Marjorie Dean, College Sophomore | Page 6

wasn't more than half a
dozen sentences. They must have been strictly to the point. She glared
at him and he glared back. Then she said loudly enough to be heard all
over the room: 'Come on, girls. Let the dago have his hash house. I
hope it burns down tonight.' The six of them went out of the restaurant,
laughing. Guiseppe was wild. He swore they should never be allowed
to set foot in this place again. They stayed away until after Easter.
Gradually they drifted back, and he didn't reopen the quarrel. They
have been on their good behavior here since then."
"Quite a collegiate performance. What?" Leila gave an exact imitation
of Leslie Cairns' manner of uttering the interrogation. "Take the truth
from me, our freshie year was full of just such scenes put over by those
girls."

"The soph who had the fuss with Leslie Cairns is a senior this year.
You may believe the Sans will get no favors from her and her party
crowd. The Sans will find out some day that they can't sow tares and
expect to reap flowers," concluded Vera with some warmth.
"Yes, but it will take them such a very long time to find it out," Muriel
said impatiently. "If we don't stand up for the honor of our Alma Mater,
who will?"
"Well, we've done some good," sturdily asserted Jerry. "We wouldn't
allow the Sans to rag Katherine. The Beauty contest was an awful
damper to them, especially Miss Weyman. It put a crimp in her sails.
She needed to be suppressed. Then came the trouble about basket ball.
The Silverton House girls deserve most of the credit for that coup de
grace. It certainly brought the freshman class together with a snap.
There are only about twelve or fifteen of the present sophs who are
Sans worshippers. Miss Reid won't dare interfere with sports this year."
"A strong blow you freshies struck for fairness in college sports,"
commended Leila. "They will be properly managed this year."
"Miss Reid is to have only light gymnastics and folk dancing from this
on," announced Helen. "There is to be a new gym instructor; a young
man. He is a physical culture expert and an acrobat. He is to teach bar
and trapeze work."
"You don't mean it!" Leila puckered her lips into a soft whistle. "What
is to become of Miss Bailey? She is a better teacher of folk dancing
than Miss Reid. Who told you, Helen?"
"Miss Bailey herself. I came up from town with her the other day in a
taxi. She seems pleased with the new arrangement. She is to assist both
Miss Reid and the new instructor. You know she is an athletic wonder
for a woman. She does very difficult acrobatic work and understands
teaching balance. That is so difficult to teach."
"Who knows? This may be Miss Reid's last year with us," Leila said
with a tinge of laughing malice. "It is said a change of that kind for a

teacher at college generally precedes a violent drop. If true, we must try
to bear our loss. It takes time to recover from such losses. How we do
ramble from the subject. Let us be turning back to our freshies' good
works."
"Muriel stopped at that basket ball affair last winter," prompted
Katherine. "I'll mention it before Lucy has a chance. She isn't the only
one who can keep tab on things."
"I see I shall have to keep you in the background." Lucy bent a severe
eye on Katherine. "You are out to steal my glory."
"Just tell her to subside, a la Leslie Cairns," suggested Helen. "What a
shame that I missed that lovely party row at Baretti's. I heard echoes of
it on the campus for a week afterward. Let me tell you, I admire Ronny
for the way she wound up that tale the Sans started against Marjorie
last March. It was the best thing that could have been done."
"Something had to be done." Ronny's gray eyes grew flinty. "Those
particular girls took an unusually bold stand against her. I am surprised
that they did not attempt to haze her earlier in the year."
"It probably did not occur to them," was Vera's opinion. "If it had, they
might have tried it. It is strictly forbidden here. The hazers would
certainly be expelled. President Matthews is down on it with both feet.
A niece of his was hazed at college and contracted pneumonia. She
died of it and he has been doubly opposed to it since then."
"I am glad I was saved midnight visits from sheeted ghosts or some
such eerie horror," laughed Marjorie. "It wouldn't have done them any
good if ever they had hazed me. I would have