She reviewed at length a set of French encyclopedias which had been
given to the library, and spoke with enthusiasm of a remarkable
collection of jaw-bones of the prehistoric cow which had been presented
to the department of paleontology. She gave in full the list of the
seventeen girls who had been honored with scholarships, laboriously
writing out their full names, with "Miss" attached to each, and the name
of the town and the State in its unabbreviated length. And still it only
mounted up to ten pages, and it took eighteen of Patty's writing to make
a column.
She strolled down to examine the bulletin-board again, and discovered a
new notice which she had overlooked before:
Friday, January 17. Professor James Harkner Wallis
of the Lick Observatory will lecture in the
auditorium, at eight o'clock, upon "Theories of
the Sidereal System."
Patty regarded the notice without emotion. It did not look capable of
expansion, and she did not feel the remotest interest in the sidereal
system. The brief account of the lecturer, however, which was appended
to the notice, stated that Professor Wallis was one of the best known of
living astronomers, and that he had conducted important original
investigations.
"If I knew anything about astronomy," she thought desperately, "I might
be able to spread him out over two pages."
An acquaintance of Patty's strolled up to the bulletin-board.
"Did you ever hear of that man?" asked Patty, pointing to the notice.
"Never; but I'm not an astronomer."
"I'm not, either," said Patty. "I wonder who he is?" she added
wistfully. "It seems he's very famous, and I'd really like to know
something about him."
The girl opened her eyes in some surprise at this thirst for gratuitous
information; it did not accord with Patty's reputation: and ever after,
when it was affirmed in her presence that Patty Wyatt was brilliant but
superficial, she stoutly maintained that Patty was deeper than people
thought. She pondered a moment, and then returned, "Lucille Carter takes
astronomy; she could tell you about him."
"So she does. I'd forgotten it"; and Patty swung off toward Lucille's
room.
She found a number of girls sitting around on the various pieces of
furniture, eating fudge and discussing the tragedies of one Maeterlinck.
"What's this?" said Patty. "A party?"
"Oh, no," said Lucille; "just an extra session of the Dramatic Theory
class. Don't be afraid; there's your room-mate up on the window-seat."
"Hello, Pris. What are you doing here?" said Patty, dipping out some
fudge with a spoon. (There had been a disagreement as to how long it
should boil.)
"Just paying a social call. What are you doing? I thought you were going
to hurry up and get through so you could go down-town to dinner."
"I am," said Patty, vaguely; "but I got lonely."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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