as not of it.

CHAPTER XII

THANKSGIVING AT OVERTON

In spite of the awkwardness of the situation precipitated by the
belligerent newspaper girl, Thanksgiving Day passed off with remarkable
smoothness. Greatly to Grace's surprise, in the morning after Mabel's
arrival at Wayne Hall Kathleen West had appeared in the living-room
where Mabel was holding triumphant court, greeted her with apparent
cordiality, and after remaining in the room for a short time had pleaded
an engagement for the day, and said good-bye.

"Too bad she couldn't stay with us and go to the game, isn't it?" Mabel
had declared regretfully. "I suppose she is obliged to divide her time.
Miss West is so clever. She must be very popular?" she added
inquiringly.

At that moment Elfreda purposely began an account of the latest practice
game in which her team had played, and Mabel, who was an ardent
basketball fan, failed to notice that her questioning comment had been
neither answered nor echoed. To the relief of the four friends the
subject of Kathleen West was not renewed during Mabel's stay, and when,
that night, she went to the station surrounded by a large and faithful
bodyguard, all adverse criticism against the girl for whom she had
spoken was locked within the breasts of the four who knew.

On the Friday after Thanksgiving the first real game between the
freshmen and the sophomore teams took place in the gymnasium. The
freshmen won the game, much to Elfreda's disgust, as she had pinned her
faith on the sophomores. The triumphant team marched around the
gymnasium, lustily singing a ridiculously funny basketball song which it
afterward developed had been composed by none other than Kathleen West.

"Too bad she isn't up to her song," had been Elfreda's dry comment, with
which the other three girls privately agreed.

The Morton House girls issued tickets for a play, which had to be
postponed because the leading man (Gertrude Wells) spent Thanksgiving in
the country and missed the afternoon train to Overton. Nothing daunted,
Arline descended upon Grace, Miriam and Anne, pressed them into service
and sent them scurrying about to the houses and boarding places of the
girls they knew to be at home, with eleventh-hour invitations to a fancy
dress party to be held at Morton Hall in lieu of the play, which had to
be postponed until the following week. Arline had stipulated that the
costumes must be strictly original. Wonderland costumes were to