Betty Lee, Sophomore Part 18

"Yes, and my sister, too, but they were talking about some of their friends that didn't get in and how unhappy they were. That's the worst of it. Louise was asked by my sister's sorority."

"Was Louise in a high school sorority?"

"No--she said that she wouldn't be. There wasn't any one started that she wanted to join when she was a freshman or soph.o.m.ore and then she got into so much responsibility in the G. A. A. and cared for athletics so much more, I guess. But Louise didn't say a word about herself. I got all about her through Letty. Let.i.tia didn't go to high school much. She was sick some and it was better for her to go to private school. My Dad's the one that insisted on _my_ going to Lyon High."

"I'm certainly glad that you did," said Betty, with emphasis. "I'm glad to hear all this, Carolyn, and Louise's idea. There's another thing. I can't see that it makes much difference on our 'social position,'

outside of just a few girls that we like, like Marcella, because there's such a _mob_ of folks in this big high school. The sororities _can't_ have so much influence, outside of their own little group, and we could just as easily have our own friends. There are such _loads_ of nice girls in the Girl Reserves, for instance, and in the swimming and games who cares what sorority a girl belongs to, or knows, for that matter!"

"Oh, they work for their own, Betty. You'd be surprised at the things _some_ of the girls will do to be represented in prominent affairs."

"Does it get them anywhere?"

"Sometimes."

Betty thoughtfully tapped her fingers on the arms of the _chaise lounge_ and Carolyn offered the box of taffies.

"Do you know who are going in with the Kappa Upsilons?" asked Betty, talking off the oiled paper from her candy. "Carolyn," she said, by way of parenthesis, "if I eat this, I'll not be able to talk!"

"That's all right," said Carolyn, removing the paper from her piece.

"Perhaps we need to do some _thinking_!"

"Yes--but I've thought and thought. What I need to do is deciding."

"Help me decide, too."

"I wouldn't dare take the responsibility."

"It makes a lot of difference what _you_ do, Betty. I'll not care so much to be in it unless you are."

"Oh, Carolyn!"

"It's so, Betty Lee! But you asked me who were being asked or who were going in, which isn't quite the same thing. I think Peggy Pollard will, and Lucia has said she would. They are crazy to get her into it--the daughter of a count and countess!"

"Yes, but Lucia is good enough to be asked on her own account, and she can be pardoned, perhaps, for being 'snooty' in social matters."

"I don't see why!"

"I mean because of the way she has been brought up. Don't you suppose if you'd had family and wealth drilled into you and all that way of living it would make you different?"

"Yes--I imagine it would. Lucia's been everywhere."

It was, indeed, difficult to talk now, since the taffies were being more than sampled. But by degrees a few more thoughts on sororities were exchanged.

"Suppose we sleep over it," suggested Betty. "I've got to make a list, I think, of arguments for and against. The biggest argument _for_ is Marcella and how good it is of them to want us. A person hates to refuse and seem not to appreciate being asked. And then you run the chance of their unfriendliness, too."

"Yes," said Carolyn, with a frown; "but I don't believe Marcella Waite would be that way. Do you think so?"

"I hope not. I had the best time at her party!"

"So did I. Oh, by the way, Mathilde is invited and there isn't any chance of her not accepting. Julia--I may as well tell you who asked me--Julia Hickok said that Mathilde is so fond of Lucia Coletti and that they think she, Mathilde, will make a very loyal sorority sister."

Betty gave Carolyn a sober glance. "Lucia could handle Mathilde, if necessary," she replied. "Lucia is a girl of some force, Father says.

But on which side of the arguments for and against shall we put Mathilde's being in the sorority?"

Carolyn smiled. "It wouldn't make so much difference to me. I could get along with 'Finney'--I'm not like Dotty."

"I think you could get along with anybody, Carolyn, you are such a dear.

But there it is. I think 'getting along' with sorority sisters that one did not choose for intimate friends would hinder me in my 'great ambitions' in other lines. But I've simply got to sleep on it, Carolyn."

"Probably I'd better, too, but we haven't much time, Betty. I told Julia I'd tell her in the morning. I had to ask what Mother and Father thought. She laughed at me for a goose, then told me that I mustn't make that an excuse. I told her that I thought they would let me do what I wanted to do, but that I ought to tell them at least. I hope that she didn't take that as a promise. Away from Julia and talking it over with you makes me not so enthusiastic. Call me up in the morning, Betty, if you've decided before you go to school."

"I will have decided all right," said Betty. "It's a thing you can't put off. I'll decide, if I have to draw cuts!"

CHAPTER XIV: THE DECISION

Carolyn rode home in the Gwynne car with Betty, but they talked of other things, especially the coming season of basketball. Betty declared that she did not play a good game and Carolyn said that she played as well as the other soph.o.m.ores and that moreover she was swift and graceful about everything just as she was in swimming. "Go in for it, Betty; please do."

"I'll think about it," promised Betty. "It's so that most of our hockey team want to play basketball, too."

Taffies, no matter how toothsome, are not the best preparation for a sound night's sleep; but Betty was too sleepy to give sororities any further thought that night and the only effect of the taffy was in giving her a dream in which she and Carolyn were being initiated into Kappa Upsilon, while Kathryn stood by watching them.

In the morning she woke with a pretty good idea of what she was going to do. It was not necessary to marshal the arguments for and against. "I'm not going into a thing that leaves out a lot of my special friends," she said to herself as she dressed. "Lyon High is too big for it to make any difference to me. The question of sororities in college can wait. I may go away to school or be in the University here. Carolyn's so sweet it won't make any difference if she does go into it; and I like Kathryn so much; and if Peggy changes, I can't help it."

Peggy, however, was a big pull toward the sorority for Carolyn, she knew. She almost wished she did not have to call up Carolyn. She didn't want to use any influence with her. It wouldn't be fair. Perhaps by this time Carolyn wanted awfully to do it and her decision would be a sort of wet blanket. Still, she had promised to tell her before they went to school.

Betty hurried with her dressing and breakfast, helping a little as usual and to her relief, while she was still at the table, the telephone rang.

Carolyn was calling her, she thought.

Doris answered it this time, but she called Betty. "It's Carolyn," she said. "It must be something important for her to call you at breakfast time."

Betty only smiled as she hopped up and ran to the front hall. "Yes, Carolyn?"

"Betty, Peggy called up last night and she is going to join and is crazy to have me do it!"

"Well, Carolyn, why not, if you want to?"

"I told old Peggy that I was trying to make up my mind but I didn't mention you at all. I thought you'd rather not. She did, though, and said they wanted to have you. Lucia, too, had asked them if they had asked you, with the idea that it would be a lot more attractive to her if they did!"

"That was very nice of Lucia."

"Well, Betty--have you decided?"

"Yes, Carolyn."

"That doesn't sound as if you were going to do it. If I know you, you would have said something enthusiastic about Peggy and Lucia. Dare I ask you _what_ you have decided?"