Once Chet dashed out of the auditorium door after practice of the junior and senior orchestras together, to find Jack and Betty in conversation just outside in the hall. “Say, Betty, I have to see you,” began Chet. “Oh, excuse me. I don’t want to interrupt, but I have a message.” Chet looked at Jack and Jack looked at him. What in the world was that new junior doing? Was he hanging around Betty? “Hello, Jack,” Chet finished.
“There is nothing important, Chet,” sweetly replied Betty, turning in friendly fashion to Chet. She was quite aware of the instant antagonism between the boys. But Chet needn’t think that he owned her! She liked Jack.
“I’ll be waiting outside, Betty,” said Jack with cool politeness in his attitude. “The message may be private.”
“What’s that chap around for?” queried Chet looking after Jack, who was sauntering toward the entrance door. “He doesn’t belong to either orchestra, band or glee club.”
As no reply could be expected, Betty said nothing but continued to look pleasantly at Chet and wait. He lost no time but went on at once to explain.
“Say, Betty, it’s Mother that wants you to help her out. There’s going to be doings at our church, some sort of a spring festival or something, and Mother says she hadn’t any more sense than to say she’d be responsible for a booth. So she’s hunting up a few pretty girls she knows—that’s Mother’s expression, not mine—and wanted me to ask you if you would help her out. It won’t be hard, just to dress up in some sort of a costume, I guess.”
“That’s terribly clear, Chet,” laughingly said Betty, “but tell your mother that I’ll do anything she wants me too.”
“Good for you. I knew you would, and she wants you to come out for dinner tomorrow. Of course I’ll hate that a lot! We’ll drive around after you, Ted and I, most likely. Is that O.K.?”
“Yes. I’ll get my lessons ahead, so I can spare the time.”
“Count on the whole evening, Betty. We’ll do something or other. Now have you a regular date with that chap? I rather expected to put you on the car myself.”