“Of course they’ll do,” said Peggy, adjusting the cap to Betty’s head, merely by wrapping the two ends about and fastening them, top and bottom, with ordinary clips. So that was what the big black letters on the plain gray pasteboard said, “SOCIAL ENGINEER.”
“But Carolyn,” protested Betty, “I don’t know everybody and how can I be a ‘social engineer’? I suppose you’re going to have games to manage?”
“That’s it, and it doesn’t make a bit of difference whether you know people or not. Your head-gear makes it perfectly proper to speak to anybody. I’m sure you’re good at things like this–from your looks, you know!”
“Thanks for the confidence,” laughed Betty. “All right, I’ll do the best I can.”
For the next hour the lawn looked pretty with the groups that played the old-fashioned games as well as those of a later date. Here were flowers and shrubbery, light dresses, darting figures, much laughter and little shrieks in the midst of excitement, when some one was caught or some one became “It.” Then tables were brought out upon the lawn. Carolyn and Peggy pressed several of the boys into service to help place them, but after they were set, with silver, napkins and flowers, a pretty vase in the center of each table, the “banquet,” as Betty later reported at home, was served them as perfectly “as if they were grown up” by persons whom Betty supposed to be the servants of the house. Mercy, she would never dare invite Carolyn to their apartment! And she did love Carolyn!
Not that Betty was ashamed of simple living–Betty was trying to think why she had such a thought about Carolyn–but that could be puzzled out later on. The present was too pleasant for a single disturbing thought. It was cool now and seemed more like the time of year it really was. Sunset hues were showing. And they were to stay till the Japanese lanterns all about were lit, with some hiding game or treasure hunt that Carolyn had mentioned to the “social engineers” as their last effort and fun. And now, after the pretty ice-cream in the freshman colors and the delicious cake with the double frosting, lovely baskets of grapes and peaches were being passed.
Betty slowly ate the juicy grapes of her bunch, one by one, as she talked to Peggy on one side of her, or Chet Dorrance on the other. One of the junior boys had been “fired,” according to Chet, for “cutting classes, disorderly conduct and disrespectful behaviour.” Oh, no, he couldn’t come back now. His parents had been over to see the principal and they might get the “kid” into some other school–Chet did not know. And Betty was to watch Freddy Fisher carry the ball at the first football game in the stadium. “If you go with Carolyn and Peggy,” said he, “they’ll tell you who everybody is that’s doing things. You’ve seen ’em all, though, haven’t you?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure I’ll know them on the field. I guess I am going with Carolyn and Peggy.”
“Of course you are,” decidedly remarked Peggy, who had turned from her other neighbor in time to hear Betty’s last sentence. “What is it you’re going to?”