Betty Lee, Freshman Part 4

"Oh, then, you didn't have to buy any books," Betty thought. She wondered if her mother would like that. They would never buy any second hand books and her mother had ideas on germs. There were a number of questions that Betty would have liked to ask as the teacher talked, but she did not dare interrupt. There seemed to be too many things to remember. Of course, it was easier for the girls and boys that lived in the city all the time.

"And now," the teacher was saying, "I want you to give your whole attention to one thing. On these cards that I am giving you, you will see what you are to write; and while I know that this is all rather new to you, that fact is not going to excuse you for making mistakes in what is really important. Pay attention and do not write until you are sure you know what to write down.

"Perhaps you wonder why I am saying this, but if you saw some of the cards that we have had in past years, you would not wonder at all. When you read that line saying the year of your birth, don't put down the present year. Girls less than a year old are not admitted to the freshman cla.s.s!"

There was a subdued ripple of laughter at this, though it was just possible that some of the girls did not understand the joke. A few looked worried. But Betty had never been really afraid of teachers, having had no cause to be afraid, and she did not intend to begin now.

Very carefully she read over the list of what she was supposed to record; and then, after the teacher was through with her explanation, she started in. There was nothing very bad about this. Of course they wanted to know your address and who your father and mother were and everything.

"Elizabeth Virginia Lee," she wrote, her name "in full," in careful round and legible hand. Writing was not hard for Betty, which was fortunate and would make her entire school life easier for her. Betty had been named for two grandmothers. At present she "rather hated it,"

the long names, but she always added that they were good, sensible names and that her mother like them.

Betty remembered the year of her birth and was not obliged to count back, as the teacher had suggested might be necessary. Indeed, the teacher had grown a little sarcastic while remarking that "they" were "not particularly interested in mere birthdays," and that "birthday presents were not given."

A colored girl across the aisle from Betty looked at the teacher with such a blank stare at this that Betty's amus.e.m.e.nt was increased. My, the teacher was funny. She wasn't so bad and was rather pretty, too. Once Betty's intelligent and understanding look had caught the eye of her teacher as she was in the midst of one of the funny speeches and Betty was sure that the twinkle and comical raising of the eyebrows was for her.

"She shan't have any reason to make fun of _my_ card," thought Betty.

"She looked at me as if she thought I had some sense, anyhow." But teachers were accustomed to find response in Betty Lee's eyes and the mind back of them. At this stage, however, and particularly when the girls were dismissed, to find their respective teachers and the rooms where they were to recite, Betty was sure that she had no mind at all.

If she had only known some one! But every one was busy with her own affairs, or went off with some other girls. And that building! Would she ever learn where to go? Luckily her home room teacher taught one of the freshman cla.s.ses in which she had been placed and in the same room. That was one off the list very shortly.

The halls were full of wandering pupils on the same errands that concerned Betty; but her mind was too set upon her purpose to see them individually until once, when she was almost run over by a tall lad who came flying around the corner from a run down a stairway, she recognized the boy who had stood back of her in line the day before.

"Oh, pardon me, _please_!" exclaimed the boy. "I had no business to do that. I knocked your purse out of your hand and everything!" Stooping to pick up Betty's purse and scattered notes and slips, he added "I believe you were standing in line just ahead of me yesterday. Did you get all fixed up?"

"Yes; and I'm just finding my cla.s.s rooms now."

"That's fine. You're not from one of our schoolsat least I couldn't help seeing that the envelope you had didn't have a city address."

"No; we just moved here and everything is new."

"Well, I hope you like it. This is a great school."

"Oh, isn't it! I suppose you're a senior and know all about everything."

The boy laughed. "Not exactly 'everything,'" said he, "and I'm a junior.

I hope I meet you again, but not to pretty nearly knock you over."

"Oh, that was all right," replied Betty. "You didn't hurt me any."

The boy started on, then stopped. "By the way, where are you living?"

Betty named the suburb and the street.

"I thought I saw you on the car yesterday. I live out that way, too, and maybe I'll come around some timethat is, if it's all right."

