Betty Lee, Freshman Part 12

The tables did look tempting. "First lunch" saw the whole array of pretty salads and desserts, the chief temptations to the pupils, the steaming meats and vegetables, so good in cold weather. Cafeteria fas.h.i.+on, the long line pa.s.sed, choosing what to put on their trays, and oh, the noise, within the concrete floors and walls! Sue said to Janet, as they walked along, that she was fairly deafened; but she had no sooner sat down with the other girls at the table where places had been successfully held for them by Mary Emma, then she began "shouting" with the rest to be heard.

Betty saw to it that her guests had a good selection of viands, for neither Sue nor Janet were inclined to take enough, not wanting to run up the price for their young hostess. "Mer_cee_, Betty, do you want to kill us?" asked Janet as Betty placed a particularly toothsome looking fruit dessert in her tray, in addition to the modest piece of pie which she had herself selected.

"Oh, no, not yet, Janet. Remember the turkey we're going to have tomorrow; but you must have nourishment!"

Carolyn's tray was slimly furnished, Janet thought, and she wondered if she could not afford to get more; or did she just like desserts? Peggy had meat, dressing and gravy and a fruit salad, of which she began to dispose with some haste, though daintily enough. Sue and Janet concluded that they must not look around too much, though the surroundings were so interesting, but apply themselves to the contents of their trays, not a difficult task, since everything was so good.

"Is there anything else you'd like, girls? I can go back as easily as not," said Betty, pouring milk from a bottle into her gla.s.s.

"No, indeed," answered both the girls together. "We have too much now,"

added Janet.

"If you can hear what I say," called Carolyn across the table, around whose end the girls had gathered, "will you, Janet and Sue, come with Betty to our house Friday evening after dinner? Say about half-past seven or eight o'clock? I'll call up, too, Friday some time. I'm going to have a few of the boys and girls to meet your cousins, Betty."

"Oh, how lovely, Carolyn, but I should have the little party myself. I can't let you do it. I was going to ask you and Peggy and Mary Emma and several other girls for Sat.u.r.day. I had to wait to make sure that the girls really got here, you know."

"Well, that would be just as nice as can be, Betty. I'd love to come, but I know such a lot of the boys and girls, so please come to our house."

"We could do both, then," said Betty.

"All right, we'll see about it, then," a.s.sented Carolyn. "Oh, yes, Chet, see you right after school!"

Carolyn had turned to answer Chet Dorrance, who spoke to her, tipping his chair and leaning back from the next table. A crowd of boys there were not uninterested in the little group of girls, whose demure glances had been cast in their direction occasionally.

"That's Budd, Janet, next to Chet," Betty was saying, "and Kathryn's brother Chauncey is right across at that other table, the boy that just sat down there with his tray. They're all soph.o.m.ores. But there's a freshman bunch at the next table. I told you about Budd and Chauncey and some of the rest when I wrote you about Carolyn's house party, didn't I?"

"Maybe you did, Betty, but I can't remember, only about those you 'rave'

about, like Carolyn."

"I imagine that you'll meet a lot of them at Carolyn's. Isn't it wonderful of her to entertain for us? I think I did say to her not to have too much planned for Sat.u.r.day and that I was hoping that nothing would happen to keep you girls from coming. I was pretty scared about it when I heard from Sue that her mother was half sick; but you did come, thank fortune!"

It was more easily possible for bits of conversation with one person to be held, since when more were included it was necessary to raise the voice. The general conversation and laughter, the jingle of silver and the clatter of trays and dishes seemed to be louder than the numbers served would justify, although there was no special carelessness among the boys and girls, and oversight made rude scuffling or trick playing impossible, had there been any temptation or time for it. "It's just this big, echoing room, Sue," said Janet, for both visitors noticed it.

"But it's lots of fun, and such good eats for next to nothing, according to what Betty says."

"They just charge enough to cover expenses, of food and help and so on,"

said Betty, who had turned back from talking to Kathryn in time to hear this last. "How was the pie, Janet?"

"Grand; good as home-made."

"It _is_ 'home-made.' I wish we had time to go back and see all the place they have to cook and bake. Well, we can't do everything in one day, can we?"

"We are doing enough," replied Janet. "My brain is whirling as it is, going from one thing to another and trying to remember who is who and what is what."

