CHAPTER IX

AT “POLLY’S” ONCE MORE

How hard it was to study these first days, when so much of importance to the Beta Alpha Taus and the other sororities was “hanging in the balance”! Marta and Ann scored success in their work only by early rising. It was fortunate for Ann that her heaviest work had been done in her first year. She still had a few extra hours to make up, but they were divided between the first and second semesters and were in studies which were not particularly hard for Ann. She concentrated her powers during regular study hours, rose an hour early, and spent the rest of the time, those happy hours between lessons and meals, in the service of the Beta Alpha Taus and the “Owls”, her literary society. It was great fun to “cast dull care away”, as she told Marta, and have a good time with the girls. Walks, rowing, canoeing, swimming, climbing the hills, usually with some new girls in tow,--everything took on a new pleasure and excitement. The “rushing season” was decidedly thrilling.

But alas for “best-laid plans” again! The desired hurrying of Aline into the ranks of Beta Alpha Tau was not so easily accomplished. That evening, after dinner, Aline responded pleasantly to the overture of the Bats. It was natural enough that Ann should be with her, and some of the other members of the Jolly Six; but she naturally noticed the fact that attention was being paid her by the senior and junior girls of the sorority. Not for nothing had Aline spent a year in a girls’ school.

When, noticing that all the girls, with the exception of two new girls, were Betas, she was about to refuse an invitation to Alice’s suite and slip away, Alice informed her that she was particularly desired. “You do not know my especial brand of fudge,” she said, and Ann joined in, with the remark that no one who ever tasted it was known to refuse a second invitation. “Come on, Aline. We won’t stay but a minute if you have anything important to do. I’ve got to get to work, too.”

Aline yielded, and had as fine a time as anybody. Alice’s fudge was all that had been claimed for it, and the study bell rang before the gay conversation ceased. The girls hastily brought their visiting to a close and started out, Ann slipping her arm through Aline’s and not hurrying. Alice followed and strolled a little beyond the door of the senior cottage, where she and her suite-mates occupied a first floor suite. Over the campus, girls were making their way to cottages or to the music rooms.

“I must go back, girls,” said Alice, turning to Aline, and taking both her hands. “We Betas, Aline, have only _just discovered_ that you did not join the Sigs! ‘Animus meminisse horret’! I can hardly forgive the Sigs for letting the impression get out that you were theirs,--Ann, you tell her about it, and humbly recommend your Beta sisters!”

With this, Alice smilingly left the girls, turning back at the door for a last glimpse.

“Well!” exclaimed Aline. “Alice is your president, or ‘chief,’ or head executioner, or whatever you call it, isn’t she?”

“Yes.”

“Her quotation from the pious Aeneas was cute. I am wondering what all this means, of course; but I don’t know whether I want you to talk to me about it or not, as she suggested.”

Ann was a little surprised. “I’ll not, if you do not want me to, Aline, but I have some things that I would like to say to you. It is perfectly true that we have just found out that you are not a Sig-Ep; and we know that it is by no fault of _theirs_ that you are not. Are you pledged to some other sorority, Aline?”

“No. I didn’t mean that, Ann, but I hate the ‘rushing’. It always seems so insincere to me, and when I noticed the older girls in the crowd, I felt embarrassed. I don’t mean, Ann,” Aline added, noticing that Ann seemed a little subdued, “that I thought anything insincere tonight. I enjoyed the fun. Isn’t Dots a case?--and that Jane Price!” Aline laughed in recollection.

“Well, Aline, I don’t want to urge you to anything you do not want to do. We’ll start out on that basis. You know most of the Beta Alpha Taus and what sort of girls they are, so it is not necessary to recommend them, even ‘humbly’, as Alice said. You are perfectly able to make up your mind on that without assistance! What I want to tell you is in regard to how bad we want you to join us and what happened this afternoon. I’ll ask you to remember that you had a little rushing from the Bats last year, till they thought it of no use. My! It makes me sick to think of it,--but maybe you wouldn’t have joined us anyway.”

Aline made no reply to this.

