"Who told you about it?" asked Arline in a half-vexed tone.

"You told me, don't you remember?" asked Grace.

"Oh, yes, of course. Wasn't I a goose?"

"Thank you," bowed Grace mockingly.

"Oh, I don't mean because I told you," apologized Arline hastily. "I
mean, wasn't I a goose to buy it? It was in this very store. It looked
so pretty. I was determined to have it. Outside the store it looked
quite different. It was a perfectly honest dollar-and-a-half hat. But in
the store under the electric lights it was really a pretentious affair.
Ruth was with me at the time, and, wise little pilot that she is, tried
to steer me past it. But I was determined to have it. After I left Ruth,
I opened the box and looked at it in broad daylight, and then I happened
to meet my washerwoman's daughter, and I gave it to her. It was so
fortunate I met her, wasn't it?" finished Arline plaintively.

"For the washerwoman's daughter, yes," returned Grace.

"It served me right for buying it. I spend too much money foolishly,"
said Arline self-accusingly. "I'm going to stop being so reckless.
Suppose my father were to lose all his money and I couldn't even come
back to college next year? I would, though. I'd go and live with Ruth
and borrow enough money of the Semper Fidelis Club to see me through my
senior year. Then, I suppose, I'd have to teach or something afterward.
I think it would be 'or something.' I don't believe teaching is my
vocation."

Grace listened in smiling silence to Arline's remarks. A vision of the
little blue-eyed golden-haired girl who always did exactly as she
pleased in the prim guise of a teacher was infinitely diverting.

"You haven't answered my question about our girls yet," reminded Grace,
as they walked down the center aisle of the larger of the two Overton
stores, stopping frequently at the various counters to examine the
display of holiday wares.

"Haven't you any suggestions?" counter-questioned Arline. "I have been
depending on you for inspiration."

"Nothing new or original," answered Grace doubtfully. "Last year's stunt
was beautifully carried out, but we can't repeat it this year without
running the risk of some one finding out just who our eight girls are
and all about them. Then, too, what we did last year was on the spur of
the moment. If we tried to do the same thing this year it might fall
flat, on account of being too carefully planned. Besides, these girls
have the privilege of borrowing f