“They say that girls are ‘catty,’” said Marie, “so I don’t know about being a cat.”
“But Shirley ought to be a witch with that tall hat and have a sort of Cat Brigade to drill.”
“How would the freshmen like to be kitty-cats, then?” asked Shirley. “It would be funny, Pansy, if they would do it, and we could have a drill and a song,——”
“Oh, yes, with a chorus of growls and meows,” Pansy added. “If the girls don’t want to do it for their class stunt, let’s have it extra.”
“Everything must be submitted to Miss Gibson, you know,” said Shirley.
Other suggestions followed. It would not be so bad to be on the committee, the girls concluded. Meetings of the classes were to be held at once. There was to be no putting off if their appearance was assured for Hallowe’en, and no class wanted to be omitted on the program of fun. When forced to it by the exigencies of time and occasion, there is little that girls can not think up, for the amusement of each other and usually to the entertainment of everybody concerned.
CHAPTER XII.
HALLOWE’EN PLAYS.
There was advantage in being on “the committee,” that of being excused from classes the afternoon before Hallowe’en to do the decorating. Pansy said that she wished Hallowe’en came every week and that she might be on the committee, and she only wished that she had had more recitations to miss than she had!
Shirley said little, but worked hard; for she knew of at least one critical eye, who would scan the rooms, not inclined to praise. Drapings in orange, red, black and white, in varied combinations, pumpkin shades for the bulbs, black backgrounds for gay posters, and even flowers of the appropriate colors made the Hallowe’en setting. Shirley tried not to have it too “scrappy,” but the girls told her that it had to be more or less so. Every one had some favorite poster that must not be left out. But Miss Gibson came in at the last, with directions that vindicated Shirley’s ideas and saved the day.
When the girls began to come into the rooms in their costumes and masks, the fun began. They changed their voices, and it was almost impossible to tell who any one was, though there were some mild shouts of “Oh, I know who you are!” But it was easy to be deceived. Shirley wore a ghost costume until after the freshman stunt, for her witch’s costume had to be used by the leader. Pansy’s first idea had been for Shirley to lead the drill of the freshmen; but Shirley told her that it would never do to have a senior in the freshman stunt. Shirley suggested a funny variety of drill modeled after a “gym” drill, which would be mysterious, creepy and catty, in movement and rhythm. She also composed a song for the Cat Brigade, which was accepted by the freshmen committee and sung with great gusto. The only difficulty was to keep its ghostly melody from becoming known till the time to sing it.