SHE LOVED ME FOR THE DANGERS
It is a dull afternoon in the sorority house and Dorothy is trying to make up her mind to study; but she isn’t having much success. In fact, the idea is so unattractive that she doesn’t waste more than half a minute trying. Everybody has gone to the last game of the season across the river, and Dot didn’t go because she has used up all her week-ends. Oh, well ... Sunday afternoon and five hours before her date. Nothing left to read. Washed her hair yesterday—you mustn’t do that more than once a week. Manicured her nails before lunch. Plucked her eyebrows, darned her stockings—oh, bother Sunday afternoon. And there is a theme due on Tuesday, but that’s a long time and anyway you write better themes at the last minute. Oh, glory, there’s the phone. What if just once it could be someone unexpected?
“Miss Dormer? This is Donald Banks, from Los Angeles. I have a letter for you from Genevieve Reed. When I left I mentioned that I might be coming through here and she thought——”
“Why, any friend of Jen’s—why, of course. Can’t you come over?”
“I’d very much like to. When would it be convenient?”
“Any time this afternoon. I think I’m busy tonight, but if you’d like to come over now or pretty soon it would be all right.”
Well! Oh, well, he’ll probably be a mess. Jen never mentioned him. Haven’t heard from Jen lately, though. It wouldn’t be like her to send up a wet smack.
No, you aren’t a wet smack at first glance, anyway. Interesting looking. Lean and distinguished; something like Lewis Stone, if not quite so tall. How funny of you to think that the sitting-room is really a place to sit—surely no one else spent all afternoon on that horse-hair sofa since the Dean of Women was a pup. If you were one of the boys you’d know enough to suggest going out. But it is rather fun at that.
“Oh, you mustn’t think,” she protests, “that you have to go just because it’s so quiet. We’re allowed to have visitors indefinitely on Sunday.”
Laugh. “You’re tired, though. I remember Sunday afternoon at school from my own experience. Thank you, and—I may see you quite soon again? Not only, I assure you, because my time in your city is so limited.”