"Don't try," said smiling Betty. "I'll tell you again, or remind you. I felt the same way at first, and remember that I had to learn to live it and do itthemeverything!"

On the way out Betty had a chance to point out, figuratively speaking, both Freddy Fisher and the "Don" of football fame, and she almost ran into Ted Dorrance in the hall. "Say," said he, catching Betty's shoulder for a moment, "we seem to run each other down, don't we? Oh, beg pardon!" The last expression was addressed to Janet, whom he had brushed against in avoiding Betty and a crowd of teachers that were coming from the opposite dining hall, sacred to the instructors of youth.

"Please stop a second and meet my friends that are visiting meMiss Light and Miss Miller, Mr. Dorrance, a prominent junior, girls."

Betty smiled up at Ted as she added the last in complimentary fas.h.i.+on, but he shook his head at her, pleasantly acknowledging the introduction.

"She doesn't say what I'm prominent for, you notice," but with a salute from his hatless forehead, Ted was gone. There was no standing on ceremony when school hours were on and everything, even lunch, ran on schedule.

"I'll not have to hurry as much as I thought, girls, since it was first lunch. I'm about crazy today, I suppose, with delight at your being here and wanting you to know about everything and everybody. What would you like to do while I'm in cla.s.s and study hall? Want to visit both of them?"

"How many periods have you this afternoon, Betty?"

"Three, but one of them's in gym."

"All right, we'll visit study hall and gym and stay in the library or auditorium during your cla.s.s."

So it was decided. "Gym" proved most interesting. Study hall was full of possibilities, Sue said, for it was interesting to see whether this one or that one studied or not, to guess who they were and to recognize those whom they met. And after the last gong had rung, how odd it was to pa.s.s through those crowded halls, where pupils were putting away their books in their lockers, getting their wraps from them, and going to their home rooms until dismissed. It was all on a bigger scale than in their home school. And the crowded street car was another feature, not so pleasant, perhaps.

But Betty looked out for the girls, to see that they had each a strap, until Chet and Budd and a freshman boy Betty knew, who were, happily, near, caught Betty's eye and signaled the girls to come where they were sitting, half rising, yet holding the seats until the girls should be ready to slide into them.

"Now, then," said Chet, hanging to a strap in the aisle, after a brief introduction to Janet and Sue, "what do you think of our school? I noticed you had company, Betty."

"We're quite overwhelmed by the school, really," answered Janet, politely, and smiling up at the boy whose seat she was occupying. "But we have a good school, too, and I think you can learn anywhere."

"I suppose you can," said Chet, "if you work at it. Did you see the stadium?"

"Yes, and it's just marvelous. I don't wonder Betty raves over everything!"

This satisfied Chet, who did not much care for the remark about learning anywhere. "I'm invited to meet you at Carolyn's Sat.u.r.day, no, Friday night, so I'll see you there. Yep, coming," and Chet moved down toward a boy who had beckoned him.

Gradually the jam lessened, as one after another reached a stopping place. By the time Betty and her friends had reached their own stop, every one was seated. Budd was the last one to swing off, and like Chet he parted from them with a "So long, girls, I'll see you Friday night."

"Those boys must know you pretty well Betty," said Janet.

"They do. Ever since Carolyn's party."

CHAPTER X: MORE FESTIVITIES

"Thanksgiving always means turkey and mince pie to me," frankly said d.i.c.k, as he sniffed savory odors and executed a clog dance on the kitchen floor to the detriment of its bright linoleum.

"Scat!" said an unappreciative sister at the close of the brief effort.

"This kitchen isn't big enough for any antics." But Betty was grinning and Janet, who was wiping dishes, tapped a toe in time. "We're clearing the deck for Mother's greatest efforts," Betty continued. "n.o.body can have the roast turkey just right as she can. Thanks, Janet. There's the place to hang the towel. Now you girls get ready, while I peel the potatoes and do a few other things. Mother, shall I wash celery now?"

"Why, that will be very nice. You are bound to leave me nothing to do, I see."

"That, my dear Mother, is your imagination and a beautiful dream. When we come home from church and find the turkey cooked and the potatoes ready to mash and the mince pie sizzling hotyum, yum!" Betty was hanging up the dish pan and hurrying to put the celery in cold water.

"Church!" sniffed d.i.c.k, still hanging around.

"Just for that," grinned Betty, "I believe I'll urge Father to take you with us."