Betty Lee, Freshman Read online

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  BETTY LEE, FRESHMAN

  By

  HARRIET PYNE GROVE

  [image]

  THE WORLD SYNDICATE PUBLISHING CO.

  Cleveland, Ohio –– New York City

  Copyright, 1931

  by

  THE WORLD SYNDICATE PUBLISHING CO.

  [image]

  _Printed in the United States of America_

  Table of Contents

  · CHAPTER I: BETTY LEE’S MOST MOVING ADVENTURE · CHAPTER II: BETTY MEETS RESPONSIBILITY AND A TRIAL OF PATIENCE · CHAPTER III: “THE FATEFUL DAY” · CHAPTER IV: A REAL FRESHMAN AT LAST · CHAPTER V: JANET HEARS FROM BETTY · CHAPTER VI: FRIENDS AND FUN · CHAPTER VII: CAROLYN’S GARDEN PARTY · CHAPTER VIII: BETTY HEARS THE LIONS ROAR · CHAPTER IX: SHOWING OFF LYON HIGH · CHAPTER X: MORE FESTIVITIES · CHAPTER XI: THE “SURPRISE” PARTY · CHAPTER XII: A CHANGE OF PLAN · CHAPTER XIII: BETTY MEETS TROUBLE · CHAPTER XIV: SENT TO THE PRINCIPAL · CHAPTER XV: DETECTIVE WORK · CHAPTER XVI: SOME FRESHMAN CONCLUSIONS · CHAPTER XVII: SPRING AT LYON HIGH

  CHAPTER I: BETTY LEE’S MOST MOVING ADVENTURE

  Betty Lee, aged almost fourteen, was dressing for travel. She bothdreaded and anticipated the day and smiled at her reflection in themirror as it looked at her with eyes as bright as stars, cheeks pinkfrom excitement and lips a little apart. That _was_ a pretty andbecoming suit, “ducky,” her chum had called it. Now for the new hat, tobe put on over short, sunny, wavy locks that didn’t have to haveanything done to them to make them so. That again was what Janet Lightsaid, pretending to be envious.

  Betty’s hands trembled a little as she adjusted the hat. She could nothelp hurrying, though her aunt, Mrs. Royce, had told her to take hertime now. “Don’t get all fussed and excited before you start,” Aunt Johad said.

  The twins, Dick and Doris, aged twelve, were already downstairs eatingbreakfast. Betty had helped Dick with his tie and rounded up severalarticles for Doris before she could finish her own toilet, but it was acomfort to be alone for a little.

  From the bathroom came the sounds of splashing and the merry laugh ofAmy Louise, the little four?year?old. With the promise of “going to seeMamma,” Amy Lou would let anybody do anything this morning, though shehad been insisting upon Betty’s dressing her as a rule, in this tryinginterim.

  The cause of all this early morning excitement was that Betty Lee’sfamily was moving from the home and town in which they had lived eversince Betty could remember. A new home was being established in the citywhere an unexpected business opportunity had developed for her father.

  Mrs. Lee had hurried to join her husband as soon as the goods were readyto be moved by truck. She must give the final word about such locationsas Mr. Lee was able to find. With breath?taking swiftness, it seemed toBetty, her old home had been stripped of its furniture and seemed like adifferent place. Temporary headquarters were made with Aunt Jo Royce,Mr. Lee’s sister, and at her home the children were staying in theabsence of their mother.

  But word had come by telegram. Mrs. Royce could not accompany them tothe city. It was Betty’s responsibility to manage the most importanttransfer of all, that of the Lee children; and it loomed rather large toher, as she managed to swallow the soft?boiled egg, all fixed for her byLucy Baxter, who lived with her aunt. But she wished that Lucy would notsay again what she had said more than once already, with a mournful air.

  “It’s _just as well_ that your house ain’t sold yet, I say. Cities don’talways pan out, as I’ve told your ma. You remember when Mel Haswell wentto Noo York, how quick he come back, don’t you?”

  “Yes, Lucy,” Betty replied pleasantly, though she wished again that Lucywould not always appeal to somebody for the truth of her remarks. Youhad to say something. That was expected of you. As if her father wereanything like Mel Haswell!

