<p><!-- Page 109 --><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="page109" id="page109">[Pg 109]</SPAN></span></p>
<h2>CHAPTER XI</h2>
<h3>ANNE WINS A VICTORY</h3>
<p>The pleasurable excitement of making the team and receiving the
invitation to the spread had driven all thought of the conversation
overheard by Anne from Grace's mind. Above all things Grace wished if
possible to establish friendly relations with every member of her class.
Now that she and her friends were invited to Morton House they would
meet a number of new girls. The Morton House girls had the reputation of
being both jolly and hospitable. Grace had the feeling that so far they
had made little or no social headway among their classmates. Aside from
Ruth Denton and the students at Wayne Hall they knew practically no
other freshmen.</p>
<p>"This spread will help us to get in touch with some of the girls we
don't know," she confided to Anne while dressing that night for the
party.</p>
<p>"I hope so," replied Anne. "We seem to be rather slow about making
friends here at Overton; that is, among the freshmen. We really know
more upper class girls, don't we?"</p>
<p>"Yes," assented Grace. "But after to-night things will be different."</p>
<p><!-- Page 110 --><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="page110" id="page110">[Pg 110]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>It was only a few minutes' walk to Morton House and the four girls
enjoyed the brief stroll.</p>
<p>"I wonder if we're too early," said Grace, consulting her watch. "It
lacks three minutes of being half-past seven. That's Morton House, isn't
it?" pointing at the substantial brick house just ahead of them. The
little party climbed the stone steps. Miriam rang the bell. Almost
instantly the door opened and Gertrude Wells smilingly ushered them into
the hall. "So glad you have come," she said. "All the other girls are
here."</p>
<p>"We need not have been afraid of being too early, then," laughed Grace.</p>
<p>"Hardly," smiled Gertrude, "the majority of us live here. There are
twenty freshmen in this house, and we invited ten more from outside.
Thirty girls in all, but the living room is large enough to hold us, and
Mrs. Kane doesn't mind if we make a good deal of noise. Come upstairs to
my room and take off your wraps. Then we'll join the crowd." A little
later they followed their hostess downstairs to the big living room,
that seemed fairly overflowing with girls. The buzz of conversation
ceased as they entered. Gertrude introduced them one after another to
the assembled crowd of young women, who received them with varying
degrees of cordiality.</p>
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<p>Anne's observant eyes noted that one group of girls in the corner barely
acknowledged the introduction. She also noted that the two freshmen
whose conversation she had overheard at the reception formed the center
of that group. The four girls found seats at one end of the room and the
conversation began again louder than ever. Grace and Miriam found
themselves surrounded by half a dozen girls who were eager to know where
they had learned to play basketball. Elfreda espied two freshmen who
recited history in the same class with her and was soon deep in
conversation with them. Anne, being left to her own devices, sat quietly
watching the throng of animated faces around her. With her, the study of
faces was a favorite pastime, and she furtively watched the little knot
of girls, whose lack of cordiality had been so noticeable to her.</p>
<p>They were carrying on a low-toned conversation among themselves, and by
the frequent glances that were being cast first in the direction of
Grace, then Elfreda, Anne knew that the story of Elfreda's report to the
registrar was being talked over. Anne felt her anger rising. Why should
Grace be made to suffer for Elfreda's mistake, and why should Elfreda
have her freshman year spoiled on account of that mistake. Of course, no
one liked a tale bearer,
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but Elfreda would never again tell tales.
Besides, why should the freshmen undertake to champion the cause of two
sophomores, unless the latter had entirely misrepresented things?</p>
<p>Anne could never tell what prompted her to rise and stroll over to the
group. The young women were so busily engaged in their conversation that
they did not notice her approach. Anne heard one of them say in a
disgusted tone, "I can't understand why Gertrude invited them. She knows
we dislike them."</p>
<p>"She seems very friendly with them," grumbled another girl. "If I had
known they were to be here I should have stayed upstairs or gone out
rather than meet them. They showed extremely bad taste accepting
Gertrude's invitation."</p>
<p>"Perhaps they don't know that we are down on them," suggested a
pale-faced girl rather timidly.</p>
<p>"Of course they know it," sputtered one of the two disgruntled freshmen.
"Nell and I almost cut that Miss Harlowe the other morning. Don't try to
stand up for her, Lillian. She and that Miss Briggs are beneath the
notice of the really nice girls here. Overton doesn't want bullies and
tale-bearers. They're not in accordance with college spirit."</p>
<p>The contempt with which these words were
<!-- Page 113 --><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="page113" id="page113">[Pg 113]</SPAN></span>
uttered stung Anne to action.
Stepping forward she said quietly, although her eyes flashed, "Pardon
me, but I could not help hearing what you said. Will you permit me to
speak a few words in defense of my friend, Grace Harlowe?"</p>
<p>An astonished silence fell over the group of girls. Before one of them
had time to recover from her surprise at Anne's intrusion, she began to
speak in low tones that attracted no attention outside themselves, but
whose earnestness carried conviction to those listening:</p>
<p>"You are evidently not in possession of the true account of what
happened to Miss Briggs the day she came to Overton. You know, perhaps,
that two sophomores took advantage of her verdancy and hazed her.
