All this was very interesting to Virginia, who wrote to her father that night telling him how exciting it was to live with a girl from New Orleans. “This is a very cosmopolitan place, as one of the teachers said in chapel,” wrote Virginia. “We have a Chinese girl, and a French girl is coming soon. Miss Randolph spoke of it to us all and said that we are not to ask her any questions because she was terribly frightened when the Germans made their first advance and just escaped in time. It seems like living in a story, Father, and I can’t thank you enough for letting me come here.”
Olive was very happy that she should be invited at once to a party and took more interest, if the truth must be told, in getting a costume and mask ready, than in catching up with her lessons. Cathalina helped her, from the supply which she had brought, and such trying on of costumes and deciding on characters as there were! Isabel burst into Virgie’s room on the afternoon of the party with a whoop of satisfaction. “Look here, girls, what do you think of this? I had a bright idea and made my Bluebeard’s blue beard of cotton and colored it with ink. Isn’t it ferocious?” she inquired, adjusting it to her rosy face.
The hall was decorated with pumpkin lanterns, black cats, witches, broomsticks and the like in various forms as they come for such purposes. One end was curtained off for the trying of fortunes and different Hallow-e’en performances, and the sum of five cents was charged for the privilege of taking part. TRY YOUR FORTUNE, FIND OUT WHOM YOU ARE TO WED, AND HELP THE SOCIETY BUY ITS FURNITURE, was printed in large if shaky letters on a banner fastened across the curtain. From the shouts of laughter which came from behind the curtain it was evident that something funny was taking place, and tickets could scarcely be given out fast enough. The door at one end of the hall, or society room, was included behind the curtain, and through this door girls, clad as witches were sending their patrons, equipped with candle and mirror. Just around the corner was a short flight of stairs to the back door and the stars.
“Come on, Betty, try it,” urged Cathalina and Eloise, who were two of the witches.
“Did you see anything, girls?” asked Betty of Isabel and Virgie. Betty in the pansy costume, her mask thrown back, was a pretty sight.
“No, not a thing, go on,” said Isabel.
“Sh, you’re not supposed to tell,” said Eloise.
“I’ll go, then,” said Betty, “you leave the door open, don’t you?”
“Yes, and a witch is behind the curtain at the top of the stairs. Don’t forget to back down and look out for two steps outside the door.”
Betty started. It was pitch dark in the staircase, except for the feeble candle, and sensible as Betty was, she felt the charm of Hallow-e’en night and a bit of excitement as girls do. Slowly she backed down, out the door, down two stairs more, her candle flickering in the breeze, then she looked in the mirror,—O, a face! She gave a little cry, slipped on a frosty leaf and would have fallen but for two strong hands at her elbows. “Pardon me,” said a manly voice, and a quickly moving figure disappeared in the darkness. Betty lost no time either, but flew indoors, up the stairs, and whisked into the gay room again, as if all the witches in poetry and prose were after her.