  But Lucy’s cup of cocoa was just right and the toast was golden. Bettyfelt ashamed of her annoyance and told Lucy that she was a dear to getthem such a good breakfast at that unearthly hour. “I ’spect we’ll beback in Buxton many times, Lucy. You may get tired of us.” Hurriedly shefinished her breakfast, saying that she had “promised to stop for thegirls;” and with rapid steps she ran upstairs again, to gather up hercoat, umbrella and pocketbook, and to see if the last articles werepacked.

  “Run along, Betty,” said Aunt Jo, as Betty ran in to see if she wereneeded. “We’ll bring the luggage. Amy Lou was such a good girl and isalmost ready. See, sister, I’m putting on the dress she likes best!”

  This was for the benefit of Amy Louise, who might insist on accompanyingBetty unless diverted.

  “Ought I?” asked Betty, hesitating. She did not want her aunt to have ittoo hard at the last. But Amy Lou was having the dress put over her headand it was a good time to vanish. Vanish Betty did at a nod from heraunt. Stopping to say goodbye to Lucy, and seeing that Dick and Doriswere out for a farewell to Aunt Jo’s private menagerie of a few chickensand two handsome dogs, Betty ran out of the front door to the street.

  People at Buxton rose early. Milk bottles were being taken in and screendoors were opening or closing; but Betty met no one, as she sped towardJanet’s home, except a boy driving an old grocery wagon. Somebody mightwant something for breakfast. Bill was on his way to open up and startthings at the store.

  The faithful old horse was pulled up suddenly. “Hello, Betty, going toleave this morning?”

  Betty halted, though still moving slowly. “Yes; the rest of us are goingon the morning train, Bill.” She smiled up at the big lad, who was ajunior in high school. Betty did not know him very well, though to besure all the high school and grade pupils knew each other and eachother’s families more or less.

  “Sorry you’re going, Betty. I s’pose you’re in a hurry, though. So long,Betty. Don’t forget the old town.” Bill started the horse with a flap ofthe reins as he spoke.

  “Never,” returned Betty, nodding a farewell and hurrying on. Was shereally going to leave–forever? She looked down the quiet street ahead ofher. Trees beautiful and green allowed their branches to meet over theunpaved road. Homes with large yards displayed trees, shrubbery andflowers, though so late for many of them. It was all so familiar thatshe had forgotten how it did look!

  Betty almost felt like taking a turn around the block for a last look attheir own home; but she thought of the curtainless windows, the desolateyard and the empty swing under the elm trees. No, thank you! Bettysniffed and fumbled in her pocketbook for a handkerchief. Was she goingto cry now? Not a bit of it! She had to keep up before the girls.Bounding a corner, there she was at Janet’s. Janet had cried last night.It wasn’t real. She was in a dream!

  And Betty had had her dreams, like all girls of her age. The little townof Buxton was not a rich one. It was not even in a good farming center,nor was it a county seat. Two good school buildings and some churcheswere its chief ornaments, architecturally. Among the people, as always,there were the good element and the bad or shiftless element. Yet somevery fine people had found a home there and among them were the friendsof Betty Lee’s family. It was quiet. It was fairly safe. Betty,protected by the oversight of a sensible yet idealistic mother, was ahappy girl, interested in everything and ambitious in school, whoseactivities were always prominent and whose teachers held the respect ofthe community. Betty would probably marry one of the boys some day, asshe had seen older girls do, and settle down. Perhaps she could go awayto school for a year or two. If she couldn’t, there were always booksand music and friends, nice things to do and dear people to love. Vaguethoughts like this about the future were in her mind when she thoughtabout it at all. Her father and mother were her standards of excell
ence;and therein lay much safety, since those two were wise andself?controlled.

  And now, so unexpectedly, there was this bewildering change to citylife. It was exciting to think about it and yet Betty could not foreseethe changes it was going to make in her whole adventure of living. Forin the new and in many ways very superior school to which she was going,new friends, with work, play, perplexity, even mystery, perhaps, and awider choice of opportunity waited for this wholesome, attractive BettyLee. To say the least, life was not going to be dull, and this Bettyfelt.

  “No, there’s something about Betty Lee.” Janet Light was saying to SueMiller. “I don’t believe that she ‘will be lost in the multitude,’ asshe says. Her teachers will _notice_ her at least. I’d pick Betty out ina thousand!”

