Grace Harlowes Third Year at Overton College | Page 6

I am and all about me."
Grace smiled. "Not yet, but we are willing to hear anything you wish to
tell us."
"Oh, that's so!" exclaimed the stranger. "Mabel wrote about me, but her
letter hasn't reached you yet, and, of course, telegrams can't be very
lengthy unless you wish to spend a fortune or the office has a franchise.
There I go again about the office. I might as well tell the truth and have
done with it: I'm a newspaper woman."
CHAPTER III
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Miriam smiled involuntarily, Grace looked surprised, Elfreda
indifferent, and Anne amused. The word "woman" seemed absurdly out
of place from the lips of this girl who looked as though she had just
been promoted to long dresses.
"Oh, yes, I know I look not more than eighteen," quickly remarked
Kathleen West, noticing Miriam's smile. "But I'm not. I'm twenty-two
years old, and I've been on a newspaper for four years. Why, that's the
way I earned my money to come here. I'll tell you about it some other
time. It's too long a story for now. Besides, I'm hungry. At what time
are we to be fed and are the meals good? I have no illusions regarding
boarding houses."
"The meals are excellent," replied Anne. "You must have dinner with
us. Then we will see about securing a room for you. I think you will be
able to get in here. This used to be considered a freshman house, but all
those who were freshmen with us have stayed on, and if last year's
freshmen stay, too, then Wayne Hall will be full and--"

"I won't get in," finished the young woman calmly.
"Come into the house now and meet Mrs. Elwood," invited Grace.
"Then you can learn your fate."
"Yes, I can just make room for you," Mrs. Elwood was saying a few
minutes later. "Miss Evans is not coming back, and Miss Acker is
going to Livingstone Hall. Her two particular friends are there. Miss
Dean wishes to room alone this year, so that disposes of the vacancy
left by Miss Acker. But the half of the room Miss Evans had is not
occupied. It is on the second floor at the east end of the hall."
"Then I'll take it," returned Kathleen promptly, "and move in at once. I
may not stay here long, but at least I'll be happy while I stay. But if I
should survive all these exams, there will be cause for rejoicing and I'll
give a frolic that you will all remember, or my name's not Kathleen
West. Is there any one who would love to help me upstairs with my
things?"
"Well, what do you think of her?" asked Elfreda abruptly. Having
helped Kathleen to her room with her luggage they had left her to
herself and were now in their own room. Miriam stood looking out the
window, her hands behind her back. At Elfreda's question she turned,
looked thoughtfully at her roommate, then said slowly: "I don't know. I
haven't decided. She's friendly and enthusiastic and hard and indifferent
all in the same moment. I think her work has made her so. I believe she
has hidden her inner self away so deep that she has forgotten what the
real Kathleen is like."
"I believe so, too, Miriam," agreed Elfreda. "I could see that you
weren't favorably impressed with her. I could see--"
"You see entirely too much," laughed Miriam. "I haven't even formed
an opinion of Miss West yet. I wonder how long she has known Mabel
Ashe? Not very long, I'll wager."
An hour later Grace appeared in the door, waving a letter. "Here's
Mabel's letter!" she cried. "Come into my room, and we will read it."

"The letter was not far behind the telegram," remarked Anne, as she
closed the door of their room and seated herself on the couch beside
Miriam.
"Do hurry, Grace, and read us what Mabel has to offer on the subject of
Kathleen Mavourneen--West, I mean," corrected Elfreda with a giggle.
Grace unfolded the letter and began to read:
"MY DEAR GRACE:--
"Please forgive me for neglecting you so shamefully, but I am now
wrestling with a real job on a real newspaper and am so occupied with
trying to keep it that I haven't had time to think of anything else. Father
is deeply disgusted with my journalistic efforts. He wished me to go to
Europe this summer, but the light of ambition burns too vividly to be
quenched even by my beloved Europe. When next I go abroad it will be
with my own hard-earned wages.
"I haven't done anything startling yet; I have been chronicling faithfully
the doings of society. As most of the elect are out of town, my news
gathering has