“What in the world do you want to give a girl-dance for?” demanded Betty. “By junior year we were all pretty tired of them, except Helen Chase Adams, who never had a chance to go to any other kind. This is a girl-affair, of course?”
Polly was busily examining the depleted gift-shop table. “I always meant to buy a pair of these candle-shades,” she said, holding up one of the Tally-ho’s specials. “Will you take the order now? Did you ask who was giving the affair, Betty? Oh, just our own crowd—the ‘Why-Get-Up-to-Breakfast Club,’ and a few choice spirits who’ve been invited to join us. Eats for thirty, I think Lucile said; and we want them very grand and quite regardless of expense. About three courses, and all nice and spicy, the way campus food never is.”
“I think it’s such a funny idea,” pursued Betty. “Your house party comes before long, doesn’t it? Why in the world don’t you wait for that?”
“Nothing but lemonade for refreshments and a crowd of stupidities that you can’t get away from,” explained Polly succinctly. “Will it be all right about the loft, Betty? I’m due at chemistry lab., and I promised the others that I’d have this business all arranged by lunch-time.”
“Why, ye-es,” began Betty doubtfully. “You can have it, I think. The gift-shop workroom may as well be closed until next fall, and Madeline’s papers are used to being moved around. I suppose a little dance like this is just like a party in a campus room. You don’t have to get permission from anyone, do you?”
“Easily not,” Polly assured her calmly. “It’s exactly the same thing as a dinner down here, or a spread. You’ve had spreads down here, haven’t you?”
Betty nodded.
“Then I’ll tell them it’s all right.” Polly tucked her armful of books more securely under her arm and started off. “Did I say that it was next Saturday evening? We want the eats at half-past nine, before everything but the last dance.”
Betty began planning the menu and estimating expenses at once, reflecting as she did so that there was certainly no accounting for tastes, and half wishing she had suggested to Polly that a three course supper wasn’t at all in keeping with the best Harding traditions. “The Merry Hearts” had not exactly handed down their ideals to the “Why-Get-Ups,” but the one society had largely taken the other’s place in the life of the college.
“This kind of thing makes people talk about the fashionable amusements here and the money it costs to go through Harding College. I wish I’d——” Betty remembered suddenly that her first duty was to the tea-shop, and went at her figures in earnest, trying to feel properly elated over the big order and the new source of revenue suggested by Polly’s idea of renting the loft.