Grace Harlowes Third Year at Overton College | Page 5

aloud, much to Mrs.
Elwood's amusement. "I'll have to go back and tell Miriam," she
finished.
"But why did they lock their door?" asked Miriam, when Elfreda had
repeated her information.
"I don't know," returned Elfreda thoughtfully. "Yes, I do know!" she
exclaimed with sudden inspiration. "I think Grace was afraid she might
have a repetition of last year's performance."
"'Last year's performance,'" repeated Miriam in a puzzled tone.
"Yes, don't you remember the Anarchist?" retorted Elfreda, with a
reminiscent grin.
"Of course!" exclaimed Miriam, laughing a little at the recollection.
"Wasn't she formidable, though, when she slammed the door in our
faces?"
Elfreda nodded. "She is all right now. At least she was when she visited
me. I never saw a girl blossom and expand as she did. Pa liked her. He

thought she was smart. She is, too. She has lived so entirely with that
scientific father of hers that she has absorbed all sorts of odds and ends
of knowledge from him. That is why college and girls and the whole
thing terrified her."
"Terrified her," said Miriam incredulously. "I thought matters quite the
reverse."
"That was precisely what I thought until she told me that, no matter
how vengeful she looked, she was always afraid of the girls. She never
seemed to be able to say the right thing at the right moment. That was
why she used to scowl so fiercely when any one spoke or looked at
her."
"I don't think it was altogether fear of the girls that caused her to lock
us out that day," observed Miriam, a gleam of laughter appearing in her
black eyes.
"I don't suppose it was," retorted Elfreda good-humoredly. "She says
she knows her disposition to be anything but angelic. But she is trying,
Miriam. You wait and see for yourself how the new Laura Atkins
behaves."
"But to go back to the subject of the door, what makes you think Grace
locked it on account of last year?" persisted Miriam.
"Oh, I don't know," answered Elfreda vaguely. "I just thought so, that's
all."
"We'll ask her when she comes, just for fun," declared Miriam. "Why
not go downstairs and sit on the back veranda with Mrs. Elwood? We
can hear the girls as soon as they come into the yard."
"All right," agreed Elfreda. "Do you care if I take my magazine along?
I am not quite through with an article I began this morning."
"I object seriously," smiled Miriam. "I shall expect you to entertain me.
You can finish reading your article later."

Elfreda glanced up quickly from the magazine she held in her hand.
Then, catching sight of her friend's smiling face, she tucked her
magazine under one arm, linked her free arm through Miriam's and
marched her toward the stairs. They had reached the foot of the stairs
and were half way down the hall when the sound of voices caused both
girls to stand still, listening intently.
"That sounds like Grace's voice!" exclaimed Elfreda. With one accord
they turned about, hurrying to the veranda at the front of the house in
time to see Grace and Anne approaching. Both girls were laden with
luggage, while between them walked an alert little figure, tugging a bag
of golf sticks, a fat, black leather hand bag and a camera.
"What manner of woman have we here?" muttered Elfreda, regarding
the newcomer with quizzical eyes.
But before Miriam found time to reply the newcomer set her luggage in
the middle of the walk, and running up to Miriam and Elfreda, said
with a frank laugh: "This is Miriam and this is Elfreda. You see I know
both of you from Mabel's description."
"Who--what--" began Elfreda.
"Girls," said Grace, who had by this time come up with the animated
stranger, "this is Miss West, a friend of Mabel Ashe's. My telegram was
from Mabel asking me to meet Miss West, and as Anne and I were on
the porch when it came, and the train we were to meet was due, we
didn't stop for explanations or hats, but raced down the street as fast as
we could go."
While Grace was talking, Kathleen West was shaking hands vigorously
with Miriam and Elfreda. "I'm so glad to know you," she said, "and I
think I'm going to like you. I'm not so sure about liking college, even
though I've worked so hard to get here. I hope to goodness I don't flunk
in the exams."
"I am sure that any friend of Mabel's is bound to be ours also," said
Miriam courteously. She had not made up her mind regarding the

newcomer.
"Thank you. From what she said I should imagine that you and she
were on very good terms," returned the stranger lightly. "Of course you
know who