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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