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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (July 12, 1908)
' ' i ' '.';;;'? ,:; : aiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii i. r,i ttti II Tlk By HAT do you nppoie It is? Four heids cluttered together over a bit of a note, four voices chattered in chorus, and a fifth from the doorway announced a new-comer. "Girls; did any of you get a , note from Nan Howland?" ' "Yes, all of us!" the chorus exclaimed. And Mar gery W'inson danced into the room. '"I never was so curious in all my life! Can you imagine what it is? Listen! 'You are invited to at tend and participate in the charter meeting of the S. P. O. U., the Society of Prevention of Usehss-ness,--to be held in Room ij8, Marsden Hall, at eight o'clock on Thursday evening, December the eleventh.' Trevention of Uselessness'l Of all mys terious things! And our frivolous Tess is invited, too." "It look suspicious, girls. Methinks I sniff a rodent." AHcc Murray waved one hand dramatically, as with the other she deftly abstracted a corpulent chocolate from the box in her sister Olive's lap. "1 am beset with a harrowing suspicion that it is less by accident than design that this wise Nan of ours has selected fix of the most useless girls in college for her extraordinary society." "Yo' insult meh dignity," drawled Marvin Ayers. In moments of excitement Marvin's Georgia drawl was always intensified, although she never entirely lost her pretty, slow intonation. "S "Now, Dixie Ayers, tell me honest, tell me true, did you ever do anything of deadly practical useful ness in your life?" Marvin smiled ruefully as Alice pressed her point home. Marvin was a good student, but on all points involving unnecessary, ex'ertion she was frankly indolent. "I reckon I could if I wanted to," she laughed; "but so long as I don't have to, honey, I'd ratheh not-" "Alas, that 1 must go!" mourned Tess. "I hat to leave such fascipating society and a box of bonbons, but I must get to wdrk and improve my mind, it only to set a good example to Dixie. Think of me in ten minutes as with rumpled locks and anxious brow, an ink-smudge on my chin and a dozen pon derous tomes about me. Dear mel 1 don't see-now Nan can be so amazingly in earnest, and have to tith fun too. If I were as wise as our Nan I should be a perfect mulT!" The Society for the Prevention of Uselessness was in session, eight in all, counting Margery and her room mate, Bess Van Arsdale, and seven in quiring faces turned toward the promoter of this mysterious scheme. Nan Rowland was a popular girl, loving, generous, and unusually well endowed with mental and physi cal gifts. She was at once the girl most in demand for all manner of entertainment, and one ot the best students in college. "I shall begin by asking you a question," she an nounced, after she had laughed in spite of herself at the rustle of expectancy which greeted her. "Sup pose, for a moment, that your father should fail irt business, or should die and leave you without a penny. What should you do to support. yourselves?" Nan's voice was drowned in a chorus of protest ing exclamations. "Do!" echoed Tess Haines. "Why. I I I don't know what I 'd dol I 'd sit down and wail in de spair." "Well," ruminated Alice Murray, who was of a practical turn of mind, "I suppose I should turn to the first thin that offered, from Brim necessity. and it would probably be the wrong thing, and I d make a mest of ft. "That 's just it!" said Margery, eagerly. fo ht 'I" r possible for you to give. Now does n t it seem only VUUIW 1 I VJUM IHItv attv.j " O ' ' right that we should be prepared for emergencies like that, and have aomething to rely On which we know we could do well?" "Nan, you dear old trump, It 's a scheme!" ap plauded Helen Cuyler. ever enthusiastic, and half a dozen voices chattered at once, as heir owners were fairly caught by the spirit of the new idea. "1 '11 spend less time in drawing cartoons ot the faculty and turn my precocious artistic talents to to designing!" announced Olive Murray, in triumph, and Nan beamedwith delight. , "I know what'l'cculd dol'l 'II get papa to let me take a librarian's course at one of those jolly summer schools," Margery Winsort called out over the TSabel of tongues, and Bess Van Arsdale fol lowed with: "And I love gymnastics so, why could n't 1 learn, to teach physical culture?" But it was Marvin Ayers, lazy little Dixie, who astonished them aJJ, "I reckon that while we 're fitting ow'selves for professions; we might earn something hjfth. T "11 open a dancing-class. Yes, I really will honey"- this to the astonished Tess. "I 've taRen dancing lessons all my life, ncahly." "J '11 trim over your old - hats," sighed Tess, re signedly. "My sole talent!" "And since t 're none of us really poor," supple mented Alice Murray, flushing with sudden shyness, "suppose we put the money we earn into a common fund, to pay the tuition of some girl who can't afford a college education." "You old dear!" cried Tess, impetuously. And in this manner the Society for the Prevention of Uie lessness began. Moreover, it grew and flourished, and with it the tenerous plan suggetted at the first meeting. Over Tess Haine'a door tp-pttred a sign, decorated with absurd designs by Olire Murray: "Old Hats