Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-11-18
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] fl COLLEGE GIRL. /
BY Marion Ross. a
|NORNELIA BURT walked slowly into

~
the long table covered with blue-prints.
She sat down and took up book filled
with sample COPIES" but she did not
turn the leaves. She looked about the
room, at the long green tables covered
with daily papers, at the divans around
the walls, at the great fireplace and the
scattered groups of girls. AS she looked,
her eyes filled with tears, and uncon-
sciously she lifted her hand and wiped
$hem away.
A pretty little freshman, who never
looked anywhere but in Cornelia Burt's
direction when that handsome and
prominent junior was visible, stared
harder than ever, and whispered to her
roommate, miss Burt's crying!"
"Nonsense!" said the roommate, add
ing, abstractedly, shut the line A B is
equal to the line c d, and therefore
therefore-why, what if she is? l sup
pose she can cry if she ikes?"
EYES," said the freshman, meekly, "of
course. But she must feel pretty bad to
cry here in the reading-room. And
never thought that Cornelia Burt cried,
anyhow. 1 wish could wish knew
her better"
"You are absurd" said the roommate,
t'and you know it. Anybody would
think you never looked at anyone but
Cornelia Burt. 1 don't believe she's
crying, either. What should she have
Ito cry for? She's too conceited to
cry
But the look in the freshman's eyes
stopped her. "She is conceited, you
know perfectly well that she isl" she
reiterated feebly from behind her geom-
etry.
"She is not in the least conceited,"
returned the freshman, coldly. "She is
the most brilliant girl in her class, and
everyone knows it. She has a right to
look proud if she likes, and if she looks
bored most of the time, which is what
makes the girls angry, it is because she
cant help it; if we were more interest
ing, she wouldn't look so bored!"
The roommate dropped her book in
her lap and stared for moment in
silence. Then, as the gong struck the
hour, she shook out her skirts and
picked up her books. 81 would advise
you, my DEAR" she said, sweetly, mot
Ito show so much disgust when Teddy
Carroll tells us that it's the greatest
delight of her life to buy violets for
Lena St. John-you're getting there
fast! But you have my sympathy
for I doubt If you could interest her
majesty, you know!"
But it was true, Cornelia Burt was cry
ing; and no one could be more sur
prised at that fact than she. Through Il
mist of tears she looked at the familiar
faces in the blueprint book-the fac
ulty, curiously labeled: "Miss Brown,
with shawl" Miss Williams, on steps,"
the students, in every conceivable posi-
ttion and combinations; 81. Reading,
smile;" Lucia, banjo;" Cora Willis,
Lou Hartes and j. Peterson, in ham,
mock" "The president, with dog"
She had laughed at them all-now she
was going to leave them. She had never
bought blue prints; she had no mem
orabilia. Now she would like some, but
1t was too late. If she had money to pay
her bills, she was fortunate, Cornelia
thought bitterly.
Some one was practicing on the big
organ in the chapel overhead. The
queer, wheeling piston on the reading
room wall heaved up and down to the
Bach fugue that repeated it's doleful
minors again and again. 1t was warm,
of the young spring term-the beauti-
full spring term with the long, lazy
evenings on the back campus, under
the stars, in the hundred hammocks.
And this would be her last spring term!
Somehow it was harder to go than
she could have dreamed, last year. To
go out in good order, as a senior, with
-four years behind her, to get once more
the admiration and pride in her that
her class always felt when she had
distinguished herself, and then to leave
the whole thing finished, completed,
and start out prepared for the larger
life-that would not be so hard. All
would feel alike, then. But to go as a
Junior, with all the things undone that
she had meant to do, to leave to another
editor the college paper which she had
meant to manage so well, to lose the
senior dramatics she had planned to
ShJOJ 81 VII, IL " as anu
all for the lack of a few pitiful hundred
dollars!
She got up abruptly and left the room.
AS she passed through the hall, not
looking at the large crowded bulletin
boards that lined the walls, some one
called her name. Excuse me, Miss
Burt, but there's a note on the board for
you"
Cornelia looked up in some surprise
on Clara Williston, rich, rather dull
girl whom she hardly knew. Thank
you" she said, with a somewhat cool
nod, Miss Williston thought. "I'll get
It,"
She opened the half-sheet of note
paper and glanced at it, only half read
Ing it, her eyes were so blurred with
tears:
Dear Meme: OF course you remember our
dance Is tomorrow night. I've got you a
good an order as possibly could, and may
I have the second extra? AS ever,
SUE.
How she had lauuhed Mt the dapoas