“She may be angry when she finds she’s been fooled,” suggested Christy.
Madeline stared at her blankly. “You don’t really mean,” she began at last, “that you doubt the combined ability of the B. C. A.’s, Timmy Wentworth, Dickie Drake, Billy Barstow, the Dutton twins, and the best frat. in Winsted to give foolish young Constance the time of her gay young life? If she is any kind of a girl she will think we’re the very best jokers she ever heard of. The Duttons are down in the Tally-ho waiting to carry the letter to Georgia, and if she likes the idea they’re going to take charge of the program—select entertainers, assign stunts and hours, and all that. Eugenia Ford is going to attend to the Winsted end. There’s no fooling about that dance, Christy. It’s the most gorgeous affair of the Winsted season, Eugenia says, and she is sure she can get an invitation for Constance. Any more objections?”
There were no more objections. As the full beauty of Madeline’s plan dawned upon the other B. C. A.’s, there were shrieks of delight, offers of assistance, and suggestions for novel stunts likely to appeal particularly to the temperament of foolish young Constance. Presently the Duttons trilled from below, and the letter was ceremoniously lowered in the Peter Pan basket, amid great excitement.
“We forgot Bob Blake,” Straight called up. “She’ll be splendid to help.”
“All right, but don’t alter the letter. We can mention her at the station,” Madeline called down; and the twins and Eugenia hurried off to the Belden to find Georgia.
It was on the loveliest of May afternoons, a week later, that Constance Ames alighted with much youthful dignity from the Boston train, to find herself fairly surrounded by a noisy bevy of girls,—girls quite as pretty and quite as stylish as young Constance, girls whose flattering speeches of welcome made her blush, whose jokes made her laugh, and whose breezy energy packed her and her bag, together with six or seven of themselves, into a trim runabout and rushed her off to the Tally-ho for refreshment, before she had had time to explain that she was hot and dusty and would rather go straight to her room,—before she met any more girls or any men.
The Tally-ho was so fascinating and the food so good that Constance decided not to say anything about leaving in a hurry. And then all at once the Dutton twins, whom chemistry lab. had prevented from meeting Constance at the station, burst upon the scene.
“Eugenia Ford has a car up for the rest of the term—a big snorting red one, with a rumbly horn and a funny French chauffeur. She wants any ten of us to go riding in it, in honor of Georgia’s sister.”
“How do you do, Georgia’s sister?” added Straight gravely. “Awfully nice to have you here to give parties for. Eugenia has an extra veil in the car for you. She says for everybody to leave their hats here, to save room.”