be thought popular. Even Alex and Alonzo--I'll never be able to
think of those two names separately after this--are to her just two
playfellows who want her to play with them all their lives. I'm glad
we met her, and I'm glad we went to Old St. John's. I believe I've put
forth a tiny soul-root into Kingsport soil this afternoon. I hope so. I
hate to feel transplanted."

Chapter V

Letters from Home

For the next three weeks Anne and Priscilla continued to feel as
strangers in a strange land. Then, suddenly, everything seemed to fall
into focus--Redmond, professors, classes, students, studies, social
doings. Life became homogeneous again, instead of being made up of
detached fragments. The Freshmen, instead of being a collection of
unrelated individuals, found themselves a class, with a class spirit, a
class yell, class interests, class antipathies and class ambitions.
They won the day in the annual "Arts Rush" against the Sophomores,
and thereby gained the respect of all the classes, and an enormous,
confidence-giving opinion of themselves. For three years the Sophomores
had won in the "rush"; that the victory of this year perched upon the
Freshmen's banner was attributed to the strategic generalship of Gilbert
Blythe, who marshalled the campaign and originated certain new tactics,
which demoralized the Sophs and swept the Freshmen to triumph. As
a reward of merit he was elected president of the Freshman Class, a
position of honor and responsibility--from a Fresh point of view,
at least--coveted by many. He was also invited to join the
"Lambs"--Redmondese for Lamba Theta--a compliment rarely paid to a
Freshman. As a preparatory initiation ordeal he had to parade the
principal business streets of Kingsport for a whole day wearing a
sunbonnet and a voluminous kitchen apron of gaudily flowered calico.
This he did cheerfully, doffing his sunbonnet with courtly grace when he
met ladies of his acquaintance. Charlie Sloane, who had not been asked
to join the Lambs, told Anne he did not see how Blythe could do it, and
HE, for his part, could never humiliate himself so.

"Fancy Charlie Sloane in a 'caliker' apron and a 'sunbunnit,'" giggled
Priscilla. "He'd look exactly like his old Grandmother Sloane.
Gilbert, now, looked as much like a man in them as in his own proper
habiliments."

Anne and Priscilla found themselves in the thick of the social life of
Redmond. That this came about so speedily was due in great m