“This was our first meeting this afternoon, Aline, to plan the campaign. Various girls were brought up,--their names, I mean,--as desirable to consider, but there was no thought of bidding any one to-day, until your name was suggested and the fact was made known that you were not a Sig. I wish you could have heard the girls! They surely will feel bad if you turn us down, for I am authorized to invite you to join the Betas and as soon as possible. It was unusual, Aline, just as it is unusual for me to tell about one of our meetings.”

There was a pause. Then Aline replied, “Ann, I--but thank you and the rest of the Betas very, very much, I don’t know. Last year, I suspect I might have joined you. Mother was a member of your sorority. But now, so many of my friends are Sigs,--”

“But you aren’t joining the sorority, are you? I happen to know that they want you as much as ever.”

“No, on account of Mother; and, well, I don’t care for all of them, you know, girls like Genevieve and Madeline.”

“Are there any of the Betas that you object to?”

“Oh, no!”

Ann did not know what else to say. They had stopped in the lower hall of the Castle to finish their private conversation and were in constant danger of being interrupted. “Well, Aline,” she finally said, “think it over. I hope that you can tell me tomorrow. You will receive a more formal notice and note from Alice, through the secretary, tomorrow anyhow. But the girls wanted me to tell you tonight and they hope very earnestly that you will see your way clear to join us.”

“You are a dear, Ann,” said Aline, “I will----”

But here came Eleanor from one of the downstairs suites. “Here you are, Aline, I wondered what was keeping you. I’ve stayed over time. We’d better get to work, if Bunny does not get us and give us a black mark.”

“I want to see you about something tomorrow, Eleanor,” said Ann. “Keep a date for me, will you?”

Laughingly Eleanor said that she would and went up the stairs with Aline, Ann behind them.

* * * * *

No one had thought of the fact that the girls were not supposed to leave their own halls after the bell for the close of study hours had rung. The Betas would scarcely want to antagonize or deceive the authorities for their meeting, Marta said, when she and Ann thought about it, and this conclusion was confirmed when a rap on the door came just before the bell rang. It was Alice, who stood just inside the door, closing it, to tell them that the meeting was “off”, and to ask what Aline had told Ann. Alice shook her head doubtfully when Ann told her of the conversation. “I hope we get her, but I don’t know,” said she. “We’ll have a short meeting tomorrow noon, before lunch,--at the rustic bridge. If it rains, we’ll meet on the big porch of the senior cottage, or in my suite, if there are too many around. Please tell the other girls, Ann, and I’ll not take the time to go there. Bunny challenged me, to give the countersign, in the hall; but I had permission!”

“What is the countersign, Alice?” laughed Marta, but Alice only flung up her hand in a salute and disappeared down the corridor.

“She’s an awfully nice girl,” said Marta. “I’ll be sorry to have the senior group go out of Forest Hill this year.”

“Yes, won’t you?”

The next day was Ann’s busiest day. She had no opportunity to talk with any of her friends if she had her lessons, except bits of chat on the way to and from class; and then, indeed, Ann’s mind was full of the coming lessons.

The noon meeting was what Marta called short and sweet. It was decided to have a “spread” at Polly’s, whether Aline joined then or not. They would make it a guest affair, inviting Aline and the few other girls, whom they wanted to meet the Beta Alpha Taus _en masse_, in the hope of interesting them.

“We’ll make it an afternoon tea, girls,” said Jane, “if you approve; and we’ll have darling little invitations, hand painted, with parrots in one corner. Who paints? You do, Lucile, and Alice,----” Jane looked around for more artists, and several hands went up.

“Good. There won’t be many to do, of course, so it will take very little time.”

“How about place cards?” Alice inquired. The group must have presented an odd appearance, for they all stood close, arms about each other, or peering over shoulders at Alice and Jane, who were in the center.

“Sure enough. Well, we’ll make them much like the invitations and do it all at the same time. Put the motion, Alice, please.”

The gong rang for lunch as the “Bats” passed their resolution to have the Saturday afternoon spread at Polly’s, if permitted. Alice was to see about that.