Perhaps they neglected to state, however, that they accepted her
invitation to eat ice cream before they returned her hospitality by
conducting her to the hall of a public building where they left her to
wait for the registrar. Considering the fact that she was tired from her
long ride, and had had no supper, I think it was an extremely poor
exhibition of the much vaunted Overton spirit. It was late that night
before she reached her boarding house. She was naturally indignant and
next day reported the matter to the registrar. This, I must admit, was
unwise on her part. She is very sorry, now, that she did so."</p>
<p><!-- Page 114 --><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="page114" id="page114">[Pg 114]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>"All this is not news to us," snapped Marian Cummings, one of the two
freshmen Anne had overheard at the reception. She stared insolently at
Anne.</p>
<p>"But what I am about to tell you will perhaps surprise you," Anne
answered evenly. "Miss Briggs received a note purporting to come from
the whole sophomore class. The writer of the note threatened her with
vague penalties if she attended the sophomore reception, and practically
ordered her to leave college."</p>
<p>The girls looked at one another without answering. This silence showed
only too plainly that this was indeed news.</p>
<p>"Miss Briggs showed the letter to Miss Nesbit, her roommate, and to Miss
Harlowe," Anne continued composedly. "She was heartbroken over it and
would have left Overton if Miss Harlowe had not persuaded her to stay.
Miss Harlowe did a little investigating on her own account. She
suspected two sophomores of being responsible for the letter, believing
the rest of the class knew nothing about it. She called on the two young
women and forced them to admit their knowledge of the note. Both denied
writing it. It is evident that they have misrepresented matters among
their friends. As far as Grace Harlowe is concerned she is utterly
incapable of doing a mean or dishonorable act.
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We were classmates in
high school and she was beloved by all who knew her."</p>
<p>Anne paused and glanced almost appealingly around the circle of tense
faces. Then Elizabeth Wade, the other hostile freshman, said slowly:
"Girls, I am inclined to think we have been imposed upon. Miss Pierson,
I will be perfectly frank with you. We knew nothing about the note.
Personally, I consider it an outrageous thing to do, and in direct
violation of what we are taught regarding college spirit. Briefly, what
we did hear was that Miss Briggs had reported two sophomores for playing
an innocent trick on her, and that Miss Harlowe had urged her to do so.
Also that Miss Harlowe had visited the two upper classmen and, after
rating them in a very ill-bred manner, had ordered them to apologize to
Miss Briggs."</p>
<p>Anne smiled. "I can't help smiling," she apologized. "If you knew Grace
as I know her, you'd smile, too."</p>
<p>Marian Cummings's face softened. "I do wish to know her, now," she
smiled. "After what you've told us I think the rest of us feel the same.
I'm glad you made us listen to you, Miss Pierson."</p>
<p>"So am I," "and I," agreed the other girls.</p>
<p>Anne's face flushed with joy at her victory. "I hope 19—— will be the
best class Overton
<!-- Page 116 --><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="page116" id="page116">[Pg 116]</SPAN></span>
has ever turned out," she said simply, "and I hope
that any misunderstandings that may arise will be cleared away as easily
as this one has been."</p>
<p>"Suppose we go over and congratulate Miss Harlowe on her playing this
afternoon," proposed a tall freshman, "and we might incidentally pay our
respects to Miss Briggs. We must help her to live up to her good
resolutions, you know," she added slyly.</p>
<p>Anne was in a maze of delight at her success. The other guests had been
so busily engaged with their own little groups, no one of them had
overheard Anne's defense of her friend. Grace, who was giving an eager
account of the famous game that won her team the championship during her
sophomore year at high school, looked up in surprise at the crowd of
merry girls which suddenly surrounded her. For an instant she looked
amazed, then smiled at them in the frank, straightforward fashion that
always made friends for her.</p>
<p>Gertrude Wells, who, with three other freshmen, had been in the kitchen
preparing the refreshments, appeared in the door just in time to see the
girls surround Grace. She smiled contentedly, and nodding to the
fluffy-haired little girl standing beside her said gleefully: "What did
I tell you? Look in there."</p>
<p><!-- Page 117 --><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="page117" id="page117">[Pg 117]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>The fluffy-haired little girl obeyed. "How did you do it?" was the quick
answer.</p>
<p>"They did it themselves. I just did the inviting and they did the rest.
Of course there was a certain amount of chance that they wouldn't get
together, but it was worth taking. After meeting her this afternoon I
felt sure that the girls were wrong, but I wished them to find out for
themselves. How it happened, I don't know, but we are sure to hear the
story after the party is over."</p>
<p>While Gertrude Wells was congratulating herself on the success of her
experiment, Grace Harlowe was remarking to Miriam Nesbit that she
thought Gertrude Wells would be an ideal president from 19—— and that
she intended pointing out this fact to the freshmen of Wayne Hall.</p>
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