  “Oh, that’s natural. You’re her chum. But isn’t she sort of scared to goto such a big school?”

  “No, I don’t think Betty’s scared. Of course–you know Betty. Shewouldn’t want to show it if she were. I think that she’s really crazyabout going; but you can imagine how she’d feel, dread it a little. Ionly wish I could go–that is, if I could take everybody along!”

  “Yes. It’s wonderful even to travel to a city; but to live there!”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” remarked Janet, taking a new tack. “You couldn’t getinto the country so much.”

  “You could if you had a car.”

  “If is a big word, Sue. Betty said her father had to have somethingdifferent from the old machine now, but he’ll be in business most of thetime.”

  The two girls were sitting on the Light porch, waiting for Betty andtalking as fast as girls can when there is some interesting subject. ToJanet the departure of her dearest chum was more or less upsetting. Suewas not so intimate and Betty had never had any suspicion of theadmiration with which Sue regarded her. She was really surprised thatSue wanted to see her off, with Janet.

  “It’s pretty cool this morning,” Sue inserted, throwing her light coataround her shoulders. “I nearly melted yesterday when I came on thetrain from Grandma’s. But it wasn’t much of a ride.” Sue was thinkingthat her little trip was nothing in comparison with Betty’s coming dayof travel.

  “It was that big rain and the wind yesterday that changed things. I wasover with Betty till late because it rained so hard all evening. That’swhy I could hardly wake up this morning. It’s a good thing you were tostop for me, for Mother didn’t call me. She forgot.”

  “I just _happened_ to telephone you before I started, thought maybeyou’d rather go down to Mrs. Royce’s.”

  “Lucky you did. But no, I thought there would be so much confusion witheverybody hurrying perhaps, and Betty said she would be sure to stop.It’s right on the way to the station anyhow.” With this, Janet ran infor the second time, to see if it were getting anywhere near train time.“No, there’s loads of time,” she reported.

  “The rain was why I didn’t get to see Betty at all,” Sue explained. “Ihad a headache and lay down after I came home; and at supper–at_supper_, mind you, Mother _happened to tell me_ about how the Lees weremoving to the city! It had all gone on while I was at Grandma’s andnobody ever told me a word! Of course, I wasn’t writing to anybody, noteven Mother but once. She and Grandma exchange letters every week,though.”

  “It was in the paper and I suppose everybody thought you knew. Betty wasin too much of a whirl. Her mother’s only written cards, and just atelegram came, saying which train they were to take. Betty does not evenknow the address of where she’s going!”

  “How could the goods go down, then? Somebody had to know.”

  “I think the truckman was to telephone the boarding house or office orsome place after he reached the city, to find out where to take thegoods.”

  “I should think that Mrs. Lee would have wanted Betty to help getsettled.”

  “She was going to hire some one to put it through, in a hurry. Besides,Mrs. Royce couldn’t manage Amy Louise without Betty. As it was, she madea dreadful fuss.”

  “I suppose so. But Betty spoils her, too.”

  “Not so much. When Betty says, ‘Amy Louise Lee’, in that way of hers.Amy Lou pays attention.”

  “How old is Betty anyway?”

  “She’ll be fourteen in December. Don’t you remember her birthday partylast year?”

  “That’s so. Oh, here’s Betty! ’Lo there, Betty Lee!”

  Sue ran down to meet Betty, who walked briskly around the corner and tothe open gate; for Janet’s home, like Betty’s, actually had a fence!With a little squeeze and kiss, Sue led Betty to the porch, where Janet,smiling, waited. “I would have felt awful, Betty,” cried Sue, “not tohave had a glimpse of you! I never knew a word about it.”

  “It was a shame, Sue; but you can just imagine how it’s been. I haven’tknown whether I was on my head or my feet.”

  “Of course. What a pretty suit you have, all blue, your color, Betty,and hat to match and everything–even gloves, Janet!”

  Betty laughed at that. “I’ll probably not have them on much, with AmyLou to take care of. I’m glad you like my things. Auntie drove me clearto Columbus to shop. You see I’ve had to get ready for school, too, forit begins almost as soon as I get there. Won’t it be terrible to learnwhat street cars to take and everything, unless Father can drive me toschool?”

