Babbie looked dubious for a moment and then her face cleared. “It might be fun enough,” she said, “if—— Oh, I know what! Seven dollars isn’t too much to spend, is it? I have just that much now, and I’ll risk a pound of Huyler’s on it, Betty Wales, that I can make a better-looking dress for seven dollars than you can.”
“All right,” agreed Betty laughingly. “And of course you understand, Babbie, that we mustn’t explain we’re doing it on account of any particular girls, but just on general principles. I’ll tell Rachel to see that the right ones hear about it.”
“Of course,” assented Babbie, who was hurrying into a shirt-waist. “I’m not to inform the fair Miss Gardner that I’m trying to look like her second cousin. I’ll remember. Go and tell Babe, Betty. She’s down in Christy’s room. And as soon as I’m dressed we’ll go and buy the things. Bob’s clothes are always frights, no matter what they cost, so it’s no use bothering with her.”
Christy received Betty’s suggestion with hearty approval. “We certainly want to keep Harding College so that every girl, no matter who she is, can enjoy it,” she said. “And the only way to do that is to keep clothes in the background and brains and real good times in front.”
She would wear a simple muslin,—“It’s really a lot more becoming than the other fussed up one,” she confessed, laughingly,—and she promised to see Nita and half a dozen others who would be at the committee meeting she was just hurrying off to. Babe joined the shopping expedition, insisting that her dress should enter the competition with Betty’s and Babbie’s. “Only I shall hire the buttonholes done,” she declared. “I can’t make buttonholes fit to be seen at the commencement of a cat’s orphan asylum.”
It was surprising how many junior ushers were down-town that afternoon and how eagerly most of them took up with “the simple life,” as Babbie called it. A good many were pleased to be asked to join a movement headed by Christy, Betty and the rich and exclusive Babbie Hildreth, who gave it just the stamp that Betty had counted on in asking her coöperation. Others were relieved to find that an elaborate new dress would not be needed. A few of course declared that the seniors would be disappointed and 19— disgraced if the ushers appeared in “duds.” But these last were so hopelessly in the minority that they could safely be ignored.
“Besides, they’ll come around fast enough when they find out who’s for the simple life,” said Babe decidedly. “As for the seniors, they’ll be mighty sorry that they didn’t set a precedent for inexpensive commencement dresses. I tell you 19— is such a fine class that what it says goes.”
“What Betty says goes, you mean,” corrected Babbie, patting her bundle of lace and lawn.
“Please don’t,” begged Betty. “I didn’t do any more than the rest of you. And that reminds me that I haven’t told you but half of what I came to your room to say.”
Babbie made an imploring gesture. “Please don’t. I can’t be nice about anything more just now.”