Jane Allen: Right Guard | Page 6

not been obliged to
say a word to rob her roommate of the first joy of meeting.
While traversing the few yards that lay between the station and the
point behind it where several taxicabs waited, both she and Adrienne
chattered lively commonplaces. Jane, however, had little to say. She
was experiencing the dazed sensation of one who has received an
unexpected slap in the face.
What had happened? Why had Judy insisted that they must have a talk
before going on to the Hall? Surely some very unpleasant news lay in
wait for her ears. But what? Jane had not the remotest idea.
"Now, Judy," she began with brusque directness the instant the
quartette were seated in the taxicab, "don't keep me in the dark any
longer. You must know how--what a queer feeling all this has given
me."
Seated in the tonneau of the automobile, between Adrienne and Judith,
Jane turned hurt eyes on the latter.

"Jane," began Judith impressively, "before you went home last year did
you arrange with Mrs. Weatherbee about your room for this year?"
"Why, yes."
A flash of amazement crossed Jane's face.
"Of course I did," she went on. "Mrs. Weatherbee understood that I was
coming back to Madison Hall."
"Humph!" ejaculated Judith. "Well, there's just this much about it, Jane.
About nine o'clock this morning a little, black-eyed scrap of a freshman
marched into my room and said Mrs. Weatherbee had assigned her to
the other half of my room. I told her she had made a mistake and come
to the wrong room. She said 'no,' that Mrs. Weatherbee had sent the
maid to the door with her to show her the way."
"Why, Judy, I don't see how----" began Jane, then suddenly broke off
with, "Go on and tell me the rest."
"I didn't like this girl for a cent. Her name is Noble, but it doesn't fit her.
She has one of those prying, detestable faces, thin, with a sharp chin,
and she hates to look one straight in the face," continued Judith
disgustedly. "I went over to see Adrienne and Ethel and told them.
Then we all went downstairs to interview Mrs. Weatherbee. She said
you weren't coming back to Madison Hall this year."
"Not coming back to Madison Hall!" exclaimed Jane, her scowl now in
fierce evidence. "Did she say it in just those words?"
"She certainly did," responded Judith. "I told her that I was sure that
you were and she simply froze up and gave me one of those
Arctic-circle stares. All she said was, 'I am surprised at you, Miss
Stearns. I am not in the habit of making incorrect statements.' Adrienne
started to ask her when you had given up your room and she cut her off
with: 'Young ladies, the subject is closed.' So that's all we know about it,
and I guess you don't know any more of it than we do."

"So that was why you didn't want me to go on to the Hall until I knew,"
Jane said slowly. "Well, I know now, and I'm going straight there. Mrs.
Weatherbee has never liked me. Still it's a rather high-handed
proceeding on her part, I think."
"If she did it of her own accord, I don't see how she dared. I'm not
going to stand for it. That's all," burst out Judith hotly. "Miss Howard
won't either. As registrar she'll have something to say, I guess. If she
doesn't, then on to Miss Rutledge. That's going to be my motto. I won't
have that girl in your place, Jane. I won't."
"I won't let her stay there if I can help it," was Jane's decided answer.
"I'd rather the affair would be between Mrs. Weatherbee and me,
though. If she has done this from prejudice, I'll fight for my rights. It
won't be the first time she and I have had words. It seems hard to
believe that a woman of her age and position could be so
contemptible."
"That's what I thought," agreed Judith. "Well, we'll soon know. Here
we are at the edge of the campus. Doesn't old Wellington look fine,
though, Jane?"
Jane merely nodded. She could not trust herself to speak. The gently
rolling green of the wide campus had suddenly burst upon her view.
Back among the trees, Wellington Hall lifted its massive gray pile,
lording it in splendid grandeur over the buildings of lesser magnitude
that dotted the living green.
She had longed for a sight of it all. It was as though she had suddenly
come upon a dear friend. For a moment the perplexities of the situation
confronting her faded away as her gray eyes wandered from one
familiar point on the campus to another.
"It's wonderful, Judy," she said softly, her tones