  “Aren’t you awfully excited, Betty?”

  “I suppose I am. But all I can think of right now is getting throughthis trip with Amy Lou. She never was on a train before, if she is fouryears old; so I don’t know what she will do. But I’m hoping that shewill be shy, the way she is when strangers are around, and she may sleepsince we’ve been up so early. I think we’d better walk along, girls.I’ll go in and say goodbye to the folks, Janet.”

  Betty was in the house a few minutes only. Then they strolled toward thelittle railroad station, only a short distance of a few blocks. Severalpeople came along, to see Betty and stop, shaking hands and sayinggoodbye. Ahead of them walked Aunt Jo with the littlest Lee, while Doriswas accompanied by three girls of about her own age, and afreckled?faced boy scampered on in advance, with Dick. “I wondered whathad become of Billy,” said Janet, recognizing her brother.

  Soon they stood in partly separated groups on the small platform. AmyLou started back after the cat, but was rescued in time by her aunt’srestraining hand. To permit Betty and the other children last words withtheir friend, capable Aunt Jo walked up and down now with the child,showing her what little there was to see and making up a story about therails. Distracted as Betty was, she kept in mind a picture of these lastdetails.

  “Oh, dear, Betty,” said Sue, as train time drew near at hand, “you arenot going to forget us, are you?”

  “Forget you–I should say not! Forget the girls I’ve been with since thefirst grade in school!” Betty held out a warm hand to each, as theystood closely now. She and Janet exchanged a smiling look. They had beenall over that phase the night before.

  “But it can never be the same,” mourned Sue.

  “Maybe it will be better!” brightly suggested Betty. “You’ll both comedown to visit me in vacations and I’ll take you all around–that is, if Iever learn to get around everywhere myself.”

  “That would be wonderful–if it could happen. Maybe I wouldn’t be allowedto go, though.”

  “Oh, yes! We get older every year, you know.”

  Sue looked doubtful. Money was scarce in Sue’s home. It did not roll inat the village store which her father kept.

  “Brace up, Susie,” laughingly said Janet. “We must send Betty off withnothing but good wishes. Let’s not begin to mourn now. That’s whatMother told me last night, and I pass it on to you.”

  “All right, Janet. You’re right. Good luck and a grand time, Betty.Mercy! There’s the train tooting now and I haven’t said goodbye to therest!”

  Betty made a dash for Amy Louise, to hold her hand firmly. Last goodbyeswere said. Dick and Doris gathered up the bags while the train roundedthe curve at a little
distance. The freckled lad soberly regarded Dickas he said, “Well, so long, Dick. So long, Doris;” and Doris was beingembraced by the excited little girls, who followed the travelers andtried not to get in the way of various small trucks.

  “Help Betty all you can, Dick,” advised Mrs. Royce, handing an extrapiece of baggage up to Dick, who was last to board the train. “Rememberthat I shall want a card mailed at once to make sure of your safety. Ifanything goes wrong, send a telegram.”

  Dick, grinning, feeling not a little important with his manly duties,nodded and disappeared after his sisters. The group on the platform,watching the windows, were presently rewarded by seeing smiling faces.Dick was trying to put up a window, but without success; or possibly theothers were too impatient to wait for him to find out how to do it.

  Amy Louise, her light hair and childish face framed in a hat that wasnow pushed back in the effort to see, smiled and threw kisses. She hadno regrets. She was on her way to her mother. Betty’s face lookedbrightly out above Amy Louise, and there were Doris and Dick, theblessed twins! Aunt Jo tried not to show the anxiety she felt. But Bettywould see it through!

  There went the clanging bell. Now the train started. Now they were gone;and the small group on the platform turned away with that odd, lostfeeling that comes when something is over.

  The freckle?faced lad scampered away alone. Mrs. Royce, after exchangingpleasant words with the girls, hurried homeward with her thoughts. Therest scattered. School was opening for them, too. There would be plentyof activities to take up their time and interest. Janet and Sue wouldreport to the other girls how they saw Betty Lee off that early morning.And they all would laugh over one quoted speech of Betty’s when shesaid, “I imagine, girls, that this is my most _moving_ adventure!”