Janet Hardy in Hollywood Part 9

"The wind was awful," said Helen, between bites at a sandwich.

"I know. It was pretty fierce going across country in the hayrack. The boys must have used their heads for someone banked the bus with snow."

"That was Jim Barron's idea. He and Ed Rickey kept us moving and talking most of the time, but we forgot Miss Bruder. She was in a draft and almost froze to death without saying a word to anyone."

"That scared us half to death," put in Helen, "but the boys ma.s.saged her hands with snow and Janet and I ma.s.saged the upper part of her body until we could get the circulation going again. I think she'll be all right, but probably pretty sensitive to cold for the rest of the winter."

"But the winter's almost over. Here it's late March. Who'd ever have thought we'd have a storm like this," said Janet.

"If I had, I can a.s.sure you that you'd never have made the trip to Youde's tonight," promised her father. "It was one of those freak storms that sometimes sweep down from the Arctic circle and fool even the weather men. By tomorrow the temperature will shoot up and the snow will melt so fast we'll probably have a flood."

The girls finished every sandwich on the plate and drank two cups of tea apiece.

It was five o'clock when they left the table.

Mrs. Thorne and Helen started to put on their coats, but Janet's mother objected.

"Your house will be cold and our guest room upstairs is all made up.

Janet and I will lend you whatever you need. We'll all get to bed now."

Janet got warm pajamas for Helen and then went to her own room. Warm and inviting in the soft rays of the rose-shaded lamp over her dressing table, it was a sanctuary after the exciting events of the night.

A wave of drowsiness a.s.sailed Janet, and it was with difficulty that she unlaced and pulled off her boots. Somehow she managed to crawl into her pajamas and roll into bed, but she was asleep before she could remember to turn off the light.

Her mother, looking in a few minutes later, pulled the blankets up around Janet's shoulders, opened the window just a crack to let in a whiff of fresh air, and turned off the light.

Janet slept a heavy and dreamless sleep. When she awakened the sun was streaming in the windows and from the angle she could tell that it was late.

But in spite of the knowledge that she would probably be extremely late in getting to school, Janet was too deliciously comfortable to move rapidly.

After stretching leisurely, she got out of bed and closed the window. The radiator in her room was bubbling gently and she slipped into bed to wait until the room warmed up.

Vivid thoughts of what had happened during the night rotated in her mind, the cold, the wind, the snow--the terror of waiting in Little Deer valley for the rescue, hoping but not knowing for sure that they would be reached in time to save them from the relentless cold.

Someone opened Janet's door and peered in. It was Helen, who, on seeing that her friend was awake, bounced into the room.

"You look pretty live and wide awake after last night," smiled Janet.

"I'm not only that, I'm ravenously hungry," said Helen, "and if you had been out in the hall and caught a whiff of the breakfast your mother is preparing you would be too."

"What time is it?"

"Well, you can call it breakfast or lunch, depending on whether you've had breakfast. For me it's breakfast even though the clock says it's just a little after eleven."

"You're seeing things," retorted Janet, throwing off the covers and hurrying toward her wardrobe.

"I wouldn't be surprised if I am, but your mother says it is after eleven and I'll take her word for it. I'll run down and tell her you'll be along within the hour."

"That isn't fair. You know it won't be more than five minutes. I always dress faster than you do."

_Chapter VIII_ POSTPONED TRYOUTS

Helen went down stairs and Janet hastened to the bathroom where she made a hasty toilet. Back in her room she fairly jumped into her clothes, gave her hair one final and hurried caress with the brush, and then went down stairs.

Mrs. Thorne, who had breakfasted earlier with Janet's father and mother, had gone home, so Helen and Janet sat down to the breakfast Mrs. Hardy had prepared.

There was grapefruit to start with, then oatmeal with dates in it, hot, well-b.u.t.tered toast, strips of crisp bacon and large gla.s.ses of milk.

"Feel all right this morning, Janet?" her mother asked, looking a little anxiously at her vibrant and energetic daughter.

"Fine, mother. I slept very soundly. Last night seems almost like a nightmare."

"It was a nightmare," said her mother, sitting down and picking up a piece of toast to munch while the girls ate their breakfast. "I've never seen your father so worried. He was almost frantic until Hugh Grogan suggested they try to get through with one of his big tractors. They held a council of war right here in the front room and I've never seen as many nervous and excited men in my life. Talk about women getting upset, why they were worse than we ever think of being." She smiled a little. She could now, but last night it had all been a very grim and very near tragedy.

"You'll have to write an excuse for me," said Janet between munches on a crisp slice of bacon.

"Not this time. I phoned the superintendent and he said that everyone in honors English was excused from school today."

"Wonder if we'll have the tryouts for the cla.s.s play this afternoon?"

said Helen, who until that moment had been devoting her full energies to the large bowl of oatmeal.

"There's one way of finding out," replied Janet. "I'll phone the princ.i.p.al's office and see if it has been taken off the bulletin board."

Janet went to the phone in the hall and called the schoolhouse. When she returned her face was aglow.

"No school, no tryouts--what a day and what to do?"

"You're sure about the tryouts?" Helen was insistent, for winning the leading part meant so much to her.

"Sure as sure can be. They've been postponed until Sat.u.r.day morning at 9:30 o'clock when they will be held in the a.s.sembly."

"Then that will give me plenty of time to study my part thoroughly," said Helen.

"But you know it now. Why you had it memorized, every word and phrase, yesterday afternoon," protested Janet.

"I know I did yesterday, but last night scared it completely out of me. I can't even remember the opening lines."

"Maybe it's a good thing. We'll both start over and this afternoon we can rehea.r.s.e upstairs in my room."

"Grand. I've got to go home and help mother for a while, but I'll be back by 2:30 o'clock and we'll start in."

Breakfast over, Janet went to the door with Helen. The day was bright and almost unbelievably clear. The temperature was rising rapidly, the wind had gone down, and their experience of the night before seemed very far away. Rivulets of water were starting to run down the streets and before nightfall the gutters would be full of the melting snow and slush.

Janet found a mult.i.tude of little things to do around home to help her mother and the first interruption came with the ringing of the telephone.