In the evening after dinner, Eleanor joined Ann in the parlors, where a group of girls were singing to Ann’s playing. Eleanor sang with them, and, with Lora, made such attractive music that even Bunny, who, the girls said, hated music and was fit for “treason, stratagem and spoils”, put her head in at the hall door, and stepped in at last to listen.

But the little group presently began to break up, for the outdoors called them. Eleanor leaned over Ann and asked, “What did you want to see me about, Ann? Was it Aline?”

“Yes. How did you guess?”

“Because you were with Aline, did not tell _her_ what you wanted to see me about, and she had been off with a lot of you Bats.”

“Smart girl. Yes, that is it. You were good enough to let me know that she would not join the Sigs, so I thought that I would ask your advice on how to get her with us. She hesitates on your account, I think. Wouldn’t the Sigs all understand that Aline would join us because it is her mother’s sorority?”

“_I_ would,” replied Eleanor, “but I don’t know. You know how funny some girls are.”

“Yes, but suppose it runs on and Aline does not join _any_ sorority. I think that she will be sorry not to have had the fun of it and the pleasant friendships. It isn’t as if we were all at swords’ points with each other. Miss Tudor has certainly kept her word about having a lot of them! We compete in the rushing season, of course, and sometimes mean things are said; but after all, nobody takes it so very seriously. Don’t you agree with me?”

“To a certain extent. Your sorority in a way does determine your more intimate friendships. You are with that group of girls more, and some of the girls are pretty snobbish about it.”

Now Ann had thought that Eleanor belonged to that type. It was interesting to hear Eleanor herself mention snobbery and, in a sense, disclaim it.

“I will talk with Aline,” continued Eleanor, “if I have a good opportunity, at least to let her know that I will not stand in her way. We can be just as good friends, though I _very much regret_ not having her in the same sorority, and, Ann, I’ll ask her once more, finally, if she will not come with us!”

“You have a perfect right to do that, Eleanor. If Aline joins us, I want it to be because she wants to, as well as for the reason that her mother was a member. That is, I don’t want her to feel forced to come in,--well, you know what I mean.”

“Yes. I’ll talk to Aline tonight. After that, go ahead. Aline may come to you herself. Perhaps she’d rather. I suppose that she was to answer your proposition, if you made one?”

“I did; and she said that she would think it over. Say, Eleanor, you will not talk this over with any of the other Sigs, will you? I did not give the source of my information on Aline’s not having joined the Sigs.”

“This is between Aline and me,” said Eleanor.

* * * * *

It was on Friday night, the one before the Saturday tea at Polly’s, when Aline came around to Ann’s suite and found her alone. Aline carried in her hand the pretty card of invitation with its gay little parrot. It bore the letters “R.S.V.P.” upon it and Aline had already accepted, to Marta’s and Ann’s delight. But for a moment Ann felt startled. Could it be, after all, that Aline would not come, that there was not a bit of hope for the “Bats”? But she welcomed Aline and made her sit in the best rocker, where the view was prettiest.

“‘The shades of night are falling fast,’ Aline, but you can see my favorite hilltop and a few pink and lavender streaks from the sunset. Going to society meeting?”

“Yes; aren’t you?”

“Oh, yes. I have too many lessons for next week to do it, but I have tried staying home from the meeting and could not accomplish anything.”

“So have I. I work better, anyhow, when the pressure is on and I haven’t time to get what I’m getting!”

“Me, too!”

“Well, Ann,--I suspect that you think I’ve taken my time about deciding whether to join the Bats or not.”

Ann’s heart was in her mouth,--so she afterward declared. “Better be slow than come to a wrong decision,” she said. “And you have to get acquainted with our girls, too,--the ones in the upper classes, at least. You accepted our invitation to the tea at Polly’s tomorrow, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” replied Aline, “but,----”

Ann’s heart sank again.

“I felt some way, Ann, that,--well, I’d rather decide before I went to your social gathering, and so I came around to tell you that I have decided to be a Bat!”

