United States -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction; Women college students -- Fiction
“I don’t like this college, anyway.” Sarah had moved to the bureau. Her
face was positively gray until she started work on it. “I think the way
they treat you—the way they do things——”
“Oh, what can you expect?” mumbled Jerry, her mouth full of thread.
“They live so far away, up here in the woods, not near any city or burg
large enough to call a town—naturally they want to play around a
little, when they import some girls here!”
“Perhaps you think,” said Sarah suddenly, “that that freshman down there
isn’t going to drop a few leading remarks when our little comrades
come—unless we’re there first!” She turned to Joy. “You’re ready—won’t
you go down and talk to them—tell ’em we’re coming right along?”
“I’d be glad to!” and Joy made a swift exit. She was already conscious
that she liked Jerry and did not like Sarah. This, she told herself, was
not because Jerry had liked her voice—there was something about Jerry.
But it would be awful for her to take her voice seriously. She wouldn’t
be a real girl any longer—a girl like these Prom specimens, a few of
whom were floating around the halls now, pale and sleepy, with Magic
Curlers in their hair—hard to recognise as the overpowering beings of
last night.
She passed on down to the first floor, where things were a little more
animated. A talking machine was playing and several men were sitting
around in more or less expectant attitudes. Tom was not there, nor were
the two “little comrades” of her roommates. Embarrassed, she was about
to retreat, when one of the men detached himself from a group at the end
of the room and came over to her. It was Jack Barnett.
“I was hoping I would get a chance to see you this morning.”
She was speechless with delight. If he could have known that he had been
her last waking thought! It is as well that man cannot follow the
intensely-flickering dreams and fancies of maidenhood. The two stood and
looked at each other in a charmed silence.
“Well?” he challenged.
“You took the words out of my mouth when I saw you; what more can I
say?” she retorted with a laugh.
She was very lovely. His eyes dwelt upon her with minute appreciation,
as they automatically moved off to a corner. She only dared to look at
him from beneath the protective fringe of lowered lashes, lest his eyes
catch hers and hold them until she would have to tear them away by
force. She laughed aloud.
“What are you laughing at, you funny girl?” he demanded.
“Oh, nothing. I was only wondering if—if it was wrong to _hold eyes_.”
“Not half as wrong as some other things,” he smiled.
There they were. Two sentences, and they were skimming on the thin ice
of conversation towards topics youth loves to discuss “broad-mindedly
and impersonally.” Joy hesitated, and drew back.
“Are you sleepy from last night? You don’t look a bit tired.”
“Oh, I’m not. It’ll take several steady nights of this to put me under.”
He stretched his impressive length, which she regarded with respect.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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