Trans formed te New. Olive tomehow found time to give drawing leisont to two aspiring young resi dents of the college town, and Dixie't private dancing-class met once a week, with ten paying members and Nan for the orchestra. On Helen Cuyler's door was a sign with one expressive word "FudgeP And this was perhapt the moit flourishing trade of all A the treasury jrrew they hovered over it delight edly, making vast plans for the unknown person whose ambitiont it was to gratify. The faculty rrc cgnired the tociety, smiled, and encouraged it gladly and eartly, and when the long vacation came in June, a little group of girls who had hitherto had no 11 , "'"Si """ AGNES LOUISE PROVOST. "I tUtU- BEGIN BY ASKING YOU present Trent to their homes bubbling with zeal and enthusiasm in their respective schemes. Summer passed, full of its own pleasures, and with autumn the school came together once more. The Society for the Prevention of Uselessnest held its first meeting o! the school year in the1 Murray girls' room, but there was a shadow over them all. Nan was not there. What was worse, Nan was not coming back at all! News had come to all of them that Mr. Howland had failed, a business crash resulting from a partner's recklessness, and the Howlands were ruined. Mr. Howland was bravely beginning again, quietly burying his pride and am- bitione in a clerkship, unce money must be had to ive on; but the dream of Nan'a life must be laid Side. She had been preparing herself at college for a profession which was the pride of her heart, bu? two years were needed yet before she could take the high place which her talents and energy would have given her, and these were costly. "Oh, I think it 's a shame! Nan must come baCkl" Tess Haines sat up on Olive's couch and mopped her eyes defiantly as she delivered her ultimatum, and Dixie added just two words, with more North ern vigor and briskness thart 'jhe had ever displayed before: ' "Nan thalir ARAH SAMAHA -To CDbose smilo wid have r nftnlhep. She lisped , I am toU , ta whoever might ahsorih retumea 6he UU lliiv 99 o A QUESTION NAN ANNOUNCED The Society for the Prevention of Uselessness held a late session that night. The speeches were whispered, the lights low, but there was joy in the hearts of the conspirators. Before the meeting ad journed a little slip of paper went around. At the top were the words "Cash in treasury," with a neat sum following, and below, each girl's name and other amounts, smaller, but representing self-denial and an abundance of generous love. Nan Howland stood at one of the windows of her new home as the postman came up the walk. It was a plain little home in a plain neighborhood, but it was not this which made Nan't pillow suspiciously moist nights, although her face was bright enough by day. She had bravely put aside the dear old am bitions, for teveral years at least, and had turned her hand to what she found to do, but it was a bitter disappointment. It was almost a pain now to take the two letters with the familiar postmark. She opened the thin one first, recognizing with surprise the clear, decided writing of no less a personage than the president of the college. My Dear Miss Howland: I ha.ve recently had a sum of money placed in my hands, with the request that it be used as a scholarship fund. It gives me great pleasure, with the full approval of the donors, to offer the scholarship to one of my best students. soUened scola. 0 Inoll IT T 1 i 1 I f f We shall be glad to welcome you among us again if you see your way clear to accept it. Nan tore open the other letter with trembling fingers. She knew where that money came from! Dear, Blessed Old Nan: The Society for the Prevention of Uselessnest cannot exist without its President Do come back. Now we have a scheme. In order to demonstrate to the frivolous and skepti cal that we are something more than a lon name, we want one of us to start a tea-room just on the edge of the college grounds. There 's lots in it, because it has been done in other college towns, and the girls would just swarm there. You are just the one to do it, and you could take some bright girl from the town to assist, and to be there when you THE CLEVER YANKEE Bi MI2TNIX -VV. TORHKI There was TTtnan in Yankeetown, And when the tree was wholly down. And wondrous wise was he. He worked with might and main, For, with an ax and many whacks, And straightway took another ax He once cut down a tree. And cut it up again. Jhe Dancing Class Onevtwo . the proFe'ssof" saidl And again , a. one two -threes One,, two, and a one two threev Is the poIKa time " said' he . One , (wo, thrje,e . And aain a onetwo tKree. One , two f thre.d pne.lwo, . tbciec; had to be away. Please, Nan; we do miss you hof ribly. . Alice Murray, 'Helen Cuyler, v Dixie Ayers, . 1 v. Tess Haines, ;), ,. Committee. " ' P. S. IfShe tea-room is n't enough, we have twof: of the dumbest little freshies you ever saw this ' year, and they are in desperate need of tutoring. ; j ! , ' Nan read it twice, with brimming eyes. - "Those dear girls!" she said chokingly, catching1 her breath in a laugh which was half a sob, and the' president of the Society for the Prevention of Use--' lessness laid her head on her arms and cried from pure gratitude and joy, V' E.'tKerlLSlajlfiS P'rpfessordiHv
