elings," remarked Elfreda bluntly. "What
did you do to hurt them?"

"I missed asking her to dance," explained Grace. "I didn't see her until
late that evening, and when I apologized and asked to see her card she
refused, saying coldly that my forgetting to ask her to dance was of no
consequence. Since then she has hardly spoken to me."

"Why didn't you tell me that before?" asked Elfreda quickly. "That
accounts for certain things."

"Don't be mysterious, Elfreda," put in Miriam. "Tell us what you mean by
'certain things'?"

"You girls know that on several occasions before Christmas Alberta Wicks
and Mary Hampton were invited here to dinner. Who invited them? Miss
Taylor. So Alberta Wicks retaliated by taking Miss Taylor home with her
for the holidays."

"Really?" asked Miriam, in surprise. "Who told you?"

"They went home on the same train with Emma Dean," returned Elfreda.
"She sat two seats behind them. Has any one seen the Anarchist?"

No one answered.

"Why don't we change the subject and talk about something pleasant,"
complained Arline Thayer.

"Do you remember saying to me the night before we went home that you had
thought of a lovely plan?" reminded Grace.

"Yes," returned Arline. "I am glad you reminded me of it while we are
all here. Just before I went home for my vacation the idea popped into
my head that we ought to organize some kind of society for helping these
girls who come to Overton with little or no money and who depend on the
work they find to do here to help them through college."

"Like me," put in Ruth slyly.

"Don't interrupt me," retorted Arline, smiling at Ruth. "When I went
home I had a talk with Father, and he has promised to give me five
hundred dollars with which to start a fund. Now, what I propose to do is
to organize a little society of our own with this same object in view.
There is one society of that kind here at Overton, but it is always so
besieged with requests for help that I don't imagine it more than keeps
its head above water. There is room for another, at any rate. I don't
see why we can't be the girls to organize it." Arline looked
questioningly about the circle of interested faces.

"I think it would be splendid," said Miriam emphatically. "I know my
mother would contribute toward it."

"So would Pa and Ma," declared Elfreda. "Suppose we all write home
to-night."

"What do you think of it, Grace and Anne?" asked Arline. "So far neither
of you has said a w