THE NUTTING PARTY

To the boy’s surprise Bobby, who was usually aloof and liked to tease him, squeezed his arm surreptitiously.

“You’re a dear!” she told him enthusiastically.

“Girls are a queer lot,” the dazed youth confided to Bob, as they went back to their quarters.  “Here I handed over my coat to that Norma Guerin and gave her the flower I’d been saving for Bobby, just to pay Bobby back for being so snippy to me over at school.  And she calls me a dear and is nicer to me than she’s been in months!”

Bob briefly outlined something of the Guerin history, for Betty had told him of the lost treasure in her hurried note, and hinted his belief that the girls had very little money in comparison to Shadyside standards.

“Shucks—­money isn’t anything!” was Tommy’s answer to the recital, with the easy assurance of a person who has never been without a comfortable competence.  “They’re nice girls, and we’ll pass the word that the boys are to show them a good time.”

As a result, when after the conclusion of the game, the girls and Miss Anderson were ushered upstairs into the cozy suite of rooms the cadets occupied, Norma and Alice found themselves plied with attentions.  Miss Anderson poured the hot chocolate and made friends with the shy Sydney Cooke, who had been dreading this visit all the afternoon.  Indeed his chums had threatened to lock him in the clothes closet in order that they might be sure of his attendance.

Winifred Marion Brown, in addition to his ability as a checker player, was a good pianist, and he obligingly played for them to dance.  The piano belonged to the Tucker twins.  Norma and Alice were “rushed” with partners, and they quite forgot their clothes in the enjoyment of dancing to irresistible music.

Libbie had brought a book of poems for Timothy Derby, who solemnly loaned her one of his in exchange.  This odd pair remained impervious to all criticisms, and certainly many of those voiced were frank to the point of painfulness.

“But their natures can not understand the lyric appeal,” said Libbie sadly.  Her English teacher moaned over her spelling and rejoiced in her themes.

Finally Miss Anderson insisted they must go, and the bouquet of flowers on the tea table was plucked apart to reveal nine little individual bouquets, one for each guest.

“Good-bye, and thank you for a lovely party,” said Miss Anderson gaily.

“Do you know?” blurted Teddy Tucker, “you’re my idea of a chaperone!  Most of ’em are such dubs and kill-joys!”

Which tactful speech proved to be the best Teddy could have made.

A week of small pleasures and hard study followed this “glorious Friday afternoon.”

Bobby, for a wonder, remembered her promise of good behavior, and by herculean effort managed to be on the “starred” list for the Saturday set aside for the nutting expedition.