"We should be glad to get acquainted," said Betty, who felt sure that she could safely be friendly with this kind of a boy, who had looked so distressed at the results of his haste and had clutched her just in time to keep her from falling. "We don't know much of anybody yet, for Mother and Father came down in a hurry to find a house."

"Oh, there's the girl I was hurrying to catch," suddenly said the boy called Ted, as a girl came from the direction from which Betty had been coming. "Louise, come here and meet one of the new freshmen. Probably I'd better know your name, if I am to introduce you. Mine is Ted Dorrance."

"I am Betty Lee," smiled Betty, looking up at a tall, handsome girl whom she remembered to have noticed before in the hall and whom she found to be Louise Madison.

"Lou has a lot to do with one of the school clubs and is always looking for good material," joked Ted. "I had my eye on this young lady for you yesterday. Any relation to Robert E. Lee?"

Betty shook her head. "We're from the New England Lees, but I suppose back in England the two families were connected."

"Well, the name Lee won't hurt you any with the Southern families in this town, and there are a good many of them. But we're keeping you and I've got to see you, Lou, about a matter of business."

"All right," said the older girl. "I'll see you again, Betty, and I'm real glad to have met you."

That was interesting, thought Betty, as she climbed the same stairs down which Ted Dorrance had been running. Louise Madison must be a wonderful girl. She seemed to be perfectly at homeperhaps she was a senior. Betty wondered what sort of a club it could be that freshmen could join.

Louise had pa.s.sed her a few moments before Ted had come dashing down.

She must have finished whatever errand she had and started back very soon. Well, she now knew two pupils in this school, but not a freshman!

This time Betty was ready at twelve-thirty to start home with the rest.

She just made the same street-car with d.i.c.k and Doris and listened to their accounts on the way home. Like Betty, Doris did not know any one in her cla.s.s, though Doris said that they "smiled at each other;" but d.i.c.k knew several of the boys and had found out all sorts of facts, particularly those relating to athletics. "There was a bunch of us talking together," said he, "and we're going to have some great gym work and everything. The eighth grade boys said that they have great games at Lyon High School. Did you take in the size of that stadium, Betty? And a fellow they called Joe said that he helped with a stunt the junior high had at the faculty and senior basketball game last winter. That's a sort of funny affair and the senior team usually beats, though when the athletic teachers play with the rest of the faculty it isn't so dead easy, I guess, from what they said. But first they have a sort of athletic or gym show. I'd like to be on it."

"Yes, and break your neck," remarked Doris with sisterly lack of being impressed.

"Never you mind. The girls do something or other, too. Maybe you'll _have_ to, so far as I know."

"Oh, if that's the case, I'll never do a thing! Couldn't you get excused, Betty?"

"Don't worry, Doris. It isn't likely that you'd have to do anything too hard for you. And there's always Mother, and Father, to decide what is best for us."

"But they always stand by anything school does."

"Of course, because there's never anything out of the way. But they wouldn't let anything happen to us if there _were_ anything that wasn't fair or right. Gracious me, if I hadn't anything more to worry about than what may happen next _winter_ I'd be thankful. What are your teachers like?"

That started the children on a new track and Betty had amusing and detailed descriptions of what had happened and what this teacher and another were like. Doris was in a home room for girls and d.i.c.k in one for boys. "There are a great many of us boys," said d.i.c.k with much dignity. "I don't know just how many but I shall find out. Then when you write to Janet, be sure to have her tell Bill."

"Can't you write to Bill yourself?"

"I don't like to write letters," calmly replied d.i.c.k. "Besides, Bill might think I was getting stuck up telling him such big stories as I'd have to tell."

"And I suppose Janet won't think _I'm_ stuck up?"

"Janet will think that everything you do is perfect, just as she always has."

"That is news to me, d.i.c.k. Why we've had some of the mostwell, _disagreeing_ arguments over things that you ever heard of."

"Of course. Janet has a mind of her own. But all the same you needn't worry over what Janet would think. I know. Bill's told me."

"Then you think I'd dare write Janet everything about Lyon High, do you?

Of course, I'm going to risk it, d.i.c.kie, anyway. And I think it was nice of Bill to tell you that."

"Oh, Bill didn't do it to be nice. He thought Janet was silly."

This was not so flattering, but Betty laughed. She had brought it out herself.