines's old room. Her roommate is
to be a freshman, too. She hasn't arrived yet. Miss Atkins decided to
pick out her own room, I imagine. Evidently she took a fancy to yours.
As soon as you girls had gone, she gave me one awful look, gathered
up her belongings, and went to the other room without another word. I
picked up two or three things she dropped and carried them down for
her. I wouldn't be sorry if she went to some other house to board. She
looks like a trouble maker."
Grace was of the same opinion, but did not say so. Always eager to
excuse other people's shortcomings, she found it hard to account for the
feeling of strong dislike that had risen within her during her first
encounter with the young woman Elfreda had laughingly named the
Anarchist. She had hoped that the four freshmen at Wayne Hall would
be girls whom it would be a pleasure to know. She had looked forward
to meeting these newcomers and to assisting them