“Oh, oh, oh,--how wonderful that is,--you dear old Aline! Why, I was simply scared to death when you began that way! Did you realize how my heart was going down into my toes? Aline! You _mean_ it and will _join_ us!”

“I certainly do; but why, what did I say that made you think I was going to refuse?”

“Why, your hesitation. ‘Yes,’ you had accepted the invitation, ‘but,’--wait till I call Marta and the girls, _please_,” for Aline, rather embarrassed, was rising to go.

“All right, I’ll stay, then.” Aline sat down, while Ann flew up the corridor, knocked and opened the door with sad lack of propriety, calling, “Kit, Dots,--everybody, come around to our suite and meet a new Bat!”

Dorothy came hurrying toward Ann with extended arms. “Is it Aline?”

“Aline it is,” said Ann, rapturously returning Dorothy’s hug, and turning to meet the happy looks of the other girls, who rushed up to ask her how and wherefore. “I’ll answer all questions another time,” said she. “Come around now to welcome her! Isn’t it fine?”

In a trice the entire Jolly Six surrounded Aline with affectionate and sincere greetings. Aline herself was happy, now that the deed was done and there was no retreat. It had been regrets in regard to Eleanor that had been the chief obstacle. Those Eleanor’s generosity had removed, for Aline’s sake. Ann felt like giving her the entire credit, but it was a thing that could not be mentioned without spoiling it all. Together they all went to the literary society meeting, as “Owls,” happily anticipating the banquet of the morrow. It would, in spite of the former uncertainty, celebrate Aline’s decision!

* * * * *

“Polly’s” was decorated in attractive style, for the Beta Alpha Tau tea was not the only one given upon that Saturday afternoon. “Polly” had taken over other rooms, in the same building and on the same floor, which were made to connect, but offered some privacy for separate parties. Ann well remembered her first lunch in that popular place, when she saw Suzanne, decked in all her glory, proudly accompanying the Sigma Epsilons in a similar feast. For some reason the Sigs were not in the number of guests at the Polly Inn that Saturday. There were rumors, too, of a split in the ranks and trouble over the type of girls that were to be “bid.” Genevieve and Madeline were said to lead one faction; Eleanor, and girls who made her list of particular friends, another.

There was much going back and forth between suites, with many consultations and queries as to what would be suitable to wear. A junior girl, one who had been considered by the Bats as most desirable, asked Ann what she should wear and begged her to come to the junior cottage, to help her select. Ann was surprised to be regarded as authority on clothes, but readily consented. “You are dressed in such good taste, I notice,” said the junior, “and I want to wear what is customary here. I’d know what to put on at home.”

In pretty afternoon dresses, with hats and gloves, the girls made the ’buses that took them to town look like moving rainbows, and they fluttered into “Polly’s” with happy faces. Ann, as one of the old girls now, had no more wonderings as to whether she should fit this or that occasion. Her background was established. Ann’s distinctly interesting personality, her independence of character, the high quality of her work and the charm of her pleasant ways and sincerity had made her known, not only in her own class but in the school. Her chief delight at present was that Aline had accepted the Betas’ bid and that she was present as not merely a guest but a prospective initiate.

“Now, if we can only get the other girls that we want,” she thought, as she looked around the long table and noted with what care Alice and the senior girls in charge had seated the guests, their place cards next those girls who were good entertainers and especially attractive. “It’s certainly no harm to put our best foot foremost,” she thought, and said as much to Lucile, who happened to sit on the other side of her.

Lucile nodded and gave her a meaning look, or what was intended to be one. “Do your best,” she whispered, with a glance at the junior who had turned out to be in Ann’s charge, with a junior “Bat” on the other side of her.

With so much information about the school to be given and received, and with the natural excitement and pleasure incident to the beginning of a new school year, subjects of conversation were not lacking. The new girls could scarcely help enjoying the atmosphere of fun and good humor which prevailed, the stories of funny events, school delights and calamities, and the very presence of the prettily dressed, merry girls. Last but not least, as more than one of the Bats said, Polly’s “eats” were neither to be despised nor easily forgotten!